The Whole Person

At age 38, I recently experienced my first sprained ankle injury chasing my dog around the yard (one of his favorite games). While running, I attempted to plant my right foot and it landed in a low spot in the lawn. My foot rolled inwards, my ankle buckled out, I heard a distinct “pop-pop” (yes, not one, but two “pops”), and I stopped cold with a sharp pain in my foot and ankle. It was all I could do to stay on my feet. After a minute or two of standing still with my weight on my left foot, I found that I could walk…well, limp…as long as I didn’t put much pressure on my hurting ankle.

The next day, my ankle was swollen the size of an egg, but I could still walk/limp. So I hopped online (literally) to get some info on ankle sprains and discovered that my injury could be fairly serious and a broken ankle might be a possibility. Turns out, if you hear a “pop” when you create an ankle sprain, that could mean torn ligaments and/or broken bones requiring surgery, a cast, or an ankle brace with a recovery of several weeks or a few months. I thought, “Great. I heard 2 ‘pops’ which probably means I’ve got torn ligaments and a broken bone.” But, I also did not see any discoloration (only swelling), I could still walk fairly well, and I’m not out of shape…I exercise, so I wasn’t too worried.

One of the resources I researched said that if the swelling does not go down after 48 hours to seek medical treatment. It happened on Saturday, so I figured I’d wait until Monday, check out the swelling, and go see a doctor then, if needed. On Monday, the swelling had gone from egg-sized to golf ball-sized…a noticeable improvement…and I never put ice on it once because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t artificially reducing the swelling (probably not the smart thing to do, but it’s not the first time I did something that wasn’t real bright). And, by Monday it was getting much easier to walk. Hallelujah! No doctor visit for me!

FYI: Ankle sprains range from mild to serious. You may need medical treatment if:

• You hear a “pop” or “snap”
• You have discoloration or bruising
• The swelling does not decrease in 48 hours after applying ice several times
• The ankle cannot support any weight

The wisest man who ever lived taught us that, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” When was the last time you experienced being “more blessed” by giving rather than receiving? You may have heard from the pulpit on Sunday morning that if you are having a bad day, a bad week, or a bad year (financially, emotionally, health-wise, or otherwise), that you should stop and count your blessings because it’s good for the soul. Psychologists and self-help gurus will tell you that practicing thankfulness is good for your mental health. I think Jesus would agree, but if you want to absolutely destroy any negative feelings you may be experiencing - for whatever the reason may be - go find someone in need (a friend, family member, co-worker, or even better a stranger) and give them a small, unexpected, “I just want to help” gift of some kind.

I’m not talking about a birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas or Valentine’s Day gift. I’m not even talking about giving (tithing) to your church on Sunday. Those “gifts” are “nice” but also pretty much expected. No, to receive the real blessing, and an almost overpowering rush of positive thoughts and emotions, you should help someone in need in a completely unexpected way. Make sure it’s a small gift so you won’t have any feelings of resentment or second thoughts…don’t make it about self-sacrifice. It is entirely impossible to be in a bad mood or live negatively in a moment of charity. That’s why giving is really a gift to ourselves.

Earlier this morning, just a few minutes ago actually, I saw a news story quoting a New England Journal of Medicine study of 811 people who were trying to lose weight by cutting calories. The story explained that the study concluded this: for people trying lose lose weight by eating less, it does not matter if you focus on reducing fat, carbohydrates, or protein from your diet - a calorie is a calorie and fewer calories consumed over time means you will lose weight.

I literally yelled at the TV, “What? What a bunch of freakin’ idiots! What kind of weight are they talking about?” My friend, this is just the kind of half-baked reporting that goes on in the media all the time, and it’s the public that suffers. You see, I was not calling the New England Journal, the doctors, or anyone else associated with the study an idiot. I mean the news media.

Let me explain. Yes, a calorie - whether it is a fat calorie, a carb, or a protein - takes the same amount of energy to burn. And yes, cutting any kind of calorie will help you lose weight. But here is what got me so upset. The kind of weight you lose - how that weight loss occurs - is directly related to the type of calories you reduce. When people say they want to lose weight, they mean FAT…fat, not muscle, and not bone. If you want to lose fat, and not muscle or bone density, you better believe the type of calories you consume (and when you consume them) matters. Here’s an article that can help you lose some body fat without sacrificing muscle or bone.

Thanks for letting me rant a little and get that off my chest. Please leave a Comment if you have one. Have a healthy day!

