Tag Archives: gratitude journal

Be A Smarty Pants with Original G·E·M·S (Part I: Gratitude)

Posted on August 10, 2021 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has 1 Comment on Be A Smarty Pants with Original G·E·M·S (Part I: Gratitude)

Gearing up for a new school year can be hectic, no doubt about it. BUT, if we embrace the chaos and express gratitude for our kids’ opportunities and abilities in the classroom, we can give them the support they need to perform their best, in school and beyond. Try these Original G·E·M·S Life daily GRATITUDE practices for a smarty pants semester this fall!

LEARN, GROW & SHINE BRIGHT DAILY. JUMP INTO ORIGINAL G·E·M·S LIFE!

Start Smart this Semester with Original G·E·M·S Life

Original G·E·M·S know the road to healthy isn’t paved with just clean eating and exercise. Our mental health plays just as big a role in our overall wellness as what we put on our plate and how we move our bodies. Because of this, our daily habits have a HUGE impact on brain health—a super important topic as we approach a new school year!

You have the opportunity every single day to do something good for your brain (and, in turn, your body). And what better way to start than with our first Original G·E·M·S Life category, GRATITUDE, each day? Read on for tips on how to practice GRATITUDE daily this school year.

Having GRATITUDE for A Shiny New School Year!

There is no shortage of studies that link a practice of gratitude gives way to an overall sense of well-being. But did you know that practicing gratitude can also have a positive impact on our focus and resilience in learning?

According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, when students intentionally practice gratitude toward learning, they have better focus during class, while studying, or taking an exam.

Practicing gratitude then seems like a no-brainer (pun intended!) for excelling in the classroom! Try out these quick and easy Original G·E·M·S Life practices to start your day with a gratitude mindset before hitting the books this school year.

3 Ways to Start Your School Day with GRATITUDE

PRACTICE MORNING MEDITATIONS. Center yourself by taking 15 minutes each morning to meditate and reflect on the positive. Doing so will automatically start your day with an optimistic outlook and ready to tackle whatever may come.
START GRATITUDE MAPPING. Similar to a gratitude journal, gratitude mapping is creating a visual mood board to represent things you’re grateful for. Add to it daily and put it on display to help remind you of all the good things you have to be grateful for!
VOLUNTEER TO HELP. We all know someone who could use a hand. Volunteer to help your kids’ carpool lane. Sign up to become a reading buddy or a tutor in the classroom. Just put yourself out there and see—helping those in need brings on a sense of compassion for humanity, and helps us have gratitude for our circumstances!

Try these daily practices to help you have a smarty pants semester, but don’t forget; Gratitude is just ONE important element of living an Original G·E·M·S Life. To Shine Brighter in all areas of your life, commit daily to one practice in each Original G·E·M·S Life category, Gratitude, Eat Clean, Move, and Shine, and watch the transformation begin!

And be on the lookout for more tips on how to have a Smarty Pants Semester on our blog, Facebook & Instagram!

Live each day with Intention. Be present.

Posted on December 11, 2017 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has 4 Comments on Live each day with Intention. Be present.

Want to be more present in your world? Do you desire to make the shift to a more vibrant, inspired life? Most of you would say yes. The shift begins with you, your thoughts, your time, and your intention to make a shift. Give yourself the gift of time to be more fully present in the world around you. You can ‘intentionally’ set yourself on a desired path, by being more focused on the good things in your life and the world around you–visualize your future reality. When you set your intention, you draw out a plan for where you want your day (and life) to go. We believe that by nourishing your mind, body and spirit every day, you can live the life of a GEM—one of focus, gratitude and health.

How, you may ask? It’s starts as simple as taking the time to do so—to be more fully present. Start by taking your own personal quiet time to begin your day. Wake a few minutes earlier than normal. Take a moment to breathe and be grateful for the new day. Hop out of bed, drink your water and find a spot to sit and contemplate. Write down what you want to see for yourself or list your prayers in a daily journal. Start your mediation with simple thoughts. This practice helps me with my “Find the Joy’ intention.

“Your intention sets your reality.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Daily affirmations and intentions are key to starting this journey. There are many benefits to chronicling daily gratitude and being more connected. This is the first step. It’s simple, yet not always easy.

Tips:

Don’t hurry. It’s just a few minutes anyway.
Put your phone on “do not disturb.”
Set your intention to be happier when you do this exercise.
Be positive and grateful.
Be specific about the good things, your purpose for the day, things for self-care.
Affirm what you want. I attract awesome.
Affirm every day: I AM AWESOME (or something else). Let your day be filled with love and light.

Everyday I express gratitude for my family, my health, and the comforts of my home. Other times it is deeper and more profound. What matters is that you recognize those things that are good in and around your life. We have so much, even in the midst of stormy times. Sometimes I go back and read previous entries, and it inspires me. It often makes me grateful for the evolution and the progress I’ve made. And then I write THAT down as something I’m grateful for!!!

