Have you ever experienced being caught in a rut, a rut when we seem overwhelmed by bad luck? I am not referring to the occasional experience of bad luck; no, I am speaking about the type of bad luck that leads to questioning one's karma.
If you answer yes, it is my belief that you are in the midst of a crisis of existence. You are experiencing a moment in which god or the universe is trying to capture your attention for a lesson or lessons to learn.
Many of us try so hard to avoid listening to this voice. We try to quiet this voice by staying busy, venting our frustration at people close to us, by using artificial substances to block out reality. But often to no avail, the pain becomes more and more intense until we can no longer ignore it.
As they sang in the Color Purple ... "god is trying to tell you something."
Our initial - and very human - reaction is to think we are being punish; hence, instead of acutely listening to this voice, we try to negotiate the "inconvenience" away by praying ...
God, if you release me from this pain or burden, I promise I will become rightous and I will never _____________________ (fill in the blank) do that again.
My belief is that god doesn't want us to bargain nor simply beg for forgiveness (even though seeking forgiveness and forgiving others are part of the process); god
wants us to pay attention to certain Universal Truths. God wants to free us from the prison our ego and vanity have built.
Once we successfully achieve this state, we can begin take action to improve our Karma. As we begin to take effective action, we better understand that god used that moment to help us grow not to punish us.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Diabetes and Exercise
I have been fully emerged in political dialog during this very exciting and historic political season. However, to add balance to my holistic blog, I am including this very informative piece I discovered on ediets.com. For those of us that suffer from diabetes - type 1 or type 2 - proper exercise is crucial to our health. Enjoy, process, implement and than share this information! For more info click on this link exercise
Type 1: Perform aerobic exercise three to five times per week at 55-70 percent of maximal heart rate. Each session should last 20- 30 minutes for health-related benefits and to better regulate insulin dosage. Those with Type 1 diabetes that do not have complications can strength train following a program that those without diabetes use. Strength training can be done two to three days a week performing 8-12 repetitions for 8-12 muscle groups, up to two to three sets of each exercise. Seek physician approval and heed strict limits on participation. To prevent hypoglycemia, you should link each session to the timing and site of insulin injection, antecedent and post-exercise nutrition, exercise at the same time every day and monitor your glucose before and after exercise.
Type 2: Perform aerobic exercise approximately five to six days of the week to burn calories and lose weight. Sessions should last 40-60 minutes in duration at a low intensity of 40-70 percent of maximal heart rate. Stick with moderate exercise to reduce the likelihood of foot irritation and musculoskeletal injury. Engage in light to moderate resistance training to increase muscle mass and lower basal insulin levels. For strength training, two days a week at a low level performing 15-20 reps for one to two sets per exercise. Also, try to increase activities of daily living like gardening, taking the steps and walking the dog.
Type 1: Perform aerobic exercise three to five times per week at 55-70 percent of maximal heart rate. Each session should last 20- 30 minutes for health-related benefits and to better regulate insulin dosage. Those with Type 1 diabetes that do not have complications can strength train following a program that those without diabetes use. Strength training can be done two to three days a week performing 8-12 repetitions for 8-12 muscle groups, up to two to three sets of each exercise. Seek physician approval and heed strict limits on participation. To prevent hypoglycemia, you should link each session to the timing and site of insulin injection, antecedent and post-exercise nutrition, exercise at the same time every day and monitor your glucose before and after exercise.
Type 2: Perform aerobic exercise approximately five to six days of the week to burn calories and lose weight. Sessions should last 40-60 minutes in duration at a low intensity of 40-70 percent of maximal heart rate. Stick with moderate exercise to reduce the likelihood of foot irritation and musculoskeletal injury. Engage in light to moderate resistance training to increase muscle mass and lower basal insulin levels. For strength training, two days a week at a low level performing 15-20 reps for one to two sets per exercise. Also, try to increase activities of daily living like gardening, taking the steps and walking the dog.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
On My Bookshelf: Frugal Duchess by Sharon Harvey Rosenberg
I can say with immeasurable pride that my one summer read and recommendation is a book recently released and written by my sister, Sharon Harvey Rosenberg called The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save.
With high gas, energy and food prices, the release of the book could not be more timely for families across the country. Here is a blurb from Amazon.com:
Award-winning journalist Rosenberg shares how she lives a life of high style without the stress of high costs or deprivation. She chronicles her often hilarious journey of luxury living for less in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., while equipping readers with the tools they can use in their own cities.
What's next?
Yes, by now, the euphoria of Barack Obama's historic achievement has worn down and the reality of the task at hand is very sobering. McCain, Republicans, Fox News, conservative (hate) radio and corporate lobbyist are fully engaged in political guerrilla warfare.
Their strategy - we predicted months ago - character assassination by besmirching his name and record, and promoting lies. They have attacked Obama's religion (questioning his Christianity and church affiliation), patriotism and wife. The goal of this strategy is to make Obama the bogeyman - never mind fairly critiquing his position on issues. In response to the intensity of these lies, Obama established a website called factcheck.barackobama.com to set the record straight.
Our job? We must continue to campaign and canvass on the behalf of this movement. Obama's campaign can be reached in all 50 states for volunteer organizers. Here is a recent press release from the Obama campaign:
Senator Barack Obama's campaign today announced the kickoff of Vote for Change, an unprecedented 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive. The campaign will work with grassroots volunteers and partner with local organizations to register new voters and boost engagement in our Democratic process. The program will launch on May 10 with dozens of events around the country.
"If we're going to push back on the special interests and finally solve the challenges we face, we're going to need everyone to get involved," said Senator Obama. "Over the next six months, Vote for Change is going to bring new participants into the process, adding scores of new voices to this critical dialogue about our future. I started my career as a community organizer, and I worked to register voters in communities where hope was all but lost. I've seen what can happen when Americans re-engage and take ownership in the process." "We've already seen amazing new enthusiasm and involvement over the course of this campaign, and now we're taking that excitement to the next level in all 50 states," said deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand. "We've seen too many elections where turnout was less than 50 percent. At this critical time in our history, we know we can do better--this year and beyond."
Their strategy - we predicted months ago - character assassination by besmirching his name and record, and promoting lies. They have attacked Obama's religion (questioning his Christianity and church affiliation), patriotism and wife. The goal of this strategy is to make Obama the bogeyman - never mind fairly critiquing his position on issues. In response to the intensity of these lies, Obama established a website called factcheck.barackobama.com to set the record straight.
Our job? We must continue to campaign and canvass on the behalf of this movement. Obama's campaign can be reached in all 50 states for volunteer organizers. Here is a recent press release from the Obama campaign:
Senator Barack Obama's campaign today announced the kickoff of Vote for Change, an unprecedented 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive. The campaign will work with grassroots volunteers and partner with local organizations to register new voters and boost engagement in our Democratic process. The program will launch on May 10 with dozens of events around the country.
"If we're going to push back on the special interests and finally solve the challenges we face, we're going to need everyone to get involved," said Senator Obama. "Over the next six months, Vote for Change is going to bring new participants into the process, adding scores of new voices to this critical dialogue about our future. I started my career as a community organizer, and I worked to register voters in communities where hope was all but lost. I've seen what can happen when Americans re-engage and take ownership in the process." "We've already seen amazing new enthusiasm and involvement over the course of this campaign, and now we're taking that excitement to the next level in all 50 states," said deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand. "We've seen too many elections where turnout was less than 50 percent. At this critical time in our history, we know we can do better--this year and beyond."
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