An Inspirational Quote
“What we call a body is basically movement that is coalesced in order to live in this particular electromagnetic field. I see o ur bodies as interpenetrating wave motions that have stabilized ‘in time’ in order to survive successfully on this planet.”
Emilie Conrad, author, Life On Land: The Story of Continuum
Many people think that starting an effective fitness, nutrition or healing program has to be time consuming, painful or expensive.
In fact, when you try to change too much, you may set off alarms in the fear centers of your brain. Choosing small steps helps to keep your transitions comfortable and bypasses the amygdala.
Especially during the holiday season when your mind is busy shopping, preparing for relatives and planning parties, you can outsmart yourself by making changes that are so small you hardly notice you are getting fitter, thinner and healthier.
Here are a few small steps that will make profound changes:
Fitness:
Take a 10-20 minute walk around the block after dinner every night.
At work, leave your desk and walk to a spot somewhere in the building or the neighborhood that’s 5 minutes away. Then walk back – you have just accomplished a 10-minute walk. Next time you need to take a mental or physical break, just walk to that spot and return. Do this 3 times a day and you have now incorporated 30 minutes of exercise into your work life.
Get a Swiss ball at your desk and sit on it some of the time. You will strengthen your abs and back.
Sit on your chair with your feet flat on the floor, low back slightly arched, shoulders back and head erect.
When standing in line at a store, soften your knees, roll your shoulders back and pull your belly button to your spine.
While watching TV, do some sort of exercise for 1 minute during the commercial breaks. If it feels good, keep going!
Every morning, get out of bed and notice where you feel tight. Spend 1-5 minutes stretching your tight muscles before you start your day.
Learn one new exercise every week.
Pick one qi gong exercise you like and do 100 repetitions of it throughout your day. This is called a gong. Then set your intention to do a gong every day. This is one of the fastest ways to build energy. Even if you miss a day, more than likely, 100 days later you will have more energy and feel fitter.
Get a dog – the best personal fitness trainer on four legs. You can adopt a pet from the Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends, https://www.aarfatlanta.org, and your new furry fitness trainer will come neutered and vaccinated if you adopt from AARF.
Find a flight of stairs in your office. Every day, climb one more step. This was the exercise program for one author we know who lost 50 lbs.
Play games with your children. Take them to the swings, play touch football after school or ride bikes around your neighborhood. Become a mentor to your kids in how to be a fit and healthy person.
Nutrition:
If you are trying to reduce your weight, throw out the first bite of food on your plate. When you get to the end of the meal, you won’t notice that you have missed it.
To add variety to your diet, try one new organic fruit or vegetable every week.
To improve your hydration, drink a bottle of water before lunch and another bottle of water before you leave work every day.
Clean out your pantry and give away all non-organic foods, soda pop or unhealthy treats. If it’s not there, you won’t be able to eat it.
Stop eating before you are full. On a scale of 0 to 10, with zero being completely empty and 10 being totally stuffed, stop at 5.
Make a list of your healthiest friends. Try to go out to dinner or lunch with them once a week and mimic how they eat. Successful people simply do what other successful people do.
If you find yourself habitually drinking too much alcohol when you go out with certain predictable associates, go home 1 hour earlier than usual so you don’t drink as much.
If you have a bad habit, such as overeating cookies, drinking too much beer or smoking, start counting what you are actually consuming and make a daily record of it. For example, “Bad day, 53 cookies.” Simply bringing conscious awareness to what you are doing will change the entire process.
If you have a favorite treat that you don’t want to give up, such as chocolate, purchase the healthiest version you can. Put it on a plate when you eat it and celebrate the process.
Start taking a high quality fish oil supplement, such as Omega Plus, which you can purchase through our webstore at https://www.totalfitness.net/store_new.htm. Notice how your blood sugar feels more balanced and your aches and pains go away.
Buy a juicer. Experiment with organic vegetable juices until you find something you like well enough to juice regularly. Notice how your energy level, digestion, skin and health rapidly increase.
Practice a new healthy recipe every week. To get ideas, visit our free recipes section by visiting the following link: https://www.totalfitness.net/nutrition recipes.htm
Healing:
Monitor your breathing throughout your day. If your breath is not full and deep, your nervous system is not balanced. Consciously deepen your breath.
Ask Catherine, James or Nina to figure out your constitutional Bach Flower remedy and take it every day for 6 months. This would be an essence made from flowers that balances out your core soul issues.
If you have never meditated before, either lie down or sit cross legged in your bedroom before you go to sleep and quiet your mind for 5 minutes. Inhale and count to 50, exhale and count to 49, continuing backward with your breathing and counting until you are only focused on your breath.
Take a half day of complete rest every weekend. Lie in your hammock. Take a nap. Draw a hot bath. Read funny or spiritually uplifting material.
Make a list of 100 things you value in life. You can only be happy if you are living by your values. Once you have got to 100, notice your patterns. Then cull the list to identify the top 10 most important things in your life.
If you are constantly stressed about money, make an appointment to talk to a financial planner. We recommend David Garner. Many people think you have to be rich to organize your money or to plan for retirement. A financial planner is like a personal trainer for your money who can help you take a comprehensive approach to your financial wellness.
If you have anxiety, depression, addictions, learning disorders or brain injuries, repattern every day, twice a day for 3 minutes. You can download the directions at this link: https://www.totalfitness.net/radio_show_free.htm
Switch from a deprivation mentality to a more mentality. Make a list of how being healthier, thinner or fitter would actually add more to your life and put the list on your refrigerator to stay motivated.
Listen to the archives of one Total Fitness radio show every week and get the latest information about fitness, nutrition and healing from the world’s top experts. Purchase the MP3 versions to put on your ipod by visiting our webstore at https://www.totalfitness.net/store_new.htm.
Go to bed 30 minutes earlier every week until you are habitually turning your lights out at 10 p.m.
At the end of every day, write down everything you have done well to take care of yourself. For example, “Meditated in the morning before work, took a walk at the end of the day.” As you write down your successes, notice how these become regular habits.
Lose weight spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically by forgiving one person who you perceive to have wronged you. Download a worksheet on Radical Forgiveness from Colin Tipping at this link: https://www.totalfitness.net/radio_show_free.htm.