Things that Matter

Contributed by Stephanie Staples at Your Life Unlimited

Want to do something that matters? Donate something this week.

Call Big Brother’s or The Diabetes Collection Crew or whatever charity in your town does donation pick up and arrange a date for them to stop by.

Then:

• Dig around in the closet and fill up a box with things you haven’t worn in ages.
• In the bathroom collect all those little hotel soaps. You know who needs them more than you? The homeless shelters and women’s shelters. Gather them and give them away.
• Head to the kitchen and pull out the items that are just taking up space. Out they go.
• Head over the shed. What is that stuff anyway? Start tossing.
• And the garage, look up, look down, look sideways, how did you accumulate so much? Filling up a box should take mear moments of your time.
• Pick up doubles at the grocery store and drop them in the donation box at the door of the store.
• And… my favourite thing to donate, blood. Everyone has their own reasons to donate, but if I may try to inspire you – donate because you can. In a show of gratitude for being on that side of the table rather than the receiving side. In Canada, call 1 888 2 DONATE, just Google it wherever you are!

Blood. It is, as they say, in you to give.

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Donate something this week – it’s just one more way you can live Your Life, Unlimited!

This week on Your Life, Unlimited radio…

Thank you to Darrin Desmet, from the Canadian Blood Services for sharing with us information about Blood Donation and Stem Cell testing. For more information on how you can help visit www.blood.ca. Also thanks to Christine Guyader, who shared her story of her son Ryder who at only 8 months old was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. No parent can imagine anything more scary that that. Receiving countless blood donations literally saved little Ryders life. You can read more about their story here.

Also joining us was Judy Holt, author of 1 Potato, 2 Potato, Couch Potato to You! I loved her 200 Plan to loose about 10 pounds in a year, all you have to do is reduced you calories intake by 100 per day (that’s like 10 jelly beans) and increase your activity level to burn 100 calories per day (that’s a 20 minute walk) and poof – say good-bye to 10 pound this year!

You can enjoy the whole show here and Judy’s guest blog post below.

5 Stress Busters for a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle

Stress Buster #1 Finding Balance in Your Life

Life Balance Signpost Shows Family Career Health And Friends

What is taking your time? Have a close look at your ‘wheel of life’…the spokes on the wheel represent where your time is being spent, ie: Career, Family, Spiritual, Health, Fitness, Community Service. Perhaps you will discover areas that are not ‘in balance’.
No one has a perfectly balanced life, but just making time for what’s important to you and aligned with your values will make all the difference for you in leading a more satisfying and fulfilling life.
Enjoy a balanced day and life by taking the time to plan ahead and book what truly matters most to you in each and everyday. If you don’t schedule this time, your career or something else will take up that time.
Stress Buster #2 Your Diet Affects Everything

Have a High Protein Breakfast – A smoothie filled with fresh berries, veggies and Protein Powder is a great way to balance blood sugar and get your day off to a Healthy start!

Focus on Eating more Raw & Fresh Fruits, Berries and Vegetables to create a more alkaline environment in the body. Green drinks are an easy way to do this. A high Alkaline body is less likely to attract disease.
Avoid or Reduce Sugar – Watch for the hidden sugars. 4 oz of sugar as an ingredient = 1 tsp. sugar
Supplement your Diet to fill in the gaps from your daily food intake. Our food is much more processed and nutrient reduced due to environmental changes and GMO/chemical modifications. Add a high quality multivitamin for a smorgasboard of vitamins and minerals, B-Complex for stress and absorbing nutrients from your food, Vitamin D for immunity and bone health, Omega 3 Fish Oils for brain, heart and inflammation and Probiotic for good friendly bacteria to the lower intestines and bowel.
Keep a Food Diary of everything you eat and drink for a 2 week period. Include time of day, your mood when you ate or drank and how you felt afterwards. This is a great way to discover if you are an ‘emotional eater’, eating from boredom or truly hungry. Also, a useful tool to discover food allergies.
Stress Buster #3 Exercise Daily for FUN!

Plan for a minimum of 30 minutes of physical exercise per day (Goal 1 hr. day)
Make sure it’s something you Enjoy so it’s sustainable!
Try a variety of exercises and join a class – yoga, zumba, swimming, walking/hiking, dancing, cycling. You’re much more likely to stay committed if you have pre-registered for a series of classes.
If you enjoy a sport but don’t feel confident and are embarrassed by your lack of ability..then take a lesson or join with a friend and get them to mentor you. Having a buddy to hold you accountable sets you up for success for long term commitment.
Whatever you do to keep active and find something you really enjoy so you can add it to your FUN category and set yourself up for a long term active lifestyle.
Tone up for a Healthy Weight with the “200 Plan”. Reduce your daily calories by 100 and increase your exercise to burn 100 more calories per day, which is equivalent to 20-30 minutes of exercise. Doing these 2 things can = 10-12 lbs. lost over the course of a year. Keeping a healthy weight is your best defense to prevent disease and wear and tear on your joints.
Keep an Exercise Log for 2 weeks. Log what you did, time of day and how you felt doing it. You will be sure to find habits you can expand on and ones that you need to let go of that aren’t serving you.

Stress Buster #4 Time for you Daily

Find a way to Connect with Nature and enjoy a slower pace everyday. Press the “reset button” on your stress levels by taking a break with Deep Belly breathes and getting up and moving. Most of us are shallow breathers and spend a lot time sitting hunched over a computer, ipad or smart phone. Sit up straight so your head is in alignment with your neck and allow the deep breathes to wash away your stress.
Try meditating daily. Begin with a guided mediation until you get in the habit and daily routine.
Find a Hobby you Love and make time for it! Listen to Your Body..It’s Always Talking to You!

Stress Buster #5 Be Grateful and Express Gratitude

“Awaken the Energy of Gratitude.” Deepak Chopra

Living life in Gratitude means you are living life in Grace..filled with inner peace and love for others. It’s hard to focus on your own problems and worries when you’re focusing your energy on being thankful for what you already have.
Show your gratefulness to those around you with kind, unexpected notes or a send a card in the mail.
Volunteer in your Community and find a way to Give Back – take the focus off you and live in the spirit of “Giving”. It’s the “Little Moments” that count most in life.. Enjoy them as they all add up to the big picture.
***

Stephanie Staples, CSP* is the author of When Enlightening Strikes – Creating a Mindset for Uncommon Success, an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, and the recipient of the 2014 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur Award for Contributions to Community. Stephanie empowers audiences & clients across North America to bring their ‘A’ game to work and to life. Stephanie has a special interest in working with and empowering nurses and healthcare providers. She happily calls Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada home. You can get loads of complimentary resources to help with issues such as work/life balance, wellness, stress management and happiness in general, as well as find out more information about her coaching and speaking services at http://www.YourLifeUnlimited.ca.

* Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), conferred by the National Speakers Association is the speaking profession’s international measure of professional platform proficiency. Less than 10 percent of speakers have earned this credential and are recognized as some of the best in their fields. Stephanie was one of only five professional speakers in Canada (and the only woman) to attain this designation in 2013.

The post Things that Matter first appeared on Your Life Unlimited.

Contributed by Stephanie Staples at Your Life Unlimited