The talk of the recession is everywhere. It's getting harder and harder to read the newspaper, listen to talk radio, or turn on the evening news as the doom and gloom stories get bigger everyday. It is truly difficult to maintain a positive outlook on ones professional and personal life during these troubled times. Here's a story that was passed to me by my Accountant (Barry Goldman). I would like to share it with you regarding how our own attitude can shape your future. I need to apply it as much as anyone! I hope you enjoy it and keep thinking positively.
THE HOT DOG VENDOR
There was this elderly man who had a profitable little business selling hot dogs on a busy street corner in a major city. He wasn't particularly well educated, but he sold great hot dogs and his customers loved him.
During the early morning rush hour, he'd wheel his mobile hot dog stand to position it near the exit of the central railway station in town. A year ago he'd added a bacon and egg roll to his range and sold scores of them to this breakfast crowd every day. At lunchtime, he'd move his stand to a popular park where he had lines of regulars.
In the afternoon he'd be back at the station entrance and then later most nights he knew a great spot near a nightclub where patrons rushed him off his feet. He had even installed special lighting and a flashing neon sign. Even people driving by would stop.
He'd worked hard for years and done well enough to put his only son through university who later became a management consultant with a large firm. One day his son warned him that a recession was on the way. The old man asked his son what this meant. Being an educated man his son gave a very detailed explanation of how the recession would severely impact every person in the community, particularly small business people like his father. There would be enormous unemployment; people would not be able to afford to spend money as they did now. He painted a gloomy picture of the future and warned his father that it would be wise to cut back on his expenses and "tighten his belt" financially and prepare for the worst. The old man didn't know much about the economy or interest rates, but he trusted his son. After all, he was an educated man. Recession mentality kicked in.
The old man began to cut back on the quantity of sausages and bread rolls he bought. He didn't want to get caught with stale rolls as business began to drop off. But it was hard to judge and some days he actually ran out of sausages and rolls earlier than he normally would. So he went home early and spent more time worrying about this recession that was coming.
Soon he knew that what his son had said was right. He noticed that his takings were indeed falling. This depressed him more and so he tended to get out of bed later each day. After all, why get to the station so early when obviously more people would be eating at home rather than spending money on breakfast in the city. He decided that his bacon and egg rolls were too expensive for most people now. After all, they were twice the price of a hot dog, so he cut them from his menu and his sales continued to plummet.
Wow, his son was right, this recession was hitting hard!
He decided to save more money and not replace the batteries that powered his neon sign and lights at night. Now because he was in the dark, fewer people bought from him and soon he decided that it wasn't even worth his time setting up at night. Eventually he decided to sell off his equipment and his trolley. He was in luck though because the woman who bought his trolley didn't seem to know how bad business was, or how severe the recession was going to be. He managed to unload the trolley for more than he thought he would get. Now day after day he stayed at home, depressed, and occasionally his son would visit him and they would discuss how bad the recession was, and how lucky the old man had been to have an educated son who had warned him in advance about this terrible recession. So what's the moral of this story?
Recession mentality starts in one's own head. If you believe that a recession is coming and that times will soon be tough, then they will be for you. Like the old man in the story, you'll start to change your successful behavior patterns and replace them with less resourceful habits. You'll sleep in later. You'll take longer lunch breaks, make fewer phone calls, generate less e-mail, and go home earlier.
But it needn't be that way.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Start Your Day with a Healthy Breakfast
I’m sure you’ve heard it before. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” “Don’t skip your breakfast.” Or the old adage, “Eat breakfast like a King and supper like a pauper.” But are you doing it? And if not, why not?
It is true – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It sets the pace. A healthy breakfast gets the body’s metabolism up and running. Eating an unhealthy breakfast or skipping it and you are more likely to suddenly get hungry and grab quick things that are unhealthy (donuts and candy) or eat extra food at lunch to make up for missing breakfast. It has been documented that breakfast skippers notoriously struggle to lose weight.
Many people think eating less or skipping meals helps them lose weight. Not always. The body adapts. If it believes it is starving it will cut back metabolism to conserve energy. This is the main reason 95% of diets ultimately fail. Once people are off the diet they go back to how they used to eat, but their metabolism has slowed down. The result is adding the pounds right back on.
It is important to eat regular meals and if necessary snacks evenly throughout the day. This keeps blood sugar levels more constant providing you balanced energy through the day. With fewer blood sugar spikes you will experience fewer food cravings.
Another pitfall to proper eating is having a large dinner or snacking late at night. What happens? The food is not digested well. When you are sleeping, your body is not thinking about digestion and a lot of food complicates the process even more. Poor digestion is at the root of many ailments – such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. Plus, you are more likely to wake up feeling full and not be hungry for breakfast starting the whole cycle over again. As a general rule it is best not to eat within three hours of going to sleep.
Here’s some examples of my favorite healthy breakfasts. Notice that all the choices have protein and healthy fat in the meal. Vary your breakfast so it does not become routine and boring.
