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FITosophical Living
Be mindful. Every day, you can catch eudaimonia. There is no cure for it. In fact, once you’re infected, your brain feeds upon it, your body reacts to it, your actions change from it, and you become more of who you were made to be because of it. Literally brace yourself! Once you catch it, you begin to foster its continued growth, and spread it amongst your family, friends and associates too. You’ll find life is better with “eudaimonic” symptoms and manifestations. WT… is she talking about? Let’s get philosophical before we get physical, shall we? Put some thought into our action. Let’s exercise the gray matter between our ears and then pump the heart muscle before we tone the over 600 other muscles in our bodies. Let’s live FITosophically! Aristotle used the Greek word eudaimonia to describe “the state of having a good indwelling spirit, a good genius.” He taught of an ethical, practical way to live that fosters self-realization and well-being. Achieving eudaimonia is a practice that creates a better way of being. How do we enhance our well-being? Discover something new every day. When we learn something new, our brains thrive upon the stronger synaptic connections we make. We are literally super-charging ourselves and fine-tuning our body’s drive mechanism. As fellow philosopher Socrates said, “The beginning of wisdom is wonder.” One of my common FITosophical refrains: Always remain in a state of wonder about what you can do, and keep creating and discovering more about YOU in the process. On May 16, 2013 I turned 51derful. Humor me. I have been a committed yogi for a number of years and have been dedicating my time to training and teaching various traditions of the practice I love. Yesterday I broke out of the studio setting for a personal training session with John Bowie, an extraordinary athlete/trainer whose NFL career includes the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders. In a smiling state of wonder, I looked at contraptions I had never used before as my fitness protocol was revealed. Long, heavy braided ropes for my arms to create wave patterns with, TRX hooked me at the ankles, a mountainous platform to leap over and more than J-Lo squat down to(!!), 5lb dumbbells in hand for the journey, and some elliptical, lunge-stepping patterns to complete along the way. Happily, or rather, “eudaimonically,” I feel all of my 51derful years BEHIND me! I absolutely loved every new challenge presented to me and feel the hunger for more discoveries of all that I can do begin to grow – again. Learning a new word with age-old meaning, understanding etymologies or even making words up to describe, encourage, and affirm yourself creates revitalization and motivation for your physical work-out. We are masters of ourselves. We can empower ourselves more effectively than anyone else can. Choose good words for yourself and create a philosophy to not just live by, but become more YOU by! We are physical beings. We are made for action and mobilization. We are driven by our hearts and our heads both physiologically, intellectually, and esoterically. Create your own FITosophical way of being and rediscover all you can be every day. Catch eudaimonia, and infectiously grow younger, stronger, happier and more wonder-full every day! By: Karen Cutrona, ERYT-500/RYS Founding owner of Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness,Inc., FITosopher, and Self-proclaimed Age Retardation Specialist
What You Need to Know About Pre-Diabetes
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRE DIABETES The Center for Disease Control, CDC has compiled statistical data from 2010 regarding Diabetes. Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the world! In the United States alone:
These numbers are only representative of stats from 3 years ago. More fun facts: Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, amputations, stroke, hypertension and nervous system disease. Because Diabetes is primarily caused by intolerance to sugar, patients have a choice….give up the foods that convert into sugar or are primarily sugar OR lose your limbs, become blind, go on dialysis and develop crippling foot pain and dementia. For most patients that are prediabetic or type 2 diabetic they have always had a choice….becoming diabetic or not. Unfortunately, this is not often presented to patients in a way that will often help them, not here, not in hospitals, not in medical literature, not by the ADA (American Diabetes Association). The ADA currently states quote - “type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and newly diagnosed diabetics should begin aggressive insulin therapy….and for children ages 10-18 the new guidelines state that the first step should be to start them on insulin” unquote! Additionally, the President of the ADA states that despite the increasing prevalence of diabetes, little is known about the most effective treatment regimen. Now, I don’t know the president, I’m sure he’s a stand up guy, but I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about……..hundreds of studies indicate what is effective, and what we’ve been doing in our office for years is effective….and that’s been….giving some of our patients a choice. Patients that are either Diabetic or prediabetic may not realize that their elevated sugars are causing them health risks or they’re told that the doctor wants to have them increase their meds…maybe take more insulin or orals. They are never offered a choice….the choice being….would you like to prevent diabetes or cure your diabetes? Would you like to be able to reduce the amount of medications you take or even stop taking your medications…because it’s all possible, because you have a choice……BEING on medication does not cure diabetes OR STOP IT’S INSIDIOUS EFFECTS! When you have a progressive disease that’s being caused by increased sugar intake and the only way to alleviate this problem is to reduce your sugar, what would make the most common sense? Cut out your sugar…..However the “ADA guidelines tell diabetic doctors, and educators to help their patients control or manage, never cure, their diabetes through diet! This dietary advice is always to have their patients keep their sugar or carbohydrate levels between 130-260 grams of carbs daily….that equates to 32-60 teaspoons of sugar every day! Really?