#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Kelly Morgan, PHD!

Good Morning Friends,

Got home from camping Sunday afternoon to find out about 2 deaths (1 dear friend's mom and another dear friend's husband) therefore I have a funeral and a wake to attend today so I'm not going to take up a lot of time catching you up on what's going on with me. Instead, I'm going to let Dr. Kelly Morgan, who was in our Spotlight Feb 5th, take it away...

The Ultimate Guide to Reaching Your Goals

We all have a vision of how we want to look, feel, and act. Your vision for your healthy self is as individual as you are. 

Apart from those goals that are physically unachievable by humans, smart goal setting, detailed planning, and a system of support and motivation can take you from thinking about getting healthy to living that vision of a healthy you that’s floating around in your brain.

Setting Your Vision

Ask yourself these questions...and take the time to write down your answers:

• What do you want to achieve? Be specific.

• Why do you want to achieve this goal? 

• What does this success mean for you?

• How might your daily life change? 

• Where do you struggle the most in trying to reach this version of you?

• What needs to change about your attitude, environment, support system, lifestyle, finances to get you where you want to be?

• Most importantly, why haven’t you changed or succeeded in long term change in the past?

Setting Your Goals

When you begin to piece together your goals and plan, be both kind to yourself and realistic.

What are the most important outcome of making this change for you? How can you get there in the most painless way possible? The secret to habit-changing success is to - get this - make it easy. You’re going to be actively negotiating with yourself while formulating your goals and plan. Negotiate a deal you can live with and still reach your goals.

As you list your most important outcomes of this process, think of them as your goals. Break each of the outcomes down into separate goals that you are invested in achieving. Each one should be distinct and have only one outcome. The clearer you can get the goals, the simpler it will be to assign the tactics you need to achieve them.

Getting Tactical

For each goal, write a one to two sentence strategy. After writing a strategy for each goal, list out specific things you’ll do to achieve that goal. These are your tactics. Think of everything you can do to execute your strategy. How can you remove obstacles and barriers from your life to make way for goal attainment?

Think of tactics that can easily fit into your life and that can help you toward your goals. Anything you can think of that would help is fair game for this list. Be creative!

Making Your Plan

Once you have your goals, strategies, and tactics, it’s time to plan. Unfortunately, you can’t live in a bubble where you only have to focus on reaching your goals. Sorry. To be successful and efficient in achieving your goals, you need to figure out how your new tactics will fit in with your daily routine. What needs to change for you to do these tactics? Are there things you need to buy? Space you need to make? Schedule shuffling to do? How can you most easily and seamlessly incorporate these tactics into your current life?

A Final Word

This may take you a while to complete. Take your time and be thorough and detailed. Planning out your path to success now, while you’re motivated, will save you from difficult and tempting situations, setbacks, and, let’s be honest, a little laziness, in the future.

Best of luck to you in achieving your goals! 

Kelly Vandersluis Morgan, Ph.D. owns Tsirona, where she is a health coach for busy, high-achieving women who have put their health on the backburner while kicking butt in the rest of their lives. She helps women gain control of their health and use it as a tool for continuing to lead their crazy lives and achieve their big dreams. She has recovered from anorexia, gained too much weight in a time of stress, and finally discovered how to make her health much easier.

Dr. Morgan’s online coaching and courses help her clients set their goals and reach success. She has been featured in media outlets such as Self, Yoga Journal, Elite Daily, and HealthyWay.

Dr. Morgan has a unique mix of formal education in writing, health communication, and business that is supplemented by her experience as a certified personal trainer, health coach, fitness nutrition specialist, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. She is also an adjunct professor in the Health and Sport Management departments at the largest university in Virginia, where she has had a near-100% success rate with guiding her hundreds of students through health behavior change projects to reach their goals.

Visit Kelly’s website to learn more about how she can help you: www.tsirona.com   

Kelly's book, YOU but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard! can be found at Amazon.

Great information, Kelly, since we are still in the 1st Qtr. of this year. THANKS for sharing! 

Thanks for dropping by Friends. Hope to see you again soon for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time take care and remember to call, text or hug your loved ones. We're not promised tomorrow.

PamT

PS: It's Read an Ebook Week and my titles are on sale for 50% off at Smashwords Only - Tell someone you know or get them a copy today!

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Kelly Morgan, PHD & You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard!

Good Morning and a C.c.c...o.o.o.l.l.l.dddd one it is here in SW Louisiana!

