marykiningham

What do you do when you are feeling flat and maybe a bit depressed?

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What do you do when you are feeling flat and maybe a bit depressed?I start decluttering and cleaning in the corners. Last week, I had my son Sam pull the refrigerator out so I could vacuum behind it. Oh my! I live with a Golden retriever and there was so much dust and hair behind the refrigerator. It was so satisfying! It didn’t stop there. I cleaned my oven door with boiling water, baking soda and a ball of aluminum foil. I sent before and after photos to my sister Patty and my niece Katie. They too appreciate a clean and well taken care of home. I also got out the carpet cleaner. I cleaned the bedroom carpeting and all the rugs. It gives me peace when I come home to a clean house. I am getting the urge to paint our bedroom. It is a pale yellow, Benjamin Moore’s Windham Cream. I am over my yellow phase. I am leaning towards my latest color Feather Down. “An eye-pleasing off white that verges on beige.” Most of our home is becoming Feather Down. I also made wash and wear linen curtains. I don’t want heavy curtains that need to be dry cleaned. It is all very soothing to me.

Simplicity

The work is all great and keeps me busy. I end up with a cleaner home. There is part of me that feels like I am wasting my time and it is a distraction from more meaningful work. I reached out to my friend, Andreea of Little Bites of Joy. She is very wise. She said, “I think we process a lot when we declutter.” She said follow your heart. So, for now, I will keep decluttering and cleaning. Painting our bedroom Feather Down is next on the schedule. Photos to come.

What do you do when you feel flat and a bit depressed? I would love to hear.

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Mary

Finding Joy in the Ordinary.

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I listened to Simon Sinek’s A Bit Of Optimism Podcast. It was called Guaranteed Joy with Richard Curtis. I love the title. Who doesn’t want that? Richard is a writer and sometime director known for optimistic, funny, and uplifting films like Love Actually, About Time, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and many more. These are the types of movies that I love. I am going to look up About Time. I haven’t seen that one.

I listened to the Podcast twice in the same day. The conversation between Simon and Richard made so much sense. It put words and meaning to my actions. I am a little embarrassed to admit I love watching movies over and over again. How boring does that sound? Am I learning anything new? Not really, but it is bringing me an hour and a half of Guaranteed Joy! We don’t go out to eat much but when I do I usually order the same thing because I know that I will love it. Now, I know it is guaranteed joy!

Simon and Richard also talked about happiness. They said: “Truly happy people appreciate the little things.” Richard’s Dad’s motto was, “You can’t be happier than happy.” If you are happy don’t try to up it. It is about Finding Joy in the Ordinary. I need to be grateful for the times when my sister and I laugh until we cry over something ridiculous. I am going to keep looking for these small moments.

I am going to watch Grace and Frankie while I am making dinner this evening. This is my fifth time through. It always brings me a little joy.

Here is a link to the Podcast. Enjoy, and let me know if you are inspired to make popcorn and watch Notting Hill for the tenth time.

Love,

Mary

Simplicity

I have been struggling with OutdoorFit.

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I have been struggling with how to grow the OutdoorFit program. The majority of the OutdoorFit ladies are in their 70’s and 80’s.  I wouldn’t be attracted to what is typically described as an older population workout . That sounds like a low impact senior aerobics class. So how can I promote OutdoorFit? I decided to meditate on it. The other morning, I woke up at 6am, made myself a cup of coffee, and set my phone alarm for 10 minutes. I sat in the darkness. What came to me is that I need to embrace the OutdoorFit women. They are exceptional! I am proud to be promoting them. And, I am 68, which is getting pretty close to 70! So, why not?

There is an image issue that I am struggling with. Do I call OutdoorFit a bootcamp? What 70 year old is going to say yes to a bootcamp that includes mountain climbers and burpees? Last Sunday during my church’s coffee hour, a group of people were talking about the CROP walk. It is a 5 mile walk to raise money and awareness about hunger in our area. A women said she has been walking 2 miles but at “her age” she doesn’t think she can walk 5 miles. She mentioned her ankles, knees and “her age” several times. I usually don’t say anything in a social situation about what I do . I could feel the emotion rising up in my body. I had to say something! I pulled her aside and asked her if she knew what I did. She said,”no”. I said, “I run an outdoor bootcamp”. Her immediate reaction was there is no way I am going to a bootcamp. Do I need a new description? Senior Fitness with Mary just doesn’t cut it. I sent the church women my website and a video of an interview with Elaine. She is 84-1/2 and comes to OutdoorFit 3 times a week.

