The Control Factor

Learning to control only what we can directly control. So this begs the question.. do we really try to control what we can’t control?

Absolutely.

That’s how we develop our stress. That’s where your worries come from. That’s why we are or can become very unhappy.

We worry about the bills. We worry about the health of our loved ones. We worry if he or she likes me. We worry if our job is secure. The list is endless.

The question is, why? Why do we try to control that which we have no control over? Why not simply control what we can control….meaning control us.

Yep. Simply controlling YOU can alleviate if not eliminate stress, aggravation and possible unhappiness.

So… controlling you? What the heck does that mean?

Learn to control your reaction to something… not the event itself. So it’s a rainy day. Instead of being aggravated and upset that it’s not a sunny day, learn to adapt to the situation. Be happy that it’s not raining on you! Be happy that there isn’t a hole in the roof of your car or house!

Keep it simple. Control yourself.. not others. Control your actions, not the actions or intentions of others. Control how YOU can improve a situation instead of pointing the finger at someone else.

If you can’t control it… let it go.

Take care of yourself and yours.

Technorati Tags: 2008,april,blog,control,yourself

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Consider the source

We all to often jump head first into things. Patience is of course a virtue, but when something is heard, or spoken that flickers your emotions it’s hard sometimes to stop and let it marinate.

So where did you learn of this news? Who told you? Where did you hear it from?

The Internet has turned John Q. Public into a very informed society. But what kind of information are we consuming? We all too often believe what is in print simply because it just MUST be true?! Right?… uuuhh Right?

Yes, some things are true whether we choose to believe them or not. But make sure you consider the source.

As always take care of yourselves and yours.

Technorati Tags: 2008,blog,information,march,source,true,truth

 

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Everything put together falls apart sooner or later

Age is inevitable. Aging is guaranteed. From that bookcase you bought to that toy you had as child. Sooner or later it will fall apart.

The question is do you want it to happen sooner or later?

If it’s put together properly, it should last a good amount of time. If you take care of it, it should last. If you pay attention to how you handle it, it should last.

Now if you want to haphazardly put it together.. then it’s sure to fall apart soon. If you neglect it or handle it improperly… yep. Much sooner than later it won’t be around.

Maybe we should treat our selves like something we put together?

What do you think?

As always take care of yourselves and yours.

Technorati Tags: 2008,blog,care,fall apart,later,march,neglect,soon

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Having a F.I.T. New Year: Part III

So we’ve him-hawed around enough. We’ve touched on all the things that matter when it comes to maintaining or controlling your weight. Everything from the obvious obesity problem, the ‘American Way’ of everything quick and easy, the multitude of weight loss program options, etc.

So how do you do it?

You keep it simple. You keep manageable. And most importantly, you KEEP AT IT.

I talked about picking a goal in my previous posts. Make the goal attainable within a certain time frame. Of course you wanna aim high. But don’t aim so high that you’ll never even see the end result.

No matter what you do, how you do it, where you do it, who you do it with the basic and root of all evils when it comes to a healthier you is how hard is it? Not only how hard is it, but how long do I have to spend doing it?

If you remember my reference early about the quick and easy fix.. and the long and arduous option. Of course everyone wants the quick and easy way. Unfortunately that option doesn’t yield the best, most permanent result. Remember if it took you X amount of time to gain that weight, it will take you 2-3 times longer to get rid of it. Being the human sponge is sometimes not very beneficial.

If you noticed, I’m not mentioning anything about the ACTUAL act of losing weight or exercising. It’s quite simple really. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as it works for you and your lifestyle. I have the ability to go to the gym 2-3, sometimes 4 times a week for 1-3hrs at a time. Many people don’t have that luxury. So find something that fits your lifestyle, not someone else’s.

So if you’ve noticed the word F.I.T. I have been using is actually an anagram.

• FREQUENCY
• INTENSITY
• TIMING

No matter what your doing, these 3 simple things can make the difference between a program that isn’t working, and a program that is.

FREQUENCY

Yep, basically how often are you doing it? Start out small and take baby steps forward. So you have a busy work schedule… AND you have a family with children…. AND your attempting this by yourself. I don’t care. Start small and move forward. Start with 1 time a week for 5 minutes. The next week try 2 time a week for 5 minutes. Then… maybe 2 times a week twice a day for 5 minutes, etc. The point is you will make progress, no matter how minimal it is if you simply increase the FREQUENCY of your action.

INTENSITY

Yep, how much effort are you putting into it? How hard are you working? How tired are you when you’re done? Same principle applies. Start small and take baby steps. So you begin with something that is not taxing on your body at all. In fact you can’t tell if you even stressed yourself. The next time either add weight, or add a step, or add a lap, or add a rep, etc. Same thing as before, progress, small or large is still progress.

TIMING

How long are you doing the exercise/event. Are you hurrying through, are you concentrating on what you are doing? Or are you distracted with other things (work, family, friends, etc). Again, start small. Start with 5 minutes for a week, or two weeks, then 10 minutes for 2 weeks. Progress is progress.

It’s always about the basics. Stick to the basics. Quit worrying about everyone else. Quit comparing yourself to everyone else. What you do will only work for you. Everyone is different. It may take you longer.. it may take you shorter a time to see the same results as John Q. Public, but you will get results.

Have patience and take your time.

Remember anything worth doing, is worth doing well.

Spend the time to do it right the first time, and you won’t have to find the time to fix it later.

Technorati Tags: 2008,March,blog,america,obesity,weight loss,losing weight,new year resolution,weight managment

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Having a F.I.T. New Year: Part II

So we covered the New Year’s resolution, and the Obesity problem, as well as the “American Way”.

