As you get older you start to do less physically and fear more of what could happen if you tried to be physically active and challenge your body, but this is exactly what you need to avoid, getting sedentary! Yes, you are likely going to have some limitations and your body isn’t as strong as it once was, but there are still many opportunities to stay active and strong if you are looking for them. The more you use your abilities and your body the stronger and more functional you will remain. So, let’s discuss some of the ways to stay active and healthy and the benefits of regular exercise and healthy habits.

Bones and Muscles Get Stronger Together

You can improve your chances of avoiding falls, bone breaks and injuries by performing resistance and power training of some form. This could be done with machines, free weights or body weight exercises like push up’s or TRX back rows. When you begin a resistance training program to challenge your muscles and build them up with proper rest, recovery and adequate nutrition they will grow bigger and stronger. In turn your body will build bigger and stronger bones to carry this added muscle. This is why Dr’s prescribe weight training for women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. With stronger bones and muscles, you can get back out on the ski slopes or pick up that running routine you’ve been missing!

Strong Foundations Start in the Feet

There are many different factors at work when your body is trying to balance itself out and to improve these through exercise you need to work on all of these factors, but we will discuss a few of the key components that you can easily address when working to improve balance. How well do you control your center of gravity? Do you feel strong and stable when you are standing still? How are your feet positioned? Are they providing a wide enough and strong enough foundation for the rest of your body? Work on maintaining a wide, but comfortable foot position when you are standing and walking. If you have problems with a lack of feeling in your feet or weakness you can improve this. Strengthening the feet can be done with exercises called short foot training.

Short Foot to Strengthen the Feet and Increase Blood Flow

-Take off your shoes and put your foot flat on the ground.

-Flex your foot raising the arch while keeping the toes flat on the ground

-Hold for 3 seconds and repeat. Check out the following link for a video. https://youtu.be/BaeYzFdI51c

Proper Posture Let’s You See Where you are Going        

How is your posture? Are you leaning forward, back or to the side when you stand up? This can be pulling you off of your center of gravity? Work to improve posture by finding a blank wall and backing up against it. Have your heels 6 inches away and your back and butt against the wall. Test behind your neck and lower back to ensure there is less than 2 inches of space between the wall and your neck or back. If there is a 2+ inch gap in either location you need to improve your posture.

Improving Posture Exercise for Forward head lean and Upper Cross Syndrome

-Stand with heels 6 inch away from wall

-Have your shoulders, head and butt against the wall

-Ensure your chin is tucked with your eyes looking straight ahead, keep your ribs down avoiding tilting the chest up. Hold this position for 3 minutes to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the upper back and neck.

We have only discussed two factors that can contribute to poor balance, but these two are easily fixed with consistent awareness and practicing these exercises to improve them. At Triaffect our training involves every physical factor that plays a role in balance and coordination to ensure we improve our client’s ability to do anything they desire without limitations.

Breathing Free and Easy

How well do you breathe? Are you constantly breathing shallow, congested or dealing with sinus problems? This can play a role in your ability to perform every day tasks and exercises. You should work to find remedies for this congestion and improve the quality of your breathing. On average we breathe 19-30,000 times a day and when done incorrectly it can affect all of your physical abilities. One breathing exercise I like to encourage my clients to add into their lives is the WIM HOF method.

WIM HOF Breathing

-Find a comfortable place and lie down. Start breathing and counting out 20 or 30 breathes deeply in and out from the stomach.

-Once you get to the 20^th or 30^th breathe just exhale and relax holding your breathe as long as possible until you have to breathe again.

-When you inhale after holding your breath hold that 1 deep breathe for 10 seconds and use your diaphragm to push air into your head. Repeat the process 2 more times.

There are many benefits to this and it can help you breathe more efficiently and therapeutically if practiced regularly.

Your home air environment and the cleanliness of your home can also have a major impact on your respiratory system. Having your home deep cleaned can make a big difference in helping you breathe better over time. What about going outside and getting some fresh air? Go for a walk, drive to the park and sit on a bench, or walk around your yard to help with clearing your sinuses and helping you breathe better. Just by breathing and getting more oxygenated blood into your body your systems will run more efficiently and smoothly.

Run to The Water!

We all know our bodies are at least 70% water, but are we getting enough this crucial element to keep us hydrated and healthy? One thing I see with many of my aging clients is their lack of fluid intake and especially water. This happens for many reasons, but as you stop drinking water your body stops signaling you to drink water as an adaptation. You probably enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, a soda with lunch, tea with dinner and maybe a glass of milk somewhere. This can be a major problem for your kidneys, liver and muscles as they need water to operate properly. Tea and coffee are also diuretics which can dehydrate you even more. A 5%-8% decrease in total body water can cause fatigue and dizziness which obviously exacerbates any problems you may already have. I suggest purchasing a water bottle that can keep your water cool and close by for an easy reminder. This may seem like a small thing, but it really can make a big difference in your abilities.

