This Week's Inspiration
Are You Getting Fatter, Slower, and Stupider?
Fat: | Notable for having an unusual amount of fat; plump, obese; well filled |
Slow: | Mentally dull; naturally inert or sluggish; lacking in readiness, promptness, or willingness; not hasty or precipitate; having qualities that hinder rapid progress or action |
Stupid: | Slow of mind; obtuse; given to unintelligent decisions or acts; acting in an unintelligent or careless manner; lacking intelligence or reason; dulled in feeling or sensation; marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or action |
The title is meant to get your attention . . . and to serve as a wake-up call about issues that are plaguing our developed society. If we don't shift our lifestyles and mindsets, the majority of the population soon will fall into one or more of the above categories.
I plan NOT to be one of them.
If you already are, are you happy about it?
I hope not.
I will outline strategies on how you can overcome or avoid those three conditions.
First, make a decision to take full responsibility for your condition. Whatever your age, your background, your family history, genetics, and so on, there is no place for the victim mentality—if you want to improve.
What about your health, wellness, mental and emotional pursuits, and recreational activities? They all contribute to the fullness of life. Would others call you sharp and fit…or something else?
Your lifestyle highly influences your physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Are you making wise or stupid choices in those areas?
If we don't take care of ourselves, especially after the age of 40, our body starts to show decay. The majority of individuals are choosing to let their mind, body, and soul rot. No health care system can sustain our current lifestyle, which will result in a nation of fat, slow, and stupid people.
As our population ages and the Boomers retire, there is a false belief that their quality of life quickly degrades. Don't buy into that lie for a moment. If we follow the strategies listed below, most of us can live strong, fit lives with a sharp mind past our 80s.
This message is not just for the person at mid-life and beyond. Recent research suggests that obese, unfit teenagers are permanently damaging their current and future wellness. Some kids are experiencing strokes in their early 20s. They are unable to emotionally engage others and they are unable to keep up their grades in school. Those negative results are all preventable.
In Wayne Dyer's most recent book Excuses Be Gone, he stated the most important condition that MUST exist before any changes will occur in your life is self-awareness. If you are not self-aware—for whatever reason, you cannot and will not implement improvements.
Think about that statement for a moment.
Do you know a person who is fat, slow, stupid, and clueless? Does the individual deny the condition? What does “the denial” do to his or her level of credibility? That makes us wonder what else the person might be denying or falsifying.
Until we acknowledge and are fully self-aware of our condition, nothing can be done about it.
A couple years ago, I was leafing through family photos and started to see the reality of my weight. I had become fat. Over 30 pounds heavier than my college days. I was bulging. I also had been experiencing more fatigue, had become mentally slower, and was experiencing moments of forgetfulness . . . I felt I was becoming stupid.
I had a choice.
Do nothing and keep getting fatter, slower, and stupider or reverse the tide and do something about it.
Over the past year, I have made improvements. Here's how.
- Last Summer, I started walking 5 days a week for 1 hour each day. I also cut most sugars from my diet.
- We cancelled our satellite TV, not only to reduce unnecessary sensory input, but to increase sleep-time hours. I would watch the late-night news and get less than 6 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep is linked to obesity and being stupid (reduced cognitive skills).
- Last Fall, I got the flu. I was upset with myself because I rarely get sick. Before that, coffee had become my stimulant—up to 8 cups a day. I could not drink coffee when I had the flu. Since then, I have not had a cup of coffee. I replaced coffee with filtered water.
- More recently, I researched the fitness activity required for me to feel younger and healthier next year. The research said we need to work out at least 6 times a week for 45 minutes. Four workouts should be aerobic; 2 should be strength-training. Since acknowledging that research, I have worked out 6 days a week.
Some of you are thinking you don't have the time to do that. That's what I thought only months ago. I took action when I realized that doing nothing was worse for me than applying the discipline required to make the shift to good health. I actually enjoy my early morning workout prior to going to work. I feel much better for it.
If I can do it, so can you.
Now, I rarely have that afternoon lull. I am halfway to my new weight goal and I'm getting thinner not fatter, faster not slower, and sharper not stupider.
