WorldLegacy Trainer and Staying Healthy

by Lori Todd | Aug 10, 2015 | Professionals, Transformation | 0 comments

WorldLegacy Trainer and Staying Healthy

I am often asked how I stay healthy.

To be healthy I play games with myself. I give myself short goals. Walk for 15 minutes, go to the gym for 30 minutes, do 25 sit ups. Many times I end up doing much more. I find if I break down my goals into shorter pieces my mind says it is OK and even may end up doing more. If I don’t exceed it, I don’t beat myself up, I am proud I did it. People have asked my how I stay healthy during the WorldLegacy trainings. Days before the trainings, mentally I get ready for a training through visualizations, and physically I prepare through eating well. I also make my health shakes, ginger for tea, packets of vitamins, etc. I have a ritual every morning where I exercise my voice, take my vitamins and food and clear my mind. Many times I do EFT in the morning and evening to clear anything else during the trainings. I also see a chiropractor/oriental medicine practitioner after every Breakthough training as well as an acupuncturist.

Lori Todd, PhD
Dr. Lori Todd is the senior coach at WorldLegacy and a Leadership and Advanced Trainer. Lori has been coaching and leading transformational workshops since 1996, and leads trainings across the United States and Mexico. She received a BS from Antioch College, MS from Cornell University, and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1990, she became an Assistant Professor at UNC and, in 1994, President Clinton awarded her a Presidential Faculty Fellow award for her teaching and research, one of thirteen scientists in the US. In 1995, Lori was a finalist for the Discover Magazine Award for Technological Innovation for her research in mapping harmful chemicals in air. In addition to being a scientist, trainer and coach, Lori is an artist and animal lover. See DrLoriTodd.com

Oriental Medicine

by Dagmar Ehling | Aug 3, 2015 | Featured, Oriental Medicine, Professionals | 0 comments

Oriental Medicine

Dagmar Ehling, Mac, Lac, DOM(NM)

Evolution is a progression that continues to evolve through cycles of heating and cooling, moistening and drying, contraction and expansion. These processes enable bacteria and other microorganisms to grow. Nature evolves in harmony with these cycles and always forces of the skies and earth, heat and cold, dryness and wetness, daytime and nighttime, inhaling and exhaling, motion and rest, yin and yang. When we move beyond duality, we experience the Tao – complete oneness.

In studying nature, we can comprehend the mechanisms of human bodily functions. While Western medicine aims to reduce disease or functional mechanisms to isolated, single-most active functions or ingredients, Oriental medial theory thrives on correlate thinking: bodily and emotional functions closely interrelate to manifestation of the macrocosm around us, meteorological changes, diet, visual and auditory impressions, our ever-changing emotions and experiences, and our social environment all have significant influences on our body, mind and spirit. When we are in balance with all theses influences and, most notably, within ourselves, we are healthy. We are constantly regenerating and degenerating, waxing and waning hence the Chinese developed a comprehensive system to help us achieve balance within this process. Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicinals, acupressure, diet, Taiqi Chuan and Qi Gong (2 forms of gentle exercises and breathing), and gentle massage, known as Tui Na¹all assist in achieving homeostasis or balance which translates to being healthy.

At about 2700 BCE, one of the first ancient texts, the Huang Di Nei Jing – The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic discusses Chinese philosophy². The Nei Jing includes thoughts on Taoism, religion, and observations pertaining to the functioning of nature and the universe, and their application to the functioning of the human body. Evolving descriptions of the relationships of yin and yang were recording in the Nei Jing.

YIN/YANG THEORY

The core of Oriental philosophy is represented by the well-known yin/yang symbol which shows the natural process of continual change created by opposing forces. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The small circles of opposing colors within the larger wave-like patterns illustrate that there is yin within yang and yang within yin. The dynamic curve that separates them shows that yin and yang are in constant motion and that they create, control, and transform each other. The whole world is seen in a dualistic interplay of opposites.

Chinese mythology goes back about 5,000 years and it is said that peasants experimented with certain exercises after a hard day’s of work. They noticed energy vibrating through their bodies, moving up and down and into their extremities. These movements were precursors to Taoist meditation practices, Taiji Quan and Qi Gong. Qi Gong means ‘qi exercise’; some refer to it as ‘longevity method’ or ‘breathing exercise’. By refining these techniques they noted an increase in vitality and mental clarity; these practices continued to evolve and the ancient masters began to observe a sense of well-being and relaxation while exercising. Emanating through their entire bodies they called this vibrating energy qi.

