All The Right Moves

Some of you may have noticed in my recent videos a few empty bookshelves in the background. No, I haven’t lost my mind and sold off my book collection (though my wife might find the idea intriguing) or have I been clearing space to add more books to my always-growing collection (an idea my wife finds far from intriguing). No, the reason for the emptiness on my bookshelves is that dreaded paradox, that desire to change scenery while battling the urge to lie down in traffic, that why-are-we-doing-this?/how-can-we-not-do-this? conundrum otherwise known as MOVING!

This is the blog post that informs you wonderful readers of this blog and viewers at livelife365.com that I have an official excuse to not post as much as I’d like to due to the arduous and hair-pulling (for some people, that is, who actually have hair; unlike me) process of selling one home then buying another and then, gulp, gasp, belch…MOVING!

I called moving a paradox—

No, actually, Mike, you called it “that dreaded paradox.”

Thanks for pointing that out. Let me start again: I called moving a dreaded paradox because while you may be thrilled to be changing habitats, excited to be able to buy (or rent, let, lease, beg, borrow, steal) a new and different living space, the actual procedure of packing, lugging, driving, hauling, dragging, sweating, screaming, crying, unpacking, rearranging, gasping, begging, praying, settling, crumbling into a heap of exhaustion is, well, exhausting. And headache-inducing. And frustrating. And demanding. And chaotic. And…

That’s a lot of “ands.”

Yes, it is.

And a bunch of negatives. How about some positives?

Told you it was a paradox.

I gotta go pack a few boxes. Here’s a video that explains it all a lot better:

The Paradox of Moving



Okay, I have a lot to do—anyone who has ever packed a box, hauled it to and loaded in into a truck, then unloaded it and unpacked it knows what this ordeal entails. So, how does one make the moving process less of an ordeal?

1. Get organized (this, by the way, is an essential asset for all aspects of your life)
2. Make lists (even if you’re not a list-maker, make an exception)
3. Pack like the pros (purchase good boxes, tape, paper and pack each box solid)
4. Manage your time (see “get organized”)
5. Stay calm (always)
6. Stay cool (of course, one has to already be cool to stay cool)
7. Have fun (it’s better than having the alternative)
8. Enjoy the process (hey, it’s your life, even if it’s moving; make the best of it!)

Amidst the chaos and avalanche of boxes, I somehow found time to produce this video that may help with your next move:

How to...Make a Smooth Move



Over the past several weeks, I’ve found myself battling mixed emotions about our pending move. I’ve been at time anxious, nervous, excited, happy, frightened, frustrated, impatient, tired and exhilarated. Why? Because moving is one of the most challenging ordeals any of us have to go through in our lives. And while the excitement of changing locations is something to look forward to, the disruption and chaos of packing and living surrounded by boxes and disorder can tax even the best of us.

The solution is to stay calm and cool, enjoy the process, and make the best of it.

Like I often say: Your Life is a Novel; Make It a Good One

Good or bad, moving is something we all must do at one time or another, a part of our lives. If your life is, indeed a novel, you wouldn’t want to read a bad one, right? No need to make moving a bad experience. Leading me to a new quote:

“Look for the good and it will find you.”


Until next time…


peace,

Mike

More Fun With Fiber

I love fiber! I have been an advocate of high-fiber diets for years. It was a diet high in fiber that helped me lose 40 pounds in 6 months. In my opinion, fiber is a miracle food, one of the key ingredients to fast and sustained weight loss.

Here is a typical day of eating fiber for me:



Fiber is a serious part of my everyday life. But I have also had a lot of fun with fiber, as you can see in this video:



Making people laugh (or at least attempting to) is as much a passion of mine as healthy living and personal development. By using humor to poke fun at serious topics, my goal is to widen my potential audience, thus reaching more people with my overall message, which is always:

LIVE LIFE EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY

So, with hopes to make you laugh and think, I produced this goofy video:

"Talkin' Fiber" with Bernie Squirts



Eat healthy, laugh daily, work hard, and keep living life 365.

Until next time...

peace,

Mike

I Cannot Tell a Lie, Cherries Are Good For You

It seems I can’t drive anywhere in town these days without passing a roadside stand selling cherries.Guess what? That’s a good thing. Besides all of these local entrepreneurs competing for my patronage, the grocery stores are overflowing with these sweet (and tart), delicious fruits. Living in California, and the fertile San Joaquin Valley, I take it for granted that most of the time something fresh and tasty and locally grown is going to be on sale. Right now…

IT’S CHERRIES!

My lovely wife is a major cherry aficionado, which simply means she digs those chewy pitted babies. We can’t drive past one of those aforementioned stands without her begging for us to stop and grab a box. Me? I wasn’t all that into them until I met her, but eventually her enthusiasm, and that fresh, juicy fruit, wore me down. Oh, and another thing:

CHERRIES ARE GOOD FOR YOU!

Actually, the more I researched the health and nutritional benefits of cherries the more impressed I became. In fact, cherries are now considered one of the SUPER FOODS. This revelation excited me so much, I made this video:

Cherries: Another Super Food!



Why are cherries super?

* loaded with anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant linked to their red color, many scientists believe a diet rich in cherries can reduce inflammation, lower bad cholesterol, and decrease belly fat
* they may help ease arthritis pain and gout
* one ounce of cherry juice contains the daily recommended amounts of antioxidants required to help fight cancer and heart disease
* cherries contain more anthocyanins (one of the strongest of the antioxidants, by the way) than raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries
* one of the few food sources rich in melatonin, a natural body hormone that helps you sleep better and can reduce jet lag
* they help lower your body fat, thus help you lose weight
* can help control diabetes

Wow, after looking at that list only one word comes to mind: SUPER!

How do you like your cherries? My favorite way to eat them is the same way I enjoy almonds: by the handful. But unlike almonds, cherries are not nearly as fattening. One serving of cherries (one cup, with pits) has less than 100 calories (around 87), while offering up 3gs of fiber and zero fat or sodium. They are also a very good source of vitamin C and iron.

All this talk about super foods and health and nutritional benefits almost made me forget to mention:

CHERRIES ARE DELICIOUS!

Fresh-from-the-branch, pop-in-the-mouth delicious! Cherries can also be added to oatmeal, salads, desserts (cherry pie or cherries jubilee), as well as complimenting savory foods like pork and chicken. Serve them up anyway you like, but serve them up as often as possible.

Cherries come in dozens of varieties, both sweet (Bing, Lambert, and Tartarian) and sour (Morello, Montmorency, and Early Richmond), in various shades of colors.

Like George Washington said, all those years ago when he chopped down that cherry tree, “I cannot tell a lie.” Neither can I, so I can honestly say that I didn’t realize how super cherries were until I did the research for this post.

The next time my lovely wife and I are driving around town and we pass by a cherry stand and she yells, “Stop, cherries!” I’m going to stop and pick up not one, but two baskets. Why? Because super foods like these don’t grow on trees…uh, well, in this case they do, actually. I guess, what I’m trying to say is:

EAT CHERRIES, THEY’RE GOOD FOR YOU!


Until next time…


peace,

Mike

Still hungry for information about cherries? Check out this cool site, a very helpful resource for this post.