I don't understand how people deal with this kind of cold for more than a couple of months out of the year. I am DONE with winter already! But there's nothing like an great book to grab your interest and give you a good reason to stay indoors wrapped in your favorite comforter. That's what I'm sharing with you today so please welcome brand-new-to-me-and-our-blog author, Kelly Morgan, PHD with her book You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health so Hard!

Struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle while tackling life’s demands? Learn how to make wellness a number-one priority, even with a busy schedule.

Are you a successful woman conquering the world, but losing control of your health? Have you tried to get healthier in the past, but time constraints made it feel impossible? Have you stopped taking care of yourself to meet the responsibilities of career and family? Certified health coach, personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist, Dr. Kelly Morgan has helped hundreds of women set goals and reach health success while dealing with their hectic lives. Now she’s here to share how to reclaim your vitality – even with your crazy busy life - to be the best, healthier person you can be.

You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard! is a clear and simple manual and workbook to help you optimize a plan to preserve health, balance, and well-being. With her proven program, worksheets, and tips, you’ll develop a sustainable and manageable strategy to fit your individual needs. And following Dr. Morgan’s deeply researched and sensible approach, you’ll gain a unique understanding of how to overcome obstacles and change defeating mindsets to create the happy, vibrant future you deserve.

In You, but Better, you’ll discover:

• Seven powerful pillars to help you build a firm foundation for a healthy lifestyle

• Relatable concepts that work easily into your busy calendar

• Guidelines for creating your individual fitness and nutrition programs that focus on what you like, rather than what you hate

• Methods for eliminating stress and boosting your energy to transform your current outlook

• A step-by-step process for when you get stuck, and much, much more!

You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard! is your essential guide to help revitalize your body, mind, and spirit. If you like winning plans for self-improvement, easy-to-follow instruction, and practical tools, then you’ll love Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.’s empowering resource.

Excerpt:

Let’s begin with a simple question: When was the last time you felt amazing? There's been a time in all of our lives where we've been really healthy. We've really been great, for real. We've all had that success before, so we know it's possible. Maybe you’ve been putting aside getting back to that feeling because you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s, and you keep telling yourself, "Oh, I don't have any health concerns; I'm still young."

As you stop taking care of yourself to take care of everything else in life, you make it a little bit more difficult to get back to what you deserve—feeling great. You deserve that energy. You deserve to be feeling awesome.

There’s an easier way to make sustainable and manageable lifestyle changes, and I’m going to help you take that easier path to long-term success.

Kelly Vandersluis Morgan, Ph.D. owns Tsirona, where she is a health coach for busy, high-achieving women who have put their health on the backburner while kicking butt in the rest of their lives. She helps women gain control of their health and use it as a tool for continuing to lead their crazy lives and achieve their big dreams. She has recovered from anorexia, gained too much weight in a time of stress, and finally discovered how to make her health much easier.

Dr. Morgan’s online coaching and courses help her clients set their goals and reach success. She has been featured in media outlets such as Self, Yoga Journal, Elite Daily, and HealthyWay.

Dr. Morgan has a unique mix of formal education in writing, health communication, and business that is supplemented by her experience as a certified personal trainer, health coach, fitness nutrition specialist, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. She is also an adjunct professor in the Health and Sport Management departments at the largest university in Virginia, where she has had a near-100% success rate with guiding her hundreds of students through health behavior change projects to reach their goals.

Visit Kelly’s website to learn more about how she can help you. Get your copy of You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard!  at Amazon.

Wow, Kelly thanks for sharing. You, but Better: Stop Making Your Health So Hard! sounds like the perfect book to start the new year with and to help with those new year resolutions we all have.

We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it and your coaching.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight, friends and that you'll check back each week for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time take care, God bless and stay warm!

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Getting Healthy by Clarissa Rivera!

Good Morning and Welcome!

2020 has launched and for many, getting healthy is a resolution we aspire to every year. We may start out OK but then old habits creep in and we find ourselves right back where we were. Or worse.

Clarissa Rivera, Content Marketer at Taos Footwear (who visited us back in September) has some tips for us....

5 Tips to Amplify Your Healthy Living Lifestyle

Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle is one of the smartest decisions you can make. With a good plan for health and wellness, you can do a lot to make sure you feel better both physically and mentally. Along with that, healthy living is the key to reducing your risk for a wide range of health concerns.