BIO

Dagmar Ehling, founding member of Oriental Health Solutions, LLC, has been a licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine in New Mexico since 1989. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Acupuncture from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, NM, is North Carolina State licensed, and is nationally certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine). Dagmar is a graduate of WorldLegacy’s NC42 Leadership Program.

Kenneth Fielding Morehead Complexity

by admin | Aug 3, 2015 | Diet, Featured, Professionals | 0 comments

Kenneth Fielding Morehead Complexity

By Kenneth Fielding Morehead, MSOM, Lac, DOM (NM), DAONB

Complexity as a theory for how systems work and maintain stability is a popular topic today in many fields, including physics, chemistry and mathematics. These concepts have even entered the popular consciousness, with references to it in such films as Jurassic Park. The various theories about complexity also have validity in the area of diet and health. How can complexity theory clarify our understanding of food quality? And can complexity theory have practical application in the way we eat?

What has research found that points the way toward understanding how complexity is a component of what makes us tick? Let’s start with some general observations. At its best, food is a vastly complex and synergistic mix of various nutrients. Processed foods have fewer nutrients and lean heavily toward specific micronutrients. They also reduce micronutrients often found in whole foods. In addition, nutrients are altered in a ways not found in traditional food processing. As such, modern processed foods are simpler than the full-bodied complex foods of antiquity.

For the moment, let’s assume that complexity in food can be associated with higher quality and simplification in food with lower quality. Can the relative complexity of food be imparted into our tissues? This is important, because higher complexity in human tissues has been linked to vitality and health.

Here’s a simple analogy. If a table has one hundred legs (a very stable complex structure), and we shoot a bowling ball at 100 mph under the table, we might knock 50 legs out from under the table. But with 50 legs still intact, the table remains secure. However, if there are only three legs to the table and we knock out only one, the table falls over. Higher complexity yields higher stability in response to stress.

Complexity in Food

Processing strips our foods down to their simplest components – sucrose in white sugar, glucose in white flour, filtered vegetable oils, pasteurized reduced-fat mild products and artificial flavors. Theses processes also remove the vast array of nutrients that work together synergistically in whole foods. The food industry has long claimed that the removal of nutrients can be rectified through “fortification”, the addition of synthetic vitamins. For example, synthetic vitamin A is added to margarine to make it “nutritionally equivalent to the natural vitamin-A complex in butter. However, synthetic vitamins can cause imbalances and often have undesired effects. Synthetic vitamin A has been show to cause the type of birth defects that natural vitamin A prevents.

Lately, there is a huge push to get women to take supplementary folic acid to prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy. Folic acid by itself is a simple nutritional constituent. It’s only one nutrient in thousands that are part of whole, nutritionally complex foods. While it is claimed that supplying this nutrient in pill form may have a positive effect in reducing neural tube defects, why are women told that this is what they need rather than being given a choice between supplementation or a diet of whole foods that provides this nutrient in context? Is this ignorance or rationalization? Either way, it seems more respectful to fully inform the public rather than simplifying the truth and giving women an uninformed choice. Lack of whole foods is the root cause of folic acid deficiency, not a lack of pills.

BIO
Ken Morehead, founding member of Oriental Health Solutions, LLC, is a licensed acupuncturist in Durham, NC, licensed as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine in New Mexico, is nationally board certified as an Acupuncture Orthopedist and is a credentialed acupuncturist at Duke Integrative Medicine. He is the past secretary and chairman of the NC State Acupuncture Licensing Board and an advisory board member of the Weston Price Foundation in Washington, D.C. Ken Morehead is a graduate of WorldLegacy’s NC45 Leadership Program.

