Peggie Kirkland 0:04
Welcome to the Momma's Motivational Messages podcast, where women learn to stop putting themselves on the backburner and start paying attention to caring for themselves first, so they can be better for everyone else in their lives. I know you'll be inspired by the stories of resiliency and starting over of health and self-healing, of gaining clarity through journaling, of showing self-love through world travel,and the list goes on. I encourage you to relax and enjoy. I'm your host Peggie Kirkland, PK.
Peggie Kirkland 0:45
Hi, everyone. In the introduction to this mini series that I'm calling Seven Reasons why Cupid Needs to Work Harder This Valentine's Day, I talked about why you need to work with Cupid to make loving yourself first a priority. And by the way, I say love yourself first, unapologetically. In other words, you and Cupid can become a majority so that no matter whether you're showered with gifts on Valentine's Day, or if your Valentine is lame, and pretends not to remember the day, or even if you have no Valentine, what's important is how you show love to and for yourself.
Peggie Kirkland 1:34
I also promised that I would provide you with seven reasons why you should use Cupid's day to take your self-care to the next level. Yesterday, I gave you the first reason why Cupid should work harder this Valentine's Day. I focused on being mentally healthy. And I shared nine cues from Mayo Clinic that would allow you to answer the question, "Am I mentally healthy?" I also talked about suicide and the fact that it is a leading cause of death in the United States. Yesterday I said it was the leading cause. I'd like to be more accurate about that by saying it is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Either way, it makes it clear that your mental health is critical to your overall wellness.
Peggie Kirkland 2:33
So in this episode, I'm going to give you the second reason why I think you and Cupid need to work harder this Valentine's Day. That reason is so that you can be intentional about working on your physical health, especially after enjoying all that chocolate and other sweets. You know in the myth about Cupid, a person who is struck by the arrow immediately falls in love. So I say get struck by the arrow and fall in love with your body in such a way that keeping it healthy, makes you happy and doesn't fill you with dread when you think about painful workouts or changing your diet.
Peggie Kirkland 3:19
But before I talk about the importance of being physically healthy, I wanted to remind you to grab your FREE Affirmation ecards by clicking on the link in the show notes. These 20 affirmations will help you as you shift your mindset from focusing on what you're lacking to focusing on your strengths. In fact, I'm urging you to observe the effect that repeating these affirmations has on you. Do they make you feel more loving towards yourself and more confident? Do they increase your belief in your abilities? Do they make it easier for you to take life in stride? Try to be aware of how your mind and body react when you practice repeating affirmations. So go ahead and grab your FREE Affirmation ecards. Choose one or two affirmations that resonate with you and make a habit of repeating them several times throughout the day especially when you wake up in the morning, and at night before you go to bed. I write my affirmations on Post-its so that I can put them where I can see them easily, like on the refrigerator, on my bathroom mirror or on my desk.
Peggie Kirkland 4:42
So let's move on to the second reason for you and Cupid to be intentional this Valentine's Day and that is so you can focus on your physical health. Right now everyone is focused on Omcron and other COVID variants that keep popping up. And rightly so, because those are highly communicable diseases. But it is also important that you pay attention to other health concerns, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, several cancers, hypertension, all of which are noncommunicable. You can't catch them from anyone else. But these diseases can put you on the sidelines. Would you rather be an observer of life, or a participant?
Peggie Kirkland 5:35
You know, we often say life is short. But during the pandemic, it seemed like that saying became even more real. So if you want to make good on your understanding of the reality of life's shortness, then you have to be intentional about taking care of the only body you have. Someone sent me this video clip of an older couple, Dennis and Linda, maybe you've seen it. But during the pandemic, Dennis and Linda got dressed up, and went out to the only restaurant they could find that was open, and they ordered meals which were brought to their car. They did this at least three times a week, day after day, and month after month, throughout the pandemic. They would drink champagne, eat, and then play music from a speaker that Dennis would put on the roof of the car. And guess what? They danced in the parking lot. And they danced and they danced. And when they were done, they went home.
Peggie Kirkland 6:41
This is what Dennis said about that. "We made the conscious decision to make the most out of life because we didn't know how many days we had left." Here's the kicker. His wife, Linda, had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer, and it was terminal. And he had a very bad heart and was waiting to get on the heart transplant list. I had mixed emotions about this video clip, I felt myself cheering for them for their courage and their positivity. But I also felt sad as I wondered whether it took their diagnoses for them to start enjoying life. I don't have that answer, but you do for your own lives. If you want to be a full participant in life, it helps to be in good physical health.
Peggie Kirkland 7:39
Now, if you remember in the first episode of 2022, I talked about setting intentions, not resolutions. We know that losing weight and getting healthier is usually one of the first resolutions people make while they're gorging themselves on holiday meals, packed with sugars and delicious carbs, and alcohol that is pleasing to the palate. That's why it's important to set an intention and not a resolution to incorporate physical activity into your lives on a regular basis because when you set an intention, you have to make a plan about how you're going to accomplish that. It's more than just expressing a desire. It's about making a plan to accomplish your goal. You have to consider how you're going to get that exercise. Are you back at the gym? Are you using online apps or equipment at home? Are you getting outdoors in good weather? These are decisions you would make intentionally.
Peggie Kirkland 8:49
And because your body changes as you age, you need to limit the amount of time you spend in a sedentary position. That's right, get up off of those rear ends. If you set this as an intention, then it means you would, for example, select a certain number of days three days, put them on your calendar to meet your target. And you would also select alternate days so that if life gets in the way, you don't have to make excuses and you don't have to miss the times when you would exercise.
Peggie Kirkland 9:26
The World Health Organization recommends, among other things, that adults aged 18 to 64 engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes, that's two and a half to roughly five hours of moderate intensity, aerobic, physical activity weekly, or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity, aerobic, physical activity at least three times per week. And then of course it's also focusing on nutrition basics, which, according to Mayo Clinic boils down to eating a variety of wholesome foods that support your health.
Peggie Kirkland 10:09
Now, if you can't accomplish this on your own, you should talk to a dietitian who can personalize your dietary needs, while paying attention to the status of your health, your lifestyle, and your food preferences. And if you know that you're easily distracted when you set goals, you should enlist someone who can hold you accountable. You may have to hire somebody if you don't have someone in your circle, who can act in this role.
Peggie Kirkland 10:40
And while you're at it, use some affirmations to keep you positive and motivated. check out Episode 26. That's day 12 in our Season of Affirmations, where the affirmation for that day was, "I allow myself to have excellent health by developing a healthy mindset. I allow myself to have excellent health by developing a healthy mindset. I allow myself to have excellent health by developing a healthy mindset." And don't forget to grab your Free Affirmation ecards. Just click the link in the Show Notes to receive them and you can use them to keep you motivated throughout the process. That's it for now. I'm trusting you and Cupid to be intentional about maintaining good physical health.
Peggie Kirkland 11:40
If you've been inspired and encouraged by the positive messages in today's show, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple podcast. This will help to keep the show alive. And remember, sharing is caring. So don't forget to share these gems with friends and family strangers too if you like. Let them know it's available wherever they listen to their podcasts. I'm counting on you to share the love. Until next time. This is PK sending you much light and a whole lot of love.
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