Two of my Favorite Bands

Every year the small town of Denver, NC has a community Festival they call 'Denver Days' in the fall. For entertainment this year the Marshall Tucker Band graced our presence. Coming to a small town like Denver where the band was probably lucky to break even financially was a real treat.

The entire band came, there were no studio musicians in their place. They were outstanding. They can jam right along with the Allman Brothers. Yes, Toy Caldwell is gone. But you know what? Chris Hicks is their new lead guitarist. Playing guitar right along side him is Clay Cook, both were great. Doug Gray, one of the finest country-rock vocalists ever to set foot on a stage has lost a bit but his presence alone made up for it. I counted 14 songs and the band played for a total of 2:20. Like I said, they were really jamming! It looked like they were having as much fun as we were. I stood right next to the stage for the entire concert.

As I was driving home from Thanksgiving dinner Thursday evening I was priviledged to hear another one of my old favorites on the radio, Billy Joel. This was a live recording from New York earlier in the year. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard one of my Top 10 of all time, played live once again, 'Piano Man'. To hear the audience singing every word of the song right along with with the piano man was quite touching. Billy, like Doug can't quite sing as he used to but I don't know if I have ever heard Piano Man played as well. The piano was mesmerizing. I sat in the 4th row in Chicago watching Bill Joel in 1977. That song brought back a lot of memories, good memories. Memories of a time when thing weren't so hectic.

It just goes to show what I have been saying. We can keep up our energy, stamina and mental alertness for a long time. The best way to do so is to keep up our exercise program, our good diet, get proper rest and our nutritional supplements.

For more information about herbal and homeopathic remedies visit http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/. Or if you want to trade concert or band stories with a long time rock-n-r0ll fan, I'm all for that too!

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

Money, Confidence, Backing and Your Health

There was an article in the Charlotte Observer today explaining how many "do-it-yourselfers" are cutting back. Not doing as many home repair projects now or making their projects smaller than in the past. This only makes sense with the economic uncertainty that prevails today.

Let's think about the economy at a 50,000 foot level for a second. Consider these two words: confidence and backing. What backing does the U.S. dollar have today? Money used to be (many years ago) backed by gold. What backing does money have today besides the confidence of the American people. And what causes confidence? The President, the congress, the goverment, Iraq, Iran, Afghantistan, Russia? What cause loss of confidence? Certainly the media has a great deal to do with it. How much influence does the media have on our confidence, and therefore the economy?

These are all thoughts that I have pondered over the weekend and if you have any comments please share them. I would love to hear other considerations on this matter.

In my opinion a person's health has a great amount to do with his confidence. A year ago I was in such a quagmire with daily headaches that I was just about to give up. After trying some different herbal and homeopathic remedies I can honestly say that my life has taken on an entire new dimension. If your health is not as it should be check out the Feeling Outstanding webpage. There are many nutritional supplements that can do and do help.

Have a great week,
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

8 Benefts of Whey Protein (Part II)

Here is the second group of 4 of the Major Benefits to Whey Protein (and it doesn't taste bad either!)

4. Cancer - Cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy often have difficulty in meeting their daily nutritional requirements due to nausea and just not being hungry. Whey protein is an excellent protein choice for cancer patients as it is very easy to digest and gentle to the system. Numerous studies have shown that whey protein which is rich in the amino acid cysteine, provides an extra boost to the immune system.

5. Diabetes - Type 2 diabetes is a growing health problem, largely in part to the continued rise in obesity. This is a serious health issue right here in the United States. Healthy nutrition practices have been shown to play a role in helping to manage and possibly prevent diabetes. Whey protein, which is a high biological value (BP) protein is a good choice of protein for diabetics who need to carefully manage food intake.

6. Another of the benefits of whey protein for seniors is the ability to help prevent bone loss. A nutritious diet including whey protein may help keep bones and muscles healthy and young. A recent study conducted at Boston University showed that elderly individuals who consumed low levels of protein had a significant loss of bone density four tears after the start of the study.

7. Healthy Aging - As we age, muscle loss and its detrimental health implications are a growing concern. Good nutrition and adequate amounts of whey protein may help maintain strong muscles during aging.

8. Infant Nutrition - Whey protein contains many of the same components found in human breast milk. Infant formulas containing whey protein are the next best thing to breast-feeding.

The benefits of whey protein are many, and should not be overlooked. FeelingOutstanding.com offers a fine selection of whey protein products. I tend to prefer the chocolate flavor.

Have a great day, stay strong

Tom Thorne

www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Management and Your Health

Do you ever feel this way?

I would imagine that a large percentage of college students have aspirations of management sometime in the professional careers. These desires often become stronger as students graduate and enter the workforce. Management, a leader of people, being able to form and shape peoples lives, having a direct role in the success of a company; what more noble of a calling could there be? Is being a leader or manager in some fashion going to make everything better? Is management fun and thoroughly rewording? Is it "all that it's cracked up to be?"

Competition today places tremendous stress on corporations. The dazzling advances in technology and telecommunications make the development of new products and ideas better, faster and cheaper. Of course, the company with the new products or ideas first has the distinct advantage of gaining new customers and building a reputation as an innovator. Acquiring new customers before the competition does. Truly, these are huge advantages.

