Bears And Our Life Focus

How Important is Discipline in Your Daily Life

2011-01-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Webster defines discipline as a training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. A control gained by enforcing obedience or order. Orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. To discipline means to train or develop by instruction and exercise; especially in the area of self control.The development of discipline is essential to our overall personal growth and spiritual maturity. One of the fruits of the spirit is self control. Due to Adam's sin mankind has inherited a sin-based nature. The appetite to fulfill the desires of the eyes and the lusts of the flesh is quite often first and foremost. The appetite of each individual varies. Your desire could be overeating or under-eating, alcohol, drugs, immoral sexual behavior, lying, envy, idolatry, covetousness, etc. In order to overcome this proclivity towards sin one must continually learn to surrender their yearnings toward self-gratification. How can we accomplish this? To the believer deliverance from an undisciplined lifestyle is quite attainable. Paul tells us: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:19. The key factor in that verse is the strength has to come from the LORD.

God is quite aware of our shortcomings. Our shortcomings are what alerts us to the fact we need something other than ourselves to overcome our human frailties. God has created us for the purpose of fellowship. We must continuously develop a life in accordance with the instructions He has left in His WORD. The first step to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way the truth and the life: NO man cometh unto the FATHER but by me." John 14:6. There is no other way to GOD.

Our perspective on life greatly affects how we deal with certain situations. Envision with me if you please a house. Everyday you would pass by this house. After a while you become very familiar with it's exterior. You then begin to even make assumptions about the house. You eventually come to admire it for it's surface beauty, but only from an exterior point of view. You've seen the front door day after day but you have never stopped and taken the time to knock at the door. You are aware of where the house is; you even think you have a general idea of what it's like inside. But do you really? Quite often we develop the same type of relationship with God. We know where His instructions for daily life are found. We have access to the Bible. But how often do we really devote time to actually seek His spiritual direction for our day to day living? We must go beyond the exterior and delve into the WORD and embrace His principles and apply them to our lives consistently. When we embrace His principles we embark upon a life of freedom. This freedom will free you from the appetites of the flesh and the clutches of the world. When you develop an intimate relationship with Him He begins to fill that deep endless void THAT ONLY HE CAN FILL.The Christian life is not an unattainable idealistic lifestyle. When we begin to walk in the Spirit we can overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. Christians are to live lives that are dependent on God. It is through this spiritual dependency the strongholds that satan has on your life will begin to dissipate. This spiritual walk includes a life of discipline. Remember it is through discipline we are able to harness and control the lusts of the flesh I mentioned earlier. Christ lived, suffered, died and arose from the dead for a reason. He sacrificed His life to redeem us from the curse and endowment of Adam's sin. It is by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can overcome and partake in the victorious life he has prepared for those that truly love Him. "Greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world." The scripture is not just for memorization to impress others. It is an edible delicacy that will nourish your spirituality and quench your unquenchable thirst as you truly embrace and live out it's intended principles.

We must seek and learn to discipline our life to His standards. We must begin to relinquish the desire for man's approval and conditional acceptance. We can never please man. I must warn you! The closer you draw to GOD the less man will understand you. You will be persecuted and greatly misunderstood. Guess what ? So was Jesus! He was maligned and accused of many things by those who should have known better. It was those who were thought to be spiritual that treated Him exceedingly wrong. Man looks from the outside in; this is the opposite of God's perspective. He looks from the inside out. He knows all about you. Your innermost thoughts and desires are fully known by Him. The key to a peaceful and contented life filled with true JOY is available. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness (appetites of the flesh) we lie, and do not tell the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is light, we have fellowship one with another, and the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN." How important is discipline? It is very important!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DeBorrah K. Ogans is a licensed Pastoral Counselor and ordained minister. She is certified through the Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling in Creation Therapy and holds a Master's Degree in Biblical Clinical Counseling. She is the author of a pre-marital guide "How Do I Love Thee: Things You Need To Know Before You Say I Do," and just released her second book "Holy Matrimony: Now That You're Married". She writes an ongoing Counselor's Corner for Alpha 7 Ministries to help individuals, couples, and families establish an intimate relationship with God, which in turn helps them establish better relationships with one another.

Are You at Risk of Failure Because of Lack of Self Discipline?

2011-01-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Lacking self discipline can become daunting in an individuals home life and in the work environment. Self discipline is the art of learned behavior and controlling one's willpower. A person who lacks discipline can be facing and unpleasant life and risking failure to occur. This type of person will always take the easy road and never challenge themselves. Another attribute of a person lacking self discipline is the absence of goals and tasks, always just floating by in life and work. Life will not necessarily teach a person self discipline, it needs to be learned and earned.

One way for reducing the risk of failure is to become aware of self discipline. A person should educated themselves on how it is achieve and what is required in order to improve life. Information is available online and it explains how self discipline is an integral part of life, the ability to withhold impulses that divert a person for achieving tasks is the beginning of this lifestyle change. After learning willpower, the person can advance to more complex tasks and challenges that will increase self worth.

The next task of self discipline to achieve success is to define tasks and goals. When goals are written down, the ability to work towards it and achieve it is increased. Undefined goals leaves room to divert from the task at hand, allowing the person to move towards failure. The brain evokes constant thoughts and there is always information traveling through which can prevent a person to stay on task. That is why learning self discipline will allow an individual to reprogram the thoughts, set the ideas aside, and prevent from reaching the goal.

Finally, self discipline requires commitment and perseverance throughout life because it is a change in lifestyle. Once a person learns the art of self discipline, it can become very easy to take the easy road, rather than to challenge oneself to reach further achievements. Remembering that willpower is one of the main reasons people fail to stay on task requires constant commitment. This type of perseverance reduces the risk of failure in both life and the work environment.

David Folkman has created a complementary 47 page manual to help you improve your self discipline quickly and easily. To download your manual today please visit http://www.selfdisciplinehelp.com

Living a Healthy Lifestyle

2011-01-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Living a healthy lifestyle is probably the greatest challenge facing some people as it takes discipline and discipline is one thing that a lot of people lack especially in Canada and the United States. It is estimated that 25 - 30 percent of the population is obese in both countries and that obesity will have a detrimental effect on the Health Care System in Canada especially as it is funded by the Canadian tax payers and big corporation taxes.

When one goes to fast food restaurants, grocery stores and those restaurants serving all you can eat, it is very noticeable to recognize those that have an obesity problem. Whether filling their shopping carts with all the wrong foods and soft drinks at a grocery store or eating to many servings at an all you can eat restaurants, these people do not realize what damage they are doing to their health.

What really is sad is that obese parents of children are definitely not helping their kids when they continue to promote the improper eating habits that they have. Where are their kids going to be later in life and that will probably be in the same shape as their parents and they will be raising their kids in the same ways as their parents raised them and that is definitely not the right way to do things.

A healthy life style may even be achieved by those that have an obesity problem but will require discipline and that means taking your health serious and that is by the eating of proper foods and by proper exercise. For one to take charge of their obesity problem is by making an appointment with your local physician to find what you must do to lose weight and what exercise program you must undertake to help you lose weight and maintain your weight.

The recommendations that most physicians will give those with an obesity problem include to quit eating at fast food restaurants, to change ones eating habits meaning eating the right foods and cutting down on the amount of food one eats. Other recommendations that a physician will give is to exercise and that means to quit being a couch potato and start exercising on a daily basis for a recommended period of time by a physician.

If those that are obese decide to take their weight problem seriously there are as well certain health problems that they may prevent themselves from getting. These problems include type 11 diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, degenerative joint disease and psychosocial disability. As well in men there are chances of getting colon, rectum or prostate cancer and with women the chance of getting uterus, biliary tract, breast or ovary cancer.

If you are obese and want to make things better for yourself in life, then you will need to take life seriously and that means to start living a healthy lifestyle otherwise you will only end up with serious health problems that could have been prevented.

Hello my name is Barry Ohman and I have decided to write articles about mens health. My latest website is Best Male Enhancement Products [http://www.best-male-enhancement-products.com] which discusses different problems with a man's health that include erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and other problems. As well we promote natural male enhancement products to remedy problems with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Three Important Facts About Self Discipline

2011-01-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

Understanding important facts about being self-disciplined is the first step to mastering self discipline. Learn these three facts and be one step closer to being the most disciplined person you can be.

Many people in this world have the "Burger King" mentality - have it your way, and have it right now. Everyone wants a nice house, a solid relationship, a great body, and money. They want it all right out of college, and they want to work 20 hours a week to get it. This instant-gratification mentality will lead people down the road to failure. Understanding how the self disciplined live their lives will make it easier to learn how to be self disciplined.

1. The Self Disciplined are Realistic

Self-disciplined people say no to the have-it-your-way mentality and realize that instant gratification may create a short-term happiness but in the long run will lead to disappointment and failure.
They have learned that the things they desire won't come automatically. They have an accurate perception of reality because good things take hard work. Their happiness might be delayed as they work to achieve this goal, but their realistic outlook on life ultimately increases their chances of being happy in the long run.
They know that to have the success, money, and happiness they desire, they must set goals and be motivated to see those goals through to the end, even if the end is more than a moment away.

2. The Self Disciplined Set Goals

Self-disciplined people don't just wander through life expecting to have success and happiness.
They set goals and are motivated to see those goals through to fruition.
When setting goals, they first consider what they want to achieve during their lifetime - or at least a minimum of 10 years from the present. Setting these long-term goals helps form a mindset that can be the base of all other decisions.
They create a list of smaller goals that will help them to reach their lifetime goal.
They create a daily to-do list that helps them to reach a milestone of their lifetime goal.
They regularly review their to-do list and plans, to make sure they are consistent with the goals they are striving to reach.

3. The Self Disciplined are Motivated

Self-disciplined people constantly encourage themselves. They don't insult themselves or discount their abilities. They talk to themselves with respect, patience, and understanding. This positive attitude keeps them motivated and not discouraged.
They do not go through the day with a monotone list in their heads of things they have to accomplish. They have passion about what needs to be done, and their enthusiasm motivates them to the end. Just like a football coach wouldn't mundanely ask his players to win the game, elf-disciplined people motivate themselves with passion and excitement, and that energy gets them moving.
Self-disciplined people stay motivated by knowing how to feel good even when they are having a bad day. Everyone has days that make them want to crawl into bed and never get out, but disciplined people will motivate themselves by taking control of their thoughts and making themselves happy. They choose to run their brain in a positive way.

Understand the Self Disciplined

By learning three things that self-disciplined people do, it becomes easier to see how to model our own lives so that we too can be self disciplined. Self-disciplined people are realistic and know that success, wealth, and other things people strive for won't come automatically. They require hard work, self discipline, goal setting, and motivation. Strive to be realistic, set goals, and be motivated to accomplish things, and the self-disciplined lifestyle will bring you the happiness and success you have always dreamed of possessing.

David Folkman has created a complementary 47 page report to help you improve your self discipline quickly and easily. To access your report please visit http://www.selfdisciplinehelp.com

The Key to a Long and Healthy Lifestyle

2011-01-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

It's very easy to give you the keys on living a long and healthy life. In fact, you may already know what the answers are. These are the basic fundamentals on living a healthy life:

Eat the Right Food

When we say right food, we are talking about those healthy foods like organic fruits and vegetables. I'm not saying that you would have to be a vegetarian just to live longer. What I'm saying here is don't eat too much of those unhealthy junk foods. The key here is to eat in moderation. You may not know that there are known five absolute worst foods you can eat. Those foods that is high in Trans fats and lots of toxins. The five worst foods are doughnuts, soda, fried non-fish sea foods, French fries, and chips. Doughnuts actually contain trans fats, almost all of the varieties, and can actually give you 200 to 300 calories, mostly from sugar. Soda is loaded with artificial colors and sulphites which can harm your body; one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar which contain about 150 calories. Diet varieties are loaded with aspartame, a known artificial sweetener that can cause cancer. Fried non-fish seafood like shrimps and clams are loaded with toxic mercury and trans fats. French fries is well known to be loaded with trans fats. Chips are also high in trans fats.

Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise can help you lose weight, improve your resistance to fight infections, lower your risk of having cancer other diseases, it can also help your brain work better and can make you smarter. When you exercise, it helps your body to work and helps in improving your blood circulation. If you are overweight, don't push too hard with the exercise, you can start by walking. And then increase the intensity of your exercise routine so you'll get used to it. The trick here is being consistent with your exercise. Discipline yourself and don't be too lazy, once you've discipline yourself, it'll become a routine and you'll be happy because you have done what you have to do. You will feel proud of yourself because you can see that you are improving with your life.

Drink a Lot of Water

Human body is mostly water; this fact is one of those reasons why ongoing intake of water is essential for the body to function. It's been said many times that one person should drink at least eight-ounce glasses of water per day but did you know that you need more water than that? According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, the rule of thumb is, for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of bottle spring or filtered water per day.

Social Ties and Having Good Friends on your Side

Staying healthy and living longer is not simply a matter of eating fruits, vegetables, exercising, drinking lots of water, or getting good medical care. Good friends can also help you live longer and have a healthy lifestyle.

Harvard researchers investigated the effect of social ties, death and heart disease, in a 10-year follow-up study of nearly 30,000 male health professionals. Roughly half of the men reported belonging to large social networks that included a spouse, a large number of friends or relatives, and/or community group involvement.

Men who were more socially isolated, however, were nearly 20% more likely to die from any cause than their more socially integrated peers, the investigators found. Socially isolated men were also 53% more likely to die from a heart-related cause than those who reported the highest number of social ties. Further, those with a moderately low number of social connections had a more than twofold greater risk of death from accidents and suicides than did their peers with the most social ties.

Social isolation is a 'risk factor' for ill health that deserves as much attention as other risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other ailments.

This article is written by Joi Hernaez, an SEO specialist. Read more about Living a Healthy Life by Dr. Joseph Mercola and check out my health blog if you are looking for information about herbal medicines.

How to Discipline Your Mind

2011-01-07T05:08:00.000-08:00

Discipline of mind has always been one of the major problems of human beings. The problem has become much more severe in the modern material world when there are numerous diversions for the mind. The need for mental discipline is felt ever since childhood when a child finds it difficult to concentrate on studies. Whenever he start reading a text-book, his mind gets diverted to other thoughts and he loses concentration. As a result, he fails to understand and remember the content of the subject even after spending hours. A good student, however, have no difficulty in focusing his mind on the subject and he is able to learn much more in the same time.

The problem of wavering mind does not end as the person grows. Most people even in their youth and later years find it difficult to focus on the task ahead. Their mind is full of thoughts which seem to come and go automatically without the control of the person. Hence whenever, the person tries to focus his mind on any problem, these randomly generating thoughts disturb his mind and he starts thinking about other problems instead of focusing on the problem in hand. However, even the other thought does not last long and soon the mind is filled with yet another thought and the second problem too is discarded without finding any solution to the problem.

The mind of a person who has no control over his thought is full of many unsolved problems which keep on bothering him as soon his mind tries to get some peace. The loads of problems make him restless and worried. Often he loses sleep in the night as no sooner he try to sleep, the unsolved problem start bothering him.

The peace of the mind is a desperate need for most people as a restless mind can not live peacefully and happily.

The Techniques of Mind-Control

We know many methods to control our mind. The most popular amongst them is meditation. Here, we try to focus our mind on any object or thought for long hours and stop the other thoughts coming in. However, most people find it impossible to control their thoughts while trying meditation. As a matter of fact, the more they try to focus their mind on any object, more thoughts start pouring in his mind like water flows when floodgates are open.

Some people try to focus their mind by practicing isolation. They retire in an isolated place for sometime so that they lose contact with the outside world. They do not see television or listen to news which gives their mind no scope to react to any external thought.

Another popular technique for control of mind is called Vipasana, which means seeing the things as they are. Vipasana is one of the most ancient techniques of meditation practiced y Gautama Buddha. There are number of courses on Vipasana which last for 10-15 days. These are done under the guidance of a teacher at Ashram often located far away from the cities. During the stay, all contacts from the external world are broken, all physical contacts are suspended and all forms of prayers, yoga etc are discontinued. The mediation of Vipasana includes silence and strict control over the food.

Yoga is yet another method for increasing concentration of the mind and it is quite popular in the West nowadays. Yoga requires the person to practice a number of postures of body and follow a disciplined lifestyle free from intoxicants, stimulants etc.

There are many other courses like "Art of Living" by Sri Sri Ravishankar which are also quite popular to control the mind and bring peace in life.

The Limitation of Mind Control Techniques

The mind control techniques are no doubt effective as evident from the popularity of the Gurus who teaches such techniques. However, these techniques are unable to bring permanent change in the life of the person. Every person has to return to his normal life after the practice of Yoga, Meditation, Vipasana or Art of Living. Most people find it impossible to life the life of a yogi or Vipasani in the real life. The result is the stimulation of mind again when the person faces the real world.

It is therefore, necessary to understand the real principles behind the discipline of mind which can be followed by a person in his daily life i..e while doing his regular jobs and in the atmosphere of his office and home. If one does only few minutes of yoga or meditation everyday like morning exercise, he is unlikely to have a focused mind throughout the day. If he increases the time of mediation, it reduces the time for doing his job which makes him even more restless.

Controlling of Mind

If we observe closely, we can find that the key to mind control is the control of the body and senses. Gita (III 42-43) explains the relationship of body, senses, mind, Soul and the Universal Soul (God) in the following words.

The senses are superior to the body. Above the senses is the mind, above the mind is the Soul and above the Soul is God (Universal Intelligence).

Gita further states that

All Actions is entirely done by the nature of the Soul of the man. Man deluded by his ego thinks, "I am the doer". (Gita, III 27)

Thus the key to mind control is the control of body and senses. If a man can control his body and senses, his mind shall automatically be controlled. If the mind of the person is in his control, the basic nature of his soul is transformed which brings fundamental changes in the nature of the man as the physical man is nothing but the reflection of the spiritual Soul.

It is for this reason that all techniques of mind-control tries to control the body and senses of the person. The body is controlled by bring discipline in the man like getting up early on the fixed time, doing exercises, doing physical workouts and physical labour etc. The senses are kept under control by restricting the inputs to the five senses i.e. eyes, ears, nose, skin and sexual organs. The outputs of the senses are controlled by the practice of silence and avoiding all type of routine activities. It is through the control of the body and senses that the mind of the person is gradually calmed and focused.

Yet, once the person return to the real world, his peace of mind is again disturbed as all artificially created situations cannot last indefinitely.

Discipline of Mind for Life

Once we have understood the basic fundamental of mind control; we can practice it in our daily lives without going to any classes or teacher. The practice has to be done in all waking hours so that it becomes part of our personality as the our soul gets transformed due to discipline of body, senses and mind.

The discipline of body means following a routine in getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, lunch or dinner or sleeping in the night at fixed hours. One must try to stick his routine except in the extraordinary situations. Physical exercise, yoga, walking, sports can bring further discipline in the body which can expedite the control of mind.