This video was filmed a year ago, still a great message from Elaine!

OutdoorFit is an exceptional workout because of the ladies that show up. We are a very special bootcamp. You can be like Jane at 78 and still be doing pushups off the ground. You can come back to OutdoorFit after a hip replacement like Mary and Meredith. You can be like Elaine who keeps showing up and is in amazing shape with her 8 pound weights! In the video, Elaine talked about Sissie, another OutdoorFit regular, who at 83, still plays a mean game of tennis and pickle ball. Andrea and Elena, the OutdoorFit youngsters love a great workout and are inspired by the older women. We also have a fabulous group online that I know are thriving as well!

Strength training and muscle building is so important as we age. The ladies bring their own weights. They quickly advance from using 5 # weights to 8’s, 10’s and 12’s! I am there to help every step of the way.

The workout is outside all year long. The cold or heat does not stop us. We do go in for rain or snow. I also live stream the workouts if you are not in the area or just like working out in your basement.

We are Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional!

Reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Come give us a try!

Love,

Mary

I am not a hot weather gal.

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I have been struggling this summer. I am not a hot weather gal. It begins to wear me down and I have been feeling tired a lot of the time. I also declared the summer as Off Season for my cold water plunging. I take an ice bath only once a week instead of multiple times. I have been buying 32 pounds of ice on Saturdays after OutdoorFit. I fill the bath tub up half way and I can lower the temperature to 54 or so. I stay in for 11 minutes. I then save the bath water for a second dip in the afternoon. The temperature will be up to 68 or so, but it is still refreshing.

I have been going into the ocean once or twice a week. It doesn’t count as cold water therapy if the water temperature is 72 degrees, but it still feels good. Cold Water plunging is not an easy thing to do and yet I really miss it. It is so energizing and it changes my negative attitude quickly.


My last blog post was May 4th. I get up every morning, make myself a cup of bulletproof coffee and I sit down to write in my journal. I write my innermost thoughts and complaints down. I also write the list of things that I want to accomplish that day. I need to go back and see how many times I wrote down blog post and didn’t do anything about it. Do you have something that you tell yourself that you are going to do it and it continually ends up on the bottom of the to do list?

I am a member of The Little Bites of Joy Community. This month we participated in a habit challenge. I wrote I would publish a blog by the end of August. It has been helpful to have accountability. This will be published in August. I think I get three points for achieving my monthly goal. It is almost September and I am committing to a weekly blog post. There it is in writing!

Love,

Mary

I am doing something new.

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I was at a Memorial Service in August. Afterwards, I sat outside eating wraps and cake with Andrea, a fellow church lady. We started talking about having your kids go off to college the first time and the stress and anxiety that it can cause. She said she had been working on some breathing techniques to help calm herself. I asked her if she had heard of Wim Hoff the “Ice Man”. She said yes and that it was working for her. I said we need to start jumping into the ocean. Wim Hoff is a big believer in cold water plunges. We waited until after Labor Day when the beach crowds had left, and started plunging for 5 minutes. This was a huge deal for me! I have lived 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean for the past 40 years. I never really cared too much. I have never gone in the ocean without a lifeguard sitting on the chair watching over me. The whole plunging routine was making me so nervous. I would start getting anxious waiting for a possible text from Andrea, asking me if I want to plunge, and get worse from there. It felt like the old days when I was a competitive runner. I would get so nervous before a race. I hate feeling nervous, It is very uncomfortable, but I know if I don’t push myself I will never try anything new. I am getting better at it.

Plunging in the ocean has been life changing for me in so many ways. I am doing something new which I am usually very resistant to. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and my routine. It is so worth it. I have become good friends with Andrea. We are outside, doing something with a touch of craziness to it. I pick Andrea up in my Honda CR-V along with our friend Rosanne. My car is the beach car because I belong to a car wash club. Rosanne, another church lady heard what we were doing and she wanted in. Rosanne loves the cold water. She loves cold showers and plunging in her pond in upstate NY. We head off to the beach where there is always a free parking spot. It is beginning to feel like our beach. We have a turn around time of an hour and there is no food or drink involved. It is simple. It is the best!

Benefits of Cold Water Plunges:

Improves circulation.

Aids fat loss.

Boosts immune function.

Increases endorphins.

Decreases stress, increases glutathione.

Helps your sleep.

