Scotland's City Councils are Clearly in a Competition for 'Feminist Fail'.

Last week, it was Edinburgh; this week Glasgow's city council is behaving as if they had never met a feminist, let alone employed one! In a letter to the parents of children at a local secondary school, GCC stated that children's shouldn't wear short skirts or tight trousers as it might attract paedophiles. Yes, you read that correctly - it's children's clothing that makes the vulnerable to paedophiles. Does this sound familiar?

Well, fortunately, the Chief Exec at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council had the sense to point out that this was very unhelpful advice as it blamed children for the activities of paedophiles. And, even more interestingly, directly compared this to discussions of adult women's dress and their 'responsibility' for rape.

Time for the local councils to send their peeps on some rape awareness/ gender sensitivity training, me thinks.

Exercise is a Solution to Feeling Lethargic

It is Memorial Day here in the United States.  A day where we remember all of the men and women who have lost their lives serving our country.  I wrote a blog on May 31st of 2010 that gives some shocking numbers of how many lives have been lost in wars throughout history.  Take a look back into the archives and have a look.  It seems to me to be a horrible waste of life, but I honor and respect those who have given their lives for others freedom.

Memorial Day has also become a day to enjoy family, friends, and food.  Some people engage in physical activity, but for the most part it has become about the Barbeque's and picnics filled with yummy things to eat.  I personally had a plan to do a bike ride, or a run, but found myself feeling lethargic and lazy.  I could not get myself up out of my comfortable funk to exercise.

Ever been there before?  If you haven't, you are a rare human being, one that I have never met.  I believe that comfort zone is that feeling that keeps people from being consistent with exercise.  After all, if you are sitting in your house feeling comfortable and lazy, why would you want to go out and get your heart rate up, start sweating, and breath hard?

I will tell you why because it just happened to me one more time.  I can not tell you how many times in my life that I have had to talk myself into exercising when I did not want to do it.  Everyone always thinks that I always want to exercise...not true!  Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't, but every time I make myself get off my butt and get out of my lethargic coma, I change my attitude for the better, and feel as if someone has drained the stress right out of my body.  It is such a great solution for the "lethargic blues".

I actually feel more relaxed and calm due to those natural sedative like endorphins that are released during a cardio workout.  I am feeling more positive about my day.  My attitude is out of the doldrums and back in a more up beat place.  All because I did about an hour of running.  What a great return on my investment of time.

It doesn't matter if you run, bike, walk, hike, or just jump around in your house to music.  It is all about getting that heart rate up, getting more oxygen into your system, and moving that body.  Just push that lazy, lethargic feeling to the side and choose exercise.

I often wonder about all the people who are on anti-depressants today.  I realize that they help many people who need this kind of medication, but I also know people who take them simply because they are going through a difficult time.  If you are alive and breathing, you can be sure that difficult times will be a part of your experience.  Maybe exercise would be a better tool for some people instead of taking a pill.  It certainly has worked for me in my lifetime when I have dealt with difficulty's and stress.  I can't imagine how I would have survived without it.

I am feeling gratitude for all of the people who have sacrificed their lives for others today.  I am also feeling gratitude for that fact that I can put on my shoes and go outside and change my attitude from lazy and lethargic, to energized and upbeat.  Anyone can do this.  All you need is a place to exercise whether it is outside, in a gym, or in your home.  It is empowering knowing that exercise can change your life for the better, and it is always your choice.

I hope your day has included some attitude changing exercise fun!  If not, there is no time like the present to get it done.  Enjoy!

Wishing you Health and Happiness,

Queenie

The Importance of Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things that you can do for your self, especially if you are wanting to be healthy.  Without enough sleep, your body and mind will not, and can not, function properly.  More and more, I hear people talking about how difficult it is to get a good nights sleep.  Whether it is about waking up in the middle of the night and letting the mind go off into worry land, or that your life gets in the way of allowing enough time for it, eight hours of sleep is not what most of us are getting these days.

Without the proper amount of sleep, and this varies in the age of a person and their basal sleep need, our bodies can not rejuvenate and restore as they are meant to do while we are at rest.  Babies and children require much more sleep than adults do, but every individual is different when it comes to how much sleep they need.  However studies show that most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep for optimal health.  There are people that can be healthy on 5 to 7 hours a night, but most of us need more. 

 
Studies from the University of Chicago state that there is laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of 4-5 hours have negative physiological and neurobehavioral consequences.  Many individuals who think they can function on 4-5 hours a night should rethink this and try for an hour or two more if they want their body's to function in a healthy manner.

