Favorite Ways to Exercise Your Mind and Craftsy Gift Card Giveaway!

Happy Friday!

Today we’re giving away two $30 Gift Cards for Craftsy Classes. (Details at the end of the post.)

When caught in the weight loss struggle it can be easy to spend so much time focused on tending to our bodies, we forget to nourish and exercise our minds.  A healthy mind is every bit as important as a healthy body. Granted eating well and exercising are as good for our brains as our bodies. But for optimal growth and happiness, our minds need more.

So, for this week’s Friday Favorites I thought I would share some of my favorite ways for exercising the mind.

1. Read

Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I have stacks of books on a wide range of topics scattered throughout the house and eBooks in my iPad.  Being part of a book club can be a fun way to explore what your reading with friends. Delicious calorie free exercise to nourish your mind.

2. Journal

Morning writing is a great way to get centered before the day begins. The more I do it the more I appreciate journaling’s powerful benefits. Writing is a great way to release whatever is weighing on my mind, prioritize what I need to get done, and remind myself of all I have to be grateful for.

3. Do Yoga

A regular yoga practice makes everything in my life better.  When people talk about yoga, they often focus on the physical benefits of the practice, such as increased flexibility and decreased muscle stiffness. But many people don’t realize, until after they begin taking yoga classes, that the mental benefits are just as profound as the physical benefits. Yoga has helped me heal severe low back pain, calm down, manage anxiety, cope with traumatic loss, build confidence and learn to trust myself. Thanks to yoga I’m stronger, calmer, better balanced and more resilient. (Here’s a great article from Yoga Journal on 5 Ways Yoga Benefits Your Mental Health)

4. Attend Workshops and Conferences

I’ve always enjoyed attending the occasional workshop or conference, which is why I’m looking forward to heading out to Indianapolis for the FitBloggin Conference later this month. Getting out and hearing from people who are doing what you do, but differently, can reignite your enthusiasm.  I always return home energized and filled with new ideas.  As a creature of habit with a sometimes overly serious nature, there’s a lot to be said for breaking away from my day-to-day routine and just allowing myself to have some fun.

5. Try New Things

Learning new things and practicing new skills creates new neural wiring in your brain. Which is why it’s important to stretch beyond our comfort zones. Study a foreign language, learn a musical instrument, go horseback riding, try salsa dancing, build a website, or take a class.

A lifelong learner, I’ve begun taking online cooking classes. In addition to being much less expensive than live ones, I like that you get lifetime access to self-paced classes taught by renowned culinary experts in the comfort of your own home.

How awesome is that?

I’m about half-way through my first class, Love Your Vegetables, which I’m loving.

Additional classes on my list to take include:

• Healthy Mediterranean Cooking
• Slow Cooker Savvy
• The Art of Stir Frying
• Mexican Street Food
• Cook More Weigh Less
• Cook Smarter Solutions for Weeknight Dinners
• One Dish Meals Made New
• Smart Baking Substitutions

If cooking classes aren’t your thing, maybe you’ll want to check out one of the many art or crafts classes available. It seems like an excellent way to make the most of any free time you have this summer while challenging your brain.

And Now for the Giveaway…

TO ENTER 

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

1. Hop over to the Craftsy website and look through their classes, then come back here and share with me which class you would most like to take.

Just let me know which Craftsy class is most interesting to you and you’ll be entered to win one of two $30 Gift Cards.

THE RULES

One entry per person, please

Winners will be announced next Tuesday. Be sure to check back to see if you won.

Good luck!

7/5/16 GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

The winners of the Craftsy Gift Cards are:

Kathy N who said, “Oooh.. so many good choices but I am really excited about Zippered Bags With a Twist: The One-Zip Way. So cool!.”

Blyn C who said, “I would love to take Zip it Up! That would be so awesome. I struggle with zippers.”

Congratulations Kathy and Blyn!  Contact support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your prize. And thanks to all of you who stopped by and participated. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you being part of this community.