Curious about Diet: Is Your Lifestyle Diet Working as a Healthy Habit or Is It Making Your Real Age Older?

Definition of Diet: Course of living or nourishment; what is eaten and drunk habitually; food; victuals; fare. A course of food selected with reference to a particular state of health; prescribed allowance of food; regimen prescribed. To cause to eat and drink sparingly, or by prescribed rules; to regulate medicinally the food of. To eat according to prescribed rules; to eat sparingly; as, the doctor says he must diet.

“I certainly feel that the time is not far distant when a knowledge of the principles of diet will be an essential part of one's education. Then mankind will eat to live, be able to do better mental and physical work and disease will be less frequent.” - Fannie Farmer (1857-1915), American celebrity

Well, Fannie Farmer missed the mark, didn’t she? Obesity in our country is so prevalent that every year many new diets and diet books are introduced. However, we and our children are in serious lifestyle modes that are robbing us of healthy living.

In the fitness classes I teach and lead, I experience students who exercise hard, but must be eating many more calories than they need. They are getting heavier by the day. They see that I am slim and say to me, “You don’t have to worry. You are naturally skinny.” Not so. I not only exercise daily, I watch carefully what I eat and don’t eat.

I was lucky to have a mother whose mantra was, “We are what we eat.” She prepared lots of vegetables and fruit dishes – no fried foods or foods laden with gravy or rich sauces. Yes, on special occasions, she baked the best pies I have ever tasted. We never had chips or soda pop in the house and ice cream only once in awhile.

My first year in college, I started gaining weight from eating the starchy foods and hitting the snack bar regularly. And, fortunately, I woke up and started to watch what I ate. I learned it is not always easy to control one’s eating, so I know how hard it can be. I also know how wonderful and energetic I feel. It is worth it.

Of course, I found many, many excellent quotations that I hope will encourage you and your healthy eating habits:

• “And I believe that the best buy in public health today must be a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy diet.”- Julie Bishop, Australian politician
• “Hope is a very thin diet.” - Thomas Shadwell, English dramatist
• “I always recommend a sensible diet, including lots of carbohydrates and avoiding too much fat. Dancers don't need different fuel from other people - they just need more of it because they use more energy.” - Deborah Bull, British dancer
• “I am now in that happy comfortable state that I do not hesitate to indulge in any fancy in regard to diet, but watch the consequences, and do not continue any course which adds to weight or bulk and consequent discomfort.” - William Banting, English celebrity
• “Look at the average American diet: ice cream, butter, cheese, whole milk, all this fat. People don't realize how much of this stuff you get by the end of the day. High blood pressure is from all this high-fat eating .” - Jack LaLanne, American athlete
• “What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease.” - Alexander Pope, English poet

And, I have to share a few with a twist of humor:

• “Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” - Jim Davis, American cartoonist
• “In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.” - Winston Churchill, British statesman
• “I told my doctor I get very tired when I go on a diet, so he gave me pep pills. Know what happened? I ate faster.” - Joe E. Lewis, American comedian and singer
• “The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you're off it.” - Jackie Gleason, American actor

And a couple to remember and use:

“The circuit training program along with a healthy clean diet is the way to excellent results.” - Lee Haney, American athlete

“My diet is mostly chicken and fish. I make sure I get a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruit. I am a big fruit man, I am a vegetable man anyway. And I also get a lot of rest. That's the key I may be up early, but I'm in bed early too.” - Magic Johnson, American athlete

So, there you have it. Take your time and persevere. You will be glad you did!

Curious about Adversity: Is It True that It Will Make Us Stronger? How Do You Handle It?

“Your greatest successes almost invariably come one step beyond your greatest failures, when everything inside you says quit. Think of failures in terms of how you can make them successes.”- Brian Tracy, American writer

Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.”

If you are paying attention to newspapers, radio, TV, and the people you know and love, you are aware that we are facing more adversity than usual. That could be considered negative news, but I have good news for you. Adversity is a gift that can and will turn your life around if you embrace it and derive the many benefits it offers.

Yes, benefits! Here are a few:

• “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer and businessman
• “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” - William A. Ward, American educator
• “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”- Malcolm X, American activist
• “There is no education like adversity.” - Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman
• “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” - Zig Ziglar, American motivator and writer
• “Every great man, every successful man, no matter what the field of endeavor, has known the magic that lies in these words: every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.” W. Clement Stone, American businessman

Just like so many others experienced, this year brought me more of life’s adversity than I usually encounter. Sometimes I felt as though I was being tested. My business suffered cash flow challenges, my car was stolen twice, and my computer and computer programs decided it was time to see how much technical adversity I could handle and overcome.

