Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Flexibility

Tags

Daily Disciplines, Flexibility, health, mental health, motivation, time schedule, To-do List

I’m quite rigid when it comes to knocking out what I call my “daily disciplines”, but today required putting some things off until tomorrow. My religious organization has a quarterly newsletter, for which I am a consistent contributor. I got a note yesterday that I need to make an update. After talking to one of the editors, I literally had to rewrite the article and get it back to them today.

It took me a while and ate into what I normally do for the day. Did I worry? Nope. I have flexibility planned into my day. If something happens like this, I simply put off some of the things I would normally do and check them off my list that will be there again tomorrow.

This is the beauty of a having a set of things to do each day without a schedule like write blog at 9 am, exercise at 10 am, etc. This built in flexibility allows me to process through my list each day, guilt free. This even works if you are not feeling well physically or need a mental health day. Whatever the reason, you might want to try this out for yourself. It makes my daily disciplines very enjoyable and takes all the pressure off. This is really important for those of you who still work or have young ones to take care of.

Well, I’ll keep this short today, since I am way behind schedule. I hope each of you has a great day, and if you are in my neck of the woods, enjoying the new blanket of snow we are getting right now.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Health

Tags

Diet, Exercise, health, mental health, motivation, Sleep, water consumption

Happy Monday, all. Today, I’d like to talk health. If your gym is extra busy, here’s why? New Year’s resolutions. Yep. Your gym will be busy for the first three months of the year, and then, it will drop back to normal levels. I’ve watched this every year I’ve been active in the gym and it is almost like clockwork.

The reason I bring up health is because you can’t be motivated if you feel like crap. Each of us is unique. We are all the same in some respects, but our tastes in food and our ability to eat various foods all boils down to our uniqueness. Some folks are allergic to gluten. Some are allergic to dairy products. Some are allergic to both.

Exercise doesn’t have to be in a gym. You can get a good amount of exercise shoveling your driveway or raking leaves or doing chores around the house, particularly if you have stairs. How many times do you walk up and down stairs while you do your laundry?

Diet is very individual. Many folks, however, don’t catch what foods make them feel good and what foods cause an adverse reaction. My sister cannot drink protein shakes. She breaks out in hives immediately after drinking any type of bottled protein. Protein powder is fine, but whatever they put into the bottled version causes her to break out.

If you really want to know what is up with your body, go to a allergist and have them run a battery of tests that will tell you exactly what you are allergic to and what you are not allergic to. You may find out that something you’ve been eating for years is just not good for you and your unique makeup.

Some folks can’t go to a gym. They can’t afford it or they don’t have one within a reasonable driving distance. There are solutions to that. You can either just do calisthenics, yoga, or some other non-machine type workout. Walking is another terrific way to exercise. It is non-stressful, it works the heart, and it is a great time to get caught up on music you want to listen to, you can call one of your friends and talk to them while you walk, or you can get caught up on that audiobook or podcast you want to listen to.

Health is an important aspect of our lives. If you’re young, you’ll recognize that your preferences change as you age. You’ll find foods that used to be good for you, are not anymore. You’ll also find that you may have to change a workout routine from time to time. The key is to keep yourself in the best health you can.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I hope all of you have a great Monday.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Depression

Tags

angst, anxiety, depression, mental health, National hotline, Ted Talk, TedEd

I read a lot of blogs. One of the blogs I follow mentioned a new 988 number for anyone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts. This prompted today’s Ted Ed video on depression.

I’ve never experienced this kind of thing, but my wife had some major issues with this. Until we finally figured out that she was suffering from fibromyalgia, things got better. You see, when we know what we have, we can make adjustments to compensate for it. It’s the unknown that causes us problems.

Anyway, I hope you learn something. I always do when I watch these.

Have a great Wednesday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday

Tags

Exercise, mental health, physical health, Reading, Supplements, vitamins, Writing

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_109078?src=t_health

Exercising consistently is hard. It’s supposed to be. Have you ever pursued something that was really worthwhile that was not difficult?

I am a huge advocate for exercise. It is not easy, I don’t like going to the gym every day, and I don’t like dieting, but they are all necessary if I want to keep my body in shape and make it last into my senior years. I’m 54 now.

I would like to live into my 90s at least and have a good quality of life to boot. I don’t want to be one of these seniors that have to spend more money on pharmaceuticals than food each month. I don’t want to be hooked up to an oxygen tank. I don’t want to be confined to a wheelchair. These are all a reality if you don’t take care of yourself today. Eat good food, exercise daily, drink water, and get enough sleep.

The mind’s health is also something I consider important. My Dad has vascular dementia. Chalk this up to a life of smoking, lack of exercise and a horrific diet composed of small meals my Mom makes, with the rest being every candy, candy bar, ice cream, and snack you can think of. I love my Dad, but all his current issues could have been avoided had he only taken care of himself. This is the “negative example” I use every day when I don’t feel like working out or feel like buying a bag of candy at the market and scarfing it down when I get home.

I keep my mind active by taking online classes, playing video games, and meditating. I also enjoy reading and writing. One of the courses I took on Coursera was Learning How to Learn. In this course, it explains the scientific discovery that your brain builds new neurons when you exercise. This means you can grow new neurons into old-age. Science used to think the brain had a set number of neurons and that was it. With this new discovery, we can keep our minds young and sharp by exercising.

Keeping the mind healthy is also about what you put into your body. It’s ok to have a goody now and then. I enjoy ice cream, a candy bar, or a piece of cake or donut from time-to-time. The bulk of my diet, however, is composed of protein and fat (I’m on a low-carb diet). The brain loves fat. So, does your body. They both need healthy fats to do the business of using enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals. The body needs protein to repair and build things like bone, teeth, brain cells, and all the rest. When your body processes protein and fat it can build up the glucose it needs, without carbohydrates.

Do you take a multivitamin? Do you take any probiotics? Do you take Omega 3 supplements? I do, but with caution. I used to be a supplement junky, buying everything I saw at my local GNC. The problem with this is 1) it’s expensive, 2) there is a lot of marketing hype in the supplement industry with little or no proof that the product works, and 3) they can hurt your health if you make the mistake of taking a supplement that interferes with one of your prescribed medications or take a supplement that overdoses you on vitamins and minerals (yes, you can be harmed by taking too many vitamins).

The best advice I can give you is what I have learned. If you really want to try a supplement, do your due diligence. If you believe the supplement will help your performance, buy it. Then, test it out. Does it do what it advertises it can do? Does it help your exercise performance? If you answered yes to both questions, you’ve found a winner. Unfortunately, I have found that a bulk of the supplements that are out there do not satisfy one or both questions.

Do you feel uncomfortable going to the gym? Fine. Many people do initially. Find a trainer or a friend who frequents the gym and they’ll show you how to use the equipment. You can find tons of videos on YouTube. You can borrow exercise, nutrition, and even bodybuilding books at your local library. Just consider that you are unique. One exercise program will work for me, while it may not work for you. Your exercise program will also depend on the type of goals you have. Read about exercise, do some research online, and find a friend that is in good shape and ask for their advice. You’ll find something to start with. After you’ve been doing this for a while, it’ll be easier. Then it’s about consistency.

I could go on and on about these topics because I enjoy how I feel at the end of the day. I feel accomplished, I feel true to my goals. Most of all, I don’t feel guilty about watching some TV or playing some video games with my friend online, once I’ve knocked out the critical tasks I have slotted for the day.

Until next time…

Dave