Had a fun time as the keynote speaker for the ATI conference held at the Suburban Showroom in Novi.  My topic “Living By Design 2016”. More on that later but for now some selfies 🙂

Team Blessman has entered the MacArthur 100& change contest.  If you would like to see the “90 second commercial“, click on the link below and let me know what you think.  In the application I do list two references:

SMARTcity “Comercial”: https://youtu.be/l6OZT_ie8JI

Reference in the SMARTcity Project proposal:

Katz, A. S., Pronk, N. P., & Lowry, M. (2014). The Association Between Optimal Lifestyle-Related Health Behaviors and Employee Productivity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(7), 708-713. Retrieved from http://graphics.tx.ovid.com/ovftpdfs/FPDDNCOBODEKNF00/fs046/ovft/live/gv023/00043764/00043764-201407000-00005.pdf. // This article notes that value in addressing a few simple behaviors.

Patrick R, Ames B, Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: revelance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior, FASEB Journal, Vol 29, June 2015 // This articles discusses factors that seem important in the processing of serotonin, and why this is relevant in many mental health conditions that involve executive functioning.  

I welcome and feedback regarding this application, the refererences or this project:)
-jb

Had a fun time with the YogaMedics yogis. Thanks for sharing air with me. Welcome to the team. The BE Team 🙂

Had a chance to deliver the keynote address for the Wright-Filippis rehab conference. Had a blast, and made some new friends. I was asked for the slides and will put together a slide package over the next week.

Highlights

• Do the fish see the water?  Take the time to be grateful for the breath of life.
• We all have our collective prosperity locked within our collective health. The better (healthier) we are collectively the better we all do collectively
• The clock is ticking, we have about 5-10 years to real improve our collective health, to avoid the tsunami that is coming.
• There are four domains to good health; mental, nutritional, physical and social fitness.
• Willpower is a depletable resource (spend it wisely) but can be built like a muscle.  Don’t start start with your Goliath.
• Many are likely suffering from serotonin deficiency, which can be impacted by stress, exercise, Vit D, and omega there fatty acids.

Recommendations

1) Menu Planning: \start with developing the habit of menu planning; with regard to nutrition must make sure there are adequate levels of Vit D (2-4,000 IU daily), Magnesium (cheated magnesium 400-800 mg per day), omega 3 fatty acids (miniming omega 6) and green tea.
2) set goals, and track your progress. Remember that good habits will be less depleting to you self control resources.

3) practice stillness (mindful meditation). As little as 10 minutes per day can be beneficial. This can be a way to remove the residue of daily life.

4) get regular exercise (remember the rat study). Yoga can be a good form of exercise as it requires little equipment, and space. Practicing postures where more would be too much, and less is not enough, is a good way to get to your edge and build willpower which is a universal power.

5) to minimize overall stress chaos, get all A’s on your Citizen Report Card. You can download a copy of the report card under the about tab or register on this site and fill out the Citizen Report Card on line.

Also, I will be re-writing the SMARTsteps wellness program. This is a 12 week program addressing the dimensions of mental, nutritional, physical, and social fitness (living by design). If you are interested let me now, and I will send you an announcement when it is updated and posted. 

I had the opportunity to speak at Plymouth United Church of Christ  Sunday,  October 18th on  “The Biology of Willpower – How good people can make bad decisions”.  It was so much fun for me, and I am grateful for the opportunity.  Below are some highlights from our time together:

FINAL THOUGHTS

1) There are major health challenges in our community that must be addressed and the clock is ticking.

2) Pay attention to those processes that disrupt executive functioning.  Google Marshmallow Test (on YouTube).

3) Honor your purpose, and realize that we need your best you (remember the deserted island example)

THE CHARGE (Leviticus 26)

1) Do not make idols… as what you worship will increase, and “what you see you will do”.

2) keep my Sabbath days of rest… to help “remove the residue”.

3) show reverence for my sanctuary… to make sure you are “firing on all cylinders”.

RECOMMENDATIONS (remember the frogs:)

1) Nutritional Fitness; Vitamin D 2,000 to 4,000 IU per day, Magnesium (chelated form), Omega 3 Fatty Acids at 1-2 grams per day (combined EPA, DHA), consider tryptophan.  One easy way to increase your vitamin D and Omega 3 is to take Cod Liver Oil (I take Carlson’s Lemon Flavor Cod Liver Oil)

2) Identify some simple goals and start developing the habits that support them.  Should be in one of the categories of wellness (mental fitness, nutritional fitness, physical fitness, social fitness.  Track your progress, and whenever you complete a task, acknowledge that it it good.  Keep a list of those behaviors (habits) that seem to get in the way of your goals (must be very honest, and don’t be afraid  to acknowledge a truth).  Example goals and habits; getting more sleep, exercise, meal planning etc.  Layer good habits and the bad ones will fall away in time.

3) Develop a practice of mindful meditation.  This can start with just 10 minutes per day.  There are two practices during this time; breath/body awareness and imagery.  With regard to imagery, write the story as you would like it to be and end with a smile.  Remember the Oreo Cookie story.  As you increase your mindfulness, you will get more clarity about your specific goals, given that you are a born solution.

INVITATION (5)

1) Share your thoughts with the talk on this blog as it is very important and helpful for me to get some feedback concerning this discussion; what you learned, what may have been unclear, how you will be different

2) Register at this sight and fill out the Citizen Report Card.  I am very interested in what the community looks like, and as mentioned by purpose and passion is to create a community of A’s

3) Incorporate stillness into your life, important for two reasons; helps to hit the reset button, and provides some clarity for direction.  It is suggested that you start with 10 minutes a day, and increase to 1 – 2 hours per day over time.

4) On the Citizen Report Card, strive for an “A” in Family Direction.  To do this you will need to have written goals for the year and a family mission statement.  Remember, where there is no vision the people perish.

5) Read the One Year Chronological Bible, this will help to put us all on the same page.  “I’m just saying” 🙂