Mindfullness Used to be called “Paying Attention” (1-hour lecture on Tai Chi)

Years back, mindfulness was called paying attention.

Some smart marketers decided that “paying attention” could be re-branded into “mindfulness” and a billion dollar industry was created. Seminars, retreats, classes, phone apps and a plethora of other events and items have come about to help people learn to pay attention or be more mindful.

However, Eastern philosophy and its methods of yoga (qigong), tai chi and others, have been around for thousands of years and have already been proven to improve mental and physical health. Better fitness, health and well-being usually help the body’s innate (natural) immunity to combat illness, disease and injuries.

Mind, Body & Spirit. Many people talk about this but how do you actually be more present. Watch my video below of my introductory Tai Chi & Qigong class at the University Club of Winter Park to learn how these methods help us to pay better attention to what is most important in our lives.

Physical Exercise (body)

Regulated Breathing (mind)

Self Awareness (spirit)

The former are key components to a healthy lifestyle. However, more important is the quality or specificity of how you exercise for your abilities and limitations. How deep and the frequency of your breaths is more important than just being able to breathe. What you think about determines the quality of your thoughts being positive or negative with both affecting the emotions and consequently the nervous system and blood chemistry.

It really is that simple. Our health, good or bad is the manifestation of our lifestyle. What we eat, what we think and how we move our bodies – all our reflected in our well-being. Our health is ultimately our own individual responsibility. Obviously some people’s individual situation requires help and/or assistance from within our society. Socioeconomic issues effect many. But mostly, people have choices in the US regarding their own lifestyle and how it affects their own health. People usually are not forced to eat low nutritional junk food, smoke or live a sedentary lifestyle. We make our own decisions and live with the causes, effects and results of our choices.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is an option.

It is often very difficult to live a comfortable life, when someone has so much pain and suffering within it.

The keys to happiness are truly in our own hands. Self-discipline is the master key to do what we know needs to be done:

– maintain a nutritional diet

– consistently exercise and/or be active- prioritize sleep quality

– nurture healthy social interactions

– get fresh air and some sunlight everyday

– be more positive than negative in your outlook and input

I teach and encourage people how to live a healthy lifestyle. Learn how this works and relates to your health and well being.

Be well, be healthy, be wise!

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/

Self-defense Skills – Becoming a Thing of the Past

Most people cannot defend themselves in a physical confrontation.

Few people exercise or stay active (only about 23% CDC 2018) let alone practice the physical and mental skills that can protect themselves or loved ones.

Basic Attacks

Kids don’t play outside or together as much as they use to. Video games and smartphones are the substitute for physical activity and developing social skills. Both of which are needed to avoid physical confrontations. In reality, most kids (and adults) never learn how to defend themselves these days until after the actual need arises – which unfortunately could be too late.

We live in a very different world than when we did a a few decades back. If you believe television and movies, everyone knows kung fu, boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA). However, this is not reality.

Good skills to learn:

Basic defense skills against being grabbed, touched, punched, kicked, etc.

Anatomy relative to “pressure points” or key body parts to defend or attack if necessary.

Situational awareness relative to options before and after someone finds themselves in a potentially dangerous and life changing event.

Balance, coordination and strength exercises to develop self-esteem and confidence that one does not need to be a victim or rely upon others for their own personal safety.

Contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119

(almost 40 years of practicing and teaching of wellness, self-defense and a martial arts)

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

https://www.facebook.com/MindAndBodyExercises/

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/

A Healthy Spine Makes a Happy Person

Why do most people not take care of their spine, until they have back issues?

Not having back pain, does not necessarily mean your spine is in great shape! If not disease nor illness is a goal, we need to focus on being fit, well & healthy. Good health usually comes at a cost of time, effort, sacrifice and resources; or a combination of the prior. Most people don’t care to make the investment into taking care of themselves until after they are injured. even then, most people with back issues often choose pain medicines or sometimes surgery over exercise or lifestyle changes that can improve their situation. Traumatic injuries are often best treated with emergency surgery and that is really not the topic of this post.

