Fifteen-Minute Fix #14: Hill Hiker's Guide to Happy Legs

I really enjoy walking in nature – breathing the fresh air, hearing the bird’s sing and the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a great hike.  Sometimes, though, my legs start 'talking' to me with these little aches & pains – letting me know that they either went too far or climbed too many hills!

I offer to you my fifteen-minute fix for Hill Hiker's Legs:

1. With your shoes off, roll your right hand into a ball and massage the arch of your left foot for thirty seconds.  Twirl each toe (yes, I really said that) clockwise three times.

2. On each side of your left foot, rub around the anklebone in a circle three times.

3.  Your shinbone is the one that starts near the bottom of your leg and goes to your knee. There are two large muscles on either side of it that tend to get tender! Starting at your anklebone, move your hand up two inches toward your knee and press.  If this spot feels tender, press gently 12 times.  If this spot doesn't feel tender or sore, go to step 4.

4.  With your dominant hand, move up your leg two inches at a time, looking for the tender spots and pressing each one 12 times.  The point at the very top of this muscle closest to the shin is the mostly likely to feel tender, tight or sore.  If it doesn't, press it anyway! If no spots feel tender - hoorah!

5. Repeat the entire process with the other side of that same leg.

6. Rub in a circle around your knee, feeling for tender spots. If you find one, press gently twelve times.

7. Repeat all these steps with your other leg; check your supplies of sunscreen & water and begin your trip. 

When you return from your most awesome hiking experience, as the soaking tub is filling, repeat these steps again.  Your legs will feel so much better and you will, too!

Fifteen-Minute Fix #13: Vacation Vibe for the Self-Employed Soul

This week as I was sifting through the many lists of things to do for my work-from-home business, I noticed that what I really wanted to do was to take a vacation. This is actually not that unusual for me and will probably not surprise any other working from home, self-employed person. What did surprise me was how much I got out of doing this - the flow of words, the free and fun feeling and idea that maybe, I can squeeze work into my vacation instead of the other way around! So here it is – my own fifteen-minute fix to get you through the mid-week how-will-I-ever-get-all-this-done blues.

Vacation Meditation Anne LaBrie ©2014 

1. Put on your bathing suit.  This will have an  immediate effect of shifting your energy from the feelings of overwhelm to the feelings of possibility.

2. Use your favorite suntan lotion on your arms and legs. My personal fast-track to vacation vibes is "Hawaiian Tropic" for the 'coconut' of it all. The oil has more coconut aroma than the lotion, for some reason. The extra grease is completely worth it and your skin might thank you.

3. Put on some Bob Marley (reggae) or Hapa (hawaiian music) and play it softly in the background while you're working. If you get stuck on an issue, turn up the volume, dance a little and then go back to it.  You just may have 'shook up' an idea and can use that to move your issue along.

4. For lunch, splurge a little and have a few of your favorite vacation foods.  Some macadamia nuts & pineapple go a long way toward helping you feel the 'vacation' of it all.

5. When you do finish your work for the day, take just a few minutes and scout around for something new and fun to do for a few hours on the weekend.  Doing a new activity can really shift your perspective on the old activities!

I discovered that when I am more relaxed, I get more done and then I feel more relaxed! It should also be mentioned that there is the possibility that an actual vacation may be the result of doing this exercise a few times.  If that happens, you probably really need it, so relax even more and enjoy that too.