Ditch it or Fix It

February 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Doorbell © Erik Back 2012

I live with my girlfriend in a flat on the second floor of a building with four floors. We have an entry telephone at the street-door because it is always locked. This way guests and carriers can press a button to announce their arrival.

The entry telephone is a clever arrangement that my girlfriend and I appreciate a lot, because it saves quite a bit of money if the alternative is to throw rocks at the windows.

But sometimes a neighbour or a deliveryman who is already in the building wants to say hallo. They have two options; they can either press the doorbell or knock repeatedly on the door. Most people knock the door and those who choose to ring the doorbell usually have to leave with unfinished business.

It’s not that we don’t like people who ring our doorbell; we simply can’t hear the bell. Why not? Because it’s not working!

If you have a doorbell that is not working then make it work or take it down. There is no point in keeping utilities that doesn’t work. It is inconvenient to press the doorbell a couple of times and then knocking the door hoping that someone will hear you.

The guest or carrier risk getting impatient or irritated and that’s an unfortunate start of the visit. Make it easy for people who are coming to visit you, that will create better energy.

Not Just the Doorbell

It’s not just the doorbell that has to be working. If you have anything in your house that is not working then ask yourself: Am I going to repair it? If not, then throw it out; get rid of it. If you don’t want to expel your malfunctioning appliances then fix them.

Gadgets and objects that do not serve their purpose will end up cluttering your life; they will bring bad energy and give you worries that you don’t need.

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Habits are Fragile Like a House of Cards

January 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

House of Cards © by Indenture

Something happened. Something always happens in your life, something unexpected. Sometimes it’s good things that happen and other times it’s bad things. Then there are also the things that will turn your life around and you don’t know if it is good or bad.

Today I belong to the last category; something happened and I don’t know if it is good or bad, but my life will never be the same again. New habits are fragile because they do not form the stable foundation you need in times of turmoil. So, today I woke up at 7.30 instead of 6.28. I got out of bed at 9.00! I didn’t sit in quietude and exercise – forget it!

There is no doubt that all my new habits would have been a great help, but right now they take energy that I don’t have. Good and healthy habits have to grow strong over time and if you disturb them or poke them around then they will fall apart like a dry sandcastle exposed to a happy dog.

Somehow habits are like a house of cards; I remember how strong I could build a house of cards but in the process it was extremely fragile and if one cards skidded out then the rest would fall apart. It was frustrating starting over and over again building that house of card. I don’t even know why I did it… maybe it was because of the satisfaction of accomplishing my mission?

Today I have learned that I have to accept that sometimes life happens and it is more unpredictable than you can ever imagine. I have to find a way to continue building good and healthy habits under new conditions because they will help me get through hard times in life.

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Good Habit 4: Caring Cleansing

January 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

herbal essence © by loosepunctuation

When I was a child I had a lot of budgerigars and they could spend hours preen themselves. The budgerigars have a habit of mutual preening and they seem to care for each other. They have a playful nature and are very curious; they always seem to have extra energy to do acrobatic exercises or a prolonged chat.

Cleansing is one of the physiological habits that I found difficult to name because I had to find one word that covered personal hygiene, excretion and clearing the mind. Cleansing is everything you do to clean your body and mind to work well. Take some extra time every day to give your body more attention; it will help you achieving more. I have listed a few good basic habits to take up.

1. Shower. How often you need to shower depends on what you do, but shower at least every second day. Use an antiperspirant after showering.

2. Toilet. Go to the toilet when the need to, do not hold it in. Drink water to cleanse out waste matter.

3. Brush and floss. Brush your teeth and use dental floss. Your teeth are very important to your general health.

4. Skincare. Skin problems are usually an indicator of an imbalance in your body. Care for areas with dry or irritated skin and think about what you can do to get back into balance.

Physiological habit cleansing

Physiological habit cleansing © Erik Back 2012

5. Nails and hair. Cut your nails and wash your hair. Both are already dead cells but they indicate what shape your body is in. Spend time analysing hair and nails and see if you can change something to get better balance.

6. Meditate. Your mind needs cleansing too.

These are just some of the basic habits, but you can supplement daily cleansing with treatments of reflexology, massage, sauna and Turkish bath etc.

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Good Habit 3: Delicious Diet

January 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

diet food © by skampy

A good and healthy diet is vital. Your body needs fuel to work and the quality of that fuel depends on what you eat and drink. You have to make a habit of choosing quality food that will optimise your body. That means you have to find a diet that produce the energy you need to perform both physically and mentally.

For a start I have made a small list of don’ts and dos that you can easily implement after starting today.

Don’t

1. Don’t drink too much coffee. Enjoy a good and well-brewed cup of coffee in the morning and that’s it.

2. Don’t drink too much black tee.

physiological habit diet

Physiological habit - diet © Erik Back 2012

3. Don’t drink alcohol.

4. Avoid white sugar.

5. Avoid white flour.

6. Avoid white salt.

7. Avoid tobacco.

8. Avoid cola and soda water in general.

Do

1. Drink water.

2. Bake your own bread.

3. Eat wholemeal.

4. Eat vegetables.

5. Bake your food instead of frying.

6. Drink herbal tee.

7. Eat vitamins and minerals.

8. Eat five to six meals every day (Three large meals and three small meals).

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Good Habit 2: Elevating Exercise

December 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

YOGA! July challenge © by lululemon athletica

If I don’t get exercise I feel it immediately; my energy will drop and I tend to get a testy mood. But as soon as I go for a workout or a long run my energy comes back and after training I feel elevated. The body produces adrenaline and endorphins that make me feel happy and energetic.

Your physiological foundation depends on how strong and durable your body is. The stronger your body is the stronger your foundation is. I recommend that you aim at doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. At least three of your training sessions every week should be 60 – 90 minutes.

I have set up a couple of good training habits:

Vary your training. If you do the same kind of exercise every day then you will only train parts of your body. You need exercise that covers your whole body and that includes cardio training, strength training and stretching. Furthermore, if you don’t vary your training then your body will not get time to recover and rebuild.

Physiological habit exercise

Habit 2: Excercise © Erik Back 2011

Do specialised training (e.g. swimming technique or rowing or martial arts) Specialised training will help you setting and reaching goals. The specialised training could make up the three long training sessions. Specialised training is usually done in a club where you will build a social network as well.

Be consistent – attend training even if you don’t feel up to it. Usually you will feel better during or after training.

Have fun exercising. Play games; break a record; do crazy stuff; use your imagination and try new forms of exercise. This will also help you strengthen your foundation for developing your extrovert personality later in the process. But for now, just have some fun!

Early training sessions. Your body has its own cycles and at specific times of the day your body do specific tasks and functions. This means that the best time for exercising is in the morning before breakfast.

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