23 posts tagged “health”
At the beginning of my recent book, “Health & Wellness Made Simple”, I use a little picture of a fairy and state:
‘whenever you see this little fairy is it is a representation of ME granting YOU permission to choose any of the suggestions mentioned without guilt. I have found this to be an important concept in mentoring – people seem to need ‘permission’ from an outside source. At least until they learn to give themselves that same permission. Please note the ‘without guilt’ part – that’s just as important, if not more so, than the permission itself.’
So, here she is:
‘PERMISSION GRANTED’ fairy PICTURE ... sorry, couldn't get her to co-operate ... she's being photo shy today I guess
You can find her with in my book excerpt at: http://www.suecrutcher.com/Book_Excerpts.html
I hereby grant you permission to book your choice of 5 minutes to 15 minutes in your day timer right now as your ‘day off’ – time to utilize as you see fit … doing what you want. Perhaps, it’s doing nothing at all. Just sitting there, dreaming of possibilities. Whether you happen to believe it or not, day dreaming is important! We’re going to delve into that a little deeper shortly.
In the meantime – take out your day timer NOW. Schedule your block of time (whatever amount you are absolutely sure you will be able to manage and succeed to doing). Remember – this is a baby step to success – make it teensy weensy. It is irrelevant at this point how long the time frame is. It is the actual scheduling and the following through that is important. Why is scheduling and following through more important than the amount of time? Because, scheduling and following through represent action. Action is extremely important in anything we do.
Try to give yourself permission to enjoy the 5 minutes (or 15 minutes). It’s a way to revitalize and regenerate a little. If you can’t, as yet, give yourself permission – accept my permission for you to enjoy the timeframe.
To your success!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor, Health & Wellness Coach
Permission to reprint. This article (and all articles on this blog) is copyrighted by Susan Crutcher. You have permission to reprint this article in its entirety as long as you include the following credit with the article:
Susan Crutcher is the author of “Health & Wellness Made Simple” and is currently working on a series of self empowerment books which all incorporate her baby steps to success theory. She is a life empowerment mentor, health and wellness coach, baby steps to success expert and motivational speaker, is certified in personal training and over a dozen complementary care modalities with over 30 years of teaching experience. Susan is manager of Greystone Retreat (a luxury rental home on Georgian Bay), co-founder of Academy of Holistic Modalities Inc (holistic education), editor of the Reflexology Registration Council of Ontario (RRCO) newsletter ‘In Touch’ and founding member of the Grey-Bruce Spiritual Network (GBSN). Download and enjoy a free sample of her book at: www.SueCrutcher.com
The next few blogs are going to be relative to self care. We’ve already started the topic the other day when I was whining about being sick. I haven’t had a cold in three years and it really wasn’t all that bad – an ear infection and sinus congestion.
So, here I am a little over a week later. No longer ill. And thankful for that!
We are in South Carolina today on vacation for a few weeks so my blogs will be a little sporadic as I do not have regular internet access. This is self-care for us – my husband, our puppy, Emily, and I out in our motor coach touring around the country side.
Sadly, we chose a rainy week all the way down here from Ontario (where the sun has been shining and the weather gorgeous since we left). However, it is still beautiful – especially through the mountains and seeing the green of spring rear its head as we go further south.
Time to get back to the laundry – I’m practicing driving standard in our Miata convertible going back and forth to switch loads – so I have to run. Then back to heat up homemade leek/mushroom soup for lunch ; make custard with bananas for dessert at supper; and whip up some oatmeal cookies. The coach is really just a VERY small version of home. In some ways it’s great. In others, it’s much the same (as in household tasks).
To self care!
CREATE a fabulous day!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor, Health & Wellness Coach
Today would not be a good day to operate heavy equipment! Luckily, it isn’t required of me either considering how I’m still feeling. I would be an absolute hazard.
Did you block off some time for self-care on this week’s calendar?
Pardon? You don’t have time for self-care?
