Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 2

Seeds of the heart

The familiar proverb says, "Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap."

You never sow marigold seeds and expect roses to bloom. Nor do you sow green pepper seeds and expect a harvest of cucumbers.

It is the law of nature - sowing and reaping. Yet, why would you expect to fill your life with things that would not produce the results you're looking for and wonder why your life is a mess.

If you're hanging around friends who are not going in a positive direction, doing what they're doing, engaging in destructive conversation and negative talk, how is that enhancing your life? Whatever you're doing or whoever you're hanging around should be adding to your life; a light leading you down a better path.

Evaluate what's entering your heart; the music you listen to, the television shows you watch, the conversations you're engaged in, the friends you keep. Are they bringing value to your life?

What fruit do you expect to reap? Do not allow weeds to grow in the garden of your heart, because they will rob you of your precious crop. Instead of a bumper crop your harvest will be meager. Instead of positive growth, you would have sacrificed your precious gift in exchange for junk.

Sow seeds of love, kindness, goodness in your heart. Sow them in abundance and when your harvest season has come you will be blessed more than you can imagine.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 20

How to determine your 'nutritional' value

Your 'nutritional' value is determined by the value you add to someone's life; your fertile ground, promoting growth and enhancing another individual's life.

Your talents and abilities are potential seeds containing 'nutritional' value. When you develop them, they can be used to create and/or encourage change.

What unique talent or ability do you have? Let's consider the nutritional value of Vitamins.

Vitamin C:

Helps wounds heal: Do you enjoy counselling friends or family that are hurting emotionally? Or perhaps, you have a passion for caring for those who are physically injured.

Promote strong teeth and bones: Are you a good coach or could you be a good mentor to someone who has potential for greatness but needs to be kept accountable until they have built the strength needed to achieve their goal?

Vitamin A:

Promote growth and repair body tissue: Are you passionate about helping others move up from the place they currently are to grow and develop their talents? Do you enjoy helping people who have lost their way, made a mess of their lives and need to get back on track?

Healthy eyes: What about people who have lost their vision and cannot see the positive events in their lives? You may be the one to show them the way.

There are many ways our talents, our 'nutritional' value, once we've determined where we fit in, can make a difference. So many have begun doing so, why not you?

Fuelling words: I inspire myself that I can be an inspiration to others.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart. Day 1

Spring is here!

Time to get our gardens ready; sowing our seeds into fertile ground. What an exciting time!

But what about the soil of your heart. Is it fertile? Or does it need tending? Seeds germinate and thrive well in nutrient enriched soil.

Is the soil of your heart nutrient enriched? How can you tell?

One way is to determine if you're growing or if you're stagnant. Are you learning? Are you absorbing information into your heart that's enhancing and promoting healthy personal growth? Are you open to new ideas and learning new ways of doing things?

Spring is the mark of a changing season; from the cold winter to warmer temperatures. The snow is melted, birds are chirping outside your window, animals are giving birth, and it's as if the whole world comes alive.

Nature teaches us that in order for growth to occur there must first be change. If you are inflexible to change, you'll find yourself struggling instead of going with the flow. When you go with the flow, you're allowing the natural order of things to occur in your life. Frustration is replaced by peace, and you'll live longer with less stress.

Change is a natural part of life. When you embrace change, you allow growth to take place; moving you from the seedling stage to maturity.

Embrace change today and grow!

Change ourselves, change our world.

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves - David Orr

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. - Native American Proverb

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 19

Carrots in love.

This is the reason why you should love your vegetables because they love each other and plus it's healthy for your body just as love is healthy for you.

Just like Mama always says, "Eat your vegetables!" Now you know why.

Carrots, rich in Vitamin A, promote growth and repair of body tissue, healthy eyes, good night vision and a strong immune system, bringing about change from the inside out.

When we love what we're doing, we have fun doing it and it makes us want to continue engaging in that activity over and over again.

Music does something somewhat magical to us internally. It seems to cause our brain to send a positive message to the rest of our bodies. Adding music to our daily routine gives us that extra 'pep' in our step and turns on the fun mode.

Music reaches places in your soul where words may not touch.

Today, I've added some Beyoncé energy to my exercise routine. It was quite enjoyable. The kids had fun, too.

Fuelling words: Music is the melody of the soul.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 18

What’s your nutritional value?

Every fruit provides different nutritional values and benefits.

Citrus fruits and strawberries are rich in Vitamin C, and help wounds heal, strengthen blood vessels, build connective tissue, healthy gums, skin, and promote strong teeth and bones.

Carrots are rich in Vitamin A and promote growth and repair of body tissue, healthy eyes, good night vision and a strong immune system.

