It is Sunday night. As your head hits the pillow, you decide that this week you really will stick to your diet and exercise regimen. You will not have your usual doughnut in the morning at the coffee shop. You plan to have a salad for lunch and skip dessert after dinner all week. You will also head for the gym after work before going home three times this week.
It seems like a reasonable plan and you have every intention of sticking to it. But as you pick up your coffee on Monday morning, you just can’t help ordering a doughnut too. And since you have already ruined your diet for the day, you grab a fast food meal for lunch, skip the gym and have a big bowl of ice cream after dinner. If this sounds at all familiar to you, read on.
The truth is a lot of people have this mindset when it comes to their health and fitness. They tend to give up when they slip up. But in reality, people who find success will fail many times before they succeed, no matter what their goal.
Consider one of the greatest inventions of Thomas Edison. It has been said that it took him 10,000 attempts to make a working light bulb. Lesser inventors would have quit after ten, one hundred or even one thousand trials. But Edison defined failure as a step toward his goal, not a reason to give up on it. It was as if he realized that he would have to find 9,999 ways not to make a light bulb before he could achieve his goal.
Try applying this method to your health and fitness. Realize that you will make countless mistakes on your way to achieving your objectives. There will be many missed workouts and loads of poor food choices along your road to success. Remember that you will find many ways not to achieve your goal before you triumph over it.
The trick is to learn from these mistakes and move on. Realize what went wrong and how you can avoid similar situations in the future. Can you make coffee at home so you are not tempted to buy a doughnut at the coffee shop? Can you find an exercise buddy who will make you less likely to miss workouts? Can you make an activity-based date instead of a meal-based date with your friends or significant other?
From now on, when it comes to your goals, don’t use failure as an excuse to quit. Instead, see it as a way not to achieve your goal. Then, get back on the right path and keep at it until you get to where you want to be.
copyright 2006 Jennifer D. Wetmore, DPT
Showing posts with label wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wellness. Show all posts
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A Detoxing Cleansing System is the Key to Weight Loss
If you're like most people who have a weight problem, you've been on every diet imaginable. Chances are, you've lost plenty of weight over the course of your lifetime. The problem is, you most likely gained back all of the weight you lost - and then some. Like many people, you were probably looking for a quick fix - that magic bullet that would cause instant weight loss and that would keep you slim for life.
As you no doubt have realized, no such magic bullet exists. The key to successful weight loss is acknowledging that you need help, having the determination to learn new habits and adopt them for life, and finding the right tools to help you get the job done.
Detoxing
Because the typical American diet is high in substances that act as poisons to our bodies - things like saturated fats, sugars, and food additives and chemicals - the first step in any successful weight loss program is detoxing. This detoxification process is a cleansing process that gets the harmful substances out of your body's blood stream and tissues. Such a cleansing process has the added benefit of weaning you off of the toxic substances you may have been consuming for years. It breaks the addiction to sugar, caffeine, and the insidious preservatives that are so much a part of the American diet.
There are many cleansing system products available that can help you in the detoxing phase of your weight loss plan. It's important to find one that is natural and organic, and that does not contain some of the potentially harmful substances found in many over the counter products. Read the labels carefully, and choose one that has vitamins, enzymes, and ionic trace minerals.
Jump Starting Weight Loss
While there's no magic bullet that will cause you to lose weight and keep it off, there are products available that will help jump-start your weight loss. Often in the form of meal replacement shakes, these products are helpful for three reasons. First, the best shakes are natural, and are chock full of organic whey protein, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. While you're reducing your caloric intake, these shakes can help speed up the fat burning process. Second, they're easy. Learning new dietary habits is fraught with the perils of temptation; having an easy-to-prepare shake makes it easier for you to keep temptation at bay. Third, it's heartening to see immediate results. If, for example, you were to lose ten pounds in ten days, you're more likely to continue on with your weight loss plan. The power of success can't be underestimated.
Staying With the Program
Quick weight loss may be emotionally satisfying, but remember that, in order to actually keep the weight off this time, you'll need to make a commitment to changing the habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place. A regular exercise plan, a support group, and a food diary are all helpful tools in staying with the program.
Success for Life
For many people, weight loss is the first step on the path to health, energy, and wellness. This natural healing journey can and should begin with a detoxing cleansing system that rids your body of its toxic build-up.
