Healthy Living DIY

One fine day in the summer of 1994, I made a fire with no matches or lighter. Just the friction of one piece of wood against another. It took a week of practice to coax out that tiny spark, but ultimately my persistence paid off and the spark sparked. It was quite the project!

Some time later, I found myself visiting cordially with a group of friends and aquaintences about various items related to self-sufficiency and self-reliance. "Well, I've seen fire made from scratch," one of the women said. "So I guess I've got that down!"

Turns out my friend had seen an experienced outdoorsman make fire one day. He made it look easy, so she assumed it was. It was a simple mistake. Yet that particular assumption could have cost her her life.

Continue reading "I think I've got that down!" »

Success breeds success. Sure, we all know that. When things are going well, it's easy to make smart choices and stay ahead. We've all been there:

• You're on a "lightening up" program and you've just parted with 5 pounds. Do you run out and eat a whole carton of Ben & Jerry's in a mad rush to put it back on? Of course not. You order the salad.


• Things are going great at work. You just got a raise and a promotion with just enough challenge to keep things interesting. Do you ask for an extra month off to bask on a deserted island somewhere in the Carribean? Of course not. You show up early for work and get organized for a burst of productivity.

When you're in "the flow," it's generally pretty easy to see the kind of choices that are going to keep you there.

Until...

Something happens.

Continue reading "Success Breeds Success" »

It's summer! Yahoo! Time to get all those outdoor projects done. Or head to the beach. Or read a steamy novel. Or spend some extra time at the dog park with your best buddy. Or...

Wait a minute. All that stuff is way too much to think about. This calls for a nap!

Well before you doze off, consider this. What if this becomes the summer you master the art of working smarter, not harder. That you accomplish more with less effort. That you retire your "to do" list and kick back for some well-deserved R & R.

Sound good?

Great! Here are my Top 3 Tips for a Smart Summer:

Continue reading "Summer Project Smarts" »

It's true. The real basis for a healthy lifestyle is surprisingly simple. And you've got all the resources you need.

What is it and how do you cash in?

Where can you find 3 Great Tips for consistent healthy choices?

Oh the mystery of it all!

Check it out here:

Healthy Living on Squidoo

Agree? Disagree? Join the "duel" and leave your thoughts!

"Dear Boss:

"Yours truly,
The guy in the 4th cube on the left."

It's summer, right?

You crave a break, right?

Well here's a great way to get the boss on your side. Check out the cool vacation plan on the Travel Insights page.

It's happened again. Several days ago, a chance comment by someone else reminded me of something I already knew... And I appreciate the reminder!

I'm sure the same thing happens to you. After all, what really counts is not so much what we "know" but what we have embraced fully enough to apply consistently. And that can take some practice.

In this case, my reminder was the following quote from Dr. Robert Holden, author of Success Intelligence:

Continue reading "What can you let go of?" »

Proactive posture. Healthy aging. Gravity. You. How does it all fit together?

Well, let's see. Several of my clients have "problem necks." And just the other day, I was having a conversation with one of them. Fortunately, her "problem neck" seems to be getting a better. But she and I both know that she's going to want to keep tabs on it over the next few years. So we were devising a little strategy.

One thing we both agreed on. It'll help her neck if she can keep tabs on her energy level.

How's that?

Let me explain.

Continue reading "Proactive Posture and Your Energy" »

We've been talking about healthful meals. Specifically, what we've been talking about is the pressure that many of us feel on our time ... and the fact that it takes a little longer to prepare a meal from scratch than to hit the drive-through or heat up a prepared meal.

True. It does. And doesn't it just seem like you've got more on your "life plate" than ever? It does for me. So one thing I'll bet would help us all, me included, is to take a quick look at the qualities that will allow us to prepare healthful meals that boost our energy with a minimum of time and effort.

It seems to me there are 4 main conditions:

Continue reading "Healthful Meals, Part 3" »

Today we're continuing the story of Jane and her energy-draining "Pile Paralysis." If you missed Part 1, you can read it here:

Are You Paralyzed, Part 1

Jane had a "big pile" of stuff next to her front door. Instead of cleaning it up as planned, she put it off. Indefinitely. The longer it sat there, the greater Jane's resistance to moving it. "The pile" was becoming an elephant in Jane's mind. The longer it sat there, the worse she felt.

"So why would a smart, responsible, loving person like Jane allow her life to be sidelined by a dinky little pile of papers?"

It's the question on everyone's mind right now. Not only out of concern for Jane. But because if you, the reader, are anything like the rest of us, there's very likely a "pile" somewhere in your life as well. Not necessarily right next to the door. But somewhere. Lurking. Hiding. Draining your energy. You see, Jane is pretty normal.

Continue reading "Are You Paralyzed, Part 2" »

Meet Jane, an average young woman in her late 30's. Jane has two kids, a husband, and a demanding job. She's a great mom, a reliable employee, and a devoted wife. There's really only one place that Jane consistently falls short of her expectations for herself, and that's when it comes to her personal life.

As an example, there's that pile of mail and papers on the kitchen counter. (We'll talk about the pile of mail as though it's for real -- it is -- yet in the privacy of your own mind, feel free to consider it a metaphor for all the other things that Jane is allowing to "pile up" in her life as well.)

As the family comes home for the evening, everyone's rushed and tired. The mail and papers get plopped on the counter on the way in the door. Periodically someone sifts through to pull out the bills, but otherwise it pretty much goes untouched. When the pile gets too big to manage, it moves. To the floor in the home office. To an even bigger pile.

Continue reading "Are You Paralyzed? (Part 1)" »