The Health and Life Mixing Bowl

Life Enrichment via Telephone

The Health and Life Mixing Bowl is proud to introduce a series of free life enrichment tele-classes to nourish the body, mind and soul!  The classes will take place the second Wednesday of each month at 8:00 PM EST.  Click here for the spring schedule.

Our preview tele-class held a few weeks ago was a huge success.  It was great fun and a wonderful learning experience for everyone.  If you participated, thank you!

To all my regular readers and blogging buddies, it would be an honor to hear your voice on one of these calls! 

Registration information is at the link above.   

Obama Works Out at a Stevens Point Y

According to the Wausau Daily Herald, presidential candidate Barack Obama got in an early morning workout while campaigning in Wisconsin.  He reportedly visited the Stevens Point Y to use the elliptical trainer, treadmill and bike. 

Now this is a man after my own heart. Our excuses not to exercise pale in comparison to what is on his plate.  Thanks, Obama, for the inspiration! 

February 20th Edition of The Carnival for Personal Change

Welcome to the February 20, 2008 edition of the carnival for personal change!  Hold on to your hats!  We have a phenomenal compilation of posts this month. Thanks to all who contributed. 

Before we get started, just a quick reminder to join my 100 Person Challenge to turn your good intentions into real change.  Read more here.  Here we go: 

Rob Moshe presents Live Your Best Life By Serving Others posted at Rob Schaumer, saying, "This is not necessarily a fitting post for your carnival. Once the project starts, each day I will recognize a fellow blogger that "Helped""

Terri:  This is a great fit, Rob!  :)  Thank you!

Rose Walbrugh presents The inflexible brain posted at FreeMyMind.Net, saying, "Never ever forget and realize as soon as possible, that the brain is NOT a flexible a thing. We are creatures of habit and have to learn to use this to our advantage..."

Frederic Patenaude presents The Power of Rituals: How to Build Positive, Energizing Daily Rituals posted at Frederic Patenaude Talks, saying, "Frederic Patenaude discusses the hows and whys of instilling automatic rituals into your daily routine for fulfillment of personal goals."

Jeanie Marshall presents What to Be or Feel, that is the Question posted at JMviews Meditation and Empowerment, saying, "Years ago I made a decision to be happy. It was one of the single most important decisions of my life. I consider this a “high level” or “broad” or “over-arching” decision. It was life changing. It was the type of decision that helps me to make the everyday decisions to choose something that makes me happy rather than something that makes me unhappy. This broad decision serves as a barometer, a gauge so that I can hear my inner guidance more clearly."

Maxine-Yvette presents Women Finding Joy After 40… » Blog Archive » Who Is Your First Love? posted at Women Finding Joy After 40..., saying, "The most important love of your life is...YOU."

Tim Gary presents Drama = Rocket Fuel For Success posted at Internet Success Bites.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Finally the Truth About Diet – The China Study Review posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Finally, here’s an authoritative diet and nutrition book based on hard science and exhaustive research. This revealing book is written by one of the world’s most respected authorities in the field of nutrition. In his own words, he has been “in the system for almost fifty years, at the very highest levels, designing and directing large research projects, deciding which research gets funded and translating massive amounts of scientific data into national expert panel reports.” There is so much useful information in this book, I consider it one of the most important books I have ever read and give it my highest recommendation. Change your diet and change the quality of your life. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus song selections with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Larry presents Apply The secret of law of attraction (Part 1): Creating a Manifestation Poster posted at Mind Power Hacks: Tap The Subconscious Mind Power.

Evan Hadkins presents Embracing Our Conflicts: One Method for Personal Change posted at wellbeingandhealth.net.

Rose Walbrugh presents Are you addicted to your emotions? | Free My Mind posted at FreeMyMind.Net, saying, "Are we just as blatantly addicted to our emotions as the smoker to his cigarettes? And instead of merely popping into the corner shop to feed our addiction, do we inadvertently orchestrate our lives around our emotional addictions?"

Mike Remer presents Celebrating! | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog.

Goldfish presents Think Negative posted at Contrarian Goldfish.

David presents Dads Redefine Success posted at Worldwide Success.

Semi-Charmed Wife presents Time Keeps On Slippin', Slippin', Slippin'... posted at Semi-Charmed Wife, saying, "How practicing good time management can improve your quality of life and help you make your dreams come true!"

darryl heron presents Using 43Things to Support Your Goals posted at Systems Overload, saying, "Here is a post that I did about using 43Things to support your goals."