A study out of Harvard claims that getting enough sleep is required for learning and memory.  Sleep helps the brain to remember new information in a process called memory consolidation.

Chronic sleep deprivation can also cause weight gain and obesity.  It effects the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and alters the levels of hormones that effect appetite.

Lack of sleep can also cause more traffic accidents due to drowsiness and falling asleep at the wheel of a car.  We have also seen a rash of Air Traffic Controllers falling asleep while at work due to long hours and lack of sleep.  This could be the cause of a major accident in the air.

Sleep loss can be the cause of mood changes like, irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness.  It can also cause fatigue and tiredness.

Serious sleep deprivation can cause hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.  It can also alter our immune function including the activity of the bodies killer cells. 

Studies also show a link to living longer with better quality of life when we get more than 6 and half hours per night.  Proper sleep will also reduce body inflammation which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and premature aging.

Enough sleep can improve your creativity, athletic performance, attention span, and lowers the risk of depression.  Let's face it, sleep is vital for optimal health in many areas of our life.

Many people brag about getting just a few hours of sleep a night.  It is really nothing to brag about.  It is similar to bragging about not drinking enough water in a day.  You may seem alright, but your body needed and would have functioned much better had you drank enough water.  Sleep is the same.  You may think your O.K., but you will function much better with the right amount of sleep.

There are ways to prepare for a good nights sleep.  It is important to turn off the televisions, computers, and other things that create light and noise in your sleep environment.  You should not eat right before you go to bed, especially sugar.  Do not watch stressful or violent movies and television before you sleep.  Try to meditate for fifteen or thirty minutes before bedtime.  Stretching is also good to do before going to sleep.  Think of good thoughts.  Still your mind chatter.  Make sure you have a comfortable sleep space, i.e. clean bedding, mattress, etc.

If you are wanting to be at your best, get the sleep you need.  Sleep is one of the most important things in your life if you want health of body and mind.  I personally love, love, love, my sleep!  If I could get nine hours every night....I would!  So get your sleep and have Sweet Dreams, your body and mind will love it.

Wishing You Health and Happiness,

Queenie

WTF?

Edinburgh's Reclaim the Night Walk has been rescheduled by the council - get this - because it might be dangerous for the marchers!! The march, which is designed to reclaim the streets as safe spaces for women, will walk through an area full of pubs, during the Champions League football final, and the council is worried that the marchers will be in danger from drunken fans.

Instead of making the streets safe for the marchers, the council has asked the march to move their route and time. The organisers have rescheduled an hour earlier, but are refusing to change the route.

What would I have given to have been at that meeting! 'Er, we need you to defeat your own political aims and move the march, because, well, the streets aren't safe for women.' It would be be funny, if it wasn't so terrifyingly sad!

Finding Peace and Tranquility

How can we find peace and tranquility during times of what appears to be upheaval and chaos?  With the media primarily covering what is wrong in the world, it is hard some times to remember that there is a lot of good going on as well.  Economically people all over the world are struggling, and good news seems hard to come by.  All that said, there are many things that we as individuals can do to find peace and lose the stress.

One of those things is to begin to take charge of your own thoughts.  If you are having fearful, worrisome, doomsday thoughts, you may want to choose to have thoughts that make you feel better.  As I have repeatedly said over and over again, we choose every thought that we have, and we can choose the thoughts that help us to feel better, or thoughts that keep us stuck in fear and worry.  

You might want to choose not to watch the news, or read  newspapers that are full of stories about war, death, lack, and fear.  You can choose to not watch movies or read books that are based on a negative or violent story's.  What you choose to put into your daily consciousness is how you will perceive your world.  If you fill your mind with information that is negative and fearful, You will begin to feel that way too.  

If you are looking for peace and tranquility, fill your consciousness with positive information.  Watch movies and read books that are uplifting and help you to feel good.  There are many authors of "self help" books that can be found on CD's.  I have many of these and listen to them often to keep reminding myself of a positive focus.  Be in conversations that are about what is right, rather than converse about everything that is wrong.  Stay in positive communication as much as possible, which means staying away from gossip too!

Another thing that you can do to reduce stress and fear, is to exercise.  Again a topic that I talk about repeatedly!  Exercise releases sedative like endorphins into your body that will help you to feel relaxed and tranquil.  It is the main reason that I have always chosen to exercise.  Not only will you be doing your body a whole lot of good in areas of anti aging, lowering risk of disease, improving your cardiovascular system, and reducing body fat, but you will feel better immediately with these endorphins.  Exercise is a fabulous stress reliever.