At the start of your journey to a healthier life, you may have taken the time to build an exercise routine and maybe you did a little research to improve your diet. These obvious steps are a great start, but they shouldn’t be seen as the entire path to improved health and wellness. Along with having an exercise routine and planning some healthy meals, here are some quick wins to enhance your healthy lifestyle.

Photo by Nathan Cowley from Pexels

Snack Smarter

Having the occasional snack is fine no matter what your fitness goals may be. Whether you are a late-night snacker or if you just like to keep snacks at your desk when you work, it isn’t the act of snacking that is the problem – it is the quality of the foods you snack on.

So many of us have developed a habit of reaching for things like cakes, candy or chips when we want a snack. If you want a healthier lifestyle, your diet has to consider the snacks you eat as well as your meals. Instead of reaching for unhealthy snacks, switch to eating fruits, vegetables and nuts when you need a snack.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

If you are trying to improve your fitness, breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast helps to set the tone for the rest of the day, and it is even more important if you have an intense day of exercise planned. Even if you are trying to lose weight, you need to start the day off with a good meal.

Instead of skipping the first meal of the day, you should turn your attention to finding healthy breakfast foods. Oatmeal is a classic that can work well for almost any fitness goal. Beyond that, you could try low-fat yogurt with some fresh fruit or a whole-wheat bagel. You could even include eggs as a part of a healthy breakfast.

Get a Good Pair of Shoes

Exercise is an important part of living a healthy life, but it can put a lot of stress on your feet. Regardless of the type of exercise you do, you should buy shoes that are designed for the activity and you also want to make sure they fit well. Along with that, you should get new shoes when your old ones get worn out. Even if they are comfortable, a pair of old, beat-up shoes can increase your risk of injury.

Beyond exercise, give some thought to the shoes you wear day-in, day-out. You may be surprised to find supportive sneakers in styles usually lamented as foot killers.

One tip for finding the right shoes is to go shopping in the evening. A person’s feet tend to be a little larger later in the day, so you should be able to find a more comfortable pair by shopping in the afternoon or evening. Additionally, your shoes should be comfortable the first time you put them on; don’t rely on the idea that you can break them in to make them feel right.

Exercise in the Morning

Just making the effort to exercise can make a huge difference for improving your health. With that said, your workout schedule can make a difference. If you can plan your workout for any time of the day, you should try to get yourself out of bed early to exercise first thing in the morning.

If your schedule will only allow you to work out in the afternoon, that is fine, but research has shown that there are additional benefits of morning exercise. Exercising in the morning can increase the benefits for weight loss and it has even been shown to improve alertness throughout the day.

Look for Variety

One problem for many healthy eaters is that they have a limited number of meals that fit their lifestyle. With a limited array of recipes, it can be easy to get bored with what you are eating. Along with that, it can be difficult to get all of the nutrients you need if there is not enough variety in your diet.

If you want to avoid getting tired of eating healthy and make sure you are getting enough nutrition, you need to aim for variety. Make a consistent effort to try new healthy recipes to add to the variety. One way to do this is to pick one day a week that is for trying a new dinner recipe. After a while, you will have a wide array of recipes that will help you to keep things fresh as you continue to eat healthy.

Great tips, Clarissa! Thank you for sharing.

Hope you're inspired to make 2020 your BEST year ever, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

REMEMBER....everyone who leaves a comment is entered into a drawing for a $15 gift card of his/her choice (leave your email address too!)

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures The sound of silence....

Good Morning Friends!

My scheduled guest had a new grand-baby and wasn't able to be here so I guess it's my turn. Much like last week's thoughts, it's been so long since I shared treasures with you I'm not even sure where to begin LOL!

This past weekend I went off the grid from late Thursday morning through Sunday afternoon and let me tell you, it was wonderful!

Which brings me to today's treasure: Silence

We live in a world full of noise...traffic, news (mostly bad), people, advertisements, and the list goes on and on..... So much that many people don't know how to enjoy the silence.

There are those who sleep with the television on, and those who turn it on the minute they wake up in the morning. For others it's a radio.

I'll admit I sometimes like to turn on a guided meditation which helps me to unwind and go to sleep with something positive to counteract the negativity of the day. But mostly, I love to lay in the silence and let it seep into my very soul, relax my body and mind and drift into dreamland.

There are many days I sit in silence for moments or even hours at a time, especially when I travel. This gives me the space to connect with my soul, to pray for others and to listen to the still small voice of God.

I've read many times in various books that if people would make a daily habit of listing 3 things they are grateful for, pray for 3 people they are in disagreement or at odds with and then sit still for 5 minutes, they'd have much more productive days and healthier lives!

