__________________________________________________________________ Making Lives Simpler Practical News and Tips for Living the Life You Truly Desire __________________________________________________________________ January 2001 Volume 4 Issue 1 __________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE: I. Simplify Your Life by Caring for Your Health II. 5 Quick Tips III. 5 of Their Tips IV. References _____________________________________ I. SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE BY CARING FOR YOUR HEALTH Today, the concept of self-healthcare is an important issue for many people. Currently several of my coaching clients are devoting more and more of their time to working on personal health issues of all kinds. Nothing else has the impact on the quality of our day-to-day life than the status of our health. Our bodies can be easy to forget about when we're feeling well, but can demand various degrees of attention when we experience even minor ailments like a headache, a toothache or a cold. And there's nothing like the impact on our time and energy when we suffer a serious illness, injury or a hospitalization to remind us that health problems are anything but simple. In our lives my husband, Chuck, had to undergo a surgical procedure last January. While it wasn't serious, and his recovery was relatively quick, it did help us to stop and appreciate our normally good health. That's when we also made a decision to begin working more consciously on staying healthy. For us, that meant taking a look at what we were eating, and what exercise we were doing, or more truthfully, not doing. We began with our diet. We chose to reduce the number of grains and starches, and to really strive to eat the recommended "five-a-day" servings of fruits and vegetables. Today our kitchen fruit basket always offers the variety of fruits we truly enjoy from apples and bananas to oranges, grapes and our own delicious Clementines and lemons that we're fortunate enough to be able to pick off the trees in our own back yard. As for exercise, while it works great for some, we're just not the kind you'd ever find at a gym, so we had to find other activities that we enjoy. We both love walking, so we started scheduling times to walk more regularly several times a week. We started by walking around our neighborhood, then to the nearby retail area and back. Now we like to add "goals" whenever we can so the walk becomes almost secondary. We'll walk to the Post Office to drop off a letter or check my mail, to the grocery store to pick up a couple of light items, and like kids again, we now walk to the movie theater to take in a show! Other times, we'll pick an interesting part of town or a neighborhood we've driven by before. Then we'll drive there again, only this time park the car, and take a walk in some new surroundings. Another walking activity for us revolves around the game of golf we've taken up in the last year or so. Today, by using our handy- dandy pull carts that my golfing Dad gave us last year, we not only get out to rearrange fairway landscaping and orphan some golf balls, but we have another reason to take a walk. Our new eating and exercising habits have given us some great results already. Chuck has lost 20 pounds, we enjoy some quality uninterrupted time together on a regular basis when we can talk about any number of things, and we both feel great! So, how's your health? Do you take time every day to breathe deeply and notice how you're feeling? Do you consistently do the things you know will maximize your health and energy? Do you include time for special self-care activities that are meaningful to you like meditation, reading, visiting with family and friends or other activities you enjoy? And if you do get sick, do you take the time to listen compassionately to your body and give it whatever it's asking for? Slowing down, establishing a good fun exercise program and simplifying your life can give you a healthier heart rate, better respiration and a pervasive feeling of satisfaction and peace. As you head into 2001, you may want to begin to devote more of your time to your better self care. Linda __________________________________ II. 5 QUICK TIPS FOR YOUR HEALTH! 1. Watch your attitude! Research shows that the thoughts you entertain actually have an impact on your body chemistry and immune system. If you want to be healthier, think more loving happy thoughts and fewer critical or fearful ones. 2. Move your body. Work a variety of enjoyable exercise into your weekly schedule. Take a brisk walk on your lunch break, play tennis with a friend, go dancing or simply park farther away from the store where you are going to shop. 3. Eat healthy foods. Minimize junk food, products with refined sugar and "empty" carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol. Eat healthful proteins and complex carbohydrates. Keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand so it's easy to "reach for an apple" instead of a doughnut. 4. Make and keep preventive medical appointments with dentists, gynecologists or other doctors. They're easy to overlook when you're busy, but vital for your health. 5. Sleep easy. Millions of people intentionally under-sleep in an effort to handle busy schedules, but sleep deprivation is dangerous and unproductive. Find out how much sleep you need to function at your best, and then consistently get it. __________________________________ III. 5 OF THEIR TIPS 1. "Instead of frittering away your vibrancy with worry or distraction, realize your mind and body are inextricably united. What calms and tones up one soothes and improves the other." - Marsha Sinetar 2. "When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree." - Vietnamese proverb 3. "Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 4. "An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body." - General George Patton 5. "Do not worry; eat three square meals a day; say your prayers; be courteous to your creditors; keep your digestion good; exercise; go slow and easy. Maybe there are other things your special case requires to make you happy; but, my friend, these I reckon will give you a good life." - Abraham Lincoln ________________________________________ REFERENCES To find more resources or to order these go to http://www.simplifylife.com/reference.html Creating Health: How to Wake Up the Body's Intelligence by Deepak Chopra, Md. (Room 8 - Additional References of Interest http://simplifylife.com/readmore.html) "First published in 1987, Creating Health introduces the basic premises of Ayurveda, the six-thousand-year-old tradition of health care from India, and guides listeners toward a sound understanding of the mind-body connection. In Creating Health, Dr. Chopra blends Eastern and Western medical philosophy to provide a clear, rich view of the road to perfect health -- a balance of mind, body, and spirit." - Amazon.com Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, and Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. and James F. Balch, M.D. (Room 8 - Additional References of Interest http://simplifylife.com/readmore.html) "Prescription for Nutritional Healing by nutritionist Phyllis A. Balch and James F. Balch, M.D., has long been considered one of the most trusted, comprehensive sources on the mind-boggling array of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplements now available. Working from the premise that a good diet promotes good health, this third edition of PNH still starts with the basics: consume fresh produce, grains, and lean meats; avoid foods that are processed or high in saturated fat; cook using glass, stainless steel, or iron--never aluminum; and drink filtered water. The authors also stand by their claim that the government-prescribed recommended daily allowances are ridiculously low, and that the book's optimal daily intake for nutrients should be followed instead." - Amazon.com _________________________________________ MORE ABOUT "MAKING LIVES SIMPLER" Linda Manassee Buell is a full-time Personal and Business Coach, and author of the audio tape, "Simplify Your Life, 7 Simple Strategies for Doing What You Love to Do." She has also recently revised her helpful eBooklet, "Simplify Your Life: 101 Ways to Create the Life You'll Love." To order your personal copy by check or credit card, just go to http://www.simplifylife.com and click on Shop the Store. Anyone is welcome to subscribe to "Making Lives Simpler." To subscribe or un-subscribe, send an e-mail to requests@lists.webvalence.com with "subscribe MakingLivesSimpler" or "unsubscribe MakingLivesSimpler" as the subject. (Be sure there aren't any spaces between the words MakingLivesSimpler.) This mailing list is confidential and will not be sold, traded, or bartered. Linda's e-mail address: Linda@simplifylife.com Linda's Website: http://www.simplifylife.com "Making Lives Simpler" (c) 2001 Simplify Life All Rights Reserved