Yoga, or stretching is yet another way to find peace and calm.  Just by doing fifteen to thirty minutes of stretching exercise, you will begin to de-stress.  Yoga is sublime for getting into that peaceful zone.  Doing a daily practice of flexibility or Yoga exercise will help to reduce your anxiety and stress levels and help you to feel more peaceful.

If you are choosing to eat a diet of primarily natures foods, i.e. fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and lean proteins, you will feel better for it.  Foods can effect your moods and behavior, particularly if they are processed, white flour, white sugar foods.  These types of foods can spike your blood sugar, and then drop you back down, possibly leaving you feeling depressed or sluggish.  

Natures foods do not do that, unless you have an allergy to a certain food.  Eating processed food, fast food, white flour, white sugar foods, can cause weight gain and may lead to obesity.  Obesity leads to depression, and you will find yourself in a vicious cycle of unhappiness where peace and tranquility are hard to find.  A healthy diet will help you to feel better, which will help you to feel less stress.

Of course I would be remiss if I did not include "meditation" as a tool for finding peace and tranquility.  Meditation is all about finding inner peace, connecting to the source, and stilling the negative mind chatter.  Meditation is a practice, and is never easy when someone is new at it.  With consistency it can become a vehicle to connect to peace and tranquility.  No matter what is going on in the outside world, meditation can keep you peaceful and tranquil.

So lets take a count of all the things that we can do to find a more peaceful existence....First, we need to control our thoughts and keep them in a positive place.....Second, we need to have daily exercise to keep our bodies and minds healthy and stress free....Third, we need to stretch and do flexibility exercises to reduce our stress levels....Fourth, we need to choose a healthy diet to support healthy moods and a healthy body....And Fifth, we need to practice a daily meditation to find inner peace and stop our negative mind chatter.

Choosing to do these five things will change your life for the better in so many ways.  I have numerous articles  on each of these topics back in the archives of this blog.  I invite you to take a look back and become better informed on how you can find more peace and tranquility in your life.  Enjoy!

Wishing You Health and Happiness,

Queenie

Don't Be a Victim of Your Own Thinking and Actions

In recent days, I have had several conversations with people about being a "victim" of our own thoughts.  If you have been reading this blog, you know that I believe that we choose every thought that we have, consciously or unconsciously.  If we have thoughts that are counter productive to becoming who we want to be such as, "I am choosing to eat this bad food, even though I want to lose weight", or "I am not going to exercise today because I am too tired, even though I want to be fit", we then become a victim of our own thoughts.

I realize that many people do not want to believe that they "choose" every thought and action that they have, because that would make them responsible for all that they are.  They could no longer blame anyone for their lot in life if they were the ones responsible for it..  We can all sit around and blame our parents, spouses, or others that have had great impact on us for what we consider abuse or negativity in our lives.  "I eat bad food because my parents didn't love me", or "I do drugs because I had an abusive childhood".  Whatever it is that you believe has caused your pain can be valid, but how you choose to react to it, is always "your" choice.

Many people have had abusive lives, and out of that abuse came choices.  Choices in how to think and react to the abuse. Choosing to do drugs, over eat, drink alcohol, or engage in any kind of behavior that destroys your health and your life, is a choice that makes you just another victim....a victim of your own thoughts and choices.  I know this, because I was a victim of my own thoughts and choices for a big part of my life.  Being a victim of myself has never been a benefit to me, it only made things worse.

It is not easy to choose healthy thoughts and actions, if you have come from a background of unhealthy thoughts and actions.  But, you do have the choice to not be a victim anymore if you want to live a life that benefits the health of your body, mind, and spirit.  It is also not "easy" to keep choosing unhealthy thoughts and actions and to continue the cycle of abuse, it is just more familiar because it has become habitual.

One of the most important things to remember when we keep engaging in unhealthy behavior, is to put discipline back into our vocabulary.  It amazes me how many people, especially our youth of today, do not discipline themselves in anything.  "I am too tired to exercise today", "They had donuts at class today, and I couldn't stop myself from eating them", "I just can't exercise and eat right because it is too hard".  These are the comments that I hear constantly from people.  Well if you put a little "discipline" back into your life, you can accomplish anything that you want.  Without discipline, reaching any goal would be impossible, unless that goal was to be overweight, lazy, and unproductive.

