Positive Changes Achieved by Exercising Mind, Body & Spirit

My story explains the struggles I had as a 23-year-old single, divorced mom with three children, ages six, four, and one and then shows some practical ways I used to change my life and claim my personal power. Self-pity, anger, guilt, and self-hatred were my constant emotional companions. I was suffering physically, mentally and spiritually. In 1980, I made $80 a week, received sporadic child support payments of $300 a month and lived in fear that we would not survive. I was afraid of life and worried incessantly. I smoked, ate unhealthy foods, did not work out and spent endless hours watching television. My mind was constantly focusing on what everyone else in my life should be changing so I could be happy. Because I could not change anyone else, I thought I was a hopeless failure and could not do anything right.

Through the help of Alanon and counseling, I realized that I do have choices and I was the one that needed to change. I listened to my own self-talk. It was negative. I replaced my self-talk, "I am stupid" with "I am learning" and "I am worthless" to "I am good enough." One goal I had was to quit smoking. Studies were showing the negative effects of smoking and I did not like the fact that I was addicted to cigarettes. I had tried to quit smoking many times before. Success was realized when I used visualizations and affirmations to stop smoking. Affirmations are simple statements that you say to yourself, like "I can"..."I am good enough"..."I am successful." Saying affirmations works because your subconscious mind creates exactly what you tell it. However, I was gaining five pounds a month and being good at math realized if I continued, I would be sixty pounds heavier in a year. Determined not to return to smoking to eliminate the weight gain, I turned to affirmations and exercise.

When I started working out, my muscles ached and I wanted to quit because I was not seeing results fast enough. I would say the affirmations to help me get through the work out. Not only did my physical strength improve, so did my self-image and my attitude towards life. Focusing on the affirmations made the workout easier because I was thinking of positive things. Just as my body reaped the benefits of working out twenty-four hours later, so did my mind. I found throughout the day that I would be repeating the affirmations.

By combining exercise with affirmations helped me in many of my daily struggles. If I was in an uncomfortable situation, I started connecting to the uncomfortable feeling I had working out and the affirmations would come to mind. They helped me gain the self-confidence I needed to address my everyday fears and insecurities.

My spirit was becoming more at peace because my body and mind were working together as one. Positive energy was filling my being. Not only was I learning to accept and love myself, I had more energy to cope with being a single parent.

This simple technique of saying positive affirmations when walking, running, or lifting weights is a great way to increase self-esteem and learn to love the entire self, mind, body and spirit. I wanted to share this technique of exercising with affirmations so "Power of Positive Aerobics" was created. To learn about the exciting workout video that combines affirmations with aerobic movements, visit powerpositiveworkouts.com.

Ellie Peterson
Creator of Power of Positive Aerobics Workout Video
powerpositiveworkouts.com

How to Start Scrap-Booking

Getting started with scrap-booking can be difficult as there are so many different scrapbook items out their, there are scrapbook scissors, scrapbook stickers, different types of scrapbook paper, and a variety of different types of scrapbook albums. You need to choose what suits you the best.

The easiest way to get started in scrap-booking is to start with a scrapbook kit. A scrapbook kit will come with a variety of different items such as the scrapbook album itself and the scrapbook pages you need to decorate; the scrapbook kit will also come with page protectors to save your creations for years to come. Other items you may find in a scrapbook kit may be things like different sizes and shapes of colored paper that you can use as accents behind, or beside your pictures. You may also find scrapbook stickers and scrapbook die cuts in your scrapbook kit.

To choose the right scrapbook kit for you, you first need to determine if there is an occasion you are working around. There are scrapbook kits for just about every occasion under the sun. You will find a scrapbook kit for graduation, babys arrival, Halloween, thanksgiving, and any other occasion you can think of. There are also scrapbook kits for sporting events and then just for your everyday scrapbook. Once you choose your occasion and you scrapbook kit the rest is easy. Take your pictures and arrange them and your accessories that came in the scrapbook kit in a way that you like, then show it off to everyone who walks in your door.

Katharine Caines is a long time scrap-booker who enjoys sharing her passion with everyone. She has a scrapbook for every occasion, and uses scrapbook kits to make the job quick and easy.

Baby Scrapbooking Ideas for Everyone

Your baby's scrapbook will be something that you and your family will enjoy for a lifetime. Take your time and remember to preserve those memories just as you felt the time of the event.

What should be kept in the Baby Scrapbook?

Any and every occasion can get recorded in a scrapbook that you will have fun watching and recollecting later on in life; after all, every day is special with your baby and family.

A Baby Scrapbooking Idea

Here are a few ideas for your baby's scrapbook:

1. Start your book with pictures of your showers, while you were pregnant, and early ultrasound photos. These are a few great ways to kick off your scrapbook.

2. Dr.'s visits and the actual delivery day.

3. Visitors at the hospital, the nurses, and doctor who were present the day you gave birth to your baby.

4. The day of your baby's birth. Enclude picture of family member holding the baby for the first time. This is a perfect time to get a generational picture with those who come to see you.

5. For the first year you can take a picture every day and gradually show the changes in the baby and/or what cute things he/she did everyday.

6. The "firsts" First day at home, first holidays, first haircut, first bath, first smile, first steps, and first birthday.

7. The impressions of his/her hands, feet, or lips.

Here are Some Scrapbook Decorating Options

1. These can be as cute and funny whole capturing as many feelings and memories in the process. When you look back over the years, it should be able to tell the stories and give you a glimpse into the past. Capture this with the picture you choose and the journaling.

2. Use sticker, brads, and ribbons as decoration. Keep trinkets and remembrances of the season or event such as wrapping paper from Birthday presents, cards, airline tickets, etc.

3. A bit of the hair from your baby's first haircut.

4. Quotes. Either from a book or of the child's first words or sayings.

5. Writing, journaling your feelings down is something that will be cherished forever by your child.

A idea for your babys scrapbook is something that will come to you when the occasion shows up. Go with what you feel, and that will turn out to be the best idea over time. This book is about feelings and memories, which will live forever and ever to be cherished and passed on.

You never know, your own child may steal your ideas when the time comes, and that will probably make you the proudest mom alive. Take your time creating your scrapbooks, you will definitely have fun going through it over the years.

Marcy Larsen - Close To My Heart Consultant. CTMH offers much more than just scrapbook supplies, including opportunities to make money while scrapbooking. I love to help people get started in scrapbooking. To learn more, please visit my website at http://www.marcylarsen.com