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Even if you have not worked up a sweat from exercise since your freshman PE class you can start exercising today. Start off with small defined goals such as walking 1 mile 3 days a week for a month. Once you have attained that goal create another such as walking 2 miles twice a week and jogging 1 mile once a week for a month. You will be surprised how quickly your body responds, and as a result your mind,  spirit, and energy level will improve as well. If you are severely out of shape, you’ll want to consult your doctor before starting out to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.

Many things compete for your time throughout the day. No matter your well made plans, things always come up to change them. That is why you must condition your mind to wake your body up early and exercise when nothing else can drag you away.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Early bird gets the worm.

I have made my own simple interpretation from my experience being a father of young children. You see, babies don’t know to blow their noses when stuffed so you have to squirt saline solution then suction all the gooey stuff out. Not fun but basic care that must be taken.

So I  started using saline for allergy symptoms then expanded to nightly in the dry winter months. For about 3 years no I’ve used it nightly and have not suffered from a head cold or sinus infection since. (since having kids I tend to use hand sanitizer more often so there could be other factors attributed as well.)

My mother used to tell me to keep my nose clean. Now I take the phrase to mean literally keep dust, allergens, dirt, germs, and other ickies out of the last place the air you breathe passes before entering your body.

Thanks for the tip Mom!

P.S. Don’t pay $5 for a little bottle of saline. Shop around and you’ll find it for under $2. Better yet, make your own.

“Since the bowl is exactly the right size, we always know just how much to eat. We never overeat, because overeating brings sickness to our bodies…. We see that people who consume less are healthier and more joyful, and that those who consume a lot may suffer very deeply…. Mindful consumption brings about health and healing, for ourselves and for our planet.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

First, we must understand how everything in our environment interacts with our genes to create health or disease, especially our diet and nutritional status. Air, water, microorganisms, exercise, trauma, psychosocial factors, environmental toxins and radiation also affect our genes and our health.

Second, we must understand how our hormones and brain chemistry influence nearly every aspect of our health, why they get out of balance, and how to get them back in balance.

Third, we must understand how most of us have smoldering hidden inflammation that will kill us until we learn how to control it.

Fourth, we must understand that our digestive system is at the core of our health, why it breaks down, and how to repair it.

Fifth, we must understand how toxins and problems with our detoxification or waste management systems lead to chronic health problems and how to optimize this detoxification system.

Sixth, we must understand the importance of energy — how we make it, why we lose it, and how to create more of it.

And finally, we must understand how the mind interacts with the body and how the body interacts with the mind to influence and affect each of our other systems.

View his 7 Keys to UltraWellness

The huge take-away from his latest book is “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” This is a great mantra to live by each day. I try to eat something raw and fresh (fruits and veggies, not sushi) at each meal. I have found that eating an apple or grapefruit first cuts my appetite so I don’t overeat everything else. Plus it helps me avoid my main dietary weakness: White Cheddar Cheeze-Its!

See and hear Michael’s interview at Democracy Now!

• Stairs twice a day: My building at work in 10 stories. At 10 am and at 3pm I take a short break to ride the elevator down to the first level and walk the stairs to the top. Average workout time is about 2 minutes 30 seconds. I have 3 co-workers who join me now.
• Walk to work:  I used to do this more often when I didn’t have to take my oldest daughter to school in the morning. Even then I take the car home for lunch and walk back to the office.  If the road is dry I ride my Xootr
• Push-ups: Before the coffee has finished brewing I hit the deck and crank out 31 push-ups. Takes about 45 seconds. I like to add the one on the end to grow on. I try to get a set in at night too but have to be careful not to let the boys see me or I end up as horsey instead.
• Plyometrics: Yeah so I look like an idiot doing 30 lunges down the hallway but in about a two minutes I get a nice leg workout.
• Playground: Most have monkey bars – perfect for pull ups and chin ups. I try to sneak a set of both in while being “the monster” (chasing the kids around the slide and jungle gym).

Keeping fit makes me happy.