Seeking Joy For Good Health

Seeking joy, no matter the circumstances, is easier said than done, right?  Maybe at first, but it becomes more attainable as you keep trying.

Remember that old Seinfeld show phrase, "Serenity Now"?  I've said it many times in a joking manner, but taking a deep breath and actually saying it with meaning will help to calm frazzled nerves. Try it!

Daily life can beat us down physically, mentally and emotionally and if we don't take action to be calm and happy, before we know it, we are a mass of strung out, negative emotions looking for a place to land and if there's no outlet, it may turn into ill health.

I'm not suggesting you become Pollyanna, a little ray of irritating sunshine, lol, just that you maintain a positive outlook by resisting unwanted inputs, like bad news media and downer people. If you have to be around them, attempt to let their negativity roll off you rather than suffering the consequences.

For instance, my husband has a favorite TV show and I too, really like the characters in it, but it's always focused upon particularly disturbing behaviors that infiltrate my head and bother me for days after, awake or asleep, so I just choose not to watch it.

I resist large mainstream news outlets for the same reason and prefer current events in bite-size 140 character feeds so that I can choose to investigate further, or not.

In contrast, when you do something positive and hopeful, it brings a smile to your face and a calmness to your spirit.  This is so cliche, but one thing that does it for me is walking on a beach during a misty northwestern rain.  Alas, here in the mid-south that's not possible, so my rebounder, a candle, upbeat music and fresh air have to suffice.

For some, it's meditation, sports, prayer, dance, good food, family, song, pets, hobbies, or work, if we love what we do.

What is it for you that brings joy to your day and keeps your spirit calm?

Rebound for Improved Health and Vitality

The following website is not mine, but the details it gives on the benefits of rebounding are good and worth reading:   www.healingdaily.com/exercise/rebounding-for-detoxification-and-health.htm

As a mid-life kinda fluffy woman, lol, I really need more exercise.  My husband and I go to a wellness center to workout and he loves to swim.  Me, not so much. I love ellipticals and weights, but just can't get into the going out to part of the process.  I'd rather workout at home.

That's just one tiny reason I love, love my new rebounder.  It is about my 4th, I think and the best of all of them.  I waited years to get it and wish I had done it sooner.

Rebounding is good for anyone, except those who are pregnant, or who have had a detached retina.  Great for those of us carrying too much weight, or with joint issues.

As always, check with your doctor before you listen to someone on the internet without an MD after her name.  ; )

So, what's a rebounder?  It looks like a mini trampoline. You many have seen them when they went through a spurt of popularity years ago, but they've since drifted into workout equipment oblivion in garages and basements.

At the height of my fitness and barely 3 digit weight some decades ago, I remember laughing at my much older step-sister using one, but as it often turned out, she just clued in faster to the benefits.

One of the biggest benefits is that bouncing acts like a pump on the lymph system and that helps our immune response.  It surprisingly gets your heart rate up pretty fast too. I am always stunned at how few minutes I can do on one when I've been away from it for any length of time.

Let me give you a few tips on brands though, because that site I linked to is of no help.  I started out with a cheap model from a big discount store...you know the one.  Don't do that. Don't even do that just to try it out to see if you like it, because it is nothing like a good model and will turn you off and possibly hurt you.  They are a stiff bounce with squeaky springs.  Horrible horrible.

Next, I went to the Urban Rebounder, which I liked a lot and actually used for a few years until I wore it out.  How many pieces of exercise equipment can any of us say that about?  It retails around $100 or so, depending upon coupons and sales.  The downside is that the bounce is a little hard and it has springs that will be noisy.

Once I wore out the Urban to the point of being in danger of falling through and hurting myself, I made do with another cheapo.  It sat unused till I sold it at a yard sale.  My ankles thanked me.

Now we are to my current one, which is a winner in every way.  It is a Jumpsport Fitness Trampoline model 350 with a skirt.  Perfection!  It has bungee cords instead of springs which is blissfully silent and gives a wonderful soft bounce. You can actually almost get the kid on a big trampoline feeling going.  No somersaults allowed.  These retail around $250+/- ish, depending upon model and accessories.  Be sure to look on their monthly specials website section.  With good timing and patience, I saved a bunch!

