Tag: healthy habits

The Benefit of Being Sick

Live Today With Faith2 Comments

When we are healthy, we often have so much to do, which leads to so much to worry about.

But when we are sick, the roof could be falling in, and it wouldn’t matter. Why is that?

Why is it that when we are sick, the only thought on our minds is getting better again, but when we are healthy, the weight of the world seems to be on our shoulders?

It is a tricky question and not easy to answer, but one reason could be, when we are sick, we realise that our health is all that matters.

im sure you’ve all had a moment when you were not well with a bug or infection when your only prayer was, “Please God, all I want is to be healthy again.”

We all can have aches and pains, but they are not sickness.

Sickness is them moments when we realise just how fragile life is, why is it that it’s only in these moments that we appreciate the gift of life?

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How to Reprogram Your Mind to Be Happier, Healthier, And More Successful

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As I look outside my window at 9.00am, the sun is rising into a complete blue sky with sparse clouds at the horizon.

The sun rays make everything look so alive and vibrant.

The sun has a way of brightening up our day.

There are moments in life when we become separated from any worry, stress, or anxiety we might be feeling. Looking out of the window this morning was one of those moments for me. The connection to nature replaced all other thoughts in my mind. And each and every one of us has this capability.

The capability to separate ourselves from any negativity we might be feeling.

There was a time in my life where I was worried and anxious most of the time. About everything. And an exercise that helped me greatly was to set little reminders during the day, to just pause, and connect to the world around me.

Connect to the magnificence of God’s creation.

A good starting point is to set a reminder on your phone once, twice—ten times a day. where you stop what you are doing and connect with the world around you.

And when that timer goes off— you might be worrying about a problem, or be having doubts about the future, or maybe even deep in thought about an old memory. But when that timer or alert goes off if you make it a point to connect with the world around you, connect with the room, connect with nature. Notice the vibrant colours, listen to all the sounds that surround you, in a new way.

Or it could be that you are in the middle of traffic, you become aware of the car in front of you. The car behind you. The pedestrians on the side walk. The many sounds of the engines and horns.

You will realise that you were driving but you were not truly aware of the world around you— you were on autopilot.

And a lot of us go through life like this, we are on autopilot, our emotions— of worry, doubt, fear, guilt, shame— joy, hope, love, and happiness, are all pulling us through life.

So, the first step to reprogramming your mind, is creating moments that you connect with the world around you, so that you’re no longer carried along by the thoughts and emotions that you feel inside.

And the more of these moments that you create the deeper you become connected to the present moment— the only place that God resides. The only place that you can make a connection with the divine. The source of all peace, creativity, ideas, and inspiration.

Now once you start doing this don’t beat yourself up for the moments of worry, doubt, unhappiness, or any lack of trust.

None of us are perfect.

We all have weaknesses, we have all went through dramatic events in our lives, but when we practise becoming detached from them negative feelings and emotions, they will no longer have the same control over us.

We can become more connected to the world around us, a beautiful feeling, that is worth investing time and energy.

A True Awakening

We can go through hours, days, weeks, even years lost within our thoughts—not connected to the world around us, at all.

You may know people in your community, or maybe personally, that are consumed by un-forgiveness, consumed by fear, by guilt, by shame, by regret.

Every time you speak to them, they tell you stories of the past, how someone hurt them, a neighbour, a friend, a colleague, even a family member, and they can’t forget.

They can never forget the hurt, the betrayal, or the pain.

So, they keep replaying the memory in their minds.

And every time they tell you that story, or you tell someone your story of what happened to you. What you are doing is removing yourself from the present moment. You are living in the past, replaying old memories that will only bring up past feelings of — anger, hatred, jealousy, and pain.

Which hurts no one only YOU.

Now, everyone does this. So what can we do?

The only thing that you can do is that you become aware that you are doing it. That is the first step. Awareness.

Becoming aware of the habit of replaying the hurts of the past. And what awareness does is it creates a gap… so rather than you caught up in the thought or emotion, letting it transport you into the past, you notice how the memory has changed your mood. How the memory has made you connect to feelings of worry, connect to feelings of doubt, connect to feelings of anger, of hurt, of regret.

The hurts of the past can almost feel like they are part of you.

Now, if the timer goes off, and you feel resistance— feelings that you don’t want to stop worrying, feelings that you don’t want to stop feelings stressed, anxious, fearful etc., that’s ok, just become aware of the resistance.

That might be the first step for you… realising that the worry, doubt, stress or pain has become part of you. Becoming aware that you have that deep embedded worry, you have that deep embedded anxiety— deep embedded doubt, guilt, un-forgiveness, or regret.

