Beliefs = Your Control Factory

Someone said to have an “effective blog” you should keep your posts short because no one wants to read on and on no matter how interesting your post is…this is a BELIEF. It  may or may not be your belief. But, it’s “someone’s”.

When I first became interested in the power of a person’s belief or beliefs, I was astonished at how much information was out there about how incredibly powerful beliefs are! They truly control every persons actions. Obviously there is way too much info to get into on this one post about just how crazy powerful your beliefs are in the fact of where you are right now in your life and where you will be in terms of successes and failures in your future.

“So dream a dream you’d want to live, For everything could be yours, If only you believe.”

BOOM! Do you get the power in that statement?! How amazing is it that we have the absolute power to direct our lives by there sheer means of what we chose belief or what we are willing to change our beliefs to?!

I got permission from Randy Gage to share with a video he made which I BELIEVE came to me (and many others who needed the information) because it was time for me to see it, and if you are reading this, I’m sure it is your time to see it too on how to turn HOPE into BELIEF!

Are you hearing what he is saying? You can’t just say you want something and hope it comes along, can you? No! You have to believe it, REALLY believe it that whatever it is you want WILL come along…and it will! Take some of his tips and put them to work today! Find someone who has the life you want. TIP: Make sure you know EVERYTHING you possibly can about their real lives before you chose that mentor or you may end up with..oh..”be careful what you wish for” tugging on your shirt!

Now, here is ANOTHER video I want you to watch by Bob Proctor about beliefs and how they helped him and how he changed his beliefs to obtain the lifestyle he wanted and DESERVED to live:

“Our belief system is based on our evaluation of something. And frequently if we re-evaluate a situation, our belief about that situation will change.”

Read that again…are hearing this? If you aren’t getting what you want in your life it’s time you start re-evaluating your beliefs and let go of the labels that you believe are holding you back from the life you DESERVE, (whether it’s Autism, ADHD, ODD, Stupid, ugly,lazy..ANY negative or destructive label)  you have placed upon yourself or allowed others to place on you and in return have CHOSEN to believe them and replace them with POSITIVE ones (Intelligent, creative, successful, attractive, funny, likable, desirable, sexy,smart) do you get this?! Listen to what Scott Wimberly has to say about this:

As far back as I can remember I have believed that I was meant to help people. I had no idea how I was going to help them, no way at all. I was a kid, on my own, and left to my own resources most of my developmental years. Helped me become who I am today! There came a time when I was in a very serious auto accident which happened to start my path toward helping others on a very personal level. Although my path of helping others has changed in the way I was able to issue it but, I still stand by my belief that I am on this Earth to help people in a positive way which will empower them to put their thoughts into actions and change their beliefs ( if they need to) or enhance their beliefs ( if they need to) in order for them to live this ever so wonderful life they are meant to be living!

I close out this blog with a very short video that was created for the Major League Soccer team RSL (Real Salt Lake ) by Branden Steineckert, but I choose to say “RSL” for me stands for “Real Successful Life”! Everyday you are faced with what some see as a battle, some choose to view it as a blessing. It is YOUR life no matter how you choose to see it. 

“If you believe then just stand up on your feet, and shout it loud, REAL!”

Here are the words:”IF YOU BELIEVE THEN JUST STAND UP ON YOUR FEET AND SHOUT IT LOUD REAL!HERE AT THE RIOT THE BATTLE HYMNS BEGUN.WE’RE HERE FOR RSL!”

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

 

Special thanks to Randy Gage, Bob Proctor, Scott Wimberly, and Branden Steineckert, and YOU for taking the time to read this blog post that went “on and on”

 

Be your own Superhero, time to BRAVE UP!

 

As many of you know, some of my blog posts come from people asking me questions and I use this as a way to communicate back to not just them, but others who may have the same questions too.

Recently I was asked from a friend, if there was something, anything, that I could be rid of in my life (they asked it differently but they are doing their own research so I am rephrasing it), what would it be? It didn’t take me long to think about and come to what the “one thing” would be. “My fear of success”. One thing I know about this that I am not alone.

