Thoughts On My Mind This Morning

People can still say “no” to my requests and it doesn’t have to be personal. It’s just a “no.”
I don’t need to give back every time I receive. Sometimes, I can just relax and receive. It may be strange and unfamiliar for me to do so, but at the same time it’s worth practicing.

Nobody is above nor below me.

Giving Love

"The giving of love

is an education in itself."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Fish Oil

Volunteers who took 6 grams of fish oil every day and exercised three times a week lost more fat than those who just took fish oil, just took sunflower oil, or took sunflower oil and exercised, according to Australian researchers.

Logical

Life isn’t always logical.

Daring

"It is not because life is difficult
that we do not dare.
Life is difficult
because we do not dare."

Seneca

Pets and Our Health

Thinking about bringing a pet into your family? Research shows pet owners are happier, healthier and better adjusted than non-owners.
Just as thinking about a good friend can help pull you out of the dumps, thinking about a pet can help stave off feelings of rejection. Research suggests that dogs and cats can be a strong source of emotional support to their owners. And, contrary to popular belief, most pet owners do not rely on their pets instead of people for companionship.
The study, published by the American Psychological Association, found that people with close ties to their animals were typically happier, healthier and better adjusted than non-pet owners.
If you don’t have room in your life for a furry friend but would like the company, consider volunteering at a local animal shelter as a dog walker.

Defining Peace of Mind

Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life,

but the ability to cope with it.

Anger

Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else.
You are the one who gets burned.

Microwavable "Diet" Meals

In the weight loss game, the beauty of the microwave meal is that it’s portioned out for you. But that’s really the extent of the benefits.
Diet microwave meals have had much of the nutrient density pulled out of them in processing and what’s more, manufacturers often add tons of salt where the fat should be. This bloats us up and causes us to retain water.
Instead, make yourself a real meal. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but in the end whole fresh foods are what keep us thin.

Negativity

Any fool can criticize, condemn, complain, and be negative

and most fools do.

Sugar Dangers

Aside from the increased bulge around the waistline, diets high in sugar are strongly linked to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and heart disease. Sugar intake has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases (such as arthritis, and multiple sclerosis), gout and osteoporosis.
Recent research has shown that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin. Think of how you feel after indulging in a high sugar meal or treat—almost euphoric, right? The high of a sugar rush is temporary though. After a few hours—or even a few minutes—you start to crash and you become tired, fatigued and lethargic.
Although sweet foods are tempting and delicious to most people (blame Mother Nature for that!), the more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes. So if you have a strong sweet tooth or intense cravings for sugar, chances are not that you were born that way. (Forgive me, Lady Gaga)
Begin by limiting the amount of sugar in your diet by decreasing it each week. Read labels carefully and soon you will be educated about hidden sugars in your diet.

Experiments

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions.
All life is an experiment.
The more experiments you make the better.
What if they are a little coarse,
and you may get your coat soiled or torn?
What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled
in the dirt once or twice.
Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cosmic Invitation

"Expressing gratitude seems like a cosmic invitation
for all kinds of thankfulness and appreciation to pour in."

Mary Anne Radmacher

Impact

Your success isn’t just about you.

It’s about how you positively impact the lives around you.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

While the commercials claim that high-fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation, the truth is that the whole problem with high-fructose corn syrup in the first place, is that moderation is seemingly impossible.

The syrup interferes with the body’s metabolism so that a person can’t stop eating. It’s truly hard to control cravings because high-fructose corn syrup slows down the secretion of leptin in the body. Leptin is a crucial hormone that tells you that you’re full and to stop eating. That’s why it’s so closely associated with obesity in this country.

It’s like an addictive drug.

Conquered By Love

Hate is never conquered by hate,
Hate is only conquered by love.

The Buddha

Simultaneous Dimensions

We are all multi-dimensional human beings

with simultaneous dimensions of success and failure in our lives.

Potato Chips

The New England Journal of Medicine study stated that the food most strongly associated with weight gain is potato chips. Over time potatoes in general caused the most weight gain though it was potato chips that were the worst and French fries weren’t much better.

My suggestion is that if you’re going to eat potato chips or French fries, make them from scratch. The mindless behavior of opening up a bag of salty potato chips is where the problem begins.

If you make them from scratch, you can control ingredients and portion size as well and you’ll only end up eating them on very special occasions.

Happiness

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”

Denis Waitley

Food Journals

Why keep a food journal?
Tracking the food we consume forces us to take responsibility for our food choices. It shows what we're really eating.
An accurate food journal helps us see eating patterns, giving us insight into when and why we eat.
Monitoring the foods we eat helps us estimate caloric intake, so we can make adjustments, by eating less or exercising more.

