Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Junking the habit

Steps to clear out and clean out promise only one gift—liberation. But to achieve this, you have to decide today to quit all habits that feed your dependency.

Addictions
It is true that people define their own way of living, their lifestyle revolving around their desires and dreams. Often, the stuff that makes life exciting can be addictive as reflected in the expression “if it isn’t sinful then it’s fattening.”

Here is a random list of popular addictions:

Love
Whether you are in a loving relationship, a marriage, a divorce/separation, an argument or a breakup, it is best to stop in the middle of your tracks and say: “It is all about me and where I want to be.”

In the need and search for love, there are certain tendencies—some aggressive, others self-destructive. At this point, it becomes a habit worth breaking.

If any situation/person is toxic to you, it is time to act. The question is how long do you intend to take your poison. Before making any move, try this exercise to know where your heart is.

Heart meditation
Sit quietly in the early morning. Close your eyes. Focus your breathing and attention to the middle of your chest. Find your spiritual heart directly behind your ribcage, in the center of your heart.

Do not listen to your heart beat, simply feel. Find that space where the heart is. Soon you will be aware of peace when you let your breath go into your heart center.

Now visualize soft pastel lights. If you sit and listen, your heart will release emotions you have long kept imprisoned—fears, wishes, feelings, memories.

It is okay if you fall asleep. Just go back to your meditation. Soon you will achieve purification. You have listened to your heart without judgment.

Sweets
A craving for sweets is not bad, but when you make it a daily habit to finish a whole box of chocolates or a plateful of pastries, then your craving has reached addictive levels.Though you may not have diabetes yet, you probably are already a borderline diabetic.

Managing your sweet tooth is possible if, you can:

Substitute a fruit for candy bar, delay the sugar craving when it hits, snack on something healthy before going for the cream puff, eat sweets only during the day, eat in the company of friends and not alone.

Why? Studies show that if you sugar binge alone, especially when you are depressed, you will exceed your limits.

Alcohol and more
The usual combination during celebrations is the explosive duo of alcohol and cigarettes. Any lung or cancer specialist will advise you to drop both habits.

Alcohol is a mood drink. It alters the chemical makeup of the brain and allows you to feel relaxed/exhilarated. But the feeling is temporary. When the mood passes, there is a need to drink more or to raise the happiness level.

To do: Drink moderately. Have a full meal while drinking. It is best to drink with others, not alone. Drinking alone will only entice you to finish the bottle. Do not drink when sad unless you can limit yourself to just two drinks. Instead, be with people that can make you laugh.

Cigarette smoking, while accepted socially, has been found to pose health hazards. If you are intent on quitting, try this:

Change your friends if you want to change your habits. Peer pressure will keep you from quitting bad habits unless you all decide to stay clean. This also applies to drug-related habits.
Without the will to change, bad habits are hard to give up, according to Pfizer that conducted decades of research on the challenge of quitting smoking. Did you know that there are 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette? Some have been linked to cancer.

Within 20 minutes of quitting your heart rate normalizes. And within 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your body will drop to normal.

Quitting may be easier for others. Some have the power to go cold turkey. Others will require help. With Champix Varenicline Tartrate, there is about an 80-percent chance you could quit the habit.

The oral medication, that needs a doctor’s prescription, works on the brain to block an addiction. Though it produces such side effects as nausea and sleeplessness, it remains one of the most promising medications for cigarette smokers eager and willing to quit.

So if you were told you could have a healthier body within 12 weeks, would you not let yourself be converted?

Conversion = liberation

When you transcend your self-imposed limitations, you are literally granting yourself permission to convert to a new way of loving and living. Once you have conversion, then you can fly. Then and only then will you earn your wings.

Love and light!
Celebrate life with Cory Quirino, Nov. 30, at Megamall. Free admission.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=103263

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Staying sane and sexy

MANILA, Philippines—In this crazy world, the pace of living has become hectic. As a result, not only life, but also our sanity, spins out of our reach.

Managing madness

Believe it or not, this world is not what it appears to be. At first glance, life may seem to be static, stationery. But a closer look at subatomic space reveals a new reality—atoms seem to move randomly but there is order in this randomness.

Awareness of this truth can be liberating. If we follow this thinking, it is OK to be a little crazy. Question is, how far will you allow madness to rule your life?

If you feel that craziness has overtaken you, it is time to take control.

