It’s a fast turnaround.
My clothes are in the washer while I make a quick stop home on Martha’s Vineyard in between trips to Texas and California.
I’ve just returned from giving two talks to amazing women on fire at Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas.
While there, I indulged my tired, stressed self in some major relaxing and self-care. Hope you have two minutes to watch this video, a wrap-up of our spa week, and make plans for your own special self-care time!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC0LBNHgI7w
Now I’m off to Long Beach, California to attend Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference. Thirty thousand women will gather to hear and meet more than 100 speakers and performers from Michelle Obama and Oprah to Sarah McLachlan and Tony Robbins. I will keep you posted on it all and share the inspiration and strategies I’m sure to learn!
This week’s SPARK! features The 5 Things I Am Recommitting Myself To after being at the spa. A week of self-care melted my stress and kicked me into gear on several fronts. Let me know what you think of any of these ideas for yourself:
1) Downsizing My Portions – Here was my favorite lunch at the spa: watermelon gazpacho, chips and guacamole, raw veggie salad with olive oil, flaxseed/pomegranate vinaigrette with 2 oz. grilled wild salmon. Oh, and frozen yogurt. How could I eat all of that and stay within my calorie budget? Portions were small! Most surprising? I remembered how extremely satisfied I am by enjoying little amounts of a variety of food.
Spa cuisine chips and guacamole. Totally satisfying amount!
2) Breathing – Took a meditation and breathing class. Now I am starting my day with long deep breaths before I even get out of bed. So simple, so calming and sets up my day with such peace.
3) Facials – I am hit-and-miss about taking care of my skin. I used to have a facial at the beginning of each season but somehow fell off schedule. At the spa I splurged and had a cherry-infused (smelled like dessert!) facial peel for a deeper cleansing. My face now feels smooth as a baby’s bottom! I love it. Back to scheduling quarterly facials.
4) More Splish Splashing! — Born on June 25, I’m a Cancer and ruled by the moon and water. I stay in the shower for an embarrassing length of time. (Not without thinking about people who only have a bucket of cold water to wash in; I do feel terrible using half of North America’s water supply each day.)
Last week at the spa, I indulged in my water ways by learning to hydro-bike on the Lower Colorado River. Of course, I started out a scaredy cat. Yet it took me only five seconds to fall in love with this new activity on the water. Next step? I want to learn to paddle board!
5) A spa vacation once a year – Even if I don’t go to as luxurious of a location as Lake Austin Spa, I’m going to schedule at least one week a year where I have at least one or two treatments a day, in nature, eating healthy and exercising. Maybe you’ll even join me?? ☺
This week, you are welcome to “come along” with me to the Women’s Conference by going to the Debbie Phillips blog. You also can subscribe to the Women on Fire Channel on YouTube. www.youtube.com/beawomanonfire.
(On our channel, you can see even more videos from the spa with Women on Fire Marketing and Communications Director Jamie Eslinger and me!) If you subscribe, whenever we make a new video, you’ll be notified immediately.
Have a most wonderful week.
I am always interested in hearing how you’re doing! Your comments are welcome on our Debbie Phillips blog.
Love,
Debbie
PS Please be my guest to listen in next Thursday, October 28 when Dr. Samantha Collins, interviews me. She is President and CEO of Aspire Companies, one of the leading coaching organizations for women in the UK.
Last week Dr. Collins interviewed Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of one of my all-time favorite, best-selling books Half the Sky. This week she’ll interview me on what it means to be a Woman on Fire. You can register here. If you can’t listen at the scheduled time, you will be sent a recording of our interview. And, it’s all free!