Just become aware of the feelings, saying, “these are the feelings that are blocking me.” These are the feelings that I need to work through, let go off. Before I can spiritually grow into the fullness of who I AM.

And the more that you do this practise, taking time each day to connect with nature, to the present moment, the deeper and deeper this awareness will become… meaning, the deeper, your connection to God.

In time, all the worry, doubt, anxiety, pain will fade away as you realise that all the negative feelings from the past are what is blocking your connection to the present moment…

…the only place that God resides.

The Source of All Peace, Creativity, Ideas, And Inspiration. And as A Result, You Will Become, Happier, Healthier and More Successful.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend.

The Live Today With Faith Letter—How To look Youthful Even In Your 40s

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Dear Reader,

It has been another hectic week.

Just completed another short book. Will be available soon on Amazon.

Now more than ever, I think people need some words of faith, hope and encouragement. The book contains some knowledge that has helped me through the hardest parts of my life- so I know the wisdom can help others through this challenging time

Anyway, let’s get started. First of all, I want to briefly review what I have suggested over the last few weeks.

  1. I have suggested that you do one hour’s worth of road work every morning right after you get up for six days a week.
  2. I have suggested you eat three pieces of fruit every day.
  3. I have suggested you fast one day a week.

Now, let’s go from there. What else should your daily diet consist of? Well, today I would like to share the part of my diet that has allowed me to stay youthful-looking well into my 40s.

I still get asked on occasion for ID; you can imagine the hassle I used to get when I was 18. Yeah, it wasn’t much fun, but now I take it as a compliment.

And don’t worry it not something exotic that you will have to import, or something expensive. It’s something so easily obtained that many will dismiss it.

WATER.

I’m sure you have heard the old wife’s tale, you must drink 8 pints of water a day. Well, I’m not recommending that. What I am suggesting, however, is that you drink more water than you do now.

I’m sure everyone learnt in school that the body is made up of 70-80% water. Knowing that it makes sense that our diet should contain 70-80% water-based foods?

Drinking water is just one source of water; another is vegetables. What I suggest is that you take vegetables with every meal.

As well as keeping you youthful, getting into the habit of drinking water and eating more water-based foods will also keep you from feeling tired because it keeps your blood sugar level at a more or less constant level.

This is not new information I know… but very often it’s the basics that people overlook.

Most people drink a lot of coffee, tea or soft drinks, thinking they get enough water there, but truth be told the water in them drinks, contain caffeine and other chemicals that dehydrate the body.

Meaning they take water to break down.

To anyone that is reading this, that suffers from headaches try this, for seven days drink two pints of water daily. I guarantee you will get relief.

Water is my secret weapon. It keeps me healthy and lean and full of energy. Add more to your diet, and you will not only see the difference you will feel the difference.

That’s it pretty much for today. Hope everyone is safe at this time.

In a world that seems entirely out of control, all we can do is take control of ourselves—inspiring those around us.

Bye for now,
RJM

The Live Today With Faith letter — Life lessons

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Dear Reader,

This blog post is going to be the first in a long series of posts in which I will attempt to communicate to you a lot of the important things I have learned in the last 40+ years.

I am going to try to teach you what I have learned about spirituality, getting and staying healthy, how to get along with people, and, in general, how to have a good life without getting yourself all screwed up.

Well, anyway, this all leads me to the first and most important thing I want to write about, which is improving and maintaining your health and physical fitness.

I’ll have a lot more to say about this subject later, but today I just want to “warm-up” a little bit and tell you a few good ideas that you can start using every day.

The first thing I want to talk about is “road work”.

Road work is walking, jogging and running. And, in my opinion, you should do about one hour of road work every day of the week except Sunday.

I believe the best time to do your road work is right after you get out of bed.

In fact, in my opinion, the best groove to get into is getting out of bed, (early) wash your face, brush your teeth, use the bathroom, etc., and then, eat a piece of fruit (I think a banana is the best) and then hit the street!

That’s it.

Just get out that front door and start moving. Walk, run, jog. Keep moving for about a half-hour and then turn around and come back. You know, I do believe this is the very best way in the world to start the day.

It cleans you out, it settles you down, and it gives you a beautiful glow that will stay with you throughout the day. It will also make you more clearheaded and improve the quality of your thinking.

The benefits are enormous and, believe me if you start doing this right away (like the day after you read this post!) it won’t be long at all till you become positively addicted to your early morning workout.

By the way, this addiction is not just psychological. It is a real honest-to-God drug addiction.

