I believe that the key to living a healthy life is to live in moderation. I don’t always stick with this belief. I have some hedonistic tendencies. I like to indulge and imbibe. I like to revel and rejoice. But ultimately, I believe that most things work best when they are done in moderation rather than at the extremes.

I believe that this is true of both work and play. I definitely go through periods of being a workaholic. This is sometimes great since I really do love the work that I do. But ultimately the lack of moderation in my work causes me to dislike what I normally enjoy about it and to seek to regain that balance of work and play yet again. Likewise, when I play too much, I miss my work. When I am too social, I miss my solitude and when I stay home alone too much, I miss my friends. My life is constantly about trying to find balance and that balance comes with learning moderation.

One specific example of moderation that works is in dieting and weight loss. I don’t believe in fad diets. I don’t believe in rapid weight loss. I don’t believe in extreme weight changes. What I believe is that your body has a weight that’s right for it and that if you eat healthy and in moderation then you will naturally balance out at this weight, the right weight for you and the one at which you will feel your best. I don’t believe in over-indulging in treats but I do believe in indulging in what you enjoy on a regular basis. I believe, ultimately, in moderation – in weight loss, yes, but more importantly in life as a whole.

Tags: balance, being healthy, diet, eating right, ehow, happiness, how to, kathryn vercillo, life, moderation, weight loss, wellness

Diary of a Smart Chick is certainly a diary of sorts. It’s a place where I think about my writing that I’m doing elsewhere on the web and add some insight to it and share it with others. But it’s not the only diary that I keep. I also keep a daily diary (or journal, rather) in my personal life. I’ve kept a diary off and on since I was about ten and it’s something that I do consistently now because I think it’s a really important part of my life.

For me, the journal is a place where I can get every single thought out of my head. I write in it every morning whether I am feeling happy or sad, sick or well. I write down what I’m feeling and what I’m thinking and what I’m going to do that day and what I’m worried about and what I’m excited about and what I don’t want to really write about.

Doing this allows that stuff to get on to the page where it can be processed. This means it’s not bouncing around inside of my brain anymore. The fact that it clears some peace of mind for me means that I can then go about my day without so much worry about those thoughts. I can make smart choices about how to handle problems. I can relax. I can be creative.

I believe that keeping a journal is something that is particularly important for writers. However, I think it’s a tool that anyone can (and should) use to get some peace of mind in their daily lives. It’s a way to understand yourself better. Plus keeping the commitment to write down your thoughts daily shows yourself that you value those thoughts and emotions which can go a long way towards living an emotionally healthy life.

Tags: diary, journal, kathryn vercillo, real words, writing

Yoga is a popular form of exercise, especially in California where I live. However, it’s more than just a form of exercise. Yoga is a means of connecting with yourself. It’s a tool that can be used to get away from the hectic pace of life and bring yourself back to the core things that matter for you. It’s a way to establish peace of mind, get to know what’s going on with your body and really heal yourself from the inside out.

I never thought that I would be a yoga person. I was always someone who couldn’t sit still for long. I was always someone who wanted to do hiking and indoor rock climbing and other activities that involved a lot of motion. And I was definitely never someone who enjoyed classes filled with people who were exercising together.

But then things happened in my life. My world crashed down around me. And the only thing that I felt capable of doing was breathing (although some days I didn’t even feel capable of that). That was when I found yoga. I signed up for a weekly workshop. I dragged myself there. I learned to do some basic poses. I learned to breathe more deeply. And I learned to settle my mind so I could just relax despite the chaos happening around me. The physical exercise is certainly an important part of yoga but yoga is about so much more than that.

Ever since I started that first workshop, I have felt that yoga must be an important part of my life for the rest of my life. I make time for yoga classes no matter what else is going on. When I was ill recently, the thing I missed most was being able to go to yoga. Although it’s not the right activity for everyone, it’s now the right activity for me.

Tags: ehow, exercise, health, how to do yoga, spirituality, wellness, yoga

I firmly believe that we choose whether or not to be happy. I am not saying that I always feel like this is true. Sometimes I, like anyone else, feel that life is throwing too many bad things my way and it’s impossible to be happy in the midst of all of it. Sometimes I, like anyone else, feel that if only certain people in my life would do certain things differently then I could be happier.

But these are just feelings. Emotions. When I can clear away the emotional reaction that I’m having to things, my honest underlying belief is that we can choose to be happy no matter what circumstances we are facing. Of course, this requires will power and a strong commitment to maintaining our own peace of mind. It requires inner strength. But isn’t being happy worth what it takes to develop those skills? I think so.

I wrote an article over at Helium about this topic – learning to stay happy despite what’s going on in your life. It’s a short article that doesn’t cover the entire breadth of this big subject but it focuses on the key thing that I think is important for a happy life which is learning to get control over your own thoughts so that you can develop peace of mind.

Tags: emotions, feelings, happiness, peace of mind, wellness

One of the things that has become really important in my life in the past year or so is the time that I give myself in the morning to begin the day on the right foot. I have found that if I just jump out of bed and start my day, I am stressed out and miserable before noon. In contrast, if I take time for myself in the morning to get my brain in a positive frame of mind, then I tend to have much happier and more productive days.

I’m lucky because I freelance and work for myself so I have a schedule that allows me to take as much time as I need each morning. I realize that other people don’t have that luxury. But I do believe that everyone can take at least a little bit of time each day to start things off right. My tips for doing that have just been published in the article titled How to Start Every Day Off on the Right Foot.

I do many, many different things each morning to bring myself to a place of peace. I journal every day including keeping a separate journal for the things that I feel thankful for that day. I spend time reading inspirational things; (right now I’m reading a book on the Tibetan approach to positive thinking). I work on creative projects like mini-collages or scrapbooks.

But basically, what this article is all about is that I take time for myself in the morning. I give myself the right to have a little bit of time alone, just for me, to create peace of mind for myself. Because really, peace of mind is one of the things that I value most in life. Don’t you?!

Tags: creativity, health, inspiration, life, living, optimism, start day off right, wellness

Usually when I write about health topics, they are topics related to physical health like with today’s post on boosting the immune system or yesterday’s on fibromyalgia. However, the kind of health that I find truly interesting to explore is mental health. Whether it’s about the development of the brain or the detaisl of specific mental diseases, I find the stuff that goes on in our heads to be truly fascinating.

One type of brain-related article that I wrote about recently was on the topic of eidetic memory (also known as the photographic memory). Did you know that it might not even be a real thing? This post was included over at the HealthBolt blog carnival. Another post in this health carnival that had to do with mental health was on autism,

Most of the posts in this health carnival were in topical areas related to physical health. Those posts were on topics like face yoga, allergies, tooth decay, muscle-building, skin cancer, back pain, fibromyalgia, good posture, and the common cold.

Finally, there were posts specific to diet which is an important part of staying healthy. Those posts included choosing a cookbook, food variety, Monsanto, abstaining from alcohol and general healthy eating. Smart stuff!

Tags: blog carnival healthbolt, eidetic memory, health blogs, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, photographic memory