 

People often fear the change that success will bring, not success itself. Pay attention to your fearful thoughts and reset them by eliminating the words “don’t,” “not,’” and “no” and setting forth thoughts of what you do want instead. 

That is a quote by Michael Losier. Think about it, it’s true. We don’t really fear being successful, we WANT to be successful. What we fear is being uncomfortable because of the changes our success may bring. I literally thought about this for 2 hours last night and wrote about it in my journal. The simple 2 column list of the positives and negatives of changes that could possibly happen when i reach that success level I am striving for. Sounds silly, right?

                              

 

A great attitude is not the result of success; success is the result of a great attitude. -Earl Nightingale

Allow me to share with you:

Pro’s:  Ability to help more people, Recognition, Validation, Trust, Proof of knowledge, Access to more resources and resourceful people, Increase in income, Opportunity to grow, making new “successful” friends.

Con’s- Venturing into new uncharted areas, insecurities of living up to others’ expectations, losing friends, fear of failure or falling short, uncertainty, being criticized and judged.

The more I looked at these two columns, the more something came very clear. One was first we must decide and define what we consider to be success or successful. I brought out some of my favorite personal development books and re-read some of my favorite quotes about success and goal setting. And it isn’t fear of success that I need to rid myself of. Success happens every day of our lives if we stay focused on our daily goals, weekly goals, monthly, quarterly, annual goals.

For me, if every single day I can help someone or improve the quality of life for just one individual, I consider myself “successful”. If I hold up to my promises to be the best person I can be and to role model and inspire others, I am successful. When I had responded to my friend this is what I had said when she asked what I needed to do to get past it.

“Accept that failure is part of the process of success and not an actual “failure” as far as an end, and to get it solid as a belief that I deserve it.”

Can you identify the REAL issue I was forced to face? 

Sometimes the battles that we fight aren’t external but most often they are internal and in the form of our beliefs. These can be the toughest battles of all and when you take these battles on, there is no one that can fight them than your own internal Superhero. For only you have the power to change your beliefs.

Thank you for reading and please like comment and share if you think post may help someone you know or someone you know may know.

Till next time, keep on Lovin’ Life!

“YOLO”? Bull-O!

 

I decided to write about this because A) this is MY blog and I can write about whatever I decide to have fun with and B) because my daughter inspired me to write about this when I picked up a keychain with the letters vertically stacked on top of each other Y.O.L.O. “What is Yolo?” I asked her. Her response was nonchalant, “Y.O.L.O…YOLO..You Only Live Once.” and she walked away from me.

As she walked away I stood there with he keychain in my hand looking it at. “YOLO”? Really? I jotted this down in my Evernote notes as something to think about blogging about. For a few days I would notice people with YOLO phrases on shirts and hats. They weren’t anything that I personally would advertise. Things I consider to be pretty dumb. Stuff about drinking, living dangerously, having sex, smoking and stuff like that and I wondered, If you knew you only lived once, if that was your true belief, why would you waste it on such stupid things?

 

And then I thought, if I believed in my heart that “YOLO” I wouldn’t waste a single day. I would go after my dreams! I would accomplish great feats! I would not put off the things and people I love and I would embrace life!

Perhaps that is a keychain I would buy. One that said, “Embrace Life”.

 

You can get an “Embrace Life” keychain on Zazzle.com BTW

“How long do you keep at it?”

 I was conversing with a client the other day who has been having successes but has also fell a few times in her fitness and healthy eating. She asked me, ” How long do you keep going?” I asked her to go into more detail about what she was talking about. I thought she meant, how long should she keep trying to get better with her goals but that wasn’t her question at all. “How long do you keep at it? I mean, how long are you going to stick with me before you give up on me too?” The question totally caught me off guard. The thought of giving up on her never once crossed my mind, never.