Do you have time to be wiped out for a few days flat on your back? Often when we shirk on our self care, this is exactly what happens. We push ourselves until we drop – literally.
As I’ve apparently developed a sinus congestion/head cold, today’s schedule is: work 2 hours, sleep 1; repeat. It’s the same schedule I had yesterday and it’s allowing me to plod through my commitments.
Thursday I have booked a chiropractic adjustment and a one hour massage therapy session. Massage gets blocked in a minimum of once a month and usually every three weeks. It keeps me sane and mobile.
Take a moment, right now, and make an appointment with yourself this week (preferably today) for something you enjoy – it could be an extra-long lunch, a walk in the park, a manicure, time out to read a favourite book or magazine, whatever works for you. Then, and this is the biggie, keep the appointment. It’s part of learning to create boundaries and knowing where they are. More on that later…
To you!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Do you get sick more often than you used to? Before you get ill, is there a ‘sign’ that it is coming again? Do you listen to your body when this ‘sign’ appears? Does your illness tend to manifest in the same way each time (sore throat, low back, sciatic, migraine…)? Does the illness incapacitate you to the point that you must actually stop and rest for a day or longer?
Illness is normally our body telling us that we are not listening and/or taking care of ourselves. Originally, the issue started at another level (spiritual or emotional) but we either failed to hear (or were unable to hear or chose to ignore) the message for whatever reason. Perhaps because amongst all the other internal chattering and ‘priorities’, we simply missed it. When the message is not ‘listened to’, the body uses stronger and stronger tactics until it gets your attention. Any illness that puts you in bed for a day or more is your body saying: “I need a break. I need time to recuperate. I need time to heal. Pay attention to my needs.”
At this point, most of us take the day (or two, or three) needed to restore ourselves. Many of us fail to realize that we missed the message from within a long time ago and this is simply the manifestation of that message in a different form. If we choose to continuously ignore the messages from within, the body will utilize stronger and stronger messages until we absolutely must stop. Personally, I have a lot of experiences with what I consider ‘life’s 2x4s’ simply because I wasn’t listening or allowed the ‘priorities’ of my life at the time to have first place. When I chose to change, to heed the lesson, to do what I felt was necessary to become healthier … amazingly, it worked very quickly. Obviously, since this has happened many times, I’ve had a lot of lessons to learn. In hindsight, you think I’d catch on … but, apparently not. With age, however, comes intelligence and I am learning to pay attention earlier before an issue becomes a problem.
Tomorrow I will post some information on specific illnesses and their possible co-relation to emotional/psychological and thought patterns.
To your health…
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Coach & Mentor
After drifting slightly off-topic the last couple of weeks – I just got so caught up in the ‘possibilities’ and intriguing math equations and formulas that I had to share them with all of you – here we go on the continuing variations on a theme: “Baby Steps to Success”.
Today, I simply have a question for you:
"If you don’t take the time to look after yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually), who will?"
We all run around looking after others, tending to their needs, overextending ourselves at various levels until we are, at some point, forced to stop. If we took care of ourselves on a regular basis (and this doesn’t have to take tons of time), we would be much healthier and more capable of helping others. It makes perfect sense, but it is rare that people follow through on it. This week we will discuss a few ways to begin this journey of ‘self-care’.
To your continued health…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach
PS – my apologies for not getting to comment on everyone’s blogs over the past couple of days and updating my blog. My new system is running much better but not during fog and thunderstorms (which have been circling us almost constantly). Internet and television were unavailable yesterday. You are not forgotten.
I’ve checked back to when I posted the blog regarding increasing your water by ¼ to ½ cup daily – it’s been at least 5 weeks now.
Have you followed through?
If you have, you are up to an extra 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups more than you were drinking just over a month ago and making great progress. See how easy it is?
For those who haven’t been taking the ‘baby steps to success’ for a healthy lifestyle – start today. I was at a seminar a few years ago where the guest speaker said that most diseases would be helped if people would simply increase their water intake. Naturally, because it’s such a simple solution, people choose not to do it. Will you be one of those who choose not to at least try a simple solution? Or, will you be proactive?
