Scuffling with Physical Success

'Tis the holiday season, and it's a season of shopping, eating and celebrating. Most of us are taking advantage of the year-end discounts wherein stores are doing their best to lure us into their establishments with the hopes of dropping a few of our hard-earned dollars. We are celebrating the end of the year, which has hopefully been filled with great memories, wonderful successes and goal achievements.

The additional piece we are inundated with is eating. The holidays mean a time of splurging on the excess of sweets, cakes, home-cooked meals and beverages. If you're like me, then splurging means an extra visit to the gym or longer walks with dogs. I will admit that I do envy those fortunate individuals who are able to eat whatever they want, when they want, without adding on any or very little weight this season!

What keeps you motivated to stay healthy, eat and exercise during the holiday season? As you age your metabolism slows down, which means the level of calories we can consume is lower as you age—so you need to seriously increase you level of activity to offset the imbalance.

Have you formulated your list of motivators for what is going to keep you physically healthy this season? How about being able to achieve your business or career goals easier? Would becoming more financially abundant be a motivator?

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Where Your Truth Goes, Your Confidence Follows

So you now know how confident you are, right? I mean, when ranking yourself regarding your confidence level, you were truthful, right? Oh, you mean you stretched the truth a little? Oh well, that’s okay because we all do it: stretch the truth, I mean. But if you can’t be honest with yourself, then with whom can you be honest? Knowing your truth is the second critical piece to being confident. The first was realizing that all your actions and reactions to life's events and decisions impacted your confidence level. Truth is what empowers you to step out of your comfort zone confidently and take the actions or steps necessary in life.

In the first part of this three-part series you were introduced to your two main life accounts into which all your actions, decisions and experiences are either made deposits into or taken from as withdrawals from your integrity and confidence accounts. Remember that both these accounts affect your level of success in your career, your relationships, and your overall personal wellness.

Your confidence level will dictate how you handle and manage your stress. Some stress is important in life, but extreme stress can be hazardous. Your goal is to be able to handle yourself regarding decision-making during times of crisis as well as you do during normal circumstances. With a lower confidence level it becomes more difficult for you to make effective decisions.

Examples of normal stress or daily triggers of your stress might be balancing your checkbook, creating employee schedules at work, or arranging a food drive for the local food bank. While moving through these situations, your physical, emotional and mental bodies are working according to plan. There may be emotions you experience such as frustration due to trying to coordinate others' schedules and availability, but these frustrations are easily worked through and released. There are no residual emotions floating around; in other words, you've let them go and moved on.

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Healthy, Glowing Skin and Your Confidence

Something for which we all strive yet so few achieve and even fewer keep: a good skin care regimen. Oh yes, there are times we look in the mirror and think "Wow! Not a blemish!" or "Eek, not now!" The second, of course, always happens before a big event or special intimate dinner, whereas the first may come on any given day, giving us a reason to smile and a more confident bounce in our step.

As teenagers we all faced a time dealing with acne, and as adults there are those who continue to deal with this challenge. The longer or more often we face this challenge, the more often our confidence is shaken. We can manage this confidence shaker by using over-the-counter acne or blemish creams; when more serious situations are present, we can solicit the aid of medical doctors for prescription-strength solutions.

When it comes to stepping into action or making decisions with regard to moving forward toward our goals and dreams, our confidence is the fuel to our follow-through. Our self-worth is the spark plug that allows our passion to be ignited by the fuel of our confidence. If one of these is not topped up and running smoothly, our decision quality is affected—as is our ability to succeed.

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Activity and Our Well-Being

What do these people have in common?

• A three-year-old girl running awkwardly to her mother across the lawn while smiling.
• A housewife, age 43, trotting in the park with her colorful running shoes.
• A skinny boy of 15 trying to keep up with the pack in a cross-country race, hoping to be part of the team.
• A 29-year-old teacher who walks to the starting line with his wife, two children and a picnic basket and welcomes his opponents with great pleasure.
• Far behind the front riders, soundly defeated, a solitary rider gives the maximum, excited because he is beating his personal best.
• A nuclear physicist, 39 years old, passing the finish line and trotting to 36th place, quite pleased with himself.

In the first description the young girl is running for the pure joy of moving. She can be compared to a young dog chasing a ball or a foal galloping in a pasture. This pleasure from the kinesthetic sensation of speed, power and natural freedom is wild and intrinsic. Her motivation is being present in the moment and embracing the joy of freedom and movement.

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The Dreaded Double Chin

The dreaded double chin is an “Ack!” moment we’ve all encountered at one point or another when we look pictures. It doesn’t matter how physically fit we might be, because the camera angle, how we are sitting, where we are looking, etc., can herald its appearance. Most of us know the trick of sticking our chins out to make our necklines look thinner, but in the end the perfect “candid” shot this trick is not option. So what might be able to help offset the Dreaded Double Chin?

