Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #01
Hello Friends & Family!
Here we are, in the midst of our modern lives, completely engaged in a new global collective consciousness. I hope each of you is healthy in mind, body, and spirit, and that you are finding your way through each day with purpose and conviction to get to the next day.
Let's embrace this time and get BACK TO BASICS.
That is the purpose of my communication today and my upcoming send outs over the next few weeks. It is time to reconnect with the things we love about the life we've created, and I aim to bring these into your inbox, straight from my heart & professional experiences. Over these coming weeks of the global stress-test, I will send you some things you might consider incorporating into your schedule and your new routines.
Our first Back to Basics tip is WATER. H2O.
Everything comes down to water. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, bound in a molecular dance that supports the very foundations of life across the universe.
Now is the time to drink more water. Good water. Filtered and structured if possible. The general recommendation is half of your body weight, represented in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water each day. We also believe that COVID-19 can live in your throat for a while before it settles into your lungs. The virus can be washed down to your stomach if carried by water, and it cannot survive in stomach acid.
Since we are all home and have access to a clean bathroom all the time (and hopefully enough TP), you can work on solidifying a more appropriate hydrating routine with water. You'll want to finish drinking a few hours before bed, so your bladder doesn't disrupt your sleep.
YOUR FIRST B2B CHALLENGE:
I challenge you to drink 50-ounces of water before noon every day this week. You can do it.
Even my husband starts his morning with a 30oz bottle that he puts into his system with an almost meditative & determined spirit, with the goal of bringing his body back online from sleeping all night. How will you start your day with water in the routine?
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- WATER UP!
- Prioritize sleep
- Eat real foods
- Get into the sunshine
- Move your body
AND, take deep breaths!
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #02
Hello Friends & Family!
I hope you are navigating a path through the chaos around you. We're finding our groove with loads of patience and deep breaths.
Getting BACK TO BASICS
Last week I challenged you to drink more water. How's it going? Staying hydrated is one of the simplest things you can do to maintain your health. Have you noticed your skin looks better too? Maybe we'll all come out of this looking younger!!
Our next Back to Basics tip is BREATHING.
OXYGEN. THE O2.
I know this brings up some anxiety for a couple of you (I have special directions for you below). Hang with me. You need to breathe. You're all doing it autonomically already. So why do we have to talk about this one?
Our lungs need some exercise too. You might find you get a release of endorphins when you exhaust yourself with a run or tough cardio workout. That's great! That is one way to train your lungs. There are other ways we can train our lungs, too. One of the main muscles of respiration is the diaphragm (the other is the intercostals). Moving the diaphragm is important because our Vagus nerve runs through it. If your diaphragm is not moving, it's essentially choking the Vagus nerve and inhibiting it's ability to do it's job.
When your diaphragm moves (as in deep belly breathing), it allows your vagus nerve to communicate freely. The Vagus nerve is key in your Parasympathetic Nervous System, which tells our body to rest and digest. Thus, lowering our stress response (cortisol) and allowing the body to calm. It also signals your digestive system to work more efficiently (absorbing nutrients, processing, and elimination).
YOUR NEXT B2B CHALLENGE:
I challenge you to practice a breathing exercise for 5 minutes each day. You can do any breathing exercises you are familiar with, or you can try some of these:
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Box Breathing: Inhale for a count of 5, hold breath for 5, exhale for 5, hold (no breath) for 5. While breathing, draw an imaginary box/square: inhale- imagine drawing a line up, hold- drawing live over, exhale- draw line down, hold- draw line over back to the start.
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Alternate Nostril Breathing: Exhale all your air. Cover Right nostril and inhale through L for 4 count. Pinch both nostrils closed and hold breath for 4 count. Release R nostril and exhale through R for 8 count. Reverse (inhale R 4, hold 4, exhale L 8). That is one round.
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Belly Breathing: Best practiced lying on your back with hands on abdomen (thumbs on bottom of rib cage). Inhale, filling lower lungs and relaxing diaphragm so the abdomen expands, continue filling rib cage. Exhale all the air, deflating the ribs, then using abdominal muscles to draw diaphragm up to push out all the air.