Start today. In fact, start now. Go get yourself a glass of water. Sip it while you’re typing your next blog entry. One down … ‘x’ to go!
“Create a fabulous day!”
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert,
It is important to broaden our horizons, to reach just a little further in knowledge each day, to stimulate our brain and encourage it to learn and store more information. One way to do that is to learn something new each day. As long as you are interested in learning and are actually learning something each day, the odds are in your favour that you will lead a more fulfilling, well-rounded life. Plus, you’ll be smarter than a fifth grader in case you ever get the opportunity to be on the show.
Over the past few weeks, we have learned far more than one thing a day and most of our minds are a little overwhelmed at the moment. I post this blog simply to remind you that it is important to continue the process of learning as long as you are alive. In fact, I believe, it will help keep you alive and alert.
Here’s a little example:
Over a decade ago, I was the regional representative for a high-end line of sewing machines that also did computerized digitized embroidery. One sewing machine – these were consumer not commercial – could easily cost $5,000 or more. Twice a year we participated in a huge tradeshow where 10s of thousands of guests went through the show each day. Every year, in the fall, there was one particular senior who dropped by the booth in her wheelchair to see the newest machine and other goodies. Every year, she bought the newest model. One year, I asked her why. She said “as long as I am learning something new, I won’t die.” She looked to be well into her eighties and possibly nineties, so it obviously worked for her.
There is a famous Oliver Wendall Holmes’ quote that states: “A mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” May that be true for all of us in this course.
Which (finally, you say!) brings me to the point of the headline … where do sesame seeds come from? My daughter asked me that one day while she was eating a freshly baked bagel that I had sprinkled with sesame seeds. I thought, perhaps, it was a grain, but I actually did not know anything about sesame seeds … other than they’re really tasty toasted. There we were -- eating something that we knew nothing about. Being curious George types, we took a ‘time out’ to go look it up (TG for the internet). Then, all that week, I asked everyone I met where sesame seeds came from. I found out I was not alone … not one person I asked knew the answer.
To your continued learning….
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor
PS – good answer at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame
Continuing on our variation on a theme: hand and wrist stretches…
You’re almost there …
Adding to what you have already learned this week:
-
Start with the stretch from Monday (making a fist and letting go)
-
Followed by yesterday (stretching each finger individually)
-
Followed by stretching all your fingers toward your wrist at one time
Now, add (pay attention here … there is only one minor variable from yesterday but it is important to do it correcty):
-
Extend your left arm
-
Tilt your hand DOWN 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
-
Using your right hand, gently pull all the fingers on your left hand toward your wrist
-
Hold for a second but do not over-extend. You should feel a stretch but no pain.
-
Release
-
Switch hands and repeat
Again, that’s it. Simple.
You’re almost through the routine …
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Continuing on our variation on a theme: hand and wrist stretches…
Today we add in another portion of the series
Start with the stretch from Monday (making a fist and letting go)
Followed by yesterday (stretching each finger individually)
Now, add:
-
Extend your left arm
-
Tilt your hand up 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
-
Using your right hand, gently pull all the fingers on your left hand toward your wrist
-
Hold for a second but do not over-extend. You should feel a stretch but no pain.
-
Release
-
Switch hands and repeat
Again, that’s it. Simple.
You’re halfway through the week and the series…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Coach
Continuing on our variation on a theme: hand and wrist stretches…
Today we add in another portion of the series
Start with the stretch from Monday (making a fist and letting go)
Followed by yesterday (stretching each finger individually)
Now, add:
-
Extend your left arm
-
Tilt your hand up 90 degrees (or whatever you can)
-
Using your right hand, gently pull all the fingers on your left hand toward your wrist
-
Hold for a second but do not over-extend. You should feel a stretch but no pain.
-
Release
-
Switch hands and repeat
Again, that’s it. Simple.
You’re halfway through the week and the series…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Coach