Builds confidence.

If you have been following me you know I have not been dealing well with my stress this past year or so. I was taking supplements to help me manage. Since I started plunging, I have been able to stop the stress relieving supplements. I feel so much better. I am grounded, I sleep better and I have lost 5 pounds. I am taking better care of myself. I want to be strong, lean and able to handle the ocean in the winter months. I started eating liver and I have upped my weights at OutdoorFit. The liver is a bit of an adjustment. I am sharing it with Sophie the Golden Retriever. She is enjoying it!

Rosanne and I are in our 60’s and Andrea is a youngster at 50 something. It makes plunging even more special. It is never too late to try something new.

Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional!

Rosanne and Andrea in our Neoprene Team Caps~

He was Smart, Athletic, Good Looking and Drove a 1961 Red PV 544 Volvo.

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He was Smart, Athletic, Good Looking and Drove a 1961 Red PV 544 Volvo is the title of a 3000 word chapter that I wrote, and after much personal anguish, didn’t submit. I joined a women’s group last spring called The Wild and Wise Women. They decided they wanted to write a book together. We were each asked to write a chapter about the effect of the pandemic on our lives, and the importance of community during this time. On some level, I thought it would be good for me to write a chapter. I love the idea of being a writer, even though it has never come easily to me. I envision being Diane Keaton in the movie Something’s Gotta Give. I am sitting at my desk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, writing an amazing chapter that everyone wants to read, and finds fascinating. The truth is, I spent months not writing it, and when I did sit down to write, I didn’t enjoy the experience. I ended up with a knot in my right shoulder from bending over typing on my Mac computer.

The deadline for the rough draft was the end of September. I read the draft again and again. My editor is my husband Dan, who is also the smart, athletic, good looking guy who drove a 1961 RV 544 Volvo. He read my chapter, and told me I was all over the place, but I could change it around. I knew that, but I didn’t want to spend another minute on it. I spent the afternoon having a melt down. Why? Was it because I wasn’t handing in my homework? Was I quitting on myself, or was I upset I was letting the Wild and Wise women down?

The real question is why was it so hard to decide one way or the other? I got together with Vicky of 2 Grandmas and A Microphone, and we talked about resistance and self sabotage in the video. Do you struggle with making a decision ? Do you procrastinate ? We all do. It was helpful to talk with Vicky. I hope you will find it helpful as well.

“Answer the call to what excites your spirit.” Rumi

Thanks for reading and watching.

Enjoy,

Mary

It went much deeper than how much money you want to make.

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It is the New Year! Do you do take the time to do an annual review? Do you set intentions for the upcoming year? How do you define success? Three great questions that I’m resistant to answer. Recently, I joined Andreea Fegan’s Little Bites of Joy community group. Sunday, Andreea led us through a vision workshop. We talked about how we define our successes and how we want to feel on a daily basis. It went much deeper than how much money you make, or how many followers you have on Instagram.

During the workshop, Andreea told us to write down how you want to feel during the day. How do you make other’s feel?

Here is my list.

  • I want to go through my day with Ease and Grace (I stole that from one of the woman on the call.)
  • Confident
  • Enthusiastic
  • Grateful
  • Grounded
  • Happy

Don’t you feel good when you are around happy, enthusiastic, grounded people? I did have peaceful, but I changed it to grounded. It feels more authentic. I love authentic people! I feel like I am pretty authentic already. I don’t know how to be any other way.

I define my success with numbers. If you run a business, it is important to know your numbers. I always check my monthly revenue, but then I tally how many people are in my OutdoorFit program, and how many people watch a video or read a blog post. I’m disappointed if I don’t reach a certain number of views. Some of my feelings of self worth appear to be tied into how many views I get. Andreea suggested going beyond the numbers and consider what kind of an impact are you making. You never know who reads your posts or watches your videos. Maybe when I encourage others to drink more water or do a round of mountain climbers I am having an impact. Are my viewers having a life changing moment? I hope so.

In my OutdoorFit membership group, we started A 28 Day Feel Fabulous Program. It is all about making small changes to feel better. Click here if one of your intentions is to feel fabulous in the New Year! I hope to see you soon.

Love,

Mary

Day 1
Feel Fabulous Program
Clean out the Fridge!

It is time for the healing to begin.