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Gratitude Breath: Any position works, take deep but calm (effortless) breaths. With your inhale, say (to yourself) something you are grateful for. As you exhale, send that gratitude out to the world (or someone you care about). For example- Inhaling "I am grateful for music". Exhaling- "Wishing joy of music to my brother". You can stay with the same gratitude thought (keep it simple and focused) or let it evolve.
And, if the words "breathing exercises" trigger anxiety, just lie down on your belly, rest forehead on hands, and breathe slowly for 5 minutes. Don't exaggerate your deep breath, just inhale and exhale, but keep your mind only on your breathing, nothing else, leave it all aside and think "inhale.... exhale..." Since you can't breathe into your belly very much, notice your rib cage moving. The diaphragm is connected to the bottom edge of your ribs. For bonus points, thing of something you're grateful for and fix your attention to that word or image.
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Hydrate your cells with water
- Prioritize sleep
- Eat real foods
- Get into the sunshine
- Move your body
AND, TAKE DEEP BREATHS!
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #03
Hello Friends & Family!
Today marks 4 weeks.
How are you?
What are your silver linings?
What are you grateful for?
We're all healthy over here. I am fully embracing this time with my family. Honestly, the kids are a joy to be around, and it's a sweet time to just "be" with them. This week I am grateful to have a sewing machine, and kids who are incredibly excited to make homemade masks. They wear them every time they go outside and it's already as familiar as buckling a seat belt (although we haven't been in a car in 4 weeks- another silver lining)!
Alright, so let's get BACK TO BASICS.
We've talked about water (H2O) and breathing (O2).
Pretty essential basic stuff, right?
But as many of you responded, these basic things deserve our attention and this is the perfect time to honor that need.
Next up is LIGHT. Einstein's (V) before it was (c).
Spring brings us a great reminder of the importance of sunlight. Just like all living things, your body receives vital information from the sun, including our active & rest periods, aka, our circadian rhythms.
ABSORPTION
Those of us in Colorado know that we are lucky to live in a place where we have access to lots of sunshine. However, we tend to wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and clothes to block our body's absorption of beneficial full spectrum sunlight. There is good evidence that daily absorption of full spectrum sunlight can have anti-inflammatory benefits. Of course, this is not a recommendation to stop using sunscreen, but we should all make a conscious effort to absorb SOME sunlight before sunscreen application, or at least on extremities that will not be in direct sunlight for the whole duration of our exposure (maybe lower legs).
BLUE LIGHT FOR RISING
The early morning sun has no UVA or UVB present, but has lots of blue light, which is why it wakes us up. Our bodies also react to "blue light" from our screens (TVs, computers, phones). THEREFORE, blue light at night confuses our circadian rhythm, turning off all screens 2 hours before bedtime will help you sleep better.
MIDDAY SUNSHINE FOR THE WIN
Remember when you were a kid/teen and you you would spend all day in the sun, on the beach, generally outside? Remember how good you slept those nights? That is one of the benefits of sunshine. It's hypnotic powers lull us to sleep when it gets dark after we have been up with it, celebrating it, working with it. As we take this time to get back to basics, try to get sunshine every day, as much as you can! Let natural light reprogram your system for better health.
YOUR NEXT B2B CHALLENGE:
I challenge you to get outside every day this week.
Yes, stay home, but go out on your porch/deck. Go for a long midday walk or bike in your neighborhood (with a mask). Even cloudy days can help provide the intended experience, especially if a routine is observed: same times each day, multiple times each day.
And for your NEXT LEVEL B2B CHALLENGE: (since you're probably all doing that first one)
Turn off all screens 2 hours before bedtime (at least TWICE this week). This is tough because it means you can't watch TV at night, or check your phone before bed. But this might also be the best time to employ this practice since you know all your loved ones are home and safe.