My response, “As long as you don’t quit on you, I won’t quit on you.” The good Personal Trainers and Coaches don’t abandon their clients and their clients goals. They stick with them, Find what works for them. Make adjustments as necessary and keep moving forward. The goal is to get them where they want to be and teach them how to maintain their results. They need to have trust in you and confidence that you are looking out for their own good..not just taking their money.

 

What the hell are we doing to our kids..and ourselves?! (Nutrition)

I am fortunate..actually, we are all fortunate! I am fortunate because I have an urge, a NEED for knowledge about health, fitness, nutrition and why people do and act the way they do…and how I can help them with becoming healthier more fit, and living and LOVING life. Because of that need, I have sought out attended nutrition seminars with some of the top nutritionist and have now been invited to attend a nutrition labels comparison study, which I very much look forward to!

I have on my own sought knowledge for years on how I can help others just be healthier, happier, and more fit. YOU are fortunate because you also have access to this information!

If you are struggling with weight, fitness, you are diseased..the very first place you should be looking isn’t for that damn stupid magic pill, but at what you are voluntarily putting into your body without a thought of where it came from!

At one time it may have been “okay” to eating this way. Maybe we didn’t know better. What we are eating now ( “we” being a general term) are products that may LOOK like food, smell and taste fantastic, but they are doing great harm to us! They leave us feeling full but starving for nutrition. “Hungry for Change“ is a great resource website and is also just ONE of the “need to watch” documentary movies out there where you can educate yourself on what you can do to start making a difference..start changing your lifestyle

Above is just a clip of the “Hungry for Change” movie. The movie is free on Netflix right now. Go watch it!

My daughters have NEVER drank soda. You wouldn’t believe some of the things people say when they hear that. They have never drank it so they don’t CRAVE it. I quit drinking soda in 2005. I was one of those people who woke up, and since I have never been a coffee drinker, I would crack open a Dr. Pepper or a Coke! If that wasn’t enough, I’d also top off my “breakfast” with a Hostess Suzy-Q! Yes! This is REALLY what I used to eat!

Some people refuse to open their eyes and see what bad nutrition is doing to them. They act as if they have no control, “it’s too hard”, “it costs too much to eat healthy”. You name it I have heard it. I always reply with, “You can pay for it now or pay for it later in medical bills, therapists, surgeries, missed days from work, or I hate to say it, but I have heard of spouses leaving each other over weight and health issues too.” Now…tell me again that you can’t afford to put into your body what it needs to run like a lean mean healthy machine!

I was taking pills for migraines that were costing me $50 for 6 pills! Seriously! 6 pills and they didn’t even have any gold in them!  By the way, that $50 was AFTER my insurance covered their portion! I changed my diet, increased my water intake, and I can tell you I don’t nearly get migraines like that anymore. I had been suffering from symptoms of MS…most of these can be controlled or at least managed by eating healthy exercising, and getting enough rest.

When I quit smoking ( yeah, I had THAT wonderful habit too), I thought, “Anyone who starts smoking when they now KNOW how addictive it is, what the dangers are…they are just stupid!” And guess what. I still feel the same way about it. But, the same can be said about those who eat these man mad “food like”.. things we are putting in our bodies everyday! We still eat like this but not only us..we are feeding our KIDS this garbage!

The companies that make these items put chemicals in them that make them addicting and harmful to your body! They don’t care about you and your health, they are simply focused on getting you hooked and keeping you coming back for more to increase their bottom line. PERIOD!

If you want to learn more about how you can improve your overall health, I recommend reading Weston A. Price‘s book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration,”. Another starting point is to start with a detox cleanse. There are many out there but I know of one that works well and will guide you through the whole process, and provide you with a support group on facebook. It is called The Ultimate Reset.

“The Beachbody Ultimate Reset™ will help you reclaim your body, weaning it from craving unhealthy foods and preparing it for change. You’ll release the toxic compounds that are clogging your cells, and restore your metabolism to maximum efficiency, feeding it with the nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics it needs for healthy performance.Typical “cleanses” can do as much harm as good—by starving your body of exactly the nutrients it needs. On the Ultimate Reset, you’ll eat better than you have in years—and feel great doing it!