Start right where you are Sitting!

Even if you are chair bound or have major physical limitations a little movement can improve your physical abilities, relieve pain, and help you to do more if practiced and progressed consistently. One of the easiest ways to get started is just going through some basic chair exercises and stretches.

Basic Chair Stretch and Mobility Exercise Program

-Leg Kicks- Focus on using the thigh muscles to kick the foot out in front of you and hold for a 1 count return to the stratring position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Knee Raises- Sit up straight and focus on flexing your hips to lift your knee and foot off the ground for a 1 count. return to the strating position and repeat for 8-10 times.

-Front shoulder stretch- With your thumbs up lift your arms until they’re even with your ears and lower to the starting position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Rolling your shoulders- Pull your shoulders back toward the chair and down and then lift them up and push them forward and down, return to starting position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Foot and Ankle stretches- Write out 5-10 letters of the alphabet with your feet. Do this with each foot 3 times.

-Hand stretches- Make a fist with your hand and squeeze, then spread your fingers as wide as possible and hold. Repeat 8-10 times.

These exercises may seem basic and easy, but they can be a great starting point to get you going!

No matter what don’t let a number, limitation or ailment stop you from seeking out opportunities to keep moving at any age. Your body and mind are machines that need to be maintained and used to stay functional and healthy. You are the only one who can keep them going so, use this knowledge and these simple techniques to keep you moving healthily and happily for many years to come!

Let’s discuss why being consistent will get you much farther than success! Who here has never failed in life? If you said yes, you can stop reading and move on with your boring day… Now that all the failures are still reading we can get down to business.

How did you overcome your past failures? Did you consistently work to improve and achieve more or did you just focus on being successful? Reality is the only way to eventually be successful is to be consistent first. There are 7 games in the World Series and NBA Championship for a reason, the most consistent team wins even if they aren’t considered the most “successful”!

I have always loved the Michael Jordan quote “I’ve missed 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”.

Each day is your shot to build a rewarding and healthy life and the more shots you take seriously the more wins you will have. In my 33 years that means I have had 12,045 shots. By consistently applying maximum effort and maintaining an unwavering positive attitude success has become my reality. Below are a few tips to help you make it yours!

1. Just keep seeing the good and potential in all situations.

This is a personal reminder as much as it is a social reminder. You are going to get down on yourself and frustrated with your situation from time to time, but it is crucial to see past this and look for the positive potential hidden within. No matter how difficult and challenging a situation may be there will always be something to learn and use in the future if you are looking for it. Keep this mindset and you will always have a fighting chance.

Expert Tip: Remember you control your attitude and your reactions to hardships!

2. Trust the Process

Everything that is transformative, and groundbreaking takes a lot of effort and preparation ahead of the actual breakthrough. This is what consistency is all about. If you always back out instead of pushing forward you will never achieve anything in life much less ever consider yourself successful. Great experience and knowledge of a specific process or subject is where you can find these gems that have often been over looked, overcomplicated, or never discovered.

Expert Tip: Each step closer should be a celebrated act of consistency!

3. Have A Childlike Curiosity

There are a few mesmerizing humans who manage to remain consistently obsessed with a single task and produce amazing results. One trait that they often display is the love of learning, discovering and fixing problems. Their enthusiasm rivals that of a child with a new interactive puzzle. They just sit for hours and stare and tinker until they figure out the only way the pieces could fit to solve the puzzle. This may be one of the greatest assets you could have if you are aiming to create a service or a product that will actually fix issues our society is dealing with.

Discovery Question: What could you learn about all day without getting bored or wanting to quit?

4. Share Dreams

You never know when someone standing right next to you is holding a piece of the puzzle you have been searching for the entire time. Sharing your ideas is the only way to pull this puzzle piece out of them. You need to realize that 2, 3, or 4 consistent minds are stronger than 1. At times you are going to get tired and burnt out, so it is important to have help if you want long term success. It is hard to stay consistent by yourself over a long period of time.

Discovery Question: Who amongst your circle has traits that you lack or you could benefit from?

5. Tunnel Vision

It’s easy in our digital age to listen to the naysayers and doubters around you. It’s also easy to look at other’s “success” and think I will never achieve that, but you have to stay consistently dedicated to your mission. All of the most “successful” people consistently only worry about their mission and how they are going to achieve it. Your belief in you is what ultimately will make others believe in you as well!

Expert Tip: Turn off the social media and news!

