Bliss

Carving

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".



 Michelangelo

Choices

“Life is the sum of all your choices.”

Albert Camus

Heartburn and GERD

If you’ve been diagnosed with acid reflux or have frequent heartburn and thought you had to give up all of the foods you love, there is good news. A study conducted at Stanford University reports that there is “insufficient evidence” that avoiding chocolate, spicy foods, mint, citrus, fatty foods, carbonated beverages, or coffee will relieve GERD-associated heartburn.
 If you know that a certain food causes symptoms, you can steer clear of it, but most people do not need to avoid every common trigger across the board. A better course of action for relief is weight loss. Even three to five pounds can make a difference.

Built

Shared

“Shared joy is a double joy;
shared sorrow is a half sorrow.”

Swedish Proverb

Ocean

"Individually, we are one drop.

Together, we are an ocean".


 Ryunosuke Satoro

Lean Proteins

LEAN PROTEINS:



egg whites
eggs whole

liquid egg whites (carton)
chicken breast
turkey breast
top round steak (very lean red meat)
leanest cuts of bison/buffalo
lean game meat (elk, venison, etc)
salmon (fish with high omega-3 fat content)
Tilapia and other white fish (lean fish)
Shellfish
lowfat cottage cheese or high protein dairy products
Protein powders /protein shakes (whey, casein, or mixes)


Obviously, vegetarians have to use high protein plant sources, but the principle and objective is the same for everyone: Have a lean protein source with every meal.

Accomplishment

Colors and Textures

The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself,
but in the colors and textures that
come alive in others because of him.


 Albert Schweitzer

Verb

Love is a verb.

Active

Staying as active as possible may be the key to maintaining your mental edge as you get older. According to research in the journal Neurology, daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80. And I am not talking only about exercise. While formal exercise is certainly a major part of the equation, everyday activities like cooking and cleaning are just as important.

Wounds

Inferior

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Like Me

"If I try to be like him, who will be like me?"



Yiddish proverb

CBT For Chronic Pain

Change the way you feel by changing the way you think. Adjusting your attitude about chronic pain may help you sleep better and reduce the impact of pain on your daily life. People with chronic aches who learn how to think less about their pain may be able to boost their sleep quality, as well as their quality of life.
 If positive thinking doesn’t come naturally to you, consider cognitive behavioral therapy — a type of psychology that helps patients recognize negative thought patterns and subsequent behaviors, and then teaches them how to change them. Research has also found that a daily meditation practice, whereby meditators learn to accept feelings and sensations without judgment, can also reduce the impact of pain on people’s lives.

Yourself

Attention

“Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.”

Jose Ortega y Gassett

Calm Provides

Calm provides clarity.
 Pause to consider the gifts you have been given,
the difference you have made
and the direction in which you are headed.

Berry Good

New research suggests that eating more blueberries and strawberries could lower your brain age by two and a half years. The study, published in the Annals of Neurology, found that elderly people staved off cognitive aging by a couple of years just by eating more of the fruit.
This isn’t the only study to link berries to a nimble mind. Past research has shown that drinking blueberry juice, with no added sugar, every day helps boost memory.

Entering

Remaking Ourselves

“Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world

as being able to remake ourselves.”

Gandhi

Being Vulnerable

"We're never so vulnerable as when we trust someone -

but paradoxically, if we cannot trust,
neither can we find love or joy".


 Walter Anderson

Shoulder Stretch

The medical world calls it upper-cross syndrome; you know it as rounded shoulders. Whatever name you refer to it by, years of hunching over a desk can lead to this pattern of tight shoulders and a weak back. To correct it, try this yoga-inspired move, the cobra pose. It opens up the chest, stretches the shoulders and strengthens the upper back muscles. It’s the perfect antidote to a long day at your computer.

To do it: Lie on the floor facedown, with the tops of your feet against the floor. Place your hands next to your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body. Pressing your feet, thighs and pelvis into the floor, straighten your arms and lift your chest off the floor. Thrust your chest out and push your shoulders back gently, as though you’re trying to hold a pencil between your shoulder blades. Press your tailbone toward the floor. To avoid straining your back, do not come up higher off the floor than is comfortable. Hold the pose for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing comfortably through the stretch.

Forgiveness

Reframing "Failure"

"Failure is only the opportunity to

begin again more intelligently".


 Henry Ford

Shaped, Not Defined

I’ve learned that it’s okay to be shaped by pain,
but it’s not okay to be defined by it.

Hypertension

If you have hypertension, be sure to take your blood pressure on both arms. A new study in the British Medical Journal bolsters the findings of a recent review in The Lancet, which found that a difference in blood pressure between both arms may put you at greater risk of severe cardiovascular consequences.