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Drink your water H2O
- Prioritize sleep Zzzz
- Eat real foods Yum!
- Get into the sunshine V
- Move your body whoosh
AND, take deep breaths! O2
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #04
Hello Friends & Family!
We're doing it!
Another week of doing our part to stay healthy and help slow the spread.
And it appears our collective efforts are making an impact, good job!
Our lives have been stripped down to basics.
With no sadness in my tone of reflection when typing that last sentence, I am filled with gratitude for my health, my home, access to fresh air, fresh food, my loving family and a supportive partner. And, with all of those wonderful things filling my life, what more do I really need?
What is normal?
I've noticed a lot of people, commercials, and politicians using the phrase, "get back to normal". There's something I don't love about that phrase. It seems to me that "normal" wasn't working. At least not all of it. Our previous "normal" life got so busy with so many things that seemed to hijack our attention. This big pause to life fell upon us and told us that things needed to change. We've let go of a lot of the noise and expectations. I have definitely begun to enjoy the peace, and I hope you have too.
Now, we get to thoughtfully choose what we want to add back in to our lives. We get to take the time to think about what really brings us joy, and it might not be what we thought or have been told previously. Maybe we just need to adjust some things so they work better for us? We have the opportunity to re-arrange our schedules, re-align our commitments, and release prior expectations.
As we prepare to move forward, consider what you would like to add back in to your life when we reboot.
Who will you invite back in to your life?
What will you leave behind in your previous routines?
How will you prioritize self care in your life?
I encourage you to discuss this out loud with someone, or with the mirror if there is no one else around.
BACK TO BASICS (continued!)
We've talked about water (H2O), breathing (O2), and light (V) so far.
Your next mission is SLEEP. The Zzzzz.
We all know the importance of sleep. It refreshes our brains, repairs our muscles, and reduces stress. Fundamentally, good sleep is a pillar of health. You may not eat the best food or drink the right amount of water every day, but without fail, you will need to do those to keep your system functioning, and sleep follows that same rhythm: it's a daily human function.
There are many things you can do to improve your sleep quality.
Routines are important, darkness is key, and comfort makes a big difference.
One of the limiting factors many of us have experienced with regards to sleep is our daily schedule. We have so many things we are trying to squeeze into our waking hours, sleep often gets the short end of the available time. Since our schedule commitments are a little different these days, we can take this opportunity to prioritize sleep. Determine what your best sleep pattern looks like. Listen to your body and sleep-in if you need it. Take a nap if you need it. Go to bed early if you need it. Meditate-to-sleep if your brain is too stirred to allow slumber.
THIS WEEK'S GINA KNOWS B2B CHALLENGE:
Write down how much sleep you get each night, and note how you feel.
Use this information to figure out your best sleep schedule. Then, when you start adding commitments back into life, prioritize your sleep. It's ok to say no to things because good sleep is that important to your health!
YOUR GOAL: Get at least 8 HOURS OF RESTFUL SLUMBER per session!
Let me know how it goes! -g
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Drink your water H2O
- Prioritize sleep Zzzz
- Eat real foods Yum!
- Get into the sunshine V
- Move your body whoosh
AND, take deep breaths! O2
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #05
Hello Friends & Family!
As we tiptoe towards integration, I am filled with gratitude for this time. Over the last 6 weeks, I have spent every single day with my husband and kids. All day, every day, and we still love being together! Don't get me wrong, we've had our "bored in the house" moments, but we've laughed through those and embraced the joy in wasting time together. While I miss my the rest of my family, friends, clients, & coworkers, I will always remember these sweet times. What a gift!
In my email updates, I have talked so much about getting back to basics and leaving behind things that no longer serve us. With all the noise of our previous world reduced, my hope is that we each embrace the opportunity for a clearer vision to surface around what we want to bring forward. Here are a few observations from my POV:
Walks!
