"Magic" Practice, Weight Loss, Cancer, and Diverticulosis

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There are no magic pills, but there are “magic” practices. These are practices some people do not want to apply, but these practices actually have a wide range of benefits. One magic practice is increasing your consumption of good fiber sources such as fruits and vegetables.  The closer you get to the USDA recommended intake of 9 servings per day, the less likely you will develop a whole range of health problems.  Such a practice may contribute to good weight loss, preventing cancer, preventing diabetes, and preventing a number of other conditions including the less known condition of diverticulosis.

Some people have the hereditary disadvantage of being predisposed to one or more of these conditions. However as Professor Clifford (a mentor of mine in the 1990's) said, “Heredity and genes load the gun, but your habits pull the trigger.”  Furthermore, scientists (professors) specializing in epigenetics now know that not only can habits pull the trigger, but they can change your bad genes to good genes (and vice versa).

So, let’s take one small step at a time. Whatever amount of fruits and vegetables you currently consume per day, add one or two more servings per day.  (The ideal again is 9 servings per day, but if you cannot reach that, just get a little bit closer to it, such as adding just one or two more servings per day to your current amount.)  To simply estimate serving size, the size of your fist would be a serving. One medium-size apple is a serving. A medium-size orange is a serving.

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Copyright: © 2011. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Can Exercise Really Help With Cancer?

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by Liz Davies

Being diagnosed with cancer can be one of the worst moments in anyone's life. Thoughts of death are automatic. Once the initial shock is over, then it's on to the arduous battle. For so long people were told to save all of their energy so they provide their body with enough endurance to fight. Now, studies have found that exercise actually aids in the combat of cancer.

Research shows that those who exercise during treatments fare better in beating their cancer. Physicians agree that the patients who are more active seem not only physically stronger but also mentally. Because exercise creates a stronger body, that body is able to withstand treatments better.

This isn't to say that patients should get out and train for a marathon. An American College of Sports Medicine panel set new guidelines for the amount of exercise for cancer patients, as well as survivors. They've found that the same amount as everyone else, about 150 minutes a week, is beneficial. The only difference is the intensity of the workout. Aerobic exercise, stretching and resistance training are all recommended.

Through exercise, patients experience less fatigue. Aerobic exercise helps get the heart pumping. That keeps the red blood cell levels up, reducing the need for medication (when taken can cause even more fatigue.) Working out also helps with maintaining muscle and bone mass. So often, treatments affect this, and exercise helps combat it. Add in the mental benefits of feeling better and having another focus other than the disease, and that caps an already impressive list of reasons showing the helpfulness of exercise for cancer patients.

Though there are plenty of reasons why they should exercise, the hardest part is finding the motivation to actually do it. There's nothing more difficult than finding the motivation after a particularly hard chemo session. This is where a support group comes in handy. Friends and family understand them the best and know how to give that little nudge to get them going. There are also exercise support groups within some hospitals that specialize in training cancer patients and survivors. Most cancers have their own groups, including even rare cancers such as pericardial mesothelioma. Another step may be to set a goal or task to reach. Whether it's to be able to walk in a three day event or just to be able to put a shirt on without pain, the level is never too big or too small.

A cancer diagnosis isn't a death sentence. By undergoing the treatments and practical exercise, a person can come out stronger than when they started, both mentally and physically. The best thing a person can do for themselves is to help their body fight. They will have a more successful battle if they exercise.


Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She became particularly interested in ways cancer patients can cope with the side-effects of their treatment after her mother became an oncology nurse for lung cancer.

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Prevent From All Going Downhill

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Even if your main focus is to "lose weight", a huge part of your focus must also be in preventing injuries, preventing the development of chronic pain, and preventing re-aggravation of past injuries. These problems can prevent you from the simplest physical activities and throw you off-track perpetually. As a result of being thrown off, you could enter a negative spiral of incremental weight gain and various possible chronic conditions. Therefore, being conscious of prevention of injuries, pains, and problems is important for long-lasting weight-loss and fitness.

I had a client in the past, Jane, who was borderline obese in her late 60’s when I first trained her. She had a lower back condition and chronic knee problems. (She was cleared by her doctor to start exercising again, but she still have pains.) Merely walking was painful for her knees and her lower back. Walking up and down the stairs were painful for her. According to her, she used to be in great shape years ago. However, Jane began having injuries from improper training and postural distortions over a long period of time. Because of the pain and injuries, she had to stop exercising which paradoxically further contributed to her pains and physical problems. (There may have been other contributors to her physical problems also. When she decided to exercise again, she hired personal trainers who were not knowledgeable about injury prevention and postural distortions (as many personal trainers are not, unfortunately). She went through about three trainers before me. They trained this overweight woman in her sixties with chronic knee and back problems as if they’re training a twenty-something athlete.  (The general concept in such cases is to gradually work your way up, but most trainers don't do this for business reasons, as shown when Jane said, "The intense training felt great and I was losing weight.  Too bad I started having all these problems.")