So the question is, how can one stick with it? How do we persevere and stay on track with our goal of better weight management?

How do we stubborn and spoiled American’s get out of our habit, out of our rutt of settling for the easy way out. We love the quick/fast and in a hurry fix’er-upper program.

I’m sure if I told you that Program A will get you to lose 30lbs in 1 month as opposed to Program B will get you to lose 30lbs in 6 months, you would choose Program A. (once again quicker)

What if I also told you that with Program A you won’t have to exercise… all you have to do is take a pill, and Program B you have to exercise, which one would you choose? (Yep Program A again)

Here’s the cold-hard truth. The hypothetical Program A doesn’t exist. Sure, their are plenty of fad-diet’s out there that would love to argue and sing a different tune, but of course that’s why they are called fad-diets.

If you’ve ever tried these type of diets, you ever notice how easy it is? How easy maybe the first couple or first 10 or so pounds can and do come off? Then all of a sudden it reverses on you? You start to gain weight?

Here’s the secret to any weight loss success or failure. The amount of time it takes you to lose the weight is proportional to the amount of time you’ll keep that very same weight off.

So lets’ do the math.

I lose 10lbs in 4weeks or less, I’m gonna gain all that back (and probably more) in 4 weeks. Now we won’t split hairs on the exact numbers, but as a general rule if it was that easy to take the weight off, it will be just as easy to put the weight back on.

The physiological reality is you are simply squeezing the water out of your body. And like any sponge, squeeze it hard enough and you’ll empty it dry, but give it just a lil bit of the same stuff you got rid of, and it soaks it up immediately.

Your body is the same way. The first ‘type’ of weight you will lose is excess water weight. Now everyone’s body fluctuates on a ‘DAILY’ basis as to how much H2O you can gain or lose. I for one can gain/lose up to 8lbs a day since I drink a heck of a lot of fluid through my day.

So quite simply : H20 = extra weight.

If you think I’m making this up, look into it. Bodybuilders live by this principle. When they are not competing they will simply monitor the amount of water they take in. During a competition, usually 3-6 days before the actual event they start to dehydrate themselves to give them that ‘ripped’ look. How else do you think they get those veins/muscles to pop out??

Stay tuned for the next installment: The F.I.T. lifestlye.

Technorati Tags: 2008,blog,america,march,losing weight,new year resolution,obesity,weight loss,weight managment

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Having a F.I.T. New Year

So it’s been almost 2 months since the new year. Everyone hopefully made some sort of a new years resolution.

The typical and most popular new years resolution is to ‘get in shape’ or ‘lose X amount of weight’ or ‘maintain an ideal weight’. All of the mentioned involve some sort of weight management.

Now if you are like the majority of people, your new year’s resolution can and will have the dominant effect of fading with time. As the year rolls on, your motivation and interest in that resolution begins to fade with the sunset.

So how can one maintain an ideal weight throughout the year(s)?

It’s a fairly simple idea and thought process. No one can change their current weight without changing their weight ‘habits’. Whether you want to lose some pounds, or ‘tone up’ that body of yours, it’s going to involve some sort of LIFESTYLE CHANGE.

So.

The way a person lives. Hmm. Lets think about that concept for just a split second. How does weight management involve or affect one’s lifestyle? Yet another simple idea and thought process. Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat?

The sole reason why everyone’s new year’s resolution to maintain an ideal weight fails, is because we all jump on the social weight loss bandwagon. DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE my friends.

The majority thinks in terms of what they see working for others. Oh.. so and so joined a gym… and worked out 2-4 times a week and loss X amount of weight. Or someone you know tried this new fad-diet they hear of, or saw on the news, or advertised on TV/Internet and THEY loss X amount of weight. How about…. this other person simply took this pill… and the results were phenomenal!

We’ve heard them all. We’ve seen them all. Why do you think it’s call a FAD diet. Where do you think the term YO-YO diet comes from?

The weight loss industry is saturated for this very reason. Because there is always someone out there who will buy that silver bullet, someone who will be gullible enough to believe in the unbelievable.

Let me ask you this. Would you buy a product when the spokes person looked like this:  Probably not.

So why is the Obesity problem in America not motivation enough to maintain that ideal weight?

I mean you don’t have to be a health care professional to know that being overweight is BAD for you health. I could devote numerous blogs to the side effects and health risks to being overweight.. but I’ll try and stay on topic. (I said try)

So what is it that stops us? What is it that strips us of our new years motivation?

Quite simply… it’s our habit. It’s the American way.

We are a convenience society. What ever is quicker, easier, faster and less arduous we like, and will pursue.

When is the last time you physically got out of your seat to change the channel on your TV? Probably to go searching for the remote control. When was the last time you washed your car in the middle of winter? When was the last time you walked instead of taking the elevator/escalator/transit bus? Do you shop online instead of dragging your tired self to the store? Is your lawnmower self-propelled? Do you yourself even mow your lawn?

Stay tuned for Having a F.I.T. New Year: Part II

Technorati Tags: blog,2008,february,new year resolution,new year,weight loss,fit,weight management,losing weight,obesity,america

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Can you break the habit.. or does it break you?

Addiction is a powerful sickness that unfortunately affects you and everyone around you.

Smoking is the single most addicting behavior in our nation. We all know it’s not good for us.. we all know what he consequences are.. but we still do it.

Well here is another attempt at informing the public about smoking and it’s detrimental effects. This time however.. I think they got a lot of peoples attention.

Here’s an article from back in January from a local news channel.

This I think is the best effort anyone has made in regards to anti-smoking, and the cold hard reality of smoking.. and what it can and does to you.

Koodos.

Technorati Tags: 2008,february,blog,smoking,anti-smoking,advertisement