Category: Health

You are What You Eat - Part One

10/12/2013

You are what you eat. What does that really mean?

Everything you take into your life forms who you are. The music you listen to, the books you read, the air you breath, water you drink, the friends and colleagues you have, the food you eat, the thoughts you think, the movies and TV you see, the radio stations you listen to, your family, your beliefs and values. All these things create who you are.

Today we are going to talk a little about the food you eat.

This will not be about a new weight loss diet. It will not be about a new super energy high potency, increase your libido diet. This is about a "taking care about what you eat and where you get it from" diet. This is about eating healthy to prevent serious health challenges. In the process you may well lose weight.

You are what you eat and you are responsible for creating that healthy or unhealthy person you will be. This is not as easy as some may think as it means getting good at finding and trusting truthful sources of information. We live in a world where information is constantly manipulated and given out in a limited form to tell a more favourable story for those whose main agenda is often about making money or supporting a partially true or misleading story.

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, in his most recent book, Brain Grain, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more.

Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 30-day plan, GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better.

Read this book it is a trustworthy source and will change dramatically how you see your food and perhaps the way you eat. Absolutely priceless information!

The next important health and food information source is Dr. Joseph Mercola the founder of Mercola.com the World's #1 Natural Health Website. Dr. Mercola is also somebody to trust having no hidden agendas and a wealth of free information about food, our diets and the dangers that lie in the present healthcare system and technologies such as Vaccinations, for example.

To quote Dr. Mercola: "My motivation, whether you are a member of the Mercola.com community, or have just heard about me for the first time, is to make you as healthy as you can possibly be. This involves:

Providing the most up to date natural health information and resources that will most benefit you and,
Exposing corporate, government and mass media hype that diverts you away from what is truly best for your health and often to a path that leads straight into an early grave.

Mercola.com is not, in other words, a tool to get me a bigger house and car, or to run for Senate. I fund this site, and therefore, am not handcuffed to any advertisers, silent partners or corporate parents.

When I offer or recommend products, I do so because I have actively researched them and find they are the best in that category for your health. I ignore substandard products, and products not directly pertinent to your health, regardless of any potential financial upside."

I cannot think of a better source of information on food, health and the risks of outdated and profit seeking medical treatment systems. All this information is free and to the point. No fluff and hidden agendas.

Good health, happiness and growing awareness on the choices you can make for a better life.®

Live, love and laugh, Bob and Marianne.

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What Do I Want To Do ?

17/4/2013

Think about this. What would you do if you knew all this?

What would you do if you knew nobody would judge you? If nobody would criticize you including yourself? What would you do?

What would you do in this lifetime if money or time or health was not a problem?

What would you do if somebody always loved you no matter what you say or think or do? If somebody always believed in the possibility that is you? What would you then do or create?

What would you do if you knew that everything is perfect and all that you choose to do is wonderful and more than good enough? What you are and do is perfect.

What would you do if you knew that all the past was forgiven without conditions? That you are not your past. That tomorrow is a completely new day and all that happens is now, right now. Not yesterday nor tomorrow.

What would you do if somebody told you that there is a way to touch a miracle each and every day? That the miracle costs nothing to touch and experience?

What would you do if you knew that there is a special power in beginning something? Start, take action and bring into play the energy of the universe that surrounds you. There is unlimited power in creation.

What would you do if you knew for certain that you can change your life? What if you knew and understood that by changing your thoughts and beliefs, you can change your life? When will you start? How will you do it?

What would you do if you knew that your experience of sadness and happiness is life and that it comes and goes? Life is not all happiness, nor is it all sadness and misery. Life is a flow when we let it flow through us we have a true experience of life.

What would you do if you knew that nobody can change your experience of life other than you? That you are responsible for your experience and your results. You are the creator of your experience and as such can change it. You can change your life to something else if you decide to and take action.

What do you want to do?

Yes, I admit that if someone gave me a pile of money tomorrow it would make parts of my life easier. I know that what I do today and how I do it affects my future. The choices I make, the thoughts I have, the beliefs and values I hold sculpt my life. And the attention I give the present moment sets the quality of my life experience.

So the choices we make and the focus we give our lives create our lives. Mindfullness training and communication skills are a great help to getting what you want. First you must choose!

Live mindfully in the present moment and focus on your choices, not somebody else's.®

Live long and be happy, Marianne and Bob.

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Tips on How to Be Happy

5/4/2013

It is great to be happy. Three cheers for being happy! I love being happy. Don't you?While it is not possible all of the time to be happy, it is possible to improve the amount and frequency of your happiness.

So here are several tips about being happier more often, sometimes even in the midst of a crisis or a downturn.