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“We each have our own part to do in the healing of our country. That’s our individual responsibility.” Victoria Perry

Vicky and I got together for 2 Grandmas and A Microphone #8! So many emotions have come up for me these past 8 weeks. I have spent way too much time feeling agitated and annoyed. I get triggered by other people’s opinions, especially when they don’t agree with mine. I can feel the agitation take over my body when someone is offended by what I have said. Hopefully I am done. I only have control over myself. I have committed to feeling better. This week, I began meditating twice a day. It has been so helpful. In the morning, I spend 10 minutes being quiet and asking God what he wants from me today. It is amazing the focus and peace it brings. In the afternoon, I lay down and do Wim Hoff breathing plus a 10 minute guided meditation. I am spending a total of a half hour a day activating my parasympathetic nervous system. There is still a part of me that feels like I am wasting my time. I bet I scroll through social media 30 minutes a day. Which one is a waste of my time?

Here is 2 Grandmas and A Microphone #8

What did the episode bring up for you? Do you have the same common grounds that Vicky and I do? Was there anything you disagreed with? Don’t worry, I know how to breathe through the disagreement.

How are you taking care of yourself during these stressful times? Exercise is always a great way to deal with your stress. I would love for you to come to OutdoorFit. We are online as well as working out outside. We just started an 8 point plank challenge. It is not too late to join us.

Love,

Mary

Be Strong – Be Healthy -Be Powerful – Be OutdoorFit

2 Grandmas and A Microphone #2 The Environment.

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It all started this week when I watched a you tube video of Rich Roll and Erin Brockovich. As you know, Erin is the queen of clean drinking water. As a trainer and a health coach I tell my OutdoorFit ladies to drink lots of water. My goal is a gallon of water a day. I would like to think I am drinking good quality water. I have a filter under the sink and we also use water filter pitchers. After watching the video, I decided to check the quality of our drinking water through our water company’s website. Who knew their were so many chemicals in H2O? It was very overwhelming. I am looking into a water filter system for our house. I think it is very sad and disturbing that you can’t rely on the quality of your tap water.  We are fortunate that we can afford to buy water filters for cleaner water. What happens to the people who aren’t as fortunate?

I was at a small dinner party a few weeks ago. I asked for a glass of water. The host offered me bottled water. I said I am sorry but I try my best not to use single use plastic. “She said have you read your water bill? You don’t want to drink the tap water.” Single use plastic is a whole other conversation, isn’t it?

This brings me to 2 Grandmas and A Microphone #2 The Environment.  Time for more research, especially with the presidential election coming up. My main concern is the environment and climate change. Vicky Perry and I decided it was time to go deeper. In the past, I would never speak up about these issues. I am a 9 on the Enneagram which is the peacemaker. I don’t want to deal with conflict, but this is too important to stay quiet.

 

Here are links if you want to go deeper in the conversation.

The climate engagement advisor board webinar .

Kiss the Ground is streaming on Netflix.

Vicky’s source for where the candidates stand on climate change.

What is your biggest concern this election? I would love to hear from you!

Love,

Mary

 

“We can disagree without being disagreeable.”

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

 

A White House.

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I have been dreaming about having an all white house. I follow Jenni Kayne on Instagram. Her houses are basically white with natural wood. They feel clean, soothing and minimal.  I would love our house to feel that way, so I started painting. My kitchen and the room off the kitchen are painted  linen white. We bought a new refrigerator in December. Keeping with the theme, I decided to go white.  Now, I feel like I need to add different shades of white to make the refrigerator look more at home. We call the room off the kitchen George’s room after George the dog. We don’t have a dog right now so maybe it is the mud room. I always wanted a mud room. I painted the ceiling antique white. The walls are mayonnaise and the trim will be Chantilly lace. They are all Benjamin Moore colors. I think I might be nesting. Is a dog coming to live with us soon?

I am working on painting a few hours a day, so I don’t feel overwhelmed. I can clean up at the end of the day before Tom gets home. Today, I was running a few minutes behind and Thomas got home before everything was in order. Tom, as many of you know has special needs. He likes his routines and everything in place. He wants to help and he keeps at me until everything is in order. It can be very annoying. My friend Ivone keeps telling me to remember peace and serenity. The minister at church on Sunday talked about being the light and sending love. Thomas went to Sunday school and they made heart cookies. He told me he is sending love. How quickly, it can all fall apart over wet paint and a ladder.

Tomorrow, I am applying a second coat of mayonnaise paint.  My goal is to have it done before Thomas gets home. Do you think I will start craving tuna salad living with walls called mayonnaise?

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mary