Self-Help General Topics - Creating Your Best Life: Remember to Stretch
By Melissa McCreery, Feb. 23, 2009
 

As my body ages, I grow more aware of the power and importance of stretching. At some point, it became a necessary part of any workout. In my twenties, I could dash-and-go, but now, if I skip the post-exercise stretch, I notice it. I lose flexibility, I don't feel as good, and my workouts aren't as effective. Post-workout stretching is now non-negotiable.

Deliberate stretching in other areas, challenging our vision of who we are and how we define ourselves, is also important. For many, early adulthood is naturally about stretching--growing and developing into grown up lives; finding careers, connecting with important relationships, creating our families. We are learning and growing simply by the lessons and curves life throws at us daily.

As we get older, life may become more predictable and settled; fewer new things, more maintenance and responsibility. Stretching our minds and stretching with our actions might not happen so automatically. Or, we may tell ourselves we are too busy to take the time to stretch. It can be easy to spend every hour in the day just staying on course with the life we are living.

The thing is, if we don't stretch, we grow stiff, more rigid, and less flexible. We tend to become more confined or narrow in the way we see ourselves and in the options we define. Daily stretching does both a body and a mind considerable good.

"Do one thing everyday that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

This is one of my favorite quotes, but, don't let the quote itself scare you. I don't think Eleanor Roosevelt was suggesting that we simply jump into the midst of something terrifying. Stretching is meant to be a gentle act, but, you do want to stretch, don't let a bit of fear or anxiety stop you. Feeling anxiety usually indicates that you are addressing something that you care about. We feel anxious or fearful when we are invested in the outcome. Often, taking a risk that gives us butterflies means we are on the right track.

Slow and steady wins the race. Slow, deliberate, gentle, and consistent are some of the qualities that make stretching so powerful. It's not meant to be sudden or jerky. Aim for stretching the boundaries of your comfort zone on a consistent basis. You can probably stretch a little bit every day. Stretching happens in increments. Sometimes life happens in dramatic leaps, but usually, the new habits, learning and confidence happen by taking things one step--even one inch--at a time. Don't worry about what it will take to get to your final goal, just focus on the stretch you are taking in that moment, on that day.

Don't forget to dream. Stretching happens in both our thoughts and our actions. Sometimes, stretching means literally doing something that requires moving outside of your comfort zone--such as trying an activity you've never tried before. Stretching also has a powerful mental component. The mental stretch is almost always the first step.

If we don't know where we want to go, we aren't very likely to end up there. Very busy people sometimes view taking the time to dream as an indulgence or a luxury. Very successful people never do. Dreaming is the activity that helps us define and map out the direction of our lives. If we don't invest mental energy into thinking and dreaming about where and how we want to stretch, what we'd like to accomplish, or what's on our "bucket list," we tend to find that life just stays full of the same-old-same-old. Even more important, without the flexibility that comes with stretching, even the same-old-same-old can become more difficult and less rewarding.


Author's Bio

Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. helps her clients make significant life changes, surmount hurdles and increase their happiness and well-being. As a psychologist, she is trained in the complicated process of change, in motivation and creativity. Melissa has developed effective techniques for helping people achieve lasting results. She loves to help people challenge themselves and evoke their own excellence.

Melissa has particular interest in helping women create optimal balance in their lives, including time for their passions. She has specific expertise in the areas of weight-loss and health enhancement and is the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox (TM), a 28-day self-guided daily action program.

Melissa McCreery earned Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University and a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan. She participates in ongoing coaching education and training through the Mentor Coach Accredited Coach Training program. Dr. McCreery is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Washington State Psychological Association.

Melissa has a coaching and psychotherapy practice in Bellingham, Washington where she lives with her family. Sign up for her free e-newsletter, Mindspa: tips for creating your highest quality life, at her website.

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EARLIER:

  From Adrian Whitcomb ('67) of VA - 06/19/09 - "SAVE BUCKROE PETITION":

Carol,

This message is intended for those who would like to save Buckroe Beach for the public and not see it become another overdeveloped section of Hampton.

SAVE BUCKROE PETITION

The Hampton City Council has voted to rezone property  at Buckroe that has been used as park land and for off street parking for more than 20 years. If this land is sold, it will diminish public access to the largest public beach on the Peninsula. Parking is already tight and will get much worse if development proceeds on this land.

I'm sharing this message with people who I think are interested in maintaining public access to the water. More park land is needed for additional picnic shelters and other activities that people enjoy on a trip to the beach. Without adequate space for parking, many people will simply have to turn around and drive back home.

If you aren't a registered voter in Hampton, you can still help by telling other people about this petition and e-mailing this message to as many people as you can.