As you no doubt have realized, no such magic bullet exists. The key to successful weight loss is acknowledging that you need help, having the determination to learn new habits and adopt them for life, and finding the right tools to help you get the job done.
Detoxing
Because the typical American diet is high in substances that act as poisons to our bodies - things like saturated fats, sugars, and food additives and chemicals - the first step in any successful weight loss program is detoxing. This detoxification process is a cleansing process that gets the harmful substances out of your body's blood stream and tissues. Such a cleansing process has the added benefit of weaning you off of the toxic substances you may have been consuming for years. It breaks the addiction to sugar, caffeine, and the insidious preservatives that are so much a part of the American diet.
There are many cleansing system products available that can help you in the detoxing phase of your weight loss plan. It's important to find one that is natural and organic, and that does not contain some of the potentially harmful substances found in many over the counter products. Read the labels carefully, and choose one that has vitamins, enzymes, and ionic trace minerals.
Jump Starting Weight Loss
While there's no magic bullet that will cause you to lose weight and keep it off, there are products available that will help jump-start your weight loss. Often in the form of meal replacement shakes, these products are helpful for three reasons. First, the best shakes are natural, and are chock full of organic whey protein, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. While you're reducing your caloric intake, these shakes can help speed up the fat burning process. Second, they're easy. Learning new dietary habits is fraught with the perils of temptation; having an easy-to-prepare shake makes it easier for you to keep temptation at bay. Third, it's heartening to see immediate results. If, for example, you were to lose ten pounds in ten days, you're more likely to continue on with your weight loss plan. The power of success can't be underestimated.
Staying With the Program
Quick weight loss may be emotionally satisfying, but remember that, in order to actually keep the weight off this time, you'll need to make a commitment to changing the habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place. A regular exercise plan, a support group, and a food diary are all helpful tools in staying with the program.
Success for Life
For many people, weight loss is the first step on the path to health, energy, and wellness. This natural healing journey can and should begin with a detoxing cleansing system that rids your body of its toxic build-up.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss
Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don’t have to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you to decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism and keeps the self-sabotage at bay. Here are 8 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your life so you too can find weight loss success.
1. Eat more frequently during the day-
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It’s best to have 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less. Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.
2. Watch portion sizes-
Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and rice to ½ - 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.
3. Eat the right fats-
Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega 3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.
4. Increase fruits and vegetables-
Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they are also loaded in fiber and low in calories. Include 5-8 fruits and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important diet changes you can make. When you fill your plate up with fruits and vegetables you eat less of the higher calorie foods. For example, let’s take a sample steak dinner.
Original meal:
8 ounce steak
Whole baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Meal Makeover:
4 ounce steak
½ baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Side salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing
By changing the balance of this meal to include more vegetables while decreasing the steak and potato we saved approximately 350 calories. Saving 350 calories daily can result in almost a 1 pound weight loss per week. Small changes are the key.
5. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full-
Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by making you feel full when it is time to stop eating. Every time you eat past full you are taking in more calories than your body needs which will result in weight gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety (fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It’s common for all of us to do this from time to time. However, it’s time to check in with yourself and see how often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.
6. Exercise regularly-
I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing activity. The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 - 250 additional calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.
7. Limit sugar-
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters. However, it doesn’t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile. A little cake at a birthday party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.
8. Pamper yourself regularly-
Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels. The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of. This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better. When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.
© 2005, Meri Raffetto
1. Eat more frequently during the day-
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It’s best to have 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less. Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.
2. Watch portion sizes-
Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and rice to ½ - 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.
3. Eat the right fats-
Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega 3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.
4. Increase fruits and vegetables-
Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they are also loaded in fiber and low in calories. Include 5-8 fruits and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important diet changes you can make. When you fill your plate up with fruits and vegetables you eat less of the higher calorie foods. For example, let’s take a sample steak dinner.
Original meal:
8 ounce steak
Whole baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Meal Makeover:
4 ounce steak
½ baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Side salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing
By changing the balance of this meal to include more vegetables while decreasing the steak and potato we saved approximately 350 calories. Saving 350 calories daily can result in almost a 1 pound weight loss per week. Small changes are the key.
5. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full-
Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by making you feel full when it is time to stop eating. Every time you eat past full you are taking in more calories than your body needs which will result in weight gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety (fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It’s common for all of us to do this from time to time. However, it’s time to check in with yourself and see how often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.
6. Exercise regularly-
I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing activity. The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 - 250 additional calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.
7. Limit sugar-
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters. However, it doesn’t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile. A little cake at a birthday party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.
8. Pamper yourself regularly-
Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels. The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of. This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better. When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.
© 2005, Meri Raffetto
Friday, March 5, 2010
5 Crucial Steps to Buying Wholesale Nutritional Supplements
Whether you own a pharmacy, health store, grocery store, or even if you are a healthcare professional, getting quality nutritional supplements from a dependable wholesaler is not always easy. There are many companies that make big claims for their products while their consumers waste money on supplements that don't work.
That's why it is crucial for you to choose your wholesale distributor carefully. Here are five steps to ensure that you stock your shelves (or online catalog) with quality nutritional supplements at affordable rates.
1. Compare Nutritional Supplements and Check for Quality
Before signing on with a wholesale company, compare their brand names and product quality with others. Ask for referrals. Speaking with other business owners who use their products will give you plenty of information. Ask how their customers liked the products.
To check for quality, ask what ingredients are used in certain popular products including herbal remedies, weight loss supplements, hair supplements, and wellness products. Are there any additives that could weaken the product's affect? Also, ask for detailed information about their laboratory where drugs are produced. What are the regulations for safety, sanitization, and working conditions?
2. Check Availability
Be sure the wholesale distributor offers the items you need and plenty of them. Nutritional supplements come in different forms, such as pills, sprays, lotions, gels, powders, capsules, and lubes. They are available for a variety of purposes: hair growth, weight loss, quitting smoking, improving health, building muscle, and so forth. Many herbal remedies are designed to help someone become a healthy man or woman without the negative side effects often experienced with prescription medicines.
You should be able to buy all the types of nutritional supplements when you need them from your wholesale supplier so your customers won't be forced to go elsewhere.
4. Check Delivery Times
You can't sell a nutritional or herbal supplement that's "out of stock." It's important that your supplier provide a quick turnaround time and fast shipping services so your product will be in your store on time.
5. Check for Customization Possibilities
Be sure your wholesaler allows you to customize your nutritional supplements. Ask if you can order private label supplements and establish your own brand identity. Some companies will even develop new formulas for you!
Once you find a wholesaler that meets these requirements, you're on your way to success in the field of nutritional supplements. Remember, don't only compare prices - compare the quality of the products and services. You'll be able to give your customers the top-quality nutritional supplements they need at affordable rates.
That's why it is crucial for you to choose your wholesale distributor carefully. Here are five steps to ensure that you stock your shelves (or online catalog) with quality nutritional supplements at affordable rates.
1. Compare Nutritional Supplements and Check for Quality
Before signing on with a wholesale company, compare their brand names and product quality with others. Ask for referrals. Speaking with other business owners who use their products will give you plenty of information. Ask how their customers liked the products.
To check for quality, ask what ingredients are used in certain popular products including herbal remedies, weight loss supplements, hair supplements, and wellness products. Are there any additives that could weaken the product's affect? Also, ask for detailed information about their laboratory where drugs are produced. What are the regulations for safety, sanitization, and working conditions?
2. Check Availability
Be sure the wholesale distributor offers the items you need and plenty of them. Nutritional supplements come in different forms, such as pills, sprays, lotions, gels, powders, capsules, and lubes. They are available for a variety of purposes: hair growth, weight loss, quitting smoking, improving health, building muscle, and so forth. Many herbal remedies are designed to help someone become a healthy man or woman without the negative side effects often experienced with prescription medicines.
You should be able to buy all the types of nutritional supplements when you need them from your wholesale supplier so your customers won't be forced to go elsewhere.
4. Check Delivery Times
You can't sell a nutritional or herbal supplement that's "out of stock." It's important that your supplier provide a quick turnaround time and fast shipping services so your product will be in your store on time.
5. Check for Customization Possibilities
Be sure your wholesaler allows you to customize your nutritional supplements. Ask if you can order private label supplements and establish your own brand identity. Some companies will even develop new formulas for you!