General Information

The Beachbody Ultimate reset was created by wellness experts Isabelle Daikeler and Darin Olien, with help from board-certified, former Presidential nutritionist Dr. Bill Wheeler. Isabelle and Darin previously worked together to create Shakeology®, the premium superfood nutritional shake. With Dr. Wheeler, they took on the mission to create this healthy cleansing program to help you feed your body with some of the healthiest substances on earth.”

If you are at all interested in using The Ultimate Reset, while you will lose weight, that is not the sole purpose of this program. It is to detoxify and rid your body of the chemicals being stored in your body helping you become healthy INSIDE and loo healthy OUTSIDE..and feel better all the way around. Through the month of March I can help you save BIG on Ultimate Reset Kits and Challenge Packs but you need to contact me before March 31, 2013!

“The Beachbody Ultimate Reset® is a comprehensive, no-starvation, inner-body tune-up that offers much more
than the typical cleanse and detox programs on the market. The Ultimate Reset not only helps you eliminate
toxins and waste gently and naturally, but it also maximizes your cellular energy production, helping your body
process food more efficiently and your systems run more smoothly.* You’ll replace the processed foods you’ve
been eating with healthy foods. You’ll eat cleanly—possibly for the first time in your life—and take
supplements designed to help your body remove from your cells and organs toxins that you’ve been taking in
for decades.
The Beachbody Ultimate Reset is a complete, three-phase, 21-day mind and body program that provides
everything you need to:*
• Reclaim your body’s natural balance
• Release the harmful materials you may be storing within you
• Restore your system to its maximum health”

Click the links below to get in on this March Super Sale!

-Ultimate Reset Complete Kit

– Ultimate Reset Refill Kit

-Ultimate Reset Dual Kit

For the Ultimate Reset Challenge Pack you must first sign up to be a customer HERE

I hope you’ll take some time to learn more about the food and “food-like” products that are out there. Make the changes you need to make for you, then help your family make them too.

Who am I? Am I “good enough”? How to be happy and successful!

As people, and I will speak for myself when I say, as a woman, mother, and wife, we seem to constantly ask ourselves , Who am i?” We come to the short conclusion, “I am a mother, a wife, an actress, a teacher, a writer, a volunteer..etc. After we have strapped that label onto ourselves, we find ourselves asking, “Am I good enough?

When I was a young girl I knew who I was in terms of sports and academics. I knew what I liked and never really thought about the next day because it was either school/chores/and homework or it was chores and free time..as long as I was out of the house and home before dark when I saw the porch light on, it was all good.I knew who I was and knew if I was good enough.

Then became adulthood, parenthood, and an area very much unknown to me. I began doubting who I was, where I was going, if I was good enough, if I would ever be good enough, if I could ever DO enough. I know I am not alone out there with this.

I lost touch of my friends. Forgot what my hobbies were and I placed my family before myself every time. I have no idea why I would do that. I thought it was what I was supposed to do. Put them before me. But then I began listening to others. A spark ignited…I did all this, put them before me because I thought I didn’t deserve to be loved or that I wouldn’t be loved if I did put me first. Let me take a step back, when you have babies, yes, I still believe mine would come before me. But my kids are teens and young adults now. And now, I need to focus on me more as they focus on themselves and their independence and growth.

What it comes down to is that you need to happy first before you will be able to “be enough” for anyone else” or to “be good enough”. Happiness is where it all begins!

So how do you make yourself happy? Shawn Anchor the CEO of Good Think, Inc. has some great ideas based on research The Happy Secret will have you smiling and will tell you what you can do by creating new habits. They say it takes 21 days to build a new habit..write 3 things you are grateful for each day, journal about a happy experience you had that day..RELIVE it, exercise, meditation, and I would add eat healthy because what you eat really does impact your energy levels and how your brain functions too.

I strongly believe that you do need to be happy first..your success falls in after being happy and therefore you will feel that you are “good enough” and as long as you’re happy when someone asks “who are you?” if you can start off with “I am happy, or happily” you are sure to be on the right track! 