The other task of the control of senses must be practiced along with the control of body for the best results. The control of senses can be attained by eating healthy foods and avoiding spicy, high-calorie, hot food or meat. One must avoid the speaking up aloud and unnecessary talking to control his speech. In order to control ones audio inputs, there is a need to avoid loud music or speaking aloud. One has to control what he senses as every audio-video input influences the mind. Thus one must avoid the inputs that disturb the peace of one's mind.

These are not difficult steps and one can easily follow them in everyday whether in office or home or while traveling. Practice of such control alone can bring fundamental change in the personality and calm the mind of a person enabling him to focus his mind and shun restlessness of body and mind.

The Key to Control Mind

The key to control of the mind is the control of the body and senses of the self. While we do not have any physical method to control the mind, we can control our body and senses to control our mind and thoughts which transforms our nature. Once the nature of the man is changed, no efforts are required to control his mind as his mind become calm and focused to bring peace and happiness in his life. Someone has wisely said,

Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.

Life is a mystery which can not be explained either by science or by scriptures. Truth has a body and a soul which we call science and religion. Contrary to popular perception, they are not opposed to each other but complement each other like body and soul. In fact, they can not exist without each other.

I am the founding member of The Science of Soul Foundation in India which works for the synthesis of the diverse disciplines of knowledge like science, religion, philosophy and arts. The website of the foundation is http://www.scienceofsoul.com

I am working for the creation of a synthesis between science and religion through my articles. I believe that everyone can understand this Truth by the use of intuition and reason. You can contact me at aksinghirs [a] yahoo.com if you wish to know more about the mystery which we call life.

Dream Lifestyle System - 3 Ways to Make $200 Payments Over and Over With Dream Lifestyle System

2011-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

If you are one of those skeptics, let me just tell you that you can really make money over the World Wide Web with Dream Lifestyle System. Here's 3 ways for you to get started:

1. Social Networking- Everybody does it, some people may not even know it by this term. The best way to describe social networking is:

Facebook

Myspace

Twitter

Now I won't break down the logistics of how each one works specifically but they are all similar in their own ways. The most important thing is that they allow you to "network" with millions upon millions of people. This enables you to share your product, service, or whatever you like with others.

***NOTE***

It is imperative that you DO NOT use these websites for "spamming" people. By that I mean using these services to push your business on people without them asking for it. Social networks are created for just that.... socializing and networking... so don't abuse them.

2. Free Classifieds- Free classified sites are definitely another method of advertising. This method can be used for those who may be on a tight budget. Unfortunately, I will be honest with you... If you plan on writing 2 ads and thinking that the sales are going to come pouring in then you are sadly mistaken. However, if you have the time and the perseverance to post consistently in high numbers you have a good shot with this method.

Craigslist, Backpage, and UsFreeAds are 3 of the more popular Classified ad sites. If you would like a larger list simply visit SitesLikeCraigslist.com

***NOTE***

There are several different auto-posting softwares that you can use to save time with posting free classifieds. Contact me for more info.

3. Postcards- This is an EXTREMELY effective method of advertising. Many people sway away from postcard marketing because it tends to be a little costly compared to many other marketing methods. However, if you do have the resources for this I definitely recommend it!

All of the above methods will assist you in your efforts to make money online this year.

Do you want to learn how I rake in $$$ every single day like clockwork? Don't you want to be there for your family in these tough times?

Discipline is key.. but taking action is the most important thing second to having a proper mindset....

Rhandell Mitchell teaches stay at home moms, internet newbies, small business owners and more how to utilize the power of the internet and generate their dream lifestyle. He is an avid internet marketer and is an expert at using articles like this to drive traffic to his website. Rhandell says, "if you have the desire and determination to succeed outside of just working at a dead end job he can definitely teach you the skills to achieve anything that you desire! GUARANTEED

With all of this combined, there is no way you can lose with my assistance in the Dream Lifestyle System

Nothing Compares to a Healthy Lifestyle

2011-01-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

A healthy lifestyle is better than a couch potato lifestyle, because the former will make you feel good and will make you attain a healthy body that is free from illness. It may sound difficult to have a controlled routine, but when you get started and when you do it continuously, the routine will become a part of your normal day to day activities. More than that, it will have a long lasting effect on total body functioning.

The first and foremost tip on having a healthy lifestyle is eating healthy foods. Eat healthy and you will be healthy. It is important to be familiar on these real foods that provide nutrients for the body, as well as on foods with components that only predispose the person to diseases such as heart attacks and diabetes. Eat foods that have low fat content. Good fats are polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, or omega 3 fatty acids. Avoid trans and saturated fat that elevate your low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. LDL is considered bad cholesterol while high density lipoprotein (HDL) is considered good cholesterol.

Eat foods that have low sugar content. Choose glucose and avoid sucrose because glucose is considered good sugar while the latter is considered bad sugar. Eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and anti oxidants. For sources of protein, eat chicken, eggs, salmon, shrimp, and peanuts. For sources of carbohydrates, eat sweet potatoes, brown rice, one hundred percent whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and beans. For sources of fat, eat mackerel, sardines, scallops, almonds, walnuts, and cashews.

A healthy lifestyle should also include being active by doing regular exercise. Home exercises are a good alternative for gym activities. Take a run or do some jogging around your neighborhood. Have a walk with a friend as this is also a form of exercise. Making exercise a regular part of your daily routine will certainly make you fit and healthy. Aside from its benefit of preventing diseases, it is also known to improve mental health and prevent depression. It is just as important to remember that too much of a good thing can also be bad, so do not abuse your body with too much exercise or activity.

Give up your vices such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and using illegal drugs. Even if you eat good foods and do exercise regularly, but still do these unhealthy activities, you will not benefit from diet and exercise. Also, get enough sleep of at least eight hours every night.

This seems hard to follow but all you need is discipline. For sure, these tips would make you become a healthy individual not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

With a lifelong passion for health, I enjoy sharing my personal experiences with diet and exercise. I also enjoy reviewing products, enjoy my latest reviews on what you need to know about choosing a 60" bathroom vanity and 48" bathroom vanity for your bathroom.

Developing a Disciplined Lifestyle

2011-01-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

If we can maintain a disciplined life and do the things we know we should do life would be a piece of cake- or should I say fruit for the more health conscious! Self-discipline is a character quality that has far reaching implications for every area of our lives. As a health & fitness life coach, I have learned the importance of maintaining a disciplined lifestyle.

Are you disciplined enough to answer the following questions?

o Can you motivate yourself to exercise on a regular basis?

o Are you able to focus on the positive in your life instead of the negative?

o Do you think before you say what's really on your mind?

o Are you able to say no when you already have too much on your plate?

o Are you able to control that bad habit or is it controlling you?

As author Hannah Whitehall Smith put it, "The greatest burden we have to carry in life is self; the most difficult thing we have to manage is self." Training ourselves to lead a disciplined lifestyle takes work, especially in a world that says, "If it feels good do it!" Denying self is unpopular but necessary to leading a truly happy and satisfying life. Self-discipline is a true friend that protects us and keeps us from a destructive lifestyle.

How do we acquire a self-disciplined life? Here are some ideas:

o By getting free of self-sabotaging behavior, and other bad habits

o Building your self-confidence

o Learning to manage change effectively

o Finding your life purpose & obtaining a clear vision for your future

o Leaving the past behind, but learning from it

o Developing a closer relationship with God

In conclusion, achieving self-discipline is the key to a happier, healthier lifestyle. It brings life into balance - body, mind and spirit. Self-discipline is about changing your mindset and focusing on your goals and accomplishments. Of course, this is not an easy task but well worth the effort. This is an inspiring quote by Vincent Van Gogh; "If you hear a voice telling you that you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."

As a health and wellness, life coach, I will help you clarify the present, focus on the future and take action to reach your goals. Losing weight and gaining control over your life are two areas I specialize in. Also, as a life coach I can help if you find yourself in the midst of a life transition. Does your future seem unclear? Do your dreams seem unattainable? Do you feel like you are in a rut in your career? Are you willing to embrace change and accept your unique qualities? These are some areas where you could use a life coach to guide and direct you.

Irene Greiner
http://www.weightlossandlifecoach.com

Become Disciplined and Rigorously Trained in Your Chosen Area

2011-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

The title is from the pages of a remarkable book by Greg Haslam (pastor of Westminster Chapel in London) called "Moving in the Prophetic - A Biblical Guide to Effective Prophetic Ministry Today". I would like to take this opportunity to look at what Greg highlights as helpful in pursuing your vision. We all have to have a vision, something to aim for, live for, and live out on this earth. Let's lay it out in point form and flesh it out a bit:

1. "Vision seems like a fiery, spontaneous, vital thing. It is, but vision is also nourished by discipline."

We can easily see visionaries making great strides in their calling, doing amazing things as they pull together an army of like-minded people, and change the world in their wake. But often we only see the highlights, only the peaks, and thanks to the media we get in-depth looks at the low points. But we fail to recognise the days, weeks, years, of disciplined lifestyle that has gone on, out of the 'lime-light', hidden away in the secret place. We don't often know of the everyday battles, the 'ordinary days', the very slow victories that are won over many years in unspectacular fashion.

2. "Visionaries, surprisingly, live disciplined lives; they are not impulsive, flighty and uncommitted types."

Someone who is described as a careful planner, stable, committed, and disciplined, may sound a little boring to some. That description may not evoke images of someone on fire, launching out with fearless abandon to apprehend an incredible vision. But that is often the sort of person who has brought all the physical, emotional, mental faculties to a point of focus, to a place where their whole being is directed and dedicated to the 'vision'.

3. "They get up early."

Here is a great practical tip. Get up early and make the very first part of your day come into to focus on the vision rather than waking up just in time for kids, work, school, whatever, to direct your thoughts.

4. "They read and study voraciously everything pertinent that they can get their hands on to nourish their vision."

Study and get to know the aspects of your call, your vision, and become an expert. Learn the lessons from those who have pursued similar things in the past, get to know the pitfalls, the obstacles, the way through, the way around, you will find a rich heritage of wisdom if you look for it.

5. "They pray as a priority, not just when they get round to it."

And I might add that they pray through the good times and the difficult times, they are just as motivated by desire to pray on the mountain top as when in the valleys. Ask for your prayer life to be driven by desire rather than motivated out of any immediate needs - for then when things are going well you will continue to press in with prayer.

6. "They eat correctly, usually wholesome, nourishing food that keeps their bodies fit and their minds alert; and they exercise regularly to clear their minds and prevent weariness and depression. They avoid toxic, dissolute lifestyles that dissipate energy and fog the mind."

How important it is to keep our bodies in good shape - not for vanity, but for the Lord. Our bodies are our servants, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and when not maintained can have serious adverse effects on our walk. Fatigue and depression can see your motivation nose-dive.

7. "They keep away form poisonous gossip and frivolous occupations."

We don't want to be poisoning our minds and wasting our time - we want to be enriching our minds to think like Jesus and to count every moment as precious.

8. "Their Bibles are worn out with daily use."

The Word of God is food and life to us. We have to feed on this precious, life-giving, Word daily. Through it God speaks to us, directs us, encourages us, warns us, and builds us up - we can not go too long without bringing our focused attention back to what He is saying to us. Words can be life or they can be death. Receive life!

I hope some of these points have been inspiring and encouraging - I have them on my wall in the office to remind me that a visionary doesn't just happen, he intentionally disciplines himself toward the goal.

I would encourage you to read Greg Haslam's book "Moving in the Prophetic" published by Monarch Books in the UK.

Matthew Dahlitz
Director
http://www.thissideofthecross.com

Five Easy Ways to Gain Self Discipline

2011-01-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

A life of self discipline seems impossible to maintain. So many people give up on their good intentions of being self disciplined and let that lazy lifestyle win. Follow these five easy steps and end the laziness streak for good.

It is Monday morning, and the choice is before us, again - be self disciplined and get out of bed an hour early to exercise and do a few chores, or hit the snooze button 17 times before flying out of bed at the last minute and barely making it out the door on time. Getting out of bed would make us feel good in the long run, but so often that lazy lifestyle wins, and that snooze button gets pushed time and time again. How can a person make discipline the automatic response in any situation?

1. Look at Self Discipline as the Gateway to Happiness

We all want to be happy. No one wakes up in the morning hoping for an awful day. Most people's happiness is tied to their level of self-control. Having accomplished all necessary tasks for the day creates a feeling of satisfaction. With that satisfaction comes happiness. It's hard to be happy and enjoy a relaxing pastime when you know you need to mow the yard, do laundry, drive the kids to soccer, clean the floors, etc. If you look at self discipline as a means to happiness at the end of the day, it's much easier to get up and get those necessary tasks done.

2. Realize That Self Discipline Builds on Itself

Pick one area of life that you want to work hard to have self-control in all the time. Take exercise for example. Work really hard to have the discipline to get up every morning and exercise. Soon your motivation will increase and other tasks will effortlessly be accomplished as well.

3. Take Small Steps

If your world is out of control in every area, being self disciplined may seem like a mountain that will never be crossed. You get overwhelmed just thinking about tackling any one area, so you settle back into the lazy lifestyle. Instead, pick a small area to become disciplined in.

If the entire workout routine is so overwhelming that you never take a step off the couch, don't tackle the whole workout routine at once. Pick a small thing to accomplish every day like taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator or park in the very last space at the store and walk all the way to the doors. Even doing sit-ups during the commercial breaks of your favourite TV show is a great way to begin the self-disciplined lifestyle.

4. Understand That You Can't Always be Perfect

No one is perfect, and if you wait to be disciplined in an area until you can also be perfect in that area, then every task will be too overwhelming to even begin. Don't wait to start the exercise routine until you are in perfect shape and can run on the treadmill without having to slow it down to the embarrassing walking pace after two minutes of running. Go ahead and walk/jog the two miles. It is ok to set a goal that you can accomplish without killing yourself in order to do it.

5. You Must Believe in Yourself

You will be self disciplined if you believe that you are a self-disciplined person. Seeing yourself as someone who gets up and exercises every day makes it easier to get up and actually exercise every day even after a lazy streak. The same is true for self discipline. If you think of yourself as someone who is disciplined with their lifestyle, then when you are not being disciplined, you are more likely to begin again.

Be a Self-disciplined Person for Good

The lifestyles of the self disciplined may seem so unattainable to the average person that the overwhelming feeling to never get off the couch becomes hard to defeat. By following these five easy steps, even the most undisciplined of people will find their lives beginning to take shape and finally changing for good.

David Folkman has created a complementary 47 page report to help you improve your self discipline quickly and easily. To access it instantly please visit http://www.selfdisciplinehelp.com

The Lifestyle and Its Research

2011-01-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Lifestyle research stands at the boundary between a number of traditional academic disciplines, developing expertise from sociology and the social sciences in areas as distinct as business, retailing, marketing, understanding of consumers, and health and social care. The very diversity of fields and disciplines with an interest in lifestyle research creates complexity in an already dynamic and fast-changing area of research. Multifaceted approaches are used, alongside a variety of academic and business conventions, but typically, lifestyle research focuses on subgroups within the general population defined by age, occupation, religion, sexuality, medical conditions, or behaviors.

In terms of business research, this market segmentation of the consumer market is a key use for lifestyle research. As the importance of the consumer in determining the success of business operations has become increasingly clear to businesses, so the importance of lifestyle-based market segmentation has increased and the importance of ongoing cultural change has been recognized. Ongoing social and cultural change, both in purchasing dynamics, in related group behavior, and in lifestyle decision making are illuminated by lifestyle research but also act as a key source of information for strategic planning within business and for the ongoing development of successful corporate strategy.

The links between lifestyle research and the development of successful marketing strategies are currently being discussed within the academic literature, both from a management perspective and from a social science perspective. The development of an increasing understanding of the diverse research that contributes to this area of study is key to the ongoing development of successful and strategic business development. Typically, research in this area is grounded first in the concept of lifestyle and relates this to various aspects of an individual or group lifestyle. Key themes that may influence lifestyle include activities/behavior, values and attitudes, individuals versus groups, group interaction, coherence, recognizability, and choice.

Within this definition, lifestyle research may focus either upon the implications of belonging to a certain group or upon the implications of certain lifestyles, including areas such as the role of lifestyle in the management of clinical conditions or the impact of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle on other areas of an individual's life. In business terms, lifestyle research is used both to classify consumers in terms of patterns of behavior, purchasing, etc., and as a way of looking at lifestyle as a key factor in the generation of new products, services, etc. One important distinction lies between research that attempts to identify causal relationships between a lifestyle and the development of certain patterns of health and behavior and an alternative pattern of lifestyle research that evaluates the impact of lifestyle changes.

Both have considerable implications for business, being directly linked to the development and promotion of goods and services. The lifestyles assessed may be proscriptive-and much of the research in this area lies in health-or broader changes that reflect the development of society, the economy, and the workplace. Business research generally focuses upon this latter scenario, where the intertwining of cause, effect, and incremental change provides fruitful ground for research. One useful example of this intertwining is the relationship between the availability of processed ready-meals and the lack of availability of time for cooking. Does a lack of time trigger the demand for ready-meals? Or does the availability of ready-meals facilitate broader changes in lifestyle that tend to mitigate against the "ring fencing" of time to devote to cooking?

The answer to such questions is unlikely to be simple-and in this example the ongoing development of skills within the consumer group would play a contributing role-but this example illustrates the complexity of cause, effect, and contributing factors within lifestyle research. Lifestyle retailing is an additional important area of study, where the promotion of a "lifestyle package" linked to a brand, a group of products, or a service forms part of the marketing strategy for many companies. The creation of aspirational brands within a consumer economy-be they products or services-is a key driver for many businesses. Typically, however, this builds upon initial market-segmentation work, and successful lifestyle retailing strategies tend to indicate a very well-researched and clearly identified market-segmentation strategy.

Building upon this, so-called subcultures of consumption have been a focus for some additional study focusing around ideas and theoretical frameworks from general consumption literature and applying these in a variety of servicescapes. A more recent approach to segmentation, for example, has included Web-based-related lifestyle research, where access, enthusiasm, and propensity to use internet resources formed a key defining a part of an individual or group lifestyle and hence the basis for recent research.

Francesco Zinzaro.

The Various Disciplines of Mixed Martial Arts

2011-01-04T03:36:00.000-08:00

Mixed martial arts is a combination of various disciplines and the only weapon you have in this sport is your body. Do you have to be an expert in all of them? No but it will be useful to know what these are so when you are facing an opponent, you more or less have a strategy to counterattack his moves. Let's talk about some of these.

Kick boxing otherwise known as muay thai is a martial arts technique that uses both kicking and punching. It is a standing sport and the fight ends when the opponent hits the ground. This is a full contact sport. Some of the best known mixed martial artists who use this include Pedeo Rizzo and Bass Rutten.

Unlike kick boxing which was only introduced in the 1960's, boxing has been around since 688 B.C. Here, you are only allowed to use your hands to knock out your opponent. Although this fighting technique is not that effective on its own especially when you are fighting someone else using another discipline, this is still essential especially when you are fighting in close quarters with your opponent inside the octagon.

