| |
| |
|
WPE Newsletter
|
November 2007
|
|
|
|
|
Wendie Pett Enterprises, LLC
 Dear Wendie,
How often do you take the time to actually "connect" with other people. The teller at the bank, the person in line at the grocery store, the friendly waiter or waitress, or even connecting with your neighbor? It's through relationships and interaction that we discover truth as it relates to life and more often than not, individual reflection occurs. Give yourself permission to "go the extra mile", smile, and say hello - you'll be surprised at the opportunity awaiting. It can offer tremendous growth, development, and not to mention a good 'ol fashioned friendship.
May this month be full of fun, fall memories.
Positively,
|
|
Your Comfort Zone:
A Dangerous Place to be
Do you catch yourself doing the same "type" of routine whether it's your daily work routine or your fitness routine? Do you stop by the same coffee shop so often that the person behind the counter says, "Good morning! Are you drinking your usual today?" How about your workouts? Do you know exactly how long of a run you will go on and what path you will take each time? This comfort zone not only gets old, but it's a dangerous place to be. Dangerous in the sense that you unconsciously find yourself in "stuck mode" leaving very little room for growth.
People grow when they allow new people and experiences to come into their lives. They grow when they change their fitness routine. What about mental and spiritual growth? I believe that a comfort zone is also a lazy zone. If you don't push yourself to experience new challenges then you won't become any different than you are today.
Here are some thoughts that could help you get out of your comfort zone.
-
Try new fitness routines to get your heart rate up.
-
Workout in different locations. Maybe a park or on a lakeshore.
-
Experience a new restaurant at least once a month
-
Attend workshops and spiritual conferences
-
Read books that you normally wouldn't read. Maybe it's a biography or a self-help book.
-
How about the order in which you do things at home? Do you race right to the computer to check email or do you go for a nice walk first? Mix it up.
-
Do you wake up the same time every morning? What if you got up 15-20 minutes earlier a few days a week and got in a mini-workout?
-
Do you socialize with the same group of friends?
-
Are your vacation spots the same?
-
Attempt a new hobby, sport, or even a new recipe to share with the family.
There are many ways to get out of the lazy, predictable, growth-limiting comfort zone. It's important to shift out of this rut or perhaps fall prey to depression. Get out of the rut you are in by finding growth opportunities that work for you. You'll be amazed at how a small change in your habitual daily routine can put a spark back into your life.
Wendie Pett is a mother and fitness expert, the author of Every Woman's Guide to Personal Power and co-author of The Miracle Seven. She trains people individually and conducts seminars to corporate groups to help teach others how to maximize their wellness through the balance of mind, body, and spirit. For more information on Wendie visit www.wendiepett.com.
|
| Safe Guard your Back
According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), stretching and an active lifestyle can do wonders to help relieve and prevent back pain. Stretching can facilitate movement and improve strength. Whenever stretching, it's important to use the proper technique and if you experience any pain or tingling in the extremities, you should stop.
Here are some tips from the ACA:
- Warm up your muscles before stretching by walking or
doing other gentle movements for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Slowly increase your stretch as you feel your muscles relax.
Avoid bouncing or overstretching.
- Stretch slowly and gently only to the point of mild tension,
not to the point of pain.
- Breath while you stretch. Inhale deeply before each stretch
and exhale during the stretch.
- As your flexibility improves, increase the number of repetitions you do while stretching.
- Always stop immediately if you feel any severe pain.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org
|
Improving your Circulation
With each beat of your heart, blood flows into your vessels and throughout your body, carrying oxygen and other nutrients necessary for your body to live. As your blood flows, it also removes waste products, toxins, and other harmful
substances in your body. Keeping your blood vessels flowing smoothly is very important. Heart disease can develop when they become clogged, weakened, or damaged.
The best way to prevent vascular disease is to make heart healthy lifestyle choices. These include:
Exercise on a regular basis.
Eat Nutritious, low-fat, low-sodium foods.
Control your high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other health conditions.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Avoid or limit the amount of caffeine you consume.
Reduce stress in your life.
Review your family history and discuss it with your doctor.
Keep track of symptoms you have and report concerns to your doctor.
Have regular medical checkups.
Take medications as prescribed by your doctor.
Quit smoking.
For more information, visit the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org.
|
|
Examine your Breasts
Women should examine their breasts regularly to detect lumps or abnormalities that could signal breast cancer. An exam should be done once a month, several days after the last day of a woman's period. Here are the basic steps for breast self-examination:
- Standing with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips, face a mirror. Look for any differences in size, shape, color, swelling or
bulging of the skin, changes in the nipple, or any signs of redness or rash.