By being happy you attract happy people, it’s easier to change your perception of stressful situations to simply challenges.

So, here’s to you and your happiness and success! 

Lessons Learned from a (not so) typical 3 Year Old.. Happy Birthday and Thank you Noah Galloy!

Let me start off by saying a very special THANK YOU to the Galloy Family. I do believe I was fortunate to have had the experience of meeting them and their sons Noah and Brayden!

Many, probably most of you don’t know who Noah Galloy is, probably never heard of him before. If you ask me who he is, I would tell you he is an amazing little boy who has gone through more in his life than any child  should ever go through. You can read all about Noah by going to the Team Noah We Care About Rare Facebook Page. Let me also note here that the expenses for Noah’s care are incredible, so, if you can find it in your heart and in your wallet to donate fund to the Team Noah Foundation…please do! I did not ask for authorization to post pics or specific info so please go to the above listed links for more info or contact them directly if you have questions.

I was given the opportunity to meet Noah and his family in person today…Noah’s 3rd Birthday when a request was made through www.Costumerswithacause.com for Captain America to come visit him on his birthday. These past few weeks have been no doubt very stressful on the entire Galloy family. If you go to the facebook page and read what they have been going through, you’ll see what I mean.

We have a pretty good cast of volunteers here in the Midwest Division of Costumers With A Cause and there was no way we were going to not have a Captain America there for this little man’s Birthday! Long story shortened, the original person we expected to go was advised the night before that their employer was planning on forcing them to work a 10 hour day, even though they knew what he was planning on doing for this child and what it meant to him to be there. Branden O’Neill didn’t hesitate and took on the role (for his first time as the Capt) to make sure he had the birthday he wanted.

The Irony in this story is that we almost lost Branden when he was a baby a few times. At 6 weeks old he stopped breathing and was diagnosed as having an immature brain stem, many believe this is what cause some babies to die from SIDS. He would stop breathing, most of the time when he went to sleep but sometimes when he was awake too. For 8 months he wore a foam strap around his chest that velcro’d closed.  When he stopped breathing this horrible alarm would sound. Hopefully it would scare him into waking up and breathing again. Then when he was about 2 1/2 years old he came down with Kawasaki Disease and was in the hospital sedated while they waited for him to recover. My step father one time when I was crying because of the uncertain situation told me, “The sickest kids make the healthiest adults.” I’m not exactly sure if that is true or if I believe it, but it made me feel better at the time.

Ok..so what did I learn from Noah..

Here is this little boy. Just turned 3 years old. When you think of a 3 year old..what do you see them doing? Running around? Playing on the playground? Maybe walking with mom and their pet dog? This is not what Noah is doing. He is being patient..waiting for them to say he can go home to his OWN bed and walk around freely without an IV attached to him.

My gosh..it really puts it in perspective doesn’t it? I went to the grocery store after I left his hospital room and I couldn’t help looking at some of the little kids in the store. Some in the grocery carts, some running up and down the isles while mom or dad pay no attention, they are looking at items on the shelves. And I think to myself..”They are really taking these moments for granted.” I feel a bit ashamed to admit I was thinking that but I was! “Do these parents realize how fortunate they are?” I wonder if this will be a thought in my head forever when I see these scenes again.

Surround yourself with people who lift you up and not just love you for who you are, but who you are becoming. My goodness he has such a great supportive and loving family around him! Dad, Mom, Grandma, his big brother and you can tell they love him to pieces!

These are the kind of people we should all surround ourselves with. Those who love you when you are “lovable” and also love you when you aren’t. Let’s face it, we all have our moments when we can really be hard to be around. If you expect them to be there for YOU during those times, I hope you expect yourself to be there for THEM when they are having those times!

Have Fun. Life is way too short to get all caught up in the small stuff. When was the last time you did something “kid like”? Me? Well..I did a handstand last week..does that count? I’m always smiling and goofing around..lovin’ life! You’ve got to have fun! You HAVE to. So, if you haven’t had some really cool KID FUN lately..get out there and do it! If not for you initially, think of someone who can’t and would love to do it and do it for them!