Another close quarter mixed martial art discipline is judo. Instead of punching or kicking your opponent, you have to grab and throw them into the ground. If this is not possible, you can also immobilize your opponent using a grappling maneuver.

Similar to judo is wrestling because learning winning depends on your ability to clinch, hold, lock and have leverage over your opponent.

Next is jujitsu which also focuses on grappling and ground fighting by using chokeholds and joint locks to force an opponent to submission.

There are other martial arts techniques aside from those mentioned. If you want to learn any of these disciplines, you have to join a gym so that a trainer will teach you the correct technique. In most beginner classes, no sparring is involved. It is only when you take advanced classes that you get to engage another student.

Do you get your money's worth when you sign up in a gym? This depends because there are some who don't teach that well compared to others. This is why you should ask around first and read some reviews. Better yet, you can visit the gym and avail of their free workout session so you get the feel of what it is like to exercise there.

While we often see people in mixed martial arts competitions use the various martial arts disciplines for offensive purposes, all of them were designed to do one thing and that is to protect yourself from situations that require you to stand up and defend yourself. You also get a good workout each time since you work up a sweat that will help you lose weight if you happen to carry a few extra pounds.

Just in case you didn't notice, most of the competitors in mixed martial arts competitions are physically fit. You can probably achieve this with the proper training and diet not so you can compete but so you can live a healthier lifestyle. If you choose to compete, you might big the next Ultimate Fighting Championship winner but only time will tell if you have what it takes.

A How to Guide to Discipline For Kids

2011-01-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

There's been a storm of talk surrounding a new parenting manual called The Guide to Honest Parenting. I know that discipline for kids can be hair pulling for the child and you. This is too familiar to me, being that I am a mother of 4 small children and at time's I need a "break". If you have experienced any of this, relax, I've done foot work and have taken the guess work out of it.

The Guide to Honest Parenting is not teaching a new technique such as every other new parenting guru, but a new parenting lifestyle. I am not saying that other parenting books or tools are not good, but I can vouch that this one is authentic. When you sign up for the guide, you're immediately able to download it so that you're able to start immediately working on improvement with your children. Like with any thing, consistency is key. I am not saying this will work over night, but it will work.

You'll receive:

- proven method that will work for all children, regardless of situation

- will work on children with mental disorders, bi-polar, add, adhd, etc.

- better communication

- peace within your home

- Improved grades and behavior

- ongoing support from professionals who are able to help with real life questions and situations

- and much more

Discipline for kids, or should I say my kids, improved tremendously after studying this. Discipline for kids or more so, your children, can get better also. Through implementing the methods given in this e-book, consistency and patience, you will definitely see a positive change in your children and your relationship with them.

CONCLUSION: I recommend this to anyone dealing with any type of behavior issue from their children. Discipline for kids no longer has to be a problem.

Click Here if you are seeking more information about child behavior and discipline. Again my name is Nekiwa Smith and I want to help you and your family with any behavior issues displayed.

Bodybuilding - Living the Lifestyle of a Bodybuilder After 50

2011-01-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Living the lifestyle of a bodybuilder does not necessarily mean you need to get up on stage and show the world the body you have developed. Though there is nothing wrong with that, most people will not go to those measures to do that. That takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Most people would rather just find ways to live a healthier life. Living the lifestyle of a bodybuilder means to live more disciplined, and taking care of our bodies to a whole new level through diet and exercise.

As with most things in life we do not value anything that was given to us for free. that includes our body. As we age the body begins to break down and before long it starts to take over our lives and, dictates to us how we will live our remaining years. It does not have to be that way. Changing our mindset to begin to eat better is a good start. Consuming more protein like fish and skinless chicken breasts are excellent sources of protein and is my main staple in getting my protein requirements when I train.

Living like a bodybuilder really is all about diet. Making wiser choices as we age. Consuming less fat, eating more grains and foods that are high in fiber. This keeps your fat content low and helps in the building of a leaner more efficient running body.

As you get older, getting that full 7-9 hours of sleep helps keep your hormones in check and gives your body the rest it needs to rebuild itself. Always plan to get the necessary sleep to keep your body physically and mentally strong. This is never as important as it is after you reach the age of 50. This is a major downfall for most people and just another reason we age faster then we should.

Living a bodybuilding lifestyle is all about mental discipline. Doing what you should whether you want to or not. That is what discipline is. Exercising for instance because you know building muscle today will serve you tomorrow. You have only one body, you have to be consumed on how to take care of it.

After 50 you are in your prime money making years. This is it. If your health falls apart now you are possibly hit with the possibility of not working and being financially torpedoed. Cleaning up your lifestyle with exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables may not guarantee a body that looks like a Greek god but, it will ensure you a healthier happier way of living.

Richard Haynes PTA/CPT
Punta Gorda, Florida.
http://www.richardhaynes.com
http://www.rhaynes.blogspot.com

Richard Haynes is a Physical Therapist Assistant and Personal Trainer for older adults who practices in Punta Gorda, Florida. Owner of Total Joint Fitness LLC Richard instructs patients and clients on exercise and nutrition and how to live healthier and stronger lives after 50.

Battling The Sedentary Lifestyle

2011-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, as the world continues to turn and spin, we all dive into the winding labyrinth of inactivity and dormancy. All the perks of easy living make things simple and effortless. Yet, the price we are paying in terms of declined health is staggering. Even the medical professionals are at a loss as how to help the population at-large deal and cope with all the problems and diseases associated with our new lifestyle reality. But it all boils down to something so simple, that the simplicity of the solution itself is what causes people to remain unmoved.

Sedentary lifestyles are to blame for a lot of the health problems we all face, all around the globe. Regular exercise brings so many benefits to the body, both mental and physical, and that is the reason why health experts have been preaching the inclusion of regular exercise to us for many decades now. So if you have not started on your path of physical fitness, here are some tips for you.

First on the list is to set goals. Successful people succeed because they make goals, plans and focus on them. If you are willing to shed sweat and calories in exercise, you need goals to get you going. Moreover, when you have goals, you can readily evaluate your progress throughout the course. Therefore, you can easily which spots you are lacking efforts on.

Seek motivators. Sometimes, goals don't work out on their own. You need to see some light at the end of the tunnel to get yourself kicking and moving. For example, a slightly overweight client enrolling themselves in a fitness program might want to set some rewards as milestones in the program are reached. Rewarding yourself as you make consistent progress is just one way to motivate yourself to keep going. Motivators, give people a sense of fulfillment when goals are successfully completed.

Discipline is a must. When working towards goals, focus is essential and the ability to focus on one task will need discipline. Motivators enhance the capacity of an individual to discipline themselves. Without discipline, even motivators won't work out. Even if you have the goals and you really aim hard in reaching your goals, without discipline things will be left behind.

As with any worthwhile endeavor in life, switching from a primarily sedentary lifestyle to one that is primarily active, requires time, goals, the right motivation and a good dose of discipline to make it happen. Remember, being fit is not a one-time thing, nor is it something to be relegated to the occasional weekend. A sedentary lifestyle is it's own punishment, and an active lifestyle is it's own reward. Give it a chance, and you will see for yourself that living more actively will completely change your life experience.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Schwinn 140, Schwinn 220. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Discipline: The Bridge to Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

2011-01-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

I almost hate incorporating the term "healthy lifestyle" within the title of this article as it has become quickly over used and undefined. Many people toss it about as if it need not come with instructions as to how to make it work. The truth is that many people struggle daily with how to go about the steps for living healthy.

Three Levels

In my opinion, there are levels of developing a healthy lifestyle. First, you must define the word 'health'. What does it mean to you? To be energetic, happy, and well rested? Eating more than the recommended amounts of vegetables and fruits? Or just being free of the symptoms of illness and disease? The second step is to set goals for improving your health, and creating an action plan with specific steps on how to get there. Start small with something simple like cutting back on the amount of foods that you eat or eating better quality foods that have less fat and calories. If you are beyond such a simple approach, maybe you are the type to seek out a dietician or nutritionist to help you on your way to better health.

Two Key Components

Whatever your personal approach to creating a healthy lifestyle is, two things are for certain ... you are going to have to improve what you eat and you are going to have to exercise on a regular basis. Period!

The Missing Ingredient

Why is something that is so simple, so difficult to do? The missing ingredient is discipline. For many people, this may sound like a cliche; however a lack of discipline and consistency can be a crippling poison to achieving a healthy lifestyle.

When I was in the hospital in 1995 at the age of 33 with an irregular heart beat, I had abandoned my exercise routine for several years. Ignoring the signs and warnings, I continued my ways of poor eating and no exercise. When I returned to the hospital for the same condition 8 years later I realized that something had to change, and tomorrow wasn't necessarily waiting around for me to get started. Oh, and by the way ... tomorrow isn't necessarily waiting around for you either.

The Bridge between Goals and Accomplishment.

Don't let a visit to the hospital be your warning sign. Start now, make a decision, get disciplined and start building your bridge to your healthy lifestyle by eating better and getting active on a daily basis. Discipline is the bridge.

Ken Crawford, President & CEO of Weight Loss Partners LLC, a motivational and accountability company pertaining to long term weight management offers his expertise in the area of becoming active on a consistent basis. Crawford stresses team approach to weight loss with the goal of building a foundation for living a healthy lifestyle for years to come.

Visit Weight Loss Partners at http://www.weightlosspartners.com and subscribe to receive a complimentary tip every week.

Mind, Body, Spirit, and Lifestyle

2011-01-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

I often feel like I'm a walking contradiction at times because I simply cannot align my spiritual being with my physical being. There always seems to be a struggle between the two because the body wants what it wants while my mind tells me that may not be the wisest choice.

For example chocolate ice cream, I love chocolate ice cream! However, I simply cannot eat it all the time. It's a fact that's it's fattening, full of sugar and doesn't contain all the necessary nutrients to sustain my good health. My mind knows this, but my physical craving for it to satisfy my taste buds rationalize otherwise thus creating the dilemma.

Should I obey and give in to my inner desire and craving for the ice cream or should I stand firm, resist the temptation and exert a little self discipline to maintain a healthier lifestyle? We make seemingly simple choices like that all day everyday. Although we may not pay the price right away for the choice we make for something as trivial as ice cream; our decisions for whether or not to instantly gratify our desires will have it's consequences over time.

I find this to be especially true as I'm fast approaching my 40th birthday. The choices and decisions I've made in my youth has not only caught up to me but is solidifying itself in my character, personality, and my lifestyle as well. No one becomes fat over night. I need to learn how and have the discipline to maintain a healthier lifestyle if I want to be slim,trim and fit.

Let's switch gear here for a moment and just pretend that the choice we have to make is a little bit more important than ice cream. Say religion, which seems to be an almost taboo subject these day. We have so many radicals and activists that's teaching us to be "politically correct", to be more accepting of other peoples lifestyles and less judgmental whether we agree with it or not.

When it comes to my own spirituality, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a Christian. Look no one's perfect. If the "politically correct" people don't want "religion" to be pushed on them, I'm fine with that. After all, I still like to think we have our own free will. The only problem is, I don't want gay and lesbian agenda pushed on me or my children either. "If we don't stand for something we'll fall for anything."

If we can't talk about God in school, I really don't want same sex marriages to be taught in the same school system either. So where am I going with all of this or what am I getting at? Our Lifestyle of course. My mind, body, and spirit may not always be in harmony, but what we chose today and everyday will most definitely define our lifestyle.

I've come to the conclusion that I simply cannot harmonize my mind, body, and spirit without mixing love, faith, and obedience. Being a Christian is not about being perfect, it's about being forgiven. Being able to forgive and love one another is the ultimate lifestyle.

Best of Success,

http://inspirationallifeplancoaching.com/

About the Author:

Terry Phong has a background in Human Development and loves people in general. To get more information on personal development for success follow the link => http://successwithterryphong.com

Weight Loss Tips - Lifestyle Changes For Weight Loss

2011-01-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

Are you trying to lose weight? Here is the key to losing weight - successful weight loss is usually achieved by making lifestyle changes, not temporary fixes. If you change your lifestyle to be more active and eat healthier, weight loss comes naturally. On the other hand, no matter how much initial weight you may lose with a 90 day diet and exercise program, your weight will bounce back if you do not adopt a healthy lifestyle after that 90 days.

Here are some strategies for successful weight loss:

1. Commit and decide - Know that losing weight permanently requires a commitment to higher standards of health. There is no overnight success. It takes time and effort, and lots of discipline. Commit to yourself that you are going to "gain health", not "lose weight".

2. Have realistic goals - Losing weight too fast is not only unrealistic, but also dangerous. Set goals that are attainable (as far as your standards are) so you don't throw the towel and give up even before the end of the first leg of the race.

3. Learn to love healthier foods - Reducing your calorie intake does not necessarily mean needing to give up all your favorite foods. In fact, you can still have your favorite dark chocolate cream cakes, as long as you stick to good healthy foods most of the time. Remember, its a marathon, not a sprint.

4. Get active - Pick exercises you enjoy, and start prioritizing time to workout daily. "Workout" does not mean you have to run 30 minutes on the treadmill. Even spending time playing frisbee with your kids can constitute as a good workout. Do a little everyday, but do it. No exceptions.

5. Get support emotionally - The last thing you want to hear from your wife when you get back from your workout is "Stop wasting time, it ain't gonna work!". If possible, get a partner for your daily workouts to give you emotional support. That not only gives you more motivation, but also makes the workouts more enjoyable.

6. Change your lifestyle gradually - We all avoid change, whether it is conscious or subconscious. Take changes gradually. For example, if you normally wake at 8am and would like to wake up 2 hours earlier to workout, start by waking up 30 minutes early, then another 30 minutes, then another. This way, your change will become more permanent, and you will find that the active lifestyle becomes a habit.

Remember, permanent weight loss is a commitment to better health standards. By changing your lifestyle, your healthy weight will come naturally.

Kent Tan is a full time article writer and web content publisher. Check out his latest website about Leather Hiking Boots and Winter Hiking Boots.

Does Being Healthy Feel Like a Chore? - Learn How to Get the Discipline to Keep a Healthy Lifestyle

2011-01-01T00:31:00.000-08:00

It's important, these days, to develop some level of discipline to protect us against the onslaught of toxins and addicting chemicals we face day in and day out, both in our food supply and in our environment around us. Every day we're out in the world, obviously being met by distractions at work, at the local store, while driving our cars, and while watching TV, all of which tempt us with unhealthy foods, and unhealthy behaviors.

We all have those "good intentions" when we first start striving after a healthy life style and we manage to stick to it for a while and then we sabotaged. You probably find that everything is OK when you are at home, but as soon as you go to work and you become susceptible to this and that and other kinds of things, then you need to start looking at this particular question... "How can I not be influenced by that suggestive environment and be like I am at home where I can actually get things done, and I can actually take action on those things that are good and healthy for me".

One of the most important things about discipline is that you have to be able to get yourself to take action. That's where it all starts. For example, you brush your teeth every day, you know how to start and drive your car, you know how to put gas in the car - these are all disciplines, these are things you are doing every day. You know how to go out and buy food, you lock your doors, these are disciplines, actions you are taking every day. When it comes to discipline, it's about that initial drive and strive to take the action.

There's a conflict somewhere out there in the general mindset of our society, where some people feel that they don't want any part of discipline because they just want to feel free to do whatever they want. But in fact, discipline actually creates freedom. It's through the disciplines that you practice every day, these very simple little things that you do every day, like a ritual, that creates freedom in your life.

Overtime, these little disciplines that we implement into our lives, when you start stacking them on top

of each other, what happens is that you get more done with less stress and concern, in a much shorter time, which actually gives you more freedom! That's what we all want. Discipline CREATES freedom.

Everybody, at some level suffers from a lack of discipline, maybe you go to bed sometimes without brushing your teeth - that's an example of a lack of discipline. But what actually creates us is our CONSISTENCY- with our basic daily habits, like brushing our teeth, if we miss a day, tomorrow more than likely, we'll be right back on top of it. If we miss doing a daily chore for 2 days, we'll probably be right back on top of it 2 days later, and if we miss a week, we'll be right back on top of it a week later. The consistency is the key. Our consistent actions is what makes us, and creates us.

By the way, this is we can attain health - discipline is the answer. We don't have to take on a whole 5 hour program, plus this and that and the other thing, mixed in different combinations, counting calories, how to do the exact amount of exercise to burn such and such amount of calories etc., etc. etc.

That stuff is designed to confuse us and complexify something that is totally simple.

Health is simple, illness is complex. Just look what's going on in hospitals - that's complex. It's much easier to take a preventative approach, doing a few simple actions each and every day. Also, what a difference in the stress level as well. All you have to do are small, consistent things every day.

We've all heard that knowledge is power, but really it is only POTENTIAL power. It's only when you act on that knowledge that it becomes something physical.

It's now possible educate ourselves in the field of health sciences today in a way that was never possible before - via the internet. It's when we ACT on this knowledge that we learn, that's when the results start to come, when the "magic" starts to happen. The key is to "do it NOW!". Where our attention is going, our energy will soon be flowing. If we can keep ourselves directed, and on point, what happens is that pretty soon our actions will follow. That's the key piece.

As you start putting these disciplines together, you create momentum. That's the key word. The reason you brush your teeth every morning is because you have momentum - you may have 15,000 days behind you when you have brushed your teeth, and my guess what's going to happen today is that you're going to brush your teeth again! That momentum has an affect where it forces us into action.

As you build that momentum, as you build those little steps, as you develop new disciplines that are in alignment with what your strengths are, you change your identity.

This is working with our strengths and avoiding our weaknesses. Don't waste your time spending years working on your weaknesses, concentrate on your strengths and give them all your attention.

Just start by doing all the little things, the little actions in the areas that you know you can do it, where your strengths lie. By getting that momentum behind you, it will bring about that shift in your identity. This will help you realize "Yep, I have the discipline!", "I am able" and "I can do it". Then you will be able to stick to your healthy lifestyle and implement all the healthy techniques and they will seem like second nature in no time. Don't get bogged down by what you feel you SHOULD do, just choose those small changes you know you CAN do and then JUST DO IT!!

There is a new system called the Longevity Now program, created by David Wolfe, our planet"s leading nutritionist, that teaches you step-by-step how to achieve stunning longevity, beauty, vitality, and prosperity... all through tiny, effortless, fun-filled steps (little daily disciplines!). It encourages and enables you to create the momentum you need, and the disciplines necessary to succeed in regaining your health.

There are some fascinating David Wolfe videos on this topic and others. All designed to help you attain your best health ever. he reveals how you can fortify your total being: mind, body, heart, and spirit... so that you are truly UNBREAKABLE and better yet, at the height of health, happiness, and prosperity. It's all possible when you have the right tools and support.

