Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not a matter of who is right or wrong. It is a matter of doing the right thing.

Anger and Hatred bind people together! When you Hate someone, it creates an "Energy Link" with the person. You become entangled with that person. If you want to be free, you must Forgive people. Silently say, "You are forgiven. God's blessings and peace be with me and with you." Repeat 7x for 7 days.

Forgive! Forgive! Forgive! As you Forgive, you will be Forgiven.

"Experiencing Being", The Golden Lotus Sutras of Master Choa Kok Sui

The Power of Thought
Every time you think, you start a train of causation that will create a condition in strict accordance with the quality of the thought that originated it. Thought that is in harmony with the Universal Mind will result in corresponding conditions. Thought that is destructive or discordant will produce corresponding results. You may use thought constructively or destructively, but the immutable law will not allow you to plant a thought of one kind and reap the fruit of another. You are free to use this marvelous creative power as you will, but you must take the consequences.

"Master Key System", Charles Haanel

Choosing Happiness
Can happiness really be a choice in a world that often seems so crazy and unfair? The answer is absolutley! Happiness is our natural state of mind. It is only our ego that creates the illusion that just the opposite is true. The ego does this by encouraging us to seek happiness outside ourselves, though no matter how hard we try we never seem to find lasting happiness in the external world.

Happiness is a decision and an inner choice and doesn't have to have anything to do with the events that take place in the outer world. Perhaps the highest form of happiness and joy we receive is through the act of giving our love and helping another person on the pathway of life, reminding us once again that to give is to receive.

"Love Is The Answer", Gerald Jampolsky MD and Diane Cirincione

A few years ago, I expressed a similar sentiment through one of my writings. It never ceases to amaze me how our experiences are tied together and lessons are brought into our paths everyday. You can read my prose here.....
Tina Marie

Will Power & Concentration
How does one develop will power? The first necessity is concentration. Concentration is like focusing diffused beams of light in a single laser ray. Concentration is power. When we can focus the mind one- pointedly, we are already far on the way to developing a powerful will.

The power of will, in fact, lies less in what a person thinks than on what he wants to make happen. Thus, according to Paramhansa Yogananda's definition, "Will is desire plus energy, directed toward fulfillment," Without feeling, what a person wills isn't able to rise above the level of abstraction. Without focused feeling, moreover, it will remain merely wishful thinking.

"Money Magnetism", J Donald Walters

It Doesn't Matter What You Believe, It's What You Believe That Matters
Your beliefs control what you create, and your belief system is always under your control. You can believe anything you want to, and make it matter. Choose your beliefs carefully. False beliefs create Stress Soup. Formulate peaceful images in the laboratory of the mind and peace will be what matters in your life.

Your life is like a movie. You are the scriptwriter, the casting director, the set decorator and the main character. If your movie is not turning out the way you want it to, rewrite the script, get a new cast of characters, redecorate the set and put a new face and attitude on the main character. You can create anything you can imagine on your own private sound stage, the laboratory of your mind. You can recreate the past. Where does the past exist, anyway? Only in your mind. So if you have some unpleasant memories, you can go back, record over the old video, and create a new, more pleasant past on your TV screen. The old hurts don't matter any more. You've erased them and recorded a new, peaceful, joyful, loveful picture in their place.

"Peace Soup", Chef Jerry Bartholow

Pets Are Healers
Pets are good for our emotional and physical health. Caring for a companion animal can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation in all age groups. It's well known that relaxed, happy people do not become ill as often as those who suffer from stress and depression.

Animal companionship also helps lower a person's blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And studies show that having a dog increases survival rates in groups of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest. Dog walking, pet grooming and even petting provide increases physical activity that strengthens the heart, improves blood circulation and slows the loss of bone tissue. Put simply, pets aren't just good friends, they are good medicine.

The Humane Society of the United States

Finally.... I Found a Solution! I lost over 7 inches and 6 lbs. in 9 days!
Being in the health & fitness field you'd think I couldn't possibly have trouble maintaining an optimum weight. I wish!  It seemed once I hit 50, I just couldn't budge my body fat or shed the 10 extra pounds I was carrying. Exercise and nutrition were part of my day-to-day life. Okay….not everyday, but most days.  I picked up my workout schedule.  Changed up my routine.  Kept track of everything I ate in a detailed diary.  Watched my carbs, proteins, fats and sugars, etc. I’m pretty picky about what I put into my body, for one because I want to fuel my body appropriately and also because I am blessed with IBS.  I'm not into this magic potion idea either. I tried a number of protein shakes, again, looking for good nutrition and at the same time trying to keep my calorie count low. There was one I was impressed with the contents, but it tasted like grass. Yuk!

