Words to Live By – 8/10/22

Words to Live By – 8/1/2022

This is a deep one for a Monday, but the Universe was very insistent that this message needed to be shared.

What kind of world would we have if we stopped and reflected on how what we think, say, and act impacts our HIGHEST good and the highest good of all?

Stop for a moment and think about what that would look like: a world full of people acting in support of not only their highest good but the highest good of all. Making choices that benefit everyone involved. Getting your cake, eating it too, and having enough to share with others.

Ask yourself:

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to flip off a driver you think is driving too slowly?

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to complain about your job, family, friends, or your government on social media?

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to judge the color of someone’s skin, who they worship, or whom they choose to marry?

Before you make your next decision or take your next action that involves yourself and others, stop, take a breath and ask your higher power: God, Buddha, a Tree Spirit, Mother Nature, or whom every you feel connected to as a guiding force, “What serves my highest good and the highest good of all”.

It will take practice and effort but the rewards you will reap will not only benefit you but all of us. It is worth it.

We can build a world where everyone lives in kindness, respect, and harmony. A world where we take care of each other and the planet. A world where we can all be happy being ourselves.

Isn’t THAT the world for which we are all looking ?

Words to Live By – 7/28/2022

The Universe’s message for today is short, sweet and simple.

SMILE!

Have a healthy happy day!

Words to Live By – 7/27

Make a list of all of the things you are grateful for: your family, friends, home, health, job, possessions, experiences, etc.

Then pay attention to how your attitude and your day change for the better.

Words to Live By – 7/26/2022

We have all had a thought, an idea, or a dream we felt drawn to follow and explore. Whether it was a childhood dream to be an astronaut or a goal to start your own business at age 50, we have all felt the tug at our hearts and minds to follow a path.

But, for many of us, we have also heard the words of friends, foes and loved ones telling us it is impossible: “You’re too old”, “You’re not smart enough”, “You don’t have the time/money”, “No one has done that before”, “You should give up”.

The thought today is, when you feel that pull, when you know in your heart you should follow a dream, DO IT!

Commit to Physical Activity

As a wellness coach, one of the most common excuses I hear from people about why they can’t: lose weight, lower their cholesterol, be more flexible, or be more active is, “I don’t have time!”.

This excuse, and “yes” it is an excuse, generally comes immediately after this person has given me a detailed rundown of the 6 episodes of “Yellowstone” they watched over the weekend or spent 20 minutes griping about how everyone on Facebook is saying this, that, or the other thing.

Here is the bad news, if you have time to spend hours sitting in front of the TV or scrolling through social media, you have TIME to exercise! The fact of the matter is you don’t WANT to exercise, so you make up an excuse that you are soooooo……..busy with soooooo…..many important things that you simply cannot squeeze 30-40 minutes of fitness into your day.

Sure, we all have days where work, family, and social obligations take up the majority of our day, but for most of us that is the exception, not the rule.

Now, here is the great news, you don’t have to block off 45-60 minutes 4-5 days a week to go to the gym to get some of the benefits of exercise. By simply being active throughout your day you can help improve cognitive function, improve sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and reduce muscle tension and stress. Even doing 3-4 minutes of physical activity every hour can yield benefits.

Let’s say you are awake for 16 hours each day, if you were physically active for 3 minutes every hour, by the end of the day you would have done almost 50 minutes of physical activity! That’s over 5 hours every week! I guarantee you can find a least 3 minutes every hour to do a little something.

This week commit to doing at least 3 minutes of physical activity every hour you are awake!

So, what can you do?

• Sit down and stand up from a chair, repeatedly for 3 minutes (or do body weight squats)
• Take 5 minutes and walk up and down a flight of stairs
• March in place for 1 minute, do jumping jacks for 1 minute, do butt kicks for 1 minute
• Step side to side while pushing your arms overhead for 2 minutes and heel taps with arm circles for 2 minutes
• Take 3 minutes to walk around your house picking up and decluttering
• Or any activity that gets your heart pumping and your blood moving

More is better here so if you can do 5-10 minutes during some hours all the better!

If you have a goal to lose weight or improve your health, you may still need to hit the gym 3-4 days a week for some purposeful workouts in order to reach your goals. But, just think how much easier it will be to hit your goals if you add 30 minutes of activity the other 3 days. Even if you are a total gym rat, extra physical activity during the day can provide a much needed mental and physical break from a sedentary work environment.