Fertility and Western and Chinese Medicine

by Dagmar Ehling | Aug 2, 2015 | Featured, Oriental Medicine, Professionals | 0 comments

Fertility and Western and Chinese Medicine

GAUGING A WOMAN’S HEALTH BY HER FERTILITY SIGNALS: INTEGRATING WESTERN WITH TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL OBSERVATIONS

By Dagmar Ehling, DOM, and Katie Singer, CFE

This article presents observations of traditional Chinese medical and Western concepts of a woman’s fertility signals. A woman of childbearing age cycles through processes of heating and cooling and moistening and drying to make her fertile. Her fertility signals—basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix changes—can be observed and charted to gauge the woman’s gynecological health as well as to avoid or enhance her chances of achieving pregnancy. Introductory information about charting fertility signals, an introduction to traditional Chinese medicine theories, and various basal body temperature charts with analysis from traditional Chinese medicine and Western medical perspectives are included. Original paper published in Alternative Therapies.

The earth’s surface continues to develop through processes of heating and cooling, which in turn create moistening and drying, which in turn provide the environment for bacteria and other microorganisms to evolve. Rocks, glaciers plants, and animals all evolve in concert with these processes.

And so do humans. Our reproductive systems cycle through cooling and heating and moistening and drying to make us fertile. While maturing ovum or sperm, humans prefer cooler temperatures. While preparing to gestate a fetus, females warm up. Females of childbearing age also produce slippery fluid in their cervixes that increases the chance of pregnancy every cycle. Until the woman ovulates, cervical fluid can nourish sperm in the cervix for up to 5 days. This fluid also filters out impaired sperm and functions as a sort of freeway on which sperm can travel toward the egg at ovulation.

Three primary signals can alert a woman about her gynecological health and fertility: changes in the basal body temperature (BBT), cervical fluid, and the cervix’s position, texture, and openness. These external fertility signals mirror hormonal changes and patterns. Meteorologists and geologists look for patterns in the earth’s surface to predict weather and geological changes. Similarly, a woman can observe her body’s signals to know her own health and the days she can and cannot conceive. Charting these signals can be referred to as Fertility Awareness, the Sympto-Thermal Method, or Natural Family Planning (note 1). Used properly, Fertility Awareness is virtually as effective as oral contraceptives and is an excellent aid for couples who want to conceive a child. It has no side effects.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has evolved over thousands of years from observations about the earth’s cycles of cooling and heating, dampening and drying, darkness and light. Using research that is not widely known in the West, Dr Xia Gui-sheng, director of the Gynecology Department of the Jiangsu Province Hospital for Chinese Medicine, has developed a method for incorporating the BBT into women’s healthcare. In China, the BBT is used for birth control and as a diagnostic tool.

This article presents an introduction to a woman’s fertility signals from Western and TCM perspectives. To make this information accessible to the largest possible readership, instruction about using fertility charts for birth control or as an aid to conceiving—as well as TCM theories—has been kept to a minimum. Following a brief introduction to TCM and TCM diagnosis, the article proceeds with a review of the roles of estrogen and progesterone, followed by an overview of women’s primary fertility signals (basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix changes), a look at the Fertility Awareness method for avoiding or achieving conception, and 2 sections that detail the TCM perspective on BBT.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

TCM has developed over thousands of years from observing the interplay between geological patterns and their effects on human health. All forms of Oriental medicine rely on correspondence thinking: life arises from the endless interplay of the polar forces of yin and yang, heaven and earth, active and passive, light and dark, heating and cooling, moistening and drying, contracting and relaxing. Everything is classified in terms of yin and yang; everything contains yin and yang in unique and constantly changing proportions. Yin includes yang and yang includes yin. Yin and yang attract and repel each other continuously. Their interplay creates all energy, matter, and the dynamic movement of life. Qi (pronounced chee), which translates as “ether,” “life force,” or “energy,” can be detected through Oriental methods of diagnosis. Disease is caused by imbalances between qi, yin, yang, and Blood, as well as organ pathologies, external pathogens, and emotional factors (note 4). Each disease is classified as a pattern of disharmony. (For example, Liver depression, qi stagnation with Blood stasis, Kidney yin vacuity, Spleen qi, and Blood vacuity might be a TCM diagnosis for painful menstruation.) Treatment aims to restore a harmonious pattern by controlling and regulating the flow and balance of energy. Just as nature is in a continuous state of flux, diagnostic patterns make continuous subtle shifts. TCM treatment mirrors these corrections..

BIO
Dagmar Ehling, founding member of Oriental Health Solutions, LLC, has been a licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine in New Mexico since 1989. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Acupuncture from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, NM, is North Carolina State licensed, and is nationally certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine). Dagmar is a graduate of NC42 Leadership Program.

