Friday, August 31, 2012

Forgiving Others

Successful Habits

Successful people are simply those with successful habits.


Self-Talk

Next time you feel nervous, anxious, afraid, or uncertain, I challenge you to dig deep and look what’s underneath those feelings.
What is the narrative going on internally for you?
It’s far too common to indulge in harmful self-talk.
Be honest with yourself and identify what’s at the root of your fear.
How we speak to ourselves often has much more impact on how we feel and what we do than we realize.




Fat Cell Growth

Being inactive causes the body to boost its production of fat — by 50 percent!
Researchers have found that long stretches of sitting around encourage the growth of new fat in fat cells — so that the body produces more fat more quickly. Scientists need to do more research to determine just how much sitting around one can do before fat production kicks into high gear.
 So, for now, your best defense against excess fat is to get up from your recliner or desk chair often to walk around, and take advantage of every opportunity to stand or be active.




Thursday, August 30, 2012

Enlightenment

Piloting

The bad news is time flies.
The good news is you're the pilot.

Recipe

“Judge nothing, you will be happy.
 Forgive everything, you will be happier.
Love everything, you will be happiest.”

Sri Chinmoy




Composition

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Earth and Stars

Just Love

We often find ourselves holding back, fearful of being hurt, afraid to sacrifice a piece of ourselves.
 But what if we looked beyond all this and just loved?




Bigger

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself,
the more energy you will have".

 Norman Vincent Peale


Kids and Exercise

Wondering how to get your kids to ditch their couch potato tendencies? Research shows that parents’ habits influence their kids. So the best way to get them some exercise and fresh air is by getting some yourself.
 Plan active vacations (or "staycations") with the family by going on walking or biking tours; visiting parks and playgrounds; planning day trips to botanical gardens, zoos or other walking-intensive places of interest; or even playing games of tag or flag football in the yard. Instead of lounging by the pool, see who can swim the fastest lap. Turning physical activity into a game keeps kids interested and makes it feel less like exercise.




Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Be

Truly Rich

If you want to feel rich,

just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.

Compassion Meditation

Schoolteachers who underwent an eight-week meditation program became less depressed, anxious, and stressed and felt more considerate of others’ feelings, according to a study in the journal Emotion. During the program, volunteers learned how to recognize and observe their emotions without judgment and learned how to recognize — and have compassion for — the emotions in other people.
 At the end of the eight weeks, participants showed less hostility and more understanding toward others and themselves.
A lot of our negativity in life comes from the judgments we put on ourselves and other people.
Learning how to observe our lives without criticizing them can put us on the road to a happier, less stressful life.

Indeed

To get something you never had,
you have to do something you never did.

Monday, August 27, 2012

MindFUL

Frightened

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
 Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
 It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

Marianne Williamson

Low-Glycemic Lifestyle

A small new study suggests that a calorie is not a calorie when it comes to losing weight — and keeping it off.
Researchers found that people burned more calories on a low-glycemic diet (one that shuns refined carbohydrates and other processed foods) than when they followed a low-fat diet.
 When dieters were switched to a low-fat diet, they burned 300 fewer calories than they did on the low-glycemic one. That’s nearly the amount of calories burned during an hour of moderate exercise.
 To follow a healthful low-glycemic-index diet, eat minimally processed grains, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, legumes and fruit. Stay away from refined carbohydrates, potatoes and other starchy vegetables.




Thursday, August 23, 2012

Rules

Conserving Anger

"I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson: to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmitted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmitted into a power that can move the world".


Mahatma Gandhi

Risking

When you’re willing to risk being disliked, you’re able to say no when you need to.
Your "yeses" and "nos "shape your future, so choose them wisely.


Anatomy of Walking

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Both, Please

Shapeshifting

The biggest disservice you can do yourself is "shapeshifting" to please your “audience” of the moment.
 It’s exhausting (even to watch) and, more importantly, pointless.
No one will get to know who you really are, which will leave you feeling empty.




A Compliment

If your number one goal is to make sure that everyone likes and approves of you, then you risk sacrificing your uniqueness, and, therefore, your excellence.
I have learned that when certain people dislike you, it is truly a compliment.




Dark Spots

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Celebrated

Invitation

Pain invites us to grow.


