Are Your Actions Matching Your Desires?

Are your actions matching your desires?  Do you want to get into shape and lose some weight?  If so, are your actions supporting the outcome of what you desire?

The majority of people do not "act" in support of what they want.  They talk incessantly about what they want, but never put the right actions towards getting it.  They may want to buy a new car, but never save any money to put towards it.  They may want to go to a great college, but do not put the study hours in to get good grades to be able to qualify for a good college.

Many people want to be lean and in shape, but do not want to do what it takes to be in shape.  Many lack the commitment and  discipline that it takes to reach their fitness goals.  I hear "I want, I want, I want", but I see little of the doing it takes to get results.

If you want to lose body fat and get into shape you must be disciplined and committed to doing the work to get there.  You need to exercise four to seven days a week, doing both cardiovascular exercise, and strength training.  Exercising one or two days a week is better than not exercising all, but to be in top shape more days will be needed.  .

If you are complaining or unhappy about the fat on your body; eating french fry's, candy, donuts, sugar cereals, fast food, and drinking soda's, will not help you lose the fat.  Yet I see people constantly engaging in this kind of behavior, wanting something, but doing actions that are opposite of what they desire.

You can not be lean and healthy with a diet full of processed, fried, fatty, sugary, foods.  You can not get fit if you do not exercise on a regular bases.

Unfortunately, there will never be a magic pill, or machine that will take the place of eating healthy, and regular exercise.  Every time someone comes up with something that is going to be the easy way to get lean or fit, it has turned out to be a health hazard.  Discipline and commitment are the tools that you need to have the body and health that you desire.

Our society has gotten lazy about taking care of themselves.  It is just too much effort to cook a good meal.  It is to hard to exercise, after all it feels better just sitting around instead of working out.  This is what has caused our country to be the fattest, most unhealthy of all industrialized countries in the world.  We are the fattest, most nutrient deficient, group of people, yet we are the most affluent. 

Don't complain about the state of your body, if you are eating poorly and not exercising.  It takes time, discipline, effort, and focus to get into shape and stay there.  It is a life long commitment, not a six month stint.  Make it part of your daily life to take care of yourself.

No one can do this for you, you have to make the choice to eat well, and exercise, even when you don't feel like it.  People think that I always love to eat right and exercise.  Not True!  There are many days I do not want to exercise, but I do because I know it is good for me, and I always feel better for it.

Make your choice in how you want to live your life.  Do you want to be fit and healthy, or fat and unhealthy.  It is all up to you....no one else....just you.  You can not blame anyone else if you eat poorly and don't exercise.  You have the power to be and do what ever you want.  How will you "choose" to live your life?  

Wishing You Health and Happiness,

Queenie

The Six Components for a Healthy Whole Self

I think it is a good time to remind ourselves of the six components of getting to a "healthy whole self". Throughout this blog I have written over and over about these six components. If you are serious about being healthy in a whole sense, you should revisit my blogs beginning from January 1st up until today's date to find more on these topics.



The first, and I believe to be most important thing to begin your health journey, is to learn how to control your thinking. I refer to it as mindfulness, being conscious and deliberate about your thoughts. As I have stated many times, many of us are victims of our thoughts. Our mind chatter runs rampant with negative, fearful, thoughts that are never a help or benefit for us. It is key to understand that no one is in your head but you, and you are the one thinking those things. You are the one that can change how you think, and become in charge of any thoughts that you have.



Becoming mindful of our thoughts, actions, and emotions, will put you in the power seat, instead of being controlled by them. We can choose how we think, react, or emote to anything....in actuality we already do choose all of those things, but most of the time it is in an unconscious manner. So practice your mindfulness by choosing how you think, react, or feel, and most importantly, stay in the present time. Be mindful of this moment, it is all you really have you know, and that can set you free of past and future torment.





The second most important component for total health, is nutrition. It is very simple to understand how you should eat. I have said this over and over as well....Eat natures food for the bulk of your diet, and you will be healthier for it. Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and lean proteins, are what you want to eat. These are the foods that come from nature, not a factory where humans have disturbed natures balance.



Stay away from processed food, fast food, high sugar, high fat, foods. Stay away from foods laden with chemicals, artificial ingredients, and ingredients that you can not pronounce or know what they are. All of those things are found in processed foods. They have little to no nutrition in them, but are full of things that do not promote health. Stick to what nature has provided for you....that is how you stay healthy and lean.





Third on the list is exercise. You must move your body and involve yourself in cardiovascular exercise, as well as strength training to build muscle. A healthy body has a strong heart from doing something aerobic on a regular bases. Run, walk, bike ride, roller blade, swim, hike, or participate in any aerobic exercise at least five to seven days a week for optimal health.



A healthy body has muscle from doing strength training exercises for it to be strong, beautiful, and youthful. Building muscle is a must for health. Muscle increases your metabolism to help burn more fat even while you are at rest. Weight bearing exercise is crucial for a healthy body, and it will keep you looking great too.




Fourth on my healthy whole body to-do list, is making sure you are doing stretching exercises each day. You must stay flexible to reduce risk of injury and keep your body feeling good. Stretching or Yoga exercises open up your energy flow, reduces stress, and helps you to relax. This is a great thing to do when you are stressed or feeling anxious. Many people who practice yoga find it to be very meditative as well. Flexibility is a must for over all health.







The fifth component for a whole healthy self is meditation. I am not listing these in matters of importance, for I believe that meditation is of utmost importance for a healthy self. I have written several blogs about meditation which you can find in the archives. This is a tool that can change your life for the better on all levels, mental, physical, and spiritual. Meditation is a practice, it is not something you will master right away. It is something that will be of great benefit to you body, mind, and soul, for your entire life.





Last but not least, you must get your rest to be healthy. Without rest nothing will function properly for you. Sleep is where your body heals, restores, and rejuvenates itself. I have written blogs on rest and sleep that will help you to understand why it is so important. If you do not get at least eight hours of sleep a night, you will be sleep deprived. A healthy body gets its sleep!





So there you have the six most important components for a healthy whole self. Begin to incorporate these practices into your daily life if you are wanting to be at your best and feel your best. Your life will change for the better, I promise you that!




Till Monday,
Queenie