It is not easy to break old habits....but it is possible with discipline.  Its not easy to think more positive when you are used to negative thinking, but it is possible with discipline and focus.  It is not easy to react in new ways that will benefit you, when you have been used to reacting unconsciously in dysfunctional behavior, but it is possible when you use discipline and are conscious of your behavior.  All of this takes effort, discipline, and being conscious of how you are thinking and acting. 

So if you are wanting to have a healthier, happier, life, but feel at a loss of how you can turn your own dysfunctional thoughts and actions into more positive choices.....begin by being responsible for how you are thinking and acting.  No one else is to blame, no matter what has happened to you.  You still get to choose every second of every day how you want to think and act.  If you choose to be a victim, then you will continue to suffer.  If you choose to take responsibility for where you are at in life, then you will be in a power position and able to take charge of how your life unfolds. 

You get to choose how your life turns out.  Stop being a victim of your own thoughts and actions.  Choose thoughts and actions that benefit you.  It is all up to you to think and act in a way that is going to give you the life you want, or it will keep giving you the life that you are a victim of. 

Let me know your thoughts on how this works in your life.  If you have been practicing "mindfulness" then you understand how this works.  If you have not been working with mindfulness, you now have a tool that can radically change your life for the better.  Let me know if mindfulness has had an impact on your life....would love to hear your experiences with it.

Wishing you Health and Happiness,

Queenie

Jobs for Labour? Some Random Election Thoughts

So, if you have been watching, Scotland had an election at the end of last week, which saw dramatic changes to Scotland's political map. Traditionally, a Labour heartland, many long-held seats were lost to the SNP, raising questions about what happened and why? We might wonder whether Labour policies over the last decade, which promoted higher education, employment, house-purchasing, and other middle-class ideals in their own electoral areas, may have back-fired as a new (and in the current recession, now rather tenuous) middle-class's horizons changed. Can we say that the legacy of the death of the coal and steel industry (the heartbreak over which, no doubt, helped sustain Labour votes over the last few decades) is now finished in Scotland? Are Labour's traditional voters feeling the pinch of jobs losses, cuts in university places and in the public services, that will see them slide once more down the social mobility ladder, and buying into the blame placed on them by the Tories and LibDems? The questions are numerous?

Perhaps, less surprisingly, is the massive losses sustained by the LibDems- losses that even their own party recognises came from a coalition with a party that their supporters hated? I hate to say, I told you so- but I did, in a letter to them after they made this decision. The complete lack of regard, or awareness, of their party's new-won supporters values is quite breathtaking. Do we think we'll get through four more years at Westminster? Do we want to?

The new Scottish parliament has a historic majority for the SNP, but more disappointingly, the number of women sitting in it is still only 34%. Up 0.8% from 2007, but down from the all time high of 39.5% in 2003. Even more concerningly, the losses of several Labour seats held by women saw a reduction in female seats at the constituency level; we only got to 34% because Labour has gender balanced lists and they made it up at the regional level.

As the SNP stood together after their wins in Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon, the only woman among them, commented that the SNP is more gender balanced than this- I am a wee bit sceptical (the list of 2011 MSPs' names are not yet compiled in one place, or I'd have counted!!), given that only 1/3 of their constituency candidates were women and their lists were not gender balanced (in fact heavily male)- but the very fact she noticed is why Nicola should be First Minister!!

The Power of Meditation

There is so much going on in our world today that is stressful and hard to deal with, whether it is our natural disasters, or political upheaval, we can find fear and stress everywhere.  Meditation is a tool that everyone should be using, not only to cope with all that there is, but to help change all of the negative in this world into positive.

As I have said before, the Dali Lama has stated that if every child alive today at the age of five and under began to meditate on a daily bases, we would have world peace in two to three generations from now.  That is a powerful thing....and it could be a reality if everyone began to participate in meditation.
  

Meditation is not about religion.  It does not matter what your religious beliefs are, you can meditate by connecting to your source, what ever that is for you.  When you are meditating, it is not so much about emptying your mind of thought, as it is emptying your mind of thoughts that are about the past or future.  When you are focusing on your breath, or being present in this very moment, you are unable of thinking about past or future thoughts, which is where a lot of our fear and pain comes from.

