Health & Fitness Archives - Page 34 of 36

Get Tidy And Organised

Posted on September 29, 2020

Do you have piles of papers, books or things piling up anywhere? Or are you obsessively neat? Get tidy and organised and you might notice a new sense of confidence, pride and relaxation.

One of the key aspects to life is setting up your environment to win. If you want to lose weight, place your walking gear at the end of the bed so its easy to just go in the morning. And stop buying the crisps, chocolate and ice cream. If it is not in the house, you can’t eat it.

So it stands to reason that if you want to be more relaxed, make your space more relaxing. One way to do this is to remove all things that might make relaxing even slightly less easy. Tidy up books and papers. Donate books and place papers where they belong. What else is on show that needs to go?

Tidying up can be cathartic. You gain a sense of control. In addition you may feel a greater pride of place. One other benefit is being able to find things quickly.

Getting things organised is the start. And it can take a little while to get there. In the meantime though, train yourself to put things in their place immediately. Don’t simply ‘set things down for a minute’.

Get tidy and organised. You’ll love it.

Health & Fitness

The Case For Laughter

Posted on September 24, 2020

Few things compare with having a really good laugh. What a fabulous feeling it gives you. The case for laughter is easy: It makes you feel great.

I’ve been searching out more laughter in the past week. I’ve seen a few video clips that have really made me chuckle. There have even been a couple where I was caught off guard and really howled. Those can be the best moments. When you really weren’t expecting something to be funny and it strikes you in a certain way.

YouTube is a particularly good way to discover great clips. You can search for particular shows, comedians, situations or types of humour. Then their algorithm gives you more of the same. You don’t have to do much work to find a stream of clips that suit you and the mood you’re in.

I’m a fan of clever comedy. Quick wit or a facial expression can be brilliant. Though I generally don’t enjoy put downs, practical jokes or physical pain as comedy. It’s simply not my thing.

Laughter is the best medicine. You smile and your body releases endorphins. These are your body’s good feeling chemicals. They can reduce pain and help you heal.

This is the case for laughter.

Now go find some good clean funny videos and make your face ache with joy.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts

Celebrate Life’s Special Moments

Posted on September 13, 2020

As you get a little older, or at least a little wiser, you realise how important each moment is. Celebrate life’s special moments as often as you can. They come and go so quickly.

My wonderful Mom turned 75 today. You wouldn’t know it. Full of energy and a positive, joyful attitude might make her seem younger than she is. She’s also fit and healthy, so that helps keep her youthful looking too.

Celebrating her birthday was great, despite it being in a Covid friendly, socially distanced way. It was lovely to join her in a conversation over Zoom to celebrate this milestone birthday. Technology is fabulous that way.

In preparing for this grand event, we were able to get some birthday videos sent to us from friends and family. A great little website called VidHug helped us out too. It is better than a card. You get a personalised memory delivered ’in person’. And the video will be easy to keep and find.

What struck me was so many people’s willingness to participate in fun, quirky and lovely ways. It was beautiful to hear their kind comments and the fond memories they had of Mom. It wanted me to make a bigger video with more people. She’s truly a unique and wonderful woman.

Celebrate life’s special moments whenever you can. Don’t wait. It will open your eyes to life’s beauty.

Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts

The Case For Cold Showers

Posted on August 22, 2020

Just the thought of a cool, cold or icy shower can set people shivering. But the upside can be worthwhile. The case for cold showers can be made more easily than actually taking them.

The cold shower can increase mental fortitude. The relative shock to your system can awaken your spirits and nerve endings. The tingling of being incredibly alive is instantaneous. In addition, that sensation can stay with you for hours and the memory of it even longer.

Not only does the experience alert your body to the day ahead, you’ll feel dynamic and heroic for seeing it through.

And for you conservationists out there, you might gladly shut off the water to soap up. The break can be greatly appreciated in the early days of testing the waters on this theory. As you build stamina and resilience and, dare I say, grow to enjoy the experience, you will not need the break.

Having a few choice motivational chants, words or phrases on the tip of your tongue might be useful too. Furthermore, resolving to complete the shower at the lower temperature is a good way to start.

Moving from uncomfortable to unstoppable in your life is not easy. However this is one step you can try at home and further build your mental strength. That is the case for cold showers.

Action Health & Fitness Think About It Weight

Become A Magnet

Posted on August 21, 2020

Make yourself so attractive that your life’s desires move toward you. Become a magnet for your desires. Whether you would like health, happiness, money, a particular relationship or job, make sure your relative attractiveness is high.

To become a health magnet, make yourself attractive to health. Eat appropriate amounts of high nutrient foods. Exercise and move more. Maybe even surround yourself with a few more people that seem to have attracted health into their lives. Certainly one should develop a healthy mindset.

Becoming a relationship magnet follows a similar path. If the object of your desire prefers happy people, practice being happier. If they seem to have a proclivity for fit people, develop a love of fitness.

Money is a challenge for a lot of people. Many do not say very nice things about money itself. And some people have been known to cast aspersions on people who have accumulated some level of money or wealth. If you were frequently suspicious of a friend or spoke poorly of them, they would not stay with you for long. Same thing for money.

If you think bad thoughts and say bad things about health, relationships, money or other things, you’re less likely to get the best from them. The saying that ‘misery loves company’ rings true for people who are a misery magnet.

Become a magnet of desirability instead.

Action Financial Health & Fitness Time

Your Two Week Sprint

Posted on August 17, 2020

Let the games begin! What habits could you start? What changes could you get underway? Your two week sprint starts today! In 14 days you will have lived through what is probably the oddest first 2/3rds of a year in your life.