Considering the importance that is placed on new products and processes, getting there first is a critical item to companies. Consider if a bank is the first with a new and innovative offering. They have the chance of drawing customers away from other banks over to their side. Couple this with the emphasis placed on 'six sigma' and 'zero defects' and there is a tremendous amount of stress placed of management today. Management all the way down from the C.E.O. to the V.P. the team leader. Company managers are facing more stress and pressure from above then ever before. Pressure to perform fast with high quality and high productivity.

The amount of hours and weekends that many managers work today is just about criminal. When I take a look at some of the managers I see, there is no way I would want the stress and pressure they are faced with, often daily. Some have turned into such grouches that no one wants to talk to them, even on a social level. I am aware of several people who were formerly managers and are glad to be out of the spotlight.

If you deal very well with stress and working long hours, management might not be such a shock and a good fit. If you have a second life apart from your job, you may want to sit tight in your job for a while before you push for a management position. What is important to you? What are your priorities? If offered a management position, consider these questions before you jump into it.

With the stress that management and non-management face in Corporate America today it is essential that we take care of ourselves. For our sanity as well as our physical condition. Visit the Feeling Outstanding Nutritional Supplements page for an excellent selection of nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. An alternative approach for health.

Tom Thorne

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

7 Vital Attributes to be Successful at the Job

Most teenagers in high school have aspirations of being successful at their occupation and making lots of money when they graduate from school. I would say that even more college students have similar goals to be successful and wealthy upon graduation. For the great majority of people, there are certain job attributes that need to be practiced to achieve such lofty goals.These principles have worked for me. I have watched these principles work for other successful people too. So, let's get started.

1. Effort and a strong work ethic. The first thing a person needs to do when starting a new job, regardless of your qualifications, is to show a strong work ethic. Show that you are willing to go the extra mile, put in the additional couple of hours and put forth extra effort. There's no better way to make a good first impression on management and co-workers.

This sounds so obvious, but it is amazing how many people don't do this and lose that chance for a first impression. A young man once worked for me that was very intelligent, organized, neat, and was a very gifted communicator. His work ethic was poor and that far overshadowed his good qualities. Needless to say, after he had a good chance to improve but chose not to, he didn't last long in my department.

My next blog will include part 2. After we examine all seven, we will then take a look at how these are related to our health and well being.

Have a great day everyone,
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Positive Thinking and Feeling Great! (Part II)

I firmly believe that diet and exercise are unquestionable keys to good health. And, probably most of you do too. Intrinsically, deep down inside, we all know this. My point is this, when start eating a more healthy diet and implement a sensible exercise program we know that our health will improve.

We need to keep our thoughts at a higher plain when disappointments occur. If we don't lose those 10 pounds in a month (as the advertisement told us we would) or we don't get those super ripped abs in 90 days, we cannot get discouraged. We know what we are doing is right. We have to keep it up. Like it or not, weight is not as evanescent as the advertisements tell us. If we get a cold or the flu, we cannot get discouraged. The right habits that we are now practicing did not cause it.

I absolutely abhor the avalanche of advertisements that this country faces that are outright false. The mendacity of some companies is appalling. There are so many ads that make losing weight, gaining huge muscle mass, developing ripped abs and getting in Superman like condition seem so easy just by taking their magic potion or doing their "quick" exercise routines.

Conclusion:
Living life feeling outstanding comes from practicing good habits daily. To be successful in this quest it is imperative that we make positive thinking one of those habits. Doing the right thing leads to victory. Healthy people don't get there by magic. Positive thinking makes doing the right thing a whole lot easier.

Here's to good health.
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Should I Join a Fitness Center or Not? Part II

On the other hand, I have been an exercise enthusiast all of my adult life. I was a member of a quality gym recently for about a year. It was a first class facility and the owners were very accomplished weight lifters and weight trainers. Honestly, I never was that thrilled with the experience. It was nice to hob-nob with people seeking the same general goal as yourself but the extra time involved, the inconvenience and the expense soon became a drag. It was never really worth it's value for me.

This can happen to people who become members of a fitness center. And when it does, some get discouraged and quit exercising completely. Does it mean everything is over with, fitness is out the window and gone for good for a person who doesn't maintain their membership? I say definitely not. There are several excellent home gym products available at reasonable prices. And with some creativity a very good exercise routine can be developed around the house with just a small amount of gadgets and minimal expense.

How many of you remember Jimmy Piersoll, the legendary center fielder who played baseball for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s and 1960s? The person who many consider one of the best defensive outfielders ever to play the game. I remember Jimmy saying many times that the best overall exercise is running. In my opinion, running is much more enjoyable when you are outside than when you are inside a small track doing 9 laps per mile. But, if you have seen the shape Jimmy was in long after his retirement you would know that he was on to something.

Conclusion Fitness centers are great for some people. They help provide the added motivation needed to keep up an exercise program. For others, membership in a fitness center just does not make sense and it is not necessary. Some people have the power within to keep up the workout routine on their own. Some people work out with family members at their own houses. In the near 30 years that I have exercised very consistently, I have been a member of a gym for one of those years. Membership has not been necessary for me. Regardless, we want to do our best to help us stay in shape and live life Feeling Outstanding. If membership to a gym is what you need, go for it, and enjoy yourself!

Visit the Feeling Outstanding Chuck Norris Total Gym page page for a preview into one of the top home fitness products available. The Total Gym is a complete workout in one machine. It comes with complete instructions for set up (which takes about ten minutes) and beautiful cards demonstrating each of the over 80 different exercises. It brings the fun back into exercise.

Here to good health!

Tom Thorne

www.FeelingOutstanding.com