Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A New Year's Plan from Walnut Creek Patch

The 2-0-1-4 Plan

My "1" word for 2014
My "1" word for 2014
The end of year is a great time to reflect on the year behind and look forward to the year ahead. A great way to do this is with The 2-0-1-4 Plan. Last year, I created The 2-0-1-3 Plan and it resonated with so many of you! It was fun to share our plans for the New Year, so it's time to do it again. Be sure to comment below with your plan. For those of you who did it last year, you can see your plans here at the bottom of the blog. 
The 2-0-1-4 Plan is about starting off the New Year with intention, motivation, and accountability for health and happiness. It's okay if some of your items from last year are still on the list this year. I didn't quite master one of my "2" items from last year as you can see in the comments below, so I'm putting it on my Plan again this year.
Forward this on to your friends and family and let's see how many people we can get on board to join in. Here's how it works.
2  Come up with TWO actionable and doable healthy living ideas. Be specific. Make them very customized for you. Think about your weakness areas. How do you do in the areas of stress management, having fun, sleeping well, eating healthy, exercising, having nurturing relationships, and living in a nontoxic environment (this can be related to your emotional or physical environment)? Are you pretty good about working out, but don't take any time for stress management? If so, don't put exercise on your list, but rather, put something that will reduce your stress. Commit to work on the areas that receive less of your focus. You will see in the examples below that the ideas are both manageable and quantifiable. Try to be as specific as you can, and don't over-commit. You can always over-deliver.
Here are a few ideas:
  • Meditate for five minutes three days a week first thing in the morning to start the day grounded.
  • Spend less time with those people in your life who make you feel worse about yourself (you can be specific with names, if you want).
  • Do not drink alcohol during the week, only on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • Get 7,500 to 10,000 steps at least four days a week (wear a pedometer to track it).
  • Go to bed by 11pm every night so that you get at least 7 hours of sleep.
  • Make one fun plan a week that makes you happy.
0  Commit to doing the ZERO "do it now" item. What is the one thing that has been on your list to do for years that you know would benefit you in some way—career, health, relationships, personal—but you just have never done it? Commit to it to do it this year.
This one is really important! So many of you reported in that you did your "0" from last year. Way to go! Mine was to join Toastmasters which I have wanted to do for TWENTY YEARS! I finally did it this past August and it has been one of the best things I've done. Setting the intention of doing it at the beginning of the year and stating it publicly helped to finally make it happen! Trust yourself. You know your "0". Let's make it happen this year.
Here are a few ideas:
  • Get out of a toxic relationship that has been bringing you down.
  • Make a change in your job if you feel miserable every day. (Sometimes this may not be possible due to financial constraints, but oftentimes even if we believe this to be the case, we do have choices that we have not allowed ourselves to believe in. Now's the time to believe in them and explore them.)
  • Go on the trip you've been talking about taking for years. If your spouse doesn't want to join you, go with a friend, by yourself, or an organized group.
  • Hire a health coach and lose the weight for good.
  • Find a workout regime you like so that you look forward to exercise rather than see it as a chore. For some ideas, readMovement by Gypsy.
  • Join a support group (e.g. AA, Al-Anon, loss, cancer). If you need help, there are groups out there for you. Sharing your pain with others does help.
  • Write your memoir.
  • Volunteer.
  • Take classes.
1  Choose ONE word for the year. Come up with one word that you want to represent you in 2014. Give it some thought because you want it to really encompass what you want for the year. When you have decided on your word, write it out in big letters and put it somewhere you will see it everyday. Put it on your bathroom mirror, by your computer, on your vision board, at work, in your wallet. Last year my word was "confidence". I still have my word staring at me on my vision board right next to my computer that I have seen for the past 365 days. (It was also pretty cool that my friend, Tracy, gave me a necklace for my birthday with my word on it, so I had it as an empowering reminder that I wore daily!). Now I've replaced last year's word with this year's word, "Openness".
Here are a few ideas: faith, love, forgiveness, dream, health, peace, strength, hope, play, truth, trust, imagine, and share.
4  Take FOUR minutes every day to ground yourself in the day. This one is a little different from last year. Last year it was to write 3 things you are grateful for every day. This year, I'm changing it because I've heard from so many of my clients about the importance of starting or ending your day with purpose. One of my clients said they feel that every day runs into the next, so we talked about creating a closing day ritual. Another one of my client starts every morning lighting a candle and setting an intention for the day. Whether you want to take the four minutes in the morning, afternoon, or evening, be sure to take them. Ground yourself in the day. You can do this by taking a few deep breaths allowing your mind to free itself from the mental chatter. Set an intention for the day (such as being mindful, grateful, open, strong, playful). Do a ritual if you choose (light a candle, share with your spouse one highlight from the day, write in your journal). I talk more about this in chapter 9, "Losing My Mind(fulness)," of my new book, Four Quadrant Living: Making Healthy Living Your New Way of Life.
2-0-1-4  Take some time this week and think about your 2-0-1-4 plan. Be sure to comment below and let us know. It is helpful to share it with others to make it more real and to help hold you accountable. I've shared my 2-0-1-4 plan in the comments below. If you want to share some of your plan, but not all of it, that's perfectly fine. This year, I chose not to share my "0". Share what you feel comfortable with and keep private what you want.
I look forward to hearing from you. Let's make 2014 a year filled with health, happiness, and ... (insert your word here!).
And, of course, if you need help with making any part of your 2-0-1-4 plan happen, 4QL can help you!
_________