Your goals may be all over the place, like the airline industry. Or they may be laying in tatters after having achieved them all and then some, like Amazon.

Whichever it is, there are only a couple of weeks left in August before the world tries something it hasn’t done in 102 years. During the 1918 Pandemic the world tried to get back to normal over the summer and through the usual autumn activities. Back to work, school and life in general.

Now what can you commit to for the next two weeks? It’s not forever, its simply your two week sprint. Get yourself in decision mode. Make an unbreakable commitment to yourself. Resolve to do your 14 day habit to put you on the road to ever greater success.

We’re coming into the home stretch of this zany 2020 year. Get yourself into great shape in at least one area you’ve been thinking about all year. My sprint has goals and habits focused on food, fitness, finances, fun and non-fiction.

What are you going to achieve during this sprint?

Action Financial Health & Fitness Think About It Time

Plan Ahead

Posted on July 27, 2020

It’s a good idea to look out beyond the hour, day and week. Some people plan important events years in advance. When you plan ahead, it changes your perspective on life, time and prioritisation.

Our life insurance broker rang me today. He wanted to check that I was happy with the cover we had. Was it the right amount, coverage and term (length of time)? All seemed fine.

However, it did get us running a few scenarios. How old would we be in 10, 20 and 30 years? We also needed to calculate how old the kids would be on those dates. The other point to consider was specific life moments falling in those time periods. Big events we considered were; helping with the children’s university costs, business start up costs and/or potential wedding costs.

Planning ahead does make you confront some brutal truths. In particular, it reminds you that you will either be much older one day, or the alternative. And you should consider that ‘much older’ comes with more than simply more candles on your birthday cake. Your health and wellness is likely to change somewhat.

You plan ahead for things that you want such as holidays, concerts and sporting events. So you should also plan ahead for those events that are inevitable, like ageing and the alternative.

Do it now.

Financial Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight loss

Becoming One Of Them

Posted on July 21, 2020

If you have been trying to change something in your life, without success, check your perceptions. The ‘becoming one of them’ way of thinking might be holding you back.

We all have certain perceptions, stereotypes or biases about things and people. Some of these are very mild and some awaken deep feelings in us.

Some examples where perceptions can be stronger could be; how you see parenthood, a university degree, body weight, a political party, wealth or being organised.

These examples, or others, may not elicit any strong emotion in you. Though some people will have a noticeable level of tension around a few of these subjects.

This tension is good to be aware of and explore. It often comes out in the language used when discussing the topic. Some common phrases are; the wealthy are greedy or being organised is boring.

I’ve been researching and thinking a lot about this movement between tribes and the challenges people encounter. After discussing it with a friend on our run this morning, I heard this episode (#950) of the Quote Of The Day show. It’s a great podcast and this episode was timely.

Although Lisa Jimenez is talking about millionaires, I believe that the ‘becoming one of them‘ thinking applies to most changes a person would like to make.

Remember, say good things about the tribe you’re trying to become a part of. When you don’t, your mind won’t let you join them and have their benefits.

Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Expectations v Reality Gap

Posted on July 8, 2020

It is wonderful to have great expectations. Having them also brings you hope for a better future. However, the expectations v reality gap (ER Gap), must be monitored closely as it can destroy your mind.

Our own expectations for our life, and the world around us, is often being recalibrated. This is usually in an upward trajectory. For example, it feels good to believe that I will make more money, have a better relationship, progress in my career and be healthier. The opposite is not very encouraging or motivating.

It is useful to have expectations surpassing our current reality. Doing this gives you hope and an objective to strive toward. This will help to motivate you to take action toward fulfilling those expectations.

However, there are two cautions to be noted.

Firstly, be careful not to let your expectations get too far ahead of your reality. It is easier to get disheartened if you are chasing the big dream and not seeming to make any progress. Remember to divide up your goal and expectations into steps or levels. As your reality reaches the next level you will gain momentum. Then you can recalibrate to focus on the next step in the process.

The second caution is to recalibrate your expectations downward when your reality is negatively impacted. So if your career, school grades, finances, health or athletic goals suffer a setback, recalibrate your expectations. You can do this by adding in a few more steps to your timeline. You can also extend your timeline out a little.

These two cautions are very important for your mental health. If the expectations v reality gap gets too wide, you will torment yourself and cause undue stress in your life.

Mind the Gap and stay out of the ER (A&E).

Gratitude Health & Fitness Think About It Time

Sometimes You Just Need A Break

Posted on June 28, 2020

Life can have moments of relative calm. It can also have periods of full speed intensity. During the crazier moments, sometimes you just need a break.

There are quite a number of things that can fill your days. For example, you might help to maintain your household, have a busy job, look after kids, be studying, be a carer, be growing a business or volunteer. Many people are trying to manage everything while doing a combination of these.

Life’s challenge is that the ‘to do’ list is always longer than the time available. So you must be careful to set some boundaries and create priorities as well as follow some cut off times. If you go non-stop too many days or weeks in a row, you may find other challenges in your life. Normally this would be your physical health and mental fortitude.

It is easier to burn out than recover from it. Occasionally we get so caught up in the cycle of doing, we don’t even realise the mental and physical toll we are having on ourselves.

Remember to schedule down time, rest time or you time. It is important to recharge your batteries. Occasionally that will mean you will not get everything on your list completed. As long as none of it is life threatening, then we should not think twice about this.

Remember, you shouldn’t push excessively for too long. Sometimes you just need a break. Make sure you schedule one in and take it. Your soul will be grateful.