I disconnected from technology for a week and spent my days moving through: swimming in the pool, snorkelling in the ocean, walking on the many island beaches, and wandering around the towns and attractions. Saw turtles playing in the waves. Connected and had beautiful conversations with locals and tourists from all over the world. Rode the ocean currents on a catamaran, watching humpback whales enjoy the waters – especially a baby frolicking with its family. The sunrises and sunsets lit the sky. There were also some rain showers; but what I learned is that no rain = no rainbows.

Do you have an activity that you love so much you could spend every day of your life doing it? Think about it; what would this activity be?

For me, without hesitation, this activity is swimming.

December is always a time of reflection for me. Therefore, to gather my thoughts and reflect on what I learned over the past year, I decided to go for a walk in the forest. On my walk, I found a very tall tree and decided to stop and think. As a nature lover, whenever I see a tall tree, the term “growth” comes to mind. Growth of any kind is a process, whether it be individually or collectively.

One of the best mantras that I have incorporated into my life over the past several years is what I call “Coffee, Talk, and a Walk.” (c)

If you are stressed, need to sort out an issue, or just want to feel even better overall, I suggest you take part in this mantra as well.

Some of my happiest and most favourite times involve these three things. You can do this process alone or with others. 

Let me break the mantra down for you, “Coffee, talk, and a walk.”

Does convenience come with a price? These days you really don't have to do much exercise if you don't want to.  You can have almost anything delivered to your house (i.e. food and supplies).  Also, if you commute to a desk job or are a student there is a lot of sitting involved there too.  Think about it, many individuals get up and take either the bus or drive to school/work, they then sit in lecture or at a computer doing their work. Then they come home.  The setup isn't designed to include much physical activity.  There is so much sitting that researchers have labelled in the "Sitting Disease".