The Cost of Overstimulation…

November 14, 2012 by 7 Comments

I attended bible study today where the Pastor referenced the following article:

B Shiv, “Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making”, JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc., Vol. 26, December 1999.

The basic premise to this paper is that when we are over stimulated the higher rational thinking centers in our brain become distracted and unable to protect us from the more primitive irrational behaviors of the of our more primitive minds.  This is born out in grocery stores where we are over stimulated with colors, smells, and sounds, and end up coming out of the store with stuff we never intended.

He went on to mention how life is currently designed to overstimulate.  The downside: our input become distorted as we have trouble absorbing all of the information , we learn how not to focus, and we have trouble operationalizing the truth we do have because the higher centers of our brains are so distracted and over burdened.

It was a fascinating bible study session (and I will edit this post later with more content from the session), and we were left with a  primary and a secondary homework assignment:

  1. Start the day with 5 minutes of quiet stillness.  Even better if you can find similar space in the evening as well. And share your experience with comments below.
  2. If you happen to watch TV count the number of scene changes in a minute.  It may be helpful to note the difference between commercials vs programs.  It may also be helpful to note the difference between new and old programing.

Also feel free to share any other insights from the first in this new bible study series.

-jb

Filed Under: 1 Mental Fitness, News

Happiness Workout

November 5, 2012 by 10 Comments

I was in church yesterday, where the Pastor highlighted a gentleman who regularly ran in marathons.  He reflected that the first time that he tried running, he could only run 3 miles, but through training 3 times per week he increased his distance to 26 miles over a 6 month period.  Then the Pastor posed the question as to whether we could do the same with happiness?  Could we have a “workout” that could significantly increase our happiness over six months? 

The answer to that question is yes.  As it turns out there is research that suggests activities that one can do to increase ones happiness.  And there is good reason to do it; happy people tend to live longer, and more fulfilling lives.  Try the following for 30 days and see if you don’t see a difference.  These task are not difficult but will really increase your mental, physical, and social fitness levels (others have done it and you can to).  Pause for a moment, and imagine what it would feel like to be happier.  Now consider doing the following daily…

1) Keep a gratitude journal writing down three things that went well that day

2) Mindul meditation for 10 minutes per day, you don’t have to clear your mind totally, just don’t hold onto thoughts and increase your awareness of the present moment.   It is good to begin this by focusing on your breathing which should be deep and slow. 

3) 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (which can be broken up over the day); as an alternative don’t sit for more than 60 minutes without getting some movement.

4) Perform one act of kindness for yourself, your family, or those around you (smile, write a letter of thanks, express appreciation for another.  consider getting some ideas by reviewing the Citizen Report Card and take steps to get all A’s 🙂

If you would to hear some entertaining presentations on happiness check out the links below.  Each is less than 15 minutes and have been enjoyed by over a million people each:

TED – Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

TED – Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life

As an act of kindness, please consider sharing your insights on this web-page, which is a way to be of help to others : )

These acts of kindness speak to the notion of social fitness, which describes what we do that has impact on those around us as well as our planet.  To this end I wanted to leave you with a funny video concerning the group Improve Everywhere, it may give you ideas on how you can spend your time in ways to put a smile on someone elses face, enjoy…

TED – Charlie Todd: The Shared Experience of Absurdity  🙂    Lol

 

Filed Under: News

Exercise for Low Back Pain

October 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

While I am in pretty good shape (for a 50 plus man), I have been nagged in recent years by problems with my low back.  I can get pain that comes on suddenly and can be pretty incapacitating.  After listening to a presentation by Sherry McLauglin, I came up with an exercise that is simple an shows great promise.  I don’t have a name for it, but not only has it helped my back tremendously, it has also helped my shoulders and trimmed a little fat from my stomach : )  The main muscle targets of the exercise are the transversus abdominis  and the multifidus, both very important muscles for a healthy back.  Here is the YouTube post.

Click Here: Exercise for Low Back Pain

Forgive the roughness of the video, and let me know if you find it helpful.  I have incorporated this with doing my Pomodoros (see earlier post), doing this approximately 5 times per day for less than one minute each.

