Choose How You Will Live

Dwell in thought upon the grandest, and the grandest you shall see; Fix your mind upon the highest, and the highest you shall be!


The universe is a training school for evolving intelligence - a vast gymnasium for the development of moral fibre. We become mentally clever by playing at the game of life. We match our courage against its adversities and acquire fearlessness. We try our optimism against
its disappointments and learn cheerfulness. We pit our patience against its failures and gain persistence. We are torn from the pinnacle of ambition by opponents and learn toleration of others.

We fall from the heights of vanity and pride, and learn to be modest and humble. We encounter pain and sorrow and learn sympathy with suffering. It is only by such experiences that we can grow to rounded measure. It is only in an environment thus adapted to our spiritual
development that we can evolve the latent powers within us.

Such is the universe in which we find ourselves and from it there is no escape. No man can avoid life--not even the foolish one who, when the difficulties before him appear for the moment overwhelming, tries to escape them by suicide. A man cannot die. He can only choose how he will live. He may either helplessly drift through the world suffering from all the ills and evils that make so many unhappy or he may choose the method of conscious evolution that alone makes life truly successful. We may be either the suffering slaves of nature or the happy masters of her laws.

5 Tips for Greater Happiness

Tips for greater happiness:

1. Decide to be Happy. Start by making the choice to be happy. Strive to eliminate negative feelings, thoughts and actions from your life.

2. Kick start your brain to elevate your happy thoughts. Exercise daily - and soon you won't want to miss your exercise time.

3. Eat the right foods. Enjoy a little dark chocolate once a day. Have some blueberries with your morning yogurt. Feed your body - and your brain - with healthy fats like those found in avocados, walnuts, salmon and olive oil.

4. Surround yourself with positive people and thoughts. Turn off that news channel filled with nothing but bad news. Say good-bye to those violent and drama filled TV shows that do little for your happy thoughts. Grab some tapes from Zig Ziglar , and other positive motivational speakers.

5. Find someone who needs help - someone in worse shape than you are and find a way to help them. Help someone without them knowing it was you. Volunteer at a food kitchen or someplace that helps those who so desperately need help.

Check out Zig Ziglar's Strategies for Success

Check out this video -

Summer Fitness Tips

    If you want to enjoy better health and fitness or look like this -

Picture of Kate Upton at Listal


there are just 2 simple habits you may want to adopt.

1. Daily exercise keeps your body's fat burners functioning long after your workout. Work your heart and lungs - walking, running, or riding your bike! Grab a jump rope and see how long you can go! Try a new sport - or two - and enjoy a variety of healthy activities. Turn off the TV after Supper and head out for some family fun instead!

2. Eat more protein early in the day. The early morning protein helps your body burn more calories throughout the day. Give your metabolism a jump-start with a healthy portion of protein to start your day! Drink plenty of water and just say no to those useless calories found in soda and sweets. ( Stick with dark chocolate if you must! ) Try to enjoy more fiber and a little less fat. Drink even more water! 

The weather outside too hot for your liking? Fitness experts find you can burn more calories and get a better overall workout when you exercise in a more comfortable temperature range - like indoors!

Get yourself a few pieces of basic fitness gear and you can sculpt an awesome body shape - without suffering through the Summer heat! Pick up a decent exercise mat and a few hand weights. If you don't already have one - buy a GoFit Weighted Jump Rope
!

If burning more calories in less time And getting a great whole body workout sound good to you - get yourself the Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine.

Endless Summer

Red clay stains their shoes as these talented few scurry about the courts at Roland Garros stadium. A noticeable shortage of fans makes one wonder why. Has professional tennis become a bore to the good citizens of Paris? In just a few weeks people from around the world will be lining up to enter those most hallowed of tennis grounds - the All England Club.

Whether you enjoy tennis or not - we can't ignore the incredible fitness level of these talented athletes. Girls squeal when Rafa changes his shirt. Boys around the world admire the stunning beauty of Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, and some of their lovely opponents.

These exceptionally gifted, hard-working tennis pros have the ability to reach shots most of us might deem impossible. They make it look so easy. Anyone who has played tennis knows better. These young pros have invested hours every day honing their strokes and sculpting their bodies. They spend hours practicing and then hours exercising.


If you want more energy to enjoy all the fun this Summer is sure to bring - get a little exericse each day. Keep eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water.

Add some variety to your fitness efforts. Try a new sport or two or three. Vary your workouts each day. Carve out some time each week to be active, and put it on your calendar. Try waking up a half-hour earlier to walk, scheduling lunchtime workouts, or taking an evening fitness class. Plan a weekend hike through a park, a family softball game, or an evening walk around the block.

Start a new chapter in your life this Summer - Make a few simple habits part of your daily routine. If losing weight is on your list of goals - the quickest way to lose weight is with exercise and a healthy diet.

Keep it fresh and most of all - have fun. Enjoy the journey to better health and fitness. Make this your best Summer ever!


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Thanks to you on Memorial Day

Thanks to you on Memorial Day, it is the right of every American to relax with friends or family and to celebrate the approach of summer. But on this holiday, it is also the responsibility of every citizen to remember. Remember why it is important that we never forget and why we pay our respects to our service members and the loved ones left behind.

For it has been said so truthfully that “It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.” – Zell Miller

Thank you,

"A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life'. That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it."---Author Unknown

Get Outside and Play

Parents are all too familiar with the challenges of motivating our children to turn off the television or video game and get outside and play.

   If you're like me you might even regret purchasing that silly video console which turns into a handy babysitter.  Childhood races by so fast. We only have one chance to teach our children the value of healthy habits.




Sports are a great avenue for developing more mature moral reasoning skills that are characterized by more assertion and less aggression, and more compliance with rules and fair play. We learn excellent lessons - about sports and life - when we participate in any sport! Encourage your children to Get out and Play!

Make the most of your Day

    Just read about a guy who limited his actual work to 30 minutes at a time. He would then divert his attention for a few minutes. After his little break he'd get back into the groove of another thirty minutes.

While many of us may not have the luxury of taking even a short break every half hour, we can enjoy a brief diversion from time to time.

Try these easy ways to help you make the most of your brief breaks throughout the day:
1. Stand up. Take a slow, deep breath. Lift your arms to the sky and stretch.
2. While away from your desk, get outside or at least look out the window. Have a nice, happy thought!
3. Enjoy a nice big drink of ice water and a healthy snack – Try some low-fat cheese or a handful of walnuts.
4. Get outside and take a quick walk around the block.
5. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Concentrate on breathing slow and deep. Give Thanks for the day and your job!
6. Leave your work area and enjoy a brief chat with a friend or associate. Listen. Ask about their children, pets, or weekend plans. Get your mind off yourself if even for just a few minutes!
7. Find some stairs and walk or run up and down the stairs for 5 or 10 minutes!
Who says work has to be boring? Make the most of your time at work and enjoy your day – if even for a few minutes at a time!