I found many suggestions for dealing with adversity in the quotations I found:

• “In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” - Lee Iacocca, American businessman
• “Three hundred years ago a prisoner condemned to the Tower of London carved on the wall of his cell this sentiment to keep up his spirits during his long imprisonment: 'It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear adversity.’” - James Keller, British writer
• “You'll never find a better sparring partner than adversity.” - Golda Meir, Israeli leader
• “I contend that not only can you laugh at adversity, but it is essential to do so if you are to deal with setbacks without defeat.” - Allen Klein, American businessman
• “In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.” - Robert Collier, American businessman
• “Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet

And two gems that I want you to take with you:

“Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.” - Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” - Lou Holtz, American coach

I challenge you to welcome any adversity with open arms. Do let me know how it has changed you and made you stronger. I know that’s what it has done for me.

Curious about Strength: What Is Your Strongest? How Is It Serving You?

Definition of Strength:The quality or state of being strong; ability to do or to bear; capacity for exertion or endurance, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; force; vigor; power; as, strength of body or of the arm; strength of mind, of memory, or of judgment. That quality which tends to secure results; effective power in an institution or enactment; security; validity; legal or moral force; logical conclusiveness; as, the strength of social or legal obligations; the strength of law; the strength of public opinion; strength of evidence; strength of argument.

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” - Albert Einstein, German physicist

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer

I chose strength for this week’s theme – even though I have written about it before – because one of my readers and I were discussing the Strengths Finder test. The premise of the first book, Now Discover Your Strengths, and the follow-up, Strength Finder 2.0, is that we so often spend time and tears on working to overcome our weaknesses, that we don’t make use of our strengths.

From the book: “Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, . . . we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.”

By knowing our strengths, we can work to make them even stronger. Usually, we are happier and more passionate about our careers and our lives when we are using our strengths and talents. We enjoy doing what we are good at. The quotations I found – and there were plenty – can also serve as lessons in this area. I feel that you will learn lots from them too.

Let’s start with some of my favorites:

• “Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance - the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it; better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.” - Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher
• “It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.” - Elbert Hubbard, American writer
• “Our passion is our strength.” - Billie Joe Armstrong, American musician
• “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” - Harriet Tubman, American activist
• “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” – Plato, Greek philosopher
• “My greatest strength is common sense. I'm really a standard brand - like Campbell's tomato soup or Baker's chocolate.” - Katharine Hepburn, American actress

And a couple more to take with you:

“Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward the stars.” - Brian Tracy, American author

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian leader

What are your strengths? What is the strongest? And, how are you using it?

Curious about Being and/or Becoming an Expert

Definition of Expert: Taught by use, practice, or experience, experienced; having facility of operation or performance from practice; knowing and ready from much practice; clever; skillful; as, an expert surgeon; expert in chess or archery. An expert or experienced person; one instructed by experience; one who has skill, experience, or extensive knowledge in his calling or in any special branch of learning.

“Try, try, try, and keep on trying is the rule that must be followed to become an expert in anything.” - W. Clement Stone, American businessman

“Who's to say who's an expert?” - Paul Newman, American Actor

In what area and/or areas do you possess expertise? You may have a hobby, interest or activity that you are passionate about. Whatever it is, Internet gurus are suggesting that you start writing articles, get involved on forums and even create information products so that you become known as an expert in that field. You may also become more of an expert by doing research, reading and attending workshops and seminars.

Why would you pursue this?

One of the most successful areas in sales online and even offline are information products. These products share how tos and facts that others are searching for. For example, you may be interested in public speaking, fitness, storytelling and web design. I have reasonably priced information products and even free articles that I have written addressing each of these areas that I am passionate about.

Let me share some of the interesting quotations I found for the word expert:

• “What's an expert? I read somewhere, that the more a man knows, the more he knows, he doesn't know. So I suppose one definition of an expert would be someone who doesn't admit out loud that he knows enough about a subject to know he doesn't really know how much.” - Malcolm Forbes, American publisher
• “Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience.” - Denis Waitley, American writer
• “Make three correct guesses consecutively and you will establish a reputation as an expert.” - Laurence J. Peter, Canadian writer
• “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.” - Niels Bohr, Danish physicist
• “A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.” - James Callaghan, English leader
• “I'm not an expert, but I want to be.” - Ben Nicholson, British artist

And, a couple more for you to consider:

“Observe, record, tabulate, communicate. Use your five senses. Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell, and know that by practice alone you can become expert.” - William Osler, Canadian scientist

“If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert.” - David Ben-Gurion, Israeli statesman

I challenge you to think about having expert status and pursuing information marketing in that field. You will be glad you did.