Dance. Pretty self explanatory. Dance. It’ great for the heart, the soul…you can dance to express how you feel, where you’d like to be or go, for fun, out of frustration or even sadness…but dance. And yeah…if you can con a nurse or two in on it..more power to ya!

And when you feel like it..go to sleep. When the day is done, and your body and mind are ready, it’s perfectly acceptable to sleep. You’ve worked hard, played hard, made it through a tough day..enjoy a peaceful sleep. I smiled when Noah climbed on his mom’s lap into a little ball to go to sleep. What a day for him. The BIG 3! Here’s to you Noah, our Junior Avenger!

Get Through Thanksgiving Without Gaining Weight

By Samantha Judge Terrio

From the fat-laden gravy to the creamy pumpkin pie, even looking at the Thanksgiving dinner table is enough to make you loosen your belt a few notches. Then, there’s the competition: Who’s going to get the turkey leg or lay claim to the most mashed potatoes? Who’s going to finish fast enough to be the first one back for seconds? I know I’m not the only one who has experienced a “get-your-hands-off-my-dinner-roll” moment during Thanksgiving.

Considering all of that, it’s no shock that the average American consumes about 4,500 calories and up to 229 grams of fat¹ on Thanksgiving! So, how can you stop yourself from gaining more than a pound in a day? Here are 9 tips you can lean on for this holiday season, so the bird is the only one stuffed at the end of the day.

1. Get a good head start. Start your day with a healthy breakfast, such as two eggs and whole-grain toast and a side of mixed greens, or any combination that’s high in protein and fiber.² This will create a foundation of satiety and make you less likely to inhale the appetizers. Since you won’t be starving, you’ll be able to more likely to enjoy the main meal in moderation!
2. Don’t go overboard on appetizers. It’s easy to consume 1,500 calories before the turkey even hits the table. Instead of skipping the baked brie altogether, fill most of your plate with vegetables and healthier choices, then leave just a little room for a taste of the indulgent snack. An average serving of dip or cheese is one ounce, roughly the size of your two thumbs.³
3. Trick your brain. The average plate is 14 inches wide, and we tend to finish 98% of the food on our plate.⁴ No wonder it’s easy to eat too much on Thanksgiving. To trick your brain into thinking you’ve eaten enough, use a smaller plate and/or fill half a normal plate with salad. (Just go easy on the dressing.)
4. Enjoy your favorites. One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the memories and traditions of the day. Don’t limit yourself from enjoying your favorite dishes, but only have a small scoop of those that are less healthy. According to Brian Wansink, PhD, Director of the Food and Brand Lab at the University of Illinois, it only takes four bites for your nostalgia of a food to reach its peak.⁵
5. Get a better bird. Most Thanksgiving turkeys are about as succulent as woodchips. No wonder we cover them up with gravy, cranberry sauce, or stuffing. Instead, find a recipe that results in a more flavorful turkey, or cook a different protein—ham, fish, or chicken—that you’ll enjoy on its own, and have only moderate portions of the heavy sides. If you’re not hosting, consider skipping the bird altogether if you feel the need to smother it in sauce.
6. Improve traditions. Hosting? Take some of the pressure off yourself and ask guests to bring a healthy side dish or dessert. If you think they might be stumped, you could even provide them with a list of healthy side dishes they could make. Going to someone else’s home? Bring a healthy side dish of your own! They’ll appreciate it way more than the gift of cellulite.
7. Don’t get drunk. Limit yourself to one drink before or during dinner and one drink after dinner. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your craving for salt and may set you up to eat 30% more than you intended.⁶ Get drunk at dinner and all your inhibitions will be down by the time dessert comes. Two pieces of pie, a couple of cookies, a scoop of ice cream later . . . and you’ll need a forklift to get you off the couch and a cab to take you home. Don’t be that person.
8. Forgive yourself. Did you read this and still overeat? Don’t keep slipping down the slope. Get up and encourage someone to take a walk with you. If it’s too cold for a walk, break out a game of Twister^® or fire up the Wii^® or Xbox^® Kinect^®! Getting moving will ease some of your guilt and also start the digestion process.⁷
9. Remember why you’re there. Between the football game and your sister’s amazing pumpkin pie, take a moment to pause and reflect on what you’re thankful for this year. As tasty as the dishes are, nothing compares to the people we share it with.