First, watch your behaviour and your thinking. Are there things you do automatically which are just negative habits you have turned into a negative and unhappy part of your life? Begin to watch your behaviour and your thoughts enough so that you can identify some of those things that trigger you to go in one of those negative or unhappy directions. When you have done that, you can simply stop when you see the trigger and substitute a no, a stop or a more positive belief or behaviour. You can get some help with this from experienced life coaches.

A good example is how you might automatically negatively interpret your husband or wife's behaviour without even thinking about it. "There she goes, criticizing me again for being slow. Hasn't she got something interesting to do?" Instead you could substitute curiosity for irritation. That would look something like this. " Hmm, she is criticising me, I wonder what is going on for her?"

Second, are you having a heavy day? Maybe you are feeling almost depressed. You want to be happy? Then make a choice for happiness. Choose to smile and hold the smile for a while. Come back to the smile as often as you can and feel the smile. There is a brain - body connection between the act of smiling and the brain. There are 43 muscles in the face. Seventeen that make a smile send a signal to the brain that you are Happy even when you are not. The brain releases endorphins and you feel somewhat better and happier.

Try this. For those who know how to meditate this is one small step simpler. For those who don't meditate follow these steps, it works.

Relax, back straight, but not rigid. Breathe in and mentally follow your breath in, feel it and naturally breathe out following and feeling the out breath. Do this a few minutes until you get into the rhythm of breathing in and breathing out. Now say the following words to yourself in your head, with your breathing, " Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I feel happy." Use the exact words and word order. Do this 10 times and repeat when you feel needed. Feel the difference. This is micro meditating with a tangible result.

Another bit of information to give you another reason to smile is that research has also shown smiling to improve your immune system functioning. How good does it get?

Final tip on how to be happy, change your energy. Put on some lively music you like and dance even if you don't feel like it. Dance around for five minutes or longer. You can even risk hopping up and down and cheering for yourself. Life is a blast.

So friends, watch your behaviour, change those negative triggers, smile, meditate, dance and cheer for the wonderful person you are and fake it until you become it!®

Have a positive day and smile, dance and cheer, Bob and Marianne

Use It - Don't Lose It - Birkebeinerrennet

15/3/2013

There is this old, old Norwegian man who tomorrow for the 45th time in his long life will put on his X-country skiis and along with 16,500 other people he will ski from Rena to Lillehammer, Norway, a distance of 54 kilometres. This event is called the Birkebeiner Ski Race.

Last year he got a cramp part way which slowed him down, but he finished in around 11 hours 21 minutes. The year before when he was "only" 91 he finished in 7 hours 20 minutes with no cramps.

He says that his time is not important but it is important to finish. He enjoys the race and the people he meets and talks with. Here is his training schedule;

Tollef Sverdrup, born in 1919, says he practises about 100 hours of x-country skiing from January to the 16th of March, Race day. In reality, he goes out and skiis from 1.5 to 2.0 hours per day, for 75 days. That's not so bad for a young guy like him. How many of us 40+ people get in 30 minutes of exercise per day??

My 90 year old father-in-law, who thinks as clearly as most folks, listens to classical music and does cross word puzzles, sudoko and computer programming on the side. He is together mentally and still drives a sports car.

How much time does the average person waste in mindless TV watching? Statistics about TV say it is a lot. It certainly is well over 3 hours per day.How much does the average person exercise their mind and body each day?

So get with the winning program and decide to train your brain and build in some physical activity each day. Eat healthy and turn of the TV. Have a nice conversation with your other half and go for a nice walk. If you need some help with this talk with a life coach who can support you to change your habits and reach your personal goals.®

Live long and prosper, Marianne and Bob

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Use It Or Lose It

1/3/2013

I got a haircut today at my favourite barber shop. Leon is a very cool guy, 70 years young. I enjoy getting my haircut from him.

Two reasons. First, you can tell him how you want the haircut without him being professionally irritated. He adjusts to the feedback. After all, it is my money, hair and time. Right? Second, he likes to have a good conversation which means hearing the other, not just speaking. So we trade thoughts, listen, speak, give feedback, ask questions and compliment each other as humans.

During our session today we spoke about the barbers' role other than cutting hair. That role was not taught at trade school. The role is to pay attention to people. It is to speak with those who want some contact. It is to facilitate communication. In a way a kind of mindfullness. It is a service that is greatly appreciated by people, specially by those who have lost a partner or feel isolated. We observed that the visits by these people to their barber, doctor, dentist or corner store owner are important and some of the few contacts they might have.

We also talked about how people avoid doing things they can do that would improve their life quality. In turn they can lose certain important things such as personal cleanliness, physical health, mental health and communication skills. In the course of this conversation the phrase "use it or lose it" popped into my mind.