Beginners Luck!

by Mary Baird Green Mama Certified Personal Trainer | Aug 1, 2015 | Exercise, Professionals | 0 comments

Beginners Luck!

Beginner’s Luck Running

As I finished a 5 mile run yesterday, I was thinking about how great it feels to have created a strong, fit body that can do things I would have never thought possible 5 years (and 2 kids) ago.

I remembered the beginning of my journey, and how special those first steps were. How the road was awfully bumpy sometimes, and particularly how thrilled I was the first time I saw muscle definition in my arms! (I recall the exact place I was, time of day, and what workout I was doing– it was just that incredible.

As a personal trainer, I love working with people at every stage of fitness, but I’m especially excited to have someone who is just starting with an exercise routine.

So, all you lucky peeps who are taking on your health for the first time, here’s why you have so many advantages as a beginner!

1) Your body responds more quickly because the nervous system is not yet conditioned to exercise. You will experience significantly faster strength gains in the first few months than someone who works out on a regular basis.You can often lose weight by simply walking, whereas a conditioned athlete needs a much more intense workout routine to lose weight and maintain muscle.

2) Because the nervous system is not yet efficient at signaling muscular contractions, it’s unlikely that a beginner is able to work hard enough to cause injury. More experienced athletes tend to push themselves harder or overestimate their strength and are more prone to injure themselves.(Speaking as one who has injured herself several times… um, yeah.)

3) Beginners with significant amount of pounds or inches to lose can shed the weight more quickly than their fit counterparts. Simply put, the more weight you carry, the harder your body works during exercise, and the more calories you burn. If you are 50 lbs (or more ) overweight, you can safely lose between 10-15 lbs a month. For others with less weight to lose, a more healthy goal is 4-8 lbs a month. I know a gentleman who lost almost 100 lbs in less than 6 months and at the end of a year was running marathons. That’s what beginners are capable of!

4) Its easier to work with someone who has unhealthy habits because altering those patterns creates fast results. Someone with a three-can-a-day soda habit could easily lose 5-8 lbs in a month by simply replacing soft drinks with naturally flavored sparking water. It can be more complicated to tweak a healthy person’s diet and see quick changes. Small changes for the beginner = significant, exciting results!

To set you up on the best possible track to success, here are some other tips for you {lucky} beginners:

Push yourself past perceived “limits.” If a 5 lb hand weight starts to feel “easy,” shift to a heavier resistance. As a rule, do 4-6 reps with the heaviest weights you can lift and still maintain proper form, 10-15 reps with medium weights, and 20-25 reps with light weights. If you can’t feel the burn, you’re probably not pushing yourself hard enough to build muscle— which is the ultimate goal. If walking 30 minutes starts to seem mundane, try alternating 5 minutes of light jogging with 5 minutes of power walking. You will be amazed at the results!

Incorporate 15-20 minutes of low-level aerobic activity at the END of your workout, preferably after resistance or strength training. This is when the body is in its most effective fat-burning mode.
Complete your workout with 5-10 minutes of light stretching to prevent the build up of lactic acid, which is a primary cause of post-workout muscle soreness.

Eat a 200-300 calorie, healthy, high protein snack within 30 minutes of completing a workout. This is the crucial time when your body needs nutrition for muscle recovery.

NEVER severely restrict calories when you begin a fitness routine. As your body begins to replace muscle with fat, you actually need to increase protein intake and ensure you are getting the nutrition you need to fuel new muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns about 50 more calories a day than fat. If you gain 5lbs of muscle, your body will burn an extra 250 calories a day without you “doing” anything at all. If you are restricting calories at the same time, new muscle tissue will be cannibalized in order to keep an energy supply for aerobic activity. Ironic, but true. You must maintain a healthy nutritional caloric intake in order to lose weight!

Use your clothes as a measure, not just the scale. (This seems to be more difficult for women to grasp than men, so listen up ladies!) Muscle weighs more than fat, but is considerably more compact. A fit, healthy woman can weigh 135 lbs and be a size 6, while someone carrying less muscle and more fat could weigh the same and wear a size 12. Don’t be discouraged if the numbers on a scale aren’t going down as rapidly as you think–if you’re clothes are fitting more loosely, you’re on the right track!

