Surf and Ocean X Cystic Fibrosis

To some people, surfing is a way of life. From birth, they are taught that the ocean is a resource, a place of healing, and something you never turn your back on. The lives of most surfers consists of traveling around the world in search of the perfect waves. They have built careers from it. Without the ocean, their lives would be incomplete. To cystic fibrosis patients, the ocean is something entirely different, it is a way to prolong their lives. For years, researchers have explored the connection between Cystic Fibrosis and the ocean. It was noted that in Australia, kids with Cystic Fibrosis who surfed all the time had better lung functions then the kids who where not in the ocean on a regular basis. They attributed this to the fact that the oceans high content of saline helps expel the secretions from the lungs. In 2007, brothers, James and Charles Dunlop read an article about this connection. Being life long surfers themselves, decided to do something about it. It started first as just a simple idea: Get kids with cystic fibrosis surfing. What resulted was something incredible. Cystic fibrosis patients have to schedule their lives around hours of breathing treatments, chest therapy, and about 45 pills a day in order to stay healthy. Surfing is the one treatment that has proven to help cystic fibrosis patients more than ever. The oceans high content of saline acts as a natural lubricant which clears their lungs and makes breathing easier.

What in the Heck is a Healing Crisis?

An individual can experience what is known as a "Healing Crisis" whenever......

·         dietary changes are introduced

·         toxic, inflammatory foods (sugar, wheat, dairy, artificial sweeteners, soda, gluten, corn, alcohol and processed foods) are no longer a part of your diet

·         you're on a Candida or parasite cleanse

·         no longer taking toxic drugs, OTC drugs or alcohol

·         eliminating foods you're sensitive to

·         in the beginning of a new treatment, protocol or program

When you experience a healing crisis, your can actually feel worse before you feel better. Symptoms change; you feel new symptoms, different. This is a result of your system releasing toxins. The intensity and length of a healing crisis is different for each person, depends on your personal toxic load, foods and beverages consumed, and supplements you're taking during the detox.

Physical symptoms of a healing crisis include headaches, hives or skin breakouts, diarrhea or frequent bowel movements, fatigue, nausea, GI issues, dizziness or a number of other symptoms.

Emotional and mental symptoms can also result such as feelings of depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia or mood swings.

Rest assured, these symptoms would subside in a few days.

It is important to include clean, organic protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Protein up regulates detoxification.

The good news is that you are on the road to better, long-term health.

Be patient and gentle with yourself, value rest, get more sleep, practice relaxation and restorative activities and listen to your body.

Be courageous, be strong and stick to the main goal, your best health.

P.Proff

Goal Setting and Routines

I have heard many people talk about settings goals.  Setting goals is very important, but goals themselves do not ensure success.
Goals give us a way to measure and define success, but not to actually achieve it.
We do have to start with good goals, so let’s talk about what a good goal is.




A good goal is like good done criteria for a backlog. 
A good goal is one that is:

• Measurable
• Has a time constraint
• Achievable without being overwhelming
• Sufficiently broken down, (it is a single thing, not a collection of things.)

If you don’t define a good goal, the chances of achieving it go down drastically.  If your goal is not clear cut enough, you may not even be able to tell when it is achieved.
In my world, good goals are things like:

• By Dec 10th I will lose 20 pounds.
• I will read one technical book each month.
• I will create and launch an iPhone application by Nov 15th.

Bad goals are things like:

• I will improve my diet
• I will start lifting weights
• I will improve my SQL skills

Goals aren’t enough

Once you have good goals, you should be good to go right?
Wrong!
How many times have you set good goals that you never achieved?  Always something seems to come up, or the timing isn’t right, etc.
The problem is, life happens.  You have to deal with all kinds of issues you can’t predict, so you don’t end up having the time to achieve your goals.
You usually don’t have anything on the line, so nothing is forcing you to complete the goals.
First let’s talk about the issue of life happening and disrupting you from achieving your goals.
There is a simple solution for this problem…
Make your goals part of your life.  Rarely does life happen to me in such a way that it prevents me from doing things like showering, eating, brushing my teeth or going to work.  (I suppose now that I am down in Florida, a hurricane could happen and cause all that.)  In general though, we operate as humans best on routines.
I have found time and time again that the key to achieving goals is to build them into your daily routine.  Having a routine is critical to being successful.
Don’t believe me?  Think about the biggest losers you know in your life.  You know who I am talking about, that friend from high school that still doesn’t have a real job, sometimes sleeps on your couch, wakes up at noon, etc.
Routine or no routine?
Now think about the most successful people you know.
Routine or no routine?