There are numerous health benefits to meditation but most people feel they can't squeeze thirty minutes of silence into their day. The good news is you don't have to! Even 5 minute breaks are beneficial. It's not about the way you sit or where you are either. Just make a point to get quiet as often as you can.

So, how would one incorporate moments of silence into his/her day?

Start small!

Instead of drinking your morning coffee or tea on the run, get up fifteen minutes early and savor it in the quiet of early dawn.

Even if it means gazing at a picture immerse yourself in nature. Engage your senses and really get into this....imagine the scent of flowers, the beauty of a deep forest, the vastness of a mountain range or the quiet whisper of waves on the beach.

Listen to a CD of soft music, waves, birds or other soothing sounds while you sip your morning brew.

Set a timer for 3 or 5 minutes if you have to, take deep breaths and just let the thoughts flow from your mind. Repeat the mantra "silence" if you have to but take the time to just breathe and be. As you get into the habit of doing this, you'll find you crave the experience even more.

Keep a journal next to you. Not everyone is a writer, but you'll be amazed at the ideas that flow when the mind is quiet and the heart open.

Take mini breaks throughout the day and practice being silent. Go to the restroom if you have to, but get away from the madness of your duties, thoughts and fears as often as you can.

Here's a pretty picture for you to gaze upon in a few moments of silence while you're here.....

These are just a few ideas on how to incorporate silence into your day. Try it, I guarantee if you stick with the program for thirty days, you'll notice a huge difference in your life.

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge!" 

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts Random Ramblings on DeCluttering

Good Morning!

I have no idea what to talk about today so I'm just going to start typing and see what comes out....

When scrolling through my downloads folder I'm amazed at the number of files I need to delete. Have no idea when I'm going to do that but I would love to start 2017 with a clean slate.

How many of us feel that way about some are in our lives?

Maybe more than one area?

Well now is the time to take baby steps in getting rid of clutter...in our home, in our heart and in our work.

Here's a few ideas on how to do this:

Start Small. Just like with any project, it's better to do a little each day and work toward a particular goal than to go hard at it, trying to do too many things all at once and burn yourself out.

Make a List. Lists can be your best friend, especially when you scratch things off of it.

Celebrate Your Accomplishments. Finish one room, closet. dresser or file folder? Take time to congratulate yourself and feel good about your accomplishment instead of beating yourself up over what you have left to do.

Take a Break.  Even if only a day or two, taking a break between tasks helps you keep things in perspective and helps avoid overwhelm.

Relax, Pray, Meditate. This goes without saying if your life is "too busy" you need to take time out to relax, pray and meditate. Even if only 5 minutes a couple times each day. Nothing makes a busy life less hectic.

These are just a few ideas for decluttering your life. I'd love for you to share YOUR ideas and I hope you'll drop by each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#ThursdayThoughts: Moving Through Grief

Good Morning Friends,

You know I try to use this feature to encourage and uplift and today is no different despite the title of this post.

If you've followed me long, you'll know that my husband, my heart, my soul mate passed away in 2009 and that I've found myself in this jungle called single-hood. From the time I could articulate, my dream was to be married and have babies so I've never been comfortable being single.

"They" (whoever the hell 'they' are) say one of the signs of moving on is when you can look back without as much pain.

I can attest to that.

In the last five years I've done everything in my power to get through this valley of death. I've prayed, cried, loved and yet, there's still a place in my heart that literally aches and I'm not sure that will ever totally cease.

But at least I can say I'm don't feel as though I'm crawling through quicksand anymore.

Anyway, yesterday I saw this on Face Book and well.. it pretty much explains how I feel.....

 I believe this is true no matter who you are grieving.

A friend who recently lost a spouse said, "trying to figure out who I am now is the crazy part."

That too, is true.

No matter the fact you maintain your separate identities throughout the relationship, you still feel as though you're only half a person and that you have no idea who you are anymore.

But God does and He knows the great things in store for you!

So let me encourage you today.... If you find yourself in the pit of despair because God has called your loved one home, hang in there and when you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and realize it is not a freight train, ask Him to show you a new vision for your life.

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge! ™

Tuesday Treasure: Respect

Yeah this might be a topic I normally would post on Thursday Thoughts, but I can't wait on this one!

I know I'm far from perfect but I try to live my life in a manner befitting my King, my Lord & Savior..a life of integrity, honesty and respect.