Our regular mode for years was to select a day on the weekend and find a fun hike or local adventure to engage, overlooking our own neighborhood as an option. In our new world, we have fallen in love with a multi-directional path, which basically circumnavigates our home and surrounding area, that starts & ends right out the back door. We have had so much good energy and fulfillment with this daily routine. The kids and I have the most amazing conversations while we are out there with no one else around. Tucker and I have been enjoying a "date night" walk every Saturday evening, with the owls & night birds & the quiet backdrop of our silent town. Those walks have been therapeutic and critical for our sanity.
Creativity!
Without the organized commitments that normally fill our schedules, we have had space to get creative. Sylvie and I have been sewing masks, and multiple abandoned art projects have been revived. Our basement has turned into a very creative workout space with the fitness equipment we have collected over the years. I have even figured out how to make my clients sore with just 2 cans of beans! Without live concerts on the schedule, our Tuesday night dance parties have brought us the kind of family joy we will remember for many lifetimes to come.
Food!
I enjoy cooking again! The kids have taken pride in cooking their breakfasts and lunches. They even clean up afterwards. We have also managed to meal plan for a whole week at a time, and get everything we need in just one trip each week. That's huge for us. We have done that for camping trips before, but the idea of only one grocery trip a week has certainly free'd up lots of time.
I hope this big collective pause has revitalized some joyful things that you will incorporate into your new routines.
________________________________
BACK TO BASICS (yes, there's more!)
We've talked about water (H2O), breathing (O2), light (V) , and sleep (Zzz). As we carefully consider what to bring back into our lives, let's talk about...
MOVEMENT:
Move your body, you've got all you need!
You've all heard me talk about the important components of physical fitness:
-
Stability (core, balance)
-
Mobility (flexibility, adaptability)
-
Strength training (muscular development, bone health)
-
Cardiovascular fitness (heart health, endurance)
-
Recovery (repair, rest)
We need all these things to improve our movement longevity. When we're together (training), I do my best to make sure we're addressing all of this. But without guidance, we all tend to gravitate towards one or two and have strong resistance against one or two of these components.
Having been without the gym for 6 weeks, how have you chosen to keep your body moving? What was your go-to exercise for the day? And what did you easily drop from your routine?
Did you notice that some days you were excited to exercise, and some days there was no motivation to be found? That's your mind doing it's tricks.
Without all the noise and expectations, we can really tune in and listen to our bodies. Some days, an easy walk is what you really need. And other days you feel inspired to sprint up that hill for some intervals. Listening to your body can give you great direction how to move your body, and adjust the intensity as needed that day. If we listen well, we will get all those components in there somewhere. Our bodies need them. If we don't listen carefully, our minds tell us all kinds of creative stories about what we should be doing.
THIS WEEK'S GINA KNOWS B2B CHALLENGE:
Remember that our physical bodies need stability, mobility, strength, cardio, and recovery.
Your challenge is to do each of these elements at least once in the next week. If you're already doing them once, do each of these elements twice in the next week.
Let me know what is missing and we can find some creative ways to bring your fitness back into balance.
As we turn our attention to re-integration, take a look at what you really enjoy about your quarantine routine, and let's find a way to bring that forward!
_____________________________
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Drink your water H2O
- Prioritize sleep Zzzz
- Eat real foods Yum!
- Get into the sunshine V
- Move your body whoosh
AND, take deep breaths! O2
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #06
Hello Friends & Family!
Ok, seriously...
When will all this end?
When will we feel safe again?
When will my urge to provoke fights with random strangers, on the bike paths for not wearing face masks and huffing their exhales into my 6-foot personal radius, begin to subside?
Ahh, the tension and release of pandemic update #06 from my POV to yours, cheers & hallelujah to ya!
It's all evolving, and we get to play our roles with reflection and integration as the backdrop unfolds, revealing our many changes. Like a cocooning caterpillar, that will somehow only emerge as another caterpillar, with deja vu, and maybe an extra set of weird eyeballs. We're not quite ready to trigger the full-on cosmic soup of the cocoon and then generate wing development & antennae, and emerge as the gorgeous butterfly we each hold inside our heart's mind. If that is an accurate measure of where we are at as a society in general, I can forgive myself for the time spent in frustration with those who are not wearing face masks on our walks & bike rides, just not ready to forgive the offending parties yet, still need more self-work to unlock that premium feature in my Gina Knows avatar.