Routine disruption

Part of the reason my posts stopped for the last few weeks is that I had my routine disrupted.  Back in Idaho before I moved, I had a pretty solid routine, it went something like this:
Every week day: Egg white + Spinach breakfast, Spinach + light soup lunch, Steamed Chicken + vegetable dinner, read 15-30 minutes technical book.
Monday: Lift chest and biceps, do prep work for Pluralsight, cook up chicken for the rest of the week
Tuesday: Run 5k, record for Pluralsight
Wednesday: Lift back and legs, do Android or iPhone app work
Thursday: Run 5k, prep work for Pluralsight
Friday: Lift shoulders and triceps
Saturday: Run 5k, record for Pluralsight and or do Android or iPhone work
Sunday: Write blog post for the week
That was my basic routine.  You can probably figure out my goals just by looking at my routine.
When I moved, this got disrupted, but I am getting back into a routine similar to this one again.  Once a good routine is established, life happens around your routine.
I usually stick with this basic routine and modify it based on the priorities of my goals.  At different points, blogging was a higher priority, so it took up a few more slots.  When I was really focused on getting my Android app done, that took more slots.

When you have a routine, you are making small steps on a regular basis towards your goals.

Addicted to Your Smart Phone, TV, PC and Digital Gadgets?

Time for a Digital Detox

How many times per day do you look at your phone? We are a generation on information overload and hooked on technology. Many people are unable and afraid to go even a minute without the "smartphone life support" system.

Quality communication and relational connections with family and friends is lost as more and more kids and adults become engrossed and obsessed with their smart phones.

Did you know that high frequency of screen time (cell phone, computer, iPad, social media, television) disrupts sleep, increases psychological stress, fatigue, hormone problems, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and mental health problems?

Cell phone, iPad, WiFi and computer use is particularly harmful to fetuses, babies and young children because their brains are still developing. Overuse of the internet and multitasking in children has also been linked with social, emotional and relational underdevelopment and a chronically distracted view of the world.

A digital detox is good for your health & your relationships!

1.     Connect and communicate with people "old school" style

2.     Spend time, observe & listen to the beauty of nature

3.     Limit screen time to certain hours of the day

4.     Start and end every day by reading or listening to something spiritual. Many kids (& adults) nowadays have zero foundation of daily prayer, spirituality or connection with God.

5.     Never sleep with your cell phone by your pillow or on your night stand.

6.     Charge your cell phone in another room, never your bedroom.

7.     Unplug/shutdown all electronics by 8:00 p.m. every night.

8.     Turn off all cell phones, computers & TVs during meal time & bedtime

9.     Read a book, play a board game or take a walk (without your phone or iPod)

10.             Dare to be different. Don't follow the crowd!

11.             Don't subject yourself to negative news or media.

12.             Take the DeTox challenge & watch your life change

13.             Focus on what truly matters

14.             BE present. BE attentive. BE mindful. BE hUman.

15.             Simply BE.

BENEFITS OF A DIGITAL DETOX

·         Better sleep

·         Less stress & anxiety

·         Increased energy

·         Enhanced communication skills

·         Improved emotional well-being

·         Rest for your brain from incessant stimuli

·         Recharged brain function & capacity

·         More meaningful relationships

Weight Loss Resistance: Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

Are you frustrated and struggling to lose weight and no matter what you do nothing is working? Is the weight loss formula that always worked for you in the past no longer working or giving you the results you’d like?

A common complaint I hear is, “I’m eating healthy, exercising every day, doing everything right, and I just can’t seem to lose weight.”

A few subtle changes and tweaks may be all you need to breakthrough your plateau. Take an hard and honest look at the following list for possible reasons your weight loss has stalled.

♦ Breakfast consists of a syrupy, artificially-sweetened latte and bagel or you skip breakfast altogether. Or, maybe you’re eating the same old breakfast of egg whites and oatmeal every single day.