Dina Colman, MA, MBA is an author, healthy living coach, and founder of Four Quadrant Living. Dina has a private practicehelping clients live healthier and happier lives. Her Amazon Top 100 book, Four Quadrant Living: Making Healthy Living Your New Way of Life, guides readers to make healthy living a part of their daily lives, leading to greater health, vitality, and happiness. Contact Dina at dina@fourquadrantliving.com

Monday, December 16, 2013

Walnut Creek Holiday Recipes



A Christmas Carol - Walnut Creek
"Wait...One of our stops is Embassy Suites Walnut Creek and their California Christmas Martini. Right?"


Embassy Suites Walnut Creek recipe for one of its most requested Holiday Cocktails --the California Christmas Martini


Christmas Martini (on the rocks) the “rocks” are coffee ice cubes!
In a martini shaker combine
2oz of Irish Cream
1oz of Whipped Cream flavored Vodka
1oz of half and half (or milk if preferred)

Shake vigorously over ice in the martini shaker,

strain into a cocktail glass, over the coffee Ice cubes…ENJOY!

Have a favorite Holiday Recipe. CLICK HERE  to share it on our facebook page !

California Christmas Martini at Embassy Suites Walnut Creek
Happy Holidays from all of us at Embassy Suites Walnut Creek 


Monday, December 9, 2013

Holiday Travel Tips from aarp.org

Holiday Travel Tips

Holiday Travel Tips

5 HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS

These simple steps can save you time and headaches with air travel, baggage and crowds
by: Alexis Flippin, Frommer’s Travel, from: AARP.org


'Tis the season to be traveling, whether you're jetting off to far-flung places or taking a road trip to see family. Crowded airports and gridlocked roads — not to mention free-floating anxiety — can make holiday travel a headache. With our holiday travel tips, though, it doesn't have to be.

picture of Santa asleep on plane

These holiday travel tips will make your journey a breeze.

1. Avoid Flying at Peak Times
If your travel schedule is flexible, avoid flying on the busiest days of the season: the day before Thanksgiving and the two days immediately preceding and following Christmas and New Year's. Also, book flights at off-peak times, such as early morning. If at all possible, fly on the holiday itself, when airports have an almost empty, tumbleweed-blowing-in-the-desert feel.


2. Hit the Road With Technology by Your Side
Portable GPS navigators are wondrous things, providing the fastest and most direct routes to your destination — and voice auto-commands help keep your eyes on the road. Upgraded models offer real-time traffic information, but unless your car has built-in GPS capability, these can be pricey. A much more economical alternative — as infree — is Google Maps, available on most smartphones. It not only provides driving directions but also has color-coded lines indicating the severity of traffic ahead: green lines indicate good conditions, yellow means fair, and red or red/black signal poor conditions.

3. Travel Light
Don't be weighed down with packages. Order gifts online, and have them sent directly to the recipient, or mail your packages ahead of time. If you're a procrastinator, you can take advantage of the annual Free Shipping Day on December 17, when some 1,500 merchants guarantee free delivery by Christmas Eve. And, if you're flying, don't wrap the gifts you bring — airlines have the right to open any wrapped package.

4. Don't Check Your Bags
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are traditionally the busiest times to fly, which means the odds of losing your luggage rise exponentially with the increased air traffic. Not to mention the expense of paying $25 or more per bag. (Consider shipping your luggage ahead of time with these tips from AARP money expert Sid Kirchheimer.) Be on the safe side: carry on your luggage.

5. Take the Back Roads
Driving the interstates can be dull at any time, but holiday travel often adds big-time gridlock to the mix. If you have some time on your hands, why not leave the major highways behind, and hit the back roads for serendipitous pleasures? (These 7 iconic drives are some of the best in the U.S. any time of year.) Of all the holiday travel tips, this one will help you to focus on the joys of the season most of all.


5 Holiday Travel Tips from AARP

Friday, December 6, 2013

10 Reasons Why Traveling Makes You A Better Person

10 Reasons Why Traveling Makes You A Better Person

OCT. 24, 2013 
If you have the opportunity to pack your bags and go, do it. Go alone if you have to.
Don’t do it for vacation. Don’t do it for luxury. Don’t do it to take pictures for your Instagram account. Do it because it will make you a better person.
And here’s why:
Screen Shot 2013-10-24 at 11.37.43 AM

1. Learning to be alone.

Have lunch with yourself. Sit with your thoughts and be okay with them, whatever they are. Love yourself whole-heartedly, especially in times of solitude. And when you think you can’t sit alone any longer, order coffee and a dessert.

2. Relying on the kindness of strangers.

Foreignness does not prevent random acts of kindness. Accept them. Give them. Appreciate them.