Welcome change

The daily grind of living can rob you of spontaneity. So try something different today. You could reinvent yourself, remodel your surroundings or simply change the color of your hair or your outlook.

Remember, life is about perception. If you see dark, dreary colors, then that is how you will paint your life. And that is exactly what you will attract.

Be comfortable with silence. Surrounding yourself with music/sounds, noise and the chatter of people may at first be appealing and fun. But nothing compares to the eloquence of silence.

Close your eyes. Be still. Shut out the noise. Breathe slowly, deliberately. Journey towards the waters of calm. There is a lake of placid stillness inside every heart. Find it and connect with the source of calm—God.

Grant yourself permission to be happy. A major stumbling block in achieving your goal is reluctance on your part.

Start now. Say to yourself, “Life’s blessings are mine because I deserve them. Not yesterday, not tomorrow but today.”

Change your inner clock by living your life “now.” Do not be anxious about tomorrow or regret the past. Let today be a glorious celebration.
Start by thanking the sun for rising, the stars for shining, the birds for chirping in St. Francis of Assisi style.

Take ownership. Instead of saying “I will be happy, healthy, wealthy” or whatever you wish, declare instead “I am happiness, health, wealth.” Assume your aspirations are reality in you.

Watching the waistline

Sure, it is challenging to fit into your favorite 10-year-old pair of jeans. But it is not impossible. To turn it into a possibility:

1. Eat everything you want but in small amounts. Studies show that restricting your calorie intake to five to eight small meals a day will lead to weight management and eventually weight less.
Also, do not eat close to bedtime. The additional calories will not be burned by your body.
2. Bulk up by adding more fiber to your meals. Increase vegetables/fruits intake. Or add fiber food supplements to your juice like coco opsylium.
3. Practice the law of balance. Declare no-sugar days. This allows you to have your sweets in a regulated regimen. Example: If you feel you overdid desserts today, then tomorrow take no sweets.
4. Raise your glass to toast life, but it should be a healthy beverage. If you begin your day with freshly made vegetable/fruit juice, your energy levels are boosted beyond measure. This is also a sure way to lose weight.
5. Burn whatever calories you can so keep moving. Remember it is better to run, dance, jog, climb/walk, stand rather than just sit and lie around.

6. Time management is vital. Reserve at least 30 minutes to one hour a day for any form of physical activity—even if it is just house cleaning, moving furniture, gardening, walking the dog or walking up the office building’s stairwell. Any activity is better than none.
7. Choose a favorite wall at home or office to do your push-ups and a chair to do your arm pushups.

Reward yourself

You are special, therefore consider yourself a very important person. Lift yourself up and let no one oppress, depress, repress you. You are not a victim but a victor.

So, today, reward yourself by doing something special for yourself. Buy yourself a gift, sing a favorite tune or simply soak in a bath with milk and rose petals, salt and coconut oil, beer and honey, orange peel.

Life is cause for celebration so stay sane and sexy.

Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=101941

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Wellness begins today

Repeat after me:

“Beginning today, I will pay more attention to my well-being.”

Almost 100 percent of the time, if you will recite this mantra, subtle changes will begin to happen to you in body, mind, heart and spirit.

Who’s making you sick?

It is easy to point an accusing finger at that luscious cheesecake or your uninspiring gym trainer or your workload in the office.

But, truth is, everything―and that means your time, effort or dedication―are all under your own control.

Points to ponder

1. Each time you postpone a trip to the gym or put off your exercise, you are allowing your body to slow down and age faster.

2. Every day you delay your workout, your metabolism slows down.

3. Every extra serving of gravy or cream or dessert you take adds inches to your waistline. So do not be surprised if you cannot zip up your favorite pair of jeans.

4. Mornings that begin with a complaint only attract more situations for you to complain about. This is a truth you must respect as gospel.

5. Skipping meals will only wreak havoc on your blood sugar. One of the secrets to good health is a steady blood sugar level.

6. Adding more and more processed food to your meal means more chemicals pumped into your bloodstream.

7. A heavy heart weighed down by hatred can only have room for more hatred―not peace of heart. What occupies your heart becomes its regular fare. It is what your heart feeds on.

8. The grab-what-you-can approach to eating is called the fast-food mentality. With no idea about what is good for your body, you simply eat what is available or within easy reach.