Anyway, this week has me wondering about the experiences and processes that are keeping you uplifted in your worlds, or dragging you down into your own personal hells, or rewarding you for the various waypoints that you have made it to on the arc of your hero's journey (Joseph Campbell if you're savvy) . What are you defining as a success these days? Failure? Draws? No matter the circumstance, the basic human experiences we are all having as the outside world has been stripped of its reality tether, can be supported with everything I have covered and will continue to cover in these updates: THE BASICS.
Let's explore some more, shall we?
________________________________
BACK TO BASICS
We've talked about water (H2O), breathing (O2), light (V), sleep (Zzz) and movement (Woosh).
We need to fuel ourselves with the right components to continue our evolution and provide the best cocoon ingredients for the transformations we need.
EAT THE RAINBOW: COLORFUL FOOD (Yum!)
Remember the first week when we joked about eating all the junk food because, you know, quarantine? That was fun for a minute but it didn't make anyone feel good. We quickly realized that we didn't need processed food because we had more time to make the good stuff.
Our previous lives were too exhausting and we often opted for the convenience of eating out, or taking shortcuts in our meal prep. With more time available, we were gifted the chance to be more thoughtful in our meal planning. In our house, the routine of family dinner has been grounding and quite entertaining.
So here's the cool thing - when we eat real, colorful foods, we get most of the nutrients we need to stay healthy. We get even more nourishment from organic, locally sourced foods. And all this good stuff helps keep our immune system balanced.
One additional note, beware of products claiming to boost your immune system. We don't want an overactive immune response. We want a healthy, balanced system. We want a system that will respond appropriately and help us get through all the bumps in the path ahead.
THIS WEEK'S GINA KNOWS B2B CHALLENGE:
One of the ways we can make sure we're getting the optimal nutrition from our meals is to eat locally. As we near the time to start planting in our own gardens, consider what you would be able to grow in your space, even if it's just some windowsill herbs. Try to seek out local options for things you can't grow or raise yourself. The energy you put into sourcing local organic food comes back tenfold.
I challenge you to plant something in the next week, edible or non-edible.
Plan the space, provide the environment necessities, and let new plant life begin to grow.
If you don't have a vegetable garden, a few herbs can thrive in a jar your windowsill. Fresh herbs will bring flavor, variety, and nutrition to your meals. If you need a spider plant start, my husband has plenty to share and we can tell you everything you'll need to get them planted safely and producing clean air in your home.
_____________________________
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Drink your water H2O
- Prioritize sleep Zzzz
- Eat real foods Yum!
- Get into the sunshine V
- Move your body whoosh
AND, take deep breaths! O2
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)
Gina Knows Quarantine - Article #07
Hello Friends & Family!
"Everything's right, so just hold tight."
- Phish 2019
"Waiting for the time when I can finally say, that this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way!"
- Down With Disease, Phish 1994
Music has been playing throughout our house for many weeks. The themes and threads of poetic phrasing that we are piping through the house speakers all day and night have provided a thick soundtrack to support our experience. "We will get by, we will survive".
Most of you know I like to have rules, order, answers and easy solutions. In our new world, the rules change daily, the order is indifferent without time, there are no clear answers, and solutions are wildly complex. The idea of feeling comfortable with this uncertainty has taken me a while to embrace. But here I am.
And here we are. All settled in. We have reviewed all the basics. We have given attention to the things in life that are really important, and if you have been tuned-in to this particular broadcast of mine, our walks together have been intent on change, on alchemy, on gaining power from destroying our old concepts of time and urgency. This is what it feels like to reorganize the expectations we have lived by for so many years.
IT IS TIME TO INTEGRATE.
Take a moment to reflect on the last 8 weeks by taking one deep breath right here...