1. Breakfast shake – Use a high quality protein powder made from whey and/or brown rice. Do not use soy protein powders. My favorite is SP Complete from Standard Process. To make the shake even healthier add any or all of the following: plain whole fat yogurt or kefir, banana, fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries), flax seed oil or ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds. If you’d like an antioxidant boost and struggle to get in all your vegetables during the day I’d recommend adding in a green or red powder such as Designs for Health Paleo products.
2. Some combination of: Yogurt or kefir with fresh or frozen fruit, ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds. Optional: sprinkle Designs for Health Paleo products, one teaspoon of organic maple syrup, or Stevia to sweeten.
3. Eggs Рhard boiled is best followed by soft boiled or poached. Fried and scrambled are also options but do so at a low temperature and use organic coconut oil, butter, or ghee. You can include vegetables as a side dish or as part of an omelet. I like to saut̩ leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, or chard with onions in coconut oil. Feel free to do eggs 2-3 times per week.
4. Whole grain (please use 100% whole grain products) or sprouted bread toast with butter, ghee, organic natural peanut butter, almond butter, or humus. Limit to 1-2 times per week.
5. If you are really hungry and don’t plan on a mid morning snack you can do a combination of 3 and 4.
6. Steel cut oatmeal, also called Irish Style. These are the real whole oats. You can also add raisins, nuts, seeds, and after cooking the Paleo products, organic maple syrup, or Stevia to sweeten. A cooking tip: On the box it will say to cook for 30 minutes, however if you soak the oats over night in water and even a little yogurt they will cook in about 10 minutes. I’d limit this to 1-2 times per week also.
Now that you’ve read through my suggestions for a healthy breakfast, what do you notice is missing? If you are curious I invite you to give me a call or send an e-mail to find out why I have not included them!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
It is true – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It sets the pace. A healthy breakfast gets the body’s metabolism up and running. Eating an unhealthy breakfast or skipping it and you are more likely to suddenly get hungry and grab quick things that are unhealthy (donuts and candy) or eat extra food at lunch to make up for missing breakfast. It has been documented that breakfast skippers notoriously struggle to lose weight.
Many people think eating less or skipping meals helps them lose weight. Not always. The body adapts. If it believes it is starving it will cut back metabolism to conserve energy. This is the main reason 95% of diets ultimately fail. Once people are off the diet they go back to how they used to eat, but their metabolism has slowed down. The result is adding the pounds right back on.
It is important to eat regular meals and if necessary snacks evenly throughout the day. This keeps blood sugar levels more constant providing you balanced energy through the day. With fewer blood sugar spikes you will experience fewer food cravings.
Another pitfall to proper eating is having a large dinner or snacking late at night. What happens? The food is not digested well. When you are sleeping, your body is not thinking about digestion and a lot of food complicates the process even more. Poor digestion is at the root of many ailments – such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. Plus, you are more likely to wake up feeling full and not be hungry for breakfast starting the whole cycle over again. As a general rule it is best not to eat within three hours of going to sleep.
Here’s some examples of my favorite healthy breakfasts. Notice that all the choices have protein and healthy fat in the meal. Vary your breakfast so it does not become routine and boring.
1. Breakfast shake – Use a high quality protein powder made from whey and/or brown rice. Do not use soy protein powders. My favorite is SP Complete from Standard Process. To make the shake even healthier add any or all of the following: plain whole fat yogurt or kefir, banana, fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries), flax seed oil or ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds. If you’d like an antioxidant boost and struggle to get in all your vegetables during the day I’d recommend adding in a green or red powder such as Designs for Health Paleo products.
2. Some combination of: Yogurt or kefir with fresh or frozen fruit, ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds. Optional: sprinkle Designs for Health Paleo products, one teaspoon of organic maple syrup, or Stevia to sweeten.
3. Eggs Рhard boiled is best followed by soft boiled or poached. Fried and scrambled are also options but do so at a low temperature and use organic coconut oil, butter, or ghee. You can include vegetables as a side dish or as part of an omelet. I like to saut̩ leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, or chard with onions in coconut oil. Feel free to do eggs 2-3 times per week.
4. Whole grain (please use 100% whole grain products) or sprouted bread toast with butter, ghee, organic natural peanut butter, almond butter, or humus. Limit to 1-2 times per week.
5. If you are really hungry and don’t plan on a mid morning snack you can do a combination of 3 and 4.
6. Steel cut oatmeal, also called Irish Style. These are the real whole oats. You can also add raisins, nuts, seeds, and after cooking the Paleo products, organic maple syrup, or Stevia to sweeten. A cooking tip: On the box it will say to cook for 30 minutes, however if you soak the oats over night in water and even a little yogurt they will cook in about 10 minutes. I’d limit this to 1-2 times per week also.
Now that you’ve read through my suggestions for a healthy breakfast, what do you notice is missing? If you are curious I invite you to give me a call or send an e-mail to find out why I have not included them!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. He is an expert in the field of Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction. His office is in Thiensville, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
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