So, adventurers, I urge you…take advantage of beginner’s luck. A few years down the road–perhaps after a vigorous 5 mile run–you might just look back and reminisce about the days when your day’s fitness goal was simply a 30-minute walk.

Yours in health, fun and adventure,
Mary
Certified Personal Trainer
Fitness Adventures
(As always, it is wise to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, particularly if you have a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.)

Diabetes Mellitus

by admin | Jul 29, 2015 | Disease, Professionals | 0 comments

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is a severe health condition that can cause life-altering and even life-threatening problems, such as slow wound healing and nerve disorders. It can also complicate problems in muscles, bones, and joints. Diabetes results from an excessive buildup of glucose in your bloodstream. Glucose, or blood sugar, which the body gets from food and also manufactures in the liver and muscles, is a substance the body uses for energy and nutrition. To control glucose levels in your blood, the body uses insulin, a substance produced by the pancreas. An imbalance in this system can cause pre-diabetes or diabetes. In most people, normal blood glucose levels range from 80 to 120. The levels vary depending on the time of day and how long it has been since you’ve eaten. Levels can go as high as 180 within two hours after a meal.

There are two main types of the disease. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, usually begins in childhood to early adulthood. It results from destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. When the body destroys these cells, insulin levels in the blood become too low to properly manage blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes is also called adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes. This condition results from insulin resistance – the inability of body tissues to properly utilize insulin produced by the pancreas. The pancreas compensates by producing more insulin, but eventually it cannot keep up with the demand, especially after meals. Obesity, poor diet, and lack of exercise predispose you to developing type 2 diabetes. A less common form of the disease is called gestational diabetes. It occurs, secondary to hormonal changes, in pregnant women during the late stages of pregnancy and usually resolves after the birth of the baby. It is important to remember, however, that gestational diabetes makes a woman more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

With diabetes, uncontrolled glucose levels can lead to serious problems with vision, kidney function, nerve dysfunction, and blood vessels, including heart attack and stroke. In fact, people with diabetes have approximately twice the risk of stroke and heart attack faced by the general public. In a nutshell, to manage glucose levels, you should exercise regularly, eat a healthful balanced diet, and maintain a healthy body weight. Physical activity helps control blood glucose levels in both healthy adults and in diabetes. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, dancing, and riding a bicycle, appears to be most beneficial. What that does is raise your heart rate, helping to not only control blood glucose but also prevent heart attack and stroke. You can get some exercise by house cleaning or doing yard work, such as gardening. Physical activity helps diabetic patients maintain a healthy body weight, helps insulin lower the blood glucose levels, and gives patients more energy. Before you start an exercise program, consult with your doctor to make sure that the exercise program is tailored to fit your specific needs.

It’s also important to eat foods that are generally low in fat – and when fats are eaten, aim for “good” ones, such as those found in olive oil, fish, and other products. People with diabetes don’t need to eat special foods but should avoid foods that contain large amounts of saturated and/or tans fats. They should also avoid eating too many processed sugars, but instead choose complex carbohydrates such as those found in fruits and vegetables. The benefits of this type of healthy diet can extend beyond blood sugar control and diabetes prevention to help prevent heart attack and stroke. Read up on the Mediterranean diet for a great way to eat properly. Research shows eating like this will prevent many chronic diseases.

Doctors fear type 2 diabetes will become the most prevalent chronic disease in the near future overtaking heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The most fortunate aspect of this dilemma is diabetes is very preventable if we just eat better and exercise regularly. Try this simple step: eliminate processed sugars including soft drinks, candy, chips, and cereals. Your pancreas will thank you!
I pray you make healthy choices and help this world eliminate many of these lifestyle diseases. Keep up the good work!
Matthew Taylor Chiropractor

WorldLegacy and The Rice Diet Renewal

by admin | Jul 3, 2015 | Diet, Professionals | 0 comments

WorldLegacy and The Rice Diet Renewal

From the book, “The Rice Diet Renewal: A Healing 30 Day Program for Lasting Weight Loss” by Kitty Gurkin Rosati.