In 2019, 20.4% of adults had chronic pain and 7.4% of adults had chronic pain that frequently limited life or work activities (referred to as high impact chronic pain) in the past 3 months.

Chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain both increased with age and were highest among adults aged 65 and over.

Non-Hispanic white adults (23.6%) were more likely to have chronic pain compared with non-Hispanic black (19.3%), Hispanic (13.0%), and non-Hispanic Asian (6.8%) adults.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db390.htm

Western (allopathic) Medicine mostly tries to fix spine/back issues once the ailment, injury or disease presents itself. Medications, physical therepy and surgery are common treatments for spinal issues.

Chiropractic Medicine sees the spine as a major part of the nervous system, mostly treating the imbalances and subluxations (misalignments of the spinal vertebra) to improve health.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views the spine as part of the whole body, where each component of the mind, body and spirit affect the components.

The tai chi, yogi or qigong practitioner might realize that the spine is a conduit to reach higher levels of self-awareness, spirituality in additional to the mental and physical benefits of a healthy spinal column.

The spinal vertebrae house and protect a vast amount of the body’s nervous tissue. When the muscles, ligaments, bones, veins/arteries or nerves throughout the back are injured, weakened or tight issues of “dis-ease” can manifest. Issues with the nerves or energy meridians can affect organs or areas located distally from the root cause. Tai chi, yoga/qigong are methods to maintain good health of the spine as well as most other areas of the body.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is an option.

It is often very difficult to live a comfortable life, when someone has so much pain and suffering within it.

The keys to happiness are truly in our own hands. Self-discipline is the master key to do what we know needs to be done:

– maintain a nutritional diet

– consistently exercise and/or be active- prioritize sleep quality

– nurture healthy social interactions

– get fresh air and some sunlight everyday

– be more positive than negative in your outlook and input

I teach and encourage people how to live a healthy lifestyle. Learn how this works and relates to your health and well being.

Be well, be healthy, be wise!

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/

Is Returning to “Normal” Really a Good Thing?

Is Returning to “Normal” Really a Good Thing?

If not being sick is the goal, we need to focus on being fit, well & healthy.

Not being sick, does not make someone healthier.

However, Western (allopathic) medicine and modern science have already proven that being in better mental and physical health usually helps the body’s innate (natural) immunity to combat illness, disease and injuries.

From the CDC (Center for Disease Control):

Chronic Diseases: Often Preventable, Frequently Manageable Many chronic diseases could be prevented, delayed, or alleviated, through simple lifestyle changes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that eliminating three risk factors – poor diet, inactivity, and smoking – would prevent: 80% of heart disease and stroke; 80% of type 2 diabetes; and, 40% of cancer.

Obesity steals more years than diabetes, tobacco, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — the other top preventable health problems that cut Americans’ lives short, according to researchers who analyzed 2014 data.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is an option.

It is often very difficult to live a comfortable life, when someone has so much pain and suffering within it.

The keys to happiness are truly in our own hands. Self-discipline is the master key to do what we know needs to be done:

– maintain a nutritional diet

– consistently exercise and/or be active- prioritize sleep quality

– nurture healthy social interactions

– get fresh air and some sunlight everyday

– be more positive than negative in your outlook and input

I teach and encourage people how to live a healthy lifestyle. Learn how this works and relates to your health and well being.

Be well, be healthy, be wise!

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/

Root Causes of Illness

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is an option.

It is often very difficult to live a comfortable life, when someone has so much pain and suffering within it. The keys to happiness are truly in our own hands. Self-discipline is the master key to do what we know needs to be done:

– maintain a nutritional diet

– consistently exercise and/or be active

– prioritize sleep quality- nurture healthy social interactions

– get fresh air and some sunlight everyday

– be more positive than negative in your outlook and input