So banish your, “I don’t have time”, excuse and get moving! It only takes a few minutes every hour and your mind and body will thank you!

Recommit to Building Healthy Habits

Back in March when COVID cases started to rise and communities started shutting down restaurants, gyms, nonessential businesses, and more and more people started working from home a lot of people made a commitment to start taking better care of their health. Internet searches for at home exercise routines and healthy meal recipes soared. There wasn’t a dumbbell, physioball, jump rope, or exercise band to be had anywhere.

In my own neighborhood, I started seeing neighbors I hadn’t seen in months out for a run, walking their dog, or doing squats in their driveway.

But now it’s September and my neighborhood is again a quiet little hamlet. No more family bike rides, no more sidewalk yoga, and no more strolling puppies. Everyone it seems is settling back into their routines.

Restaurants are open, people are eating out again, fitness equipment is back in stock, and the number of online workout classes is starting to dwindle.

Folks commitment to better health is slowly going by the wayside. As we edge slowly closer to our lives returning to “normal”, we are falling back into old routines where physical activity and good nutrition are no longer on our, “to do” lists.

So, what about you:

• Are you sticking to an exercise routine, either at home or in the gym?
• Do you find yourself eating out more often, maybe grabbing a quick burger and fries rather than making a healthy dinner?
• Have you stopped having your groceries delivered and started doing your own shopping only to find yourself making impulse purchases like the newest flavor of potato chip or those M&Ms that were on sale?

If you have found yourself sliding backward into old habits, NOW is the time to recommit to those healthy habits you pickup earlier in the year.

You may need to get creative if your schedule is less open and flexible than months past, but with a little thought and planning you can keep those good habits going.

This week pick 1 of your healthy habits and commit to focusing on building and reinforcing that habit to the best of your ability each day.

Don’t let your old normal ruin the progress you made during your “new normal”.

Good luck, have fun, and have a happy healthy week!

Kindness Challenge – Week 5

These days it is all too easy to look at the world and see what is wrong. Disease, violence, injustice, bullying, anger, and hatred seem all too common.

The world is divided into US versus THEM. If you aren’t with me, you’re against me.

It appears that no news is good news, literally.

But is that really true? Is there nothing good going on in the world?

The answer is an unequivocal, “NO”

Recently in the face of a local tragedy my community stepped up to show what’s possible. The acts of kindness and compassion were in numerable. It was truly amazing to see the outpouring of kindness that my community exhibited. Yes, there were a few negative ninnies and naysayers. But people in the community came together to make the community stronger, to help others, to show kindness, to show compassion, to show courage, and to show love. It was truly inspirational to witness.

That’s why this week my challenge to you is to look for kindness in the world.

Every day look for one act of kindness, whether it be an inspirational story on YouTube, an article in the paper about someone who helped a neighbor in need, or a story of two very different animals coming together and being friends. Whatever it is, search out acts of kindness around the world.

If you look for them, you will find them. I promise kindness and compassion abound if you choose see them.

For a few minutes every day for the next week, set aside the negativity, the fighting, the arguing, the cruelty, and the hypocrisy and look for the good!

Focus your attention for just a few minutes on those good stories. Share them with others. Repeat them over and over.

Focus on kindness and you will see more kindness. It will start to pop up in front of you everywhere, but you have to look for it.

Take the time look for the kindness, share the kindness, be kindness and we will have a kinder world.

Please, share this challenge with your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers! The more people choose kindness and compassion the more we all benefit!

Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook.

Kindness Challenge – Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of The Kindness Challenge.

The purpose of this challenge is to spread kindness, love, and appreciation in an effort to make our world a little happier and more peaceful.

My challenge to you this week:

Say “Thank you” to a stranger.

Nothing breeds kindness and goodwill like gratitude. We all love to be told, “thank you” when we have done something for someone else.

This week make it your mission to say, “thank you” to 1 stranger every day.

• Thank the grocery clerk for working
• Thank the woman in the parking lot for putting her cart in the cart corral
• Thank the customer service representative for helping you over the phone
• Thank your bank teller for always greeting you with a smile
• Thank the man in line with you for standing 6 feet away, whatever.

No act is too small to garner a “thank you”.

Have fun with this, get creative, think up different reasons or ways to say, “thank you” to someone you don’t know.

As always you may want to keep journal or some notes about how thanking a stranger made you feel.

Don’t forget to share this challenge with your friends and family!