Motivational Monday - "The Race"

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When you fall, will you get back up?



"To me you won - you rose each time you fell"

You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.

I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 (The Message)

Wellness Wednesday - Crabby Foods

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and now you're feeling kind of crabby today?

Here are some foods you DON’T want to eat. RUNAWAY from them! Even though you think they will comfort you and make you feel better, they'll make you feel much worse:

Diet Cola – Aspartame, the chemical sweetener used in diet colas and other sugar free foods and beverages is a compound that decreases the efficiency of the brain. I don’t know about you, but as I get older I need all the brain efficiency I can get!

Coffee – A cup or 2 is okay . . . more than that can increase symptoms of depression by blocking serotonin - which is something that you don’t want to block – it’s a brain chemical that helps regulate your mood. Feeling crabby in the late morning, early afternoon – try cutting back on the Joe!

Sweets – Simple sugars and carbs cause rapid rise and fall in your blood sugar levels, and this is something you don’t want to happen – it creates mood swings, fatigue, grogginess and crabbiness (yes, that is a word). If you’re already in a bad mood, one of the worst things you can do is to eat something sweet to make you feel better.

Alcohol – More than 2 alcoholic beverages a day can worsen symptoms of depression. Alcohol is a depressant and slows the neurotransmitters in the brain (again, not good). It also affects the REM stage of sleep, which is necessary for serotonin production. Remember from reading above, serotonin is the natural “happy” drug for your brain, so you definitely want to get your REM sleep to make as much serotonin as possible.

Next week’s Wellness Wednesday will expand on this and give you simple alternatives to boost your energy and put you in a good mood! Stay tuned . . . .

Motivational Monday - A Lesson in Hitting

"It's not about how hard you hit - It's about how hard you can GET HIT and keep moving forward"

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Much to my surprise, I found an incredible motivational speech by Rocky Balboa to his son. I know, I know, it sounds corny, but I guarantee you it's not! I LOVE it! Make sure to watch the quick 2 minute video ALL THE WAY TO THE END!

If you're a parent, you will LOVE this and it might be something you want to share with your teenager and/or family at dinner tonight.

Here are some of the highlights:

When you were little I held you in the palm of my hand. I told your Mom "this kids going to grow up to be the best person I know"

Somewhere along the line you changed – you stopped being you. When things got hard, you started looking for something or someone to blame.

Let me tell you something you don’t know – the world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it.

Nobody hits as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

If you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her or anybody.

Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that! Until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.

Thrifty Thursday - "Free Budgeting Tools and Calculators"

CROWN FINANCIAL MINISTRIES - Calculators and Budgeting Tools

Remember the phrase "Knowledge is Power"? Well, that applies to many, many things, but it especially applies to your finances. If we don't know where our money is going and how much things are costing us (knowledge), then we won't have any control over our finances and we won't get to live our lives the way we want (power).

Here is a link to an incredible site with ALL KINDS of FREE gadgets and calculators to help you with your budget, debt, income, etc. Here's a small sample of what they offer:

• Budgetometer
• Spending Plan Calculator
• Debt Calculators
• Accelerated Debt Payoff Calculator
• Debt Payoff Goal Calculator
• Mortgage Consolidation and Refinancing Calculator
• College Funding Calculator
• Automobile Loan Payment Calculator
• Savings Goal Calculator

It's time to get POWER of your money.

Don't let your money control you - control your money and make it work for you!!

Wellness Wednesday - "Add Cinnamon . . ."

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Cinnamon contains polyphenols, which acts as antioxidants that protect cells against free radical damage, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and ward against cancer. The scent of cinnamon also helps with alertness.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria.

Cinnamon is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

So go ahead, sprinkle cinnamon in your coffee, toss it in your oatmeal, and sprinkle it on your toast - it's soooo yummy and so good for you! But you should probably pass on those cinnamon rolls!

Motivational Monday - "Challenge Day"

"Our vision is to create a world where every child feels safe, loved, and celebrated. That’s not just every young person, but the child that lives inside each and every one of our hearts." Yvonne and Rich Dutra-St. John


Check out these amazing videos to see what a "Challenge Day" looks like - I promise you'll love them and want to bring them to your school!

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From the founders, Yvonne and Rich Dutra-St. John

• People often ask what inspired us to do the work that we do. The bottom line is that we are parents. When we created Challenge Day, our kids were ages one, two, three, and four and we did not want them to go through the pain we did growing up.
• We realized that the work we had been doing was dealing with the symptoms of the problem: alcohol and drug abuse, violence, depression and eating disorders.
• We wanted to get to the root of the problem. We realized the biggest problems in our schools and communities were not alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, or even violence or suicide. We saw that the biggest problems in our schools are separation, isolation, and loneliness.
• If our kids are feeling lonely, it is not because there is a lack of people; it is because there is a lack of love and connection between them.
  Our dream was to bring together young people of all different shapes, sizes and styles, with different skin colors and beliefs, who either didn’t know each other or hated each other.
• Our dream was to create a powerful program that was safe enough to bring these young people together from all different cliques, groups, and backgrounds, along with teachers, parents, and administrators.
• Our dream was to bring them together in LOVE, not just in toleranceWe had a dream; we knew we could change the world.
• We are two ordinary people who had a vision and are now making it come true.
• We challenge you to join us…Remember YOU are the Hero you have been waiting for. Be the Change in your own way. In a way that feeds your heart and fills your purpose.
  

Challenge Day Website: http://www.challengeday.org/ - phone: (925) 957-0234

Motivational Monday - "Everything's Amazing!"

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I remember the rotary phone!!!

How great would life be if we remembered and acknowledged what amazing times we live in!



(DISCLAIMER - For the record, I do not agree with his statement that this is the worst generation that's ever lived - I don't think our attitudes today are limited to one generation)