3 of 30 Things to Stop and Start Doing to yourself

Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.

Why do we try to fool ourselves in the first place?  When we start off in a place that we know isn't what we believe in, we may not think we are 'lying", but are we.  When you do something that doesn't resonate with you, but you do it anyway,  are you lying?  If you find there is a quality about you that you don't care for and keep ignoring, are you lying to yourself?  Is there something you do or feel that eats you up because you are too scared to bring it to the surface?  Lying to yourself makes you bitter, angry, moody and creates miserable life for you.  WM of PBC

Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed.  Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become.  Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.  Because you are the one person you can forever count on.  Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.  Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there.  Read The Road Less Traveled.


Being honest with yourself doesn't mean it won't hurt.  Remember the last time you were single and you talked to your friends about the type of person you would like to date?  You said you would like that person to be an honest, outgoing, truth be told kind of person.  You start dating someone that fits your description and the person tells you something about yourself that you didn't like but was true.   You describe this person as mean and blunt, but exactly the type of person you had asked for.

If you were honest enough about yourself, it wouldn't have affected you too much, because you already knew that about yourself.  You may have even been able to have an adult conversation and recognize that it is a quality in you that you are not too fond of and work on regularly.  Knowing yourself better helps in every relationship you have throughout your life.  Being honest with yourself can help you come to grips with parts of you that you don't like, but can improve as long you acknowledge it.  WM of PBC


Great article from http://www.marcandangel.com and I've added my own opinion and wise advice

2 of 30 Things to Stop and Start Doing for Yourself

Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

It can get scary when we don't know what to do when a problem arises or how to 'fix' something.  But you can always ask for help from a trusted confidant.  Running from a problem just teaches you how to run and sometimes how to run faster.  WM of PBC

Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.  Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch.  These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.


When you address the issue, you may find it didn't have the power you gave to it.  You choose how you react to everything.  You choose how much power it has over you.  WM of PBC


Great article from http://www.marcandangel.com and I will add to each of the 30 Things to Stop and Start Doing For Yourself

1 of 30 Things to stop and start doing for yourself.

Great article from http://www.marcandangel.com and I will add to each of the 30 Things to Stop and Start Doing For Yourself

Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.  

You know who those people are.  Have you heard of the term "energy zapper"?  When you are around unhappy, pessimistic people they have a way of draining the energy right out of you.  You will know if this is happening to you when you think about what happens when you come home from work.  Do you spend the first part of your evening complaining about everything that happened, or do you greet your spouse, kids and dog with enthusiasm? WM of PBC

Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.

Start recognizing who in your life energizes you, challenges you positively and makes you smile.  Pay attention to those who don't reflect those same traits and then think about what it is that draws you to them and why you spend time with them.  Yes, of course if its your boss, there is a little more to it, but you can do your part by being a positive influence on others and maybe it will make their day just a little bit happier.  WM of PBC

Did you exercise has a positive affect on your mood, give it a try, Visit my website

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Extra, Extra…Read All About It! Garlic Can Burn Stubborn Belly Fat!

Thanks Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
Could you imagine seeing the headline: “Nature’s antibiotic is the latest nutrient in the battle on obesity.”  This would send the media into a frenzy, and practically put garlic growers on pace to become multi-millionaires, or even billionaires.

Of course, I wouldn’t go that far!

But the headline above is true!  Garlic has wonderful effects in the body, from heart disease and blood pressure to cholesterol.   Imagine if those same nutrients which help the heart, can actually help us lose fat!   How would that information affect you?  Would you run out and buy garlic, just to see if you could lose a pound or two?

Most people looking to lose weight would answer with a resounding yes!   How does it work? Let me explain.  Garlic has cancer-fighting, heart disease-fighting and blood pressure-lowering properties built into it.  We can now add obesity-fighting and anti-inflammatory properties!

Obesity, along with heart disease and a host of other diseases, start by an inflammation response.  Adipocytes are no different.  This chronic, low-level inflammation leads to fat cells impairment. Inflammation leads to the release of macrophages, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and proteins which are released from adipose tissue.  Certain properties found in garlic can reduce these militants from being released from fat cells.

Allyl isothiocyanate, a major component of garlic, inhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity effects.  In obesity, adipose tissue releases macrophages, fatty acids, and other proteins, causing increased inflammation leading to other obesity-related complications.  The problem with obesity is the higher the obesity levels, the more macrophages are released, causing other metabolic conditions to arise.

Allyl isothiocyanate is a phytochemical which inhibits cellular production of major pro-inflammatory mediators.  Those mediators are:

• TNF-α - a major cytokine involved in systematic inflammation.  Higher levels lead to insulin resistance in the body.

• Nitric oxide - produced by phagocytes from an immune response, can also be signaled from the production of TNF-α in the body.  Nitric oxide can increase inflammation in response to certain conditions.

• MCP-1 - a protein which recruits monocytes to areas of inflammation.  Commonly found in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it is found in joints and other areas of the body.  High levels of MCP-1 perpetuates the inflammation process in joints and adipose tissue.

Allyl isothiocyanate can inhibit the production of these inflammatory hormones.  It works exceptionally well in inhibiting MCP-1 protein found in 3T3-LI adipocytes.  Of course you are probably wondering what it means, right?  Give me a minute to explain.

The body is able create new cells.  In fact, every minute cells die and the body makes new ones to replace them.  In adipose tissue, pre-adipocytes undergo a process making them full-fledged adipose tissue, or FAT.   Research shows garlic can inhibit adipogenesis, or the process of making pre-adipocytes into adipocytes.   Simple terms: garlic stops pre-fat cells from becoming fat cells, by inhibiting the process.