Could you have predicted what 8 weeks of "stay at home" would feel like?
So many ups and downs. I never could have imagined the creativity and joy that I would be living with now. Or that the kids would have settled into online learning so easily. Or that I would enjoy cooking again, that being on almost no schedule would have taught me so much about time management.
The crucible of quarantine life has made me embrace a neutral stance with my reality. I am attempting more and more to live mindfully, in the "don't know" mindset that is coveted by shamans and bodhisattvas. From time to time, it feels incredible to be so alive in such simple moments. And other times, it feels incredible that simple moments can last so long, "when a week is a month and an hour a day, and you're reachin' just pushes it further away..."
We are still in this for a while to come, so be ready for more highs and lows. For now, when impatience and frustration creep in, take a deep breath and "trust fall" back into the flow. We're already there.
Approach the uncertainty with curiosity.
_________________________________
BACK TO BASICS = INTEGRATION TIME
Retrospective.
Integration.
Review.
Whenever there is a structure of learnings, data points, and knowledge that have similar gravity and constitute a "teaching", there is always a REVIEW. A RETROSPECTIVE. A time for INTEGRATION that fosters a deeper connection of the learned material in its transmutation to wisdom for the participants.
!! ** QUIZ TIME ** !!
Scoring your retrospective quiz:
- 10 POINTS for a YES!
- 5 POINTS for a A LITTLE BIT
- 0 POINTS for a No.
Quiz question:
At this point in our journey, are you:
-
________Drinking enough water (1/2 your body weight in ounces)?
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________Are you getting 40-50 ounces of water before noon?
-
________Taking deep breaths (at least 5 minutes of conscious breathing)? This can be during your meditation, or with eyes wide open watching the trees in the breeze.
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________Getting sunshine everyday (morning and mid-day)? You've been hearing lots of info about sunlight's ability to kill/weaken this virus, and the correlation to low Vitamin D. Get out there and take control of what you can.
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________Getting restful sleep? The goal is to find the sleep schedule that works best for you and how can you bring that forward.
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________Moving your body everyday? Remember you don't want to overdo it, incorporate mobility, stability, strength, cardio, and recovery. An easy stroll can be a great recovery day.
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________Nourishing your body with real food? Colorful, organic, local food has more nutrients than processed food.
70 points: "Keep on chooglin'!" - Creedence Clear Water Revival
60 to 65 points: "Don't stop till you get enough!" - Michael Jackson
50 to 55 points: "Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face; stars, fill my dreams" - Led Zeppelin, Kashmir
0 to 45 points: "Oh, we can be heroes, just for one day." - David Bowie
Be the Bowie.
Keep creating.
Take the next challenge in this week's email.
In this uncertain time, we can still have a sense of control over some things. As we master them, we become more efficient and the basics become effortless. Paying attention to your body's needs will build a stronger you. And that will lower your overall risk of serious consequences in the months ahead.
THIS WEEK'S GINA KNOWS B2B CHALLENGE:
INTEGRATE. REVIEW. RETROSPECT.
REVIEW ALL OF THE B2B EMAILS HERE ON THIS WEBPAGE
Take a few moments to reflect on all the basics that we have covered in this series. Revisit anything that slipped out of your routine. Reflect on what you enjoy and is already effortless. Good work!
Now surely there is something on this Gina Knows B2B list that just doesn't come easy to you, can be elusive and unsupportive to your success. When you run across that thing, get curious, then get creative.
I CHALLENGE YOU, to find a way to make that one basic thing enjoyable and effortless in your daily life.
_____________________________
ONE FINAL REMINDER:
There are several things you can do to take control of your health when the world is out of your control.
Take this time to get BACK TO THE BASICS:
- Drink your water H2O
- Prioritize sleep Zzzz
- Eat real foods Yum!
- Get into the sunshine V
- Move your body whoosh
AND, take deep breaths! O2
"Gina knows, what it's like to be..."
Smiles,
Gina :)