Spot exercising is a difficult thing to achieve, especially if you are not doing any aerobic exercises. But it is recognized that we can support certain areas by exercising those muscles regularly. We also need to remember obesity and hereditary are the two main causes of chin fat that give us the double chin. While not much can be done about genetic factors, if obesity is the reason, you may find the following facial exercises useful to help reduce the amount of fat stored in your neckline.

The first is one we’ve been introduced to before: head rotations. Rotate your head from side to side five…

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Energy Drinks: Cons Outweigh the Pros

Energy drinks have become extremely popular among the young, and why not? After all, they promise increased mental alertness, better physical performance and a general feel-good effect! The problem, however, is that unless these drinks are consumed carefully and in moderation, the negative side effects start outweighing their benefits.

On their own, energy drinks usually don’t cause any harm (provided you pay attention to the health warnings printed on them) unless they are consumed excessively or mixed with other ingredients.

Excessive Consumption
The first question obviously is how do you define excessive consumption? Generally, two or three drinks a day are considered excessive—even more so if one has a sedentary lifestyle. The following is a list of some of the most common side effects of excessive consumption.

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Breakfast: Kick Start Your Day

You must have heard that a good, healthy breakfast in the morning can keep you alert and active throughout the day. Children do better in school and our physical health improves as well, as it is a great way to start the day in a state of nurturing ourselves in a positive manner. But the vital question that begs to be asked is, “What exactly does this healthy breakfast consist of?” The following are some tried and tested suggestions.

Balance between fats, protein and carbohydrates is critical, so when choosing what to eat ensure your breakfast does not contain more than one element from among oil, sweets and fats—especially if you are trying to lose weight. When choosing a fat element, stick to nuts, almonds, flaxseeds or other food containing Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids also carry EFA that can help improve your mental alertness and even IQ.

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Tai Chi and Your Health

Tai Chi is a popular form of exercise based on the principles of martial arts. I personally do not practice Tai Chi, but I have always been intrigued by it. It has been recommended by a few health consultants for me to pick up, but like most people it is finding the time and energy to find space in my calendar. I hope one day to bring it up on my priority list. In my reading and interest level, I thought it would be interesting to share what I do know about Tai Chi with you in hopes that maybe through my writing and sharing I may one day get closer to embracing this practice.

What I have learned is that Tai Chi combines breathing and relaxation techniques with low-impact physical movements. Its roots can be traced to both the ancient Indian practice of yoga and a martial arts-like technique practiced by the Taoist monk Chang Sang Feng in ancient China.

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Foods that Support Sex Appeal

Yes, you heard it right: foods can indeed add to your sex appeal. How, you may ask? The fact is, eating foods rich in vitamins C, A and E, calcium, iron and antioxidants, etc., can make you look and feel good about yourself. It’s a well-known fact that when you feel confident about your appearance, you feel sexy!

The following is a list of foods that are easily available.

Nonfat yogurt Yogurt is rich in vitamin A and calcium, both nutrients essential for the health of your skin, bones and hair. You may also add fruits to it and improve both its taste and nutritional value.

Dark Chocolate Chocolate has always been associated with sex appeal, but do you know why? Dark chocolate apparently contains phytochemicals that improve blood flow to all parts of your body, including the brain and the sexual organs.

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Weight Loss and Metabolism

All of us envy those lucky souls who get to gorge on food without putting on any or very little weight! Ever wondered why it happens? The answer lies in the magic word “Metabolism”! A person’s metabolic rate seems to decide how difficult or easy it is for her (and you) to lose or gain weight. Obviously, metabolic rates differ from person to person. Very simply put, the metabolic rate refers to the amount of calories your body manages to burn in a day’s time.

First, before I continue I am sure you are wondering why the focus on your physical weight so much this month, and the answer is the holidays are right around the corner. I want to empower you to be able to make educated, smart and healthy decisions as you move through these next eight to nine weeks.

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HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and Weight Loss

One of the more controversial approaches to stopping the weight gain associated with aging is the introduction of HGH, or Human Growth Hormone. Your body’s natural production of HGH reduces as you age. The hormone affects almost every part of our body and regulates necessary functions such as cellular growth, muscle building and bone density. It is in fact because of the decline in natural production of HGH that we develop a lot of age-related problems, including obesity.

This means if the body can get more HGH through supplements or artificially, it may result in weight loss. However, HGH therapy is extremely expensive and not everyone can afford it. It is therefore a good idea to make lifestyle changes that can lead to greater natural production of HGH in the body in order to stay healthy and fit. I wanted to share with you a few of those tips to hopefully support you in the wonders of aging.

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