Lessons

“Whenever something negative happens to you,
 there is a deep lesson concealed within it.”

Eckhart Tolle




Brainwashed

Monday, August 20, 2012

Power

Asking For Help

I dream of a world where we all ask for help when we need it.

A world where we understand it’s weakness not strength that binds us.
 A world where we see true strength and humility is about knowing when to ask for help. A world where we understand we were never meant to suffer through pain on our own.



Courage

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage".


 Anais Nin



15 Minutes A Day

Sometimes, we get into the mind-set that a workout isn’t worth doing if we can’t commit to it 100 percent. But any amount of exercise is better than none.
Case in point: Research in The Lancet shows that 15 minutes of daily moderate activity can increase a person’s lifespan by three years.
And the more you exercise, the more benefits you’ll get. If you have even five minutes to spare, lace up your sneakers and take a quick walk or jog around the block.




Friday, August 17, 2012

Springs

Unwinding Alone

Take time to unwind by yourself.

Regardless of how we act toward others, we all need time to just be without acting a certain way for other people.


No Regrets

“We must each lead a way of life with self-awareness and compassion, to do as much as we can.
Then, whatever happens we will have no regrets.”

Dalai Lama




Tai Chi

Looking for a full mind-body workout?
Performing tai chi three times a week can help boost brain function in the elderly, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
While those who participated in tai chi saw their brain volume increase in size and did better on cognitive function tests, the group that didn’t do tai chi showed brain shrinkage over that same period. Brain shrinkage is associated with aging and mental deterioration. Combat those senior moments while working on your strength and balance by doing the low-impact, super-slow workout three times per week.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Lessons Learned On My 53rd Birthday

Mindful

“A wise man makes his own decisions;
an ignorant man follows public opinion.”

Chinese Proverb



Freedom

Freedom is instantaneous the moment we accept things as they are.”

Karen Maezen Miller




Inflammation and Fish Oil Supplementation

Chronic inflammation in the body has been linked to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Supplementing a healthful, nutrient-rich diet with fish oil may offer some protection against these conditions. According to the Cleveland Clinic, taking daily fish oil supplements is a safe and effective way to decrease triglyceride levels, the risk of a subsequent heart attack, and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis.




Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Enough

Truly Live

Face your fears.
 Name your problems. 
 Be the captain of your own life.
 Be honest, not only with yourself, but also with other people.
Let go of what is beyond your control.

Most importantly, don’t waste your precious time feeling bad and doing nothing about it.
You are the hero of your own life.
 Save yourself and truly live.




Thoughts

"Our life is what our thoughts make it."


 Marcus Aurelius



Quick Salads

Believe it or not, making a salad can be almost as easy as pouring a glass of water. You can put together a fresh salad with minimal knife work by choosing bags of pre-washed salad greens, grape tomatoes, bagged broccoli florets, baby carrots and hothouse cucumbers.  Top your salad with a handful of dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries; sunflower seeds; sliced turkey breast; or, if you eat dairy, a bit of crumbled blue cheese or feta.
 By stocking up on these types of no-prep-work salad supplies, you can make a salad that’s as easy as throwing your favorite ingredients into a dish.




Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Four Agreements

Poverty

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless.
The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and
uncared for is the greatest poverty.
We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.

 Mother Teresa


Hydration

When working out in the summer heat, make hydration a priority. Both high temperatures and humidity increase the body’s demand for fluids. When humidity is high — 60 percent or greater — sweat does not easily evaporate into the air.
In order to cool off the body, sweat must evaporate from your skin. The hotter your body gets, the greater your hydration needs become — and the greater your risk of heat-related illnesses.
Age can also reduce your body’s ability to cool itself. To stay safe in the summer heat, keep a close eye on your water intake.
 The color of your urine is a telltale sign of how hydrated you are. If it’s clear, you’re in the clear. Dark yellow urine is a sign that you need more fluids.
 Drink water throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. If you’re going to be working out, hydrate before you head out.




Complete Responsibility

Take responsibility for your own life.
Don’t wait for someone to come along and change your life completely.
Even if you have the support of friends and qualified professionals, they will not be able to save or help you unless you’ll make the first step.