We’re about to head off to a horseback riding lesson! Isaiah (my 4-year-old) and I are both saddling up today. I’m so excited! I started riding horses when I was Isaiah’s age and competed and rode western (think barrel racing and pole bending) for 14 years. Going to all-day horseshows was the highlight of my childhood, and even if Isaiah doesn’t want to take up barrel racing or calf roping as a sport, I at least want him to be comfortable around, and on top of, horses – they are truly majestic animals, in my opinion!
Anyway, I hope you, too, have some fun planned for this weekend!
This week’s Top 6 shares tips on nutrition, memorization, ambition, respiration (man, wouldn’t it be cool if all the tips ended in tion?), chief virtues, and mental health!
Before I forget, I also posted a new Proverbs Thirty What Substack post titled “One Small Stroll for (Wo) Man.” Check it out HERE!
Get the Blues
Pound for pound, one of the best fruits you can eat are blueberries! Here’s why.
They:
Reduce inflammation
Curb sugar cravings
Are chock-full of antioxidants that keep our cells healthy
So, if you’re feeling snacky, blueberries are one of the best options. I love to load my oatmeal up with them, and for a snack, add them to my Greek or coconut yogurt.
Take Handwritten Notes
Dr. Andrew Huberman recently posted that “the value of writing by hand cannot be overstated. When we read (or listen to something) and then write down key takeaways by hand (not by typing), it engages motor circuits in ways that deeply embed information to memory. Writing by hand, however cursory, is the best way to recall information.”
Be Ambitious
I finished up Anne of Green Gables recently, and am currently captivated by its sequel, Anne of Avonlea. Anne Shirley is certainly a curious, adventurous, and ambitious young lady, and in Anne of Avonlea, she’s growing wiser by the day!
However, even as a preteen in Green Gables, she had these wise words to say about ambition:
What was the last ambitious goal you pursued?
Choose the Right Virtues
David Brooks writes this in his exceptional work, The Road to Character:
Which virtues are most important to you? Does your life reflect your answer?
Breathe Efficiently
I haven’t read the book Breath yet, but I plan to! My mom borrowed it a few weeks ago and devoured it over the course of two days. As she was reading, she snapped a photo of these lines:
Doctors Patricia Gerbarg and Richard Brown used this slow breathing technique to restore the lungs of 9/11 survivors who suffered from a chronic and painful cough caused by the debris, a horrible condition called ground-glass lungs. There was no known cure for this ailment, and yet after just two months, patients achieved a significant improvement by simply learning to practice a few rounds of slow breathing a day.
Breathing this way offers the same benefits as meditation, yoga, and focused prayer!
Measure Your Mental Health
I love this quote from poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson:
When I’m feeling discouraged and down, I often think of this and challenge myself to search for the good things happening around me and to count my many blessings. Once I start listing them off, it’s really no challenge at all.