HL Grove presents Kill Procrastination Before It Kills Your Happiness posted at MoneyWeb24.

Jeanie Marshall presents Give Yourself Permission to Relax for 60 Seconds Every 60 Minutes posted at JMviews Meditation and Empowerment, saying, "I’m very practical. I like to suggest empowering practices and simple techniques that clients can incorporate into their lives which consume very little extra time. While there are certainly situations when I suggest time-consuming activities, I more frequently suggest activities that require attention or observation or re-framing."

GP presents The 10 Commandments of Horse Management posted at Inside Montana-Your Home at the Range, saying, "How can you apply the 10 commandments of equine management to your life?"

Arun presents From Chubby to Studdly Part 1 posted at Arun is bringing you...Your Daily Remedy, saying, "How I changed my lifestyle to become physically fit, and how you can too!"

Lori Jewett presents Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing posted at Between Us Girls.

Gabriella Kortsch, Ph.D. presents Looking In All the Right Places posted at Psychology, Transformation & Freedom Papers, saying, "Where do you look when something goes wrong? What do you focus on when you can't seem to get ahead? Which thoughts run through your head when you've just bungled something? Which feelings course through you when your world turns upside-down? The answers to all of those questions tell you a great deal about the current quality (or lack of quality) of your life."

Tiffany Colter presents Lesson Learned and How I got here posted at Writing Career Coach, saying, "This blog discusses how to have success beginning from the first day of this new year, and how technology is changing the way books are made and sold!"

LifeBalanced presents The Secret to Being a Great Friend posted at Life Balanced, saying, "The secret to having great friends is to BE a great friend. This post includes eight things we can all do to strengthen relationships with people who are important to us."

ananga presents Have you De-cluttered Your Head Lately? posted at Ananga Sivyer's Living by Design Blog, saying, "Some of my fellow bloggers have been writing lately on the subject of de-cluttering. De-cluttering cupboards, de-cluttering rooms, workplaces etc. And that got me thinking about another key area that really benefits from being free from clutter. The clutter in our heads. What are we tucking away in corners and lugging around with us that we don’t need anymore?"

GreatManagement presents What I learnt From One Of The UK’s Best Selling Business Authors posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "This idea is that you describe your future life in the present tense."

SJ Yee presents Do you have dreams you are afraid to go after? posted at Personal Development for the Book Smart, saying, "A story that will force you to rethink about abandoning your dreams..."

JC presents How To Use The Divide-And-Conquer Approach To Life posted at A Journey Of Dreams.

Todd Goldfarb presents 4 Pillars of Effective Personal Growth posted at We The Change, saying, "4 wonderful "pillars" of personal growth from we the change...enjoy!"

Alex Marlin presents 50 Personal Development Questions That Will Improve Your Life posted at Life Improvement Tips For Thin and Small People.

Brendan McPhillips presents How to Overcome Your Temptations posted at Brendan McPhillips.

Katherine Reschke presents First steps to making a plan posted at Passions That Pay.

Mark McClure presents “Work Is The Arch Enemy Of Free Time” posted at Mark McClure Today, saying, "Success is not measured only in profit and growth"

Dr. Mike Skinner presents Does Meditation Protect Us From Stress? posted at meditation for the masses, saying, "This articles looks at the research linking meditation to a physiological state of relaxed alertness, adn then discusses how we can induce ths response in ourselves."

GreatManagement presents Get Rid Of Procrastination Once And For All posted at The GreatManagement Blog, saying, "Everyone suffers from procrastination at some stage in their lives."

Nick Pagan presents Antidote to Perfectionism posted at Nick Pagan, saying, "Perfectionism can prevent us from moving forward. You can read the embarrassing story of how I learned to overcome perfectionism by getting clear about the underlying problem behind perfectionism"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the carnival of personal change using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Turn Good Intentions into Real Change: The 100 Person Challenge

   

Do you remember the last time you listened to a speech that totally and completely inspired you?  You know, the kind of presentation that ends in a standing ovation?  The audience was mesmerized, the presenter was highly praised and everyone was practically in tears?  I like to call these "experiences" rather than speeches. 

I attended one of these powerhouse presentations after deciding to make a big change a few years ago. The energy, enthusiasm and excitement permeated the room.  The entire audience was on fire!  But as wonderful as the presentation was, I knew most of what I heard.  In fact, I was an expert in most of what I heard. I could have been the one delivering the speech!

