Free eBook Giveaway: Exercising with Diabetes

As many of you have already heard, WSR&F is giving away free copies of our original eBook on "Exercising with Diabetes."

Most of you already know that diabetes is a serious disease that leads to potentially life threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation. It is a silent, progressive illness that sneaks up on individuals over the years, and is a leading cause of death across the world. Chances are that someone you know and love is suffering from diabetes.

It's time to take massive action to combat diabetes. It is our responsibility to take a bold, preventive approach, and that's exactly what WSR&F is doing. In recent years, the American Diabetes Association reports that:

• 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes
• 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes
• 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.

Let's face it, there's much to be done.

Like the child on the beach saving starfishes one at a time, WSR&F is reaching out to it's friends to help make a dent in this preventable disease. So, we're going all out over the next few weeks.

To get your free eBook with lots of critical information on preventing and managing diabetes through simple exercise, just follow these four simple steps:

1. Leave a comment on this post!

2. Add a comment on the WSR&F Facebook Group page!

Visit the WSR&F Facebook Group Page and leave a comment on the main thread I started specifically for the giveaway. It’s the one that starts with “I’m giving away a FREE copy of…” .

3. Tweet out the giveaway on Twitter!

Simply tweet out (copy and paste into Twitter) the following message:

Work Systems is giving away FREE copy of “Exercising with Diabetes” eBook over on @tvmolen – http://worksystems.blogspot.com.

4) Enlist in our Newsletter Updates!

Last, but certainly not least, just click on our latest newsletter link and click on the "Join Our Mailing List!" link.

There... that's all. Not only will you get important exercise information, but I've recently updated the eBook to include some excellent information on some simple nutritional changes that can also help prevent and manage this disease.

Get well! Stay well!

Growing Roots... Being a Peacemaker

Today I was again challenged by Pastor Kevin's series on Growing Roots. His emphasis today was on the Beatitudes and, in particular, being a peacemaker.

Be honest. When you think of peacemaking, what comes to mind? Over the past several decades, our cultural evolution has gradually turned the idea of peace into something passive. The pursuit of peace is now fundamentally equated with acceptance and tolerance with the goal of living in harmony. As a result, it is not as politically correct to use assertive means to pursue peace.

Ultimately, the root cause of this issue is the slippery slope that has been made out of absolute truth. Without absolute truth, no one can claim to have a better way, and, therefore, all ways are equal and deserving of respect.

On a more personal level, I have seen this play out in my relationships. In my younger years, I was a conflict avoider. When I experienced an interpersonal conflict, I found it easier and less stressful to ignore differences in opinion and personality. I played a passive role in my attempt to maintain the peace. Unfortunately, this strategy did not bring about peace and my relationships remained broken. And my end goal - harmony - was impossible to attain.

As I've matured, I have come to understand that peacemaking is an active process. I realize that unresolved conflict sabotages relationships, and broken relationships affect teamwork and unity. I recognize that it is impossible to foster peace by remaining passive when conflict arises, and it inevitably will arise! Relationships require work, and peace is an active process.

My encouragement to you when you experience conflict is this: Don't take the "easy" way out and passively avoid it. When you experience conflict, acknowledge it. Be intentional to voice its presence and vigilant in your efforts to alleviate it. That is the truly the only way to bring about harmony.

Aristotle and the Pursuit of Excellence

Back when Mark and I were making designs to build our fitness facility in Pella and dreaming about what that space would become, I ran across a quote that has stuck with me over the years. I believe I was onsite at Clow Valve when I read a statement about excellence from Aristotle:

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

It had such an impact on me that one of my visions was to paint motivational quotes on the walls of the fitness floor. This quote was at the top of my list. It has implications for all spheres of life – the physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual.

Growing a business gives me ample opportunity to put this truth to practice. However, that’s easier said than done. Certainly there is no shortage of things to do. I have an extreme passion for excellence, but I haven’t always been successful at marking my course. It's been said that a goal without a plan is only a wish. Developing excellence while attempting to manage what seems like a million tasks seems an impossible task at times. It’s easy to get lost in the forest of responsibilities. I find it easy to think big and see the big picture, but determining my individual, daily steps to get there can be a challenge. I wish...

To provide the structure I need, I have found that it is essential to make a map for each day. Sometimes mentally, sometime physically I jot down a priority list of things that must be accomplished today. I guess you could call this my “act rightly” list. If I want to achieve excellence and demonstrate virtue today, I must habituate myself – train myself – to accomplish these most important tasks.

You’ve heard it said that “the harder you work the, the luckier you are.” The gist of that adage is that luck really isn’t luck at all. Excellence is the same way. It’s not an accident or a coincidence that a person or an organization is successful. One fortunate break does not breed excellence. No, it’s all about acting rightly, training yourself (habituation) to repeatedly do what must be done.

Yes, it’s necessary to act rightly to achieve my desired outcome – excellence. My successes and yours – past, present, and future – are not at all a result of luck. Our healthy habits will bring about a predictable and desirable response – EXCELLENCE. Have you developed a plan to reach your goal, or are you only wishing? Have you prepared your map for today?

Fighting (and Winning) the Battle

As many of you know, I've been on the Take Shape For Life plan for two months now. While I've enjoyed great success so far, it has been a battle in many ways. Understanding my ultimate physical goal - optimal health - and continuously confirming that pursuit as my fundamental aim has been critical.

I was reminded of strategies for fighting the battle at church (Third, Pella, IA) yesteday when Pastor Kevin spoke on spiritual warfare. He emphasized that culture today is taken by the supernatural in part because we have ignored the reality of the spiritual world in our everday lives for so long.

The fact that we contrast the natural with the supernatural reveals that we have bought into a false dualism, that we consider these two worlds as entirely separate of each other. However, the reality of the supernatural in everyday life is obvious. Do you see evidence of sin? Do you battle temptation? Do you understand the daily war that is raging between the worlds of good and evil?

In a spiritual sense, Pastor Kevin encouraged us to "take out the garbage", "take daily showers", and "put on the armor of God." In essence, he was emphasizing how important it is in the material world to understand the temptations and deal with them in a strategic way.

As a Christian, it is my fundamental goal to be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. I guess you could call that my pursuit for optimal spiritual health. If I do not make that a daily priority, I become complacent to the attacks against me that are counter to that fundamental goal. But if I continuously remind myself of that fundamental goal, I will be prepared to capture my thoughts and make them subservient to my fundamental goal. My daily actions will support my fundamental spiritual goal.

The same is true in my pursuit of optimal physical health. Every day I am faced with new temptations. If I allow myself to forget my fundamental goal, I create a foothold for my desire for instant gratification to get the best of me. I can easily rationalize one little piece of this or that until I've sabotaged my fundamental goal of optimal health.

For those of you who've surrounded my on this journey with me, thanks for your support. For those of you who've been battling similar battles, let this be an encouragement to you. When faced with tempation, you have 10 seconds to win the battle in your mind. Make it a habit to remind yourself of your fundamental goal, and you're one step closer to winning the battle.

Do you have any garbage you need to take out? Get rid of the temptations! Have you taken your shower today? Don't let that past failure define you and continue to wreak havoc! Have you donned your armor? Keep developing strategies that allow you to fight the battle well!

Get well! Stay well!