Let's do fika!

According to many worldwide studies Sweden is one of the happiest countries to live. Fika, the delightful custom of enjoying a coffee and a treat with friends is as Swedish as ABBA. 

Surely it's just a coffee break?  Fika is much more than that, to Swedes, fika is something of a ritual. It typically consists of coffee and a sweet treat shared with friends on a regular basis.  It is a deliberate way to share a social connection with friends and colleagues during work times.  More importantly, a way to enjoy time with those you love and just connect, especially in nature.  Our daughter Briana spent time in Sweden and recently came back with fika as a daily ritual. Kristen and I have made it a weekly connection to spend quality time together.  That is what fika is all about. 

Let's do fika!

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd 

Breathe-Increase Your Prana

 

Take a deep breath right now. Are your shoulders raising?

If your shoulders are raising when breathing instead of your belly, you are probably shallow breathing or thoracic breathing.  Being a shallow breather can lead to a long list of health issues.  Stress leads to shallow breath, shallow breath leads to a constant state of stress.  Not good!  It deprives your muscles and joints of oxygen, which leads to tightness, chronic pain and stiffness.  It can also lead to sleep apnea, insomnia and restlessness.  In other words, a crappy sleeper.

We must reteach our bodies to breathe.  Belly breathing or diaphragmatically is the most beneficial way to go.  Watch how a baby breathes, its belly rises and falls.  Try drawing air in through your nose into your lungs and expand your belly, like a baby.  You will be getting more well needed oxygen that your body can use.

Meditation requires intentional breath work.  The more you focus on how your mind and body feel when breathing, the more it will become naturally.  You will feel better and know how to calm yourself in stressful situations.

In yoga, the Sanskrit word for breath or life force is "Prana"

In living beings, Prana is considered to be responsible for the body's life, heat, health and maintenance.  Prana is the force behind life itself.  Increase your Prana through the Five Elements.

Start practicing to belly breath and feel the difference.

Go deep!

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Please get your vaccination and wear a mask.

Judd 

Vitamin N

 

All vitamins and minerals are very important and essential for proper health.  Vitamin N is one that is probably overlooked more than any other.  Vitamin N is essentially a prescription to spend more time in nature. Vitamin "Nature" makes us feel great.  It is why when the sun comes out everyone jumps for joy and heads outside.  Did you know Nature can heal your over-stressed brain, but just how much Vitamin N do we need?  Spending just 10 minutes 2-3 times per week in nature can really make a difference in how you feel.

Here's 5 ways nature can help you be a better you:

*Nature clears your head: A 90 minute walk in a natural environment has a positive impact with lower levels of anxiety and obsessive worry.

*It improves your mood and lowers stress: All types of green exercise activities improve self-esteem and combats negative moods like anger, tension and depression.   

*It spurs creativity: Are you stressing about a big project or exam, take a walk in the woods.  Problem solving skills are thought to originate in the same area of the brain as we use for selective attention and threat detection.  Researchers are concerned that our ability to think creatively is being overwhelmed by the constant stimulus of digital and indoor life.

*It improves your immune system: Sick of getting sick?  Walking in nature has been found to increase our natural killer cell activity.  Natural killer cells are our bodies weapons against invading bacteria and viruses. 

*You're less likely to snack on unhealthy foods: Being more active means decreased likelihood of overeating while being sedentary.

Have you ever heard of "Forest Bathing"?  

For more reading: Why we need Nature

Grab some hydration and go take a walk.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

New Year Quotes

Happy New Year 

GOODBYE 2020!

As we start off the new year, let us be grateful that we have made it to see 2020 go away!

It has been a very crazy year and if we all work together 2021 will be a time of healthy regrowth. 

Here is my list of great quotes and thoughts from throughout the ages that might help you start the New Year with a mindful outlook.

Have more friends!

"Energy makes people beautiful" says Jack LaLanne "You don't want to be close to someone who's dead and crapped out all the time, who's bitching that it's a lousy fucking world and "Christ, my ulcers are killing me."