Read More of My Personal Story here....

Tina Marie Carr

Move to Live
Aerobic exercise conditions our hearts and arteries and respiratory systems. It increases stamina and general fitness. It promotes cleansing of the blood by stimulating circulation and perspiration. it gives a sense of strength and well being, in part by releasing endorphins, the opiate like molecules in the brain that can make us high, happy and more tolerant of discomfort. It increases the flow of oxygen to all organs, enabling them to work more efficiently, it burns calories, undoing some of the damage we do by eating too much. It strengthens the immune system. it reduces stress. it lowers serum cholesterol. it tones the nervous system. It is the type of exercise most people need to concentrate on first. With all those benefits, how could you not want to?

"Natural Health, Natural Medicine", Andrew Weil, MD

Go Exotic!
Acai Berry, Exotic Super Fruit Offers Powerful Antioxidant Punch
The acai berry can be found in the Brazilian rain forest. In fact, it has been used for thousands of years by Brazilians for nutritional support and to help a number of health concerns. The acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is loaded with vitamins and minerals, such as many of the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. Acai berries also contain omega-6, and omega-9 EFA's. Acai berries are also an excellent source of component called anthocyanins. These are flavonoids found in darker fruits that possess antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help defend the body from damage caused by unstable free radical molecules. (It's available in juice and capsules.)

Vitacost.com, Dr. Allen S Josephs

Have A Savings Plan
You've heard it before: Pay yourself first! If you wait until you've met all your other financial obligations before seeing what's left over for saving, chances are you'll never have a healthy savings account or investments. Resolve to set aside a minimum of 5% to 10% of your salary for savings BEFORE you start paying your bills. Better yet, have money automatically deducted from your paycheck and depsosited into a separate account.

The Law of Giving
The universe operates through dynamic exchange...giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

"The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success", Deepak Chopra

When you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ability to enjoy what you do - and with it the quality of your life - increases dramatically Joy is the dynamic aspect of Being.

"A New Earth", Eckhart Tolle

Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.

Wayne Dyer

Get To Know Portion Sizes
You could count a heaping bowl of spaghetti as one portion, but your body knows how many calories you're eating! Get to know portion sizes and you'll always have a mental picture of how much you should eat.

• 1/2 cup of fresh or cooked vegetables or a rounded handful
• 1 cup of raw or leafy vegetables, or the size of a baseball
• 1 medium piece of fresh fruit, the size of a baseball
• 1 slice of bread, size of a cassette tape
• 1 cup cereal flakes, size of your fist
• 1 pancake, size of a cd
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, a rounded handful
• 3 oz. of cooked meat (4 oz. raw), size of a deck of cards
• 3 oz. of cookrd fish, size of a personal check
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter, size of a ping pong ball
• 1 baked potato, size of your fist
• 1/2 cup cooked dried beans, a rounded handful
• 1/3 cup nuts, a level handful
• 1 1/2 oz. cheese, the size of four dice
• 1 teaspoon butter, size of 1 dice

You can also follow the serving size listed on the nutrition label of your food. It should be equivalent to the USDA's standard serving size. Another tip: Measure out your servings for a week or so and make mental notes of how much it covers the plate or bowl.

Make An Appointment With Yourself
I schedule time for me in my planner and treat it with as much respect as all my other business appointments. Making this commitment to myself has helped to lower my stress.

Mary, 49

Yoga and Meditation
Mind, body and spirit...yoga encompasses all at once for me. I started with hour long sessions, but found the commitment of time resulted in my not including it in my day. Whereas now that I've found some great 20 minute programs, it's easier for me to partake on a daily basis.

Linda, 51

A Balanced Combination
Portion size, high fiber, low fat, low sugar, fresh fruits and vegetables and moderation coupled with a combination of aerobic, strengthening exercises and QiGong is what works for me. If any of the pieces are missing, I lose the balance. I've become a label reader, which is key to making educated choices when shopping. My workout focuses on multiple muscle exercise to be time efficient. I love my Total Gym!

Tina, 52

Tune Therapy
Music is a complete escape for me. I plug into my I-Pod, turn up the volume and sing (in private of course!). Nothing like it to release the stress of a day.

Steve, 46

Hot Flashes
The best thing I found for hot flashes is Arbonne's Phyto Prolief. Have some friends who use Estro Logic, but since it contains wild yam extract and there seems to be some controversy about its consumption, decided to go with the Phyto Prolief. To each its own....we all make our own choices.

Marian, 49

Man's Best Friend
For complete relaxation I take my black lab for long walks along the Keuka Outlet trail. The combination of nature's smells, sounds and sights help to make stress just slide away.

Mike, 48

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