As August makes a subtle entrance into our lives, the realization that 2011 is almost 2/3 over starts to consume me.
Looking back on the last 8 months, I ask myself several things...
Have I made the most of this year?
Have I achieved the goals and plans that were so ambitious in January?
What can I change to improve my life and habits?
What inspires and motivates me today, compared to 8 months ago?
I hope you will take some time to think about the questions above and start to consider those questions as well as answers to them.
This is the time of year when things are somewhat complacent for me. I'm in my routines. I have my habits, both good and bad. And I am sort of on auto-pilot from the summer festivities. However, I am going to try to invigorate my life with some inspiration. I am going to re-evaluate some of my plans, my goals and my hopes. I am going to do a small re-start for what I want to accomplish professionally, personally, and even physically. My hope for you is that you do the same in these mundane, dog-days of summer.
As St. Clement said, "If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes."
So, let's get after it.
Week of 08.01.2011: Exercises for All Inclusive Health this week:
Mind: In preparation for new undertakings, I encourage you find a challenge or idea that inspires you to think outside of your comfort zone. Attend a public speaker at a nearby organization or library. Read a book that doesn't align with your beliefs, opinions or background. Whatever you do, seek out something that encourages you to see an idea or thought in a new light.
Body: If we're going to be gearing up for new challenges and opportunities, we better be physically ready to get after it. To better accomplish that, let's take the right steps towards a healthier vessel to use. This week, I challenge you to check out a new style of exercise. Whether it is a Zumba class at nearby gym (most will let you audit a class and do one for free), trying a new sport (i.e. field hockey, crossfit, anything you want) or trying a fitness dvd (P90X, yoga, pilates, whatever you like). Bonus on the fitness dvd, some local libraries will offer free ones for rent. Give it a shot!
Soul: The easiest way to embark on a new journey is to do so with little to no luggage. In this case, I am referring to baggage. My challenge for you this week is to shed some emotional baggage. Forgive someone that has been on the outs with you for some time... let go of that spark of anger or resentment towards that one person in your life... or go the opposite direction... instead of letting go of something, share some of yourself. Call a friend that you haven't talked to in a while and say hello. A small gesture of kindness will have a lasting impact on you, and very likely them as well. Even better than that? Acts of kindness are contagious.
Good luck this week and please feel free to post comments to share how your week has gone!
Take care.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Let Resolve Trump Resolutions
As we start to settle in to February, you start to notice people falling behind on their New Year's Resolutions. The intense fire that burned within their hearts and minds throughout January starts to cool, and they start to create excuses for things they were so committed to just a few weeks ago. You know how it goes - it's too cold to go to the gym... I am only taking this day/ week/ month off... I will get around to reading that book/ article/ blog next time. It's human nature to lose your momentum in the face of adversity, so it can only be expected for that to happen in the face of, well... life!
However, there is still plenty of time to dedicate yourself to any and all goals you've set for this year. As you do that (and for those of you that are consistently staying on track with any resolutions, kudos!), try to approach your goals as objectives that can only be reached through one thing - consistency.
Make a habit out of being consistently working towards your goals/ dreams/ objectives, both on the large and small scales of your life.
Resolutions are fun and exciting, but within you lies something that will go far beyond January each year - your resolve to succeed. Embrace it and take things to a new level this year... and beyond.
Week of 02.08.2011: Exercises for All Inclusive Health this week:
Mind: Building on last week's challenge of learning something new (please see previous post for details), I challenge you this week to SHARE some knowledge. You may be wondering how you sharing something you know with someone else will strengthen your mind, but what I hope will happen is that you will open a dialogue or conversation with someone about a topic that will stimulate your mind. Perhaps you can discuss something you are passionate about, or are very well-versed on the background information. Or, if you are more of a thrill-seeker type, open a conversation with someone about something that you haven't studied to a high degree. Either way, I hope that you will initiate a conversation that offers you a perspective on a topic that you have never seen before.
Body: This week, I challenge you to replace two of your meals with healthier alternatives. Now, you may already eat a very healthy diet/ lifestyle/ menu. That is fine. But, there is always room for improvement. And that is what I want you to do this week - find a way to IMPROVE on your eating habits. And two meals out of (potentially) 21 shouldn't be too painstaking. For some good ideas on delicious, healthy meals, try the following sites:
http://www.foodfit.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/index.html
You can find the links for those sites under the links section of the blog as well. And, if anyone out there has some creative, healthy recipes, please share in the comments section!