Resources:

1. http://www.caloriecontrol.org/articles-and-video/feature-articles/stuff-the-bird-not-yourself
2. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/1/163.full
3. http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_pages12SL10P1.html
4. http://www.smallplatemovement.org/doc/big_portions.pdf
5. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/emotional-eating-feeding-your-feelings?page=2
6. http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/short-term-effects-of-alcohol-on-appetite-in-humans-effects-of-context-dUWqMqQdTk
7. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/14432/1/How-to-Help-Digestion.html

Pill “Cabinet Parties” and “Vodka Eyeballing”? Really?!

As parents we all have concerns about what our kids will do when they go off to college. Where we entrust them to live by the morals and values we have taught them and while we understand and accept mistakes will be made..have you REALLY thought about what goes on out there on the college campuses? They aren’t what they were like when we attended you know. They have changed, courses improved, classes expanded, requirements increased..but oh! But I am talking about the kids!

With my son off to college I tried not to think of the dark side of things that sometimes happen on college campuses. The partying, late night study jams, fast food gorging, lack of exercise and nutrition, drugs, peer pressure, bullying (hazing) and more.

As a firefighter / EMT I had heard of some college parties where the kids would raid their parents prescription drug cabinets (also known as “pharming” or “punch bowl” parties) ,they bring all they could to the party location, dump them into a big bowl and as the party ensued the scare dare was to grab a handful for “mystery pills” chug them down usually with an alcoholic beverage to see what kind of result they would get. Pretty scary don’t you think?

Here is the definition of a “Pill Party”  or “Cabinet Party” according to the Urban Dictionary:

“A party in which people bring all different kinds of over the counter and prescription medications. It usually involves mixing all these pills together and placing them into shot glasses or other cups and taking them at once. It can lead to a high or altered fantasy state depending on the drug interactions and body’s response or it can lead to liver failure, heart and lung issues, and death if you are very unlucky in the pill mix you ingest. Hard core people also mix designer drugs. It is seen in high school and early college age groups. Carly had a pill party last night….did you you hear what happened to Allan and Chelsea? They were out of control.” An article from USA Today from back in 2006 about Pharm Parties: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-06-12-teens-pharm-drugs_x.htm

However, here is something new to me. Have you heard of “Vodka Eyeballing”? Yes, no misspelled words there..Vodka Eyeballing. It is a foolish as it sounds.

I ran across this article and couldn’t help but shake my head because I could see many smart, young college kids feeling the pressure to cave in when at a party among friends, thinking only of this moment and not about the future and what this could mean to them. Here is the article I am taking about:

http://believe-or-not.blogspot.com/2011/11/vodka-eyeballing.html

The list of concerns for us as adults keeps growing and growing.

Despite the excruciating pain, they do the deed in an attempt to feel drunk faster. No thoughts of the damage being done to the eye (HELLO , maybe the PAIN is telling you something??) I hope that with this knowledge we have now, we will talk to our kids about the risks when participating in this sort of behavior. Is it worth it? Again I find myself shaking my head.

When venturing on the high school and college campuses I immediately saw a problem that was out of control. The problem with obesity and knowing the health issues associated with obesity and my passion for fitness decided I was going to make a change, I was going to be significant in someone’s life..hopefully many “someone’s”. I feel that alcohol and these parties are a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic in that with the drinking comes the out of control eating and then there is the following day…dehydrated and hung over.sleeping all day and feeling like crap? I’d rather feel alive and healthy and enjoy every single day I am blessed with! So today, I raise my jug (of water) to you and say “Cheers“…take a moment to talk to your kids about the drugs and alcohol and making smart decisions so that they can have the life you want for them and they deserve.