9. Talking nonsense to yourself is counter-productive. Replaying in your mind traumatic experiences in your life will only depress you further and cause you to be ill. In fact, talking about pain and grievances will create a huge ball of energy around you―one that is destructive.

Inspire yourself

1. If you think you are less than what you believe you can be, think again. People with a poor self-image cause their own miseries. Sure, not everyone can boast of a perfect childhood. But you are not a child anymore. So, get over it and start living.

2. Seek therapy if necessary.

3. If your self-confidence is low, enroll in a personality development course. Talk to your parish priest or pastor for guidance. Consult a parent or big brother/sister, or best friend for support.

4. Ask a nutritionist to design a health plan for you.

5. Go to a bookstore and spend the day reading self-help books.

6. Learn to laugh. When you lighten up, your world becomes brighter.

7. Make it a habit to take multivitamins after your heaviest meals. They will help keep you feeling better.

8. Learn to march to a mission of your own―a personal mission to rebuild your health, renew your heart and revise your spirit. All you need is to say to yourself: “I can and I will.”

Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=100497


Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Laxatives for body, mind and spirit

Do you think you need to release all the junk from within by taking a laxative?

Truth is, you may be addicted to taking laxatives as a means of ridding your body of waste buildup. But more than just the body, how about removing all the toxins from your own mind and spirit? That’s also buildup of the highest order.

Relieve yourself

If you desperately seek out a laxative once a week for months, there is something wrong with your body/diet/lifestyle. This means that you are not OK. It will not harm your health to make some changes of the natural kind.

Body Flush―There are eight things you must do every day in order to prevent constipation:

• Drink 8-10 glasses of water in addition to your 3-4 glasses of beverages a day. Note that caffeine (coffee/tea), alcohol do not count because they actually cause you to lose water, being natural diuretics.
•Exercise regularly. Try 30 minutes of brisk walking daily or engage in some form of aerobic exercise. This assists food in moving through your body.
• Follow your urge―“If you gotta go, you gotta go.” Don’t hold it back or ignore it when you feel the urge. Ignoring the signals will harden your stools.

• Schedule yourself. Make it a habit to visit the toilet 20 minutes after meals in order to train yourself. Don’t worry. And don’t strain. After some time, your bowels will be trained.
• Use a foot rest in the bathroom. This is a practical tip or a neat trick. Stepping on a small stool can help you relax.
• Ask your doctor―Have a chat with him to see if there are any medications you are taking that may cause constipation like antihistamines, antidepressants, antacids, diuretics, anti-Parkinson-ism drugs. Find alternatives/substitutes.
• Eat high-fiber foods―oatmeal, barley, breakfast cereals, beans, berries, dates, pears, sweet potatoes.
• Drink prune juice before breakfast and/or 2 tablespoons of virgin coco oil.

Unloading the other half

Cleansing the other significant half of you, your mind and spirit may not be as easy as drinking a glass of water, but it will definitely ease the aches and pains of your thoughts and feelings. You have to develop an internal sonar. That’s right.

Sonar focus

When you are in a group of powerful negative emotion, like anger―stop what you are doing and what you are saying and what you are thinking. Focus your attention on what you are feeling.

Easier said than done? But it works. When you start feeling, you will immediately channel the full force of your anger into your consciousness. Choose not to act on an angry impulse. Remember that beneath all anger is pain. According to Dr. Gary Zukav (“The Heart of the Soul”) “anger is an anesthetic.” It is less painful than its actual root cause. In other words, angry people are people in pain. Because most people are afraid to face their own issues (hurts, bitterness, etc.), they naturally strike outward by shouting and doing destructive/cruel things.

• Write yourself a letter as though you were advising your own child. Honest feelings will naturally flow from you in order to release negative feelings.
•Use a punching bag or take up boxing. The physical act of hitting an inanimate object (rather than a person) can be very healing. Release your frustrations now.
•Pray and meditate. When you invoke the power of God, miracles can happen. Be secure in your own stillness. Silence is a friend.
•Forgive someone who has wronged you but, best of all, forgive yourself.

Bathe in beauty not in bitterness

Prepare a hot, relaxing bath. Mix with rose oil aromatherapy. Throw in white rose petals. Because white symbolizes cleansing, you must cover yourself in the purity of your own goodness while affirming “I bathe in beauty and the light.”

Love and light!

Reference: Inner Cleansing Cures

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=99015