Consequently, their inappropriate training contributed to the worsening of Jane's physical ailments. Despite having quick weight loss, it didn’t last because her back and knee problems were exacerbated from the rigorous exercises with no emphasis on correction and rehabilitation (and other necessary precautions were not taken). As a result, she entered this negative spiral of incremental pain and weight gain.

As her knee problems and back pains became worse, she had to discontinue her training. Jane would probably have been better off not having those previous personal trainers who probably focused more on marketing their services than the long term well-being of the client. Jane's body was a mess by the time I saw her for the first time. At that point, she was in this catch-22 where she needed more physical activity than anyone because of her weight. However, most exercises would exacerbate the pre-existing damage in her knees and lower back which would result in immobilizing her and cause further weight gain in the long run.

Although this is one of the worst cases that I’ve seen, it is not uncommon for one to enter a similar negative spiral. To prevent from getting into the same predicament, you must devote some focus on prevention such as proper warm-up and stretching (such as those taught in NASM-CES courses for trainers and health professionals), strengthening your core, and training with all the necessary components such as cardio, flexibility, strength, prioception, and neuromuscular control.

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Bad Posture May Contribute To Weight Gain

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For the long term success of your fitness goals, you must learn to maintain correct posture during exercise and in your everyday life. Maintaining correct posture during any type of exercise is crucial in preventing injuries, preventing the development of chronic pain, and preventing re-aggravation of past injuries. These problems can prevent you from the simplest physical activities and throw you off-track perpetually. As a result of being thrown off, you could enter a negative spiral of incremental weight gain and various possible chronic conditions. Therefore, being conscious of posture to prevent and correct joint problems and injuries is important for long-lasting weight-loss and fitness.

I had a client in the past, Jane, who was borderline obese in her late 60’s when I first trained her. She had a lower back condition and chronic knee problems. (She was cleared by her doctor to start exercising again, but she still have pains.) Merely walking was painful for her knees and her lower back. Walking up and down the stairs were painful for her. According to her, she used to be in great shape years ago. However, Jane began having injuries from improper training and postural distortions over a long period of time. She then stopped exercising which paradoxically further contributed to her pains and physical problems. (There may have bee other contributors to her physical problems also. When she decided to exercise again, she hired personal trainers who were not knowledgeable about postural distortions (as many personal trainers are not, unfortunately). She went through about three trainers before me. They trained this overweight woman in her sixties with chronic knee and back problems as if they’re training a twenty-something athlete. Consequently, their inappropriate training contributed to the worsening of Jane's physical ailments. Despite having quick weight loss, it didn’t last because her back and knee problems were exacerbated from the rigorous exercises with no emphasis on postural correction (and other necessary precautions were not taken). As a result, she entered this negative spiral of incremental pain and weight gain as her knee problems and back pains became worse and she had to discontinue her training. Jane would probably have been better off not having those previous personal trainers who probably focused more on marketing their services than the long term well-being of the client. Jane's body was a mess by the time I saw her for the first time. At that point, she was in this catch-22 where she needed more physical activity than anyone because of her weight. However, most exercises would exacerbate the pre-existing damage in her knees and lower back which would result in immobilizing her and cause further weight gain in the long run.

Although this is one of the worst cases that I’ve known, it is not uncommon for one to enter a similar negative spiral. To prevent from getting into the same predicament, you must learn the correct posture for every exercise you do, strengthen your core, and train properly (including all the necessary components such as cardio, flexibility, strength, and neuromuscular control).

Although I am providing a few pointers here in this blog, it would be better to show you in person how to maintain your posture during various exercises that you do. If you are in New York City, feel free to contact me at healthsciencewriter@gmail.com for a free training or consultation session to learn proper training. Just mention this blog to get a free session. For now, here are a few pointers here on what to do and what not to do:


Things To Do and Not To Do During Exercise

1. Do not protrude your chin. It is very common for people to protrude their chins and shift their heads forward as demonstrated in Figure 1 below. Be conscious of correcting this.





Figure 1. Do not protrude your head this way.

To correct this, you want to shift the head back while keeping the chin down (tucked in). Your head should be directly above your shoulders and your neck should be perpendicular (90 degrees) to the floor from the side view. (If you are lying down face up, your neck should be 90 degrees to the flat of your feet.) Notice that this woman (Figure 1) incorrectly has her neck at 40 degrees to the floor. The correct posture is demonstrated in Figures 2 and 3 below.


Figure 2 .


