What the carrot said

Posted on by

“What did the carrot say to the wheat?  Lettuce rest. I’m feeling beet.”

-Shel Silverstein, Children’s Book Author

Image from Flickr by LollyKnit

Image from Flickr by LollyKnit

Most everyone agrees that we should all eat our veggies and a balanced diet for optimal health.

Exercise and the proverbial “use it or lose it” philosophy is another component to health and wellness. Rest, sleep, and recovery time, on the other hand, often take a back seat to diet and exercise. Here are some key facts that may inspire you to give rest an equal footing with nutrition and exercise:

Rest and Relaxation:

  • Protect your heart
  • Lower your risk of catching a cold
  • Boost your mental power and memory
  • Lower your risk of stroke
  • Improve your mood and feelings of well-being
  • Help you make better decisions
  • Help you lose weight by reducing stress eating
  • Lower the incidence and risk of disease by boosting your immune system

EXERCISE:

What steps can and will you take to increase the quality and quantity of your rest and rejuvenation strategies to enhance your health and overall well-being?

Rock Bottom

Posted on by

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

-J.K. Rowling, Author of the Harry Potter series

Image from www.telegraph.co.uk

Image from www.telegraph.co.uk

J.K. Rowling conceived the idea for the highly successful Harry Potter series while on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. At the time, she was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International. Over the course of the next seven years, her mother died, her first marriage ended in divorce, and she and her young child lived in relative poverty, subsisting on state benefits, until she finished the first book in the series.

Five years later, she became a multi-millionaire.

She was the runner-up for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, noted for the social, moral, and political inspiration she brought to her fans. Today, she supports numerous charities.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you use life’s biggest challenges and difficulties as the foundation to take your life to the next level?

How can you support others in your world to do the same?

Friday Review Worry

Posted on by

Friday Review: Worry

How much of your time is spent worrying?  Here are a few worry-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message:

QC #1041a

“I have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never happened.”

 

 

 

QC #1041b

 

“Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”

 

 

QC #1041c

 “Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”

 

 

 

 

a puppy licking your face

Posted on by

“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.”

-Ben Williams, author of Surviving Terminal Cancer

Image from Flickr by Kevin Stanchfield

Image from Flickr by Kevin Stanchfield

Over the past few years I’ve come to more fully appreciate the miraculous power of the dog to brighten people’s days. No other animal conveys the loyalty, devotion, and unconditional acceptance and love we get from a dog. Some of their other remarkable qualities are:

  • They help us live healthier, longer lives by the exercise we get in walking them.
  • They reduce stress and support greater well-being.
  • They can improve your social life! People can’t resist stopping to visit with someone with a lovable dog.
  • Caring for dogs helps relieves symptoms of depression and encourages people to be more positive.
  • Dogs have proven invaluable to the elderly by providing companionship and reducing stress.
  • Having a dog makes you safer. They act as a supplemental security system.

EXERCISE:

How can you more fully appreciate and benefit from our furry friends even if you don’t currently own one?

How can you exhibit more of the wonderful qualities of a dog to brighten the lives of others? 

(Just don’t lick anyone!)

Life is like riding a bicycle

Posted on by

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

-Albert Einstein

image from Unsplash by Pazos Bordon

image from Unsplash by Santiago Pazos Bordon

Take a moment to recall the day you learned to ride a bicycle. If you cannot recall this event, perhaps the experience of teaching your own children is more vivid in your mind.

Sitting on a bike in a stationary position is never an option, although at first it might appear a safe way to proceed.

Only with some speed and forward momentum does the elusive concept of balance become apparent, with all sorts of new places to visit and explore!

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional worlds have you lost your sense of balance because of lack of movement?

Where would forging forward help you regain the balance you deeply desire?

Health and Heal

Posted on by

“It’s no coincidence that four of the six letters in health are ’heal’.”

-attributed to Ed Northstrum

Image from Flickr by Elvis Koll

Image from Flickr by Elvis Koll

The human body and how it functions is literally a miracle, with the wondrous ability to coordinate over 100 trillion cells into a highly functional being.

Among the body’s amazing characteristics is its ability to self-regulate, and heal itself. You only have to look at the bumps, bruises, and broken bones you may have experienced to see this miracle happen right before your eyes.

Of course, years of neglect or abuse of our wondrous bodies dramatically impacts our health and ability to augment its healing powers.

EXERCISE:

What actions can you take today to more fully optimize your health and support your body’s miraculous ability to heal itself, so that you live a more full and satisfying life?

common knowledge

Posted on by

“The uncommon application of common knowledge will pave the way to extraordinary success.”

-Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI

Image from Flickr by Dennis Skley

Image from Flickr by Dennis Skley

Do you have paper clips in your office or home?

When you consider their use, how many options come to mind beyond clipping pieces of paper together or sealing a bag of chips you haven’t quite finished?

Take a moment to brainstorm five or more uses, or get a group of friends together to see how many possibilities can be discovered for applying uncommon usage to this very common item.

EXERCISE:

Check out this YouTube video on binder clips, and this website on uncommon things you can do with a paper clip.

How can you use this exercise in either your personal or professional worlds to pursue new levels of success?

Friday Review: Acceptance

Posted on by

Friday Review: Acceptance

How do you deal with acceptance of yourself and others? Here are a few acceptance-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message:
QC #1036a

“If you’re able to be yourself, then you have no competition. All you have to do is get closer and closer to that essence.”

 

QC #1036b

 

“You can’t judge my choices without understanding my reasons.”

 

 

QC #1036c

 

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

 

 

 

Belly laughs not Bellyaches

Posted on by

“A person who belly laughs doesn’t bellyache.”

-Susan Thorman, English Teacher

Image from Flickr by ampshot

Image from Flickr by ampshot

Most of us have heard the adage about laughter being “the best medicine.” With a bit of research, I discovered that a good belly laugh provides physical, mental, and even social benefits, including:

enhanced immunity reduce stress decreased pain
reduced heart disease muscle relaxation reduced fear & anxiety
strengthens relationships improved mood easier bounce-back from setbacks
added joy and zest for life enhances cooperation & teamwork reduces and diffuses conflicts
promotes bonding & sense of community

EXERCISE:

What strategies and tactics can you add to your world to dramatically increase the quality and quantity of belly laughs? If you make this a habit, I’ll bet there will be very little room for belly aching!