Instead of becoming drunk with inspiration, I left the presentation angry.  I was angry at myself for not taking action on what I knew to do.  I was disappointed with allowing too much time slip by without moving forward.  I was ashamed of letting the "Play it Again, Sam" routine ruin my chances of experiencing a lifelong dream. I was livid!  There wasn't going to be a standing ovation for my inaction!  It was time to make some changes. 

I left the presentation determined to take action and accept total responsibility for anything less.  That was a few years ago. Today, I can proudly say, I am a full time entrepreneur and the owner of a burgeoning life coaching practice. 

It's a common scenario:  Having all the information we need yet remaining resistant to change.  Perhaps these scenarios sound familiar: 

You have a physical with your health care provider and she tells you (again) to lose a few pounds.  On your way home, you stop by the health food store to stock up on fruits and vegetables.  After a few "good" weeks, you find yourself eating the same old way.

You read an article about going green (5th time) and you go out and purchase the latest and greatest recycling bins, chemical-free cleaners and pesticide-free soaps.  A month later, you return to throwing things in the trash and using your favorite old cleaners.

You hear about someone having a quadruple bypass (3rd person) and decide it's time that you managed stress.  You give up caffeine, begin meditating regularly, and proudly get eight hours of sleep.  A few weeks later, after a stressful day at work, you are on your laptop at 2:00 AM, drinking coffee to stay awake and have no plans to meditate any time soon.   

What keeps us stuck in good intentions?  And why is it that we entertain and even welcome redundant information?  I have some thoughts:

It’s a great distraction to hear information we already know, over and over again. Pretending like we still don't quite get it is an excellent procrastination strategy.  It’s the one big thing publishers bank on when a new diet book hits the market: procrastination disguised as "cluelessness".  Kids play this game all the time. Why can’t we?   I have a group of friends who ask me every January how to get rid of ten pounds. Every January, I give them the same answer.   Where is the disconnect?

It’s really safe to hear information we already know, over and over again.  If we hear the same thing over and over again, we can safely make the choice not to change. The stakes remain the same.  We can safely continue eating ice cream at  midnight--we’ve already been reminded why we shouldn’t.  We can keep up a pattern of skipping workouts—we already know the consequences.  But new information makes inaction much harder to justify.  Old news = Same old habits.  New news = Oh, crap!  How did we make hearing something again our comfort zone?

It feels good to hear information we already know, over and over again.  Getting intoxicated with inspiration yet having no real desire to change....well, it fascinates me.   What good is the information if we have no real desire to change?   How did we get knowledge and practice to mean the same thing? 

We believe it's really okay to hear information we already know, over and over again.  Our time on earth is limited.  Thinking that we can make desired changes when the time is right is based on false hope.  Nothing is promised to us.  All we have is this moment.  How did we get misled?

Our lives are worth more than good intentions.  It's time to break the cycle of inaction and move boldly toward the life we want. 

So here is the challenge:  I am challenging 100 people to turn their good intentions into real change.  You can accept this challenge by leaving a comment about your commitment.  My goal is to get 100 commitments by March 20, the first day of spring.  Start by leaving a comment then forward this post to one other person.  Help me spread the word!  Blog on this post or link to it.  Let's support each other to make change real! 

 

Believe!

Personal change begins with believing that you can.  Make it a great week!

Nutrition with a Twist: 10-Minute Super Bowl Party Sub

Italian Sub from Wilson Farms, originally uploaded by mhaithaca.

Have the basic rules for eating healthier got you stuck in a rut? Each week, The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will serve up some good stuff to expand your nutritional options and perhaps ignite a genuine interest in eating better. Read more about these posts here.

I found this relatively healthy sub at Women's Health.  Ingredients:

16-ounce whole wheat French loaf

Olive oil spray

2-1/2 cups shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

dried oregano leaves to taste

1/2 cup slivered white onion

12 ounces shaved extra-lean red pepper seasoned deli turkey

3 ounces reduced-fat provolone cheese slices

3 ounces reduced-fat salami slices

4 ounces shaved 97% lean smoked deli ham

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely sliced in to rings, or to taste

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

red wine vinegar, to taste

Instructions: Cut the loaf lengthwise to open, being careful not to cut all of the way through. Open and mist lightly with spray. Sprinkle lettuce evenly over bottom half. Top evenly with tomato, oregano, onion, then turkey. Lay cheese then salami slices over that. Mound ham over that. Arrange bell pepper rings over that. Sprinkle with pepper flakes.Sprinkle red wine vinegar over top half, then close sandwich. Slice into 8 equal pieces crosswise.

1 serving = one sandwich

280 calories, 21 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 969 mg sodium

Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy the game!