Figure 3

Be conscious of maintaining this correct neck position in all exercises, especially during sit-ups and crunches. Although this position will not immediately relieve already existing cervical (neck) pains, it does provide relief gradually if done over a long period, or it becomes habit.
2. Do not over arch your lower back during exercise. The position in Figures 4 and 5 demonstrates what not to do in over-arching your lower back and sticking out your butt (anterior pelvic tilt), or as I call it - the Donald Duck butt tilt.


Figure 4



Figure 5

3. Keep your knees bent (at least slightly) during most exercises.
4. Tuck in your abdomen and/or contract your abdominal muscles during all exercises. By doing so, you will provide extra lumbar (lower back) support during exercise. As an added bonus, tucking in your abdomen and/or contracting your abdominal muscles will allow you to burn more calories around the belly region.

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How To Drink More Water to Increase Metabolism and Improve Your Skin

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Certain habits together can increase your metabolism, or your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate.) There are at least eight habits to increase your RMR. I want to emphasize one of them today – aim to drink three liters of water per day, especially in this heat. Remember, it’s not all or nothing. If you can’t drink three liters, just get as close to that amount as possible. Here are some suggestions to increase your water intake.

● Drink at least one glass of water when you wake up. (I drink at least a glass after my morning coffee or tea, because I know coffee or tea makes us lose water.)
● Drink at least a glass of water before and/or during a meal. (Also, the more water you drink before and during a meal, the less you will be able to eat and still feel full.)
● Have a gallon bottle of water around, at least at home. I know I’ve been drinking at least half a gallon of water per day this past month because I finish at least half a gallon-bottle per day at home, and this is only at home.
● Carry at least one water bottle around, 24 fl. Oz or larger. Obviously, carrying a gallon water bottle is unrealistic. Refill your water bottle whenever you have a chance throughout the day.
● Look for different ways throughout the day to get additional water. For example, when I buy tea or coffee at Starbucks, I always request for an additional cup of hot water. When I am at work at the college and I buy coffee, I keep the cup throughout the day because I am refilling it with water throughout the day (in addition to my water bottle).

Drinking enough water in hot days is especially important to prevent certain medical problems associated with heat. Also, I feel that if I don’t drink at least half a gallon of water daily in the summer, I get this fatigue probably associated with dehydration. The advantages of drinking enough water are: increasing your metabolism, filling you up at meals while allowing you to eat less, improved circulation, cleansing the system (especially the kidneys), preventing fatigue in some cases, improving your skin tone by hydrating the skin, helping the body cool itself,…

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Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?

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Focusing on losing weight is very counterproductive. How many people have you known who've focused on losing weight and they did lose weight for a short period of time (using fad diets, starvation, or other quick methods) only to gain the weight back in the long term. In many of these cases, they end up heavier (and in worse shape) than they were before they set out to lose weight. If you are one of these people, it is time for a paradigm shift. How many times are you going fail using the same approach before trying a different approach? It's time to stop approaching it with different fad diets, quick-fix pills, starvation, and other short-term-gain methods. It has been said that approaching something the same way again and again while expecting a different result is mere insanity. It is time for a new focus or a new approach as I am offering here, as seemingly unconventional as it may be.

It begins with your mind. The first step is to put your mind on the right focus. What is the right focus? That depends on what it is that you want and this is exactly where we begin. Get out a notepad and write down what you want. If you write that you want to lose weight (as most of my clients do), your should also write why you want to lose weight. In most cases, my clients realized that losing weight is not really what they ultimately want. Here are some common examples from my clients:


1. "I want to lose weight because I want to look slim and look attractive…"

2. "I want to lose weight because I am afraid for my health. I am overweight and I have a family history of diabetes and coronary disease. There have been deaths in my family from these diseases…"

3. "I want to lose weight because I want to be a better basketball player…"

Example 1 represents many of my clients where they want to look slim and attractive. In these cases, it is best to first focus on increasing the body's metabolism (measured by BMR). The second focus would be decreasing the size of the waist (as measured by waist-to-hip-ratio). It has been supported in psychological studies that individuals with slimmer waists (regardless of weight) are perceived by most people as being more attractive. Also, people with smaller waists are less likely to get diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases that could kill you. The third focus is decreasing the body-fat percentage. The last focus is overall weight. It is last because just "losing weight" does not differentiate between the types of weight you are losing. For example, you should not lose bone and muscle weight but you definitely should lose fat weight.

Priority of Focus
1. Increasing metabolism (BMR or RMR)
2. Slimming down the waist (waist-to-hip-ratio)
3. Decreasing body fat percentage
4. Overall weight

As you can see here, I am not really discouraging people from losing weight, but I am teaching you that overall weight usually should be the last focus. First, you have to clearly know what you want. Most people who say they want to lose weight actually have a different root desire, such as wanting to look more attractive. In that case as you can see from the above "priority of focus" list, it is more effective in the long term to focus first on increasing your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate or the rate your body burns calories.)

