YOUR MIND

Visualize Things As You Want Them
Max Steingart

You have the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you as soon as you change your beliefs.

If you did all the things you're capable of doing, you would literally amaze yourself. You know what you are today, but not what you may become tomorrow.

Look at things as you want them to be, and then make those things happen. You don't know what you can do until you try. You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be.

Never say never.

Copyright 2011 www.yourdailymotivation.com

YOUR BODY

25 Tips on Keeping You on The Fitness Track
it's easy to start an exercise program and just as easy to quit

A lot of people would like to get more exercise than they do, make smarter choices about what they eat and be more like the fit people they envy.

Unfortunately, many of those people find that while it's easy to start an exercise program or a new diet, it's just as easy to quit. The people who are most likely to stick with their fitness plan long enough to achieve those goals, experts say, are those who learn to make exercise and proper nutrition a regular part of their daily lives.

First, remember that every little bit helps. Then follow some of these 25 simple tips from exercise experts, dietitians and motivational experts to get your healthier lifestyle started or back on track.

1. Be reasonable. Set some measurable, attainable goal. If you haven't been active for a while, start a short-term goal, such as 15 minutes of exercise two or three days a week, and build from there, he said.

2. Get a new attitude. You have to first change your mind set about the way you think about the quality of your life. People who live in denial about their activity levels and weight are likely to keep packing on the extra pounds.

3. Keep moving. It can be any kind of activity, anything that you enjoy. A little bit goes a long way.

4. Make daily activities count. The idea is to get more movement into your life. That can include things that we don't typically regard as "exercise," such as pacing while you talk on the phone or doing leg lifts while the coffee is brewing.

5. Pound the pavement. Walking is a great exercise that you can do anytime. Walk for a few minutes in the morning, take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk to the store instead of driving.

6. Make time for exercise. Set your alarm clock back 30 minutes in the morning and use the time to exercise. Or make an appointment in your calendar to work out and respect it as you would any other commitment.

7. Be prepared. Lay out your exercise clothes at night so you don't have to hunt for them in the morning.

8. Do your research. If you're thinking of joining a health club, consider it as you would any long-term relationship. You want to make sure that you pay your dues to a gym that you like. If you chose one that you don't like, you'll be one of the many people who drop out and pay dues for two years.

9. Easy does it. People who want to see quick results from exercise may be tempted to overdo it, Reed said. It's important to adopt a gradual approach to allow your body to adjust to exercise.

10. Do what's comfortable for you. If you hate to be on a treadmill, you're not going to do it for more than a month or two. If you don't like to do weights, you can't set up a program and expect to stick with it.

11. Try something new. If you get bored with your current workout, try a class that you've never taken or buy a new workout video.

12. Get support. Find an exercise buddy or consider hiring a personal trainer to help you stay motivated.

13. Keep an exercise journal. Write down your activities and your thoughts to help you stay focused and motivated.

14. Don't say diet. People don't stick to diets that restrict a lot and that are very complicated. Instead of dieting you should just eat healthier foods.

15. Clean your pantry. Take out the snacks that are high in sugar and the bad fats. If you don't, you'll think about it and dream about it. That doesn't mean that all snacks must be banished. But, choosing snack foods that are lower in sugar and fat.

16. Don't clean your plate. If you were brought up by parents or grandparents who went through the Depression, that goes against everything you know. But, your heart will thank you and eventually your butt will, too."

17. Eat smaller portions. Try putting your food on a smaller plate. See "The Skinny on Smaller Portions".

18. Brown-bag it. Pack your lunch for work. Cook enough at dinner tonight to take to work tomorrow. The thing about cooking at home is that you can have complete control over the ingredients. If you're looking for something light, you can get a bag of salad from the grocery store, put it in a Tupperware bowl and put tuna on top. You can add a piece of fruit to your bag and some yogurt. It can be as simple as that.

19. Eat some blueberries. They combine more powerful disease-fighting antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable.

20. Eat other colorful foods, too. Ounce for ounce you'll get fewer calories and more vitamins and minerals to protect yourself from disease.

21. Drink up. Sipping water, rather than calorie and carb-laden soft drinks, can quench your thirst and help you feel more full. What I suggest is adding the juice of half a lemon to 32 ounces of water with a sprinkle of Steviva Brand Stevia Powder . Aside from being less than 2 carbs, you will get the health benefits that the stevia provides along with the vitamin C and electrolytes that lemon have. You can substitute limes for lemons if you get bored. Click here to order stevia powder.

22. Look on the bright side. Your feelings exert a powerful influence over your physical health. If you believe you are healthy, your health will actually benefit.

23. Make time for quiet time. If you take 10 or 15 minutes just to sort through your thoughts or review your day, you can go out in the world a much calmer person, prepared to make wiser choices.

24. Seize the day. One of the most important things we should do is stay in the present and know that goals have to have a corresponding intention. Most of us are stressed because we're looking into the future all the time. One of the most important things we can do is to not just think about it, but do it."

25. Sleep tight. When people sleep well -- experts recommended seven to eight hours a night -- they awake refreshed and better able to handle the day's challenges, including the challenge of maintaining healthy habits.

This information and other information is intended for general reference purposes only and is not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

YOUR SPIRIT

Expand Your World By Doing Nothing
take time to be still

"Work is not always required ... there is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected."
-- George MacDonald

When was the last time you did absolutely nothing?

Our world is so addicted to productivity that we feel guilty if we’re not doing something. But taking time daily to be still and inactive opens us to the spacious present. It nurtures and restores balance. Give yourself a regular gift of inactivity.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."
-- Sir J. Lubbock