But don’t let that scare you.

This is what’s known as a positive addiction. A positive addiction is simply being addicted to something (like exercise) that improves the quality of your life. A negative addiction, on the other hand, is being addicted to something (like cigarettes) that lowers the quality of your life.

What happens when you do road work is that, after about forty minutes, your brain begins to secrete what some people refer to as “survival chemicals”.

The names of these chemicals, as far as I know, are beta-endorphins and norepinephrine.

Some people say these chemicals are 200 times more potent than morphine and without any frame for reference, all I can say is, nothing comes close to the mental clarity I have after some road work.

All negative thoughts are gone. Solutions to problems come rushing into my mind. I’m relaxed, calm and happy. If I seem to be going on and on about this, it is because it is so important, and it is something you can do right away!

And, actually, of everything I have learned about in my entire life, this stuff about doing road work the first thing in the morning is very close to being the most important thing of all, when it comes to mental and physical health.

So, I hope you get started on this morning road work program as soon as you read this post. If you challenge yourself to keep it up for 30 days I guaranteed that you will be happier and healthier than you have been in years.

I also hope it becomes a habit for the rest of your life.

I wish you Good Luck!

RJM

Feeling Anxious? 3 Ways To Clear Your Head from Anxiety Today!

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Over the last 6-8 weekS, I have started to feel my anxiety levels rise. That heaviness in my chest that keeps me awake at night. It happened so gradually I barely noticed it at first.

When the feelings hit me, it was too late. I knew what caused it, reading one too many articles trying to make sense of current events.

What started as a problem in China has escalated out of control. It’s all that people seem to be talking about where ever I go. Then on top of that, I found myself doing my own research.

It was getting too much for me. I needed a break.

Then my friend called me, I usually would answer straight away, but I had a feeling to let it ring out which I found strange. Moments later, a message came through with a link to an article about the outbreak.

Only reading the first lines, I knew that the article was what he wanted to talk about. Within minutes I texted back saying that at this time I couldn’t have another conversation. He completely understood.

People are fearful and starting to panic. ‘I was starting to panic.”

At that moment, I knew I had to make some changes. It took me a few days to find out what was fuelling the fear, the top three I would like to share today.

 

Consuming To Much Content

Firstly, I limited the amount of news I was watching. Yes, it’s necessary to be informed of what is going on around you and be up-to-date, but if you are checking your news feed, etc. every hour then you are consuming a lot of fear.

This point also extends to friends and the people that you follow on social media. Each one of our responses to fear is different. What I found was, some people keep it to themselves as they didn’t want to annoy or upset me.

Some people had to tell me what they had just read. And some people had their own opinion on what is going on, and research information that supports that viewpoint. Then needed to fill me in on all the data.

The last two group of people I know have the best of intentions, but if you are a person like myself that is affected by fear, then a constant stream of uncertainty and negativity can produce anxiety.

Having had panic attacks in the past, I have to be careful.

If you have problems with anxiety, my advice is limit time on social media. Facebook is probably the worst, as a lot of fake news floats around on that platform; there are a lot of fabricated stories out there.

The worse kind of people are the people that feed off other peoples fear. Striking more fear into people’s hearts at this already stressful time is disgraceful, in my opinion.

 

Feed Your Mind

The media, in all its forms, are doing an excellent job at pumping fear out into the world, giving us all the worse case scenarios, and of course, the public need to be aware, so the second point I would like to make is, ‘FEED YOUR OWN MIND.’

When I took note, I noticed that I was spending more time listening to news and talking about the problem, rather than spending most of my time feeding my mind with Gods word.

In moments of uncertainty it’s so easy to be consumed by fear.

So I highly recommend making reading scripture, and prayer the main focus of your day.  Start your day by reading or listening to anything that puts your mind in a positive state.

Even a few words can change anxiety to faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is very powerful and an excellent way to centre your mind if you feel anxiety build up in your heart. Psalm 91 is probably one of the best scriptures for times like this, which is much longer so not as easily said throughout the day.

Feeding your mind can even extend to favourite film, comedies, documentaries, anything that changes the negative narrative that is going around everywhere at the moment.

Wash & Blow Dry

The last is probably the most obvious, but it’s that important that it can not be said enough times. Wash your hands as often as possible. It’s only when I became aware of how often I touched my face, mouth, and eyes throughout the day did I realise how important this step is.

Something that I have been doing is wearing gloves when Im out doing shopping, etc. It’s just added protection as you are less likely to rub your eyes or nose when you are wearing gloves. Just something that I have always found.

