Tag Archives: self improvement

Mind, Body, and Spirit

  By juliefeb14 | June 22, 2014 - 11:54 pm | ,
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Fitness

FitnessMind, Body, and Spirit

When considering well-being, think of your physical, emotional, and spiritual self as a 3 legged stool. When one of those aspects of your life is off-balance you are going to fall. You can be in top physical shape but if you are an emotional wreck, you fall. You’re spirituality will suffer if you are not taking care of yourself physically etc.

 

We know that stress causes emotional, physical, and spiritual troubles.

A few of the causes of stress:

  1. Family issues
  2. Work issues
  3. Money issues
  4. Driving while talking on the phone
  5. Driving!
  6. Gruesome, scary movies
  7. Arguing with people

There are ways to attack stress:

  1. Serve others
  2. Spending quiet time with those you love
  3. Work
  4. Exercise

 

A few of the benefits of exercise

  1. Improves health
  2. Releases tension
  3. Gives you a healthy perspective on life
  4. Improves self-esteem and confidence
  5. Strengths muscles
  6. You have a more restful sleep
  7. Gives you time to meditate and ponder
  8. Is a diversion from your worries
  9. Counters fatigue
  10. Better blood circulation

 

 “Physical well-being is not only a priceless asset to one’s self—it is also a heritage to be passed on. With good health all the activities of life are greatly enhanced. A clean mind in a healthy body enables one to render far more effective service to others. It helps one provide more vigorous leadership. It gives our every experience in life more zest and more meaning. Robust health is a noble and worthwhile attainment.” 4

Ezra Taft Benson, talk given at President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second annual Council on Physical Fitness, Cascade, Maryland, September 8, 1958.

Short Story – Part 2

  By juliefeb14 | January 29, 2014 - 9:48 pm | ,
1 Comment

Another picture of one of my gals and her hubby…

Short Story – Part 2­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Choice (continued)

by Julie Valentine

Brooke leaned into Sierra and spoke softly, “That fur on his legs makes me want to gag. Plus, the guy is still living in the eighties, look at that head of big hair.”

“Careful Brooke, he’s going to think you’re checking him out.” Sierra said.

Brooke still stared at his legs, “He should shave those legs, stuff could get lost in there.”

“If you don’t stop gawking, he is totally going to get the wrong idea,” warned Sierra.

Brooke gave a small yelp, “Ack, he’s coming our way, quick what do I do?”

Rand had detected Brooke staring at him as they trudged through the thick foliage. He couldn’t blame her. He had kept himself looking good all these years. The added weight to his middle was easy to overlook when you took in the whole package, he thought.  He knew women had a hard time not noticing him and that annoyed the men. That must be why Clifford was being such a pesky gnat around the girls.

Brooke was horrified as she watched the arrogant Rand pluck a crimson flower and lumber towards her. He was trying to hold her eye contact and she was starting to panic. “Sierra, help!” she urgently whispered. “Hey, you shouldn’t have been studying those furry legs so long, he thinks you’re interested.” Sierra whispered back.  Brooke’s eyes widened as she watched Rand elbow Clifford out of his way.

Clifford frowned when Rand shoved past him to get to Brooke. The guy has too much confidence in himself, Clifford thought. He was even considering how he might take Rand’s ego down a couple of notches. He started to mull over ways to humiliate the arrogant chump in front of the women.

Rand didn’t care much about the other guys in the group; his focus was on the females, particularly Brooke. Although, he was momentarily annoyed by the sour smell of body odor emanating off of Clifford as he passed him. He would have to work himself into a photo with the two gals and brag to his buddies back home.

As he approached Brooke with the flower she took an almost imperceptible step backwards. It wasn’t lost on Rand and his grin faltered. Rand’s eyes flicked between the two girls assessing their reaction to his attention. He would not lose his nerve. He knew he had what it took to attract the ladies. High School had proven that time and again. The females couldn’t stay away from him back then. The memories brought a faint smile to his thick lips. He never lacked girls asking him out or showering him with attention. These two gals would be no different. He decided that now was as good of a time as any to get to work on the girls. He had a twinge of hesitation as he thought of his ex-wife. Whatever the ordeal was in his ex-wife’s mind he just couldn’t figure out. Jen didn’t realize what she’d given up when she’d kicked him out.