The Law of "use it or lose it" says that if we have a skill, are physically fit, are sharp about how we think, understand and remember things, then we must practice them to hold a level of fitness in these various areas. A good example for me is I once spoke French very well when I lived in Canada. I can no longer do that as I haven't practiced for years. Leon and I ended up agreeing that "Use it or lose it" is a great expression that is so useful.

So here is the thing. To learn a skill or technique you need to take in new information and practice until it gets to be somewhat automatic. To keep that skill you must continue to practice it and even improve it. We need to maintain body, mind and spirit by maintaining our skills. Self development points out that where there is a gap in our knowledge we can learn new skills. This process can be facilitated by mindfullness training and by working with an experienced life coach.

Stay socially engaged and be mindful ®

Love and light,

Bob and Marianne

Doktoren og god kommunikasjon

27/2/2013

Jeg fulgte min far til legen hans i forrige uke. Mine erfaringer med leger spenner fra den empatiske legen til han eller hun som er mest opptatt av å gi deg en resept og så rope "værsågod neste".

Min far har fastlege, privatpraktiserende uten tilskudd. Da er det ikke akkurat billig, kan jeg si. Dermed forventer jeg ekstra god behandling. Nå skal jeg være den første til å si at det er farlig å ha forventninger, i så mange sammenhenger. En kan lett bli skuffet. Bare tenk etter når du har store forventninger til en fest, en ferie, et lønnstillegg, feiring av din fødselsdag og så videre.

Jeg hadde altså noen forventninger til denne legen og jeg ble faktisk ikke skuffet.

Først var jeg spent på om min far syntes det var OK at jeg ble med ham inn til legen. Kanskje det var godt nok at jeg kjørte ham til legekontoret og ventet i venteværelset. Nei, far ønsket faktisk at jeg ble med inn til legen. Det var jeg glad for - det var nemlig en fin erfaring. Jeg holder en del foredrag, kurs og workshops i temaet "kommunikasjon" og jeg har ofte ørene og øyene ekstra åpne.

Fra første øyeblikk jeg traff denne legen, følte jeg et stort velbehag og syntes at vi var i gode hender. Legen hilste først på min far og deretter på meg. Han satte seg vel tilrette, viste tydelig et kroppsspråk som uttrykket at han var klar til å lytte, klar til å gi min far den tiden han trengte. Han stilte spørsmål for å være sikker på at han forstod min far underveis. Han nikket, smilte, sa "ja, aha, hm, mmm" og så videre. Legen henvendte seg hele tiden til min far, jeg blandet meg lite inn, men da jeg spurte et par spørsmål, kikket legen både på meg og min far da han svarte. Det var jeg som stilte spørsmålet, det var min far det angikk. Legen gjentok også ordrett det min far sa for å være sikker på at han hadde forstått det riktig.

Legen forklarte så at han ville ta et par minutter og skrive inn i journalen det som hadde blitt sagt i løpet av samtalen.

Jeg var imponert over denne legens gode evner til sunn og fin kommunikasjon med sin pasient. Jeg gav ham også denne tilbakemeldingen før vi forlot kontoret. Jeg takket for en behagelig opplevelse og sa hvor viktig det er at en lege lytter til sin pasient. Å lytte med ekthet er nemlig å verdsette og respektere det andre mennesket.

Å være 90 år er ikke gitt å bli respektert og verdsatt. Min far er heldigvis meget intelligent og klok mann. Han var fornøyd etter legevisitten og jeg vet at for ham er det viktig å bli lyttet til.

Det er mange konflikter i dag som oppstår nettopp fordi vi ikke kan lytte til andre. Vi er mest opptatt av å formidle vårt syn i en sak, angripe den andre, forsvare oss, gjøre oss selv til et offer og vi ønsker å bli hørt av den andre.
Konfliktene får utvikle seg, vi vet ikke hvordan vi skal komme ut av dem, hvordan vi skal få tilbake den gode atmosfæren som ligger bak der. Vi har respekt for, er glad i den andre parten. Vi sliter med oss selv.
I stedet for å kommunisere hva vi egentlig føler, så beskylder vi den andre parten for å være årsaken til konflikten.

Kommunikasjon er fundamentet i alle forhold og på alle nivåer. Det være seg i forholdet til din partner, dine barn, din sjef og dine kollegaer, dine venner og så videre.
Sliter du med usunn kommunikasjon, ikke nøl; ta kontakt med en Life Coach som vil lede deg i riktig retning.

