Holding a Grudge Could Kill You – Why You Need to Forgive

You may be asking what a grudge or forgiveness have to do with health and fitness. If you are holding anything against anyone you are at risk of ill health and early death. What does the lack of forgiveness do to the one who will not forgive? Here are some of the consequences of lack of forgiveness:

Consequences of Lack of Forgiveness:

• Hurt
• Negative attitude
• Vengeance
• Bitterness
• Excessive use of foul language about others
• Excessive use of foul language about yourself
• Holding a grudge
• Tense and stressful when around the person you haven't forgiven.
• Person you haven't forgiven maintains power over you
• Depression
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Chronic pain
• Anxiety
• Promiscuity

Benefits of Forgiving:

• More friends
• Enhanced psychological well-being
• Normal blood pressure
• Less inflammation in the body
• Better sleep
• Enhanced spiritual well-being

You may freely publish this article as long as it includes the following:

Author: Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, US Army, Retired

http://www.BeachBootCamp.net

Lt. Col. Joseph "Bob" Weinstein, U.S. Army, retired, is a leading authority on military-style physical fitness for civilians and can be found at http://BeachBootCamp.net. He is nationally known as the Health Colonel and has been featured on the History Channel. He specializes in a military-style workout for all fitness levels on Fort Lauderdale Beach in South Florida. He is the author of Boot Camp Fitness for All Shapes and Sizes, Weight Loss - Twenty Pounds in Ten Weeks, among others. Sign up for his free Health and Fitness Newsletter at http://BeachBootCamp.net.

Navy Seals Principles to Train, Work and Live By

 

Osama Bin Laden was eliminated by some of the best trained soldiers on the earth, the Navy Seals. Can we apply some of the operational principles applied by the Navy Seals to our lives? Yes, we can.

Here are five. There are more.

1. Be Team Focused.

We live in a society that predominantly follows the "me" principle. The first question that comes to mind is "What's in it for me?" or WIIFM? A team focused approach to life and work is primarily interested in the impact on the lives of others, our family members, friends, fitness buddies or fellow workers. As an instructor both in the military and now in the civilian world, I can observe both types of recruits, the "me" types and those who are focused on caring for others.

2. Take a Second Look at Your Decisions.

Life is dynamic. Every military operation requires a plan. No plan was ever executed exactly as planned. Why? That's the reality of life and war. Reassess where you are at in life constantly. Be open to reevaluating and making corrections along the way. Take the blinders off and be flexible.

3. Manage Your Emotions.

Use your body and mind to control your emotions. Maintain a physical body posture that supports the missions and decisions you have made to accomplish your worthy goals you have set and to help you deal with others in an honorable way.

4. Use Long and Short Term Goals.

I am always asking the question, "What is more important? Long or short-term goals?" Long-term goals are more important, short-term goals are essential to get where we want to be, long-term. 

5. Have Confidence in Yourself.

Circumstances never have the last word. Have utter confidence in yourself. Do not talk down to yourself, or others. Be focused on what you want to accomplish, not on the circumstances. This will allow your mind to keep you on track without being preoccupied with the circumstances.

Growing Good Corn - About Sharing, Not Taking

Growing Good Corn

There was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it.

The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

Author Unknown

Boost Your Fitness and Performance with Army Core Values

When we think of Army training we usually think of physical activity, push-ups, sit-ups and lots of running. The underlying and most important driving force behind the United States Army are the seven Army Core Values. The Army Values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Although I am retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, I still carry the Army Values wallet sized card with me. All seven values are transferable to civilian life and make us better people. Here is a good translation of the Army core values for civilians. Spend a few minutes every day assessing your behavior and interaction with others. Let us look at the Army core values. Whether it is at your place of work or at home, you will discover the importance of these basic values that are not only timeless but also essential.

The Army core values are timeless and universal values that have their civilian application. This is how I interpret these values for civilians.
1. Loyalty - Be there for your friends, family, employer, government or other organization. Be the one whom others can depend upon. I am sure you’ve heard the phrase, “I’ve got your back.” It is a great feeling when we know we have the loyal support of others. You are to be that same loyal support for others to rely on.
2. Duty - The same definition as used for soldiers applies to civilians as well. Accept responsibility and fulfill your obligations. Work on constantly improving yourself, especially your character.
3. Golden Rule - Practice and live by the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This, of course, requires you to be kind to yourself as well. Test your application of the Golden Rule every single day and learn from your mistakes so that you can improve and get better. So how do you get better at it? The best time to practice the Golden Rule is when you would like to respond in a less-than¬golden manner. Whether it is driving in traffic, grocery shopping, or speaking with a family member, friend, or foe, always practice the Golden Rule.
4. Selfless Service - Focus on serving others in every situation, whether pleasant or unpleasant, and you will gain the most out of life. You will have better relationships, make better business decisions, and see that service to others is an essential key to strengthening your character. Another great benefit is that you will attract more people who will help and support you in your worthy endeavors.
5. Honor - Live up to all the values. If you are wrong, say so. It is honorable. If you may be wrong, say so. It is honorable. If someone makes a mistake and has behaved towards you in a less than honorable manner, be honorable. Treat that person graciously. Make sure your mind, tongue, body language and attitude all express what is honorable. Fulfilling all these values is the honorable thing to do even as it relates to your health, fitness, how you eat and how you live.
6. Integrity - When standing at the crossroads of doing what is right or what is comfortable, do what is right. You cannot imagine how integrity – or the lack thereof – will affect your physical and mental performance. Doing the right thing is a huge energy booster and will actually help strengthen your immune system. Do that daily inventory on your level of honesty and take corrective action where you notice that you have fallen short. The right attitude will always lead to honest behavior. What is right is written on our hearts so always ask yourself what is the right thing to say or do when faced with a situation or decision.
7. Personal Courage - It takes courage to do the right thing when others may just take the low road -- or, better said, the comfortable road -- while sacrificing the right thing. That is moral courage. I would say moral courage is what is needed to carry out the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor and integrity. Without courage, many of these values will fall through the cracks. Moreover, if they do, just get right back up again and say to yourself, “I’ll do it better next time.” And keep working it like a muscle. Character values, like muscles, need to be worked on a regular basis to get and stay strong. “Use it or lose it” applies to character values as well muscles. Seek out books that are about strengthening character. Seek out people who are on the same journey.

Quotes to Live By: Take back control of your goals, health, fitness, finances, relationships and spiritual life

Your Action Plan:
Pick one of the seven values of loyalty, duty, golden rule, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity or personal courage. Spend an entire week consciously practicing that value as you interact with other. Make a list of things you can do better or new things you can do to make that value a part of your life that you share with others.

Please mention the author and when using this article.
The author is Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, USAR-Ret, also known as the Health Colonel. BEACHBOOTCAMP.NET