Feel Good 52 - Week 7

Hey Fit Fam ...

Moving on to Week 7! I can not believe we are already 7 weeks into a new year?! Wow ... it's going to be summer before we know it! I hope you are enjoying these little weekly challenges and taking time to really think about each one. The purpose is to not only physically make ourselves better .. but INSIDE-OUT! If you are just jumping on board the #FeelGood52.. that is okay! They are so simple you could do a couple each week in order to catch up! It's never too late! Each week is listed under BLOG and MOTIVATION here on simplystacy.com!

I've had a really rough couple weeks and just returning home from being with my family during a really hard time (to say the least.) So this weeks #FeelGood52 challenge is one I really needed and actually already completed. In the moment it made me feel at peace. Maybe you don't "need" this challenge ... but it will make you feel good no matter what is happening in your life. Or maybe it's not YOU that needs to be held.. maybe it's someone else? Either way .. get ready to snuggle up cause I want you to CUDDLE with someone!

Did you know that cuddling has NUMEROUS health benefits? There is a brain chemical (oxytocin) reaction that happens when we cuddle that results in numerous positive health benefits such as -- potentially lowering blood pressure, relieving pain and increasing our pain threshold, reducing social anxiety, lowering the level of the stress hormone cortisol and protecting against inflammation and oxidative stress! Another interesting effect of oxytocin is that it may actually help make us better people. I found an article that interviews one Neuroeconomist who actually says oxytocin is  “the moral molecule” because of how it affects our ability to trust and feel empathy! Pretty neat, huh!

WEEK 7
Grab that cuddle buddy!! This can be with a human, it can be your animal .. heck it can even be your pillow if you do not have anyone. In that case I want you to use this as a time to be thankful for what you do have ... know that YOU are enough. We were not put on this earth to NEED anyone else. So take a moment, cuddle that pillow and think of all the things in your life you are grateful for. All the things that make YOU unique, wonderful and perfectly capable of being "alone" if that is where you are suppose to be at this time in your life. But ... there are things that can also release the effects of oxytocin. A long hug, a massage, a hot bath, etc! So if you don't want to cuddle a pillow .. try one of those!

I cuddle with my little dog Stella every day and most days I cuddle with my husband. But before I left town to come back to Nashville .... I cuddled with my mama. I honestly can't tell you the last time I did that. I was probably a very little girl. It brought a sense of peace during a horrible tragedy my family is experiencing. But in that moment ... it felt like everything was somehow going to be okay. This challenge has been my favorite so far :) I hope you find some peaceful feelings when you complete it!

Eat Clean. Train Dirty.
Stacy