Med respekt,
Bob og Marianne

Marianne og hennes far

Mindfulness, To Be Alive and Present

4/2/2013

I have studied personal development, spirituality, yoga and mindfulness for about 30 years including the three months of 12/7 training when we lived and studied at the Yasodhara Ashram in 2000. Through all those years I have most of the time felt that I didn't know enough or understand deeply enough. Therefore it seemed like I needed to study and read more.

The big wake up for me in recent years has been in finally understanding that it was all right there in front of me, right now. All I really had to do was start practicing, let go of judgements and be willing to notice what was happening.

Mindfulness is a practice that comes from the 2,500 year old discipline called Buddhism and you can come from any religion or non-religion and still practice Mindfullness with great benefit. In a nutshell it is the practice of living in such a way as to focus on the present and see what is going on.

The basics of Mindfulness can be learned in about eight weeks and it makes dramatic differences in the quality of our lives. Specific outcomes such as reduced stress, fear and anxiety are documented. Healing of the body and mind is facilitated and focus and creativity can be increased in your life in general and on the job. It requires ongoing practice and application if you wish to experience success.

To see the living miracle of life and its interrelatedness is to be awake or present, as world renowned Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says in one of his many books "Nowhere To Go, Nothing To Do".

For me , the ability to hold my focus on the present moment, on where I am, the time I am in and the experience I am presented with gives a clarity, intensity, humbleness and understanding that is not otherwise possible. Presence is not about thinking and analysis or of being right about something, it is about seeing and experiencing things the way they are at that moment.It is about learning about your interrelatedness to all things and events.

Things are as they are and Mindfulness does not say I will be happy forever once I have mastered it. It does say that I will begin to see reality as it is and understand how everything relates to everything else. Therefore I will have a tendency to do things consciously, will learn as I go, will experience the aliveness of life and do things understanding the consequences. I will perform and experience a higher quality that is available every day.

Some moments will be ecstatically happy and delightful others will be the challenges that reality is. With the practice of mindfulness we handle it all better and the decisions we take will be better for the evolution of life, the flow of life. Stress is reduced,health often improves and life is more joyful and therefore happy.

If I cut away the profound depth that mindfulness represents and the seeming complexity that people think is there, at its heart mindfulness is a simple process to learn. At the same time it is difficult to practice enough to live mindfully. It takes willingness, commitment to yourself, compassion and an understanding of some of the techniques that help to strengthen the focus of your mind. The only way to do it is to start and it is easier to learn with a teacher and in a group.

I am looking forward to working with a few people at a time to train them in Mindfulness. We can do part of it as group work and a smaller portion with one on one coaching. Mindfulness will give improved quality in your private life and on the job. Mindfulness is a way of living the most wonderful of possibilities in all circumstances.

Comment below what you would like to see in the form of training and coaching to learn Mindfulness and I promise you a most rewarding experience and a better quality of life. What do you want to improve or which goals do you want to reach? Does it get any better than that in the moment?®

Live mindfully, joyfully and prosper

Bob and Marianne

"We are here for you."®

Life Coaching Acceleration Program

1/1/2013

Life goes crazy, crazy fast and seems to go faster and faster. How do we catch up to be and do what we need and want to do?

Most often questions of time, money and choice of goals are what hold us back. We need to get going and we often need some help or support, or motivation to move towards our goals and dreams and to overcome our challenges. We think we cannot afford it money wise and time wise.

In order that you get started as quickly and easily as possible SteppingStoneLifeCoaching is giving you a special opportunity. During the month of January, 2013, register and pay for one Life Coaching session and you will have three sessions booked over January and February. If you register and pay for 3 sessions you will get 6 over January, February and March plus email support.

Why would we want to do this? We are a recently formed company and believe in what we do. While we have the prior experience and training we would like you to get started and to tell others about your life coaching with us. Simple, right? You get the experienced coaching and we get to be better known in our area of expertise. Win win!

So we have taken care of the money and the time excuses you might usually come up with and you must take care of the third, choice. Take action now and click here to enroll in our Life Coaching Acceleration Program.

Next posting will be about What Do I Want?

Happy New Year, Live long and healthy, Marianne and Bob

Authors

Bob and Marianne own SteppingStoneLifeCoaching.
Marianne, a Norwegian, is a Certified Life Coach, former Conflict Resolution Counsellor. She has also studied five years at the University of Stavanger.

Bob has over 12 years experience as a life coach, career and business counsellor. Bob also worked for some years as a strategic policy analyst. He has a Masters in Public Administration and also worked as Business Consulting Services Manager in Canada.

Please note that all the written material in this blog is Copyright, but can be used or quoted if the source www.steppingstonelifecoaching.com is quoted. Concerns or questions, contact us please.
And please leave a comment, we would love to understand you a bit better.

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