Risks

Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks.
Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned;
perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow.
But when the person looks back - and at some point everyone looks back -
she will hear her heart, saying,
"What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days?
What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you?"

Paulo Coelho

There Is No "Try"

"Do or do not,
there is no try."

Jedi Master Yoda

Stress Eating

Mashed potatoes look better when you’re stressed, say scientists. But you can prevent those stress-induced pig-outs.
Ever wonder why you tend to reach for mashed potatoes, chocolate and other comfort foods when you’re stressed?

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center think they know the answer: ghrelin.

Ghrelin is the so-called “hunger hormone,” and when you’re stressed, your ghrelin levels rise. The new study, which was performed on mice, suggests that higher than normal ghrelin levels from stress lead to overeating of comfort foods specifically.

Besides reducing your stress, you can take steps to prevent an ice cream pig-out: First, remember that skipping meals when you’re stressed just exacerbates the problem. In fact, eating infrequently can cause you to deal with stress less effectively — when you don’t eat for long periods of time, your blood sugar levels, and thus your mood and your energy, plummet.

Another useful trick is to eat mindfully: By using all your senses to truly savor each bite of your food, you force yourself to slow down and allow yourself to become fully immersed in the present moment. So even if you do reach for the chocolate, you’ll be able to limit yourself to one serving.

A Single Thought

You have the ability to clear negativity from your mind

with a single thought.

Turning Off The Emotional Television

Let things go.
Release them.
Detach yourself from them.
Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.
Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood.
Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

ONLY You

You have every right to be content,

but it’s up to YOU and only YOU to exercise that right.

Laughter and Stress

A good laugh does wonders to reduce tension. Now new research shows that even just anticipating laughter offers similar benefits.
You wouldn’t be surprised if I told you that laughter relieves stress. But what if I told you that just anticipating laughter does the trick too? Researchers have found that the anticipation of a positive humorous laughter experience reduces potentially detrimental stress hormones. In an earlier study, Lee Berk, DrPH, and his team at Loma Linda University found that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” positively affected two hormones: beta-endorphins, which alleviate depression, and human growth hormone, which helps with immunity. The results were significant, increasing the hormone levels from 27 to 87 percent.
In the latest research, the good news continues: The same anticipation of laughter significantly reduced the levels of three stress hormones — cortisol (“the stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac (which helps produce epinephrine).
Based on the findings, it’s clear that a great way to reduce stress is to seek out experiences that might make you laugh, even if you don’t actually giggle.

Living In Truth

What does it mean to live in truth?

It means to live honestly at all levels. It’s not just about what you say; it’s about thoughts, actions, and the way you live.

This involves authenticity—to live in alignment with who you know your true self to be.

What you’ll receive is very empowering.

You become free to live and explore the truth of who you really are as you move toward the future.

You’re at liberty to change, develop, and go further in you own life within your own true spirit and mind.

Opportunities

Life is full of opportunities to feel exactly the way you want to feel.

Moderation

An overfull calendar,
like an overfull stomach,
is a natural consequence of taking on too much.
Commit, and eat, in moderation.

Feedback, Never Failure

"If we don't see a failure as a challenge to modify our approach,
but rather as a problem with ourselves, as a personality defect,
we will immediately feel overwhelmed. "

Tony Robbins

Choice

You don’t have to settle.

It’s simply a choice you make every day.

Cutting Added Sugars

An easy way to cut added sugars: Skip flavored yogurts and top plain yogurt with antioxidant-rich honey and fruit instead.
Don’t get sabotaged by sweeteners. Even seemingly healthful foods like yogurt, cereal and energy bars can be crammed with added sugar. Most Americans get more than 22 teaspoons (88 grams) of added sugar a day.
That’s almost three times the amount recommended by the USDA. The 2010 guidelines recommend no more than eight teaspoons, or 32 grams, of sugar for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Even if you don’t indulge in soda or junk food, it’s easy to reach your limit from processed and packaged foods. Flavored yogurts, for instance, can contain up to 21 grams of sugar in a single serving. Other sugar shockers include whole-grain cereals, which may have up to 17 grams of sugar, and condiments like spaghetti and barbecue sauce, which routinely contain 15 grams of sugar per serving.
Whenever possible, go the unsweetened or unflavored route and add your own sweetener instead. A packet of honey, by comparison, has just 11 grams of sugar and is loaded with healthful antioxidants; refined table sugar has none.

Kindness and Honesty

We’re all equals.
We’re all struggling with something.
We’re all working to let go of something.
We’re all working to embrace something else.
The world would be a far more beautiful place if we could remember this.
KINDNESS and HONESTY.
Never one without the presence of the other.

W. Crew Lauterbach,
Ph.D., LCSW-R.

Contentment

Being content and being successful are two different things.