Lifestyle Tips For the Healthy Diabetic

2010-12-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some lifestyle tips for the healthy diabetic-

1. Change your diet.

A healthy diet coupled with proper nutrition can help the diabetic manage his or her condition. Obese people are at more risk to diabetes. So it is very important for diabetics to maintain a healthy weight. Actually, it is not only the diabetics who need to eat healthy. Changing your diet to healthier alternatives can help prevent other diseases in the long run. It is essential for the diabetic to especially cut down on carbohydrates, because glucose comes from this food group. And diabetes is concerned about the erratic levels of glucose in one's body. The amount of fats and salt one takes in should also be controlled. Diabetes has some associated risks including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Healthy eating can simply help in minimizing these associated risks and prevent any more diabetic complications.

2. Lead an active lifestyle.

Being sedentary is the worst thing a diabetic can do. Daily exercise can help a diabetic lose weight and maintain it at healthy levels. As mentioned earlier, diabetes has some associated risks like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.. Exercise can lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels. Exercise also lessens stress levels of the body. Another benefit of exercise is that it releases endorphins which are the natural pain relievers of the body. Exercise makes the blood circulate normally which is sometimes constricted due to the high glucose levels coming from diabetes.

3. Monitor your glucose levels constantly.

Glucose testing on a constant basis can help the diabetic monitor his or sugar levels and make adjustments on their food and medicinal intake. A diabetic who does not know how to check up on his or her glucose level is like a beginner driver mindlessly maneuvering a vehicle. It is definitely imperative that a diabetic knows how to test his or her glucose level. This will aid the diabetic in controlling his or her food intake. This will also warn the diabetic if his or her physical activities are not enough. All diabetics have a mark or goal on what their glucose level should be. Testing constantly can help diabetics in managing properly their condition.

Diabetes should not be life sentence. With discipline, a diabetic can lead a healthy and happy life. The above lifestyle tips are simple enough for the diabetic to follow. Constant encouragement from family and friends can help the diabetic achieve this healthy lifestyle. Except for constant glucose testing, the said lifestyle tips are actually applicable to everyone. And apart from for gene-influenced diabetes, diabetes can actually be prevented. Even people without this condition should be aware of the above lifestyle tips in order to prevent going into the other direction.

If you or someone you love has diabetes, it's important to get educated. Diabetes is very treatable, but requires knowledge and care. Diabetic Info was started to help you get the information you need to deal with diabetes, such as blood sugar testing tips [http://diabeticinfo.org/blood-sugar-testing-tips-for-diabetics.html] for you or the person you love with diabetes.

Learn How to Break Free From Boundaries That Hold Us Back From Our Dream Lifestyle

2010-12-31T03:58:00.000-08:00

The building of your foundation starts with your parents teaching you about life. You learn mostly everything from how your parents operate and how they tell you to operate. Most people's parents have worked their whole life and do not know any other way of making money. I want to stress that money is not the key to getting to your dream lifestyle. You need money to survive and pay bills that are necessary to live comfortably. Getting to your dream lifestyle is something that might seem surreal and unrealistic to you. It is definitely possible and you must believe that you will achieve your goals to get you to your dream lifestyle.

Most likely it is because you have never been around somebody that is achieved getting to their dream lifestyle. The mentalities of the ones who teach us a lot of times passes along to the student to then continue that cycle to their students. It is no surprise that the ones that are caught in the rat race pass along their mentality of staying in the rat race unconscious or consciously. The way that you operate life of getting a job and working that job for 30 to 50 years is the most common way we are taught.

What is obvious to the public and to yourself is that way does not get you to your dream lifestyle. The best way to break free from the rat race is to learn from those who have done it before you. The very first step is obtaining the knowledge that will help you build your grand plan. This information can only come from the source of those who have escaped the rat race or one who possesses the knowledge from the source. In my learning time the only knowledge that I consider valuable is from those experts that have escaped the rat race and have built great wealth outside of it.

Overall getting out of your 9 to 5 does require money. Financial freedom means that you are free from the stress from the obligation of any bills for life. The first way to financially free yourself is to build residual income that goes well beyond what your financial obligations are. The second way is to build a a large amount of money that can not be dissolved through your financial obligations. Both ways of building residual income and building up millions of dollars through your business are what you want to embrace.

You now have solid first step which is to continue to indulge in valuable information related to your niche. You must get this information straight from the source of millionaires or in between source that learns only from millionaires. Your knowledge will formulate into your plan and you will have to stay disciplined and focused on achieving all of the goals that you plan on. This will help you break free from your boundaries and eventually escape the rat race. Don't expect this to happen in a short amount of time. This can take several months to years and years of work.

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Lifestyle - Its Effect on Blood Pressure

2010-12-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

The one main thing to be looked at when we find out that we have high blood pressure is lifestyle. It really can make a big difference, but it is harder to change than we might think. It's easy to say don't eat this and don't drink that, but in reality it is not an easy thing to do.

Discipline and willpower is what is needed in bucket loads to suddenly change the way we live our lives. If a person has Hypertension then they can make a big difference by changing their lifestyles. Sometimes a few changes is all that is needed to bring the blood pressure down to a normal level. Once we get it back to a normal level doesn't mean we can go back to how we were living our life before, we have to maintain our new way of living.

An obvious change can be to loose weight if we are overweight, this can have a big impact on lowering blood pressure. A good way to lose weight effectively is to stop eating takeouts and processed foods and start eating freshly prepared food, with fresh vegetables and fruit. This coupled with a good exercise routine will see the weight start to fall (Please get Doctors advice before starting an exercise routine). Crash diets will not work, the only way to lose weight properly is to eat healthy foods and exercise.

Other obvious lifestyle changes are to give up smoking, cut down on alcohol intake and cut down on salt intake. There are many more things we can do to normalize blood pressure but as you can see from these few things they are easy to write and easy to read and say but how easy are they to sustain as a permanent change.

The main engine in our bodies, the heart needs good food and exercise to keep it healthy and we owe it to ourselves to provide it with just that, the heart works hard for us day in day out and we need to respect it. So whether you have hypertension or not, take a look at your own lifestyle and see if there are a few changes you can make to help keep you heart that little bit healthier.

I am sure your heart and your overall health is important to you, it's bound to be after all no one wants to be unhealthy or have Hypertension. If you would like to find out more about High Blood Pressure and what can be done to bring it down and keep it at a normal level then go visit MonitorBloodPressure.Net. Changing our lifestyle is doing things naturally and hopefully avoiding medication. Breathing can have an impact.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips - 10 Top Tips You Can Apply Now to Start Living a Healthier Life

2010-12-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you looking to have improved wellness in your life these healthy lifestyle tips will get you off to a great start. All it takes is some small consistent, disciplined daily changes and you can feel younger, have more energy and therefore lead a longer life that can be disease free.

~ Healthy Lifestyle Tips ~

1. Change your eating habits by ditching the fast food and junk food. Processed foods eaten consistently can lead to diabetes & other serious health complications. Eat more protein, low glycemic index fruit & vegetables plus drink lots of water every day. Its still ok to reward yourself with cheat meals/days occasionally.

2. Invest in some quality cellular nutrition supplements. These are anti aging and give your body the anti oxidants, vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients it needs to function properly. Energy boosting too!

3. Start to make moves by quitting those bad vices like smoking, drugs and alcohol. We all like a drink occasionally but moderation is the key word here. Long term these vices can kill you and if they don't your quality of life can suffer.

4. Exercise your body on a regular, consistent basis. Daily if possible & you must do something you enjoy otherwise you won't keep it up long term.

5. Visit your doctor every year for a medical check up. Prevention is better than cure.

6. Associate and mix with positive, healthy people. This will rub off on you and its a great support network when you all live the healthy lifestyle together.

7. Use positive affirmations several times per day to keep your sub conscious mind focused and remove negativity.

8. Have a good balance between work and play. Make time to relax and enjoy yourself with family and friends. Too much work creates stress and this can lead to disease & illness in your body.

9. Love yourself. Its important to love yourself & take time to do things for you as well. If you don't love yourself how can you love others?

10. Enjoy your job. Job satisfaction has to be a major priority if you are to live a healthy life. Find something you are passionate about and look to do that as a job, it then doesn't feel like you are working.

Start to apply some of these healthy lifestyle tips today and gradually over time include more and more into your daily life. You'll be amazed at how better you will feel both mentally and physically.

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http://www.healthylifestyletips.org/

Barry Cross has over 30 years experience in the health & wellness industry.

Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle

2010-12-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

What is a healthy lifestyle? Read the first sentence again and think about what a healthy lifestyle is, once you can see and understand what a healthy lifestyle is and what it means to you you have to take the steps to get there.

I am twenty-six years old I had been unhealthy since I could remember. I always tried to be healthy but it would never last for more than a month or two this frustrated and angered me because I thought that products would bring me satisfaction. When I turned twenty-five I also looked at that phrase "what is a healthy lifestyle". After I had figured out what it meant to me and that you cannot just be healthy, you have to make it your lifestyle, I was free. Free from thinking it was all a quick fix free from the products shoved down our throats magic pills and wonder tonics. I could see what needed to be done and I am doing it. Since my realisation I have lost a total of thirty-eight kilograms dropped from a pants size of forty-two to a size thirty-four, became a vegetarian and I incorporate exercise into my day-to-day life.

The first step to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle is your mindset you have to be willing to sacrifice everything you are used to so that you can uncondition your mind. Remember that we live in a fast-paced world where we are constantly bombarded with advertisements designed to make us crave the unhealthy aspects of life. I am not just talking about food but also alcohol, restaurants, bars, smoking and many more.

The first and only step is discipline if you can discipline your mind and control your cravings you will win the battle. I am winning mine but still I fight, it is a long process but no magic pill or tonic will do anything for you unless you have control over yourself.

When I started on my journey just over a year ago I had cut out all dairy and carbohydrates making sure to eat only healthy meals, which meant no fast food whatsoever. Soon I was exercising three times a week which has now become four times a week, mainly cycling and weight training. My starting weight was one hundred and eighteen kilograms I am now weighing in at eighty kilograms. I achieved this in just over a year, believe me if I can do it anyone can do it.

So the next time you buy into a fad diet just remember that whatever means you use will not be nearly as powerful as your own discipline, control your mind and you will control your life.

It starts with you - proactive health ! [http://mind-health-money.blogspot.com]

Better "Bodybuilding" With Six Hypertrophy Tips - Creating a Better Building Lifestyle

2010-12-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

I know that "bodybuilding" is an individual effort that requires each person their own dedication, discipline, and determination to train by themselves at any time and ways needed. Each person is responsible for their own actions, such as the choice of what foods to eat or not, what supplements to take and what degree of consistency a person will dedicate to training.

I have been doing training and coaching for many years and in the process have created guidelines that are suitable for anyone no matter what stage of training they are in. Although each of us differs in physiological system, there is some commonality that will assist anyone in attaining his or her physique goals. These are my hypertrophy tips.

Tip # 1: Compound movements - include military, leg, or bench presses, squats, dead lifts, dips, upright rows, stiff dead lifts, and many more physical movements as the bases for your physique exercises. Isolation and machine training can also help if done with these movements.

Tip # 2: Intense but brief training - Intense weight training is the right way to build muscle but it should be done briefly so that the muscle will not be over trained. The training should be completed within an hour or less than an hour to give muscle enough time to recover.

Tip # 3: Train and rest - When you do the training for two consecutive days, take the whole third day to rest so the muscle will have the best results you wanted. You can also try every other day workout muscle training. The muscle grows at the gym but it grows more when you rest.

Tip # 4: Protein for the muscle - Muscles need protein in building and repairing muscle tissues. It is essential to eat foods rich in protein. Weight gain may be blocked when daily protein intake is not enough. 1 gram of protein for each pound of body weight is usually enough for trainees but for professional body builders, they consume daily 1.5 to 2 grams per pound of body weight for faster gains.

The protein intake should be proportioned to 5 to 7 daily meals so the body will have available amino acids throughout the day's workout. Among the sources of protein are fish, chicken, turkey, red meat, cottage cheese, eggs, buffalo, venison, ostrich, milk, and whey.

Tip # 5: Post work out nutrition - After a hard and intense workout, the body, especially the muscle, would crave for protein and carbohydrates. To help the muscle grow stronger and larger, grab this perfect time to give what it wants. For protein rich, post work out nutrition, prepare a shake that contains 30 to 50 grams of protein and 60 to 100 grams of carbohydrates.

The primary option for protein source for the post work out is the whey; it is not only high in protein, it is also the kind of protein that is easy to absorb. The carbohydrates should also be easy to absorb so that it could penetrate the insulin level of the body.

Insulin is the key factor in bringing carbohydrates and amino acid to the cells of the muscles. For fast-acting carbohydrates with high insulin level, the best source is the dextrose or the maltodextrin powder. You can mix it with whey for a good tasting shake and best work out nutrition. The body would still ask for more proteins, so after an hour or two prepare a meal with protein and carbohydrates. This post workout nutrition will help the muscle to gain more.

Tip # 6: Right supplements - To make progress in your workout, supplements may help you in one way or another. You have to know first which supplements are right for your muscle. There are 3 supplements that can be useful and must be included in the list of trainees. The first one is the protein powder. Whey is the best source of protein; it is not only good as post workout nutrition but also as supplements for the muscle building. Casein, whey, and egg albumin when blended together can be a best source of protein. Take it before bedtime or at any time in between regular meals.

The second supplement is creatine. Its benefits and efficiency has been scientifically proven. Use of it can increase strength, nitrogen retention, cell development, and lactic acid buffering.

The third supplement is the glutamine. More glutamine can enhance immunity and resistance, add storage of glycogen, produce more glutathione for antioxidants of the body, improves gut health, cell development, and release of natural growth hormone.

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Weight Loss Success - Extreme Self-Discipline Made Easy

2010-12-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

How many times have you decided that another diet did not work? Was it the diet that did not work or your self-discipline that failed? Just about any diet will eliminate those unwanted pounds, when you learn to use your self-discipline.

Everyone has self-discipline to one degree or another. If you are not fit, you simply need to learn to use your self-discipline.

Prior to joining a health club in 1987, I was very undisciplined in every area of my life. For example, in the middle of a freezing North Dakota winter, I received a utility company notice that my power would be shut off immediately since I had not paid my bill.

Of course I had not paid my bill, I could not find it. Because I did not want to freeze, I quickly paid the bill. I realized being undisciplined and procrastinating was not a good lifestyle.

Because of my undeveloped self-discipline, I took 5 years to get my 4-year degree. I just did not bother to exert myself. Developing self-discipline requires energy. Energy comes from exercising. Once I began exercising in March 1987, my energy level steadily increased. I began to realize that I was in control of my life.

Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, the less you use your self-discipline, the weaker it gets.

The first step to developing self-discipline is simply understanding this: you CAN develop extreme self-discipline! Get the notion out of your head that you do not have self-discipline.

The second step to developing self-discipline is to set up your environment for success. Toss all your trigger foods. How do you expect to be successful at weight loss when you are constantly tempted by those tasty, crunchy foods in your pantry? It is much easier to say no once at the grocery store than have to say no hundreds of times daily to those same snacks.

Replace all fat-promoting foods with fit-promoting quality foods. In Lose the Lies Lose the Weight, http://www.losethelieslosetheweight.com, I provide extensive lists of fat-promoting versus fit-promoting foods which will teach you exactly how to eat for weight loss success.

Finally, join a health club. Gaining control of your discipline requires energy. Energy comes from regular physical activity, not channel or Internet surfing. Exercise eliminated my procrastination and lack of self-discipline.

After I began exercising in March 1987, everything in my life changed. I no longer had to take several naps every day. I began to get things done. I quickly completed my college degree. I wrote Step by Step Phonics, competed in natural bodybuilding competitions (and won), ran 5 K's, got in shape after two kids, started a business, wrote Lose the Lies Lose the Weight, and had the energy to accomplish every goal I set.

Do you realize, my friend, the amount of energy and talents that you haven't tapped into because you have not utilized your self-discipline? What you can accomplish will amaze you once you simply use your self-discipline.

What are you waiting for? You have things to do. Accept that you can and will develop self-discipline. Second, eliminate all those fat-promoting foods. Read Lose the Lies Lose the Weight, http://www.losethelieslosetheweight.com if you need motivation. Finally, join a health club. Once you take these action steps, you will create the life and fitness results that you desire. Take control of your life today.

About the Author
Laurie Bell, BS is a two-time bodybuilding champion, weight loss coach, fitness writer, 42-year-old mother, and the author of Lose the Lies, Lose the Weight, http://www.losethelieslosetheweight.com, a comprehensive resource covering weight loss motivation, fitness, nutrition, and body shaping workouts. For everything you need to lose weight, tone, firm, and sculpt your body, read Lose the Lies Lose the Weight. No hype. No fad diets. No excuses.

Discipline - The Ultimate Key To Weight Loss And Fitness And Life

2010-12-28T13:17:00.000-08:00

It has been over a year since I reached my current weight, and people are still asking me what my "secret" was. Almost everyone is expecting me to give out some sort of "magic" solution. Looking back there were really only two principles that were core to my own personal success. The first of course was having reliable and accurate weight loss information. Real weight loss information, not the ineffective stuff mainstream media likes to tell us; the only thing I loss following their advice was lots of time. The second key to success was discipline. Even with the perfect information at hand, I would not have lost even a single ounce if I did not exercise self-discipline to carry out the information.

Most of us prefer to avoid pain and discomfort; it is our nature. We would rather do the things that are pleasurable. Willfully engaging in activities that are both discomforting and even occasionally painful goes against our grain. And yet, to achieve the physique that so many people desire requires us to do these very things. This is where discipline comes in. To go from couch potato who only did light workouts a couple days week from to a hardcore doing heavy cardio twice a day every day required me to develop strong discipline. Discipline to drag myself out of bed early in the morning so I can complete my cardio in time to get ready for work. Discipline to push myself hard during cardio, not light and easy while reading magazines or books. It means I walked away from my favorite junk foods and eat the same foods day in, day out. It means I go to the gym, regardless how bad my mood, and I stay until I complete my exercises, not when I am merely tired. It means I do the painful, hard exercises, instead of the comfortable, easy ones. To do all these things not because I have to or because I predilection for pain but because that is what it takes.

But my greatest exercise in discipline comes not from refraining eating unhealthy and fattening foods or attending my workouts religiously, but disciplining myself to continue on when I fail in these things. I see this often; a person starts well on a weight loss plan, and then they are human enough to have a setback. Perhaps it was a day or two of skipped workouts, or maybe a late night binge. Many of those people get lost in despair, and then give up. What separates the success from failure is the ability to continue you to push on, regardless of setbacks, or failings on your part. This form of self-discipline is known as persistence. Most people who successfully lost weight will tell you they had their bad moments yet pressed on anyway. They persisted until the end. It is good to have the discipline have a healthy lifestyle, even better to have the discipline to stick with it when you slip up.

