Intention

Here are a few excerpts from an article on intention

It’s time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.

A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim.” Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible, possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results.

For example:

  • Before you get out of bed, you can intend to have a fun or productive day.
  • Before you leave the house, you can intend to have quality time with your family or roommate.
  • Before you start your car, you can intend to have a safe ride to work.
  • Before you enter your workplace, you can intend to learn something new or be helpful.
  • Before the meeting begins, you can intend to be brilliant or calm.

First Steps:

1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.

2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.

3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.

4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.

 

Source article.

 

What comprises core strength

Your core is more than just your abdominal muscles. Indeed your abdominal makes up the majority of the core; with the rectus abdominus, external and internal obliques and the transverse abdominus. Your lower back and glutes; maximus, medius and minimus also contribute to your core stability. DO not forget that the top of your quads and hamstrings also play a part.

There is a difference between core exercises and ab exercises. The former works these muscles in unison strengthening them as they work together (more functionally driven strength), the latter works the ab muscles itself, which is necessary to be able to maintain form in core exercises. Both are important in overall stability and strength.

And example of a core exercises is a plank, where as an ab exercise is a crunch.

 

On perspective

I recieve these wonderful daily emails nad today I wanted to share it with you:

A few words on perspective:

In all of time and space, there is no challenge, pothole, mountain, chasm, hurdle, or foe larger than you. Not even close. Although if all you use to size them up are your physical senses… good luck!

Tallyho,
The Universe

 

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Understanding food labels…

Proper nutrition and heart health go hand in hand. It is important to have a diet low in saturated fat and sodium. Include high fiber foods, and healthy fats. Get enough protein and vitamins. Do you know how to read a food label?

To learn how, or refresh your skills check this website out.

 

With glowing hearts

The olympics are in full swing we are inundated with snippets from our nation anthem; what an inspiring time. I was fortunate to get to go to the cross country event this week: the phrase “with glowing hearts” form our national anthem kept popping up on the large display. It is interesting because I found that it really speaks to the connection between the mind, body, and soul. If our heart are glowing then our bodies feel strong, we are connected and ready to give it our all. It is a great way to cheer on our athletes. What I have found in my personal training practice is that if our hearts are not glowing, if we are having a difficult day, our bodies are not strong. At such times it is important to listen to our bodies, it is not the time to push ourselves, rather it is the time to heal ourselves. And when it is time to give it our all, our best, go for gold with a glowing heart.

Trust the process

If you you have ever worked with me you know that I often tell people to be patience and trust the process. If you are meant to go in a certain direction in life what you need will be brought to you. By no means do this exclude taking responsibility for your life and working towards what you dream, but more so that the little things will take car of themselves and opportunities will be placed before you.

So take control of you life, do what you can and trust that you will get what you need, it may not always be what you want, but usually it is what you need. We do not always know what is best for ourselves in the big picture.

Keep your eyes peels and ears perked there are exciting changes happening in the next two months! It has been confirmed; the world is a beautiful and magical place!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Latest research

As we get we lose cardiovascular endurance because the physiological processes in the body breakdown. New research has shown that these changes are not necessarily due to chronological age and the breakdown on enzymatic reactions as the cellular level, but rather in increase in physical inactivity and abdominal fat. The good news is that in this study elderly participants we able to affect changes in their maximum cardiovascular function as effectively as younger participants.

The good news is it is never too late to derive health benefits from regular physical activity and exercise, so get out there and get moving!

 

Heart Health

We are what we eat, thus what we put in our bodies inevitable become part of its structure, and like I said before structure determine function.