Soul: My challenge for this week isn't terribly complicated, but I must warn you, if you have never attempted this before, it can be quite difficult. This week, I challenge you to perform a random act of kindness that you will NOT be recognized for. For a starting point, check out this amazing site:
http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/Style-Item/Kindness-Ideas.html
I live in the Midwest, and for the last week we've been getting slammed with 2-3 inches of snow every couple of days. Both of my adjacent neighbors are elderly couples, well in to their 70's. After shamefully seeing my elderly neighbor struggle to clear his sidewalk earlier this week, I decided that I was not going to let that happen again. Sure enough, I woke up at 7 AM this morning to 2-3 inches of snow covering my neighborhood. I threw on my layers of clothes and headed out to shovel the sidewalks of my neighbors and then I took care of my own.
However, I'm sure my neighbors know, or at the very least SUSPECT that I did the shoveling. So for this week, I am going to attempt to be a little more stealth-like with my kindness. I may hold the door at the grocery store just a little bit longer than normal for an extra person or two (or three...) ... I might leave my morning newspaper on the table at my favorite coffee shop for someone else to enjoy... Maybe I'll make an anonymous donation to a charity I saw recently that is supplying care-packages from home to our soldiers abroad.
I'm not sure yet, for what my act of kindness will be... perhaps I'll be able to do several of them. I would love to hear what you come up with or do.
But whatever we do, let's do it in the spirit of sharing some positivity with strangers. The world could use some of that these days.
Have a great week.
AIH
However, there is still plenty of time to dedicate yourself to any and all goals you've set for this year. As you do that (and for those of you that are consistently staying on track with any resolutions, kudos!), try to approach your goals as objectives that can only be reached through one thing - consistency.
Make a habit out of being consistently working towards your goals/ dreams/ objectives, both on the large and small scales of your life.
Resolutions are fun and exciting, but within you lies something that will go far beyond January each year - your resolve to succeed. Embrace it and take things to a new level this year... and beyond.
Week of 02.08.2011: Exercises for All Inclusive Health this week:
Mind: Building on last week's challenge of learning something new (please see previous post for details), I challenge you this week to SHARE some knowledge. You may be wondering how you sharing something you know with someone else will strengthen your mind, but what I hope will happen is that you will open a dialogue or conversation with someone about a topic that will stimulate your mind. Perhaps you can discuss something you are passionate about, or are very well-versed on the background information. Or, if you are more of a thrill-seeker type, open a conversation with someone about something that you haven't studied to a high degree. Either way, I hope that you will initiate a conversation that offers you a perspective on a topic that you have never seen before.
Body: This week, I challenge you to replace two of your meals with healthier alternatives. Now, you may already eat a very healthy diet/ lifestyle/ menu. That is fine. But, there is always room for improvement. And that is what I want you to do this week - find a way to IMPROVE on your eating habits. And two meals out of (potentially) 21 shouldn't be too painstaking. For some good ideas on delicious, healthy meals, try the following sites:
http://www.foodfit.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/index.html
You can find the links for those sites under the links section of the blog as well. And, if anyone out there has some creative, healthy recipes, please share in the comments section!
Soul: My challenge for this week isn't terribly complicated, but I must warn you, if you have never attempted this before, it can be quite difficult. This week, I challenge you to perform a random act of kindness that you will NOT be recognized for. For a starting point, check out this amazing site:
http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/Style-Item/Kindness-Ideas.html
I live in the Midwest, and for the last week we've been getting slammed with 2-3 inches of snow every couple of days. Both of my adjacent neighbors are elderly couples, well in to their 70's. After shamefully seeing my elderly neighbor struggle to clear his sidewalk earlier this week, I decided that I was not going to let that happen again. Sure enough, I woke up at 7 AM this morning to 2-3 inches of snow covering my neighborhood. I threw on my layers of clothes and headed out to shovel the sidewalks of my neighbors and then I took care of my own.