♦ Your diet is deficient in protein and carb heavy. Aim for one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight in divided doses throughout the day. High-protein foods promote greater thermogenesis (fat burning) and satiety than high-carbohydrate and low-fat foods. Diets with plenty of both protein and fiber will decrease the hormone ghrelin, reduce hunger and craving and support fat loss compared to a carb heavy diet.

♦ You fail to prioritize the importance of organic grass-fed and free-range over conventionally-raised meats. The old saying “you are what you eat” applies here. When you eat animal protein that is not organic, your body gets a good dose of synthetic hormones, antibiotics, grains, genetically engineered corn and soy and a load of other chemicals. Eating conventionally-raised, non-organic animal protein disrupts hormones, causes digestive dysfunction, estrogen dominance, increases inflammation, and as a result, your waist line and body fat increase.

♦  Food is information! Particular foods signal your body whether to store or burn fat. The right foods also signal your brain you’re full.

♦ Are you tipping the tea cup too often? How much alcohol are you consuming each week? Each night? Drinking as little as one ounce of vodka will slow your metabolism by as much as 73 percent. Realize that if you drink a couple of glasses of wine every night, it’s going to be very difficult to lose body fat and belly fat.

♦  You’re not practicing mindfulness when you eat and before you know it you’ve consumed enough food to feed a family of four. Sit down during meal time, turn off your cell phone, TV and computer. Chew thoroughly. Set your utensil down between bites.

♦ You’re a grazer: someone who eats every 2-3 hours. Every time you snack, insulin rises and sends a message to store fat. Stick to 3 meals daily and if you are truly hungry enjoy a healthy snack guilt free.

♦ You’re overly stressed and your idea of stress management is consuming a couple of cocktails every night or numbing your emotions by eating an entire package of gluten-free cookies. Find a healthy way to release stress and calm your nervous system: yin or restorative yoga; walking your dog; reading; listening to relaxing music in an Epsom salt bath……..

♦ You fail to value the importance of 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night.

♦ Are you exercising TOO much? Are you over-doing cardio? Is long-slow distance (LSD) cardio/aerobic-style exercise your only form of exercise?

♦ Do you spend your time at the gym on the eliptical machine, treadmill or stairclimber expecting a different result in lieu of hitting the weights or sprinting? Take your workout outdoors and onto the track or find a hill or some stairs and sprint! Don’t be afraid of lifting heavy weights (as long as you’re form is pristine). Follow the exercise programs found in Fat Loss Revolution.

♦ Weight training, if done at all, consists of lifting nothing heavier than 12-15 lb. dumbbells. Yes, there’s a time and place for lighter weights, but as you progress lifting heavy enough weights to stimulate a hormonal response without compromising form and technique is the formula for fat loss. Periodize your workout programs by manipulating reps and sets.

♦ Underestimating the importance of rest days and balancing more intense workouts with calming, parasympathetic yin-style activities. Schedule yoga, Qi gong, Tai chi into your week.

♦ You’re suffering from hormonal imbalances caused by any number of things: faulty digestion, insulin resistance, estrogen dominance, birth control pills, toxic overload, a congested liver, excessive stress, thyroid dysfunction, over-exercising, unstable blood sugar, sleep deprivation, chronic inflammation or nutrient deficiencies – all which affect your metabolism and can hinder fat loss. It’s vital to prioritize the balance these two hormones first: #1, insulin (what you choose to eat) and #2, cortisol (how you manage stress; healthy adrenals) for a successful Fat Loss Revolution.

♦ You sit all day long and seldom get up and move. Take periodic breaks from sitting.

♦ Variables you’re not aware of that can hinder fat loss: your body is inflamed, bloated and puffy from hidden food sensitivities, you’re ingesting an excessive amount of carbs, possible underlying virus, bacteria infection, Candida or parasites, toxic overload or oxidativestress.

♦ You’re undernourished and overfed, a very common and overlooked issue that leads to nutrient deficiencies or excesses. Possibilities are malabsorption issues, gut dysfunction, infections, dehydration or the wrong food choice.

♦ Are you focused on counting every calorie? All calories are not created equal. A chicken breast at 300 calories vs bagel at 300 calories have a completely different effect hormonally, metabolically and on your level of satiety. It’s the hormonal response that matters.