"Look well into thyself, there is always a source of strength which will always spring up if you wilt always look there." Marcus Aurelius

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." Confucius

"You have power over your mind...not over outside events.  Realize this and you will find strength." Marcus Aurelius

"Find a place inside where there's joy and the joy will burn out the pain."  Joseph Campbell 

"Your health account, your bank account, they are the same thing.  The more you put in, the more you can take out. Exercise is king and nutrition is queen. Together you have a kingdom."  Jack LaLanne 

"Learning never exhausts the mind."  Leonardo da Vinci

"Confine yourself to the present."  Marcus Aurelius

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."  Thucydides

"A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time.. pills or stairs" "Always take the stairs, all day everyday." Joan Welsh

"The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, became a stepping stone in the pathway of the strong."  Thomas Carlyle

"Know your True North, if you don't know where you are going, you're never going to get there."  Joe DeSena

"The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best, work together, finish together."  Epictetus

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought."  Buddha

"Everybody wants to hangout at the finish line, without running the race."  Gary Vee

"All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today."

"Stay positive, forgive others, invest in yourself, lead with an open heart, don't let others ruin your day, do things that bring you joy, be of service to humanity. find your soul tribe, LOVE yourself."  Lewis Howes

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them"  Albert Einstein

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."  Lao Tzu

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." Marcus Aurelius

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."  Confucius

"The devil whispered in my ear, you are not strong enough for the storm. I told the devil, I AM THE STORM."

"Under the sky, under the heavens, there is but one family."  Bruce Lee

"It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials."  Bruce Lee

"The successful warrior is just an average man with laser-like focus."  Bruce Lee

"It is not about being perfect, it's about being the best you at the moment. Allow yourself to listen inwardly, pause to hear your own wisdom." 

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded  thoughts."  Buddha

"Boldness calls on your willingness to let go of what you have in order to create something you dream of."

"It's not about what happens, it's about your reaction to what happens that matters."

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."  Winston Churchill

"Make sure your worst enemy doesn't live between your own two ears."  Laird Hamilton

"Never cease to act because you fear you may fail."  Queen Lili'uokalani

"Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself."  Marcus Aurelius

"Ask yourself at every moment, Is this necessary?"  Marcus Aurelius

"Be honest, have empathy, work hard and have fun."  Laird Hamilton

"The ocean is full of treasures, but if you swim on the surface, you won't see them all"  Jay Shetty

"More connections, less separations." King T'Challa

"God is love. Why should we contain Him any longer in our poor and narrow conceptions. Which are so often no more than the grandiose reflections of ourselves. Let us set Him free."  Jesus Christ- "The Book of Longings"

"I totally regret being healthy today...said no one ever."

"Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path."

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river nor the same man."  Heraclitus

"The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength."  Marcus Aurelius

"No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, you can always turn back."

"The day you plant the seed is not the same day you eat the fruit."

"He slept with wolves with no fear, because the wolves knew a lion was among them"

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."  Mahatma Gandhi

"To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over.  It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it."  Marcus Aurelius

"Life comes at us fast. Today. Tomorrow. When we least expect it. Be ready. Be strong. Don't be snuffed out."

"Remember.. Since the universe has no center, you can't be it.  The world does not revolve around you."

PLEASE WEAR A MASK!

STOP THINKING ONLY ABOUT YOURSELF!

TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE 2021 GREAT

Namaste'

Judd

Recommended Reading 12/06/20

 

It's time for the final 2020 reading recommendations.  2020 has been quite the year, to say the least.  Please just remember all the blessings that have been bestowed upon you.  Many have been through loss and suffering, but hopefully there will be healing and prosperity ahead for all of us.  

Let's get started with the obvious, the pandemic.  We all know that this outgoing administration has not been implementing the best practices to deal with this crisis.  We all need to look at the big picture and sacrifice our personal freedoms and start wearing a MASK! Stay 6 feet from each other and quit bitching about our freedoms are being taken away.

Life is Almost Back to Normal in Melbourne Australia

Denmark and Sweden Responded Differently

Health and Wellness

5 Mental Health Mantras for the Holidays

Just in time for the New Year: How To Form Healthy Habits That Stick

With the Holiday feasts coming up, besides stopping when you are 80% full, here's how to: Banish the Bloat,  

Crazy Shit

Does your poop float?