However, I'm sure my neighbors know, or at the very least SUSPECT that I did the shoveling. So for this week, I am going to attempt to be a little more stealth-like with my kindness. I may hold the door at the grocery store just a little bit longer than normal for an extra person or two (or three...) ... I might leave my morning newspaper on the table at my favorite coffee shop for someone else to enjoy... Maybe I'll make an anonymous donation to a charity I saw recently that is supplying care-packages from home to our soldiers abroad.
I'm not sure yet, for what my act of kindness will be... perhaps I'll be able to do several of them. I would love to hear what you come up with or do.
But whatever we do, let's do it in the spirit of sharing some positivity with strangers. The world could use some of that these days.
Have a great week.
AIH
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Time is Now, The place is Here.
It seems that everyone has something they are going to do "later" or at best, "tomorrow". Perhaps they are waiting for something to change. Relying on a "when that happens" or "if this happens", people seem to limit their abilities, success and even happiness because they are not in the right place or it is not the right time.
You may have these same feelings. You may be waiting for that big promotion to come through, or perhaps you are waiting until you move in to that new house or new town. Then, once these components of your life align, you will focus on your happiness or your fitness or hell, just focus on yourself.
But, what if I told you that you don't have to wait for anything, anyone or any place to pursue your happiness or personal goals? What if you could start your journey to all of your successes and aspirations today? Right now?
Well, to the dismay of a lot of pessimists out there, I want to tell you that you can. You can start pursuing whatever it is that you feel merits your attention and energy.
I would like to use this blog as a forum to share my experiences and ideas that have provided my life with many opportunities, for personal success, physical health and the root of many other positivities, happiness.
I hope to achieve this by sharing a weekly collection of ideas that focus on the three components that I see as the fundamental basis for a happy, healthy life - a healthy mind, body and soul, or as I've come to call it, All Inclusive Health.
For the first entry, and first collection of ideas, I've prepared the following submission. The format in which I present these ideas will vary based on the week, and I sincerely hope that any of you reading this will offer feedback, personal experiences and ideas so that this becomes more of an open forum for shared success and happiness.
Week of 02.01.2011: Exercises for All Inclusive Health this week:
Mind: This week, I challenge you to learn something new. I don't mean glance at some "word of the day" calendar, or take in some random fact from a cable television special. I mean LEARN something. Learn it, retain it, know it, and if you really want to take it to the next level, share it. An easy way to do this is to study something that you feel passionate about. I am infatuated with history, especially the Civil War. Recently, when talking with a friend about the horrific bloodshed of the Civil War, I realized that with all of my random facts and knowledge regarding it, I had no clue where some of the more significant battles occurred. This week, I am going to be reading the book, "Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War" by Larry J. Daniel. The book is 432 pages long. Over 7 days, I will be reading right around 62 pages. Reading 1 page a minute (which should be about how long it takes me to read the book), that is a commitment each day of just over an hour. Some of you may not have an hour to commit to a new book this week, and that is fine. If you could commit 6 minutes a day this week, or even 1 minute a day this week to introducing yourself to some new knowledge, it will be a worthwhile investment.
Body: It's the beginning of a New Year still, and gyms are flooded with individuals seeking resolutions of weight loss and body transformations. Unfortunately, many of them will lose the consistency and commitment required to make lasting changes within their bodies. That being said, why not start small? This week, I challenge each of you to devote 20 minutes a day, on 3 different days to a new healthy habit. Whether you hop on a treadmill and walk for 20 minutes, or enjoy a Yoga class near your home, or simply go for a walk around the block a couple times, I don't care. The key here is to do SOMETHING. Something that you normally don't do, and something that takes about 20 minutes. Increase your heartbeat a little and commit to doing these 20 minute windows of physical activity 3 times this week. You will be surprised at how a little activity has a lasting feeling of energy, and even more surprised at how little of time you have to commit to doing something positive for YOU.
Soul: This week, I challenge you to indulge your soul and spirit. One very rewarding I've done this over the years has been to get involved with something that is near and dear to my heart, kids. Within a 5 mile radius of my home, there are two children's homes (some call them orphanages) and one shelter for women and children that have suffered domestic abuse. This week, I will be cleaning out my storage room in my basement to deliver my son's old clothes and toys to the children's homes, and I will be allocating 10% of my income to purchase canned goods and toiletries to deliver to the women's shelter. Even if you do not have the funds or goods to donate, one thing that is even more valuable is something you can give freely - yourself. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, or even at the humane society to help out. Contact a local senior living community or Big Brother/ Big Sister program (http://www.bbbs.org), or just go and visit with someone in your neighborhood or family that could use a friend. The point here is that if you can provide some happiness to someone else, I can tell you that from my experience, it will resonate within yourself tenfold.