♦ Are you weighing yourself every day? Remember, there’s a difference between weight loss and fat loss. Ditch the scale and instead focus on how your clothes fit, take photos every two weeks or hire a qualified coach to measure your body composition.

♦ Your system is on toxic overload from chemical exposure, heavy metal body burdens, Rx or OTC drugs, estrogen dominance, Candida, obesogens or any number of things. For healing to occur, it’s crucial to identify the root cause.

♦ Your digestion is in chaos. An optimal functioning digestive system is key for a healthy body. Many fail to recognize the importance of a healthy functioning gut, adequate stomach acid and balanced gut flora as factors for overall health and fat loss.

♦ Your metabolism is damaged from years of dieting, fasting, sleep deprivation, counting every calorie, excessive exercise, prolonged stress, excluding fat in your diet…….

♦ Are you changing too many things at once? Commit to one or two small changes per week. Over time those small changes create profound transformation.

♦ You're not seeing results after a week or two and jump to the next best (worst) thing. Any result oriented program that is not a quick fix requires a mindset of fat loss as a lifestyle vs one of instant gratification. It’s an ongoing process.

These common fat loss mistakes definitely encourage thinking outside of the conventional weight loss box. The good news? Solutions that promise permanent fat loss in a healthy manner and as a healthy lifestyle, we can help you in Life Mentoring Program.

Determine what works for you and leave the rest to us.

Remember, fat loss is a journey…..a process and a lifestyle. 

Having a solid plan to follow encourages a positive and successful outcome.

Be patient. Be consistent.

CONTACT US for a first free interview 

Always Move Forward

If you remember anything from your geometry class in school, it’s probably the fact that the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line. 

Moving forward along that straight line always represents the most efficient, productive, and profitable course of action, assuming that you have picked your destination point wisely.

Recently, I heard about the artwork in the design on an Australian coat-of-arms.  There are two animals indigenous to Australia that appear on that coat-of-arms.  They are the kangaroo and the emu.  These two animals aren’t too much alike, but they do share one unique characteristic.  Because of the length of their tails, kangaroos cannot back up.  If they want to reverse course, they have to move forward and execute a U-turn.  Because of the configuration and shape of their feet, emus cannot back up and must always move ahead.  The wise person who designed this particular Australian coat-of-arms understood that we can learn a lot from emus and kangaroos.

As we pursue our passion and move toward success, there are days when the forward progress is evident to everyone around us. 

Then there are other days when the progress is not evident to the casual observer. 

This could mean that no progress was made, or it could mean that you are moving forward in ways that do not reveal themselves immediately.

General George Patton often reminded his officers that he never wanted to receive any messages from the front stating, “We are holding our position.”  Patton believed that armies either moved forward or retreated.  If you are currently stopped in one location, you must be making preparations and plans to move forward so that there is no time wasted or energy expended that does not result in progress.

If you have a goal, a dream, or a destiny in your life that you would like to reach, you should be making progress toward it today.  Make sure that is SMART.
That progress may involve taking significant strides toward those things you want to be, do, or have, or it may simply mean reading a book, meeting a person, improving your attitude, or any number of things that can put you in the right position to move forward immediately when the opportunity presents itself.

I had a great friend and colleague who taught a principle he called “sharpening the saw.”  He told about lumberjacks working in the forest energetically using their saws to cut down trees.  These lumberjacks were paid based on how many trees they cut down in a day, so they worked very hard and consistently; however, seasoned and successful lumberjacks come to learn that there is a time when the fastest way to cut a tree down is to stop sawing and take a moment to sharpen the saw.
When you consider your life’s work and your goals, you are the saw.


There are times you will be rapidly moving toward your goal, and there are times when you are preparing yourself for the next big flurry of progress.
As you go through your day today, always be moving forward or preparing yourself for your next move.


Today’s the day! We can help you!

CONTACT US

Tought

In order to be whole, we need to see ourselves as the key to our life. 

In order to be aware, we must question our believes.

In order to believe, we must question. 

Just as, to arrive, we firstly must leave.

Sofia Naik

In Life Mentoring Institute what we can do for you is endless.