The good news is that anyone can improve their discipline regardless how much they have been lacking in the past. The first step is to accept responsibility for you, and not play the victim game or blame game. Acknowledge that you will resist the unpleasant tasks and be tempted. Just the way life is but realizing it goes along way towards controlling ourselves. Our imagination loves to make excuses or wallow in our past failures. But remind yourself you need to do them nonetheless, and then do them. Action allows you kill two birds with one stone; you accomplish the task that needed to be done while developing your self-discipline. Each time you successfully exercised self-discipline, remember the accomplishment; it serves to build motivation and to further strengthen your discipline, and as you continue, they can develop into habits, good habits. Monitor yourself in realtime and when you catch yourself in the act, stop. It will take time, but continuing to practice these, you can grow your self-discipline to where you are simply doing what needs to be done, instead of avoiding it. A major tenet of Taoism states that to control yourself is the ultimate form of mastery. Mastering self-discipline in one are, such as weight loss, will carry over to other aspects of your life. Start today your mastery and achieve the life you desire, in weight loss or simply life in general.

A runaway weight loss success story. Lost over 80 pounds in four months (36 of those pounds in just six weeks)- went from 240 to 160, kept all of it off for nearly a year, so far. I am sharing with others my research that led to my success so they too may control their weight. Find out more at http://www.obesetoathletic.com/

Child Discipline Tips For Parents

2010-12-28T02:31:00.000-08:00

How do you discipline your child? Do you smack them? Do you yell at them? Do you put them in the corner for time out? The word "discipline" actually means to teach or instruct. That should be a big hint for parents. Discipline doesn't actually have to be punishment. There is a difference.

Punishment is when you do something to your child because of bad behaviour, like smacking or grounding them. Discipline does not have to be an occurence; it would be more likely to be a lifestyle. When we want our children to behave we have certain expectations for them, right? So in order for us to get our kids to obey the rules, we need to be first be obeying them. I'm very serious here.

Think about the little things. When you are looking for a car park at the Mall and there are no parks anywhere, how do you react? Your kids are watching you. If you show patience and courtesy to other drivers your kids will be likely to do the same. This is leading your children correctly. And when you do this properly, having to discipline becomes much less likely. Do you understand what I am saying? It is of the utmost importance for parents to get things right, otherwise our children will not follow.

There are still times when we need to enforce the rules by giving out consequences to our children. It is, however, important that our kids know in advance what these consequences will be for certain behaviours. You can even write a list and stick it on the wall in the bedroom. This helps the children by letting them decide if they are willing to misbehave and take the consequence. When you can get this happening, discipline becomes much easier. The kids end up disciplining themselves. When they do something wrong they know what is coming their way.

However you choose to discipline, you need to adhere to a few basic rules: do the same thing consistently, don't back down when you have decided on a consequence, and let your children know that they are loved despite their behaviour. When you do this, your kids will begin to flourish and child discipline will become easier.

Kim Patrick is a single mother with four children, living in Queensland, Australia. She is a seminar speaker, author and parent coach, and runs an online mentoring program for parents. She is also creator of the "My Sleeping Angel" CD series, aimed at facilitating behavioural changes in children while they sleep.

Parents can obtain a copy of her best selling CD for just one dollar by signing up for parent mentoring at http://www.yourchildcanbehave.com. These CDs have given Kim national television exposure and have helped hundreds of children change their behaviour as a result.

Don't want the mentoring? Go to http://www.mysleepingangel.com/digital if you would rather buy a copy than get one for free.

Discipline As an Effective Success Tool

2010-12-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

Discipline is the ability to have absolute control over everything that has to do with your lifestyle. It is an effective tool that can set the pace in achieving success in life. The process of implementing discipline is however not that easy, especially for those who are not willing to make sacrifices. In this article, I will be focusing on some areas where we need to exercise restrain if we are determined to achieve success.

Time

Effective time management is one of the key factors in achieving any measure of success in life. Some individual find it extremely difficult to manage their time and ultimately fail to maximize its full benefit. God in his infinite wisdom created time as a tool to aid man in achieving various task. There are 24 hours in a day, 1176 hours in a week and 56448 hours in a year. This statistics can make a whole lot of difference between success and failure, as an hour lost in frivolous activities can prove disastrous. When time is lost in doing nothing tangible, it can never be recovered. We must thus learn the act of disciplining ourselves to be time conscious.

Money

It is not so easy to accumulate wealth, but a lot easy to squander it. The act of creating wealth can take months, years or even decades to achieve, but if discipline is not applied, it can be lost within seconds. There is a story in the bible about the prodigal son, who asked his father one fateful day to give him his inheritance. The equivalent value of his inheritance then was calculated by bible scholars to be in the region of more than $2 million dollars. This recalcitrant son went to enjoy himself in a far country, and within few weeks, expended all the money and resources given to him. It soon degenerated to a stage where he started eating with pigs. That was the resultant effect of an undisciplined lifestyle.

Lifestyle

Our feeding habits, dress sense and attitude toward others form part of our overall lifestyle. The ability to discipline ourselves in the way we eat and drink can determine our far we can progress in life. Gluttony and drunkenness are sure signs of an undisciplined lifestyle, which must be discouraged. Promiscuity and sexual recklessness must also be properly handled if one is determined to excel in life. A careful study of successful individuals will indicate the absence of these obnoxious tendencies which are capable of ruining all the good achievements that have been painstakingly put in place.

Discipline can be regarded as the human thermostat which helps put an individual in check whenever he/she is deviating from the norm into the abnormal. The ability to respond to these signals and let go of any harmful habit will surely strengthen the foundation of success and build walls around investment portfolios which would have been lost in height of pleasure and vanity.

Clement Sadjere is an Author, a motivational speaker and an information product sales/ marketing expert. He can be reached via telephone on +2348052790262
He is the owner of http://www.grelohi.com a free article directory website

The Battlefield Of Discipline in Trading

2010-12-27T05:37:00.000-08:00

DISCIPLINE

You need to understand that no amount of goals setting without discipline can lead to success. You cannot succeed in trading without discipline. No one can succeed in any business let alone trading without absolute discipline. Discipline is the bedrock of successful traders. It's the discipline that separate human accomplishment from human failure, successful traders from unsuccessful traders, winning trades from losing trades. It allows you to stay glue with your goal and desire. I really believe you and I cannot be exceptionally happy without discipline, in the same way we cannot be exceptionally organized, wealthy, and intelligent without any form of discipline. In my own views and few traders I have interviewed, trading system is rated far below discipline and money management in the ladder of success in trading business. The best place to meet people of great achievers, investors, traders, writers, lovers, fathers, etc is the club of discipline. It's the only parameter that separates you from million traders. A discipline person knows he must be willing to dedicate 100% of his time and other resources to the success of a chosen profession. No matter what it takes, he's willing to endure. The ability to execute each trade as planned is discipline. When you follow through your trading system and plans, you exercise good discipline. The trading system may be well back-tested and reliable, its discipline that will makes it work and effective. No system can be 100% accurate and generate 100% winning trades at all time thus during the drawdown, its discipline that will make you take the loser quickly and move to next trade, stick to the system as long as you believe in workability and reliability that in the long run it will generate profits. The discipline of the trader manifests in his decision taking. When you are trading, always remind yourself that discipline in terms of acceptance of the outcome of the result in whichever way is taking responsibility. You must accept the risk before you open any position. Trading should be treated like a business, uplifting yourself from realm of unconscious state of emotional and rational incompetence to mental and emotional state of competence is as result of proper preparation and discipline. When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn says Harriet Beecher Stowe. My experience has really helped to make simple classification of discipline in trading. Emotional, System and Professional Discipline. A trader may not be perfect in all but should strive to improve every day.

Emotional Discipline

I have read books upon books about how to remove emotion from trading yet I have not seen anyone who has successfully removed emotion from trading. I have only seen people who are aware of their emotion. You cannot totally remove emotion from trading - never. But since you understand now that your self-awareness is the most important discipline factor, you can use any level of your emotion to your advantage (conscious and unconscious). There is logical distinction between being aware of feelings and acting to change. The emotion authors, writers, and other traders are trying to explain is the unconscious emotion. These two emotions need not be generalized as emotion cannot be totally eradicated in trading. The way to work it out is through discipline and understanding by bringing the unstable unconscious emotion to stability. The moment emotion comes into awareness, evaluation set in.

From psychological point of view it's understood that unconscious action is brought into awareness, it registers in the cortex and the cortex can evaluate things anew, decide to change the outlook. Feeling (emotion) is part of decision making, analyzing it makes it rational. Traders more often than not are deceived by price actions of the market by the force of buyers and sellers who try hard to push the price action to their desirable position. The price might not be true value of a particular underlying instrument but the force of emotions by buyers and sellers at that particular time caused it. Since trading the markets are zero-sum transactions it is not mathematically possible to ever know with certainty that any trade assumption or guessing will be right except later after the position has been opened. However as price discounts the true state of the market at any particular time, a trader should understand that the price is there because that's where it should be and it's caused by the force of demand and supply. So if you as a trader feel indifference about the current price, the ability to remain in stillness and calmness position in spite of the price action movement without force of emotion to take unjustified trades is what I refer as Emotional Discipline. You must at some point in the market 'Stand down'. Do nothing other than watching the force of other buyers and sellers in the market. When you are emotionally disciplined you will stay with the principle of stillness, calmness and avoid chaos caused by other traders especially when you cannot digest element of understanding in prevailing market direction. Remember we fear what we don't understand.

Professional Discipline

No one knows all. Nobody has all the answers. Knowing that you do not know anything is far wiser than thinking that you know a lot when you really don't. A professional trader knows what he doesn't know, his weakness and make up for it. This ability of a trader to know what he doesn't know and discipline himself to seek knowledge and education for improvement in order to be a better trader not minding the cost is what I called Professional Discipline. It's a known fact that only 3% of readers read a whole book starting from chapter one. Same goes to what is being learnt or taught. The only 3% traders who strive for improvement everyday reach the professional level. To reach professional level education is the key and the only way. Nothing happens until it is discipline. Indiscipline vision is a chatter vision, indiscipline traders are failed traders. Professional discipline begins with your mind. You have to unclutter your mind from prejudices effect of the market. Direct your focus and attitude on the main thing that is happening not what you think should happen in the market. Strive to be a better trader, work on yourself and attitude.

System Discipline:

The common saying by traders and analysts is Plan your trade and trade your plan, yet only few traders stick to this simple rule. The premise of system discipline is your ability to discipline yourself to trade your system, accept the risk and outcome of your trades, win or loss after you have tested the system. The best trading system often seems idiotically simple to some traders who are unaccustomed to this sort of trading. It's the system discipline that espouses your edge after considering available mathematical facts and variables and emotional detachment from the market. Perhaps in the world of trading, no matter how discipline you are, you will experience losers. Your system will fail to generate profit. This is not new; all trading system has drawdown time. Accept and improve on it. Remember failing or losing trade is a step closer to a winning trade. Be strategically discipline and know when things are not working, thus stop. I am no better in this regards or victim of any of the discipline like other behavioral patterns of market participants. Be a wise trader who learns from mistakes of others.

Enemies of Discipline

Fear! Fear is a form of negative or positive instruction from the brain. With fear blood goes to the large skeletal muscles, such as in the legs, making it easier to flee. You want to flee from what you fear because you lack disciple. Fear is an enemy of discipline. Everybody fears one thing or another; Dr Susan Jeffries admitted and says ' As long as I continue to stretch my capabilities, as long as I continue to take risks in making my dreams come true, I am going to experience fear in fact we all fear what we don't understand. This is usually caused by ignorance or lack of understanding. Un-disciplined mind will not be patient to learn what is necessary especially in trading or analyze his fear. Fear is analysed as the greatest enemy of success in life, it's the enemy of traders. Traders have many fears such as fears of losing, fear of missing out, among other fears. This is detailed in the last edition of this magazine. There are other fears known to man such as

Fear of Failure

This is the most prevalent form of fear. All new traders have this form of fear at one point or the other. When a trader loss a trade and experience drawdown in his account beyond what he could imagine, fear gripes him and his interest of trading dwindles, he loses the drives and desire to trade again. He automatically avoids trading. This fear is caused by lack of discipline. You need to learn all you need and move on in the business. You are afraid because you don't want to fail again. Henry Ford was once asked by a journalist about advice he would give to aspiring entrepreneur, he said 'He should double the rate of his failure'. The only way to do that is doing what you afraid of.

Fear of Success

The fear of success comes from not believing that you are destiny to succeed. Earlier in my life, I fear success as undesirable element, as if it's meant for certain people until I had a turnaround in my academic. I struggled to champion a course and I succeed in doing that while those I believe to be smart are no smarter than me either. How in hell am I sabotaging victory myself, robbing myself the joy of success through fear of success? I never realized that I am not doing any good to myself neither my society admitted success as my virtue. The fundamental cause of this is your background and self-belief. Don't rob yourself of success because you deserve it. It's your nature. Everybody deserves to succeed. Stop thinking that the world will expect more from you when you succeed, the world will pay you for what you bargain. On the other hand, fears could be analysed and worked on because it could be a good source of spotting future danger. In this case it should be seen as stepping stone not stopping block.

The Fear of Unknown

Have you ever wanted to do something and you never did? Have you ever wanted to place trade after your analysis and held back? All this is caused by fear of unknown. You don't want to because you don't know what is likely to happen. When you're afraid of what you don't know, you're more inclined to almost implement a new trading strategy. For instance, you'll open a live account and then not quite follow through on everything you learned from the demo account experience. You're afraid of what will happen if you just let the strategy fly with real money. That's a good way to lose your live account. You look for confirmation here and there because you fail to analyze your fear. Yes, I have felt like this in some many ways during trading, I have overcome this by just analyzing my fear a bit more and understand why I am afraid of pulling the trigger. You will not be comfortable giving in to this kind of fear because it's an enemy of disciple. You fail to place a trade because you are afraid, some minute later you see price action swinging rapidly in that direction and what next - you bite your finger and you look stupid for not taking such trade. Now, you are angry with yourself and force yourself to take a trade, this time it swing against you and say, I know it will. This market is always against me. Doing all this will not help you as a trader, in fact it will ruin you fast as a trader. Why not start even if you may think you would fall.

DISTRACTION

If you are a trader, you would agree with me that you have lost some trades due to distraction from family member such as kids, spouse or relative if you are married while if unmarried distracted by friends, siblings, fianc? etc. Little wonder I have, when loss is insignificant and when it is, you surfer it alone. Distraction is what you experience when trading and you will feel like doing other things like sleeping, strolling, or gisting even surfing the internet. You experience different form of distraction in one way or the other in your life especially when you are not concentrating on the job at hand at the moment.

Does it mean distraction is bad at all? I don't think so, too much distraction is bad, and little sometimes might be good and refreshing. I have in many ways allowed myself to be distracted a bit from work at hand which I found to be very comfortable with. This is dangerous as we will all agree but remember there is always time to the most important thing. It's all about managing yourself. Little distraction means a lot in trading and life because it's lack of discipline and concentration, how many of us have been allowed to be distracted from a project just in time and never finished such project again, thousand. That's what distraction can lead to. Trading is now moment business especially if you are an intraday trader nobody knows what is likely to happen next so allowing yourself to be distracted can be detrimental, you have to stay focus. Avoiding distraction in your trading means doing the most important things like trade analysis, news reading, working on the chart for other purposes, writing the article or book you want to write. You need maximum concentration without internal and external form of distraction during that moment. If you are discipline enough you will avoid dangerous distraction.

DELAY

When you are allowed to be distracted you have delay in finishing the project because your distraction will make you procrastinate what to do. Procrastination is a form of delay, the act of putting off what you are supposed to do now. I am guilty of procrastination in many ways, I understand it consequence, and I worked at it everyday. I live in now moment for days and do little that count just to avoid procrastination and hesitancy. I want to be dependable, I want to finish up what I have started with deadline but not putting much pressure on myself. I want to work and have fun. I've been told that sometimes, you just can't think clearly about a project until the very last minute. I accept that as valid as this has happened to me many times. At the last minute I seem to have the mental resources to complete a project, doing this will make you happy either because it lacks character building or saps your characters. Discipline is the enemy of delay. When you are discipline as a trader you ultimately avoid delay to the last minute before preparation. You don't wake up at the time you want to trade but a little more before the time. For instance, when I decided to trade Asian Session, I just need to take a little nap before waking up. I would wake more than two hours before the Asian session begins just to avoid rush or delay in planning my trades. I try as much as possible to avoid delay, procrastinate my sleep for another hour just to take advantage of the Asian market and wake up at the middle of the night for my analysis. In order for you to succeed as a trader, (forex or future) you will need to let go some bad attitude of delay and procrastinate what seem unimportant for what is important. I learnt how to use procrastination to my advantage when I listened to Now Habit Audio Program by Neil Fiore PhD. You may want to do that also. Many a trader prefers staying in a losing trade far too long just to avoid losses. This means they are procrastinating what is more important - the exit even when they know that the potential f winning such trade has diminished. This can drain your account faster than anything. I am writing from experience, I have lived with such habit and I know how it could affect your trading also.

DESPAIR

When you trade currency online for a living, you're going to get burned severally. That's the blatant truth because you cannot with degree of certainty and accuracy know what will happen most of the time. You will be right at times and get screwed up sometime. At times like that, it's easy to lose hope. You feel like quitting every day, you feel like the market is against you all the time. You feel hopeless at certain point. Well, in trading especially when you are starting with little knowledge you are likely to experience that, but when you lose hope, you lose everything. You've beaten yourself. The best solution to this is to get the help you need to improve your discipline and your trading abilities. It's not enough to just have a positive attitude, and falsely believe that everything will turnout okay. You have to get up, do something and force yourself to take actions. Most of the time I recommend people getting a coach or someone who take them accountable for what they do.

DESTITUTION

Just as lack of hope can rob you of potential future monetary and professional gain from trading, destitution can rob you of discipline. In "Trading for Living" and "Come into My Trading Room", Dr. Elder recommended starting trading with minimum of $25,000 - $50,000. To my understanding that is the act of tackling destitution problems in trading because a trader with insufficient trading capital or no saving at all should anything happen in trading is opening a new chapter of bankruptcy in his life. Lack of fund available for trading is one the major cause of indiscipline. I know this to be true because I have been in that shoe especially when your lifestyle depends on the outcome of the trades. Trading encompasses other expenses other than your trading capital. Internet, computer malfunction, home expenses, power or electricity bill, water and other utility bill are part of the incurables. If you run out of money, your trading account surfers that's why some professional recommend trading with the money you can afford to lose.

Destitution will rob you of trading discipline and endanger your account. When you have bills to pay at the end of the month you are likely to over-trade. Over-trading will drain your trading account faster than you can ever believe. The pressure to pay bill will trigger unusual impulsive and explosive emotion that can be ruinous to your trading decision lifestyle and affect people you love most in your life. So when you are pressured to perform due to inadequate fund, it's better to avoid trading totally till you have cash down to sustain you. Exhaustion is caused by over-trading.

Abiodun Babalola

Abiodun Babalola is seasonal trader of Options and Forex. He is co-editor of The Insights Magazine, the magazine that focuses of forex trading business. You can read his articles and contribution from http://www.abiodunbabalola.blogspot.com, http://www.psychoptions.blogspot.com.

Discipline - An Essential Thing For a Successful Life

2010-12-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

What is Discipline?

