Quiet (dhikr) time.

In the past few months, I have trouble sleeping at times. Either I have difficulty falling asleep, or difficulty staying asleep. Last night, for example, I woke up after 5 hours asleep, even though I did not have to wake up for two more hours and could have slept for 7 hours. In times like these, I fight the urge to jump out of bed and do something 'productive' and try instead to use the time for quiet activities, such as reading, catching up on news/blogs on the 'net, and planning my life. I do not always engage in 'dhikr' as it is conventionally thought of, if one's definition of dhikr is 'remembrance of God through the use of reading Qur'an or saying duas'. However I do remember God through my quiet activities during those wee hours of the morning when the world is quiet, preparing itself for the inevitable blitz of activity as a new day cranks to a slow, cantakerously wondrous start. Although I was always a pensive sort of person, ever since I was a small child, I find myself relishing my pensive, quiet early morning dhikr moments even more than I ever had, and actually look forward to having difficulty sleeping or waking up early, strange as it may sound. I even got a prescription for a sleep aid, which I did use once and received a lovely 8 hours of dream-free sleep. However, last night I slept without it, and I wonder if I did so with the unconscious desire to wake up early once again in order to partake in my quiet dhikr time. Only God knows...

Interestingly, I did some research online about the benefits of quiet time during the day. One article (http://www.brighthub.com/science/medical/articles/14090.aspx) claimed that stress levels rise when a person has no quiet time during a normal day. The article gave several suggestions for seeking out quiet time in a day, such as getting up early, or surrounding your living and/or work space with pictures of nature.

In another article, (http://www.thirdage.com/brain-fitness/why-you-need-quiet-time) Rikki Fowler, a silence coach, notes, "With silence people slow down, and they get a chance to hear themselves think."

The Qur'an also mentions quiet in reference to a home being a place of 'rest and quiet': "It is God Who made your habitations homes of rest and quiet for you; and made for you, out of the skins of animals, (tents for) dwellings, which ye find so light (and handy) when ye travel and when ye stop (in your travels); and out of their wool, and their soft fibres (between wool and hair), and their hair, rich stuff and articles of convenience (to serve you) for a time." (Qur'an 16:80).

Also, in Surah Al-Muzammil, the 73rd chapter of the Qur'an, God says of the importance of getting up during the night for prayer and contemplation of God:

"Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the Word (of Prayer and Praise). True, there is for thee by day prolonged occupation with ordinary duties: But keep in remembrance the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him whole-heartedly." (Qur'an 73:6-8).

So seek out those quiet times for the betterment of yourself/your ruh, whether they be during the early morning hours, late at night or mid-day.

Interesting article suggesting strength training makes you smarter

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/phys-ed-brains-and-brawn/?src=me&ref=general

Healthy Food for the Ruh: Avocado, Tomato & Green Onion Omelette

As part of my new years' resolutions, I've been trying to make breakfast a daily ritual instead of a monthly one. Part of my plan to make my daily breakfast dream a reality was to add healthy foods that I love to my breakfast repertoire. One of those foods is avocado. I'm sure many of you have heard of the health benefits of avocados. While there are a lot of calories and fat in avocados compared to other fruits and vegetables, the fat in avocados is monounsaturated fat, which is a 'good' fat that lowers cholesterol. Apparently, studies have also shown that avocados are high in beta-sitosterol, which is a natural ingredient that also lowers cholesterol. Apparently avocados have a lot of nicknames, such as 'butter pear' (in reference to its high fat content) or 'alligator pear' (referring to its green, leathery skin), but you can call them whatever you like, they're just a 'jannah food' to me! (Note: 'jannah' is the Arabic term for paradise, and whenever I find a food simply amazing I say 'I'm in jannah!' when I eat it :). Goat cheese is another one of those foods, but we'll get to that later...) So enjoy this simple, fresh and tasty recipe and believe me, you'll feel like you're in jannah too....!

Avocado, Tomato & Green Onion Omelette

Ingredients

1/2 of a ripe avocado, cut in chunks

1 roma tomato (note: you can use cherry or grape if you like as well), chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 eggs (or alternatively 1 egg and 2 egg whites)

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (or any other cheese you prefer)

Salt and pepper to taste


1. Combine the avocados, green onions, tomatoes with the eggs and whisk together. If there are too many veggies and not enough eggs to balance out the omelette, add a little bit of milk to the mixture. Sprinkle your preferred cheese on top.

2. Preheat a frying pan and spray with olive oil.

3. Pour the egg mixture in the frying pan and cook the bottom for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Flip the omelette and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes, until well done. If unable to flip the omelette, you can scramble it instead, or you can bake the top of the omelette (making it more of a frittata instead) in an oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes until the top is golden brown.

Serve with bread of your choice, more cheese if you like (I prefer goat cheese myself), and a small side salad. I had mine with a side salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and the rest of my avocados.

Working the booty...

I worked out yesterday with my trainer and we focused on my legs/lower body. Unfortunately, despite my trainer's insistence that I stretch after my workouts (our sessions are 30 minutes consisting primarily of strength training) I of course forgot again, and am suffering the consequences today with a stiff booty, walking around like a fool with a limp. Of course...:). I'll learn my lesson one of these days...

However, so far over the last six months of having a trainer (since July 2010) I have noticed immense changes in my body in terms of having more strength and more stability due to stronger abs/quads/calves. I highly recommend getting a personal trainer to assist with strength training for strength training amateurs like myself who do not know where or how to begin adding strength training to their current exercise regimen.

In other exercise news, I recently bought a pair of Shape-Up sneakers by Skechers, which are sneakers with a large wedge on the bottom of the shoe that are supposed to tone your booty as you walk, and help you walk with better posture. I bought two pairs - one with a lower wedge for walking, and one with a slightly larger wedge for wearing to work. I'm a nurse in a busy ICU so I frequently spend most of my 12 hour shifts on my feet. I'm still getting used to walking over a hump so to speak, but overall the sneaks are extremely comfortable and have eliminated my issues with wearing my worn out sneaks that did not provide adequate arch support.

I've also started a new healthy diet routine, where I never skip breakfast and I eat within an hour of waking up. My body has quickly gotten used to this new routine, such that even on my days off work where I do not have to wake up at 5:30, I wake up automatically around 6 or 7 due to hunger pains because my body is yelling at me 'feed me!'. I also make sure I eat at least every 4-5 hours, and do not skip a meal. That, plus drinking more water, and eating more fruits/veggies have given me a huge energy boost in recent weeks, and I have noticed that I am able to exercise longer and harder.

Will update later folks! For those of you also on that healthy eating/exercise path, keep working that booty! =)