I will be teaching you how to increase your RMR in future blogs. For now, be sure to take 10 minutes or so today to write down all the reasons why you want to "lose weight", or slim down. If you really want this, taking 10 minutes to do this should be no problem. (If you can't take 10 minutes to do this, then your problem is that you don't want it enough. In that case, no program anywhere will be able to help you. This is another common reason why many fail again and again. Failure starts with the mind, but success also starts with the mind.)

Assignment
So let's do this. Take out a notebook or pull up a word document on your computer (whichever you prefer):

(1) Write down your physical goal(s) whether it is losing weight, gaining weight, or any other goal.

(2) Explain why that's your goal. For example, if it's losing weight, write down all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Generally, the more you come up with, the better.

(3) Visualize how you will be and how you will look when you achieve 100% (or even 50% of) what you aim for. Imagine also how you will feel. Write them down. Describe how you will be, how you will look, and how you will feel.

If you already keep a daily diary, you could write in there. No one needs to see it. It's only for you and for programing your own mind. (If you don't program your own mind, someone else will, such as companies and advertisers.) Once you have it written down, you should review it often so that you could keep these in mind during your SpirFit walk. I will teach you about SpirFit walk, or SMP walk, in upcoming blogs.

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Copyright: © 2008, 2011. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 University of California, UC Davis, Brooklyn Tech

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University lose weight why write journal

Start With The Mind If You Want To Lose Weight

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Are you trying to "lose weight"? If you are, do you know that you have a better chance of getting your body to where you want it to be if you start with your mind? It's true. Your mind is more powerful than you think. Before you start (or restart) your journey to "lose weight", first understand the lesson about the power of your mind at - http://life.SpirFit.com/2009/08/facing-uncertainties-part-3.html

Although I talked about the power of the mind in healing and in increasing body temperature in that lesson, the mind can be easily used to alter your physique. It actually is relatively easier to change your physique than to heal a terminal disease or to dry wet cold towels on your bare back.



Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 University of California, UC Davis, Brooklyn Tech

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University Lose Weight Mind

SimplyThick May Cause Death to Infants

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Do not feed SimplyThick to infants. May cause death. More information at- http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm256250.htm

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Should You Lift Weights If You Want To Slim Down

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I often have to educate my clients and dissuade them (especially women) from their fear of weight-lifting (resistance training.)  Many women who aim to get slim fear that weight-lifting would inadvertently give them big bulky muscles like Mr. Olympia. That is as logical as saying, "If I start driveling the basketball, I will unintentionally find myself becoming Michael Jordan."  You are probably saying, "That's ridiculous. You won't just unintentionally become a great professional basketball player even if you play basketball a lot."

Well, that's also true with weight-lifting. You will not gain unwanted bulky muscles by just lifting weights, especially if you do it correctly in a way designed to build long lean muscles. Therefore, you should not fear weight-training because you really need a high level of testosterone (and other hormones) to build bulky muscles. Women generally have less testosterone than men. Even men with normal levels of testosterone have trouble building big muscles.  Therefore, it is not rational to fear weight-lifting for those of you who want to slim down.

However, if you want to slim down, you should do more than just lifting weights. Other components you should include are cardio and flexibility training, which you can easily include. There are of course other components of training, but I won't go into them here for simplicity's sake and for the sake of preventing problems.  Feel free to contact me to learn more about other components of training and to slim down effectively.

Copyright: © 2009, 2011. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use and distribute this article for your web site, blog, or e-zine if you include this copyright notice, including the following statement and web link- Amadeo Constanzo is a leading fitness and mind-body expert as well as an innovative education expert.  Free teachings from him can be found at http://SpirFit.org or at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772   You automatically have permission to post or distribute this article if you include this entire copyright notice. Otherwise, this document may not be distributed on the web or in any form without written permission of the author.  Requests for permission should be made by email to healthsciencewriter@gmail.com

Diabetes Awareness

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Today is Diabetes Awareness Day. Generally, the practices necessary to control or prevent diabetes overlap with practices for getting fit and healthy. For example, keeping meal portions small but eating more times daily (to prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar level) also helps in weight control. Exercising regularly helps improve your body’s blood glucose regulation system as well as improve your overall fitness and health. Choosing from good quality carbs (such as most fruits and vegetables) is consistent with keeping your blood sugar in control and keeping healthy and fit in general.

For more in-depth information, below is a list of reliable sources of information about diabetes (including prevention and management.) A general Google search may not produce a listing of reliable websites. (Google searches produce listings of most popular sites, not necessarily providing reliable information.) If you’ve found this web site from meeting me in person at an event, there are additional sources of information here:

From Reliable Institutes
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=278&topic_id=1382
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-nutrition/DA00131
http://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=2&tax_subject=392&topic_id=1747&placement_default=0
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/

From Leading Universities
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/more/type-2-diabetes/
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/chronicdisease/diabetes_education/what_is_diabetes.html
http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/diabetes-000049.htm

Also, I want to thank Boar's Head for sponsoring the event to promote diabetes awareness.