It can be an amazing 10 minutes of your morning, righting your path to a brighter, more present YOU.

What about this journal thing? This journal doesn’t have to be fancy, BUT, if you need a little prompting – and we all need a little help sometimes – we’ve prepared a daily journal to remind you to nurture your whole health. It’s called “A Day in The Life” Journal. It contains a page that sparks the thoughts and ideas you need for an inspired day of self reflection and outward consciousness. This is the beginning of a practice that helps you to be more connected to the deeper world around you. Get one for yourself, and one for your bestie.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in every moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Start your journey to be more inspired and more connected to the deeper world around you. While it may not be the path of least resistance, I assure you it is the path with the most rewards. We only have one life so make the most of it!

Photo credit: Erik Carlson Photography

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Your Biggest Enemy: Stress. By Way of Sugar

Posted on May 23, 2016 by diamondsonyourinside and currently has 1 Comment on Your Biggest Enemy: Stress. By Way of Sugar

We know the visible suspects of stress: hectic schedules, poor relationships, lack of sleep. In addition, there are invisible factors that trigger the same stress response. It’s as ubiquitous as the air you breathe. It’s called sugar …

Photo cred: Vig Foto

What you’re about to learn should change how you think about stress and, if you’re smart, how you interact with sugar—especially when stressed.

Surprisingly, one of the biggest causes behind stress could be your blood sugar. The more time spent outside of a healthy blood sugar range, the more your body feels stressed. Excess sugar causes the same physiological changes that external stresses do!

Blood sugar spikes seriously affect stress and inflammation levels in your body. I’ll spare you the physiology lesson, but spiked blood sugar causes stress in your body, which causes your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Cortisol manages stress and it also manages blood sugar. When blood sugar levels change too fast, your cortisol is used to pull it back up again. Unstable blood sugar can make you feel the same as you feel when an event makes you angry, frustrated, frightened, i.e., STRESSED. So … sugar makes your stress response worse.

We already know stress is a really bad thing when it comes to your health and happiness. Chronic stress can be as fatal as smoking and a predictor of weight gain even more than genetics.

Even when you can’t control every cause of stress in your world, the simple act of keeping your blood sugar levels stable will make you more resilient, less irritable, better able to “deal.”

When I’m stressed AND sugared up, I become the most irritable lunatic. Everyone benefits from me steering clear of sugar! In addition, stable blood sugar levels help you stay lean and energized. This is because unstable blood sugar (and cortisol) causes you to make fat storage hormones like insulin and affects sleep patterns, which causes weight gain and fatigue.

Photo cred: Vig Foto

If some of this sounds like you, let’s talk about management. What can you do to keep your blood sugar stable?

Throughout the day, many factors protect or damage your blood sugar. However, what happens in the morning affects your day than any other time. So …

START YOUR DAY OFF RIGHT.

Your morning routine can start the downward spiral that keeps you in a constant state of stress– raising stress hormones from the get go.

Eat a high quality protein filled breakfast – Kick Captain Crunch out of your kitchen, because he, along with high sugar breakfast foods (bagels, overly sweetened yogurts, junk smoothies), sabotage your blood sugar, your mood, your waistline. You will function SO MUCH better when you stay under seven grams of sugar from all sources combined. Stick with high quality protein, pastured eggs, raw plant protein powders, paired with good fat sources like coconut oil or avocados.

Don’t skip breakfast – Having no food lowers your metabolism in preparation for famine. This makes you less able to burn fat for fuel. The “Amazing Crown Jewel” smoothie gives you the fat and protein you need to power through your morning!

Drink green juice – The phytonutrients from alkalizing greens and vegetables help maintain blood sugar while flooding your system with immunity boosting, inflammation quelling, energizing enzymes and nutrients. Look for juices that are a minimum of 70% vegetables, like the Flawless, or Disco. Even the classic Green Glow packs a punch!

CONSIDER A 3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE TO REBOOT YOU SYSTEM—GET RID OF THOSE CRAVINGS. Want to chew too? Reserve a Juice Then Dinner Cleanse and enjoy a little mastication!

LAY OFF high amounts of caffeine – Why does caffeine give you energy? Because it causes you to raise your blood sugar in the same way that sugary food does. Then THE CRASH. Drink organic green tea instead

Physical activity – Anything works: walking, running, yoga, you name it. It helps regulate your blood sugar too.

Stay psychologically centered – Start a gratitude journal. Mentally rehearse your day, and set your intention to be healthy, happy and calm. Grab our GEM Journal for amazing prompts to maintain a health-filled day.

Your body and mind strive to reach states of balance and happiness. Even though you cannot control the world around you, you can help yourself become healthier and more resilient by making easy adjustments in your daily habits.

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