ZOMBIES?! “Bath Salts” the new Meth, but worse!

Most everyone has been hearing or reading about the recent incidents they are claiming could be coming from the use of  “Bath Salts”. The Florida man who’s face was eaten by someone suspected to be on the “drug”, the other  man who barracaded himself in his house and disemboweled himself and then threw his intestines at the police….No, these are not the fragrent chrystals that melt in  your warm bath water or Epson salts..these can be sold right there in your corner market!

“You can find them in mini-marts and smoke shops sold as Ivory Wave, Bolivian Bath, and other names,” Horowitz says. “The people who make these things have skirted the laws that make these types of things illegal. While several states have banned the sale of bath salts, ultimately it will have to be a federal law that labels these as a schedule 1 drug, which means it has no medicinal value but a high potential for abuse, and declare them illegal.”

Ok, if this isn’t scary enough for you…there seems to be no way to detect to see if someone has been using them.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/bath-salts-drug-dangers

Though for some of us the hearing of this information is new, when I checked in to it  I saw a report dated Sept. 13, 2011, where the newspaper stated,

“Police on Friday intercepted a 200-packet shipment of bath salts for Bargains ‘R’ Us, the same business where police reported finding 165 packages of the synthetic hallucinogenic drug hidden in a scooter seat earlier in the week.”

Large bath salts shipment seized in Fairfield drug bust

Now, let me take a step back. You may be wondering why we would be writing about something like this. The reason is because it very much is associated with health and wellness.

“People are making this stuff out of household products, stuff that’s in their kitchens,”

Health and wellness is not only exercise, eating to get your daily vitamins and nutrients, connecting spiritually, and emotional wellness, however, we also address issues such as drug and alcahol abuse as it is absoluetly a health issue and we feel the more we can get out there for you, the better educated you can be to protect yourself, and your family. These designer drugs that are made are down right scary! We want to know what is out there, because you need to know.

I wondered what it was like to be on this manmade drug. I mean, how could people take this stuff knowing what could happen? I guess that could happen with any controlled substance but when someone makes this stuff in their house…out of chemicals in their kitchen?!

Former bath-salts addict: ‘It felt so evil’

When I checked the DEA’s website for information about this drug, they state “Bath Salts” are also known as the following street names: Bliss, Blue Silk, Cloud Nine, Energy-1, Lunar Wave, Meow Meow,Ocean Burst, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Snow Leopard, Stardust, Vanilla Sky, White Dove, White Knight, White LIghtening.

For more info on what the DEA provides about this drug go to:

Bath Salts DEA Info 

So here it is, if you are THINKING of using this drug thinking how cool it would be, or just out of curiosity..or because you’re feeling low…DON’T! If you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol there are many resources available to you.

The problem is growing exponentially and there have already been 248 bath salts-linked 911 calls nationwide from at least 25 states in just the first two months of 2011. Emergency room technicians are seeing an explosion of patients with severe and life-threatening toxic psychotic effects. The extreme psychotic hallucinations have caused people to slash themselves with knives, or barricade themselves in rooms waiting to “kill unseen monsters.”

Personally, I can understand if someone is feeling desperate, lonesome, depressed, hopeless…trying this. Unfortunately..the results can be devestating!

“Normal medical treatment for drug overdoses doesn’t seem to work in the case of bath salts. Patients experiencing acute toxic psychosis from a “normal” cocaine or methamphetamine overdose will respond to sedatives and gradually clam down after treatment. Bath salt overdoes cases do not seem to respond to normal sedatives like valium, even when administered in high doses. Doctors have been dismayed to learn that when bath salt psychosis patients come off of the sedatives or antipsychotic medications, they simply revert back to the psychotic state and become uncontrollable again. In one case a patient was sedated for 12 days and the psychosis came right back as soon as the sedatives were stopped.”

If you or someone you know needs help with their addiction, call your local Police Dept or Community Service Officer for referrals. Or, there are many agencies listed on-line.