What is the purpose of this decision? Climate Denier to Pick Medal of Science Winner

Environment

Build Back Better a Climate Plan

Every Major Bank Says No to Funding Arctic Drilling

Bye Exxon!

A Step in the Right Direction for the Unsustainable Factory Farming Industry 

Have a great week

WEAR YOUR MASK

Judd

Recommended Reading

 

2020 has been quite the trying year for all of us.

Sometimes I feel like Mr.Pumpkin and I'm sure you do also.  The world is at a tipping point, where our ideas/actions have got to change for the better.  Humankind cannot continue to go down the path that we are on.  Compassion, empathy and love for one another is the only path to choose.  We need each other now more than ever before.  Only ourselves are in control of how we react and act towards others. If we  treat everyone we interact with on a daily basis kindly and with empathy, we would relieve the tension and lessen the division some in "leadership" is imparting on us.  We all just want to be loved and live a happy life.  We are all equal in the eyes of our creator,

On to my recommendations:

Environment:

You must watch Netflix's: David Attenborough A Life on Our Planet

Outrage and Optimism: podcast with Prince William 

Trail Runner Magazine: The Forests are Burning

Time Magazine: 6 Months on a Planet in Crisis: Greta Thunberg

Why Saving Nature is the Best Way to End the Pandemic Era

Wellness:

Can Eating Less Meat and Dairy Help Save Our Planet?

Casein (milk protein) is a Carcinogen: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Center for Nutrition Studies

Most everyone is deficient in Vitamin B12, Nutritiofacts.org

The Healthiest Food Sources of B12

The Role of Meat and Dairy Viruses in Cancer

Mental Health:

How to Reclaim Time When the Day is Slipping Away

7 Practical Ways to Manage Worry

Recipes:

Minimalist Baker: 18 Dairy-Free Pasta Recipes

Crazy: 

What if a Presidential Candidate Refuses to Concede After an Election?

Hope you enjoy!

Have a great week.

Stay positive, exude love.

Judd

The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing

It might be too late, you might just be getting in from BLACK FRIDAY.  

  Humankind has got to stop that insanity.  You don't need to mindlessly acquire "stuff" to be fulfilled.  Stop and give thoughtful consideration to purchasing useful gifts for those you love.  A wise person once said "Stop buying crap, and companies will stop making crap"  Instead of torturing yourself with the madness, try doing what the Dutch do,( they do happen to be one of the happiest country in the world)  Niksen: The Art of Doing Nothing

This an article from Blue Zones.

Enjoy.

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Recommended Reading 09/03/19

It's Recommended Reading time!!

This weeks post is a few days late thanks to Hurricane Dorian.  We have been prepping for the storm, and heading inland to some gracious friends home to spend a few days from the coast.  Our hearts go out to those in the Bahamas who have been hit the hardest so far.  Elbow Key, Abaco which took the initial hit is a beautiful serene little island where I have been surfing and I know those residents are hurting.  I hope the whole East Coast of the U.S. stays strong and be strong.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Unfortunately with the climate emergency storms like Dorian are going to be commonplace.

Bill Nye gives us 3 things we can do to combat climate change.

FOOD

We all know carbs give us energy, but too many carbs?, 4 easily-missed signs you are eating too many.

As much as 75% of cancer can be linked to our food choices, here are 5 food choices to help fight cancer.

Stock your pantry with these 10 ingredients every plant-based pantry needs.

If you haven't heard Burger King is now offering the Impossible Whopper, I must say they are very good but I feel very weird going into Burger King! At least now while on the road you have more plant-based options to choose from.  Just don't give in to the temptation and get the greasy fries and soda.  

Here's a easy and healthy recipe for Avocado & White Bean Salad Wrap.

For any newcomers to a plant-based lifestyle here's a plant-based primer guide.

 WELLNESS

How emotional stress can ruin your life.

44 Ways to practice gratitude.

Beat "monkey mind" with these breathing techniques.

  

 STUFF

Blue Zones Project Hawaii: Street Art Makes Pedestrians Safer.