Perhaps you want to write a book, get a better job, do better in the job you have, start your own business, restore a better balance between work and play, worry less, live more, be happier, earn more money, gain a promotion, find a new career, solve financial worries, build a better relationship, find a new relationship, build a better body(smaller, larger, stronger, more healthy, more beautiful), learn to be more elegant, move away from destructive habits to become more balance, make new friends and build a social life, take up new hobbies, move house, improve your house and/or office, etc.

The list of what we can do for you is endless.

CONTACT US. 

Come to work with us for YOUR BEST IN LIFE

How to Use Routines to Achieve Goals

Willpower, motivation, self control - these are words that are bandied about to "help" you achieve your goals. They are good words, but the fact is that no matter how much motivation, willpower and self control you build up, there's only one way to truly reach your goals, surmount a challenge, or stick to New Year's resolutions: Breaking them down into small, actionable steps. and that's breaking your goals down into small actions.

Even more important, to me, is to work on them every single day.

In short: Work towards your goal a little bit every day. Or almost every day.

All the self control and willpower in the world won't help you reach long-term goals unless you have a plan to work on them regularly. That's why using your daily routine to reach your goals is the only sure-fire way to accomplish them.

There are 3 reasons why you should work on your goals daily:

1. What you do regularly is more important than what you do occasionally.

Think about that again: What you do typically is more important than what you do sometimes, but not often. It's the classic case of the rabbit and the turtle. By applying slow, steady focus to something regularly, you have a better chance of accomplishing it, then by applying short bursts of energy irregularly.

Here are some examples:

If your goal is to lose weight and you starve yourself for one day a week and lose 5 pounds, but then go back to your normal eating habits the other 6 days, you're not going to sustain that weight loss. If you eat healthfully 5-6 days a week and then splurge for 1 or 2, you have got a better shot at permanent, maintainable weight loss.
The same can be applied daily. If you eat a healthy, normally portioned breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but then snack all day long between meals it's going to be harder to lose weight. On the other hand, if you eat healthy meals all day long and then have one less-healthy snack you see results.
If you go all out and organize your home in one weekend but then don't lift a finger to declutter a space again until your next marathon organizing weekend, your home will be disorganized most days.
2. You're less likely to burn out.

I've had mornings where I have woken up, gone to work, and have been able to work furiously with a razor-sharp focus on the task at hand for several hours at a time, but that is a an anomaly. Maybe I got a particularly good night's sleep (although I usually sleep pretty well) or a had a little extra shot of oomph in my coffee.

Most days, though, I have to work to maintain energy and focus through the day. If I tried to go full-bore I would flounder, often in the middle of a task, and end up exhausted.

Here's an example of this:

You get home from work and decide you cannot go one more day without organizing your closet. You hectically pull everything out and start trying to decide what to keep and what to toss. Eventually, because it's the end of the day and you have already worked 8 hours at a job and your patience and willpower have been taxed, you get overwhelmed, and end up frustrated with your entire wardrobe on your bedroom floor.

The better option would be to choose one item of clothing (skirts, dresses, denim, button-downs), one dresser drawer, or one quarter of your closet and declutter and organize only those items for the evening. The next night, or the next week, do another. This way you can feel a sense of accomplishment without ending up in tears on a Tuesday at 2 a.m. surrounded by your New Year's Eve cocktail dress collection.

If you work a little bit every day, you're less likely to throw your hands up in frustration.

3. You form the habits you need in order to maintain your accomplishments.

If you choose to spend 30 minutes a day on one space, or a little time each day decluttering a different room, or 10 minutes a few times a day, you're able to reach the long-term goal of home organization while forming the good habits that will help you maintain it.

This is because you'll go on autopilot. Anything you do regularly--good or bad-- eventually becomes a habit, and our brains like habits. Habits are easier to maintain.

Learn to harness the power of your routine for good! You may be surprised by how much you can achieve.

Creating energy for daily life out of photosynthesis - Science Mentoring

Jenny Zhang at

TEDxUHasselt

Life Mentoring Institute - Science Mentoring Dept.



Ecology (from Greek: οἶκος, "house"; -λογία, "study of") is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment


What we, as organisms, are doing for and with environment!?!?
Pedro Proff