- Raise your arms, and examine your breasts for any of those differences.
- Gently squeeze each nipple to check for any discharge.
- Lie down, and feel each breast with the hand of the opposite arm. Feel all the tissue, applying pressure to check deep tissue for any lumps or abnormalities. You may want to try this method in the shower, while the skin is slippery.
There's no sure way to avoid breast cancer. Healthy lifestyle choices, however, may help lower the risk of the disease. These choices are:
- Be physically active.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Cut down on "bad" fats (saturated and trans fats), and consume more "good" fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive and canola oil).
- Take a daily multivitamin with folic acid.
- If you drink, limit alcohol intake to less than one alcoholic drink a day.
- Choose to breastfeed your children if possible.
For more information, visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure at www.komen.org or the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website at www.nbcam.org.
|
|
Know the ABC's of Liver Health
Liver disease affects one out of every 10 Americans. Because of this risk and the fact that your liver performs more than 5,000 important functions every minute of the day to keep your body healthy, it's vital that you take care of it. A healthy liver is essential to a healthy life. Here are some of the risk factors for
liver disease:
-
You're exposed to blood or bodily fluids on the job.
-
You're regularly exposed to toxins or chemicals such as aerosol cleaners, bug spray, paint fumes, or tobacco smoke.
-
You have injected drugs, especially if you shared a needle.
-
You have had frequent, unprotected sex with many partners.
-
You have had a tattoo or piercing with an unsterile needle.
-
You consume alcohol.
-
You use certain herbal remedies.
-
You have certain conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, or high triglycerides.
-
You received a blood transfusion before 1992.
-
You're a military veteran (especially a Vietnam-era veteran)
-
You have ever had an abnormal liver function test.
To keep your liver healthy, consider these tips:
-
Avoid putting yourself at risk for hepatitis and other liver diseases.
-
Be careful about what you eat, drink, take, and breathe, because everything gets filtered by your liver.
-
Talk to your doctor about vaccines for hepatitis A and B.
For more information, visit the American Liver Foundation at www.liverfoundation.org.
|
|
Protect Against Periodontal Disease
Protect against periodontal disease Nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of periodontal (gum) disease and don't know it. Though reversible in its initial stages, mounting evidence of the relationship between oral bacteria and life-threatening diseases such as oral cancer, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory ailments, and premature, low birthweight babies makes it critical that the condition be prevented or treated aggressively. Here are the signs and symptoms of periodontal disease:
-
Red, swollen, or tender gums 
-
Bleeding gums while brushing or flossing
-
Loose or separating teeth
-
Tooth loss
-
Pus around the teeth and gums
-
Pain when chewing
-
A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite down
-
A change in the fit of partials or dentures
Early detection by a dental hygienist or dentist can lead to aggressive treatment and the control of periodontal disease. It also helps prevent many of the health and life diseases associated with it. Regular dental visits, every six months or as scheduled by your dentist's office, will help you learn more about proper care for your teeth and gums.
For more information about proper oral health care, as well as brushing and flossing instructions, ask your dentist or dental hygienist, or visit the American Dental Hygienists' Association website at www.adha.org.
|
Invest in improving your productivity
 A basic part of human nature yearns to achieve, accomplish, attain, and do better in the future than in the past. The term, productivity, captures the essence of this human pursuit of becoming better and doing better. Productivity, in fact, has earned recognition as the key to personal and business progress and success.
Since improving productivity is vital in today's competitive world, a clear understanding of the term productivity is essential. Productivity in a broad sense is concerned with the overall effectiveness of getting things done. Regardless of your particular business or profession, productivity is the force that propels continuous improvement.
Consider these time-use practices that can positively affect your productivity:
- Concentrate on high-priority activities. The quickest and most effective route to increasing productivity is to spend time on tasks that advance important goals. Empower team members to solve their own problems. This approach saves you valuable time and gives others the opportunity to develop the skills, commitment, and sense of ownership to solve significant problems.
- Exercise self-discipline. Self-discipline enables you to stay focused on a task and work on it until it is complete. Establish your priorities and then refuse to let distractions, interruptions, or happenings of the moment destroy your concentration. Discipline yourself to give tasks only the amount of time and effort they need.
- Be persistent. Set definite goals, plan carefully, and concentrate on the actions necessary to meet your goals. This combination of factors enables you to be persistent, and persistence is a characteristic of the successful individual.
- Get started. The best way to guarantee completion of a project is to get started - now. Avoid the tendency to procrastinate. Be proactive in all instances.
