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<\/p>\nBeing proactive beats reacting every time. With our nation\u2019s level of fitness deteriorating with each passing year, I thought it important to highlight these 10 keys. I am evaluating what it is that I may want to change in my own world and by sharing these thoughts with you hopefully move you to such a review as well.<\/p>\n
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As a nation we are not being proactive when it comes to our health and as a result we are over medicating ourselves and creating other significant health related problems as a result. Being on drugs is not an effective way to maintain our health \u2013 making healthy choices instead is a far better strategy for preventing illness and disease in the long run.<\/p>\n
Being \u201creal\u201d with yourself starts with an honest evaluation of where you ARE in your physical and mental \u2013 and emotional life. Dumping old behaviors \u2013 and attitudes \u2013 that are no longer serving you is a place to start. Another step we can take is to get moving \u2013 doing whatever you can to positively move in the direction of what I call \u201cyour highest good\u201d. We all have something we are here to do in life so get going and don\u2019t waste a single day. Writing these articles is part of what I am to do so I am writing them!<\/p>\n
By way of reminder \u2013 we are meant to be active beings \u2013 not sitting beings. Find out what it is you enjoy doing and get moving. Your body will thank you every day you do this. I know how I feel after I run and lift weights and it is in one word — happy.<\/p>\n
We are all stressed at some point during our day so why don\u2019t we start working on strategies for dealing with the stresses \u2013 and stressors \u2013 in our lives BEFORE they happen. Being proactive in stress management means knowing we are going to have to deal with stress in our lives so why don\u2019t we practice before the event or stress occurs? I have passed on some of my strategies in prior articles: Meditation, prayer, visualization work, focused breathing, running, quiet reflection, etc. These and other techniques are readily available and can be learned through classes and other forums.<\/p>\n
Getting excited about life fuels our imagination and creativity. The more I think about my potential to make a difference in the world the more excited I become about each day of my life. The same experience can happen to you if you are open and receptive to what your subconscious is trying to tell you. The world of technology is taking away our ability to \u201cgo into the silence\u201d and discover what life has in store for us. The \u201cnoise\u201d we face every day is keeping us from hearing anything that could be of help to us in planning for it is we may want to do \u2013 and accomplish. Take a moment and ask yourself \u201cam I living up to my full potential and if not what can I do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Purpose driven people are happy people and they are self-actualized \u2013 meaning they don\u2019t need someone to tell them what to do, think, feel, say, or do. They approach life from a position of \u201creal power\u201d and at the same time are able to acknowledge the uniqueness of each one of us. I got an email today from a reader telling me I would go to hell if I didn\u2019t believe what he did and my response is \u2013 \u201cit\u2019s a free country and we get to live our lives the way we choose\u201d. \u00a0I am empowered and energized by this thought. I am free \u2013 as are you \u2013 to live a purpose driven life or stay on the path you are on. We are ALWAYS \u201cat choice\u201d so CHOOSE YOURSELF TODAY!<\/p>\n
This key is important in today\u2019s world. \u201cFriends\u201d are NOT on the internet \u2013 they are in our REAL lives. Be aware that we need each other. Make it a point to be kind to others \u2013 smile, acknowledge them when you can, call people by their names and look them in the eyes when you speak to them. People are what make life worth living \u2013 not the cyber world of \u201cfake\u201d experiences and relationships.<\/p>\n
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<\/strong><\/h4>\nMy daughter is going through a difficult time in her life right now. She is facing challenges that are most uncommon and have her living \u201con edge\u201d every day. She has a 7 year old son who needs her and a career in business to re-establish and beyond. I spoke with her last night and told her \u201cI am here for you \u2013 whatever you need\u201d. \u00a0As a father I sometimes feel helpless because she is a grown woman but she is still my daughter and I love her. It is my job now to just be her father and love her \u2013 tough as that may be for me. Take this step in your own life in the coming year and see what happens \u2013 you might surprise yourself at how your family responds to you.<\/p>\n
Time has a way of marching on and to the degree that you acknowledge the passage of time you begin to appreciate what you have been given \u2013 and have in life. I am grateful everyday for my passion for training and running because I know it can be taken from me at any time. I live in the present when I am running or lifting weights and it is a practice I hope to continue until the end. I am serious about my fitness program because it gives me the energy and strength to do my work \u2013 teaching, speaking and writing on matters of healthy aging, fitness and exercise. Are your energy levels low? Get moving!<\/p>\n
This is perhaps the best thing we could do to prepare for the year ahead. Get to know yourself and start appreciating the magnificence that is you. Getting to know your self is a lifelong pursuit. The journey never ends.\u00a0 I have learned during the course of my 66 years that I DID NOT appreciate myself at all \u2013 I had to learn the hard way through difficult and painful experiences that until I could love myself \u2013 and appreciate what it is I am here to do \u2013 that no one would ever appreciate \u2013 or love \u2013 me either. I spend time (each day) thinking about my life \u2013 and my contribution to life itself \u2013 and ask myself \u201cis there more that I can learn or do today?\u201d You should do this too \u2013 it will help immeasurably improve the quality of your life now and in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
Why not take the time between now and the end of the year to see what you might want to work on in the year ahead and see how you can live more fully and completely.\u00a0 Can you make a more expansive contribution to your own life and the lives of others as well? Of course you can! Isn\u2019t this what the fitness lifestyle enables us to do in the first place? So get moving, be willing, be open, and appreciate who you ARE right now because you have only scratched the surface of your potential!<\/p>\n