Weight on your Mind   by Marsibil Mogensen

Weight on your Mind?

You have tried it all.

Every diet under the sun.

You found one which you thought worked.

Until it didn’t.

You exercise ‘correctly’.

You do Zumba, Yoga, walk, ride your bicycle. You’ve eliminated gluten, cut carbs and yet, the weight is not shifting, lifting, nor disappearing. You lose a few pounds and then gain it all back. Why?

The one factor which has a bigger impact on weight loss than most people realize could be the answer; your emotional health! All the emotional baggage, the ingrained cycles you have created in your mind, as well as your overall state of mental health might be sabotaging your healthy lifestyle goals. The key to better emotional health? You need to love yourself and allow yourself to become your best!

How is it possible that emotions can stop us from losing weight? Perhaps carrying extra weight became your comfort zone. If you have ‘always’ been...

If you are breathing then you’ve probably asked yourself the question; “why am I here”?

From the outside looking in, this can be a difficult question, I know.

But what about from the inside looking out?

When I was young I would spend hours worrying myself sick about the meaning of it all. Where did I come from, what is infinity anyway, what happens when we die, the list was long and exhausting, especially for a child.

I still ask myself those questions, sometimes I am still gripped with fear over the seemingly unattainable answers, but often times now, after many years of trying to figure it all out, I’m quietly reminded to just simply be.

After all, what have I got to lose? What exactly would happen if I let go of those thoughts and settled into nothing, a blank space, a blank canvas… even better.

You see, there is an art to just being. I use the word art on purpose, because most art comes from a place within. It is a talent normally that we have...

People mistakenly think intense delight is a sign that their attempt at awakening joy is truly successful. 

In our competitive culture, we usually think, “More is better.” Being Number One, winning at all costs, and “having the most” are deeply ingrained in our psyche as real success. This model of going for the max is often erroneously applied to our own well-being.

However, when we look for bells and whistles as indications of true happiness we’re misunderstanding a very important principle: Setting a high bar of intense happiness works against true well-being. Although I’m all for enjoying peak experiences when they arise, measuring that ideal against a moderate level of okayness can easily render this moment as “not good enough.”

We find what we look for. Science calls this phenomenon the brain’s “confirmation bias.” Your brain tends to see what it believes to be true and misses whatever doesn’t...

“We are what we repeatedly do”

~Aristotle

Yesterday, I found myself doing squats and stretches outside my car while waiting for a very late school bus. One of the things I have trained myself to do is to make the best use of any situation. So rather than sitting in the car scrolling through Facebook while waiting, I chose to exercise.

After all, it is the little things you do that make all the difference.

In reality, what is life other than the sum of all the little things we do each day, our habits, our routine? 

Life can very quickly get overwhelming and busy. We all go through periods in our lives where it feels like everything is just chaotic. Personally I’m in the midst of exactly such a period in my own life. Combining two homes and blending families, illness in the family and some other unexpected events are most definitely causing a disruption in everyday life.

The fact is that any disruption to your routine causes stress.

Even a good disruption...

Have you ever noticed that happiness rarely comes without some sort uneasiness that whispers don't get used to this, or, even worse, the fear that now that something good has happened, it's just a matter of time before your luck runs out, or something bad happens?

Why

What is your positive body language communicating to others about your competency? 

We often think of body language as the result of our attitude or how we feel. This is true, but psychologists have also shown that the reverse is true: changing your body language changes your attitude. When we think about non-verbal behaviour or body language, it is communication, which in turn is interaction.

I want to give you some tips I’ve come across to help improve communication. But before we get into that, I’d like you to take note of your body language right now. 

– Are you slumping?

– Crossing your legs or arms?

– Are you spread out?

I invite you to pay attention to what you are doing right now. 

If you learn to tweak your body language, it could significantly change the direction of your life. 

Here are a few tips to support you;

  1   Take up some space – Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your...

Aging is a beautiful side effect of living

I have been pondering age a whole lot recently. Personally, I have always admired the wisdom and calm of the elderly and as a result have been drawn to, and had the chance to spend a lot of time with the older generation. One of my favorite, and slightly perplexing sayings from when I was a child was “Youth is wasted on the young”. I used to think the message was rather biased and unfair towards the young but I totally understand it now. When we are young, we take certain things for granted and often fail to see the ‘bigger’ picture when it comes to the decisions and choices we make, many of which will impact us as we start aging.

What does being OLD actually mean?

Does age in years necessarily correspond to how we FEEL or what we are capable of?

Is it ever TOO late to turn back time?

Can we keep our YOUTH as we age, or is it inevitable that we lose it?

Does aging mean the same as old?

I believe the answer is...

Take a moment and picture your next doctors exam.

You are probably thinking about waiting in the front room, sifting through older copies of magazines, trying not to eavesdrop on other conversations around you while you flip through your emails on your phone.

Then you are called into the examination room.

As usual,your doctor asks how you’ve been feeling, checks your eyes, ears and throat, then blood pressure. While doing so, you get asked questions like, how is your exercise, diet and work.

Then the doctor does something completely unexpected and asks how happy, optimistic & satisfied you are.

Wait, what?

I am in my doctors office right?

An emerging body of research in Positive Psychology suggests that probing into your happiness is one of the most important things your doctor can do to predict your health and longevity, yet few doctors actually discuss this now. 

Ample evidence indicates that happiness is an important factor in your health. 

I...