Have a great week.
AIH
You may have these same feelings. You may be waiting for that big promotion to come through, or perhaps you are waiting until you move in to that new house or new town. Then, once these components of your life align, you will focus on your happiness or your fitness or hell, just focus on yourself.
But, what if I told you that you don't have to wait for anything, anyone or any place to pursue your happiness or personal goals? What if you could start your journey to all of your successes and aspirations today? Right now?
Well, to the dismay of a lot of pessimists out there, I want to tell you that you can. You can start pursuing whatever it is that you feel merits your attention and energy.
I would like to use this blog as a forum to share my experiences and ideas that have provided my life with many opportunities, for personal success, physical health and the root of many other positivities, happiness.
I hope to achieve this by sharing a weekly collection of ideas that focus on the three components that I see as the fundamental basis for a happy, healthy life - a healthy mind, body and soul, or as I've come to call it, All Inclusive Health.
For the first entry, and first collection of ideas, I've prepared the following submission. The format in which I present these ideas will vary based on the week, and I sincerely hope that any of you reading this will offer feedback, personal experiences and ideas so that this becomes more of an open forum for shared success and happiness.
Week of 02.01.2011: Exercises for All Inclusive Health this week:
Mind: This week, I challenge you to learn something new. I don't mean glance at some "word of the day" calendar, or take in some random fact from a cable television special. I mean LEARN something. Learn it, retain it, know it, and if you really want to take it to the next level, share it. An easy way to do this is to study something that you feel passionate about. I am infatuated with history, especially the Civil War. Recently, when talking with a friend about the horrific bloodshed of the Civil War, I realized that with all of my random facts and knowledge regarding it, I had no clue where some of the more significant battles occurred. This week, I am going to be reading the book, "Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War" by Larry J. Daniel. The book is 432 pages long. Over 7 days, I will be reading right around 62 pages. Reading 1 page a minute (which should be about how long it takes me to read the book), that is a commitment each day of just over an hour. Some of you may not have an hour to commit to a new book this week, and that is fine. If you could commit 6 minutes a day this week, or even 1 minute a day this week to introducing yourself to some new knowledge, it will be a worthwhile investment.
Body: It's the beginning of a New Year still, and gyms are flooded with individuals seeking resolutions of weight loss and body transformations. Unfortunately, many of them will lose the consistency and commitment required to make lasting changes within their bodies. That being said, why not start small? This week, I challenge each of you to devote 20 minutes a day, on 3 different days to a new healthy habit. Whether you hop on a treadmill and walk for 20 minutes, or enjoy a Yoga class near your home, or simply go for a walk around the block a couple times, I don't care. The key here is to do SOMETHING. Something that you normally don't do, and something that takes about 20 minutes. Increase your heartbeat a little and commit to doing these 20 minute windows of physical activity 3 times this week. You will be surprised at how a little activity has a lasting feeling of energy, and even more surprised at how little of time you have to commit to doing something positive for YOU.
Soul: This week, I challenge you to indulge your soul and spirit. One very rewarding I've done this over the years has been to get involved with something that is near and dear to my heart, kids. Within a 5 mile radius of my home, there are two children's homes (some call them orphanages) and one shelter for women and children that have suffered domestic abuse. This week, I will be cleaning out my storage room in my basement to deliver my son's old clothes and toys to the children's homes, and I will be allocating 10% of my income to purchase canned goods and toiletries to deliver to the women's shelter. Even if you do not have the funds or goods to donate, one thing that is even more valuable is something you can give freely - yourself. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, or even at the humane society to help out. Contact a local senior living community or Big Brother/ Big Sister program (http://www.bbbs.org), or just go and visit with someone in your neighborhood or family that could use a friend. The point here is that if you can provide some happiness to someone else, I can tell you that from my experience, it will resonate within yourself tenfold.
Have a great week.
AIH
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