(I have hesitated putting this story on my website…I’ve decided at the age of 55, I need to finish college. So, rather than attending classes all day away from my family, I have decided to earn my degree online. This may very likely take me 8 years. Deciding what to have my emphasis in, was tricky.  I stink at writing….but I want to get good. That is the emphasis I chose. Very scary. It is a struggle to eek out the writing assignments my professors request but very rewarding at the same time. I have decided to share my first attempt at writing, here. Be kind in your critiquing! It is very amateur, but after receiving a high score on this particular piece and the professor asking if I was going to publish it, I decided to take the plunge and expose my attempt at writing. Ya have to start somewhere right?  I will post the short story in segments.)
 

Short Story

  By juliefeb14 | January 26, 2014 - 3:26 am | ,
6 Comments

I wanted to post a picture of me with some of my gals.

I have hesitated putting this story on my website…I’ve decided at the age of 55, I need to finish college. So, rather than attending classes all day away from my family, I have decided to earn my degree online. This may very likely take me 8 years. Deciding what to have my emphasis in, was tricky.  I stink at writing….but I want to get good. That is the emphasis I chose. Very scary. It is a struggle to eek out the writing assignments my professors request but very rewarding at the same time. I have decided to share my first attempt at writing, here. Be kind in your critiquing! It is very amateur, but after receiving a high score on this particular piece and the professor asking if I was going to publish it, I decided to take the plunge and expose my attempt at writing. Ya have to start somewhere right?  I will post the short story in segments.

 

Short Story­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Choice

by Julie Valentine

            The muggy air had a heavy, stifling feeling causing Rand discomfort as he tried to suck in breath. His muscled body carried excess belly fat indicative of aging. His weight and hairy body, made him well aware of the surrounding sweltering conditions. But no matter; he was here and his buddies back home could eat their hearts out. He had been pleasantly surprised to see a couple of lovely young ladies on the tour with him. Back in the days of his football prowess, he was every woman’s desire. Age had been fairly kind to him and he was definitely going to use it to his advantage with these two sweet things. The lush green vegetation was dense causing some difficulty in getting closer to the women as they hiked up to a waterfall.

Rand had learned through cunning questioning that the two girls had won their trip to Belize through a sales agency they worked for. He hadn’t been so lucky with handouts; instead he’d whipped out the credit card to fund this excursion. Seeing these girls, it appeared to him that this was all going to be worth the debt.

Walking along the trail was proving arduous as the mud collected on his favorite pair of Doc Martins. Hiking boots would have been a better choice in these conditions but sometimes you needed to sacrifice to look good. And Rand always wanted to look good.  That would be a selling point of himself to these women, if he could just get close to them. He rubbed the “designer stubble” on his jaw and eyed his group. One scrawny guy, by the name of Clifford, with close cropped hair, and wearing island clothes, was really getting on his nerves. The guy hovered around Brooke and Sierra like a puppy looking for praise. He had been chafing Rand the wrong way this whole trip. The geek was constantly annoying the girls. He was making it difficult for Rand to get acquainted with them.

After some maneuvering, Rand found himself getting close to the girls. That Brooke was one fine looking chick, he thought. Her slender frame was well proportioned with smooth golden skin. Glancing between the two girls, his eyes rested on Brooke, her blond hair fell in front of her face as she glanced at Sierra.  The girl must feel self conscious being around a mature, good-looking male, Rand thought. He plucked one of the wildflowers slightly off the trail and walked toward Brooke. The incessant heat was bothering him. Sweat was pouring down his body as he neared the girls. The hair on his legs itched. Rivulets of sweat slide down the sides of his head as he swiped at his face with a meaty hand. Periodic animal sounds surrounded the group of a dozen tourists. Occasionally a snapping twig underfoot would accompany the chirping or cawing, but nothing motorized could be heard.

Brooke leaned into Sierra and spoke softly, “That fur on his legs makes me want to gag. Plus, the guy is still living in the eighties, look at that head of big hair.”

“Careful Brooke, he’s going to think you’re checking him out.” Sierra said.

Brooke still stared at his legs, “He should shave those legs, stuff could get lost in there.”

“If you don’t stop gawking, he is totally going to get the wrong idea,” warned Sierra.

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