Did you know that fat is absorbed into the body differently than proteins and carbohydrates (CHO)? When CHO and proteins are broken down and absorbed in the small intestine they are carried through the heptatic circulatory system to the liver to filter out unnecessary by-products. Fat however due to its water phobic nature is absorbed into your lymphatic system (mirrors your circulatory system, used in immunity, lymph: the clear part of blood). The lymphatic system drains into the circulatory system at the superior vena cava. If you perused the anatomy of the heart you would know that the superior vena cava is where de-oxygenated blood from the upper body enters the heart to be pumped to the lungs. The implications of that are: THE FIRST PLACE FAT GOES IN THE BODY IS YOU HEART!!!!! And since our cells take what they need to repair, and build form circulating CHO, proteins, and fats, it means your heart is getting first pick of unhealthy fats. Terrifying.

It also explains why eating processed food, which are high in fat (the bad and terrible kind) impacts immunity. Your lymph is a drainage system for your  immune system and unwanted thing circulation in your blood. if it is saturated with fat, it increase the work of your lymph nodes, deceases their effectiveness at fighting off disease.

Next time you reach for that chip, chicken wing, or cookie… think about what it would look like in your heart… you may reconsider.

 

Emotions and a healthy heart

Following is an editorial on the effects of emotions, specifically negative ones, on heart health.

Many Emotions Can Damage the Heart

Most people know that anger is bad for your heart’s health, but loneliness and depression affect your heart, too.

Volatile emotions like anger and hostility are bad for heart health. But studies have shown that some of the quieter emotions can be just as toxic and damaging.

“Study after study has shown that people who feel lonely, depressed, and isolated are many times more likely to get sick and die prematurely – not only of heart disease but from virtually all causes – than those who have a sense of connection, love and community,”

Raising Awareness

Ornish, the founder, president, and director of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., and the author of Love and Survival, points out that today many people don’t have an extended family they see regularly, or live in a neighborhood with two or three generations of neighbors. Many don’t have a job that promises stability or go to a house of worship every week. “These things affect our survival to a much larger degree than people had once thought,” he says.

 

Unfortunately, says Ornish, “many people think of these as things you do after you’ve done all the ‘important’ stuff,” such as diet and exercise. What winds up happening is people often regard spending time with family and friends as a luxury. “What these studies show us is that this is the important stuff,” Ornish says. “We are touchy, feely creatures, we’re creatures of community, and we ignore these things at our own peril.”

Raising awareness so that people who are lonely and depressed can face these problems is very important, says Ornish. “It’s very hard to get people even to take their medication, if you don’t address these issues. That’s where awareness is the first step in healing. If a physician can spend more time with their patients talking about these issues, these people can begin to make different choices in their lives.”

Depression and the Heart

“The general results of studies are that, for the most part, we believe depression is a risk factor for the development of heart disease,” says Matthew Burg, PhD, associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and Columbia School of Medicine.

Burg points out that in people who have already suffered a heart attack that requires surgery to unclog blocked arteries, depression is also associated with poor outcomes, such as an earlier death or subsequent heart attack.

Social isolation and low levels of social support are similarly associated with increased risk for heart disease complications, he says.

Most cardiologists agree these results are important, says Burg. But while cardiologists know what to do about cholesterol and blood pressure, they often don’t know what to do about depression and stress or even how to get patients to reveal how they feel. “It’s not like going to a patient and saying, ‘You have high cholesterol, and here’s the pill,'” says Burg.

Talking About Your Emotions

Not surprisingly, people have an easier time discussing their blood sugar and cholesterol than speaking about their psychological state. “People don’t like being depressed but, in our society, there is a certain stigma about things like depression,” Burg says. “When patients are not as forthcoming about these issues, it makes it that much harder to identify and treat.”

“A person who has suffered a heart attack is likely to say things like, ‘Of course I’m depressed, I just had a heart attack,'” Burg says. “But very often, when we take a closer look, what we find is the symptoms of depression predate the heart attack.

“The depression after a heart attack, which we would call an adjustment problem or adjustment disorder, actually dissipates within a matter of weeks. If the symptoms persist, we’re really talking about a depression independent of the heart disease.” These emotions, when prolonged, “are worth paying attention to, because of the potential effect they’re having on the cardiovascular system.”

For source website click here.