Discipline is loving firmness which is necessary to carry out a successful life. It provides direction to the lives and it is the prevention before the problem arises. When we are working in a disciplined way we are working in tune with our habits than against it. It is harnessing and channeling energy for great performances. Discipline is not something you do to others, but you do for those who care about. Discipline does not mean to take up a belt and beating your child, But it is a systematic style of living.

Discipline is an act of love. Sometimes you have to to be unkind to be kind. We do not drink medicines according to the taste of the medicines. Since it is necessary to our lives we will drink whether it is sweet our bitter in taste. Like wise Discipline is a habit of life which will be at first bitter in experience, but will provide good results for our life. Everything in our life should be done in a systematic manner. Working in such a manner against your freedom will not be acceptable to some one. But once you try it in your life it will bring you huge success and you will start to love the disciplined lifestyle. Good parents are not afraid to enforce discipline because of the momentary dislike by children.

Discipline gives freedom

It is a common thing everyone says Discipline will take away freedom of the individual. Our instinct is to do whatever we want regardless of the consequences. Allowing a child to eat a box of chocolates could lead to sickness. One the other hand, the discipline of eating one or two piece a day can produce an enjoyable experience for a long time.

There is a misconception that freedom means doing your own things. One cannot always have what one desires. Many times it is not easy to comprehend the benefits of good values or discipline. It may seem more profitable, enjoyable and convenient to do otherwise. All we need to see countless instances where lack of discipline has prevented people from succeeding. Rather than the restraints of discipline pulling us down, discipline is really taking us up. That is what discipline is all about.

We have seen kites flying in the sky. A child may think the string is holding the kite from flying. But if we cut the string, the kite will fall down. Same is the case of life, where discipline is the string which binds the life to the success and prosperity. If the string of discipline is broken, the life will be a big failure like the fallen kite.

Prevent and Control Chronic Disease Through Lifestyle Interventions

2010-12-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

Scientific evidence suggests the importance of adhering to a disciplined lifestyle approach to prevent and control chronic disease. Several researches may contradict this at times, but from the available evidence, we can safely say that

Faulty and imbalanced diets and eating habits, lack of physical activity and smoking are confirmed risks for chronic diseases.
A healthy and appropriate post pregnancy nutritional status is important.
Obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol levels have certain biological risks which have been confirmed as risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Significant biological risk factors can continue to affect the health and quality of life of the next generation
Physical activity and nutrient consumption throughout life influence genes and may define susceptibility to illness and disease.
The global health trend has been in the increase in risk factors which affect obesity, physical activity
Some preventive steps taken in early life offer lifelong health benefits.
Preventive lifestyle interventions are more effective if they extend beyond individual risk factors and continue throughout the course of life.
Improvement in eating patterns, diets and physical exercise in adults and senior citizens will reduce the risk of chronic diseases from death and disability.
A complementary secondary strategy to use diet and physical activity to retard existing chronic disease from progressing and reducing death rate and disease burden.

Pay attention to and address the risk factors for chronic diseases throughout your lifespan. Primary prevention interventions aim to shift the profile of the whole population in a healthier direction. Small changes made to reduce risk factors in a majority of people who are at moderate risk can have a huge impact on their life quality and well being.

According to the World Health Organisation, improved lifestyles reduce the risk for diabetes by a striking 58% over 4 years. Studies have shown that up to 80% of heart disease cases and 90% type 2 diabetes cases could be avoided through positive lifestyle interventions. One-third of cancers can be avoided if you eat health, maintain normal weight and exercise regularly. So, get started by eating right and get moving with a regular exercise plan to stay healthy lifelong.

Pallavi has a penchant for writing authentic health and wellness articles for a number of websites and international magazines.

She is a qualified health professional who guides you with natural cures related information on aromatherapy, yoga, home remedies, nutrition, massage and more. Home Remedies Cures is your guide to deal with your everyday health problems at your convenience.

The Myth of Discipline and Will Power in Lifestyle Change

2010-12-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

I believe that as a whole, we value discipline, self control and will power way too much in our fitness culture.

Here's why:

All too often we blame a lack of discipline and will power on our failures. Break down and eat a whole pizza? You lack self control! Can't seem to make it to the gym every day? You lack discipline you weak and pitiful soul!

Here is a challenge for you:

Take a barbell and load it up with 1000 pounds and try to lift it.

Can't do it? Then you need more discipline and self control!

Still can't lift it? Then you need to focus on your goal, use affirmations and lift with more discipline! That should do it. Yes I'm sure that will help.

What?! You still can't lift it?! Oh How weak and pitiful you are! You don't have the discipline and you lack will power. You sorry soul.

Can we see the serious error in this way of thinking? Not only are you not accomplishing your goal, but we end up blaming ourselves and essentially abusing and beating ourselves up. How can this possibly be a healthy habit?

No matter how much self control and discipline you have you still probably can't lift 1000 pounds. It has nothing to do with who you are as a person, it has everything to do with the simple fact that the task is more than you could handle. It's simply too hard.

I propose a radical new way of thinking. Anything you have failed to do in the past, you fail at not because you lack discipline, but because the task is simply too hard and hence beyond your current capabilities.

Just like lifting a weight, we all have various levels of strength when it comes to changing our habits. For some people, cutting back to drinking one or two beers a week is not all that hard and hence it's a pretty easy task. However some people have a lifestyle that would make drinking a couple of drinks a week a truly insurmountable task.

It's not about how much discipline you have, it's simply about tackling something you can handle.

Tackling something that is too hard is not good. It results in lost time, energy, money and often harms the soul within. I say let's make things as easy as possible. Tackle things in small steps. Step by step as easy as possible to increase our chances of success.

We often believe that changes need to be radical, complicated and difficult to be effective. It stands to reason though that anything that's harder just becomes a larger obstacle on our way to success.

So if cutting back to 2 drinks a week is too much, and then cut back to 4 a week. Then you can cut back to 2 a week once you have mastered that step.

Is it going to be easy? Probably not, but change is seldom easy. You probably won't ever make change easy, but the goal here is to make change easy enough so you can at least stand a chance at success.

Sure discipline and self control are important, don't get me wrong. But I find a serious flaw in always looking at a lack of will power and discipline as a reason for a failure. Asking someone to do a huge task just on will power is like filling a Honda Civic up with high test fuel and asking it to outrun a Ferrari. It doesn't matter what the fuel within is, if it can't handle the task, then something about the task itself needs to change.

So let's cut ourselves some slack, let our ego off the hook and make things a little easier.

Step by step, inch by inch and before too long what once was too hard is just a hop, skip and jump away from our grasp.

Be fit and live free,

Matt Schifferle

PS. Make exercise easier! Your FREE 20 page report: The Exercise and Weight Loss Myth, is waiting for you at http://www.TheFitRebel.com

Entrepreneurship - Article Series - The Five Core Disciplines Of Leadership

2010-12-25T10:46:00.000-08:00

Leadership! What does this word mean to you? For most, the word leadership is reserved for the elite, the few special people with extraordinary skills and gifts. Leadership is not a gift or a position; it's a state of mind. Always remember, the disposition of a leader is different from that of a follower.

The first thing that must be understood is that leadership is a choice. Leadership starts in the mind. It's your thought patterns that separate you from those that follow. Being a leader is about you as an individual, not the position you hold as CEO, pastor or supervisor. No matter what position you hold within an organization, you are able to be a leader if you think like a leader. Leadership starts with a revelation concerning who you are as a person. Understanding who you are is crucial to your role as a leader.

Every effective leader has a vision. A vision is a goal to reach for. It's an image that must be manifested. As a leader, your followers are looking to you for direction and guidance. To lead a group of people effectively, you must have a destination in mind. You have to have a picture of the future you are working on bringing to life. This will take imagination, creativity, insight and intuition. Having a compelling vision for your organization is a major key to your leadership. The future must be so bright that your people will buy into it. It is only when your followers have bought into your vision that they will invest their time, energy and creativity into making it a reality.

This moves us to the skills of the leader. Your leadership will not be effective if you are basing your role as a leader on a set of gifts (being charismatic, smooth talker, etc). Leadership is about competency and skill. All skills can be practiced, developed and enhanced. There are five skills that must be learned to take your leadership to the next level. The five core disciplines are: integrity, planning, communication, encouragement and perpetual learning.

Integrity is about wholeness, completeness and keeping your word, so you can be an example to your company. Integrity is a discipline that must be practiced. A leader that has integrity has consistency, they don't move as the wind blows. People who are consistent can be gauged, you know what they will allow and will not allow. As a leader, your walk must match you talk. Your integrity extends to those around you. The culture of your department or organization is a reflection of who you are. It is an extension of your character. The lifestyle you have and the way you interact with the people you lead will determine how much your business will achieve.

Planning is the next skill to learn. Planning deals with the path you will take your company down to arrive at your destination, your vision. Creating a plan takes imagination and making educated guesses. Your plan is your playbook for your organization. As with any sport, the plays you run on the field are taken from the team's playbook and executed with as much accuracy as possible. But we must realize that plays in the book cannot take into account for all of the different variables that are possible on the field. The same is true about your plans for your business. When you are planning, allow your game plan to be flexible so your organization can handle the unknown things that will come your way. Understand there are some things you will not know until you are playing the game.

The discipline of communication is a necessity. All good leaders are good communicators. You must be able to tell your followers where you are leading them. Allow yourself to be open, honest and candid about the opportunities, obstacles and rewards that awaits your company. A leader must constantly work to improve all facets of communication, including tone, verbiage, body language and writing. There are many things you can do to enhance your communication skills. You can enroll in seminars or writing classes, or read books on how to become a dynamic communicator. Remember, as the leader of your organization, you are the message of your company. Your walk, your talk and your level of writing ability will communicate to the world the caliber of your company.

Encouragement deals with you motivating the people you lead to pursue your vision along with you. As a leader, you have to learn how to equip your staff for the roles they will play within the organization. This is done through training and delegation. Your staff must be taught how to succeed within their positions. Then you must empower them to use the information they have received by delegating to them the responsible to doing the job correctly and the authority to get the job done. Responsible and authority must be given simultaneously and the authority must match the level of responsibility. You must encourage your people to take on tasks that will stretch their thinking and capabilities and utilize the training you have given them.

A leader is a perpetual learner. They are focused on self-development and personal growth. This discipline of continual learning will speak volumes to those within your organization. It shows that you understand that you don't know it all. In order for your business to keep up with your market and competition, you must keep up with the changes. Leaders are readers. Commit to learning. We must learn about our competition, the up coming trends and fads, as well as the many changes that are occurring within the economy.

Are you practicing the five core disciplines of an effective leader? If you are ready for your organization to grow you must practice these necessary disciplines. Your integrity will declare that your enterprise operates at a high standard. When it comes to planning remember the old adage, "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail". With your communication, continue to develop your ability to communicate your vision effectively. Encouraging the people within your organization through proper delegation will set your company apart from your competition. Finally, you must be a seeker of knowledge as you lead your organization down the path to greatness.

http://www.stephenowens.org Stephen is the founder Stephen Owens Enterprises. This organization was created to assist entrepreneurs reach their visions through motivational speeches, seminars, coaching and inspiring books. Stephen has a passion for helping entrepreneurs become all that God has called them to be. Stephen is also a published author. His book is called "The Revolutionary Change - Unlock the secret to producing change in your life." Stephen is a native of Cleveland, Ohio.

How to Employ Yourself - 3 Simple Steps to Self Discipline

2010-12-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

Building a business can be so much fun, it can be one of the most rewarding things that one can do. It can bring so much joy and fulfillment to one's life. The rewards of having a thriving business can be so huge, traveling, spending quality and quantity time with loved ones, helping those in our circle that may be going through some kind of financial trouble.

All of these things are what makes you want to build a huge business but you know something? Unless you learn how to discipline yourself and your time, you can really be fooling yourself. There comes a time where you must face the fact that those who enjoy these kind of lifestyles all are very disciplined and have been disciplined for a consistent period of time.

None of these rewarding experiences come before discipline. Knowing how to discipline yourself and your time is the starting point of all joy and fulfillment in business.

Today, I want to share 3 simple steps on how to really get focused and get things done. Make sure you print this out or take some notes because your happiness is found in your disciplines.

Step 1) Get up early and get some physical exercise in:

You may say to yourself.. This guy is an idiot, what in the world does exercise have to do with building my business and why in the world do I have to get up early for? After all, I am my own BOSS...

Well my friend let me enlighten you with a phrase that was drilled into my mind by a mentor who has earned over $100,000 a month for over 12 years.

"How you do one thing is how you do everything"

When you wake up early, you feel different, have you ever paid attention to those of generations past? My grandparents would get up at 4 am they lived to be close to 100 years old. For some reason, generations have started waking up later and later. I know a person who wakes up at 11am, what in the world is that all about. The saying "The early bird gets the worm" was made up for a reason.

Let me share something that an ex Navy SEAL shared with me as well in regards to this point, he said "Jump out of bed and immediately make your bed" He said that that you want to get your mind used to accomplishing something right away and making your bed can be a goal that we can all accomplish early in the day.

Step 2) Treat yourself as an employee of your corporation:

When you shift your mind from I'm the boss and I can do whatever I want to I'm an employee and the boss is watching, you will get twice as much done. When I say treat yourself as an employee, I mean just that. Watch your breaks. Remember as an employee, you get 2 10 minute breaks and an hour lunch so don't steal from the company.

As an employee, you get 1 vacation per year.. So stop going to Vegas every weekend. ;) As an employee you have a time to clock in and a time to clock out so follow the rules.

Step 3) Work over time for 7 weeks straight:

For the first 7 weeks of your newly found role, work 6 days a week 10 hours a day. You will thank me for this, I promise. I'm not sure why people are attracted to 5 day weeks and 8 hour shifts.

Remember that if you are building something that you are passionate about, your work will feel like play time most of the time. Another thing, if you work from home, please share this with your spouse and children so they understand and will allow you time to work.

I feel that they shouldn't have a problem with it, after all if you worked for someone else, they would just have to deal with it.

I know that if you follow these simple steps, your business will grow like wildfire over the next 3 months.

Until next time.

Jaime Morales is an active leader in network marketing. Jaime is an advocate for the entire industry and shares his generic training in an effort to give back to the industry that changed his life. If you have any questions about what you just read,feel free to contact Jaime using the information given below.

Jaime Morales

(562)261-5578

jaimemorales77@yahoo.com

[http://ProspectingPowerHouse.com]

A Healthy College Lifestyle

2010-12-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Living a healthy lifestyle during the college years is a vital ingredient in forming a solid foundation for long term health. While many students go through drastic changes in health and physicality, there are areas where minor lifestyle changes can have a major impact on overall well being.

Many incoming freshman begin their college careers without a set plan as far as health goes. Without viable healthy alternatives to campus food, and with surrounding fast food, the convenience factor becomes overwhelming. Students snack on candy bars and soda from the vending machines instead of buying fruit or juices to ease those late night cravings. With some planning and moderate discipline, students can learn that it is not terribly difficult to live a healthier lifestyle.

When stocking the dorm room or apartment with food, go for fruits and healthy snacks instead of the heavy chocolate bars and greasy noodles. Instead of getting the soda, grab some orange juice or low fat milk. When preparing food, or eating at the dining halls, make sure to select a variety of foods. Start with a small salad and eat in moderation. It is always better to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day than to overload one or two meals. Overeating at one time can cause problems with sugar levels and hurt your metabolism.

Along with eating smart, physical activity is extremely important to staying fit and in shape. At the start of any semester, everyone on campus hits the gym and goes for a jog daily. After a month the gym is empty and workout routines have gone out the window. The main reason for this drop is grueling routines and over exerting during activities. When developing a workout plan, make sure to stay within yourself. Get a solid thirty minutes a day in of some kind of physical activity, and visit the gym or get some cardio work in a few times a week. It always helps to have a workout partner to motivate you and help you stick with the routine. Consistency is the key for physical activities; make sure to have a plan and stick with it in order to maintain an optimal level of healthiness.

Smart eating habits and disciplined workout routines are the biggest factors in keeping up with your health while in school. Make good decisions and have a set plan in order to stay healthy throughout your college career.

For more information, visit [http://www.healthyincollege.com]

Discipline, Persistence, and Motivation in a Home Based Business

2010-12-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

Have you just started a home-based business, or perhaps you have been working from home for several years, yet you find yourself unmotivated? Obviously this can have an adverse effect on your business. Motivation is the key to your personal success. Consider these three factors to help you keep your business at a desired level. They are discipline, persistence, and motivation.

Self-Discipline

Owning your own business requires discipline to get the job done. This is critical for developing success, as you do not have a boss looking over your shoulder. Without the schedule of a 9:00 to 5:00 job where the work is left at the office, you must now realize your success is your responsibility. Learn to organize your day. Set aside specific times you plan to work and make it known to your family. Organize not only your schedule, but also your office. Keeping good records will help you successfully complete your daily tasks. Be productive and do what is important for your business. Answering emails, or anything else that takes away business time can wait until later. Again, you are your own boss. Develop a schedule that works for you, but learn to be flexible for those times when things don't flow as smoothly as you planned.

Persistence

Discipline and persistence are closely related. Discipline is vital for the structure of your home-based business, but persistence helps you get off the starting block and continue on your course for success. Having a good business plan is great, but if you aren't working that plan, what good is it? Commit yourself to making the necessary sales calls, personal contacts, emails, advertisements, etc.... You have heard it said that the hardest thing is to pick up the telephone and start making those prospecting calls. Consistency day by day is vital to your business. Often you will end your day satisfied with your results. The next day you may be frustrated because you feel you let the whole day pass without accomplishing anything. The key is to never give up, even when you think it's not working. Many have quit never realizing the next call could have been the one to take them to the top!

Motivation

The most important key to your success is motivation. It is not uncommon to find yourself unwilling to continue with the same passion you once had. If you are lacking in motivation it's a good idea to evaluate where you are in your business. First think about the "what" that made you start your business in the first place:

What can I do to help my family finances?

What type of college education can I provide for my children?

What kind of lifestyle do I want?

What am I saving for our future?

What are my dreams and goals in life?

Once you figure out the "what", you will need to set your goals, both short and long term goals. For example, maybe you have a personal goal of being debt free in two years. Always write down your goals and place them in areas around your house where you see them constantly. This reminder will help you continue striving toward your primary goal of building a successful home-based business.

In closing, working a business at home has many challenges. If you find yourself discouraged and the initial excitement is lost, review your goals again and remind yourself that discipline, persistence, and motivation will help you reap the rewards.

For more information on keeping that desired level of motivation, check out my motivatethemasses website

Becoming More Disciplined

2010-12-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

"I need to become more disciplined."

This is a common problem for many, particularly creative and entrepreneurial individuals. Many people believe if they were simply more disciplined they would have caught up on their taxes by now, have a clean home, a profitable, well-managed business and, most importantly, the peace of mind they imagine will come with all these achievements. The problem is that setting a goal of being more disciplined is a difficult one to get enthusiastic about. In fact, for some it may take the creative wind right out of their sails. For people who create by breaking rules and challenging conventions, trying to maintain a commitment to become a better rule follower and schedule minder often ends up as a series of false starts, frustration, self-loathing and Ben and Jerry's binges.