The frail elderly do not have to be the norm.
Do you know that more women in the US died last year from hip fractures than from breast cancer? The 20% who break their hip die within a year.
Living On Purpose is best experienced when we have vibrant bodies and minds. Make a choice today to follow the Action Steps below and avoid becoming fat, slow, and stupid.
CRG's calling is to assist others to live, lead, and work on purpose—including helping people discover their passion and learn how to live it, intentionally,every day. An On-Purpose Person has a vibrant mind, body, and soul.
I realize I have been more direct than usual in this article, but I'd rather have few ruffled feathers, and have people get it, than be soft, with no impact at all.
Consider the following processes and assessments.
- To confirm your beliefs and purpose in all areas of your life, I recommend my 88-page workbook, My Source EXPERIENCE Journal™. It will take you on a personal journey of discovery to help you confirm and affirm your passions in life.
- CRG's Personal Style Indicator, Stress Indicator and Health Planner, Values Preference Indicator, and Self-Worth Inventory will help you fully embrace your passions.
To enhance your results, follow these ACTION STEPS .
This Week's Action Steps
- It does not matter if you are 15 or 75. Ask yourself: Are you getting fatter, slower, and stupider? If your answer is Yes at any level, is that okay for you? Are you willing to take responsibility for your life?
- Your lifestyle is producing your results. To get a handle on the stress areas in your life, complete the Stress Indicator and Health Planner. This assessment has 120 important questions that will help you improve your condition.
- Most diseases are preventable with the correct lifestyle. Here are some must-do primary action items to help you feel better next month and next year. If you already have health issues, please consult your doctor first.
- Start moving. The human body was meant to move; that is how it heals itself. If you are out of shape, start by walking your driveway or apartment hallway and expand from there. Increase your activity to a minimum of 5 days a week: 45 minutes of aerobic activity per day at 60% of your maximum target heart rate. Your target heart rate generally is calculated by subtracting your age from 220, then multiplying the total by 60%. If you are 50 years old, the target heart rate for your workouts is 220 – 50 = 170 x 60% = 102. Workouts not only improve your body, your mind will become sharper.
- See those frail old men and women hunched over their walkers? They can barley walk. You'll look like that, too, if you don't include strength training in your wellness program. Strength training improves your joints and increases muscle and bone mass. Train 3 times a week for 45 minutes, with 1 day in between each workout to let your muscles recover. Train with simple resistance bands or light weights. If you need help, there are lots of books on the subject.
- Forget trying to live on 5 to 6 hours of sleep. Target 8 hours of restful sleep per night.
- Yes, diet matters. Cut out all processed sugars, candies, and sweets. Expand your fruit and vegetable intake and limit fats and fatty meats.
- Drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. Start your morning with a glass, end your day with a glass, and enjoy a glass at each meal. That's already 5 glasses! Hydration and the cleansing of toxins from your body requires water. Sorry, coffee and soft drinks don't count. No more than 1 glass of alcohol per day for women, 2 for men. Otherwise you will kill more brain cells than can be regenerated by your body.
- To keep your mind sharp, make a commitment to continuous learning. Use the following CRG resource to stimulate your mind, confirm your passions, and connect with your purpose to reduce your regrets. Work with CRG's 88-page My Source EXPERIENCE Journal™–A Personal Discovery Process for Those Who Want to Lead a Passionate and Fulfilling Life.
- Benchmark your gifts, talents, and passion by using CRG assessments. Your results will assist you to establish your beliefs with confidence, and increase your passion in all areas of your life. As part of the clarification process, we recommend four specific assessments.
- Personal Style Indicator (PSI), to identify your natural preferences and strengths
- Stress Indicator and Health Planner (SIHP), to identify your stress and wellness levels.
- Self-Worth Inventory (SWI), to understand how your level of self-worth is affecting your success.
- Why bother changing? Because quality of life matters. Do you want to be fat, slow, and stupid or healthy, fast, and wise? It's your choice. I encourage you to choose life, not death. If I can do it, so can you.
Ken Keis
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