Our differences and variations in talents provide a wide array of ‘nutritional’ values and benefits for us and others to sustain our well-being and well rounded life.

Teachers at varied levels and fields educate our society, bringing awareness to many different aspects of our world.

Specialized doctors study in depth specific parts of the human body. A brain surgeon’s ‘nutritional’ value is rich in the knowledge of all aspects of the brain and its wiring. His benefit to society provides resolution for brain injuries, abnormalities and dysfunctions.

A paediatrician’s ‘nutritional’ value is rich in the knowledge of children’s illnesses and is beneficial to all parents as a place to go when their children are ill.

Businesses, with unique ideas, provide us with a variety of services and products to choose from making us a very rounded society.

What’s your ‘nutritional’ value/contribution? It may be to inspire, to care for the sick, to be active in your community addressing its core needs, sing songs bringing joy to your listeners, or dance adding to the ‘nutritional’ needs of others in some way or another.

Whatever the ‘nutritional’ benefit, know that you can make a valuable contribution to the health and wellness of society.

Fuelling words: I focus on achieving my goal so I can be an example to my children.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Feeling stressed?

During your daily activities, you may face many stressful situations. You may never be able to control what comes your way or how people may react to you, but you do have full control over how you respond to a stressful event which could make a difference in the outcome.

Feeling stressed? Here are a few things you could do to counteract this feeling.

1) Stop – instead of continuing on with the activity that’s causing you to become frustrated and stressed out, stop and walk away. Get your attention off of it.

2) Take a deep breath – taking a deep breath relaxes the body sending oxygen to different parts of your body, including your mind, and releases tension.

3) Refocus your mind – get your mind off the negative aspect of the event. Look at the situation from a positive view point.

4) Gratitude – think of something you’re grateful for, e.g. I’m thankful that I’m healthy or I’m thankful that I’m able to go for a walk today. Expressing thankfulness for what you already have allows you to return to a place of peace.

5) Think clearly – if the situation warrants your immediate attention, think of ways to simple, peaceful resolution.

Stress is unhealthy for our bodies and it could shut out the free flow of creativity.

Strive to handle stressful situations differently, today!

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 17

Turn adversity into opportunity.

Most people have been trained to look at adversity as something bad that’s occurring in their lives. It’s the time when depression and hopelessness sets in. But instead of looking at your circumstance from the glasses of doom and gloom, why not try a positive alternative?

What can you learn from this situation? What are the valuable lessons being taught here? What things have I neglected to deal with that has brought me to this point? How can I turn this around and use this adversity for something good?

I’m sure you’ve heard many testimonies from folks who have gone through terrible things and are now advocates for their cause. They’re educating others on prevention of some infection or disease. They’re inspiring others with their message of transformation from being homeless or broke and now they’ve broken free from a poverty stricken life. Some are now coaches and mentors for others.

These conditions of adversity were the breeding ground for them to rise to the top. Perhaps they, too, wallowed in self pity. But, obviously, they didn’t remain there. They cancelled the pity party, looked deep within themselves and found something greater than their circumstances that caused them to make a decision for change and propelled them into action.

There is more to you than your current external circumstance reveals. It is time to take a good look at where you are. Decide today to look at your adversity from a position angle and turn it into opportunity, not just for yourself only but for the benefit of others.

Fuelling words: I take this journey so I can inspire others to do the same. For myself and for those who hear my testimony, I persevere until I reach my goal.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 16

You can start over again

No matter how far you’ve gone or how old you are, you can start over again. As long as you can breathe and have the will to try, you can begin living your life. Even though you have failed many times, so much time has gone by or you may have wasted your earlier years, new beginnings is not just for the young.

If, like myself, you want to gain your ideal weight but have never engaged in an exercise routine before, or have not done so for a long time, it is never too late to start. You can start today, one step at a time, moving at your own pace.

Decision, determination and perseverance are the three elements needed to change your life and achieve any goal. Once you’ve made a decision to make a comeback, keeping at your pace helps to negate the feeling of being overwhelmed.

I discovered that lesson years ago. I’ve tried to keep up with all of the exercises on workout DVD’s and realized it was too overwhelming for me and I became quite discouraged. I decided, you know what, I’m going to do this according to my own style and at my own pace and repetitions.

I decided that I would start slowly with stretches and as I got stronger added other moves into my routine. Before long, my body was asking for more. I felt the urge to go for brisk walks and even took up jogging. That was amazing.

Here I am at this point. Starting over again, learning and moving at my pace and loving it.

Whatever journey you embark on, ensure you follow what you feel is right for you and allow other things to fall into place, naturally. You, too, can begin again.

Fuelling words: I can begin again going at my own pace and having fun in discovering who I am and what’s right for me.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.