When you have emptied your mind of all of your thoughts of past and future, you will no longer be torturing yourself with that which is not here anymore, or that which has not happened yet.  What you will be thinking about is what is here in this moment, which is your breath and the quiet space that you are meditating in.  That is where you are able to find your inner peace and rid yourself of worry and fearful thoughts.  Remember that we choose all of our thoughts, and in our meditation we are choosing to not think of anything that has come before our meditation, or after it.

Meditation is place of peace and non judgement.  It is a time to let go of all of the mind chatter and negativity.  Meditation can leave you feeling  relaxed and refreshed.  It is a vacation away from worry, stress, and fear.  As you become more adept in your meditation, you can find answers to your problems, and guidance for your life.  It happens when you learn to quiet the mind chatter and listen to your inner being, or your source as some call it.

I have written many times on meditation that you can find in the archives of this blog.  Please re-read them if you are looking for more information on meditation.  There are many different forms of meditation, and I suggest that you find one that resonates with you.  I personally practice several types, such as focusing on my breath, visual meditation, or guided meditations.  Some days I am better at it then other days, but I know that being consistent with it is what is important.

Many people I have worked with in meditation express that they can't stop there thoughts from coming in, or clear their mind of thinking.  I have heard the analogy of thinking about your thoughts as a cloud passing by....Say to yourself, "Oh, I am having a thought", and then let it go, just like a cloud passing through, and then go back to your breath.  Don't let your thoughts control you....instead, control your thoughts.  As in our mindfulness practice, we "practice" controlling our thoughts on a regular bases.  Meditation is the same.  It is a practice...a daily practice to become good at it.

Don't be discouraged if you can't get it right away.  Just keep practicing, and it will become a tool for you to find inner peace and tranquility.  You are not only helping your mind when you meditate, but you are helping your body to be healthier as well.   There are scientific study's that show very positive effects on patients who meditate.  It helps to lower blood pressure, stress levels, and assists in many other healthy results.  There is nothing negative about meditation....just positive.

You will also be helping the world to be a better place by practicing meditation.  Our thoughts are tangible things that create the world around us.  When we practice peaceful meditation, we are helping the world to be more peaceful.  If every human being on this planet stopped right now and meditated on "peace and love" for all of mankind for the next thirty minutes....I guarantee that we would see incredible changes in what happens around the globe....and they would be peaceful, loving, and amazing!

We are in a very interesting time, and taking care of our body, mind, and spirit, will be essential to being happy and healthy during a time of what can appear to be scary and stressful.

I hope that you are meditating, and if you are not, I hope that you begin to.  I would love to hear from you about any topic that you want to discuss.  Please leave me a comment or request information that you are interested in.  

We can create a world of peace and tranquility with our thoughts and beliefs.  With meditation this can happen.  

Wishing You Health,

Queenie

Women's History in the Public Arena.

This is a response to a post by Female Science Professor on the way female academics are presented in public.

Recently, I was interviewed for radio on the topic of my research, as were a number of other academics. The focus of the radio was on my topic of expertise - let's call it the history of women in chocolate-making in fab country in x period. The other people interviewed weren't really experts in the field, but did have some overlapping interests. So, one female academic was interested in women in fab country in another context, while another male academic was interested in fab country in x period, but knew nowt about women (and if fact is slightly notorious for this). The reason for interviewing a range of academics appears mainly to be because listening to one person talk for 30 mins is a dry approach for public radio, and of course, when you dilute history for the general public, a good general knowledge of the field is all that is really needed - so I am not criticising this decision by the radio crew.

However, when the show was broadcast, the various interviews were edited together, so that different voices spoke at different points, interspersed with some readings of historical sources. And it went it bit like this Male Academic gave the legal context in speech form (ie no interviewer) (something, btw, which I am a leading expert on and which he is not); I give nice anecdotes about women in chocolate-making in conversation with female interviewer- lots of pleasant conversation and jokes; Male Academic gave more legal context in speech form; female academic gives nice anecdotes about women in fab country more broadly in conversation with female interviewer; Male Academic summarises the implications of this for women, etc etc. And, the overwhelming impression was that the ladies do the fun stuff with the pretty anecdotes, but the men do the serious business of history- providing the FACTS to back up the fun stories. The effect was really striking, as this was the only male voice on the entire show, and it was used in such a different way from the women's voices.

The interesting thing is that the production team was entirely female and, moreover, the underlying drive of the show was broadly 'feminist'- in that it was women's history created by women who held a belief in the importance of both broadcasting women's history and reflecting on the significance of women's past experiences for the present.