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40-Day Program To Be Continued April 25 and Apology

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I have to apologize for having discontinued the 40 Day of SpirFit (beta version). However, I will continue the 40 Days posting on April 25,2011. (I left off at Day 7.) Meanwhile, make sure you have all the habits down (from Day 1 to Day 7 already posted).

Also, I will also post blogs (here and there) on other important SpirFit (mental-spiritual-physical fitness and health) issues, even before I continue with the 40-day program. Thank you for your patience and I hope that you will allow me to continue to freely serve you here on this blog.

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Tsunami Warning For West Coast and Hawaii

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Tsunami warning for San Francisco, West Coast, and Hawaii. Be prepared to get to higher grounds. (Domino effect from earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

In a separate situation, flood watch for New Jersey and tri-state area.

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Day 7: Your Stomach Senses While Eating

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Today you are to implement another simple strategy to contribute to the increasing of your metabolism. First, let’s review something from Day 3.

By now, you should have the habit of having breakfast every day. Since I have provided a simple system (in a previous blog on Day 3), you have no excuse not to be eating breakfast. It is very important that you have that habit already because skipping breakfast will continually cause your metabolism to slow down (especially as you get older).

Today, you are to implement another simple strategy that would contribute to speeding up your metabolism, or your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). The simple strategy is simply to stop eating before you stretch out your stomach. Stop eating as soon as you reach that balanced satiation point (not being too full). This requires you to be more conscious of your stomach’s senses during every meal.

Most of you in this culture of “supersized meals” have trained your stomach to habitually stretch more than it should. As a result, your meal intervals are all wrong. If you are honest with yourself, most of you should feel a balanced satiation after eating 50% to 70% of what you normally eat at a meal. For meals you eat out of a Tupperware box, that should be easy enough to determine.

I've always known about portion control (or decreasing each meal size while increasing the frequency of meals.) However, I didn't really implement this knowledge until I came across teachings of Dr. Deepak Chopra (who is a medical doctor as well as an expert in Indian alternative medicine, or Ayurvedia.) From him, it came to my attention that I simply need to be conscious of my senses of the stomach during meals and stop eating at a reasonable satiation point.

It’s really that simple, but people don’t do it because our culture of excess and bad habits condones stuffing ourselves. Instead of seeing that as a bad tragic habit (eventually leading to chronic diseases), most people see it as funny and okay.

We must change the way we see this bad habit of overstuffing ourselves. We must see it as tragic and as an unacceptable lack of SIMPLE self-control.

Action
Briefly, let me sum up this new habit you need to start implementing:
- Have 4-6 meals/snacks each day
- Do not overstuff yourself at each meal. For most of you, you will need to eat 50% to 70% of your usual amount. Be conscious of your stomach’s senses and stop eating before you start stretching out your stomach. Have the habit to save the rest for the next meal.
- Pack snacks such as nuts and fruits. (Personally, I pack in a Ziploc bag Cheerios and Fiber-One Cereal. Sometimes, I add a bit of dried cranberries,and a bit of raisins.)

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SpirFit Program Day 6: SMP Walk to Fitness

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Your action today is to begin a daily practice of SMP walking which will only take 15 minutes each day.

Now that you have some understanding of the power of your mind from my previous lesson, I am going to teach you one simple daily practice to harness that power. I call it SMP-walking, or SpirFit walking. Some people neglect simple strategies that work only because the strategies are simple. Sometimes, the most simple is the most effective.

SMP-walking should be a daily practice (or almost daily) to get your mind and spirit to lead your body to where you want it to be, in terms of fitness level and appearance. It's not all that you need, but it's an important part in achieving your fitness goals.

The practice of SMP-walking is simple. SMP stands for Spiritual-Mental-Physical. You are not only walking physically, but you are walking your mind and your spirit. This practice did not really originate with me. I merely took the practices from people who are successful at harnessing the power of their minds, and altered them to what works for me, and combined it with my spiritual knowledge (as God has been teaching me.)

SMP-Walking Procedures
Find a safe place to walk (whether it is around the block or the park) at a safe time of the day. You could also be doing this with a partner or in a small group, but you shouldn’t be talking to each other during the walk. You should be in your own mental state. However, after the walk is over, you could share what went on in your mind with your partner or your group. (Also, if it is safe to do so, you could use your iPod and play some serene music while you walk.)

SMP-walk could last 15 minutes or it could last an hour, whatever you have time for. You should try to do it daily. It only works when it is practiced consistently. (It’s like exercising. You don’t just work out once and you become fit for life. You won’t reap any benefits if you only do it once or twice. You have to do it consistently for continuous health benefits. The same is true with this exercise of the mind and spirit.)