- Strive for results - not perfection. Distinguish between what is important and what is not. Set aside a reasonable amount of time to accomplish a specific task. Then, stick to your deadline. Recognize that some tasks are not important enough to lavish too much time or effort on. Invest your time wisely and reap greater dividends!
Paul J. Meyer is a successful entrepreneur and author of personal and professional improvement programs, courses, and books, including his latest book, Forgiveness... The Ultimate Miracle. For more information,
visit his website at www.pauljmeyer.com.
|
|
Examine your Priorities
"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." - Goethe
Beck Weathers, a Dallas pathologist with a passion for high adventure, survived a tragic, terrifying day on Mt. Everest. Eight of his fellow climbers didn't survive. Weathers' much publicized story of being separated from his party, wandering alone on the mountain, enduring temperatures of perhaps 50 below zero and 70-knot winds, and being left for dead is the stuff of bestselling novels and Hollywood mega-movies. But for this man, it was not fiction but harsh reality.
Although Weathers survived this ordeal, he lost his right arm almost to the elbow. The fingers and most of the thumb of his left hand had to be removed, and surgeons constructed a new nose to replace the one lost to frostbite. But Weathers considers himself fortunate. He was given the chance to see life in a new light and to get a new vision of what really matters.
As a man obsessed with reaching the summit of both his career and his mountain-climbing goals, Weathers admits that he had lost sight of what really mattered in life, particularly his family. His time was spent working or working out. Since that tragic day on the mountain and his amazing survival, Weathers
now has his priorities in order.
Who and what is most important in your life? Are you focusing your time and attention on them, or are you attempting to climb mountains that bring little reward? Create great days for yourself and those you love by valuing those things that have the most value in your life.
Julie Alexander is a professional speaker who works with organizations
that want to boost morale and people who want great days on and off the job. She is the author of Great Days: 50 Ways to Add Energy, Enthusiasm, & Enjoyment to Your Life and Make Life Count! - 50 Ways to Great Days. For more information , visit www.JulieAlexander.com.
|
|
When your Feeling Down
 According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is a serious medical illness. It's more than just feeling down in the dumps or blue for a few days. It's feeling down and low and hopeless for weeks at a time.
People who are depressed may experience some of these symptoms:
-
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
-
Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism
-
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness
-
Decreased energy, fatigue, or being "slowed down"
-
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
-
Insomnia, early morning awakening, or oversleeping
-
Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
-
Thoughts of death or suicide
-
Restlessness and irritability
-
Persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain.
-
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, here are ways to help yourself:
- Set realistic goals in light of the depression and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility.
- Break large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can.
- Try to be with other people and to confide in someone.
- Participate in activities that may make you feel better.
- Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better takes time.
- Postpone important decisions until the depression has lifted.
- Let your family and friends help you.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, you can help someone recover from depression by:
- Encouraging the person to make an appointment with a doctor, or make the appointment yourself. You may want to go along for support.
- Encouraging the person to stick with the treatment plan, including taking prescribed medicine. Improvement may take several weeks. If no improvement occurs, encourage the person to seek a different treatment rather than giving up.
- Giving emotional support by listening carefully and offering hope.
- Inviting the person to join you in activities that you know he or she used to enjoy, but keep in mind that expecting too much too soon can lead to feelings of failure.
- Not accusing the person of faking illness or expect them to "snap out of it."
- Taking comments about suicide seriously, and seek professional advice.
|
|
Coping with Life Changes
Change occurs when one thing ends and another begins. Change is inevitable and unavoidable. Not all change is bad. In fact, change can drive you, challenge you, and keep you striving to achieve more in life. Without change, life would become boring and unproductive. Here are several ways to cope with change:
- Prepare for change in your life. Anticipate when things are changing and develop ways to deal with it.
- Share your feelings about change. Lean on your friends and family for support.
- Take care of yourself. Eat right, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep.
- Talk to your doctor or a counselor if you feel overwhelmed
with the stress of change.
|
|
Build a Healthier Sandwich
Sandwiches are an American favorite and fill many people's lunch boxes every day. But if you're not careful, your sandwich could be filled with fat and be unhealthy for you. Here are several tips on how to build a healthier sandwich:
- Select high-fiber, low calorie, whole-wheat bread, tortillas, pitas, muffins, or rolls.
- For the condiments on the sandwich, choose mustard, fat-free
 mayonnaise, or fat-free cream cheese. For added taste, you might try fat-free dressing or salsa for your sauce.
- Select lean, low-fat meats on your sandwich - turkey, ham, chicken, roast
beef, tuna. Skip the cheese or choose low-fat or fat-free types of cheese.
- Fill your sandwich with fresh vegetables, like lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, sprouts, spinach, cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini, and onions.