While the desired end results of discipline may be worth dedicated pursuit, perhaps focusing on discipline as the means to goal achievement creates more problems than it solves. For example, Twyla Tharp, a highly disciplined dancer and choreographer wrote an excellent book on this subject entitled The Creative Habit. Sounds much more appealing than "The Disciplined Dancer," yes? Developing a habit seems far easier that developing discipline. This may be a matter of semantics as in the end their outward manifestations may look quite similar but consider the energy and connotations each of those words has for you. Habits are easy to follow and hard to break. Discipline on the other hand sounds like work every day. Discipline is continually applied effort to achieve a certain end. Relax your focus and discipline falls apart. By contrast, habits take on a life of their own, apparently driven by their own power whether you want to engage in them or not.

In my experience, when people talk about having a need to be more disciplined, they are really talking about a need to be more consistent in the pursuit of their endeavors.

What can be done to help you become more consistent?

Stop talking about discipline unless you really love the word. In fact, any word that feels like it has lead weights attached to it is one to strike from your personal vocabulary. If you want to make sustainable lifestyle changes they have to feel positive, powerful and attractive or you will be doomed from the start. Anyone can be disciplined for a weekend, but if the goal is consistency and the creation of habits which support you over a lifetime, you have to be enthusiastic about the process.

Remember Pavlov's dog. Any pet owner knows that animals easily fall into routines and patterns of behavior. Just as your dog or cat recognizes the sound of the cabinet door opening that holds their food and rushes to you in eager anticipation, Pavlov noticed that a dog, used to hearing a bell prior to being fed would start to salivate just at the sound of the bell alone. This is called "classical conditioning." When I was young, my father would play Marvin Gaye's album What's Goin' On every Sunday while we were cleaning the house. To this day, when I hear those familiar songs I get a compulsion to start dusting. You probably have noticed some songs always make you think of summer. Some scents always remind you of your Aunt Millie. It's the same principle.

Make this conditioning work in your favor by creating an environment that energizes you when you have to buckle down and tackle a project that is going to take some effort to achieve. Involve all your senses and think in terms of creating a ritual. Writers do this all the time, using specific writing instruments, sitting in a certain place, arranging the desk a particular way and maybe drinking a specific beverage when they sit down to write. With the cues set in place consistently, the mind begins to associate the setting with the activity and slides with increasing ease into a productive mode. The key is consistency combined with inherent appeal of the environmental associations. The more pleasant the setting, the more likely you will even start to look forward to the activity. Think about the sounds, scents and feel of your environment. Use the same attention to invite yourself to show up to a task that you would use if you were preparing to greet the love of your life. How delicious can you make the experience for yourself? Isn't thinking about creating a delicious experience far more appealing than thinking about how to become more disciplined?

Think in terms of shifting energy. This is probably the most overlooked and most powerful technique you can use. Cleaning a closet is nearly a silver bullet when it comes to jump starting one's productivity. The thought of cleaning a garage, doing your taxes or organizing your office may be overwhelming. Don't worry about that. Simply focus on one place in the environment where you notice the energy is stagnant and shift it. Have an article of clothing in your closet that looked good in the store but that you hate wearing because it's somehow wrong in a way you can't quite identify? Why is it still in your closet? How about the refrigerator? Have some old condiments or a hunk of old cheese that you haven't tossed out yet but that make you feel like "there is nothing good to eat in the house" every time you open the door? Just clear out a bit of dead energy. Same with that old stack of unread magazines and junk mail. You are not obligated to go back and read anything that has been sitting around untouched for a year or two before you toss it out or pass it on. I recently lost a five year history of e-mails for my business before switching to a more reliable webhost. Problems created? None. Very minor inconveniences for about 48 hours. Minor. And this was my livelihood. You have a lot of latitude here.

What does tossing out an old blouse and some stale Gouda have to do with getting your office clean and your taxes done? Nothing and everything. When your environment is draining you because of all those little pockets of dead and stagnant energy it will be nearly impossible to build the momentum you will need to approach tasks you dread. Have you ever gone to check the fridge while procrastinating on setting yourself to a task only to have the thought "there's nothing good in here" come to mind? The fridge checking and the thought did nothing to add to your productive momentum. It's okay to start doing work in an area unrelated to your goal. Energy is energy and once you are able to build it you can start to direct it.

Think thematically and integrate. Integration is far more powerful than discipline. Consider what is important to you in your life and what you value most. What does having a clean office really represent to you? What would it mean to have all your bills and paperwork filed? What would be significant for you in committing to getting out your canvas and paints? Rather than thinking of the activities and the outward signs of productivity try to identify the themes that underlie them.

Consider your personal definition of success. For example, several of the business owners I work with are able to name a financial goal that represents this. A common benchmark is making a six-figure income. It never fails when I ask someone what would change in their lives if they were making that wage that they confess much of what they are tolerating in themselves and in their environment would no longer be acceptable. One woman said, "I wouldn't slouch and my desk would be clean." What does slouching have to do with one's checkbook? For her, there was a whole image of success that she became aware she was not embodying. While she may have had work to do before the money would start to come in, her posture and the self-respect coming with improving it was something she could work on immediately.

You don't have to have a dollar figure attached to success, of course, but play with the concept however you wish to define it. I guarantee using your personal image of success as a litmus test for your current decisions will help you spot numerous subtle and powerful ways to bring your energies in alignment with your desired goal achievement. From the television shows you watch, to the food you eat, to the people you spend time with and the things you read, simply asking yourself, "Would I agree to this if I were successful? Is this consistent with where I want to be heading in my life?" will help you weave together all these seemingly tangential choices into an integrated lifestyle pattern which give you more energy and momentum.

What does energy, momentum and integration give you? Freedom. Freedom to say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. Firm boundaries make one a better gatekeeper so energy drains don't get a chance to accumulate allowing you more freedom to devote yourself to what you most want to create. Establishing a solid foundation of self-respect and integrated healthy habits which demonstrate that self-respect will give you more energy. Having clear standards for where you are willing to let your energy be spent only strengthens the foundation creating a self-sustaining cycle in which your activities actively support your path to success.

Need help moving from insight to integration and implementation of these concepts? Laura Young, M.A. is a life and business coach and owner of Wellspring Coaching. Laura specializes in working with individuals negotiating midlife transitions (personal and career), self-employed individuals on business development strategies and high level leaders on communication and leadership skills.

With over 25 years of experience working in personal development, Laura has written extensively on such topics as stress management, motivation, finding one's life purpose, achieving life balance, cultivating a healthy lifestyle and improving communication in personal and professional relationships. Please visit her blogs and website [http://www.wellspringcoaching.com/blogs.htm] to tap in to her extensive resource base.

Inspirational Daily Devotions, Learn How to Fit Them Into Your Busy Lifestyle

2010-12-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

Inspirational daily devotions are a great way for us to connect to our Creator. The idea of a "God-shaped hole" in the human heart, is a popular modern metaphor for the longing within us, that drives us in search of something greater than ourselves. It is what causes us to search for, and desire to understand God. If we can fill that hole, we will have a relationship with our Creator, something mankind has desired throughout history.

Virtually all spiritual and physical disciplines teach that time spent daily in prayer, meditation, mental preparation, and vision casting is essential to our success. Virtually all religious denominations teach that time spent daily in the word of God is essential to your spiritual health.

It is nearly impossible for most of us to discipline ourselves to spend time reading the bible each day. In reality, it has become harder and harder to make time for our inspirational daily devotions with all of the responsibilities and deadlines thrust upon us by work, school, and family in the 21st century. It is still, however, of utmost importance to our spiritual health, so we need a 21st century solution!

Many ministries have emerged to meet the need with a variety of inspirational daily devotions, among them, Joyce Meyers and Joni Eareckson Tada using their radio broadcasts to reach us, and more recently, daily devotional emails sent from a variety of ministries to bring us into a daily devotional time right from our inbox (where most of us already are).

It was inspirational daily devotions like these that got me thinking about how to expand this idea into an interactive daily study in God's word, and start a conversation among the participants, so that they could share ideas and insights. God was showing me a need to develop a true "at home" bible study that was more than inspirational.

It had to be thought provoking and cause true spiritual growth to occur. It had to be contemporary yet elegant. It should spark controversy and conversation, and equip those who use it to make a meaningful contribution to their communities and join in the process of transforming the world. That is my challenge, and here is yours...

Seek and ye shall find! The resources are out there to bring an inspirational daily devotion into your life. Make it meaningful, and start on a path of growth to become all that you were meant to be!

Begin your own amazing journey to fill up that God shaped hole today with inspirational daily devotions, and a whole lot more at the wisdomblog. Don't just sit there, join the conversation!

Lynn "lynnibug" Rios has seen the internet as a fertile mission field. She invites all to join her on a journey to improved physical, financial, and spiritual health. Connect on Skype: lynnibug

If you found this article useful in any way, please consider linking to it or sharing it with others, complete and in tact with proper credit to the author. Your comments are welcome as well! ? 2010 Lynn Rios - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

4 Tips on How to Discipline a Dog - You Get the Behavior That You Reward

2010-12-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Bringing a dog successfully into your household and lifestyle consists of a lot more than just buying dog food, letting them run in the backyard, giving them an occasional bath and a place to sleep. It requires patience and an understanding of appropriate ways to discipline your dog, which provide boundaries, rules and stability, making them into model K9 citizens. Your dog should be a true joy to have in your life, and if they're not, take steps now to remedy the situation.

Many dog parents don't prepare properly and they don't take the time to learn how to train their new canine friends. They often wind up getting into serious trouble very quickly. The problems can become so overwhelming that they get rid of their dogs.

To easily and successfully discipline your dog, incorporate these tips and your dog training will be a lot more fun and rewarding, for both of you.

1) Tell your dog what you want. To create a healthy working relationship, start by setting the ground rules, what you like and will tolerate (the reward), and what you won't (the deal breaker). Like us, dogs are creatures of habit and their behavior depends greatly on how we expect them to behave.

By observing your reaction to their actions, they discover what behavior they can or cannot get away with. The sooner you let your dog know what is and is not acceptable, the sooner he will know right from wrong according to your rules.

2) Dogs respond to clear and consistent leadership. Show your dog that you know what you are doing. Be calm and confident, and don't forget to give a positive reinforcement by immediately rewarding them for good behavior. And, take immediate action so your dog understands that that kind of behavior is not tolerated.

3) Behavior that persists does so because it is being rewarded in some way. When you are too slow in the way that you recognize and reward your dog's actions, you actually wind up rewarding the very things that you dislike. And even worse, wind up ignoring the behavior that you love and want to encourage. So, if you are giving the wrong signals at the wrong time, you will just confuse your dog.

4) Feeling so hopeless you just want to hire a professional to do it for you? That's a mistake. Many dog owners feel so powerless with their dogs they resort to hiring a professional to train them instead. That approach usually backfires because as soon as your dog is back home, they slide back to the old, unwanted behavior -- because it's your lack of consistency and clarity that caused the problem with your dog's discipline to begin with.

Good training habits on your part will result in happier, better behaved and more fun-loving pets, and your dog will be a joy for the rest of their life.

The hidden benefit of becoming a better dog trainer also makes you a better human being. The concepts you learn can be applied to all other relationships as well, because the insights, clarity and ability to communicate what you truly want are priceless skills and will serve you well.

So decide right now to learn how to train your dog properly and you'll reap the rewards for many years to come.

Val Heart helps people who are struggling with their animals. She's an Expert Animal Communicator, Behaviorist, Author, Master Healer. Called The Real Dr Doolittle, Val works with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia. You know your animals have secret lives, thoughts, feelings and wisdom. There is a way to talk with them, understand their viewpoint and resolve problems together so you can enjoy a long, happy, healthy partnership.

From Heartbreak to Happiness Dog Program: Resolve those pesky pooch problems the easy way http://www.valheart.com/Mature_Dog_Care.html

Speaker, Teacher, Columnist, seen on TV and heard on radio. TeleClasses, Expert Animal Communication eTips & Newsletters. Call (210) 863-7928, email: contactval@valheart.com visit http://www.valheart.com

? Copyright, Val Heart & Friends.

A Healthy Lifestyle - How to Optimize Your Eating and Exercise Habits

2010-12-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

Having a healthy lifestyle can help make your life productive. You can do things easily because you won't tire out that quickly. You can also be secure with your lifestyle because you have an immune system protected by exercise and healthy eating habits.

In order to reach that goal that everyone desires, you should learn how to maximize your eating and exercise habits.

What you can do is engage in practices that require discipline and proper management. These practices involve a healthy eating habit and also a proper exercise habit.

Assessing Your Body

Before anything else, it is important that you should know your own body. How much do you weigh? How good are my lungs? These are just some questions you should ask yourself. You can go to your local clinic to have a checkup and also take some fitness tests so you know the state of your body.

Once you know your body, you can readily secure a goal. If you're overweight, then you can plan a diet and weight-losing regime to help you become healthy. This form of knowledge brings with it discipline that can really aid you.

Eating Right Food

After knowing about your body, it is time to engage in a healthy eating habit. Doctors have prescribed the traditional food pyramid to gauge how much you can eat.

Proteins and carbohydrates are very important to your diet because they help build and develop your body systems. Once you lack these, you become weaker.

It is important that you eat lots of proteins such as meat and chicken to sustain your body's development. Carbohydrates like sugar and bread give you the energy that will keep you going. Other foods you should eat would be vitamins and minerals, fibers, and other food types.

When you have a diet planned out, you can easily gain your daily minimum healthily.

Exercising Regularly

They say that keeping in shape is needed for a healthy lifestyle. This doesn't mean you should go on rigorous workouts, though. You can simply run every morning to get your body moving. Exercise helps your body develop and makes your mind alert.

With exercise, you allow your body to handle points of stress and even speed up activity. This can help your body produce protective hormones faster. And since it makes your mind alert, you can easily react to everyday situations and make healthy decisions.

Exercise should be done after a fitness test. You would not want yourself to overdo it. You might end up fatigued. It is important that you consult your doctor or trainer before undergoing any physical fitness regimes.

With proper eating habits and exercise to support that, you can reach the healthy lifestyle that you deserve. When you take into the account the different points to consider in eating healthy food and benefiting from exercise, you can surely optimize your eating and exercise habits.

Michael has been writing articles online for 10 years. Not only does this author specialize in self development, health, and fitness, you can also read out his latest website http://www.kitchenwastebins.org/ which help people find more about kitchen waste bins and information when shopping for one.

Developing Will Power and Self Discipline

2010-12-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

Most people admire and respect strong individuals, who have won great success by manifesting will power and self discipline. They admire people, who with sheer will power, self discipline and ambition, have improved their life, learned new skills, overcame difficulties and hardships, reduced their weight, rose high in their chosen field or advanced on the spiritual path.

The truth is that everyone can reach high levels of will power and self-discipline through a practical method of training. These inner power are not reserved for a few special people.

Will power and self discipline are two of the most important and useful inner powers in everyone's life, and have always been considered as essential tools for success in all areas of life. They can be learned and developed like any other skill, yet, in spite of this, only few take any steps to develop and strengthen them in a systematic way.

What is will power?

It is the inner strength to make a decision, take action, and handle and execute any aim or task until it is accomplished, regardless of inner and outer resistance, discomfort or difficulties.

It bestows the ability to overcomes laziness, temptations and negative habits, and to carry out actions, even if they require effort, are unpleasant and tedious or are contrary to one's habits.

What is self discipline?

It is the rejection of instant gratification in favor of something better. It is the giving up of instant pleasure and satisfaction for a higher and better goal.

It manifests as the ability to stick to actions, thoughts and behavior, which lead to improvement and success. Self-discipline is self-control, and it manifests in spiritual, mental, emotional and physical discipline.

The purpose of self-discipline is not living a limiting or a restrictive lifestyle. It does not mean being narrow minded or living like a fakir. It is one of the pillars of success and power. It bestows the inner strength to focus all your energy on your goal, and persevere until it is accomplished.

Both of these abilities are required for daily actions and decisions, and also for making major decisions and attaining major success. They are required for doing a good job, for studying, building a business, losing weight, bodybuilding and physical exercises, maintaining good relationships, changing habits, self improvement, meditation, spiritual growth, keeping and carrying out promises and for almost everything else.

One of the most simple and effective methods to develop will power and self-discipline is by refusing to satisfy unimportant and unnecessary desires. Everyone is constantly confronted and tempted by an endless stream of desires and temptations, many of which are not really important or desirable. By learning to refuse to satisfy every one of them, you get stronger.

Refusing and rejecting useless, harmful or unnecessary desires and actions, and intentionally acting contrary to your habits, sharpen and strengthen your inner strength. By constant practice your inner power grows, just like exercising your muscles at a gym increases your physical strength. In both cases, when you need inner power or physical strength, they are available at your disposal.

Here are a few exercises:

- Don't read the newspaper for a day or two.

- Drink water when thirsty, in spite of your desire to have a soft drink.

- Walk up and down the stairs, instead of taking the lift.

- Get down from the bus one station before or after your destination, and walk the rest of the way.

- For one week, go to sleep one hour earlier than usual.

- If you like ice cream, don't have any, for a day or two.

These are only a few examples of the many exercises that can be conducted in order to develop will power and self-discipline. You might think that practicing these exercises is being tough on yourself, but they add much to the storehouse of your inner strength. By following a systematic method of training you can reach far, have more control over yourself and your life, attain your goals, improve your life, and gain satisfaction and peace of mind.

Show and prove to yourself that you are strong and in control, and practice the above exercises for a little while, before passing any judgement.

Remez Sasson writes and teaches about self-improvement, positive thinking, creative visualization, success, mind power, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books, and the publisher of the biweekly ezine, "Consciousness and Success".

Visit his website at: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com and find articles, quotes and ebooks.

Build Muscles With the Right Lifestyle - Diets and Lifestyle to Muscle Building

2010-12-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

With today's trend of popular fad diets, it is vital to understand that building muscle is a way of life, something that involves your whole lifestyle. It requires intense but regular training sessions with an orientation to a certain goal. It is combined with a planned approach to healthy eating that will stimulate the growth of muscles, developing your body into a more muscular physique, which every man wants.

When an individual intends to build muscles, the physique improvements can only be maintained with a good amount of time. It should be a long-term goal and not only a short-term one.

The problem with most diets intended for weight loss is that it only requires a short-term plan but does not address the quick regain of weight. This only results in hopelessness and frustration due to failures with their plans.

In building muscles, you need a consistent and daily approach to healthy eating and intense training. You need to form the habit that you can incorporate to your lifestyle. This will result to more satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

As far as diet is concerned, the diet required to build muscles is simple and easy to follow. You need to eat 6 small meals every day. Make sure to choose a portion from the protein group for your every meal. You also need to include carbohydrates in every meal to serve as a source of energy. As a rough guide, a serving size for protein and carbohydrates is about the size of the fist. It is also critical to have a post-workout meal with whey protein and carbohydrates.

