Rambling Friday: A Time to Be Quiet

We live in troublesome times. Few people would deny that. Work, diseases, living issues, family, friends, expectations and more increase the pressure on our lives. I'd love to offer some tips that may help:

1.  Exercise. It doesn't matter how old you are or young, exercise (if you're physically able with
doctor's permission) you can do some type of exercise. Stretch, move, walk, raise your arms, march in step. Take a walk, jog, ramble through a park or on a beach or in the woods. Whatever you choose will get your blood pumping and your mind more alert. Just remember to get your doctor's permission.

2.  Take your vitamins regularly. They add the essential nourishment that your body may lack. Think about it, and again, Check with your doctor if you have questions.

Eat right. Enjoy your vegetable, watch what you eat and how often.

Doing good for your body will be doing good for your overall health and mental state.









3. Take time to do things you love.  Have a hobby? Make sure you spend time on those. Puzzles? Needlepoint? Ancestry research? Traveling? Sports? Whatever you love doing, do it. It will be well worth your brain time!

4.  Spend time with family and/or friends. Read a book together. Play games. Go exploring. Listen. Laugh. Relax. Don't argue. Don't bring up touchy subjects. Realize you only have one life, and that is meant to do and be the best you can be. Use it wisely.






5.  And last, try some of these ideas:  light a candle, soak in a tub of warm water, swim, listen to music, take a boat ride, have lunch with a new or old friend or a relative you haven't seen in a long time. Try journaling, scrapbooking, carving, painting, praying, reading your Bible, talking with a minister. Get a pet, volunteer at a nursing home or hospital or lunch center for the homeless. There are plenty more things anyone can do to help ease the pressure of everyday life.

Stay determined. Stay focused. Resist negativism. Stay positive. Take action. YOU are the one responsible for yourself. Do it!

Prayers for a happy, healthy and productive rest-of-your-life!

Wanna a Good Life?

Then . . .

• Don't go home and sit down; have a hobby, exercise, interests besides yourself.
• Move around; be active
• Associate with others
• Get six hours sleep at night
• Be less neurotic; deal with stress
• Eat a fiber rich cereal for breakfast
• Get supplements from food
• Cherish your body; stick to healthy foods; focus on family and friends
• Be a creature of habit
• Have faith

Quote:
Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician.-- Lucille S. Harper

Blessings!

Put Some Spring in Your Step

If you're like me, you've always got good intentions: for exercise. Sigh. But one thing after the other keeps interfering.

• The electric ran in on my treadmill (don't say it, I know all about surge protectors!).
• Too much traveling.
• Too much cooking for others (temptation here, folks, temptation! Am I any better than our ancestor--what was her name? Eve, you say?)
• Too busy. Hmmm. What's that say about me?

So, consider these suggestions. Just might work, for some of us anyway. Laugh.

Get Off the Couch. You've had a long day, dinner has been cooked and cleaned up, and you've been looking forward to a good book all day. Great! Try completing one set of 20 lunges, squats, crunches, arm circles, or as many push-ups as you can each time you take a break.

Use Your Steps. While you can probably lug your overstuffed laundry basket to the washer in one trip, you'll burn extra calories by making multiple trips up and down the steps.

The Desk Workout. To strengthen calf and ab muscles—and to help with your posture—sit up straight and squeeze in your stomach as you lift up on your toes to tighten your calves. Work the calf muscles further and shape up your ankles by stretching your leg and pointing your toes forward and backward 20 times, then circle your feet and ankles 20 times on each foot.

Stand Up. Whenever you pick up your phone, stand up at your desk to give your body a stretch and an energy boost. Try to keep files you use often in an overhead compartment for which you need to stand up or reach.

Give Your Car a Vacation. Turn an ice cream excursion into walk with the family. Walk to a store to pick up groceries and snacks. Visit a nearby playground with your children and push them on the swings or do pull-ups on the bars.

Quote: I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it. --Jonathan Winters

Blessings!