The following excerpt is part of this section on The Responsibility Game; the book then leads the reader into the Day 6 experiential titled “Responsibility Jump Start.”
The Responsibility Game
The responsibility Game was introduced to me by Robert Katz, the director of the WorldLegacy in Morrisville, North Carolina, where I participated in a leadership training program called the Journey. It is a simple, yet effective way to manage even the most intense emotions and disempowering mind-sets. In a concrete, practical way, the Leadership Program and the’s Transformational Workshops teach you how to use the law of attraction, a law of physics that is defined as like attracting like. It will teach you this principle by letting you consciously approach your life like a game, which can help you understand that your positive thoughts, feelings, and faith, when intentionally enjoyed simultaneously, can fuel your co-creative abilities to manifest your heart’s desires. This practice can greatly help you let go of feelings you may have of being a victim to what happens outside of you.

This tool can make the journey into your emotions fun yet powerful, while not igniting the blame or shame response that many readers may know too well. When Rob coached me during the Game, which is about claiming your power in life, Rob said, “Every time you make a choice that gives you power, you use that power to move ahead toward your goal. It might be a big step or it might be a tiny step, but it’s moving forward. Every step in the game earns a point in the game. Every time you allow your feelings to stop you from moving ahead, you’ve given up your power. Every time you see your situation as hopeless or overwhelming, you miss a step or even take a step backward. Each blocked or backward step costs you a point in the game.

When you’ve scored enough points to achieve your goal, you win the game. That is, when you make enough choices to claim your power, and you use it enough times to succeed at your goal, you’ve won. Celebrate! Do a victory dance! Then you can set your sights on your next goal and play again.”

Rob told me about Laura, who was a marketing executive and a mom, raising four kids who included her teenage son Tommy. She worked daily with Tommy, helping him through the typical struggles that teenagers face, until one unforgettable day that changed her life. Laura came home from work to find that Tommy had killed himself. Laura’s husband blamed her and filed for divorce. When she moved away to start a new life, her family stopped supporting her and, at times, even refused to talk to her. This is enough to devastate many people, but today Laura is happily remarried and is the director of a teenage leadership program that touches hundreds of lives. How does Laura rise above her circumstances? She plays, and habitually wins, the Responsibility Game.

In every situation in life, you always have choices you can make. Even in the worst of life’s tragedies, you still have choices. If nothing else, you can always choose your attitude. Every time you look at a situation as if you have some power over it, you put yourself in the driver’s seat of your life. Every time you see your power in a situation, you can take the step forward toward your goals. Conversely, every time you look at a situation as if you have no authority or say in the matter, you have no power.

What is the Responsibility Game? It is a way of looking at the world and a way of living life. The objective of this game is to achieve your goals. By playing the Responsibility Game, you are much more successful at having your life be the way you want it to be. Your game’s strategy is determined by the goals you set: you reach your weight and your health goals, you make more money, and/or the quality of your relationships go up…whatever you have prioritized as your game’s goals. The game is an easy yet potent way to make your life turn out the way you want it to.

Like any game, the Responsibility Game has points to score, it has a way to win, and it has some rules to follow. To earn points in this game, you make choices that put you in control of your life. A responsibility choice is choosing a viewpoint about what’s happening that gives you power to affect the situation, rather than feel powerless about it. You look at what’s happening around you and decide how you feel about it. What will be your attitude about it? “My kids are rambunctious today – I’m thrilled they are so healthy and vibrant.” “My kids are rambunctious today – they are going to drive me crazy!” Once you are conscious of your thoughts and feelings, you can enjoy them, be angered by them, or choose to shift your attitude.

Laura could have easily seen herself as powerless after the death of her son, her divorce, and her family’s response. At times, her feelings were so strong that she was overwhelmed by them. Playing the Responsibility Game, however, she knew that her goals were to provide a safe and loving environment for her family and to save other teens before they committed suicide. Every day she made choices. Some days she scored many points, and the children she worked with received all of her love and caring. Other days she didn’t score many points. Over time, by staying focused on her goals, not only did she score enough points to heal and expand her family, but she also created a position where she may prevent her tragedy from happening to others.

It is a very challenging and exciting game to be alert and recognize your responsibility to be truly aware of your present thoughts and feelings; you can cultivate the mindfulness to assess whether you want to continue to create from that paradigm or shift to a stand that positively supports the outcome you want. My team for the WorldLegacy Journey was called NC73B, and our motto was “Shift happens.” And it does! You can choose to take full responsibility for steering your emotional rudders, or you can waste a lot of potentially creative time being stuck on events or actions whose emotions you don’t want to feel. This invitation to “shift from self-defeating emotional states to empowering ones” is not meant to encourage you to minimize your emotional processing of pain or suffering, which can be powerful teachers, but to remember that you don’t have to camp out there or become frozen with inertia. When you become an active player in the Responsibility Game, you develop a habit of consciously choosing to perceive everything as an opportunity to win your heart’s desire and maximize your life’s potential.