Above the Jumpsport line is the European Bellicon, which retails for more than double the Jumpsport,  but tempted me so, as they have colorful bungee cords in vibrant pink and orange.  Alas, not worth hundreds more.  Common sense and my budget prevailed.  Reviews say that the Bellicons have an even softer bounce.

One key difference I noted from reading reviews is that Jumpsport has a wonderful reputation for customer service and a great warranty on their products. Bellicon, not as much.

For more info on the health benefits of rebounding, check out the above site (again, it's not mine) and do some research, there's tons out there.

Happy bouncing!

Maintenance vs. Therapeutic Supplement Use

I'm not a medical professional, but several nutritionists suggest that with any new health supplement, you should usually start with just one per day for a week or so.  That way you don't shock your body into a reactionary detox situation.

Once your body is used to the new supplement, you need to figure out what your personal therapeutic amount might be. That's the amount that produces a beneficial result from taking the product.

I listened to a nutritional call by a Dr today and she made several great points. One was regarding the usual suggested dosage on most supplements which is the suggested maintenance dose, not the amount needed to make a measurable therapeutic change.  Maintenance...what is it you are trying to maintain...bad health?

Isn't the point to improve health?  Once you have figured out the amount needed to do that and have achieved your desired result, then you can drop back down to the maintenance quantity.

She also noted several other important points:

If your ankles are swelling (outside of a use injury), your kidneys are not functioning optimally.  Are you drinking enough water?  You need more than you think.

You can't have sudden weight gain, over and above whatever bad dietary changes you've made, without a malfunctioning thyroid, despite what the tests say.  Check into exposure to flouride...you know where to find that - city water and toothpaste, and bromide...it's in flour, Gatorade and Mountain Dew.

Where Would Your Business Be Without Customers?

This is something that I wrote over at Ibotoolbox.com but wanted to expand on here just a bit.

If you're in network marketing, you have heard the neverending debate about whether to lead (approach an innocent prospect) with your product, or your business opportunity. 

It's basically asking whether you are seeking customers for your products, or recruits for your business?

Most of us probably want a mix of both, with emphasis on business builder recruits because that increases our income with little more effort on our behalf. 

The downside to that is what happens when natural networker attrition occurs? Many of us....yes I'm guilty of losing interest for one flaky reason or another, move on to the next new bright shiny object and don't continue buying the product because, let's face it, some of us only bought it to be eligible for earnings that month. 

So, what would happen to your business if all your networkers (not customers) on auto-ship left the building? If they all quit...where would that leave your business income? 

In a sad, sad state is the answer for many business builders.  Not a good feeling! Not to mention (except I am mentioning it), there are possible legal issues with not having a solid customer base and only selling to distributors of the company, but I don't have the legal qualifications to speak to that.

Perhaps we don't value our customers enough? They are the product lovers who are buying our pills, potions, workouts, discount cards, training programs, candles, food, greeting cards, etc. because they fill a need, or desire in their lives. They are gold!

Go look for some!

See Over the Shoulder - How to Make a Money Making Website

So, you want to earn money online and live in freedom as you choose?  Cool!  Me too.

You've seen all those work from home, get rich while you sleep sites which practically tell you that you are stooopid if you don't jump all in and buy their super dooper, special sauce, top of the line package to show you are committed?  Well, don't do it.  No special sauce, just a great income for them...from you.  Been there, played that fool's game.

I'm all for paying someone to teach you something you don't know, unless you can learn it as effectively, for free, online.  Free is usually good, though not always.  You're an adult, use your best judgment.

There are some great free resources from wonderful trainers, but that will take too much time to get some good info from each one.

What I know to be true is that making a living in any way takes focus and work, so just quit spending big money you don't have on promises those sites can't keep and do what I did, buy your last course: Bring the Fresh 2013.  It is text and video, easy to follow and comes with a members forum and did I mention, it is a huge value for a little cost.


Following what Bring the Fresh 2013 teaches will take work and oh, those dreaded (by me) words: consistency and persistence.   Lol, I hate them so much, I had to resort to spell-check to spell them correctly, lol.

It does work...if you do (talking to myself here too).   Quit procrastinating!

I'm queen of procrastination, but procrastination is just a dream stealer, so kick it to the curb, learn what you need to know and do the work.  Start here:  Bring the Fresh 2013

Enjoy!