When I applied the above methods, my anxiety levels dropped within a couple of days. Reading Psalm 91 a few times throughout the day calms my mind, and Proverbs 3:5-6 is something that I can say repeatedly if I do find myself getting anxious.

If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed at any point over the next days and weeks, I suggest that you give these three methods a go to calm your body and mind.

When you are in control of your feelings and emotions, there is excellent relief. 

Consume nourishing content to build you up and make you stronger. Feed your mind with faith and stay away from fear. Staying safe doing what you can to avoid contact with the virus.

I wish yourself, family, and friends happiness and health.

Take care.

Do You Feel Like You Have Lost Your Way? Then Learn to Connect With The Source Again Today

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connect

Life can get difficult sometimes, and it is hard to put a finger on why? You do the best you can, but nothing seems to work out.

You regret some decisions you have made. You feel guilty about past mistakes, and doubt sets in about your future. These thoughts can change to feelings that your life is out of your control. As negativity fills your mind, you can become stressed, and depressed; which eventually can lead to ill health.

If you could step back for just a moment, you would quickly realise, by placing your attention on your problems, you have stopped God’s healing energy from flowing into your life.

No matter how strong your faith negativity can take its toll, draining your spirit, making you doubt yourself. Your character can change and before long you’re not the person you once were.

Even the best of us can lose our way from time to time.

Faith is like a muscle, it needs to be worked regularly or it loses its power. Simply taking the time to connect to spirit can work wonders. A few words are all it takes to relight the flame of faith.

For the next few days my book, Making Space for God is available for free download. It has the power to realign you and help you see stressful or worrisome situations from a different angle. Click on the image below.

Wishing you health and happiness. Enjoy your weekend.

Screenshot 2019-10-16 at 12.22.39

How to Stay Positive: 11 Smart Habits

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12255-Everything-Will-Be-Ok

From I was very young, I have always been a happy person. Many people would make fun of me for smiling all the time.

As the famous saying goes, “Smile, it confuses people.”

Was I always happy? No. But my philosophy has always been, smile and the world smiles with you, cry, and you cry alone.

Often, I would get asked why are you so happy? And for the longest time, I did not have an answer.

I didn’t have an answer because I didn’t feel that happy, I had problems and things stressing me like everyone else.

When I focused on the reason why I was happy, I realised that it was down to me having a positive faith-filled view of life. No matter how bad things got, I always had a way of staying positive, even during tough times I knew things would get better.

In this blog post, I would like to share 11 of the most effective habits for staying positive that I have learned. I hope you get some inspiration.

1. Find an optimistic viewpoint in a negative situation

One of the simplest but most effective ways to build a more positive outlook is to look for the good in a situation.

When I am in a negative place, I like to ask myself questions like:

What is one thing that is positive or good about this situation?
Is there an opportunity within this situation?

When I look for the positive, I find that it takes my mind off my negative thoughts (that can quickly spiral out of control).

In the past I would ask the wrong questions. Questions like, how did I end up here? when will I ever learn? Why can’t I do anything right?  The answers would only make things worse.

2. Cultivate and live in a positive environment

positive enviro

Your environment has a massive impact on how you feel — the people you choose to spend your time with effects your outlook on life. Also, the content you consume in the form of TV, internet, and media.

It’s essential to have influences in your life that support you and lift you instead of dragging you down.

So carefully consider what you let into your mind. You can, for example, ask yourself:

Who are the three most negative people I spend time with?
What are the 3 most negative sources of information I spend time on?

If you spend a lot of your time with people that complain and run others down, that negative energy will rub off on you.

My parents always told me to listen to the news and read the newspaper. I know it’s good to stay informed with what’s going on in the world, but if what you are hearing first thing in the morning is negativity, it can affect you for the rest of the day.

Instead, spend more time with friends and co-workers that are more positive, and encourage you to be better in some way. And, listen or read something positive first thing in the morning to set you up for the day.

3. Plan Your Day

I have found that when I don’t plan my day, I end up wasting a lot of time which results in me rushing around, stressed and frustrated, and things don’t go that well.

Negative thoughts start to build up, and I feel like my power decreases.

But if I plan my day I can think more clearly and get so much more achieved. Plus, it becomes easier to think things through and easier to find an optimistic and constructive perspective.

4. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill

It’s easy to lose perspective, especially if you are stressed, and you are going too fast.

A small problem can become a terrifying one. To level the mountain, I do three things, so the problem doesn’t get out of hand:

First, say STOP. Realise you are in control, not your negative thinking.