The Responsibility Game is a way of looking at the world and approaching your life as if you can make a difference in how it evolves. You either think you are responsible for creating the life goals you have, or you don’t and thus are willing to accept the victim role in your life. You may be saying, “Yeah, this is true most of the time, but what about….blah, blah, blah?” I don’t want to hear your but story; it will not serve you in actualizing your goals, or the life that you want. I am inviting you to enter a paradigm shift in consciousness, which is nothing more than a shift, or change, in your way of perceiving the world and your power in co-creating the world.

Bio
Kitty Gurkin Rosati, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., has worked in the field of weight-related disease prevention and reversal for two and a half decades. She is the nutrition director of the Rice Diet Program and has been a clinical instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kitty is a graduate of WorldLegacy’s NC73B Leadership Program. Purchase the Rice Diet Renewal.

For Exercise Just Try Walking

by Dr. Matthew Taylor DC | Jun 18, 2015 | Exercise, Professionals | 2 comments

For Exercise Just Try Walking

Walking For Exercise

While some fitness enthusiasts relentlessly seek out the latest, trendiest exercise crazes, many others are returning to good, old-fashioned walking to help them feel great and get into shape. Whether enjoying the wonder of nature, or simply the company of a friend, walking can be a healthy, invigorating experience. And thanks to its convenience and simplicity, walking just might be right for you too.

For Exercise Just Try Walking
You don’t need to become a member of an expensive gym to go walking. And except for a good pair of walking shoes, it requires virtually no equipment. A sedentary lifestyle has a debilitating influence on people’s health as they age, therefore exercise is imperative. Walking accomplishes all of the following and more:

1. Improves cardiovascular endurance
2. Tones muscles of the lower body
3. Burns calories (about 80 if walking 2 miles/hour, 107 if walking 4.5 miles/hour)
4. Reduces risk of heart disease

The first item of business when beginning your walking program is to select the right pair of shoes. Too many people choose fashion over function when purchasing running shoes, not realizing that poor-fitting shoes can do more than hurt your stride; they can also lead to pain throughout the body. Make sure the shoes fit properly. The balls of your feet should rest exactly at the point where the toe end of the shoe bends during walking. Select shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact. Shop for sneakers at the end of the day or after a workout when your feet are generally at their largest. Wear the type of socks you usually wear during exercise. When trying on shoes, be sure to wear them for at least 10 minutes at the store. Once you have purchased shoes, don’t walk them into the ground. Estimates vary as to when is the best time to replace old shoes, most experts agree that between 300 and 500 miles is optimal.

Walking just 12 minutes every other day can offer important health benefits. But in order to increase your longevity, try to eventually work up to 30 minutes, five days per week. Experts agree that to be considered “active,” adults should try to take 10,000 steps each day (pedometer can track you progress). The following tips can help you get started on your walking regime:

1. Move your arms freely, in coordination with the opposite leg
2. Don’t stoop your head or look down as you walk. This will challenge the normal forward curve of your neck, which will cause you to carry your weight improperly.
3. Don’t carry weights or dumbbells while walking. They are better used as a separate part of your exercise regime.
4. Expect a little soreness in the thighs and calves for the first week or two. If you experience more than soreness, check with your doctor.
5. Walk briskly, with “purpose.” Simply sauntering while relaxing and enjoyable, is not an effective form of cardiovascular exercise.

Eventually, depending on your age, you can build your target heart rate/pulse to either 120 beats per minute, or if younger, as many as 140 beats per minute. Use a heart rate monitor to check your progress or use the talk test (walk at a pace where you can still hold a conversation). For the average adult, a heart rate of 120 beats per minute would require walking at about 3 miles per hour.

Lastly, drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of water per day to help keep the kidneys active, dilute and remove toxins from the body, and replace lost fluids. Sorry but coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcohol, diuretics/dehydrators don’t count. If you perspire while walking, you may need to drink even more.

Always remember, your body was made to move.