Skip to main content

To Actually Mind Your OWN Business

Very often we discuss activities that you can do to help you stay fit, stay healthy, and stay on top of your wellness. We live in a world of constant do-ing. Now, since my interest is in your best possible health, I wanted to share how important it is to focus on your OWN stuff. Give yourself time to unwind, unplug, and un-do.

Yeah, I know you have to get ready for winter...
The folks over at Lifehacker have a great article about (and cool pictures!) the positive effects of meditiation, it's ability to focus you on your singular task, and to relax the brain. Yeah, it's like stretching for the synapses. You see, with stress and anxiety, the brain stays very active- kinda like mental push-ups. This does burn calories, but just as with regular exercise, using your brain should be within limits and get it some good rest.
EXACTLY....
There has even been some studies that chillaxing is one of the best ways to improve worker output and reduce health care costs. The Economist has a great piece on the mental market of 'mindfulness' and you can read the article here. There's thought of paying for people to just take a yoga class because it will cost insurers less money if employees are idle and relaxed.
A meditation block using a verse from Psalms
However, modern 'mindfulness' has become part of the quick fix self-help movement. It's important to understand that meditation has been used for centuries to focus people on their tasks and alleviate their stress. One of the best methods is to focus on an inspirational passage (like the one featured above). Focus on your OWN business, take charge of your life, and relax your brain. Your body will thank you.


Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Fiber for FItness (or just fitting into clothes)

The average American diet simply does not have enough fiber. White enriched flour has almost no fiber content. The most popular veggies are tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and cucumbers, which have almost no fiber content (or vitamin content for that matter). Fiber helps regulate the digestive system (especially soluble fiber) by moving lipids (i.e. fats) through the blood stream and helping regulate sugar absorption. Insoluble fiber helps move bulk through the intestines, easing constipation and maintaining healthy acid levels. You should also try to manage the sugar and fiber intake, especially for weight loss. Less sugar equals fewer calories which always contributes to weight loss. Check out the chart below for examples Other great ideas are some of the whole fruit smoothies such as Bolthouse Farm products which use whole fruits and not juices. Fiber in your diet is an easy way to lose weight without making huge changes, so get started!
1 comment
Continued »

Exercise- Some Motiviation Required

It requires some thought in to why we do and don't do things. Exercise was not really much expected of the average person when there was so much labor to do around the home and job. Our evolution from labor based to service based industries has created a need for us to generate time for activity. Hence- our need for motivation. Exercise in ancient Greece, for example, was an ingrained part of the religion and culture. The Gymnasium was dedicated to physical perfection, but also developed into a meeting place of philosophers and educators. In some ways, exercise is a motivator today for people to look attractive, impress their friends, potential friends, or just to make people notice them. Vanity can motivate. Sometimes, it's just about pride. The thought of having to buy new clothes to make room for more of you is just not pleasant (especially when you see the selection available). In fact, some studies have demonstrated that monetary incentives have helped people lose
Post a Comment
Continued »

Body weight, reexamined...

The constant battle with the scale can be unending and unnerving. Before you even consider using it as your guide to a healthy weight, you should really consider the alternatives: Body fat percentage : this is the most accurate measure of health and fitness. It means a low weight or lean person can have too much body fat and still have the potential for many ailments associated with being "overweight" including Type II diabetes and osteoporosis, for example. A heavier person with normal body fat percentage would actually be better off. Technology allows us to measure body fat percentage through a bioelectric resistance pad, which are those silver pads you can find on some scales. Make sure you purchase that kind of scale because it really appraises you of true progress- more lean tissue and less fat. See how you fall out on the chart below: Waist-to-Hip Ratio: this is another effective way to measure how much fat has accumulated around the abdomen. As a general rule
Post a Comment
Continued »