Allow nature’s healing
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”
~ John Muir
Lessons for life and wellness
Wellness – what does it mean to you? Does it mean there are veggies on your plate? That you went for a brisk walk today? That you sat down and got quiet for a few minutes to offset the day’s stress?
True, it does involve that. But it also involves much more. That’s why I talk about whole life wellness. The above matter; so does a lot else. A perfectly healthy plate does not equal a perfectly healthy life.
So it’s important to toss in other ingredients that lead to enjoyment and fun and inspiration. Because that’s what creates whole life wellness. Better yet, that’s what creates a life you enjoy. Because who wants to live long while chained to a life you can’t stand?
Along these lines, I thought I’d reprint one very famous column from a fellow Ohioan, Regina Brett. And, no, despite all the forwarded emails, this smart woman is not 90-plus! She’s in her 50s and first wrote 45 life lessons, then added five more upon turning 50 in 2006. With all credit to Regina Brett and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, take a moment to read, then embrace these lessons:
Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Pay off your credit cards every month.
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
Overprepare, then go with the flow.
Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
The most important sex organ is the brain.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
Always choose life.
Forgive everyone everything.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Believe in miracles.
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
The best is yet to come.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Yield.
Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Keep going
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”
~ Thomas Edison
Who would’ve guessed this would be killing us?
A seemingly harmless activity we all engage in — daily — is perhaps one of the top dangers to our health. Care to guess what it is?
Some clues:
- You probably spend more time doing this every day than sleeping.
- Doing this 6 or more hours per day makes it more likely you will die within the next 15 years than someone who only does this 3 hours a day.
- Even exercise doesn’t mitigate the risk of doing this activity too much per day.
- People who have jobs that require this activity the most have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease.
- After two hours of this, your good cholesterol drops 20 percent.
Have you guessed what this danger is? It’s sitting. Yes, sitting. Who would’ve figured the simple act of sitting – well, sitting too many hours per day that is – would start showing up as creating such a negative impact on our health?
I’m sure you’ve heard the argument that all our modern conveniences — remote controls, dishwashers, etc. — have impacted our overall health. But it doesn’t seem to make that much sense, does it? It’s not like anyone became a fitness star by standing up and walking to the TV to change the channel!
In reality, though, all these bits are adding up to where we are much too sedentary for our good. Our bodies were designed for — and require — movement. If you sleep 8 hours a day and sit another 6-10 or maybe even more, that’s nearly the bulk of your day. All those little ways we worked in movement in the past have added up.
So, what to do? Try to move more, sit less. Keep in your current level of exercise, but move more during other times. Consider setting a timer to work 50 minutes of every hour, then getting up and moving around the other 10. Stand up to talk on the phone, perhaps. If you watch TV, get up during commercials and stroll around. Take a short walk on your lunch break and after dinner. Skip the elevator; take the stairs.
In other words, interrupt all that sitting as much as you can. But don’t go overboard because it won’t stick. What’s one idea you can try on next week and work into your normal life? Do that, then keep going. Start small; build big!