This same research also showed garlic can increase activation of brown adipose tissue, therefore increasing thermogenesis in brown fat cells.  The research behind it is amazing!

Researchers took mice and fed them a high-fat diet for the purpose of increasing obesity in the mice.  Then they fed them the same diet, but added 2% or 5% garlic extract mixed with the food.  The group supplemented by garlic decreased body weight and certain adipose tissue deposits.   You would expect a high-fat diet to increase fat in the blood and plasma.  When implementing garlic in the high-fat diet, there was significant improvements in blood and plasma fat levels.  Garlic reduced blood and plasma fat levels.

The mice also had increased activity in brown adipose tissue.   Brown fat increases thermogenesis in the body.  By breaking down fatty acids, the breakdown increases energy and spares the use of ATP.   In garlic-fed mice, there was an increase in activation of uncoupling protein 1 in the brown fat cells.  This happened in the liver, white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle, and not just in brown fat.  Result: increased body temperature when exposed to cold temperatures.   It was determined the activation of AMPK, an enzyme responsible for cellular energy thermogenesis, increased therefore increasing thermongenesis in brown fat tissue.  They also found a decrease in the expression of adipogenesis, or the development of pre tissue into full-fat tissue.

Garlic is a potent nutrient used in cooking in many cultures as a way to spice up food and increase the taste.  Most people know that garlic has powerful effects on the cardiovascular system by reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reducing triglycerides and helping raise good cholesterol.

Most people are unaware that garlic has anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects in the body.    Garlic can reduce the amount of cytokines and macrophages released by fat tissue, which affect fat tissue and distant areas in the body.  More research is needed on the power of garlic, but it shows promise in the fight against obesity!

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Ankle Dysfunction and Knee Pain

Great article by Mike Robertson
"I’ve talked about it for years – if you want to have healthy knees, you better assess (and program for) the ankles and hips as well".  Mike Robertson
A new piece of research seems to agree with this notion, especially as it regards to the ankles.
While the article hasn’t been formally released yet, here’s the jist of it.
The researchers wanted to see how limiting ankle motion during a squat would change the mechanics of the lift. To do this, they tested their subjects in two different fashions:

1. In a normal, bilateral squat in tennis shoes, and
2. The same squat, but this time with a wedge underneath the toes to limit ankle ROM.

So what did they find, you might ask?
Well, when you take away the ankles natural range of motion and ability to dorsiflex, the body tried to find alternative strategies to get that ROM.  In this case, instead of keeping that beautiful foot/knee/hip relationship we’re always talking about, the subjects saw an increase in knee valgus (knee cave), medial knee displacement, and reduced dorsiflexion at the ankle.

Not surprisingly, these are many of the same factors we see in people who suffer from patello-femoral pain syndrome (PFPS).  Research from authors such as Ireland and Powers tells us essentially the same thing, but look at it from the top-down versus the bottom up.

While many were obsessed with the VMO with regards to PFPS, Ireland and Powers both noted that sufferers of PFPS had significant issues in both hip ABductor (26% weaker) and hip external rotator strength (36% weaker).

This also lends credence to the fact that we not only have to assess the affected joint, but at minimum, the joints above and below for dysfunction.
A better question is this – what can we do about it if our ankle motion is limited?
If you want to squat, you better make sure that your ankles (and the muscles surrounding them) are up to the task at hand!
If we want to restore optimal ankle function, we need a multi-pronged approach:

• Soft-tissue work for the plantar fascia, gastrocnemius, and soleus.
• Ankle mobilization drills – not necessarily stretches!
• When/if necessary, dedicated strengthening exercises for the anterior compartment (if our goal is to balance stiffness, you must reduce it on one side of the joint while increasing it on the opposite side..
• Cuing of a neutral/tripod foot position.

Balance and stability can be a problem if your ankles are not strong.  I can design a program to work on at home.  Contact me or pass this information on to someone who may need the help.

Of course we will change...

"Let's get back to loving our bodies and accepting them totally as they are. Of course they will change - and if we give our bodies love, they will change for the better."  Louise L. Hay

Many grow up not knowing how to love themselves, some even spend a lifetime trying to figure it out.  Some try to live up to the view and expectations of others, of who they are, or who they should be. Why do parents, teachers and others of influence tell us how imperfect we are, how horrible we look and how we will never amount to anything?

We still have parents putting their little girls through the modeling world and which may be devastating to their self esteem as they grow into young women.  They are taught to abuse their bodies and minds.  They are taught that if you aren't skinny, you won't make it in the world.  Striving for the unattainable perfectionism of the perfect woman is a pinnacle we can never reach.

Why do we listen to them for so long?  If we could only learn from our past, our teachings, our mistakes and not project them onto our children, the world's children.  Some of us grow up thinking we have worked through the influences of our past only to find that the pattern is still there.  It's not until we really take a good long look at what we are doing and how what we do affects our lives in many ways that we need to make positive changes.  We may not even realize the patterns we create and use throughout our lives are harmful and not in alignment with what we really want to be or do with our life.

Women may not realize that one of the reasons they diet so much over and over trying to lose those same few pounds is because of the patterning and voices over the years telling them they are not worthy.  When you start to realize some of the habits and routines you go through for others, and they are no longer serving you, only then can you refocus and reinvent your own patterns that work positively for you and then you start to see the results you have been looking and trying to achieve for years.

Do you want to do it differently this time?  I can help you with taking action, changing habits and eliminating self defeating thoughts.  Contact me