What Inspires You?

All of us at Inspiring You Magazine want to know what inspires you.

How do you keep going? How do you stay grounded? What makes your heart happy? What makes you smile?

Just a few ideas to get you started.

SEND STORY AND A PHOTO TO: inspiringyoumagazineimn@gmail.com

HALFWAY THERE! ARE YOU UP TO DATE?

·

Halfway there! Are you ‘up-to-date’?

Mid-year is fast approaching and a great time to reflect on ‘where am I’. We often perform a mental check-up on things like: Am I achieving the goals I set for myself? Does the summer plan for the kids still seem viable? Is my bank account looking good or holding on for dear life? These are all important things to reflect on. How about you take the check-up literally?

Are you doing all you can to stay fit and healthy? Just recently, I had a pretty big health scare when I was looking and feeling in tip-top shape! I was brought back to reality very quickly. When your health is amiss your whole life goes off-kilter, too. If you are in good health, be very thankful for it every day. At this mid-year point, take stock of the professionals you should be seeing on a regular basis to ensure your health is in check.

Primary Care Physician (annually)

Dentist (twice/year for cleanings)

Ophthalmologist (annually)

Dermatologist (skin screening every 2 years or as advised)

Chiropractor (as needed, proper alignment/ posture will pay their dividends into later years)

Specialty Doctors (mammograms, prostate checks, etc.)

If you need a new doctor or have never seen some of these specialists, ask your friends and neighbors if they can recommend anyone to you. These days, your Primary Care Physician is key. Often you can’t get any tests, medications or referrals to specialists without one, and sometimes you are required to see your PCP for your insurance to foot the bill.

It’s amazing what you might find that you didn’t know was there - both good and not-so-good. Most of all, listen to your body and act accordingly. Don’t put off getting unusual or irregular symptoms checked out. Please don’t self-diagnose. Far better to have the doctor tell you it’s nothing than to find out too late that it’s something big.

I’m finding out the older I get that one doctor visit may lead to several more, which I used to find a bit irritating or felt like some of it was overkill. Not so. It’s always a process of elimination in our health care and to find out what it’s NOT is also a very good thing. Love it when they can take certain health concerns off the table.

Just as important as your medical care is your selfcare! Are you taking time for yourself to sit quietly, take a walk, participate in a yoga class or other healthy activity? Maybe you just need to take some time to pull out that canvas and paint brushes, try that new recipe or enjoy finishing a project you keep putting off. Self-care is extremely important to your mental and physical health, no matter how small the gesture.

Put your self-care activities on your calendar just like other important appointments and reminders. Giving them a placeholder encourages you to schedule around them and keep you on task. Here are some ideas to jump start your plan. Be creative and do what speaks to you for serenity. This is your daily opportunity for wellness and prevention.

Massage

• Walks in Nature

• Nap

• Tea with a Friend

• Watch an Old Sappy Movie

• Reflexology Treatment

• Facial

Practicing Mindfulness

• Write in your Gratitude Journal

• ‘Earthing’ (also called Grounding) You can walk barefoot in the grass for natural healing from the Earth’s electrons. (Book by Clint Ober)

• Laugh - it IS the best medicine

Get yourself a simple journal or use a small pad of notebook paper to jot down five things you are thankful for and what self-care you enjoyed each day. It becomes a little diary of sorts you can look back over and see how you’ve progressed.

Always remember: WHEN YOU’VE GOT YOUR HEALTHYOU’VE GOT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Byline:

Esthetician, Volunteer, Customer Service Professional, Auntie/Great Auntie, Sister, Grams, Flower Lover, Clothes Horse, World Traveler, ‘All Things Positive promoter’, Better Half to my Better Half, Junior Leaguer,Disney Lover … and not necessarily in that order!

For questions and connecting, you can reach me via email: kris.krizman@icloud.com . I also have a weekly post on Instagram called ‘Words for Wednesday’ – sharing positive vibes. (kaknc)