If you can’t yet find a safe place to walk, you can do this indoors alone in a room while on a stationary bike or jogging lightly in place.

(1) Walk and breathe. Start with relaxation breathing while you walk. (Again, you could be on the stationary bike or the elliptical trainer instead of walking.) I like to count from 1 -10 repeatedly when I do this. I also add a prayer here.

(2) Affirmations. While continuing the same breathing pattern and walking, start saying, or affirming, to yourself the outcome that you want. For example, if you are going through a health crisis, say to yourself, “Everyday and every way, I am getting better and better” and “Every day and every way I am feeling better and better.” While you say this repeatedly to yourself, you should visualize how you will look like when you get better. Feel how you will feel when you get better. You could also remember how you felt when your physical health was at the best condition and feeling well. (This is especially effective for conditions involving pain.) If you have a situation with work, finance, or relationships, you could also come up with an affirmation to say to yourself and visualize/feel the desired outcome and state.

(3) Thank God in Prayer. Thank God in your mind for the things you have in your life. (Shift your mind on the part of your life that is going wrong to the parts that are going right.) Thank God for these parts of your life that you may have taken for granted. You could be thankful that you are not starving as more than half the world is. You could be thankful that you have a secure roof over your head. There are a lot of things that we take for granted that we should be thankful for. (Think of each of these things and visualize them in your mind while you thank God for them.) The second part of this is to thank God for the things that He is about to grant you. Thank God for your desired outcome even though you have not yet reached the outcome at this point (whatever your situation is.) For example, if you are facing cancer right now, thank God for the healthy cancer-free body you will achieve. (Visualize yourself in the cancer-free state and feel it, even if it has not yet manifested.)

(4) Forgive and Love. Whoever you are mad at, whoever has done you wrong no matter how great or small, forgive them right now in your mind and in your heart. Say to yourself here, “Just as God has forgiven me for my trespasses great and small, I forgive _______ .” Say this for each person who’s done you wrong. You must mean it in your heart as you say this to yourself. (This is especially important in physical healing but also important in altering other situations. I will explain this in another blog.) Now, pray for yourself and pray for these people you are forgiving. I know forgiving is sometimes hard to do. For help with this, go to – http://stanzo.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-do-i-forgive.html

Action
Put SMP Walking in your schedule eveeryday and start SMP Walking today!

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772

Copyright: © 2009, This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for your web site, blog, or e-zine only if you include the following statement and web link- "Amadeo Constanzo is a leading spiritual nutrition and health expert. Free teachings from him can be found at stanzo.blogspot.com and spirfit.blogspot.com". You automatically have permission to post this article if you include the above statement. Otherwise, permission requests could be sent to healthsciencewriter@gmail.com

Shu Chan 陳樹中

Day 5: Power of Mind to Alter Body

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Our minds are much more powerful than most of us realize. This can be demonstrated by a concept frequently taught in undergraduate psychology courses where a picture of an iceberg is shown. The tip of the iceberg (or 10% of the iceberg) is seen above the water level. However, most people don't see 90% of the iceberg under water. Just like the iceberg, only a small portion of the mind's capabilities are seen or known to man. As much as I am amazingly discovering more of the mind's capability throughout the years, that unseen 90% of the capabilities of the mind is likely to be way beyond what I know.

In addition to this iceberg analogy, let me provide you with a real life demonstration of the amazing (but little-known) power of the mind. For a long time prior to the 1980's, a number of travelers reported that they witnessed a group of Tibetan monks in a remote part of the world in the Himalayas and how these monks were able to use their minds to achieve feats with their bodies that we would think impossible. They were reported to have the ability to significantly raise their body temperature, so much that they can dry ice-cold wet towels on their bare backs. In addition, they were able to survive subzero temperature up in the mountains wearing barely anything.

For many in the West who've heard about these monks, they skeptically concluded that it's not possible. However, teams of scientists, medical professors, and documentary film crews traveled there in the 80’s to see if the monks can really do what witnesses had reported and if true, to document what they find. Here's what they observed, documented, and verified with scientific instrumentation.

One of the common practices of these monks (as documented by the teams of scientific researchers and film crews) is the practice of soaking towels in buckets of ice-cold water and placing them on their bare backs. With the ice-cold towels on their skin, they would sit quietly and use their minds to raise their body temperature. Within approximately 20 minutes, the wet towels on their backs started steaming. In a little over an hour, the sheets became completely dry.

In some of the coldest nights of the year, the monks have a frequent practice that would kill most of us. As witnessed and documented by the researcher, these monks went up to a high point of the Himalayas not wearing much. Again, they would use their minds to raise their body temperature and stay there overnight in sub-zero temperature. They did not even quiver while the team of researchers and film crew were all bundled up with layers of coats and blankets trying to survive the freezing temperature and prevent frost-bite. In the morning, the monks nonchalantly stood up and walked back down the mountain (while the struggling team of Westerners were finally relieved.)

