Increase Your Uplifts

How do you increase your uplift?  Simple: You do little things that bring you pleasure.  You don't just wait passively to be uplifted-you make it happen! For example, you can lift your spirits by:

• Treating yourself to a delicious dessert in the middle of the afternoon.

• Join a dance class like Zumba and go every week.

• Spending lunch hour sunning yourself on a park bench.

• Taking 20 minutes to meditate.

• Taking time to feed the birds who visit your yard before going off to work.

• Watching children play.

• Daydreaming about positive experiences you've ha in the past.

• Giving yourself permission to have that extra cup of coffee before you join in the "rat race."

• Enjoying a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe.

• Listening to some of your favorite songs while driving from point A to point B.

• Reading a magazine article about something that interests you. 

 

These are the things that you can initiate.  They don't depend on what other people are willing or able to do that might please you.  They are things that you have control over.  Enjoy life, make the best out of each moment, it is the only one we have.

In the Face of Challenges, Rivise Your Life Plan

Major life challenges and trials disrupt your life and force you to redirect your energies, interests, and commitments.  But how do you do that? It's not easy to revise your life and move into a positive, more satisfying future.  But these steps can get you moving in the right direction:

• Create a positive mindset by sitting quietly with your eyes closed while opening your mind to the possibility of hope, optimism, and creative behavioral change.  Take ten exaggerated breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth while silently repeating the word relax each time you exhale.

• Identify a short list of valued life goals-for example, being closet to your family, becoming a more spiritual person, reconnecting with old friends, and getting in shape. Goals give you a sense of direction in terms of the changes you want to make.  Basically, you are deciding what you want your life to stand for from this point on.

•  Surround yourself with people who have positive energy, who can push you and direct you toward your goals.

• Decide what the incentives are for you to reach these goals.  What is the end game?  Will you have greater peace of mind?  Will you be happier? Will you live longer?  Be specific.

• Ask yourself how committed you are to achieving each goal.  The more committed you are, the more successful you will be.

• Ask yourself how confident you are about making these changes.  Commitment and confidence are not the same.  You can be committed, but not all that confident- or, the other way around.

• Consider what specific things you would need to realize each goal.  Where would you start?  How much support do you need?  If you have several goals, which one do you begin with?  Make it easy on yourself-start with the smallest, easiest thing and work your way up to the big changes.

• Identify any obstacles to meet your objectives.  Do you have physical limitations that might interfere?  Are other people's attitudes holding you back?

• Begin-Just Do It.  It does not matter what you do; the important thing is that you just do something. Change takes effort, so you have to persist, even when going gets tough.  There is no easy way to accomplish change.  Change also takes time, so be patient.  As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."  You Cannot reconstruct your life in a day either.  Focus on the destination, but enjoy the journey.

• Reward yourself for whatever changes you make no matter how small.  If changes is rewarding, keep at it-if it isn't, quit.  It's just that simple.

Redirect Your Energy!

Spring is around the corner. New life is starting everywhere.  Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and trees are blossoming.  What about you?

Dealing with adversity takes a lot of energy-physical and psychological-especially when you see your circumstances as beyond your control.  Initially, what little energy you have can easily end up being channeled into  negative thoughts, feelings, and actions, which keep you from moving forward with your life.

Here are some very simple steps that you can take to redirect your energy: 

•  Shift your time frame- the benefit you are seeking has to do with future, and not the past. Sitting around ruminating or sulking about the past will only keep you “stuck” where you are-in the state of perpetual distress. 
•  Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t.  When and “accident” occurs in your life and stops you from your routine, look at it as an opportunity to get done  the things that you put on hold for a while.  Think about ability rather than disability and you will feel a whole lot better.
• Be productive in both thoughts and deeds.  Reliving a not so pleasant situation that happened to you  years ago day after day is counter-productive if you are looking for a way to achieve a moment of happiness.  Resisting all efforts to get you back into the mainstream of life3 is also counter-productive.  Better to think “what can I do?” and then do it.

Happiness starts with a healthy body!

              

   Happiness is an important part of life-no less than anger, sadness, and fear.  It begins with life itself: what mother does not recognize the look of happiness on the face of her newborn? Human beings are wired with an innate, neurological potential for happiness, but whether this potential eventually becomes a reality depends on how we choose to live our lives.  In other words, happiness isn’t an accident, and it isn’t a gift from other sources- it is the gift you give yourself!

                 

                  If you are like the majority of the population, you are far too passive when it comes to experiencing happiness.  You wait for it to find you instead of exercising your right to pursue it.  It is because most people are passive when it comes to happiness that happiness seems so elusive!  Face it: We live in a proactive world, people don’t wait for freedom- they fight for it.  Wealth is no longer something you inherit- you can create it.

                

                 People are living longer now days.  Why? Because we are learning that we can improve the  quality of our life through the everyday choices we make.     Being healthy and staying in shape does not come in a bottle any more.  You need to make a conscious decision to be active and exercise regularly at least 30 minutes a day five days a week.  Jump on the XTC wagon and  make the best decision of your life and see how fulfilling and happy your life will be when you are healthy and active.

Zumba Party is on at XTC!!!!!

Camila teaches Zumba at XTC gym on regular basis, her classes are ever so popular among XTC clients that we need to remodel the dance room, all we need to do is to get a few of our muscle men to break the wall and take over the business next door.

Honestly, we are the talk of the town. Getting in shape and staying fit should not be a daily challenge, so come on down and see it for yourself.  Check out the schedule of classes and bring a friend, it is always more fun to party with a friend.