Laugh & Lose Weight??

No matter whether you laugh your way to weight loss or not it is proven that laughter is wonderful in so many ways.  It relieves stress, helps patients heal faster, and it brings partners closer together.

This video clip will probably make you laugh whether you are "serious" and try it or whether you just sit and watch it.

Take a Car Trip and let your Conversations Hit the Road.

Find Conversations Hit the Road on iTunes.

One thing we have found is that a car trip can become an opportunity to converse.  Sometimes if you have children it might even be nice to get out on a drive so you can talk to each other with out having to be interrupted several times.  We started doing this and even turned it into a podcast called Conversations Hit The Road that you can get on iTunes.  We love it so much that we find ourselves asking each other if the other wants to go on a drive quite often.  Set back and enjoy a sample of our podcast below and then tell all you friends about it.  We hope soon that couples all over the world will take us on a drive with them to get their conversations rolling.

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Spend a few quite moments together

The Yab Yum Postions is great for connecting with your partner. 

You know we spend so much time worrying about the conversations in our relationships that sometimes we forget about the silence.  It is a good practice to also be quite with your partner.  Be it a meditation, yoga, or just time to hold hands and nothing more.   In my opinion right before you head off to sleep is a great time to spend this quite time together.  Find a positions that is comfortable to you, the yab yum position is one of my favorites.  This is where one partner sits in the others lap, it allows for maximum connected ways to touch each other.  Then spend several moments, whatever is comfortable to the two of you, in this position in silence.  Use your touch to communicate to your partner you can stroke their back, run you fingers through their hair, or just embrace each other during this silence.  Let this be a time to quiet all the chatter from the day and relax within each other.  Enjoy the breathing of your partner and just be present with each other.  If you are like many you will find this practice to become a staple in your relationship.  

What is Spiritual Practice?

Spiritual practices may be quite different than you think.  Prayer, yoga, and meditation are all spiritual practices, but have you ever considered how spiritual gardening or bicycling or keeping a dream journal or painting can be?  There are an infinite number of spiritual practices.  It truly is about what makes you feel connected, open, peaceful and filled with joy.

You might choose to spend time in nature, make love with your partner, light a candle, spend time with your pet, read a book to your child, or keep fresh flowers on the table everyday.  It doesn't matter what they are.  What matters is that you invite spiritual practice into your life and into your heart - your soul and spirit will thank you.  You are loved by us, by everything, by ALL.

Photo by Melinda Nagy

Saving Money as a Couple.

Here is a little tip for the two of you to save a little money.

Go out and purchase some storage containers that you would consider the size of an individual portion.

Now find things that you can make that you can divide into these containers and freeze to be eat later.  This is a great way to avoid all those nasty processed meals you either take for lunch or that you eat at home when time is short.  We personally make a Mexican soup that works out great for this.  We use natural ingredients and then have a wonderful meal at our disposal at any time.  By doing this you will not believe how much money you can save.  So instead of giving you money to those big corporations that give us unhealthy meals we can same some money and eat healthy.  What a wonderful concept.  Below is my recipe for Mexican Soup try it out change ingredients if you like and see how much money it can save you.

Rob's Mexican Soup

Ingredients : Black Beans (1 Can), Kidney Beans (1 Can), Chili Beans (1 Can), Corn (1 cup), Green Pepper (1 Diced), Jalapeno (2 sliced), Celery (2 stalks sliced), Rice, Cumin (to taste), Cilantro (to taste)

Directions : Put all ingredients in crock pot or slow cooker, except for rice, on low for about 5 hours.  Make your rice separately and add after the 5 hours is up.

Divide your portions out and place in your storage containers.  You might also like to top your soup with shredded cheese or tortilla chips.

Fences

A fence not only keeps our fears out - it also keeps them locked in.

Photo by Knowles Gallery - Charles Knowles

Make a trip to the store and fun and exciting thing.

We all have to go to the grocery store at some point and time.  We have to get the food and products to help us survive in this lifetime.  This chore can sometimes become a hassle as you dread the lines and the constant going back and forth for things you forgot.  Actually going to the store can really be viewed as a drain on your day.

I suggest you make it an outing for the two of you.  Don't get stuck in the grocery store rut.  Invite your partner and treat it as a date or a time out for the two of you.  Have some fun act silly and enjoy each others company.  Get someone to watch the kids and enjoy your shopping time without your little loved ones asking for everything they see.  Challenge yourselves to find new, exciting, and healthy foods for your family.  Heck if all else fails you can people watch and see all the characters that come into the store.  Using this technique will help break you out of the boredom of shopping each time you go.  You might even start looking forward to it.

Choose How You View Others

Do you want to change the world around you? Do you find that others don’t understand you? Do you feel like an outsider sometimes or do you feel that if you shared your views people would not understand? Taking a bold stand is not for everyone, but you can change how you view others. We need to appreciate their differences. Sometimes that can be quite challenging especially if someone stabs you in the back or tries to manipulate a situation. You don’t have to accept unpleasant treatment from others – just try to remove yourself from it. Most importantly do not allow yourself to get worked up over it. Breathe it in, then release it and let it be. You can choose to change how you react, how you feel about things even if you can’t change the “thing” itself.



By doing this you will actually change the world around you.  It will no longer matter how understood you are.  You can focus on other things than being left out in the cold - perhaps, being in the middle of those around you at work or wherever would not make you comfortable anyway.  You get to choose how you view others and how that will affect you.
 
Photo by Peter Baxter

Well thought out love notes!

Love notes break through all the self doubt your partner might experience. 

We are firm believers in leaving little love notes for your partner around the house.  However sometimes the placement needs to be a little more thought out.  Is you partner going for a job interview, or has a big presentation to share at work, then you little love note might find it's way to a special spot.  Maybe that spot would be in their brief case or on the first page of their presentation for them to find right before the big moment.  Maybe your partner is taking a big test at work or school and you want to show support so you tape a note to their favorite pencil.  These little thought out places and times to leave notes can make the difference to your loved one.  It will give them a boost of confidence at the right time and make them smile at a nervous time.  These little notes might just be the help your partner needs to make a big splash in what ever they are doing.

Note are great to find at random times, but sometimes they have an added benefit.

Unexpected Opening

You are in the driver's seat ready to go about your normal life.  Suddenly there is a tap on the window.  What you see is not what you expect.  Everything suddenly looks different to you.  Where are you?  You realize there is an opening just in front of you.  An opening you were not expecting.  It is time to give up the path you you have been on and time to seek new territory - perhaps even with new transportation.  This does not mean that we abandon our responsibilities or our lives, but suddenly without expecting it we realize we need to make changes.  We need to find what we are missing.  We need serenity and rejuvenation.

Photo by lefebvre_johnathan