….your’e kidding me right? Nope, all the literature states this very clearly! You’re almost diabetic or diabetic because of too much sugar in your body, so the ADA says “let’s make sure you keep the sugar in your body”! It’s this distortion that our patients need to be made aware of and they’re not! My problem with all of this is that it’s the sugar that’s toxic in our bodies causing the kidney failure, heart disease and other health concerns isn’t just beginning when your number hits 6.4 your diabetic diagnosis! The Mayo Clinic recently came out stating that if you’re pre diabetic, it’s time to do something about it now! Why? Because prediabetes means that the amount of sugar in your body is currently contributing to your the risk for heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s and many other problems associated w/diabetes and that just because you’re not yet labeled as a diabetic, you should be aware that the sugar is causing the same damage over time as that of a diabetic. It’s like saying that you were completely healthy until they had a heart attack or stroke.….no, you had been developing heart disease aggressively which most likely lead to that fateful day, and so the same is true with prediabetes. We cannot let our patients that are beginning to accumulate the damages caused by to much sugar in their system to just sit around as prediabetics and wait until they hit that magic 6.4 number. Even while on 3-4 drugs, patients are still diabetic with sugar still being the cause of their health problems and their medication isn’t lowering it to acceptable standards…..the patients don’t know what to do, the doctors are many times at a loss and it’s this disease that’s controlling the patients lives instead of the patients controlling or eliminating the disease. So here’s a final thought for you: IF CARBOHYDRATES HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON BLOOD SUGAR AND WEIGHT GAIN, THEN WHY DO WE EVEN REQUIRE CARBOHYDRATES? GUESS WHAT? WE DON’T!! In the 1800’s many scientists and doctors knew that humans could live in perfect health where there were no carbs, additionally as early as the 1700’s doctors new that the restriction of carbs in the diet treated and cured diabetes. In an article from JAMA in 2010, two doctors state that “carbohydrates are a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement”. Additionally, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, states that carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient for human function. So in conclusion all existing type 1 and 2 patients should be directed for diabetic counseling that actually works to reduce or get them off their medications through lifestyle change! When JAMA and The NEJM recently both concluded that intensive lifestyle intervention is better than medication, it’s time to listen.
Try It For A Week
Try It For A Week – It Could Make You a Lot HappierShifting Our Perspective Can Free Us from Stress and Anxiety, Irritation, Anger and Rage, and Even Depression Our own plight, in fact everything we do, is to reduce our discomfort and to gain a sense of happiness. It’s omnipresent; it’s why we scratch an itch (because the itch is making us uncomfortable and so we scratch it to relieve the discomfort) and why we have children (because we’re the kind of people who have a strong belief in the value of family) and why we start wars. On more nuanced levels, it is why we love, and why we grieve. Once we understand this, that everything we do is on some level done to relieve our “suffering,” we can begin the real work of learning to live in wellness. So let’s get a better handle on this idea. First we need to see clearly that everything we do is to relieve some level of our own suffering. Then we need to generalize that understanding. We need to realize that if we are doing everything to end our suffering, then everyone else is doing what they are doing to end their suffering. The more deeply we believe this, the more we can see this in ourselves and others, the more we can shift to Living in Wellness. When we do realize this, we know, we just know, that the only reasonable response to someone who is suffering and trying to relieve their suffering is for me to be understanding and compassionate. So the actions of others no longer upset or annoy me, no longer make me stressed or depressed. Yes, we still have to respond appropriately, but no, we don’t have to get stressed or anxious about it.This is not easy. But please do attempt it at home. When my wife yells at me, Living In Wellness has taught me that she is yelling because she is suffering over how she perceives what has happened. This means I need to respond with compassion, not get upset and yell back. When this becomes our perspective, instead of us becoming irritated at someone cutting us off in traffic or someone else getting the promotion at work we had wanted, we allow our hearts to open to them and we become peaceful and comfortable with things as they are. Then we just do what is appropriate. When this understanding, that we are all always doing what we do to relieve our suffering becomes our perspective, our basic and main perspective, we are Living in Wellness. The question now isn’t “What can I do to live in wellness?” but “Do I have the inclination and motivation to do the daily work needed for Living in Wellness?” And, “Am I willing to commit to this new understanding, both from my side of events and from the other person’s side too? Startup Practices: 1. Develop a daily meditation practice. Start with 5 minutes a day. Find a form of meditation that you can do and just do it. There will soon be group and individual meditation sessions at NMPG for those of you who would like face-to-face instruction. If you want to read about it, try any of the books by Jon Kabat-Zinn.There are also You Tube videos of him doing guided meditations and lectures on this and related topics. I meditate; I know it would benefit all my patients. It reduces blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and it has made me a happier camper both at home and at the office. That’s pretty remarkable for something I can do in less than 5 minutes a day! 2. If we want to move in the direction suggested in this blog, then we need to start acting like it was true even if we haven’t completely bought into the idea. So, for a week, commit to this: Every time you approach someone with whom you expect to have an interaction, as you approach them, say to yourself, “What can I do to be of benefit to this person, who is suffering?” That’s it….try it for one week and see what happens. Who knows you might just be a little less miserable.