When I deal with others, naturally I expect they are doing the same.



It saddens and upsets me to find people so easily lie and cheat and steal and destroy what does not belong to them and then act like the victim. And when when their actions force me to do things I would rather NOT do and feel emotions I don't like feeling....well guess it's par for the course...

I've said before life is too short for pettiness, bullshit and drama. Well let me tell you, life is way too long when it is lived without basic Honesty, Integrity and Respect!

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge! ™

Thursday Thoughts: Word of Mouth

I know, I know, it's Friday but better late than never right?! LOL!

Today I'd like to discuss a topic that is a two-edged sword: Word of Mouth.

In the world of sales and marketing, Word of Mouth is one of the BEST forms of advertising. On the other hand, it can also be detrimental if what is said is negative.

But that is not what I'm talking about today. 

I'm talking about GOSSIP.

I've been in various jobs in different levels of employment and I must tell you, no matter what level of integrity the organization, gossip is prevalent.

And even though I despise gossip, I know how easy it is to get wrapped up in someone's bitching and complaining or talking about this one or the other.

I'm not the only one who would rather NOT hear people talk about one another. God is very adamant on the subject. Just check out these Scriptures....

1. Leviticus 19:16

You shall not go up and down as a dispenser of gossip and scandal among your people, nor shall you [secure yourself by false testimony or by silence and] endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.

2. Psalm 41:6

And when one comes to see me, he speaks falsehood and empty words, while his heart gathers mischievous gossip [against me]; when he goes away, he tells it abroad.

3. Psalm 69:26

For they pursue and persecute him whom You have smitten, and they gossip about those whom You have wounded, [adding] to their grief and pain.

4. Proverbs 31:27

She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.

5. Ezekiel 36:3

Therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God: Because, yes, because they made you a desolation, and they snapped after and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people,

6. 2 Corinthians 12:20

For I am fearful that somehow or other I may come and find you not as I desire to find you, and that you may find me too not as you want to find me—that perhaps there may be factions (quarreling), jealousy, temper (wrath, intrigues, rivalry, divided loyalties), selfishness, whispering, gossip, arrogance (self-assertion), and disorder among you.

And last but not least, one of the things mentioned as an "abomination" to the Lord is "he who sows discord among his brothers" (Prov. 16:18-20)

There is an old adage.... If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone adhered to that advice?

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge! ™

Thursday Thoughts: Consequences

We've all been taught that our words and actions have consequences.

I've had the opportunity to witness two difference scenarios on this just within the last couple of days.

One, the person in question was reprimanded fairly for her actions and the other was not.

In the first instance the end result was pretty well justified. The second, after efforts were made to get to the bottom of the situation, the initial results were overturned and again, justice prevailed.

Why am I bringing this to your attention?

Because in both instances I had the opportunity to get involved with the drama and jump to conclusions or not.

Since peace is the ultimate goal of my soul, I chose to offer the best advice possible to both based on what I was told.

Then when the truth came out, I realized with eternal gratitude, that I hadn't jumped right smack dab in the middle of someone else's drama.

Moral of the story.... When you are approached by someone and your initial reaction is to respond to the unfairness of it all with anger or something on their behalf, DON'T... get the facts first and save yourself a boat load of embarrassment and possible repercussions.

Something to think about!
"Inspirational with an Edge! ™

Thursday Thoughts: Accomplishments

Well, it's not the first time I've posted Thursday Thoughts on a Friday and probably won't be the last. The days sometimes seem to just pass me by and although I work, some days I feel as though I haven't actually accomplished anything or much!

Ever feel like that?

How do you handle it?

I've incorporated a couple of things to help me cope....

#1: Prayer and Meditation. Doesn't have to be a long session either but taking a few moments to focus and center myself seems to help.

#2: Write a to do list and scratch things off. Although mine seems to never get finished because I scratch one thing off and add 2 or 3, at least I can actually see what I have accomplished!

#3: Take time for Self Care. One thing I'm learning is that even though the work is still there, I must take time for self care. This includes exercise! I'm guilty of placing this at the bottom of my list, especially during the winter months when it's too cold to walk but I'm working to change that!

#4: Celebrate your successes! Instead of bemoaning what hasn't gotten done, celebrate what did. This helps to stay motivated and focused.

These are just a few ways we can accomplish those tasks we've undertaken. I'd love to hear your take on this!

Until later...take care, God Bless and remember.... Despise not small beginnings.

"Inspirational with an Edge!" ™