Now that you know 5 traits to help you remain consistent and to get ahead, you can make your Facebook video teaching everyone how to be successful and make millions with your rented Ferrari and $2,000 dollar Versace wallet! Just kidding, but you can remain consistently dedicated to achieving anything you set your sites on!

If you like our motivation and insight this is only a snapshot of what you will receive when you sign up for our coaching programs. Get a free consultation today at www.Triaffect.com

It’s Tuesday at the office lunch table and you have finally emerged victorious over your battle with the Monday blues to recap your wonderful 2 days of bliss known as the weekend, but what about the other 5 days of the week? Are they not meant to be lived to the fullest? Let’s look at the numbers: 7 > 2. The verdict is in. A 7-day weekend is better than a 2-day weekend, but how could we possibly have a 7 day weekend every week?

Follow Your Purpose and Passion

Figure out a way to make a living doing the things that make your soul sing and each day will become a gift just waiting to be unwrapped. One way to do this is to use the connections you have made in your current career. Inevitably many of these connections will have family and friends who are either doing a job you are interested in or could be potential clients or customers for you in the future. Find a local mentor who has a job you are interested in and reach out to them. Let them know you just want to learn more about their professional experience. A good mentor will provide you with an opportunity to identify what kind of credentials and experience are needed to get a job and help you find the opportunities to acquire one.

Fail Fail Fail

There’s only one way to learn how to do something new and that is to try new things. A majority of the time this means you are going to fail and that is great. Life is meant to challenge and force you to grow, not just acquire one skill and settle for mediocrity until your final days. Success only comes to those who stay dedicated and keep trying no matter how hard something is or how many times they fail. Keep pushing on and you will become stronger and more experienced with each attempt and that is what we like to call a win/win!

Get Real with Your Expenses

It’s easy to mindlessly purchase things just because you have a few extra dollars laying around or because it is on sale, but what if this money was being set aside to give you more freedom? Let’s say you created a budget and discovered you could literally live off $15,000 a year and had a salary of $28,000 a year? You could put the extra $13,000 into a savings or retirement account, but based on statistics, most American’s don’t even put 13% of $13,000 into their savings and retirement funds. You are much more likely to buy a bunch of stuff you will be bored with in a year or don’t even have time to use. If you create a budget and manage to save $13,000 dollars you could take at least 10 months off work to build a new life or just enjoy your freedom. That’s when you can really make changes in your approach to every day life!

Be Grateful For The Life You’ve Designed

You are living a life that you have been the designer of so, either be grateful for it or build something you can be grateful for. With a clear picture of what you want, you can easily take the steps needed to design your ideal life. The secret to moving forward is remaining aware of what you do and don’t want. Designing a happy and fulfilling week is simple, all you have to do is choose to work for and build the week you desire with every single decision.

Stop waiting for a specific place on a calendar to enjoy your life and get to work living 7 days a week!

If you like our motivation and insight this is only a snapshot of what you will receive when you sign up for our coaching programs. Get a free consultation today at www.Triaffect.com     

It’s easy to think “I am just one person and my actions aren’t going to make a difference. So, why strive to change the world?” Well, if you change the world for one person you are changing the world. The decision to act and make a change in your life is going to affect everyone around you. Let’s say you have 1 spouse, 3 kids & their 3 spouses, 3 siblings, 6 cousins, 5 friends, 2 coworkers and 1 boss. That’s 24 people that are affected or influenced by your actions. Now if those 24 people have 24 relatives and friends and make changes in their lives that’s 527 people affected. Quickly you will have had an impact on hundreds of thousands of people (24 x 24 = 576 x 24 = 13,824 x 24 = 331,276). Don’t take for granted your ability to make an impact on this world.

Lead By Example

When you decide to work on really making a difference you will receive so much resistance that it becomes comical, but remember that’s just icing on the cake as you succeed day after day. You must be seen before you will be listened to. To make honest, lasting, realistic changes in yourself and the world you have to become this change. It is extremely difficult to have someone see themselves differently, but it makes it a lot easier when you show them how. Work on being the person you want the world to learn from and grow with. You have been given great power with great responsibility. Don’t let another opportunity to show the world a better more harmonious way to succeed slip away.

Focus on Possibilities

There are going to be many obstacles, challenges, tasks, slips, trips and falls along the way and that is ok. Just get up and keep moving forward no matter how big or small your steps are. Nothing can overcome a faithful, disciplined, dedicated, passionate and excited believer headed toward their destiny. Will there be days, weeks, months of doubt and fear? Yes. These are the opportunities to look outside of the tunnel vision that you have fallen into and seek the next steps that must be taken. Sometimes you have to be forced to grow and become more and these are those times. Focus on your next possibility and explore it each and every day until you are back on your way.