Once you find a wholesaler that meets these requirements, you're on your way to success in the field of nutritional supplements. Remember, don't only compare prices - compare the quality of the products and services. You'll be able to give your customers the top-quality nutritional supplements they need at affordable rates.
Friday, February 5, 2010
3 Principles For Overcoming Fitness Obstacles
If you’re like me, the quest to be in shape and manage weight feels overwhelming. And, as if the quest to be fit isn’t hard enough, there’s often other obstacles to overcome: health issues, time management, mustering up courage or energy. Even if you’ve been exercising for a long time, there’s always new barriers to be broken. So, how to put all of this into perspective?
According to Tom Turner, executive liaison for the Spina Bifida Association that’s exactly it: Perspective. And also, according to him, there’s no mountain too high to climb. Tom would know. Paralyzed from the waist down since birth he’s now 35 and trains about three times a week. In fact, he tells me, he just couldn’t get along without exercise.
So in my quest for the last word on overcoming barriers in fitness, Tom sat down with me and together we came up with 3 basic principles that will help break-down fears and intimidations when striving to reach fitness goals. (After all, if he can exercise on a regular basis, shouldn’t that be encouragement enough for anyone to give it a shot?)
Principle #1 Move Into The Fear.
“Train you mind to believe no mountain is too high or any goal is too difficult to attain,” Tom tells me. Basically, it’s all about meeting your fears and facing them head-on. In this principle, aim to recognize your fears, acknowledge them and then move through them. Ask yourself what is it that makes you uncomfortable? Have you let yourself get out of shape and are afraid you’ll never get back? Do you have an injury that’s caused you to be afraid of your body? If you can visualize creatively, then you can put your fears in check. See your self as you’d like to be. Remember: your body loves you and has the potential to heal itself to perfection. Your only job is to trust it and listen.
Q: What is your body saying to you?
Principle #2 Trust Your Intuition.
It is important when overcoming obstacles and learning to break through barriers that you begin to listen to the still small voice of your body. In most cases, we all want the comfort of having someone telling us what we can and cannot do. However, our highest truth lies within us. This is not to say that the good opinion of others is not important, but ultimately the decision making comes from within.
When facing a challenge or an obstacle look to how you feel. What are your instincts telling you? Often it is simply your instinct that will move you into a new mindset and raise your consciousness. “I wasn’t about to let the wheelchair stand in my way,” Tom tells me. In fact, he says he had to merely change his perspective about it. He says he first had to learn about what his restrictions were then, create a boundary for himself. “We all have boundaries,” he tells me. "Regardless if a person can walk or not, obstacles are as unique as people themselves. Therefore, it’s first best to know your boundaries."
Next, Tom tells me he aims to meet those boundaries. “I first reach as high as I can within the confines of what I am able to do. Whether it be more sets, reps or greater endurance, I allow myself as much time as necessary to accomplish my small goals. It always surprises me, with small steps, how quickly I can reach a Big goal.”
Principle #3 Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.
What then, about fear? I wanted to know. If we move into the fear and meet it eye to eye what if fear meets us there? “So,” I asked Tom: “are you ever afraid? “After 19 operations in my life, I’ve really come to terms with fear,” he says. “It really comes down to our most primal fear; fear of death. Once you realize that death is all part of the divine plan, it’s liberating, you can let it go and, instead, choose how to live. So instead of being afraid of death I decided to choose how to live."
So what’s the take away message? Talking to Tom, I’m reminded of the poem by Dylan Thomas who said: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” It seems appropriate here. The bottom line: Staying afraid often keeps us from truly living. Tom reminds me that a positive attitude is key, "Life is all about attitude." He also says he could let fear beat him down, yet he doesn’t. “I wouldn’t want to miss being part of tomorrow,” he concludes. That said, what fears are getting in your way? Make today the right time to face them.
In conclusion: Life Beyond The Boundaries.
When you’ve faced your fears and pushed your boundaries to the edges, what then? I wanted to know. Tom smiles. “Find a new mountain to climb,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s what makes life fun. I know I have considerations. I know that there will be days that I’ll need to stay in bed and rest while my braces are getting tuned up. It’s those times when I am with my thoughts that I decide what I am going to set my sights on.”
Author’s Note: In my personal quest to live beyond the boundaries I’ve chosen Tom as my role model (lucky for me, he's my brother). We so often look to the media for these sources and so often they are illusory. There are “real” people everywhere doing great things...look around you; angels are everywhere! Learn from them. Choose someone you look up to, admire or of whom you appreciate their values. Set goals, climb mountains! Set intention in motion and enjoy the healthy process.
According to Tom Turner, executive liaison for the Spina Bifida Association that’s exactly it: Perspective. And also, according to him, there’s no mountain too high to climb. Tom would know. Paralyzed from the waist down since birth he’s now 35 and trains about three times a week. In fact, he tells me, he just couldn’t get along without exercise.
So in my quest for the last word on overcoming barriers in fitness, Tom sat down with me and together we came up with 3 basic principles that will help break-down fears and intimidations when striving to reach fitness goals. (After all, if he can exercise on a regular basis, shouldn’t that be encouragement enough for anyone to give it a shot?)
Principle #1 Move Into The Fear.
“Train you mind to believe no mountain is too high or any goal is too difficult to attain,” Tom tells me. Basically, it’s all about meeting your fears and facing them head-on. In this principle, aim to recognize your fears, acknowledge them and then move through them. Ask yourself what is it that makes you uncomfortable? Have you let yourself get out of shape and are afraid you’ll never get back? Do you have an injury that’s caused you to be afraid of your body? If you can visualize creatively, then you can put your fears in check. See your self as you’d like to be. Remember: your body loves you and has the potential to heal itself to perfection. Your only job is to trust it and listen.
Q: What is your body saying to you?
Principle #2 Trust Your Intuition.
It is important when overcoming obstacles and learning to break through barriers that you begin to listen to the still small voice of your body. In most cases, we all want the comfort of having someone telling us what we can and cannot do. However, our highest truth lies within us. This is not to say that the good opinion of others is not important, but ultimately the decision making comes from within.
When facing a challenge or an obstacle look to how you feel. What are your instincts telling you? Often it is simply your instinct that will move you into a new mindset and raise your consciousness. “I wasn’t about to let the wheelchair stand in my way,” Tom tells me. In fact, he says he had to merely change his perspective about it. He says he first had to learn about what his restrictions were then, create a boundary for himself. “We all have boundaries,” he tells me. "Regardless if a person can walk or not, obstacles are as unique as people themselves. Therefore, it’s first best to know your boundaries."
Next, Tom tells me he aims to meet those boundaries. “I first reach as high as I can within the confines of what I am able to do. Whether it be more sets, reps or greater endurance, I allow myself as much time as necessary to accomplish my small goals. It always surprises me, with small steps, how quickly I can reach a Big goal.”
Principle #3 Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.
What then, about fear? I wanted to know. If we move into the fear and meet it eye to eye what if fear meets us there? “So,” I asked Tom: “are you ever afraid? “After 19 operations in my life, I’ve really come to terms with fear,” he says. “It really comes down to our most primal fear; fear of death. Once you realize that death is all part of the divine plan, it’s liberating, you can let it go and, instead, choose how to live. So instead of being afraid of death I decided to choose how to live."
So what’s the take away message? Talking to Tom, I’m reminded of the poem by Dylan Thomas who said: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” It seems appropriate here. The bottom line: Staying afraid often keeps us from truly living. Tom reminds me that a positive attitude is key, "Life is all about attitude." He also says he could let fear beat him down, yet he doesn’t. “I wouldn’t want to miss being part of tomorrow,” he concludes. That said, what fears are getting in your way? Make today the right time to face them.
In conclusion: Life Beyond The Boundaries.
When you’ve faced your fears and pushed your boundaries to the edges, what then? I wanted to know. Tom smiles. “Find a new mountain to climb,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s what makes life fun. I know I have considerations. I know that there will be days that I’ll need to stay in bed and rest while my braces are getting tuned up. It’s those times when I am with my thoughts that I decide what I am going to set my sights on.”
Author’s Note: In my personal quest to live beyond the boundaries I’ve chosen Tom as my role model (lucky for me, he's my brother). We so often look to the media for these sources and so often they are illusory. There are “real” people everywhere doing great things...look around you; angels are everywhere! Learn from them. Choose someone you look up to, admire or of whom you appreciate their values. Set goals, climb mountains! Set intention in motion and enjoy the healthy process.
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