Second, breathe. After you have disrupted the negative thoughts sit down and be still. Breathe with your belly and focus on just your in-breaths and out-breaths for a minute or two to calm your body and mind.

Thirdly, share by talking to someone close to you and getting a more grounded perspective on the situation by getting his or her input. Or ask yourself this: Will this matter in 5 years? Or even five weeks?

5. Don’t let vague fears hold you back from doing what you want

hold you back

We all have things that we would like to do, like start a business, do a night class or ask someone out on a date.

A trap that a lot of people fall into is rather than follow through they fill their minds of what negative things could happen if they took the action

The mind fuelled by fear creates nightmare scenarios and plenty of self-doubts. I know. I have been there many times.

So, I have learned to ask myself this: honestly, what is the worst that could happen?

Over the years I have discovered that the worst thing that could realistically happen is not as scary as the nightmare my fear-fuelled mind will produce.

Finding clarity in this way doesn’t take much time or effort, and it can help you to avoid much mental suffering. And help you to step outside of your comfort zone and take that chance.

6. Add value and positivity to someone else’s life

What you send out you tend to get back. What you give to others and how you treat them is what you’ll get back. So, provide value and spread positivity.

Lend a hand to a neighbour that’s moving. Give a friend a ride in your car, or if they need information then help out by doing a little research for them.

Sometimes people don’t want any direct help. They want someone to listen or encourage them as they’ve had a bad day or are going through a tough time.

7. Exercise regularly and eat and sleep well

woman_walking_sneakers

Exercise diet and sleep can seem very obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t look after themselves.

A good night’s sleep or good workout has a massive effect on me when my thoughts are pessimistic, and I have a lot of tension or stress.

And I know how much simpler it is to think clearly and faithfully when I’ve eaten healthy for a few days.

basic habits may sound boring, but they do have a considerable effect on your state of mind.

8. Learn to take criticism healthily

One of the most common fears is the fear of criticism. It can hold people back from doing what they want. A negative comment can extinguish your faith if you allow it.

A loved one may mean well, but don’t let their limiting beliefs become your destiny.

Whenever you step outside your comfort zone and do something new, criticism is pretty much unavoidable. So, the key is learning to handle it more healthily.

By doing so, your fear of it will lessen, and it will hurt less if you do get criticized. I usually use four steps when I get some criticism. Maybe they can help you too:

Step 1: Don’t reply right away.

When you are angry, upset or riled up then is time to calm down a bit before you reply. Take at least a couple of deep breaths or a little time to process the message before you respond.

Step 2: Listen to criticism.

Try to remain open and level-headed and figure out how this message can help you. Ask yourself: Is there one thing I can learn from this criticism? Is there something here that I may not want to hear but could help me?

Step 3: Remember that the criticism isn’t always about you.

Some criticism comes from people lashing out because they had a bad day. To lessen the sting of such criticism – I try to be understanding. I think to myself that this person might not be feeling so good at the moment.

Step 4: Reply or let go. No matter the method of criticism, for example an email, I try to keep my reply level-headed and kind. I may add a question or two to get more specific feedback that is helpful. And if they don’t reply or send another nasty message, then it is time to delete it and let that situation go.

9. Let It Out, Let It Go

Sharing

Sometimes some criticism can hurt you even if you use the steps above.

Two things that have helped me with that challenge are: Let it out. Just talking it over with someone close can be very helpful to see it for what it is. Helping you find a healthier perspective on the situation.

Let it go. I have found over the years that the ability to let things go has helped me greatly. Some people never change; they will continue to hurt you and cause you stress. The solution, spend less time with them

10. Start your day in a positive way

How you start your day usually sets the tone. I once heard it said that the first hour is the rudder of the day.

So be careful about how you spend your mornings. If you get going at full speed, lost in future troubles of the day, then stress, and negative thoughts will ramp up quickly.

If you, on the other hand, start your day slowly, spending some time reading or listening to inspiring articles or podcasts, then that will make a big difference to how you approach your problems and difficulties.

11. Mindfully move through your day

nature

When you spend your time in the present moment, then it becomes so much easier to access positive emotions.

When you get lost in the past or future, like so many of us, then worries become bigger. And failures and mistakes from the past can replay over and over in your mind dragging you into negativity.

A simple way to connect with the present moment is to take a walk-in nature, listen to the sounds of the world around you.

Another way to reconnect with the present moment is to pray and focus on each word. It might sound like a small and insignificant thing to do. But this reconnection with the present moment can have a very positive effect on the rest of your day.

Thanks for reading. Wishing you an amazing week.