Principality of Sealand 

Oceans Disconnected:

"No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, you can always turn back."

Have great week.

Be kind.

Judd

Is It Time For A Detox?

With our world growing increasingly toxic, the question is not if you should do a detox; its when.  It's true our bodies are built to naturally eliminate toxins.  The problem, however, is that the effects of modern life: pollution, poor dietary choices, contaminates in our food and water, stress and even a sedentary lifestyle will compromise the body's ability to effectively detox the way it supposed to.  The tragic result of this toxic internal congestion is that we develop diseases, gain weight and lose our natural energy and vitality.

While its true our livers are constantly detoxing our bloodstreams, they are not necessarily coping as well as they could be.  From pesticides and fertilizers in our food, to heavy metals in the skincare products we use and the over-eager medicine prescribing, our wonderful modern world is a bit of a minefield waiting to explode.

Here are a few signs you need a 'detox', even when you think you are healthy and can't figure out why you are:

*Constantly Fatigued. 

This could be a sign your body is working too hard to get rid of the toxins you're pouring into it. If your answer is more coffee or something sweet, you're only making the problem worse.

*Constipation.

The intestines get rid of a lot of toxins everyday.  When that is compromised we store up all those toxins.  Allowing them to negatively affect our bodies.  This is related to consuming a lot of processed foods filled with chemicals, pesticides and preservatives.

*Skin Reactions.

Acne, rashes and skin problems may signal a toxic overload.  The skin is our largest organ responsible for detoxification. Get out there and sweat!

*Muscle aches and pains.

Chronic inflammation can be influenced by the environmental toxins we come into contact each and every day. Use only natural skin care products that are free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens and any other potentially toxic ingredients.

*Bad Breath.

Bad breath is often related to digestive issues and can also mean your liver is struggling to get rid of the toxins.

Here is a great article from Dr. Will Cole: 16 Signs its Time For a Detox

Here are some suggestions for healthy detoxing:

*Support your liver with  warm lemon water, dandelion tea, eat more parsley and cilantro.

*Drink more water(I Need a Drink   Thirsty?)

*SWEAT! Exercise at least 30 minutes daily. It gets the circulation going, helping move toxins along.

*Get a good daily dose of probiotics (Gut Bomb) like non-dairy yogurts,kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh and miso soup.

*Always brush your teeth, even better use a tongue scrapper while brushing.

*Practice deep breathing.

*Choose clean organic whole foods.  Start with these: FoodsTo Naturally Detox Our Body.

CBD Oil has been shown to help in detoxing the liver along with many other benefits: 4 Natural Remedies to Detox and Heal The Liver.  We offer high quality CBD Oil products at www.kristenlee.hempworx.com Please check them out.

BELIEVE IN 

KINDNESS

Have a great week

Judd

Be Kind

This week's post is a little different than most.  I hope it speaks to you and lifts you up.  If you're having a rough day, I hope you know that you are loved and you matter. 

 Our world is changing.  Oftentimes it seems as though friends, family and strangers are treating each other with less and less compassion and understanding.  If others don't share the same beliefs, they are wrong.  I heard a podcast recently with Guru Singh talking with Rich Roll.  He made a very enlightening statement:  The way of educating children needs some changes.  Instead of (or in addition to) the 3 R's, what should be taught is the 3 C's: Compassion, Collaboration and Communication.  This way children will learn how to deal with the real problems of our time.  By learning how to be compassionate towards others and  collaborate and work in unity with one another, there will be less conflict.  When these children become adults, they in turn will teach their children and the world will be a better place in which to live.  Eventually the cycle will stop and adults will live a more harmonious life with others, and our differences will be cause for celebration and not contention.

This week, let's all try to be more compassionate towards our loved ones.  Be kind to strangers!  Your kind words might be the healing words they need to hear.

This week, let's communicate with each other.  Be honest.  Be uplifting; encouraging words have life. Let your loved ones know what's in your heart.  Life is too short; it could end tomorrow.  Let your love flow out of you.

This week, work as a team; collaborate with one another.
A three strand rope is stronger than a thread!

I strive to live my life according to the Spartan code:

 Have a great week.

BE KIND.

Judd