Introducing An Amazing Weight Loss Victory

Ms. Pamela McCabe

Used with Pamela's permission. She used Ocean Avenue's Products to assist in her success.

Her story is giving hope to so many of us who have struggled for years to gain control over increasing weight and the hopelessness that accompanies it.  I don't have an impressive story like that...yet, but...

Her bright, happy face is testimony to her renewed health and happiness.  Btw, she's getting married in Cancun soon, so join me in wishing her well.

Deb

What are Your Weight Loss Challenges?

Over eating?  Stress eating?  Snacking?  Bad nutritional choices?  Raised in the South?

Lol, if you were raised here, you know what I'm talking about.  How my husband was 6'2" and 160 lbs in early adulthood, I don't know!  He and his mom apparently competed with each other to see who could eat the most fried potatoes.

Do you eat decently?  You know, veggies, fruit, healthy stuff in reasonable amounts?  A good kale salad is a delightful thing and carrot orange, or mango orange juice can bring joy to my morning.

Perhaps you prefer sweets, fried foods, carby snacks, burgers, the much maligned Twinkie, etc.?  I have to confess that kettle style potato chips are a weakness and European pastries hold a special place in my heart from my childhood in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia, not Florida).

Hmm, perhaps therein lies the problem?  Sort of.  Let me explain.

If I restricted my eating to just meals, all would be good and nutrition would reign supreme, but, alas, my insulin resistance issues cause between meal drops which is when those less optimal choices are made.  Late night TV watching alone became a round robin of sweet and savory.

For a weight loss supplement to work for me, it has to keep my blood sugar stable and give me some snack control between meals.

After workouts is a particularly unstable time when a quick handful of candy is my go to.  Don't judge that I have to reach past the plain almonds in my snack stash to get it, okay?

The challenge is finding a weight loss supplement that doesn't make my heart race or do other nasty unseen things.

Do Thyroid Issues Make Mid-Life Weight Loss Harder?

Before I start to share what I want to today, let me just point out the obvious, I am not a Dr., I don't have any medical training, nor do I suggest that you should follow my choices in health products.  Do your own research and make your own choices.  Okay, good, we're clear on that.

Have you had your thyroid levels checked because you just felt sort of off, and they fell into the "normal" range, but you know there's something wrong?  Do you have several hypothyroid symptoms, like hair loss, inability to lose weight despite trying, weight gain with no food or activity changes, fatigue (who doesn't?), depression, moodiness, sensitivity to hot and cold, midsection bulge, breaking nails, etc, etc, etc?

Here are some good resources for you:

An About.com info site:
http://thyroid.about.com/

From Mary Shomon:
http://www.thyroid-info.com/index.htm

Mary's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/thyroidsupport

The Science Article (have fun reading this):
https://www.aace.com/files/final-file-hypo-guidelines.pdf

http://www.hypoman.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HypoManBlog

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

Add these thyroid challenges to a stressed out life and you have a huge obstacle to health and optimum weight control.

Enjoy!

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

"Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess:

Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity.

Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.

Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.

Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.

I will not ask thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.

Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces.

Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.

Amen” 
― Margot Benary-Isbert

Be Encouraged! Weight Loss in Mid-Life Is Possible

Okay, so maybe that is more positive thinking than reality...for now, but I still believe it.

Do You?

I want us both to be encouraged that it is possible.

After gaining so much weight(over 10 lbs) in the last few months, while working out three times a week (frustration!!), I suspected it wasn't just muscle, or just the food causing it, but also the state of my body processes from the hormonal tsunami that is Peri-Menopause, combined with stress from various sources. I won't bore you with those details.

A heart issue forces me to be very cautious about what supplements I consume and my Diatetics student daughter suggested in her ever so delicate way (think Tasmanian Devil) that I discontinue what I was using.  Sigh!  She's right, but as I've said before, I need some help.

My mid-life metabolism is different than her efficient 20 yr old one that keeps her at a petite, barely 3 figures weight.  I remember those days, but can't get anywhere near that now and that's okay, but step down from obese, I must.

Can you tell I am not happy having my photo taken?

Research, research, research, I did.  Ruled out product after product until I determined what I wanted: as close to natural as possible, no soy, no chemical sweeteners, must have science behind it, not just some compilation of current trendy products and it must taste good.

The search continues...

Deb