Here are pictures of the muscles : )

multifidus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

transversus abdominis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-jbetter

Filed Under: News

MSMS Healthy People, Economy, Community

October 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I would like to thank all of those who attended the MSMS conference session on “Healthy People, Healthy Economy, Healthy Communities” (organized by MOEMA).  I think that its safe to say that a good time was held by all, including myself.  Much thanks to Sherry McLaughlin, and Julie Feldman for their stellar presentations.  As promised here are  links to resources from the lectures:

Sherry McLaughlin

    • To visit her website click here
    • To get a handout of her slides click Pain-Free in the Real World – MSMS .  (I needed to limit the slides as the file was too big.  I’m sure Sherry can get you the whole presentation if you contact her directly).
    • To view a video of her version of the matrix click here

Julie Feldman

James Blessman

    • To get a handout of my slides click here MentalFitnessHandout
    • To get download a copy of the Citizen Report Card click here
    • To get to the writing on the Declaration of Inter-Dependence click here
    • To get to Apollo Root Cause problem solving resources (Reality Charting) click here

I hope you find these resources helpful, and as always feedback is appreciated : )

Filed Under: News

Eat Better, Feel Better!!!

October 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My job causes me to help care for many who have had work-related illnesses.  In doing this I have begun to see what appears to be increasing numbers of people with degenerative diseases who also seem to have trouble healing.  Because of this and concerns for my own health I have been in search of ways to help minimize the occurrence and progress of degenerative diseases.  While I don’t have it all figured out I am recognizing some patterns and can make some recommendations.  As you try these please let me know if you find the  recommendations helpful:

1) limit animal protein:  meats and dairy are supposed to be supplying us with needed calcium and protein, however their metabolism creates an acidic environment that you body balances by dissolving bone.  By the way stress is thought to also add to the acid load.  You can hear more about this by watching the movie “Forks Over Knives” which is available on Netflix, or online for free by clicking on the title. While you don’t need to be a vegetarian, I would suggest getting to 4 or more meatless days per week.

2) eat more alkalizing fruits and vegetables: many fruits and vegetables are the answer to too much acidity in our bodies.  Not all of the fruits and vegetables however are alkalizing (with the ability to neutralize the acid from meats and dairy).  I would suggest that you perform a search for alkalizing fruits and vegetables and get a since of what can be helpful.  Probably the quickest change that can be made is to drink two cans of V-8 juice per day (low sodium if salt is a concern).

3) cut down on sugar: the problem with sugar is actually fructose which is a part of sugar.  The problem is that fructose encourages uric acid production which is not good for the joints as well as affecting nitric oxide production which protects our vessels and circulation.  Major sources of sugar include that which we add, juices, and soda.  Sugar is also added to many processed foods.  You must also be careful of some fruits which can be high in fructose.  For more information look at my prior blog called “toxic sugar” and watch the video of Dr. Lustig (link provided).  Most would benefit from not drinking juice or soda more than 2 times per week.

4) cut down on trans fats: these are fats created by directed processing, but can also be created by frying. Their presence can affect the production of certain prostaglandins in our body that help to protect our joints and vessels.  Try to limit (or eliminate)  fried food to less than twice per week.  Better oil choices are un-refined olive and sesame oils.  These can be hard to find, and the next best choice is the “cold press” variety.  Note that these oils can still develop unhelpful substances by just being exposed to air and light.

5) cut down on flour: while grains are good for you. Flour has been processed to remove much of the nutritional value which is why it needs to be enriched.  A better choice is whole grains sources of wheat.  For this reason brown rice is also better than white rice.  While these are better nutritional sources, they don’t help with the challenge of acidity.  It was noted in a book by Dr. Weston Price written back in the 1940s, that those cultures that consumed more sugar, flour, and canned food (representing processed foods), where routinely associated with degenerative diseases.  Cultures that avoided these three substances also avoided degeneration.  When looking for grains, look for whole grain and sprouted varieties.

 

By following the above recommendations, it is my hope that you will have less pain, and perhaps slow or even reverse the processes that contribute to degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis).  I hope you find the above helpful.  Please share your journey with us by posting comments.  As for me, its time for a V-8

 

Filed Under: 2 Nutritional Fitness, News