When The Language in Your Body Speaks
Often when I begin a yoga class, I remind my clients that when the language in their body speaks louder than I do, obey! The practice of yoga is a unique expression that every body gets to discover on their mat. A posture can become as varied as each body can manifest the pose. With the twisting and turning, upending and balancing, strengthening and stretching involved in a yoga practice, everyone should feel empowered to explore how to inhabit their bodies better.
Whatever your choice for physical activity, be your own fitness expert. Pose challenges to your body and do what you can to meet them. Be fearless in your approach toward fitness because truly, we simply can’t do what we can’t do! However, we can discover all we can do with each attempt.
If we choose not to listen to the language in our bodies while we are challenging ourselves physically, we likely will either injure ourselves at some point, or conversely, never know our full potential. Who knew that a lift of a leg could lead to wearing it like a scarf! Always have a sense of wonder about what you can do. If we choose to let go of a prescribed notion about what we should accomplish, we will not fail in accomplishing what we can! If we choose to let go of a prescribed notion about how we should look, we have accomplished looking how we should! Build success into your workout and hone into the message of your body language. Go when it says go. Stop when it says stop. Challenge yourself as much as your body allows, and then surrender as much as your body needs.
In yoga there is a continuous theme for each participant to meet challenge with ease. There’s an ancient Sanskrit term for this: “sthira sukham asanam” which translates, ”The posture is challenging but steady.” Sthira speaks of strength and fortitude. Sukham speaks of joy, happiness, feeling satisfied; and asanam speaks to the practice itself. Incorporate this theme into your daily active life. Empower yourself as your own fitness expert. Gain confidence in your abilities as you listen to the language in your body, and your level of fitness will grow. Your body will establish a new a craving for more and more challenge when you can manage yourself with a sense of equanimity through it all. Enjoy your workout for what you can do today, and you’ll look forward to your workout for what you can do tomorrow… Love the journey toward building your strength and stamina, and you’ll love that your body will speak for itself! Live to discover more. Karen Cutrona, Body Language Specialist Instructor/trainer/Owner, Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Inc.
Start meditating
Shifting Our Perspective Can Free Us from Stress and Anxiety, Irritation,
Our own plight, in fact everything we do, is to reduce our discomfort and to gain a sense of happiness. It’s omnipresent; it’s why we scratch an itch (because the itch is making us uncomfortable and so we scratch it to relieve the discomfort) and why we have children (because we’re the kind of people who have a strong belief in the value of family) and why we start wars. On more nuanced levels, it is why we love, and why we grieve.
Once we understand this, that everything we do is on some level done to relieve our “suffering,” we can begin the real work of learning to live in wellness.
So let’s get a better handle on this idea. First we need to see clearly that everything we do is to relieve some level of our own suffering. Then we need to generalize that understanding. We need to realize that if we are doing everything to end our suffering, then everyone else is doing what they are doing to end their suffering.
The more deeply we believe this, the more we can see this in ourselves and others, the more we can shift to Living in Wellness. When we do realize this, we know, we just know, that the only reasonable response to someone who is suffering and trying to relieve their suffering is for me to be understanding and compassionate. So the actions of others no longer upset or annoy me, no longer make me stressed or depressed. Yes, we still have to respond appropriately, but no, we don’t have to get stressed or anxious about it.
When my wife yells at me, Living In Wellness has taught me that she is yelling because she is suffering over how she perceives what has happened. This means I need to respond with compassion, not get upset and yell back. That’s when I know it really works.
When this becomes our perspective, instead of us becoming irritated at someone cutting us off in traffic or someone else getting the promotion at work we had wanted, we allow our hearts to open to them and we become peaceful and comfortable with things as they are. Then we just do what is appropriate.
When this understanding that we are all always doing what we do to relieve our suffering becomes our perspective, our basic and main perspective, we are Living in Wellness.
The question now isn’t “What can I do to live in wellness?” but “Do I have the inclination and motivation to do the daily work needed for Living in Wellness?” And, “Am I willing to commit to this new understanding, both from my side of events and from the other person’s side too?
Startup Practices:
1. Develop a daily meditation practice. Start with 5 minutes a day. Find a form of meditation that you can do and just do it. There will soon be group and individual meditation sessions at NMPG for those of you who would like face-to-face instruction. If you want to read about it, try any of the books by Jon Kabat-Zinn.There are also You Tube videos of him doing guided meditations and lectures on this and related topics. I meditate; I know absolutely it would benefit all my patients. It reduces blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and it has made me a happier camper both at home and at the office. That’s pretty remarkable for something I can do in less than 5 minutes a day! 2. If you want to move in the direction suggested in this blog, then you need to start acting like it was true even if you haven’t completely bought into the idea. So, for a week, commit to this: Every time you approach someone with whom you expect to have an interaction, as you approach them, say to yourself, “What can I do to be of benefit to this person, who is suffering?”
One week….. try it….it’s quite remarkable
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