Thank You
Adrian Whitcomb NNHS '67

		Tell City Council………  HAMPTON NEEDS BUCKROE BEACH BAYFRONT PARK.  The Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee asks for your support in attempting to preserve for all Hampton citizens 7.81 acres of city-owned open space on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton.  On June 10, 2009 Hampton’s City Council passed a rezoning ordinance which allows for residential development in the Buckroe Bayfront area. They took this action despite the fact that thousands of citizens have asked that the property be preserved as public park space.  As citizens of Hampton, we have the right to reverse the actions taken by City Council. Your signature on our petition will legally demonstrate your support to repeal the rezoning ordinance passed on June 10, 2009 and will help to preserve the historically public Buckroe Bayfront area for the generations to come.  Help preserve this lovely historic part of Buckroe’s waterfront and work toward dedicating the land, owned by citizens of Hampton,  as Hampton’s newest park!
The four parcels to be rezoned

What can you do to help?  Help us collect signatures on the petition.   

Through provisions in Hampton’s City Charter, the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee is petitioning to reverse the actions of City Council regarding Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park. 
To achieve this goal, we must collect at least 4,500 signatures by July 10, 2009. 

We cannot do this without your help.  It will take many hands working toward a common goal to save Buckroe Beach’s Bayfront Park.  

Furthermore, the petitions and the signatures on them will be carefully scrutinized by legal authorities.  The burden of compliance, proof and legitimacy of our efforts is placed with the citizens.     

(Listed below) are instructions regarding how signatures must be collected and presented to City Hall and the Court. Petitions will be thrown out if instructions are not followed carefully.

All petitions should be submitted to the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee by Monday, July 6, 2009.

 Call any member of the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee (listed on the back of this page), to make arrangements for returning completed petitions
or drop off completed petition forms Thursday through Saturday at: 

Wood’s Orchards Farm Market, 183 E. Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, Virginia 

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday & Friday
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday

Thank You! 

Instructions For Collecting Signatures On The Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Petition

(Please Read, and Follow All Instructions carefully when gathering signatures) 

• To collect signatures you must be a registered voter in the city of Hampton.
   
• Valid signatures must be those of other registered voters in the city of Hampton.
   
• You must personally witness each person’s signature as it is signed.
   
• You cannot witness your own signature.      
   
• Signatures should be signed in ink.
   
• You must be able to swear or affirm that every signature you witness is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be.  That means, if you do not know personally the person who is signing your petition, politely explain this requirement and ask them to assist us by verifying their identity with some form of photo identification.
   
• Please explain to those who sign the petition that these rules are dictated by the City and previous legal opinions.  Any deviation from the instructions can give the City or the Court reason to reject a signature, a petition or even the total effort.
   
• Not following the rules could negate the signatures of our supporters and silence their voice.
   
• When the form is complete, or you have collected as many signatures as you feel you can, you must sign the affidavit and have it notarized.  (Most banks have an employee who is a notary.  Many real estate agents or lawyers or paralegal professionals are also notaries.  Or call a member of the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee.  We have volunteers available to provide this service.)
   
• After Sunday, June 14^th, 2009, call any member of the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee ..... to obtain petition forms and instructions how signatures must be collected. 

On Behalf of the Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park Committee
And your neighbors in the City of Hampton who know
That Hampton Needs Buckroe Beach Bayfront Park… 

Thank You!

http://www.savebuckroe.com

   Thank you so much, Adrian - and our Best Wishes for success!

FINALLY:

        From David Whitley ('67) of VA - 06/23/09 - "Redneck Humor" (#1 in a Series of 11):

A Redneck passed away and left his entire estate to his beloved  widow, but she can't touch it 'til she's 14.

How do you know when you're staying in a Redneck motel?
When you call the front desk and say, "I gotta leak in my sink," and the clerk replies, "Go ahead".

Did you hear that they have raised the minimum drinking age for Rednecks to 32? It seems they want to keep alcohol out of the high schools.

Two reasons why it's so hard to solve a Redneck murder:
1) The DNA is all the same.
2) There are no dental records.

Who invented the toothbrush ?
A Redneck. (If it had been invented by anyone else, it would have been a teeth brush.)

Did you hear about the $3 million Redneck Lottery ?
The winner gets $3.00 a year for a million years.

A new Redneck law was just recently passed. When a couple gets divorced, they are STILL cousins.

Did you hear that the Redneck governor's mansion burned down ?
"Yep.. Prit'near took out the whole trailer park.. The library was a total loss too. Both books went poof . . . up in flames and the governor hadn't even finished coloring one of them."

A State Trooper pulls over a pickup on Highway 16 and says to the driver, "Got any! I.D. ? "
. . . and the driver replies, " 'Bout wut ?"

		Redneck Yard Swing     Thanks, Gorgeous!
Redneck Yard Swing

1. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 4, 5 and 6 (Labor Day Weekend), 2009 - The Class of 1969 will hold its 40-Year Reunion at the Point Plaza Hotel, Newport News, VA. For details, see: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion2009-69.html and contact Jean Baker Howell at hokie13mom@cox.net - OPEN TO ALL NNHS ALUMNI