Aside from these plans on diet and other lifestyle changes, you have to take note that discipline, patience, persistence and consistency are all required to make this all happen. All these qualities are needed to achieve your success to build more muscles and develop a better shape.

Paul De Vizard has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Not only does this author specialize in diet, fitness and weight loss, you can also check out his latest website http://www.neemoilinsecticide.org which reviews and lists Information on all types of Neem Oil Insecticide.

Lifestyle and Health

2010-12-21T01:12:00.000-08:00

The primary goal of the human being is to live a peaceful and happy life along with his family and maintaining good health. For maintaining good health and peaceful life, old saying depicts " Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" But we have either forgotten or ignored all the principles and mantras set by our ancestral for leading a happy and peaceful life.

Now days, in this materialistic world, most of the people are leading very hectic lives. They do not follow a disciplined lifestyle. They have a myopic outlook towards life i.e., to earn money and to accumulate all the luxurious things in whatever way possible, no matter even if the peace of mind, health, good sleep, family life etc is sacrificed. The unorganized and haphazard life schedule, bad eating habits are the primary cause of developing various diseases such as anxiety, hypertension, sleeping disorder, blood sugar and even heart problem. Not devoting the quality time with family or even being present at home but due to preoccupation of mind somewhere else, ignoring /postponing the day to day needs of family members, are the main reasons of dissatisfaction amongst the family members and sometimes may lead to disintegration of the family.

For healthier, peaceful and successful life we have to change our life style and follow the certain principles of life such as: -

1.Time management

2.Regular exercises/yoga

3.Positive mind set (PMS)

4.Balanced diet

Time management

To remain physically and mentally fit, and also to avoid overlapping of work at a time, one has to allocate the time according to necessity and importance of work. Everybody must has to follow a time schedule for getting up in the morning, doing regular exercises/yoga, taking food, sleeping etc. Allocation of the time for day-to-day activities will release pressure from the mind and prevent unwarranted anxiety and the person will be able to concentrate on his work and accomplish the same more efficiently in lesser time.

Regular exercises/yoga

To maintain the strength, flexibility, endurance and balance everyone must has to do regular exercises and yoga. Brisk walking in the morning for twenty minutes or jogging, along with doing stretching exercises,asanas and yogas(PRANAYAM) is the best way to prevent the diseases. Anulom bilom pranayam i.e. Inhaling the air from one nostril and releasing from the other for ten minutes in the morning keeps the mind cool and Control anger, anxiety and blood pressure.It is my personal experience that Regulated life-style and controlled food habits gives very positive and enthusiastic results and can reduce and even open the blockages of arteries. In the year 2002, I suffered from heart problem and due to blockage of arteries I got angioplasty done. After one month or so I was advised for by pass surgery by one of the best hospitals of Delhi (India). But instead of going for by pass surgery I changed my life style and started regular walking, some exercises and yoga. I also changed my food habits and nature. Now I am quite healthy. I get my lipid profile and TMT checked every year and all the test results are above average without by pass surgery. Many other persons and my relatives, who have changed their life style like me, are now feeling much better comparatively.

Positive mind set

People with positive mind set have a solution oriented approach towards life and thus , are more likely to succeed .PMS makes us assertive,confident and proactive. A positive attitude definitely strengthens our mind and body and improves the quality of our life. Every positive statement-' we are healthy and strong' and repeating the same in the morning will make ourselves to take action to be strong and healthy. Repeating the positive statement leads to a healthier life style. Similarly we must also be focused towards our goal, as being not focused on the present whether we are eating,exercising or doing any work and thinking the next thing that we have to do, may lead to anxiety. If we do enjoy our food, work whatever we do, we will be more productive, less worried and mentally and physically healthier.

Balance diet

A wholesome and nutritious diet charges the battery of our body and refreshes our mind. A balanced diet includes fruit, vegetables, milk products and dry fruits. We should avoid junk and spicy food. Intake of fats in the meals should be reduced to keep cholesterol and triglycerides in control. We should also fix our meals times and there must be gap of at least two hours between dinner and sleeping time.

By following these golden rules viz., time management, regular exercises/yoga, positive mindset and balanced diet, we can rejuvenate our self and lead healthy and peaceful life.

http://www.lifestyle-health-fitness.com

Yoga is the Way to Keep a Healthy Lifestyle - Yoga Builds Physical, Mental and Spiritual Strength

2010-12-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

As the weather begins to cool down, people often find themselves indoors unable to keep up with the fitness routines they normally uphold during the warmer spring and summer seasons. Yoga is a fantastic way to keep up a healthy lifestyle while keeping out of the cold and often inclement weather. This is because most yoga styles are easily practiced indoors. Having a variety of yoga styles to choose from means a more appropriate one can be selected for winter. With the colder temperatures, the metabolisms of many species of the planet naturally slow down. It is generally a restful and quiet season.

People often have less energy during the winter. At the same time, many holiday parties and events take place as well as frenetic shopping trips. The less physically taxing styles of yoga will allow an individual to conserve already limited energy reserves while encouraging a healthy lifestyle. This can aid in the reduction of such issues as seasonal affective disorder and winter exhaustion.

Interconnectivity is one of the main lessons of yoga, which has been around for more than 5,000 years. It is based on ancient Hindu practices and teachings designed to integrate the body and mind. Existing in harmony with the environment and the seasons is also an extension of this. Yoga helps build physical, mental, and spiritual strength. The exercises which many Westerners associate with the word "yoga" are actually an aspect of Hatha yoga, only one of many ways to practice yoga.

In Hatha yoga, deep poses and stretches, called asanas, are paired with controlled breathing techniques, or pranayama. Devoted students will experience deep emotional and mental clarity. The discipline is also great for building physical strength and flexibility. Unlike most sports, yoga does not require expensive equipment. The most valuable supply is often the simple mat. Yoga mats are generally made from tacky rubber to prevent slippage.

SHILAJIT Secret Of Yogis

Apparel for yoga should be comfortable and durable. Cotton, hemp, and spandex are common materials. Pants, shirts, and tank-tops are all appropriate exercise wear and most athletic companies have their own signature styles. Hemp is one of the softest, most long-lasting materials on the planet. This makes it perfect for yoga clothing. Unlike cotton, hemp will become stronger with age and repeated use. It is also grown without the aid of chemicals or pesticides, which coincides with the holistic nature of the discipline.

SHILAJIT Secret Of Yogis

SHILAJIT - Anti aging Elixir Closely Guarded Secret Of Indian Yogis - http://www.rudramani.com

Self Discipline - The Law Of Attraction

2010-12-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

Self discipline requires you to be able to take appropriate action regardless of the emotional state you are in. It is a conscious decision that will take you through whatever you have set your mind upon.

It does not happen overnight, it takes time to build. An analogy of self discipline would be building of endurance. You start off with small steps and gradually progress to a higher level. Your effort has to be consistent and it must not be effected by external conditions such as mood, fatique or time.

Everyone has a different level of self discipline but it doesn't mean that they have to stay at that level. Your current state of self discipline has a lot to do with your way of thinking and the type of lifestyle you choose. A person with lower self discipline isn't neccessarily weaker in his will except that he may not be conscious at this point about what he wants and has not taken the appropriate action to achieve it. On the other hand, a well discipline person may not be strong will or have a great character, but at some point in his life, he has decided on what he wants and makes a conscious effort to change his situation. Hence, everyone in some point of their lives can make a conscious decision to take control of their situation and make changes to their lifestyle.

It is a common mistake to set your expectations too high initially, when it comes to self discipline. Since your mind is not condition for the work , you give up when you don't see the results coming through. Very often we hear people talk about how self discipline a person is or isn't and we jump to conclusion about the person's character. Sure, a person's character and determination will affect his decision to take action in the beginning. However, overtime even a man of great persistent will give up if he doesn't see any results. Self discipline is not about how well you start , but how you carry yourself through in times of trial and adversary. It is a journey not a destination.

The trick to doing it is take small achieveable steps. Do it consistently without fail until you see results. ( its much easier to do simpler , repeatative task ) Naturally these results will motivate you to take the next level and over time, a habit is formed and your mind is convinced. A thing to note here is that you must not be complacent. Once you have achieve your target, you must alway tell yourself you can do more. That way, you stay motivated which is the key to self discipline.

Rene ng has been in internet marketing since 2005. He has written many articles pertaining to online marketing and self improvement. He is active in the online scene and currently does affiliate marketing for a living.

Check out this site to learn more about internet marketing : http://www.internetsuccessresource.com

Dieting - Vanity, Lies, Discipline, and Attitude, Monsters That Must be Slain to Loose Weight

2010-12-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

Diets are not a problem for balanced people. Do you consider yourself a balanced person? So do I. In fact, my life is in balance probably 70% of the time. According to our educational grading scale, 70% is passing, so I feel justified.

I was at peace with myself until one of my local television stations introduced the popular fruit diet. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have been interested, BUT I needed to loose weight quickly because one of my speaking engagements was going to be videoed. Therefore, I had to loose ten pounds to balance the ten pounds I heard the camera adds.

Vanity took over. I could lie to myself, pretend to be disciplined, and adjust my attitude temporarily to loose weight. Food, exercise nor over-eating would be a problem for the next fourteen days on the fruit diet.

Things were going rather well until my husband made a comment about my stash of chocolate candy. As I explained to him, I didn't need my stash of chocolate because fruit satisfied my desire for something sweet. But I did recognize that in my sharp response to him that my attitude toward dieting was not genuine.

Vanity, self lies, lack of discipline, and a justified attitude cannot produce the rewards of true weight loss. So I had to re-think the weight loss process and make a commitment to it if I wanted to get rid of my "big bones" excuse.

For all you skinny people who have never had a problem with weight, this is not for you. We all have issues, yours just isn't a weight problem. As you struggle with your issues, remember to extend the same kindness you want others to give you. That said, I'll now return to my big-bone sisters.

Take a Genuine Self-Assessment. Are you happy with you - whether you're in pictures, on video, or just having a good time? If you are satisfied with who you are and the body you have, regardless of what others say or think, be content.

What is the Current Status of Your Health? Your body must last you for a lifetime. Take very good care of it. Don't limit yourself or your life choices by having a body that is not in the best possible condition to serve you.

Commit to a Healthy Lifestyle. Someone said, "Eat to live rather than live to eat." That's not a bad saying. Find other things in life that bring as much or more happiness than food. Try getting a massage, manicure and pedicure, volunteering, serving others less fortunate than yourself or mentoring.

Remember that you have worth and value. You can achieve whatever you desire.

If you would like a free copy of my "Successful Women Know How To...." mini-poster, go to: [http://www.iCoach-WritingSpeakingMarketing.com/poster]

Lessie Harvey, author, speaker and coach, http://www.lessieharvey.com/blog

Helpful Tips For Living A Healthy Lifestyle, Part 2

2010-12-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

Exercise plays a very large part in living a healthy lifestyle. While this may not be the sexiest alternative of living a healthy lifestyle, it is certainly the most practical. Many people want to just follow the latest fad diet and find a healthy lifestyle that way. However, a fad diet is exactly what it sounds like...a fad. It comes and goes very quickly. It usually doesn't have very sound advice and focuses more on the short-term. Frequent exercise is the only way to sustain long-term health.

The benefits of exercise are numerous and very important. One of the most prevalent diseases in the world today is heart disease. Exercise can greatly improve your cardiovascular health. The fewer times that your heart has to beat, the better it is for you in the long run. This is why cardiovascular exercise is so important. While it is very important, it is probably the most dreaded form of exercise for most people. Not everyone enjoys running two or three miles every day. The key to sticking to a schedule is to take your mind off of the actual exercise. Turn it into something fun if possible.

One way to do this is to exercise with other people. If you develop a routine of jogging with a friend or swimming, or whatever else you like to do, it will be easier to make yourself do it. When another person holds you accountable, you're a lot less likely to give up. Most people just don't have the self-discipline needed to make themselves exercise. Another way to get exercise is to play a sport that you love. If basketball is fun for you, go to the gym and play. If you like tennis, go hit the ball around. The sport will take your mind off the action of exercise and you won't even realize you're doing it. This is critical if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When you can exercise for an hour or two and not even think about it, you will undoubtedly be healthier. In summary, if you want to live a healthy lifestyle, get up off the couch and start exercising.

Opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the view of Substance Abuse Prevention / sitemap which the author would like for you to visit.

Discipline, Punishment and Students

2010-12-18T20:47:00.001-08:00

Our modern lifestyle has caused many parents to place their children in the care of others or to simply neglect them. As a high school teacher, I receive the tail end of 15 years of such practices which tax the school system by sending many of the worst cases to an alternate school. Strangely enough, several of these students have confessed to me that they would like to remain in the 'discipline' school, where everything is structured and closely supervised.

This message has not been heard, though it contains a cry for help to which we should pay close attention. Many struggling mothers have asked me for advice: "How can I control my teen?" Sometimes they are single mothers, holding two jobs to make ends meet. The father may be far away, because that's the only job he could get, working in the fields. Still other mothers are facing an alcoholic father who cannot support the family. In all these cases, the children end up paying the price.

Even though very difficult students represent only 10% to 15% of the total population, there are quite a few more who exhibit marginal behaviors that put them in the hard-to-handle category. Out of 30 students, the normal class size, 3 students fall into the extreme category (disruptive behavior, lack of respect, not doing the work), and another 10 will fall into the borderline area of unruly behavior. In almost every case, there is a family situation of lack of discipline, lack of love, lack of attention and internal strife.

After talking to many of these undisciplined teens, I discovered that they are mostly trying to get attention from both teachers and peers. Some enjoy playing the clown in class; others try to project the image of toughness and thus gain respect through fear. One thing they have in common is a deep underlying lack of self-esteem and confidence in themselves. There are however some ways to help them regain their self-respect: One is through sports. The other one is the military where strict discipline will eventually give way to self-esteem.

Public schools could help these at risk students; they are already offering 'boot camp' schools where discipline is strictly enforced by ex-military personnel. These alternative learning centers work well for the majority, but they are too small to accommodate all that need their help. Sports are also a way to help these troubled teens, but not everybody has the talent to play football or soccer. The program should be expanded to include boxing (think of Mike Tyson who escaped a criminal career, temporarily anyway) and other high energy sports.

We are losing valuable skills as a society when these troubled teens end up in prison or dead through overdose. More money is needed for alternative programs. We can't depend on public schools to act as reform schools; they already have a formidable challenge educating thousands of regular kids.

Born in Switzerland many years ago and now living in Brownsville, Tx, where I teach special education in a local high school. I love my job and the challenges involved in making a difference for so many bright kids who struggle to overcome their disabilities.

I have followed education topics and international politics for the past 25 years and have lived in Europe and Latin America before settling in the U.S.
My e-mail: rivera.jcs@gmail.com
My blog: http://rivera2007.freeblogit.com

Living With Healthy Life Principles

2007-11-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's the normal routine in this household for my dog and I to venture out on early morning trails in the bush for a nature walk. There we take our time to wake up, enjoy the air, wipe the sleep from my eyes, say good bye to the last of the night time darkness, greet the morning sun, listen to the birds as they try to clear their throat to sing out that first morning song, and stumble across the path of the occasional black bear. By the time we see the black bears you can rest assured both I and my dog are very much awake!

It's during these morning walks, where I like to reflect on the day ahead, and in particular, take time to go through an inventory of the things in my life I'm grateful for. I have learned over time that how I start my day is my choice and totally in my control. I choose to start my days well, with an attitude of gratitude.

As I walked this morning, I reflected for a minute on a sign posted on a trail, "WARNING! BEARS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED ON THIS TRAIL. TALK LOUDLY AND CARRY A LOUD WHISTLE." I reflected on the sign and thought of how many other signs we have received throughout life warning us of potential hazards. As we drive, our roadsides are full of them. We grow up being taught to keep our hands off of hot stove jets. We are cautioned to wear seat belts in our vehicles. In our community, it's law that you must now wear a helmet to ride a bicycle. People warn us to not start a business because it could possibly fail. More blatant are the signs that come as verbalized messages, an extreme example being, "You're no good, you'll amount to nothing!" Or another, "You're crazy!" In the seconds that I looked at this "bear related" warning sign, I became very much aware of how many warnings we receive of potential danger lurking "just around the corner of our lives".

Years ago, I had the extreme pleasure of being very active in the horse industry. When schooling horses, a trainer is working with an animal that has the mental capability of a three year old human being. The training is based largely on repetitive exercises with positive reinforcement.

One challenge encountered by trainers in dealing with such a young mental capability is the horse's periodic tendency to want to anticipate the next command and act on that anticipation before being asked to do so. It's a vice the animal learns with good intentions, but in doing so, it teaches itself to anticipate the trainer instead of waiting and listening for the next command or cue. With the animal's desire to anticipate the trainer's upcoming command, comes an insecurity and errors which result in wrong maneuvers. With errors in maneuvers comes correction. With correction comes negative association, or experience. In the hands of a good trainer, this can be managed in such a way so as to build an animal's confidence, by gently, patiently, taking the animal backwards through the process and re-implanting the correct process. Handled wrong by a poor trainer and often an animal can lose self-confidence, where confusion or hostility in the animal is birthed.

When an animal begins to experience sufficient levels of negative reinforcement and loss of self-confidence, numerous vices and negative behaviors develop, including psychological withdrawal, cranky dispositions, and aggressive tendencies. All of this from originally trying to anticipate in advance what someone may or may not have asked of it. Keep in mind, this same behavioral principal applies to humans as well. Imagine how going through life anticipating potential life commands that might, or might not result in hazards could impact your day to day life, or the way you think? Imagine how this could leave you sitting on edge all the time, not sure how to respond?

What would be different for us, if we grew up in an environment where all our life signs where alerting us to pending success, blessing, joy, health, possibilities and abundance? In life, we arrive at the place where our life focus directs us towards. The direction we set for ourselves, the program we plug into our inner computer, is what we will become. Perhaps some of us, upon reading this article, may realize the need to re-create, or patiently take ourselves back through some processes, change some road signs, and re-implant or re-program the correct processes to a healthier personal life path.

Don't be surprised if in the next few days, a new sign appears on the side of my morning trail which reads, "WARNING TO ALL BEARS! HUMANS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED ON THESE TRAILS. THEY TALK LOUD, CARRY HORRIBLE WHISTLES, TASTE TERRIBLE, AND THE SURGEON GENERAL WOULD NOT CONSIDER THEM FIT FOR CONSUMPTION!"

Take time to consider the life "signs" you have created for yourself. Are you programming yourself for a life of negative reinforcement through hazard avoidance, or a life of positive reinforcement through successful living? Grab hold of the excellence life has to offer.

__________________

James C. Tanner of Acai Berry Health Review, Understanding Horse Colic, and Anger Addiction is a retired entrepreneur, a former special investigator, and a published writer whose original and reprint articles, as well as written comments are enjoyed by 12.5 million readers monthly.