“Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in public and private life, have been the consequences of action without thought. - Bernard Baruch
Archives for April 2010
A Lesson About the Importance of Thoughts From Carol Tuttle
I often like to introduce you to an author and their work simply by sharing a passage from their book with you. What better way to become familiar with an author, right?!
If I were to summarize this book in one paragraph, it would be this: Remembering Wholeness challenges the reader to ask this question, “Am I in control of my life or is my life in control of me?” Carol Tuttle eloquently reminds the reader that we are in control of our own destiny and that we have the power…. and the right… to go after those things we want most.
Since this whole attitude begins in one very important place – our mind – I thought I’d share a passage from the book about thoughts. It’s from Chapter 2: We Choose Every Thought We Think And We Can Create Any Thought We Want.
We think approximately sixty thousand thoughts daily. We are always thinking. Our mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy depending on what we choose to do with it. God has given us a powerful tool that allows us to be creators of our lives. We are completely in charge of our minds. No matter how we are feeling physically or emotionally, we are free mentally to think any thought of our choice.
Our mental body is at a higher vibration than our emotional body, meaning our minds are more powerful than our feelings. We have been trained to listen to our feelings and create thoughts that match our feelings. Therefore, if we are feeling negative feelings, we will think negative thoughts. We believe we cannot start thinking and perceiving ourselves in a positive light until we feel positive feelings. Take charge of you life by taking charge of your thoughts. Change your life by changing your thoughts. – Carol Tuttle: Page 9, Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century
Over the coming days, pay close attention to your thoughts. See how many positive, proactive, constructive thoughts you have as opposed to negative, passive, destructive thoughts. Problems you may be experiencing can, more likely than not, be traced directly back to stinkin’ thinkin’ – the good news is that, if this is the case, the cure is completely within your reach.
Quote of the Day: The Unexpected Beauty of Opposition
“A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind.” – John Neal
Credit: The picture of what looks to be the most beautiful kite in the world (pictured above) is from Into the Wind. You HAVE to check out their remarkable kites… well, they’re actually more like works of art. The butterfly kite is only $15! I can’t help but think my husband will jump right on that….. (Was that subtle? No?)
How to Prevent Diabetes: Making Healthy Life Choices
My husband’s older brother was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is a word that, for me, conjures up an image of an ogre. An huge, ugly, angry ogre. My mom battled diabetes for years and I saw, first hand, just how relentless this disease can be. I honestly admire diabetics because they fight a daily battle that most of us (hopefully.. prayerfully…) will never have to suit up for.
My mom, like many diabetics, got the worse end of the deal: Being diagnosed later in life. Personally, I think this makes the whole fight nastier. She, like my brother-in-law, was quite accustomed to strawberry shortcake, cokes, banana pudding and other lovelies we take for granted. When you’re diagnosed as an adult, you have to stop right in the middle of the road and completely change directions. The ogre stands in the way that you want to go – like a roadblock. And if you try to sneak past him, you’re going to pay.
My poor, hard-headed little mother (with a head-full of sweet teeth) tried to sneak past him often. The toll it took on her health ultimately led to heart disease, many hospital visits, and even a stint. In the end, she died far, far, far, far too young.
So, yeah, I’ll always hate diabetes and heart disease with a cruel, unChristian passion. (Hence the many articles on Self Help Daily about heart health, healthy eating, and creating a healthy lifestyle. The fight? It’s on!)
“Exercise: You don’t have time not to.”
– Author unknown
My brother-in-law’s diagnosis has reignited the flames of hatred for this disease and made me realize that we all need to keep this ogre (Diabetes) in mind when we go about our daily lives – making choices that directly affect our health and, thereby, the lives of everyone we love.
A few facts from Shop to Stop Diabetes.org:
- Diabetes kills more Americans every year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
- It’s the #1 cause of blindness in adults.
- It doubles the risk of heart attack & stroke.
- 1 in 3 American children born today will develop diabetes if current trends continue.
- In the next 24 hours, 4,320 new cases of diabetes will be diagnosed.
- 1 in 4 Americans who have diabetes don’t know it.
Ogre.
Fortunately, there are actually things we can do to keep the ogre from showing up on our doorstep. As the Crucifix sends Count Dracula on his way, there are things we can do and things we can avoid that’ll send Diabetes crawling back into its corner.
“Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can’t taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.”
– Astrid Alauda
The American Diabetes Association and WebMD Provide A Wealth of Information Including:
- The larger your waist, the higher your risk of developing diabetes. People with “Apple” shapes (more fat around your middle than around your hips) are at a higher risk than “Pear” shapes (more fat around your hips and backside). All experts agree, getting in shape and maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important steps to take for preventing diabetes.
- Watch how much you eat. We’ve become a society of big eaters – we eat often and we eat a great deal. Watch your portion sizes and eat to live, not live to eat.
- Get plenty of exercise. Couch potatoes are ripe for trouble! Be sure you get at least 30 minutes of activity at least 5 times a week.
- Address any health problems you have asap. If you’re overweight, lose the extra pounds. If you have high blood pressure, see a doctor. Use common sense and take control of your health and your life.
“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no ‘I’ll start tomorrow.’ Tomorrow is disease.” – Terri Guillemets
From WebMD.com: “A study done by the Harvard School of Public Health and published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that being overweight and obese was the single most important risk factor that predicted who would develop type 2 diabetes. During a 16 year follow-up period, study results showed that regular exercise — at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week — and an improved diet that’s low in fat and high in fiber significantly helped with type 2 diabetes prevention. The bottom line: type 2 diabetes prevention could be as easy as adopting healthy lifestyle habits.” – Preventing Type 2 Diabetes, WebMD.com (Click the link to learn more!)
Also…
- According to Medical News Today, broccoli may helpful in diabetes prevention. Broccoli contains phytonutrients — compounds that may help prevent diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they’ll ease
Your will they’ll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
– Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990
Learn more about the causes and symptoms of diabetes at EverydayHealth.com
Protect Your Hearing as You Improve Your Heart’s Health
We all know the obvious benefits of regular exercise:
- Regular exercise is great for your heart.
- Regular exercise lessens your chances of getting many types of cancer, diabetes, and a host of other monsters under the bed.
- Regular exercise helps take off extra weight and keep it off.
- Exercise can improve your mood.
- Exercise helps your mobility.
- Exercise is as good for your mental health as it it your physical health.
- Exercise makes you fell, and look, younger.
As if that weren’t enough reason to start exercising each and every day, there’s more! A very interesting, and perhaps unexpected, study from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has just sweetened the physical fitness pot: The study suggests that as people age, one of their greatest concerns (hearing loss) is directly tied to their heart’s health.
While the concept of “the ear bone’s connected to the heart” may cause us to do an initial double-take, if you think about it, it’s kind of obvious. Exercise improves our cardiovascular health. This increases blood flow in our bodies, and this certainly includes the blood that flows to our head.
This increase in blood flow helps keep our ears working the way we want them to. The study shows a person in their 50s who is in good shape can hear as well as a person in their 30s!
Experts are challenging the long-held assumptions about growing older. The so-called loss of memory, hearing, mobility, vision and so forth. Hog wash! I read and research each day online and offline and I’m excited about recent studies that show just how much power we actually have when it comes to our bodies, our minds, and our many years ahead.
Like so many things, it all comes down to making GOOD, HEALTHY, SMART choices. It’s common sense, really. 
- Eat the things you know you should eat (such as plenty of vegetables and fruit…)
- Avoid eating the things you know you shouldn’t eat (fried food, too many sweets…)
- Get plenty of exercise (walking, gardening, golf, tennis, yoga…)
- Don’t smoke!
Just as this recent study proves, when something is good for one area of your body, it’s good for another. And another. And another. By the same token, if it’s bad for one area of your body, it’s bad for another. And another. And another.
Making good choices… healthy choices… is just as easy as making bad ones. What’s more, making good choices on a consistent basis will lead to forming good habits – the kind of habits that have the potential to improve your health from the tip of your head to the tips of your toes.
Who wouldn’t want to aim for that?!
Forget about yesterday and forget about any bad habits you’ve picked up over the years. Choose to start right now… right here….
Choose to make better choices and form healthier habits. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk food. Make smarter choices at the grocery store and in the drive thrus. Make this the week you start getting more activity each and every day. Walk, work in the yard, or simply put music on and dance around the house.
Move it, baby, move it!