To ascertain that the monks temperature raising abilities are real, the scientists connected measuring equipment, for gauging body temperature, to the monks while the monks performed their mental practices. Sure enough, the equipment showed significant increase in body temperature.

The monks’ remarkable abilities to raise their body temperature seem impossible because it is against common “logic” or against anything we previously knew in the natural world. What these monks can do with their minds is part of the 90% of the unknown part of the iceberg (from my previous analogy.) I emphasize the words “small part” of the iceberg, because we and our minds probably have many many more untapped capabilities (in addition to the temperature raising abilities demonstrated by the monks.)

The first step in harnessing this potential power of you mind is KNOWING how powerful it is, and knowing that it’s more powerful than you previously imagined. I brought up the example of the Tibetan monks to demonstrate the point that we must be opened to know that our minds can go beyond the limits that we previously knew.
In the upcoming days, I will teach you a simple daily practice to recruit the power of your mind.

Today’s Action
For today, simply make sure that all the action items from previous days are done. At this point, you should be having breakfast everyday. (I’ve shown you how to do it easily.)

Summary of Actions from Day 1 to Day 4
Here’s a list of all the action items from day 1 to now:
Day 1: (a) Get your BMI at http://shapeup.org/prof/bmicalc1.php and enter your values.
(b) Create a SpirFit folder in your computer with a Word document to keep your SpirFit notes and progress. You may also keep a physical file or folder (but this is optional).
Day 2: Watch the video at watch the video at
http://saddleback.com/blogs/thedanielplan/pastor-rick-interviews-dr-daniel-amen/
Day 3: Set up a system so that you could easily have breakfast everyday. Implement at least two of the following-
● Purchase one or more extra stainless steel water bottles and keep them filled with milk in your refrigerator. (While you are at it, purchase also enough bottles for water. Have at least 2 bottles for water and 1 bottle for milk.) You could easily grab them and go in the morning (on the mornings when you can’t wake up early enough to have a good solid food breakfast).
● Pre-pack several bags of Ziploc bags with cereal mix. I pack a mix of Cheerios, FiberOne, dried cranberries, and raisins. (Beware that some dried fruits have added sugar. Pick ones that do not or do not put too much dried fruits in your mix.)
● Purchase some canned meal replacement shakes. (This is my least favorite option, but it is still better than skipping breakfast.)
Once you have at least two of the above prepared, it will be easy grab-and-go in the morning. It’s just setting up a simple system.
Day 4:
● Purchase a measuring tape that measures your waist, such as the ones at-
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687525&kwCatId=

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM200244206P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM200244206
●If you have a digital camera or camera phone, snap a full body shot of yourself. (You’ll be snapping the same shot of yourself in a few months so keep track of your progress.)

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772

SpirFit Program Day 4: Waist More Important Than Weight

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Today, the actions you need to take are:

1. Purchase a measuring tape that measures your waist, such as the ones at-
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687525&kwCatId=

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM200244206P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM200244206

(If you can’t purchase it today for any reason, make sure you enter it in your schedule to do in the next day.)

2. If you have a digital camera or camera phone, snap a full body shot of yourself. (You’ll be snapping the same shot of yourself in a few months so keep track of your progress.) If you don’t have a digital camera, go get one. (This is optional, but I highly recommend this.)

If you ask me, I think your waist measurements and a digital camera’s capture of your body shape are more important indicators than weight and BMI. I say this because they are more concrete indicators as far as the eyes can observe.
Your waist measurement is important if your looks are important to you and/or if your health is important to you. Studies have shown that people with smaller waist (relative to their hips) are generally more attractive. Furthermore, others studies have shown that a larger waist is associated with increased chances of a number of chronic diseases.

Although taking your weight is important, but it is good to also snap a digital picture of yourself. If you’ve made progress by increasing your lean muscle mass and bone mass, the scale may not show the progress. However, your progress will be apparent in your digital photos (if you wear honest clothing that show your actual figure, and not clothing that plays tricks on the eyes.) Another way to determine progress (that weight alone does not account for) is obtaining body fat percentage. However, the most accurate ways of obtaining this measurement is not accessible to most of the public (and not even corporate fitness professionals), unless you work at a university lab or sports medicine facility where they have hydrostatic weighing or the Bod Pod. However, I think that’s overkill anyway (for the purpose of getting fit, looking better, and being healthier.)

When you look at an attractive girl or guy on the street, how many of you would say, “Let me put her/him on a weight scale before I can determine whether he/she is attractive or not.” No, you just immediately could tell when you look at them whether this person is attractive.

A person can become more attractive by becoming more fit, and you could just tell when a person has honestly started a healthy fitness program because they look better (even if their overall weight has not changed that much yet).