- For added flavor, sprinkle on some fresh or dried herbs or salt-free
seasoning blends. Tip: For a new "sandwich" idea, wrap some seasoned chicken or lean turkey in a leaf or two of red lettuce.
|
|
Vegetable Tortilla Pizza
Makes 1 serving
2 fajita-sized, fat-free flour tortillas
1/3 cup fat-free mozzarella/Parmesan cheese, blend, divided
1/4 cup Tomato Basil Sauce (see recipe)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (cilantro,basil, rosemary, thyme), divided
6 strips red bell pepper
6 strips green bell pepper
6 strips yellow bell pepper
3 broccoli florets
1/4 small red onion, diced
Tomato Basil Sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 white onions, diced medium
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
5 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced*
1 can (32 oz.) whole tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
* Tomatoes are easily skinned by immersing them in boiling water for
10 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon. Skins will "slip off." Sauté onions, garlic, shallots, and herbs in olive oil until onions are transparent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add fresh and canned tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes at full heat. Lower heat and continue to cook until sauce has reduced by one-third.
Add seasonings. Cook for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Leave chunky; do not grind or blend. This sauce may be made in large quantities and frozen (after cooling) in zip-top bags for later use. Microwave or place in refrigerator to thaw. Makes 14 servings, 1/2 cup each.
Each serving contains: 40 calories, 1 g. protein, 1 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 7 g. carbohydrates, 240 mg. sodium. Calories from fat: 25 percent. From Pamela Smith's Eat Well, Live Well. Visit www.pamsmith.com for more information.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay one tortilla on round wire mesh pan. Sprinkle it with 2 Tbsp. cheese blend; top with remaining tortilla. Brush the top of the tortilla with Tomato Basil Sauce and sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp. herbs. Lay peppers, broccoli and onions on top of sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese blend. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining herbs.
Each serving contains: 309 calories, 18 g. protein, 5 g. fat, 24 mg. cholesterol, 48 g. carbohydrates, 460 mg. sodium. Calories from fat: 14 percent. From Pamela Smith's Eat Well, Live Well. Visit www.pamsmith.com for more information.
|
|
Apply the Bare Bones Approach
 Overall, the whole house works together as one. What you do in one room spills over to some degree into another room. How well the storage and work areas are organized impacts the main rooms. It's like one of the handheld puzzles in which you slide one square after another trying to get them in numerical order. Each time you move one square, it affects all of the squares.
Zoning is the key concept when you consider organizing rooms. All rooms benefit from applying this idea. Basically, developing zones means that similar items are grouped together in specific sections dedicated to certain activities. Examples would be an entertainment zone, baking zone, laundry zone, toy zone, or grooming zone.
There are many ways to clean your house. The bare bones method is one way that can make the biggest splash with the least effort. Here's how it works: Walk around the house with a pencil and paper. Choose one thing in each room that you feel is a problem. List that problem. From your list of problem areas, choose three that you will focus on. Then, set a goal to a clean up these three areas. While working on these goals, consider the three Cs:
- Consolidate - Group things together that are alike.
- Containerize - Put things in drawers, boxes, baskets, and the like that are appropriate for the items.
- Condense - Get rid of the things you don't want to put into the container once you see how many duplications, broken things, and excess you have.
Tip: Avoid biting off more than you can chew. You're trying to streamline your life. If you solve just a few of the messy issues in your home, your life will be improved. After you tackle the first three, you can keep going until you tackle all the problem areas in your home.
Recovering Messie and organizing expert, Sandra Felton, is the founder of Messies Anonymous and the author of several books, including Organizing Magic and Smart Organizing. For more information, visit www.messies.com.
|
|
|
Visibly Fit
Combo Package
Receive a $5.00 discount and free shipping off Wendie's Visibly Fit™
combo package when you order now. Her book Every Woman's Guide to Personal Power and Visibly Fit 7X11™ DVD will give you the exercises needed to reshape and redirect your physique. Need a gift for a friend or family member? Give the Visibly Fit™ combo pack as a gift that will keep on giving! Promotion expires 11/1/2007.
Our Price: $ 50.00
List Price: $45.00
To look at Wendie's complete product line please check out her website at www.wendiepett.com. |
|
|
Wendie Pett Enterprises, LLC is excited that you are a member of our website. We look forward to motivating and inspiring positive changes in your life daily, weekly, and monthly.
Positively,
Wendie Pett
Wendie Pett Enterprises, LLC.
|
|
|
| |
|
Wendie Pett Enterprises, LLC. | 4707 Highway 61 #221 | White Bear Lake | MN | 55110
|
|