This most recent study found that for every one mm Hg difference in blood pressure, there was a 9 percent increased risk of death over the next 10 years. A difference of 15 mm Hg was linked with an increased risk of peripheral vascular disease — hardening and narrowing of the arteries in the neck, abdomen and legs.
 Blood pressure readings that vary by a few points are not cause for alarm, say the study’s researchers. However, a difference of more than 10 points could be a sign of trouble. Be sure to talk to your internist, family doctor or cardiologist about your findings.

Thoughts

Doors

As part of the original monastery training, a monk didn’t answer direct questions from a student unless it was a well thought-out question. A Chinese proverb says, “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”

Some forms of Zen Buddhism use a very similar style of training. An old saying (by Taoist monks) goes like this: “In making a four corner table, the teacher shows the student how to make one corner. It’s the student’s job to figure out how to make the other three.”

Trapped By Dogma

"Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of other's opinions
drown out your own inner voice".


 Steve Jobs

Work Stress

Researchers found that people who checked and responded to email most often had higher heart rates and stress levels. Getting up and walking over to someone’s desk also offered some stress-reducing benefits.
 Maybe you can’t eliminate email from your job, but you can decrease the frequency with which you check it. Consider reading and responding to emails once an hour — and letting coworkers know about your plan so they can adjust their expectations.

First-Rate Version

Sadness

Sitting with our sadness takes the courage to believe that we can bear the pain and we will come out the other side.

Berries and Cognitive Functioning

New research suggests that eating more blueberries and strawberries could lower your brain age by two and a half years. The study, published in the Annals of Neurology, found that elderly people staved off cognitive aging by a couple of years just by eating more of the fruit.
This isn’t the only study to link berries to a nimble mind. Past research has shown that drinking blueberry juice, with no added sugar, every day helps boost memory.

Compassion Through Our Sadness

An important teaching from our sadness is compassion for others who are in pain, because it is only in feeling our own pain that we can really understand and allow for someone else’s.

 Sadness is something we all go through, and we all learn from it and are deepened by its presence in our lives. While our own individual experiences of sadness carry with them unique lessons, the implications of what we learn are universal.
The wisdom we gain from going through the process of feeling loss, heartbreak, or deep disappointment gives us access to the heart of humanity.

Seven Deadly "Sins"

Humaness

Reality is malleable.
The reality, which we have imposed upon ourselves or had planted in our heads by others to make us feel safe, is also the reality that keeps us from really appreciating our own humanness and really loving other human beings—those beings who are more like us than we realize, even if we don’t know them.

The Way

“You have your way.
 I have my way.
As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

CRP Testing

A normal cholesterol reading doesn’t mean your heart is in the clear. In fact, good cholesterol is only part of the equation. Fifty percent of those who die from coronary artery disease (CAD) have normal cholesterol readings and no prior symptoms.
 Another test, the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein assay, or CRP, can also help determine your risk. The CRP test measures levels of inflammation in your body. High levels may indicate inflammation or swelling in the arteries and are linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and sudden death.

It is recommended that the CRP test  be taken for people with one or more risk factors for heart disease.

These risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of heart disease, a history of smoking and obesity. s recommended that the CRP test should be taken  for people with one or more risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of heart disease, a history of smoking and obesity. If one or more of these describes you, talk to your doctor about getting tested.

 

Otters

Present

When we can be fully present in every job that we do, we bring the fullness of our bodies, minds and spirits to the moment.

 Our contribution is enhanced by the infusion of our talents and abilities, and when we give them willingly, they attract the right people and circumstances into our experience.
 Anything we do begrudgingly limits the flow of our energy and closes us off from the good that is available to us in every situation. But by giving the best in us to make the world around us better, we open ourselves to receive the best from others in return.

Path

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one's own path,

not chasing after the dreams of others.


 Chin-Ning Chu

Memory Lapses

Research in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that seniors with small lapses in memory may be able to head off further decline with weight training.

My Favorite Day

Responding

WE CAN  NEVER CHANGE ANOTHER PERSON.
WE CAN ONLY CHANGE OUR RESPONSE TO THEM.

Success Defined

"Success consists of going from failure to failure

without loss of enthusiasm".


 Winston Churchill

A Healthy Snack

Looking for a snack food that’s actually good for you? Look no further than popcorn. The unprocessed, whole-grain treat has more healthful plant chemicals, known as polyphenols, than a serving of fruit or vegetables.

 Want to know where most of those nutrients and fiber are hiding? In the husks — those little brown pieces that always get stuck in your teeth. Just remember that popcorn is only as healthy as the way you prepare it. Microwave popcorn has twice as many calories as the air-popped kind and twice as much fat than if you were to pop the kernels in oil yourself. Try popping your corn in a teaspoon of olive oil and seasoning with your favorite herbs and spices.

Moving On

Change

When you stop trying to change others and work on changing yourself, your world will change for the better.