Believe and You Shall See

How far would you go if you believed your work was leading you to a glorious and magnificent level of living that will forever change the way you, your family, friends and all of mankind will experience their time on earth? This is what will drive you to keep tearing down wall after wall on this journey of the soul that never ends. It’s time to believe that you are going to see, hold, feel and experience every level of beauty that this life has to offer. This is the truth if you are willing to sacrifice and believe in every step along the way.

Let your hopes, dreams, and desires be the building blocks for your thoughts and actions. Believe deeply with every ounce of your soul and you will Change the world!

It’s 9 days into the New Year, are you still doing what it takes to become a stronger, healthier, more dedicated and focused person? Or is tomorrow going to be your day? What if I told you tomorrow doesn’t exist. How would you think about today? Would you put it all on the line working hard in this moment to make the most out of every second? This is called living and working in the present, and it is all we have. You can’t work on yesterday or build tomorrow without starting today.

Stay on Your Path!

Before you get distracted and pulled away from your intended tasks of the day, set some boundaries with your coworkers, boss, and yourself to make sure you don’t spiral out of focus. Set a 20-minute timer and work in intervals on and off. This will help you get into a zone and stay dedicated to one thing at a time. What are your 3 most important things that need to be done today? Do these things first. Even if you have some other tasks that showed up in your email this morning. Priorities aren’t priorities if they are flexible.

Follow Through!

This is something many of us fail to do when it comes to our own dreams or goals. When it’s work or something our “boss” tasked us with, we get it done, but when it is something we want to do for ourselves we sacrifice and put it on the back burner. You are your boss and your dreams and goals are the #1 thing that should be important to you. Is a tired, stressed, neglected and unsuccessful person going to be a great worker, spouse, friend or parent? No. You can’t consistently neglect yourself and expect to be the best version of you. Don’t end another day as a defeated mediocre shadow of the wonderful energetic being you are.

What are you doing today?

Living in the present moment is complicated and challenging especially in the digital age. We always have a computer within an arm’s reach and that isn’t always a good thing as it can distract us from completing the tasks that bring value to our lives. Close your eyes right now and think about 10 tasks you completed this week. Were these accomplishments mindless habits, tasks you created, or tasks created by someone else? How did these tasks add benefit to your life? Were they detrimental in any way? Be intentional about the tasks you choose to complete.

Building your life from the end to the beginning will make it a lot easier to choose the steps it takes to get there each day. Wouldn’t it be exciting to know where you are heading rather than just saying “I don’t know, wherever my bank account sends me”?

Before your New Year’s Day motivation turns into a Valentine’s Day disappointment take 1 day to write down a detailed plan of how you will achieve your dreams and goals (think big). Identify these steps to help you maintain your focus today because tomorrow will be too late!

What was your first and last thought yesterday? Was it one of satisfaction, gratitude, and success? Or was it one of frustration about how life has spiraled out of your control?  The truth is your life looks exactly like you have imagined it. When you are not in control of your thoughts and emotions, your life will consistently feel chaotic and out of control. On the other hand, If you’re in complete control of your thoughts and are able to adapt to every situation with no emotional interference, you are probably a psychopath :}

If you are always hurting, feeling like a victim of life and stressed out, you are most likely holding in some emotional distress. That emotional mindset can manifest into physical pain and distress if not dealt with. If you find that you are in a rhythmic flow with your purpose, job, relationships and the earth, you are probably consistently dealing with and accepting your thoughts and emotions. In all cases, it starts with your decision to control your life or be controlled by life.

We all have the same basic human needs and if you are not familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1) your self-actualization is at the top of the pyramid. My basic interpretation of it is; if you aren’t living your life’s purpose, you will always have internal turmoil. Life has to be seized and created from the inside out and this all starts with who you believe you are. If you think you are healthy, active and happy you will become healthy, active, and happy.

In order to start cultivating a healthy mindset, you must first accept that you get the life you settle for or the life you work to achieve. Once you truly understand that, you will have the ability to create the life you deserve. Of course, there are things out of your control specifically the effects our man-made environments have on our bodies and the actions other people take that affect us. Despite this you still have control over your reactions to these hardships. Avoid lowering your expectations and performance to blend in with the world around you. Create your own world and invite others to live with you on top your highest mountain!

Now that you know how to cultivate a healthy and happy internal dialogue, what’s your life going to look like?

• Go grab your journal, a piece of paper or your vision board and write down 5 aspects of your ideal life.
• Next, write down 5 new tasks it will take to make this your reality.

By starting your journey on paper, you are already beginning to take the steps necessary to achieving it. Use these steps to bring your dreams into reality and celebrate each successful milestone. Don’t waste one more ounce of your precious time or energy thinking about what you don’t want. Before bed and each morning take a moment to remember your favorite athletic or physical accomplishment and your happiest moment of the last month!

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs