Saturday, September 20, 2008

Feeling Great--It Take Willpower, Determination and a Hard Head (Part IV)


The pressures on our time today are enormous. It definitely takes a lot of will power and determination to eat well and keep up a regular a workout program. It also takes a hard head, or some people call it, a cold heart.

Consider these two situations. My friend Ron knows he shouldn't drink alcohol. He suffers from headaches almost every time he does. And Amy knows that sugar is one of a couple very real causes of headaches in her life and that she needs to avoid it like the plague.

Ron and his buddies were taken to an Atlanta Falcons vs. Oakland Raiders game by a vendor. Ron, who has lived in several different parts of the country was now living just outside of Atlanta. He was a die hard Raiders fan since he was a small child. The Raiders had a pretty good team that yea. He really wanted to rub it in to his native Atlanta friends after the Raiders beat the Falcons, as he was sure they would. Ron was feeling outstanding right now.

The setting was fantastic. They were in the company climate-controlled sky box sitting back relaxing on nice chairs looking down on fans in the bleachers shivering. As the game proceeded, they watched a middle aged gentleman reach over the top of other fans to get his drink while they sat back comfortably and feasted on a nice catered meal. Tender sliced beef, chicken cordon bleu and pasta salad, the whole 9 yards, And yes, of course, the liquor was flowing. Ron was well aware of liquor being one of the leading causes of headaches for him, but the temptation was awful. Amy, on the other hand, was invited to a party for an old classmate. Her friends house was decorate to the max. All kinds of party favors in honor of the great achievement of turning 40. Of course, there was a birthday cake that looked out of this world, along with soda and wine coolers galore. Everyone was mercilessly indulging themselves.

What are Ron and Amy going to do? Is Ron going to cave in to the peer-pressure and drink that beer or two? Is he going to rationalize away the danger and say 'sometimes I can get by with one?' Is Amy going to justify a piece of cake and a cooler by saying 'just this once?' They are both very well aware of the consequences, but food and drink make a devastating temptation. It takes a hard head to do what's right. It takes a tough minded person to turn down that momentary pleasure for the overall good.
Enjoy yourself and have fun!
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Friday, September 19, 2008

Feeling Great--It Take Willpower, Determination and a Hard Head (Part II)

It seems that everything is working against the rules of good health in today's society. For example:

Here on the east coast, the good TV shows come on at 10 p.m. The network channel news broadcasts don't start until 11:00 p.m.
  • The 40 hour work week we grew up with is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Many salaried employees find themselves toiling away at an 45-55 hours per week, aned some even much more. And this is what is expected. Do you ever get a headache?

  • It also seems like the drive to and from work keeps getting longer. If we work 50 hours per week and spend 2 hours per day driving to and from work, that's a total of 60 hours. A lot of time. What happened to that utopian society that was predicted 30 years ago? And many of us have to put in time on weekends as well. The telecommuter, who has the luxury of working form home is some times no better off. When I telecommute I often start an hour early and work late. If I have my PC at home over the weekend it's almost guaranteed that I'll log in for some work time.

  • When I was a kid, it seems that I rarely had a lot of homework. I did most of the work during class. Through their school years, my kids (the last of which will graduate this year) were often bringing home 2-3 hours of homework per night. And guess what that means, my wife and I, as woefully prepared as we were at times, got to help them!

  • The extracurricular activities that kids are involved in today are outstanding, but they are also very time consuming. Gone are the days when our kids could play an unsupervised game of baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer or football in the yard or neighborhood park with some friends. Now everything has got to be a big coordinated effort with uniforms and umpires and crazy parents sitting in the stands barking about every call the referee or umpire makes.


What I'm trying to say is that the pressures on our time are enormous. Sometimes we wonder who has time to exercise? It definitely takes willpower and determination to eat well and keep up a regular workout program. In my next blog, I would like to make a few simple suggestions that may make a seemingly impossible task at least a little easier.

At Feelingoutstanding.com we are all about trying to help with our everyday lives. We are not going to offer a miracle drug that will cure all your ills at the drop of a hat. What we are going to suggest are proven, natural remedies that do help over time.



Here's to your helath, here's to Feeling Outstanding!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Feeling Great--It Take Willpower, Determination and a Hard Head (Part II)

Are you feeling outstanding today? How easy it is to wake up in the morning, get ready for work, pour a cup of coffee, grab a cinnamon roll, hop in the car and head off to work. Ah, that great and mesmerizing smell of that coffee. How scrumptious that cinnamon roll tastes. As we get to work, we lavish in a second or third cup, or maybe a soda. Now, we are ready to take on the world. Consider what we have just done. Was that really a nutritious breakfast?

What about lunch? A fast food burger or even a fast food salad laced with preservatives? Please don't misunderstand, I know there is a time and a place for fast food. I know that sometimes we find ourselves in precarious situations where fast or "junk" food is the only option. How often does that happen though?

Will Power and Determination
We are all aware of the basic rules of health; things like diet, exercise and sleep. We have heard these pronouncements again and again. But how many of us really put these good practices into action? It takes a lot of willpower and determination to stick to a balanced and healthy diet or a good exercise program. Or, to make sure that we get enough sleep. It seems that everything is working against the rules of good health in today's society. In my next blog we will take a look at a fews of the plethora of factors that seem to be working against us.

Keep on thinking the higher thoughts, don't be discouraged!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Health and Wellness--A New Approach, or an Old Approach? (Part II)



I'm so glad that my days of feeling like this are not even close to as often as they were for 40 years of my life, it feels outstanding.

Sorry to everyone that my blogs got kind of out of order but here the part II to this subject. The 'arcacum' secrets that my buddy gave me to good health. If they sound trite, consider how many really practice them.

1. A regular exercise program. He does a good, solid workout in an eight day cycle. Day 1 is designed for the upper body, day 2 is for the abs, day 3 is geared toward the lower body. Day 4 is a rest day. Then days 5-7 are somewhat different routines but once again for the upper body, abs and lower body. Day 8 is another rest day. He doesn't go overboard. He doesn't work out for hours at a time. His routine generally lasts between 30-45 minutes. But the key is consistency. Of course, he is not perfect at maintaining the 8 day schedule, but he does keep it up very well.

2. Diet. Our 49 year old friend watches what he eats and drinks. Once again, he is not on a crazy diet where he partakes of copious vitamins and minerals daily. What he does do is eat in moderation with a good balance. He takes a small amount of supplements daily, and he sticks to it. To him, the biggest factor is that he does not eat foods that he knows or strongly suspects do not agree with him, no matter how delectable or socially acceptable they may be. That can mean turning down food or drink at times when it is against his will. Mr. 49er considers his health more important than the temporary pleasure obtained from items that he knows will come back to haunt him later.

3. Time with his creator. One more thing that he specifically mentioned was that he tries to spend private time with his Lord and creator every day.

We have all seen many people who get hooked on wild and crazy Superman diets that promise the world, or fad exercise programs that guarantee to make a Hercules out of us in an "incredibly short time." These things do not work, I have never seen one that does. Maybe Mr. 49ers balanced approach is something we should all consider. It works for him.

Have a great day, enjoy yourself, and do your best.

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Theory X, Theory Y and Feeling Oustanding (Part II)



This manager looks like she is more comfortable with her staff!

A theory X manager really does not view his employees with much respect Let's take a look at how Douglas McGregor explains a Theory Y managers attitude toward his staff is.

  • Most people consider effort in work as natural.
  • People will apply self-control and self-direction in the pursuit of organizational objectives, without external control or the threat of punishment.
  • Commitment to objectives is a function of rewards associated with their achievement.
  • People usually accept and often seek responsibility.
  • The capacity to use a high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in solving organizational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.


What McGregor then went to theorize is the self-fulfilling prophecy notion. What managers treat their employees as is what they tend to get. If a manager (Theory X) views and treats employees as though they dislike work and need to be forced to produce, he will have a disgruntled crew who takes breaks every chance they can.

On the other hand, if a manager (Theory Y) views and treats his/her workforce as imaginative, creative, willing and able to solve problems and work toward the common goals he/she will have a creative team that is able to come up with new solutions and ways to do things better, faster and cheaper. What McGregor in a nutshell is saying is that a Theory Y manager will more often than not have a more productive team than a Theory X manager.

This is a worthwhile thought to ponder on. Is McGregor on to something? In my next blog we will start to turn this inward toward our own health.

Have a great day, and do your best!

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingooutstanding.com/

Monday, September 15, 2008

Theory X, Theory Y and Feeling Oustanding (Part I)

The worried manager. I wonder how he feels about his staff?

Arguably, the most influential book on management theory was the classic writing 'The Human Side of Enterprise' by America social psychologist Douglas McGregor. In this classic book he introduced his radical Theory X and Theory Y philosophy. This concept has been taught to one degree or another in colleges and universities throughout the United States since. And to some extent it still receives attention today.

McGregor's thought was that management viewed employees as either a Theory X type or a Theory Y type of individual. Hence the terms, Theory X and Theory Y managers. In Summary a Theory X manager views employees as follows:
  • The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if he/she can.
  • Therefore most people must be forced to work toward organizational objectives with the threat of punishment.
  • The average person prefers to be directed and to avoid responsibility. He/she is relatively un-ambitious and wants security above all else.

In my next blog we will take a look at the opposite side of the spectrum. What McGregor calls a Theory Y manager. Then we will make a comparison in real life and see how on earth this relates to our health.

Have a blessed evening, a good night's sleep and a great day tomorrow. Let's keep our thoughts on the higher plane and reap the benefits that are ours if we do so.

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Health and Wellness--A New, or an Old Approach?



I once knew a man who had been through a lot in his life. Several broken bones, a couple of concussions, a lot of stress, damaged brain cells, etc. But this fellow was quite unique. Shortly after he celebrated his 49th birthday he challenged a much younger friend to a push-ups contest.


This man, who we will call Mr. "49er", despite all of the 'stuff' he had been through in life still looked like he was in pretty good shape. He was definitely not a muscle bound "Hulkster" or anything like that, but he was not overweight and just looked generally healthy. As the contest unfolded, Mr. 49er won hands down. He did 70 good, nose-to-the-ground push-ups, and he probably could have done a few more had he been pushed! His endurance was outstanding. I was quite impressed.


I asked this chap what his secret was. He replied that there was no secret. When he explained it to me, he was right. Everybody has been taught these principles since they were young children. The problem is that few practice them. Here are the keys he gave me to health and wellness. In my next blog I will share those 'arcanum secrets' with you.


I went down to my kitchen yesterday and noticed a bottle of Peter Gilham's Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement in my kitchen that I had purchased at a local health food store a while ago. I also noticed that the price tag was $21.95, and I know I wasn't offered a discount. This exact same product in the same quantity is offered by Feeling Outstanding for $15.95. The prices on the Feeling Outstanding web page are very good!


Here's to your health, here to saving money also!

Tom Thorne

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Standards for Our Health (Part II)

Now that really looks like fun! Do we set standards for our health habits? I think we should consider doing so. Here are two simple suggestions.
  • Get started or continue with a good exercise program. It doesn't have to be a great elaborate workout with many dollars invested in expensive equipment and high dollar apparel. Many of the common, everyday exercises are a great part of a workout. For those who have a hard time staying on an exercise routine adding variety in your workouts is a trick that I have used many times over the years. For example, I might focus on running for a couple months, then move on to swimming, bicycling, sets of different calisthenics, use a rebounder or a trampoline just to name a few. A good standard to set is to exercise 3-4 times per week, 30-45 minutes per session.
  • Here is one more health standard I would like to note that can help almost all of us. If we know a food or drink is going to upset us, make us sick, give us a headache or cause some other problem, stay away from it.

    There are many more health standards that you can think of. Let's get moving. Not next week, not tomorrow, but today. I can nearly guarantee you, once you get started on the path of improved health and well being, living life and feeling outstanding, you will want to do more. It'll become like a higher level need that you want to keep feeding. You, your family and your acquaintances will all reap the benefits.


Visit the Feeling Outstanding Natural Supplements page for an excellent selection of nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. A great start moving in the path of setting standards for our health.

Here's to Feeling Outstanding!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/











Setting Standards For Our Health (Part I)

The pleasure of eating with a friend. There's not many things better!

What kind of standards do we set for what is certainly one of our most precious assets, our health? Heave we ever though about health standards? Are we complacent about our health? Do we even have standards?

Our health and well-being is an area where many of us have to do some real soul searching. After all, the old adage "you are what you eat" is hard to deny. What kind of health standards do we set for ourselves? Seriously, do we exercise like we know we should? Do we eat and drink (or refrain from eating and drinking) as we know deep down inside we should? Do we get enough sleep?

I am of the opinion that nearly all of us have been taught the basics of good health and well-being since our elementary school days. We really claim ignorance, can we? But honestly, when we take a good, hard look, how many of do what we know should? Sometimes I wonder. What kind of health standards can we set? What is realistic? Just a couple of basic goals or standards, can go a long way. In tomorrow's blog I would like to make a couple of suggestions to help us in our quest to Feel Outstanding.


Here's to Feeling Outstanding!
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com





Tuesday, September 9, 2008





Pine Bark


In my last two blogs I talked about Feverfew and Butterbur, two herbal remedies that have shown very good results for Headaches. Let's take a look at a third.


Dr. Sirichai Chayasirisobhon of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center set out to address the question of whether free radical damage can contribute to migraine headaches. ("Use of a Pine Bark Extract and Antioxidant Vitamin Combination Product as Therapy for Medication", Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Vol 46, No. 5, May 2006) He chose a dozen patients who had a long-term history of migraines with little to no success with various drugs (antidepressants, beta-blockers and anticonvulsants).



At the start of the study, subjects completed a questionnaire which was called the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS). The MIDAS was designed to assess the impact of migraine flare-ups on activities at home, work and while interacting with friends and family. This is a great way to start an unbiased test, so that the results before the test are well documented and there can be no dispute.



For the three month study period, each subject was given daily supplements that contained 600 mg of vitamin C, 300 IU of vitamin E and 1,200 mg of a pine bark extract. Subjects were allowed to continue using the medications they were currently taking. Upon the end of the trial period the subjects completed a seconds MIDAS questionnaire. Their responses indicated a significant improvement.



The overall MIDAS scored improvement was more than 50%.


The average number of migraine days was reduced from 44 days in the three months prior to the trial, to 26 days during the trial.

The average migraine severity score (which some will argue is the most important factor) was reduced from 7.5 (out of 10) to 5.5

One subject dropped out of the trial. Of the remaining 11, two reported no change in frequency, duration or severity. Among the other nine, the overall MIDAS score improvement was almost 68%.



These three herbal remedies for migraines have all shown very good results when tested as alternative treatments for migraine headaches. If you suffer from headaches, these three appear to be well worth a try. It is possible that people in this country need to take a new approach toward migraine headache relief. Herbal remedies may be the answer.


Visit the Herbal Remedies for Migraine Headaches web page for more information on herbal remedies for migraine headaches and great product offers. There are ways to help defeat the battle with migraines or headaches in general that many of us are facing.


Here's to good health!


Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/


Monday, September 8, 2008

Migraine Headaches and Herbal Supplements - Butterbur



Butterbur

Traditionally butterbur has been used to treat spasms in the respiratory and digestive tract. In addition, Butterbur is said to inhibit the production of histamine, which helps to keep air passages open. This may help to relieve allergic congestion and seasonal allergies.


Butterbur is very popular in Europe and becoming increasingly popular in America as a sound way to minimize neurological discomfort. The exact cause of this is still unclear but neurologically severe headaches may be caused by a number of biological factors. Some researchers believe that they stem from an imbalance in the central nervous system that encourages the release of blood-dilating peptides. This could result in inflammation of the brain's thin outer layer, the cerebral cortex. As pressure builds, blood flow becomes more restricted, potentially enhancing migraine headache symptoms. (Carle, R., Plant-based antiphlogistics and spasmolytics' (translated from German). Z Phytother. 1988; 9: 67-76).


Other physicians think that many commonly consumed food items trigger migraines or that they could be hereditary. A 12 week clinical study showed that the active compounds in butterbur can prevent peptidoleukotriene biosynthesis, which is an inflammatory process that has been linked to the onset of mgraines. (Bickel D, Roder T, Bestmann, J. Identification and characterization of inhibitors of peptide-leukotriene-synthesis from Petasites hybridus. Plant Medica. 1994; 60:31-322).


Also of note is the writing 'Petasites Hybridus Root (Butterbur) is an effective prevention for migraine" by Lipton, Einhaupl and Gobel (Neurology, 2004; 2240-4).


One thing to note about butterbur is that the plant contains liver toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). So it is important to choose a formula that is PA free.

Butterbur is another herb that is worth a try if you are experiencing headaches. I know the pain and misery that headaches bring on. If you are expereincing headaches, migraines in particular, butterbur could very well be worth a try.

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Migraine Headaches and Herbal Supplements - Feverfew



The feverfew plant.

Feverfew comes from the same tribe of plants (asteraceae) as the daisy. Since the 1st century A.D., it has been used for the treatment of headache, stomachaches and fever. Feverfew has anti-inflammatory, stimulant, relaxant, decongestant and anti-coagulant properties.

Feverfew is mainly used for the treatment and prevention of frequent and serious migraine headaches. From the Natural Health (2007-03-01) we are told that "in a recent, well-designed clinical trial, 170 German patients took a placebo pill or an extract of feverfew for 16 weeks. Those taking Feverfew had significantly fewer migraines."

Feverfew should be taken daily as a preventative, rather than a treatment for migraines. Herbal experts recommend tapering off the dose if you are going to quit taking the herb.

In my opinion, treating the source is a far superior method when compared to treating the cause. I worked with treating the cause for 40 years and things just got worse. I am on the road to recovery now and I love living life Feeling Outstanding!

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

We Love Our Junk Food


The list of the 10 U.S. cities where people spend the most amount of their yearly grocery bill on unhealthy food was released recently. Being from North Carolina I cannot say that I am especially proud that Charlotte was #5. The metro Charlotte region spends 10.9 percent of their annual food dollars in the unhealthy category. This would include items such as cake and brownie mixes, cookies, candies, frozen pizza, full-fat mayonnaise, chips and salty snacks, soft drinks, ice cream, bacon and sausage.

The #1 metro area was Minneapolis-St Paul, where people spend 11.5 percent. The top 10 look like this:
1. Minneapolis-St Paul
2. Richmond, VA
3. Indianapolis
4. Chicago
5. Charlotte
6. Louisville
7. New Orleans
8. Nashville
9. Memphis
10. Milwaukee (good thing they didn't include beer on the list)

This study was for the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

So which cites spent the least on unhealthy foods? The bottom five areas are Providence, R.I., Boston, MA, Portland, OR, Hartford, CT and Austin/San Antonio.

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Friday, September 5, 2008

Today's Gas Prices - Is Their a Silver Lining?


I know that most of us are in the blues regarding the price of gas. I sure am. Even though the national average price has dropped to $3.67 per gallon it still hurts to fill up the car. This blog is about living life and feeling outstanding so see if their is any silver lining to this from the business standpoint.
As oil prices neared $150 a barrell costs seemed to increase for everything from jet fuel to plastic jars. The big question was how many companies would just fold up under this increased pressure?
The surprising answer is not many. The business men and women of this country continue to display amazing resilience. The concept of Theory Y employees that was proposed by Douglas McGregor back in 1960 has seemed to blossom as new ideas and ways to cut costs have been coming from all corners. And there have been a lot more cost cutting measures than just laying people off.
Granted, unemployment, which has jumped to a high in recent years of 5.6% is an issue, especially for those who are unemployed. But we also have to realize that throughout the mid 1990s up until very recently this country has been going through a period of great economic success. When I was in undergradute school at Indiana University in the late 1970s, 5% unemployment was considered to be 'normal.'
Productivity jumped by 4.3 percent in the April-June quarter. That's big news! My point is that with the many ingenious ideas that companies have developed to save money so the could stay in business and the productivity increases that have occured, when things turn for the better, companies should be in better shape.
In hard times as well as good times let's not forget about our health. Let's not forget to take care of ourselves, to eat right, exercise and take the nutritional supplements we need.
Here's to living life Feeling Outstanding.
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com


Monday, September 1, 2008

Health, Sickness and Headaches - We Can Win!

Kessler Peak, Mount Olympus Wilderness. We Can Win!

We will never go beyond the barriers in our own mind. If we think we cannot do something, we never will. If we think we will always be sick, clumsy, overweight or have headaches, we always will. To a great extent the battle is in our mind. If we are defeated in our mind, the battle is already lost. If we do not think our aspirations for good health will ever come to pass, they never will.

If we don't think we have what it takes to rise up and set a new standard, it's not going to happen. How many of us have a standard for our health? We need to set a new standard for what certainly is one of our most precious assets, our health. A standard not only to get better, but to stay better. The importance of good heath is paramount. Think of people you know of who are constantly afflicted with a heath issue and how much of life they miss out on. Some people cannot play any sports, swim or enjoy themselves in the sun because of health issues. Let's set a standard for our health, for better health, so that we can enjoy life and help others to do the same.
Sometimes we see people fighting a sickness the same way, doing the same old things that have not worked before. Continually heading down a slippery slope and not improving, continuing down the same treatment path that is going nowhere. We may need to jolt ourselves out of our complacency and try something different.

Maybe, just maybe it's time to try an alternative approach for health. An alternative approach to fight those migraine headaches. Or maybe it's time to get involved in a regular exercise program to lose weight instead of all of those crazy, heavily inflated items that are advertised everywhere we turn. How about trying some green tea for cholesterol or Vitamin B complex if you're stressed out?

Let's overcome our mental obstacles. Let's set a standard. Maybe it is time try something different, an alternative approach for health.

Visit the Feeling Outstanding Natural Supplements page for an excellent selection of nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. An alternative approach for health.
In the midst sedrious economic problems let's try to keep a positive attitude. Our health is our greatest blessing.