I’m not saying that overall weight is not important. That’s not what I am saying. I’m saying that it should not be on the top of the priority list of the indicators of progress. The over-emphasis on overall weight is a major reason why many are unable to stick to a good long-term fitness program.

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772

Day 3: How Not to Skip Breakfast

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From the video yesterday (Day 2), I want to emphasize one important point that Dr. Daniel Amen mentioned which I completely agree with. “People who lose weight have breakfast,” said Dr. Amen. “One of the ways to keep your cravings under control is to have breakfast.”

Generally, I want to add, overweight people habitually skip breakfast. Here’s another way to look at it. The body has the ability to adapt to circumstances (as physiologists will tell you). If you have a habit of going without food for hours in the morning, the body will adapt by developing the tendency to save fuel, or store calories. This is the slowing of your metabolism. To avoid this, have breakfast daily!

On the mornings when you are in a rush, at least have a glass of milk. However, it is best to have nutritious solid food for breakfast. Therefore, one thing you can do is wake up 30 minutes or so earlier each morning to have breakfast. I do this almost every morning, having breakfast while reading the scriptures or something inspirational, listening to a bible lesson, or viewing a spiritual video (such as a Joyce Meyer talk).

On days when I don't get up early enough, I grab a prepacked cereal mix in a Ziploc bag and have the cereal during my commute. Instead of milk, I grab my silver mug fill with tea or coffee.

Action
Today’s action item is to begin the habit of having breakfast. However, we need some practical creativity in coming up with ideas of how to make sure you have breakfast every morning. Here are some suggestions:
● Purchase one or more extra stainless steel water bottle and keep them filled with milk in your refrigerator. You could easily grab them and go in the morning (on the mornings when you can’t wake up earlier to have a good solid food breakfast).
● Pre-pack several bags of Ziploc bags with cereal mix. I pack a mix of Cheerios, FiberOne, dried cranberries, and raisins. (Beware that some dried fruits have added sugar. Pick ones that do not or do not put too much dried fruits in your mix.)
● Purchase some canned meal replacement shakes. (This is my least favorite option, but it is still better than skipping breakfast.)
Once you have at least two of the above prepared, it will be easy grab-and-go in the morning. It’s just setting up a simple system.

To clarify, today’s action item is to prepare at least two of the above. You should have the system in place within two days. Once you have the system in place, it's easy to have a simple breakfast everyday, even on the mornings when you are on the run.

For Day 4 of this SpirFit Program, click below
http://spirfit.com/2011/02/spirfit-program-day-4-waist-more.html

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772

SpirFit Program Day 2: Incorporating the Daniel Plan

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You’ve probably noticed that this is a 40-day program and I encourage you to aim to stay on it consecutively. However, I emphasize the word “aim”. What I mean is simply that you could go at your own pace. Most of you will need to do it in more than 40 days. I understand that, in reality, things come up and you may need to put a pause on this program for a day. Just make sure you don’t think that it’s all-or-none. Just keep the intention to continue with the program. If you honestly keep the intention, you should be able to continue with the program after a day or two(at most).

However, you shouldn’t be pausing the program for more than two days. Also, you should not pause the program too frequently. You do not want to lose the momentum. It’s like riding a bike. The longer you stop pedaling, the harder it is for you to pick up speed again when you start pedaling again. This is because you’ve lost momentum.

The Daniel Plan
At the beginning of this SpirFit program, I’ve mentioned that I will be incorporating material from Dr. Daniel Amen and Pastor Rick Warren. They’ve put together a health program called the Daniel Plan at the Saddleback Church.

I am incorporating material from the Daniel Plan because it is consistent with what I teach and is science-based. Also, it takes some burden off me since they’ve done the work of putting together the information and I will point you to the information in a simple and coherent order. However, I will also fill in the gaps that are in the Daniel Plan in addition to simplifying areas where they may be overwhelming you.

Action
The action you need today is simply to watch the video at
http://saddleback.com/blogs/thedanielplan/pastor-rick-interviews-dr-daniel-amen/
You don’t have to take notes, as I will in the future be addressing the important and relevant points in the video. However, feel free to view the video again and feel free to review or reread anything in the past blogs here on SpirFit.com

Optional
Feel free to explore other areas of my blog and website, and feel free to explore other areas of the Daniel Plan. All these places have a lot of information that may overwhelm. This is why I am putting together this 40-Day SpirFit program to present the information in a simple, systematic, and timely manner as well as providing you with the necessary guidance and support.

For Day 3 of this SpirFit Program, click below
http://spirfit.com/2011/02/day-3-how-not-to-skip-breakfast.html

For more lessons like this one, feel free to go to - SpirFit.org

For updates of new posts and for connecting with others who like these readings, feel free to “like” the SpirFit page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772