3. Learning to live with less.

This does not mean claiming hardship. Let this manifest in small ways. Recognize your fortunes. Be humbled.

4. Learning that plans change and you will have to adapt.

Itineraries are guidelines, not rigid measurements of experience. The best experiences are often not scheduled or anticipated. Expect the unexpected and learn to love it.

5. Enjoying the moment.

Forget the missed bus and enjoy the culture that can be experienced in one hour waiting at a bus stop. Stay in the present.

6. Forces you out of your comfort zone.

Practice speaking that language you learned. Try the cow tongue. Make new friends.

7. Learning to be patient.

Don’t rush through the museum. Don’t rush through your meal. Don’t bounce your leg up and down or roll your eyes. Don’t yell at anyone for reading the map wrong and getting lost. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.

8. Learning you can’t assume. 

Try looking at things a different way. Ask questions. Let this open up a new realm of thought and possibility.

9. Missing home.

Appreciate family, friends, and loved ones. Appreciate the comfort of mundane routines. Find a new found respect for the life you often wish to escape.

10. Goodbye is not forever, life has endless possibilities. 

Family becomes more than just blood. Never say goodbye to the people you meet and the places you see. Cherish the new families and homes you’ve gained. Keep in touch and look back with fond memories from time to time.TC mark
If you don't travel you would never see this 


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Walnut Creek On Ice - Opening Starts the Holiday Season in Walnut Creek




Walnut Creek on Ice
      November 15, 2013–January 12, 2014

 

 Check out the action via WebCam - CLICK HERE


General Admission
Weekday: Monday through Friday $11

Weekend: Friday at 5pm, Saturday, & Sunday$15

General Public Skating Hours (excluding holiday periods)
Monday – Thursday
12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday
12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Saturday
11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday
11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Holiday Period Admission
November 22 – December 1 every day, all day $15
December 20 – January 5 every day, all day $15

Holiday Period Public Skating Hours
*Friday Nov 22
Holiday Period11:00 am – 11:00 pm
*Mon-Wed Nov 25-27
Holiday Period11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Thursday Nov 28
Thanksgiving11:00 am – 6:00 pm
*Friday Nov 29
Holiday Period11:00 am – 11:00 pm
*Friday Dec 20
Holiday Period11:00 am – 11:00 pm
*Monday Dec 23
Holiday Period11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Tuesday Dec 24
Christmas Eve11:00 am – 7:00 pm
*Wednesday Dec 25
Christmas Day11:00 am – 6:00 pm
*Thursday Dec 26
Holiday Period11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Friday Dec 27
Holiday Period11:00 am – 11:00 pm
*Monday Dec 30
Holiday Period11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Tuesday Dec 31
New Year’s Eve11:00 am – 12:30 am
*Wednesday Jan 1
New Year’s Day11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Thursday Jan 2
Holiday Period11:00 am – 9:00 pm
*Friday Jan 3
Holiday Period11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Walnut Creek on Ice is subject to close due to events & private ice rental at any time. Please check the website calendar for dates & times of rink closures.


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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cyber Monday Sale Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek
   
Cyber Monday Hotel sale Embassy Suites Walnut Creek
Cyber Monday is December 2, 2013 and the countdown has begun for one of the biggest Cyber Monday Hotel sales in Walnut Creek.
For one day, enjoy 20 % off regular hotel rates till December 31, 2014 at Embassy Suites Walnut Creek. *
Can't wait till December 2?
Check out our other offers that include free cooked to order breakfast, complimentary evening reception,  free high speed internet access gift cards, bonus points and more.
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ENJOY FREE NIGHTS 2X,3X,4X FASTER
Our More Nights, More Points promotion lets you earn 2x points on two-night stays, 3x points on three-night stays, and 4x points on four-night stays. Book your stay by January 31, 2014.
...LEARN MORE
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Broadway Plaza Holiday SHopping Package
Get your Holiday Shopping started at the Bay Area's hottest stores in downtown Walnut Creek with our Holiday Shopping Package. $25 Visa gift card, free parking, internet and shuttle included.
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Game Day Package 
Our hotel is located directly across the street from the Pleasant Hill, BART station.  That provides easy access if you're on the way to see your favorite Bay Area team like the Cal Bears, 49ers, or Oakland Raider home games.  Don't have to worry about  the traffic and expensive parking!  Game Day at Embassy Suites Walnut Creek includes complimentary valet parking, breakfast, Complimentary Evening Reception and free internet.  Enjoy the Game !
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BOOK NOW
Cyber Monday Special* 

for stays from
December  2013 through December  2014

20 % off regular rate

Free Internet Access

Free cooked to order breakfast

Complimentary Evening Reception

Two Room Suite

* subject to availability and blackout dates apply
PHOTO GALLERY
Book Online or Call (925) 934-2500 to reserve your package today!
Embassy Suites Walnut Creek
1345 Treat Boulevard, Walnut Creek, CA94597
TEL: 925-934-2500 | FAX: 925-256-7233
Visit hotel website