Fiber and Belly Fat

Bulk up to slim down. Trim belly fat by increasing your daily soluble fiber intake. Good sources include peas, apples, citrus and oats.
Want to get rid of that spare tire around your waist? Fill up on fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. According to research published in the journal Obesity, boosting soluble fiber intake by 10 grams per day led to a 3.7 percent decrease in belly fat over the course of five years. You can get that much fiber by eating two small apples, one cup of green peas and half a cup of pinto beans.
The more soluble fiber people consumed daily, the more abdominal fat they lost. Fat that accumulates around the stomach, also known as visceral fat, is more dangerous than other types of body fat. It’s thought to produce hormones and other substances linked to a host of chronic diseases, like high blood pressure and diabetes.
Another surefire way to drop belly flab: exercise. While regular, moderate exercise, like a brisk walk, can prevent it, vigorous activity is needed to get rid of it. Researchers found that 30 minutes of vigorous exercise two to four times per week resulted in a 7.4 percent visceral fat loss over five years.

Kindness

Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

Lao Tzu

Producing

Being busy

and being productive

are two different things.

Food Journals

Why keep a food journal?
Tracking the food we consume forces us to take responsibility for our food choices. It shows what we're really eating.
An accurate food journal helps us see eating patterns, giving us insight into when and why we eat.
Monitoring the foods we eat helps us estimate calorie intake, so we can make adjustments, by eating less or exercising more.
If you're beginning a program to change your habits, you may want to start with a baseline food journal that keeps track of a "typical" week of food choices and exercise. This way, you'll have a better handle on what you need to work on-- problem times or situations, circumstances that make it difficult to eat healthy, and so on.

An Affirmation

Affirmation:

Even when I am afraid or unsure,
I choose to move in the direction of my goal.
Whenever I fall, I stand up,
brush myself off, and keep moving.

Results

Results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

"Diet Soda"

Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio examined data from 474 participants in a longitudinal aging study and found diet soft drink users had a 70 percent greater increase in waist circumference compared to non-diet soda drinkers. The waist circumference increase was even worse for frequent diet soda consumers drinking two or more a day. Their waist size increases were 500 percent greater than non diet soda drinkers in the study.
“Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised,” said one of the researchers, Helen Hazuda, professor and chief of the Division of Clinical Epidemiology in the School of Medicine. (Source: Sciencedaily.com)
A related study found aspartame might increase blood glucose levels and thereby contribute to obesity.
One reason individuals give for drinking diet sodas is that they contain fewer calories, but then they reason incorrectly they should be able to eat even more than they would if they were drinking regular sodas. A better choice would simply be to not assume that drinking either type of soda is necessary.
Another assumption appears to be that diet soda is healthier, but if the research cited above is correct, it is not.
Sodas might also interfere with the absorption of calcium due to the phosphoric acid content, an effect that could also be caused by the caffeine content. In a different study, colas with and without caffeine both were associated with lower bone density. Phosphoric acid also erodes tooth enamel.

Journey

Being content and successful
is a journey,
not a destination.

Sitting For Long Periods of Time

Get up off your tush. People who regularly sit for long periods of time have an increased risk of a deadly blood clot in their lungs.

Too much sitting down is linked to an increased risk of pulmonary embolism — a potentially fatal blood clot that forms in the legs and gets lodged in the lungs — according to a new study. The research found that those who spent more than 41 hours a week outside of work planted on their rump were twice as likely to develop a pulmonary embolism than those who spent less than 10 hours a week outside of work on a couch or chair.

Couch potatoes were also more likely to have high blood pressure and heart disease. This isn’t the first study to point out the dangers of a highly sedentary lifestyle. A study published earlier this year in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that spending four hours a day or more in front of the TV or computer screen doubled a person’s likelihood of suffering a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or death.

Your takeaway: Even if you’re pooped after a long day at the office, blow off steam by taking a long walk before plopping down in front of the TV.

Being Great

To be great does not mean you have to dominate others.

It means you have to dominate your own potential.

Embracing Contradictions

"I think wholeness is God's design for us;
and that often amounts to embracing contradictions."

Bono

An Apple A Day

Eating an apple a day protects the brain from oxidative damage that causes neurodegenerative diseases such Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

This magical nutrient that acts as protection is quercetin, which is a phytonutrient.

Different Strengths

We all have different strengths.

What worked for someone else might not work for you.

Patience

"A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else."

George Savile


"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

Lao Tzu

Raspberries

Slightly tart and juicy, the raspberry is a nutritional powerhouse in a tiny package. Raspberries are rich in ellagic acid (which provides the majority of the berry's antioxidants), and anthocyanins (which give raspberries their deep, red color and exhibit antimicrobial properties).
As if their high antioxidant content wasn’t enough, raspberries are also great sources of the vitamins and minerals riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and vitamin C.