Earlier this week, I posted a quote from Adrian Rogers about the dangerous effects we all need to understand about our government re-distributing our nation’s wealth. Today, I’m (somewhat) encouraged by the Home Buyer Tax Credit bill, a way for Uncle Sam to give back (a little). The original bill has been watered down a great degree: instead of a $15,000 tax credit for all home buyers who buy a house through November of this year, it’s now only $8,000 and only for first-time home buyers (defined as someone who has not owned a home in the past three years).

So, some buyer’s get excluded, and $8K back in your pocket is not as good as $15K, but for those who qualify and are buying, it’s a sweet deal…money back! One caveat though: if they sell the home within the first three years, then the tax “credit” will have to be re-paid.

I want to thank Debbie Duplantis of Home Mortgage Associates and Darren Cart, CPA for keeping me up-to-date on this important development for tax payers.

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers

Guys, I’m about to give you some ways you can score big with your girlfriend or wife this Valentine’s Day without spending a pile of money. Ladies, if you have further thoughts and want to add something, please leave a comment.

There’s just a few principles you want to follow:

1. Women love surprises and the bigger the better. (A dozen roses is nice, but not a huge surprise, and this typical V-Day gesture certainly doesn’t imply a lot of thought or effort on your part, but it is expensive.) By bigger I don’t mean more expensive, I mean the farther the surprise is from your normal behavior or past gifts…the truly unexpected.
2. Women appreciate the time and effort you put into your V-Day gift(s) 10X more than the amount of money you spend.
3. The more you can make V-Day about “you & her” in her mind (not just about her), the more points you’ll score.

Granted, there are women who expect and feel entitled to certain gifts, believe it’s about how much money the gift costs, and think that it’s all about them. I’m not talking about these women who are in the minority. I’m sorry, but if you’re involved with one of those, you need a different kind of help than I’m offering here.

That said, let’s talk about some specific Valentine’s Day ideas you can use to score big points with a budget:

1. Cook. on V-Day, don’t go to a restaurant that’s packed with people, with a menu that has holiday-inflated prices. Just spend $20 or $30 at the grocery store and cook a special meal for the two of you. You can keep the meal simple, but spend a few bucks on ambiance (V-Day colored or themed napkins, wine glasses, candles, etc.). If you don’t usually cook, don’t have an anxiety attack about the quality of the meal, focus on the presentation. The meal can be mediocre if everything’s “pretty.” Actually, this idea works better if you don’t cook frequently or at all because it’s a departure from what she expects from you. Don’t forget the wine. In keeping with being cost-conscious, I recommend Jacob’s Creek Shiraz/Cabernet blend for about $7.
2. Get her some unique jewelry. Before you start thinking jewelry has to be expensive and that it’s not very creative as a gift, you can find some great, truly unique, inexpensive jewelry online that she’ll love just because no one else has it. You can even play it up and tell her you searched long and far for something just for her Remember, different is generally better and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
3. How about a romantic movie? I checked online yesterday and RedBox has about a dozen movies in the Romance section. Spend a whole dollar and rent one for the night. If romance is not your preferred genre (it’s definitely not mine), suck it up…she’ll appreciate it, more points for you. I’ll admit, a movie by itself is not too creative, but when you can add a little something to it you score big bonus points. Think foot massage, scalp massage, her favorite candy as a movie snack, etc.
4. Make her some Origami. With a quick Google search for “valentine’s day origami” you’ll find several videos which show you step-by-step how to make V-Day-themed origami gifts. You will probably spend $5 on the paper material and 5 minutes making the gift. I like this one because it’s different, it’s inexpensive, it looks like it took considerable time and effort, and its “cute” factor is huge. Never underestimate the impact of “cute” in your gifts to a woman.

Whatever you decide to do this V-Day, keep the basic principles in mind and remember the profound words of Chris Rock, “If it ain’t new, it’s through.” Have a happy one!

Whether you actually say this as a prayer or not, it can help remind you to have patience with others…

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father , remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

Here’s another difference between the sexes just for laughs  ;-)

I would love some comments on this hilarious video: Brains

Stretch your mind a little about money. This short article might change the way you think about it.

I just got back from Red Lerille’s Health Club where I can be found 4 or 5 days of the week, some time between 5:30 and 7:00 a.m. My workout today and a self-assessment of my mood and mindset has me writing today’s blog on health. In many ways, I have a Type A personality: driven, bored sitting still for too long, and short on patience if I’m interrupted from doing something when I’m zoned-in and focused. To my benefit, these traits help me to be very consistent in getting to the gym and following a healthy diet.

On the other hand, the little voice in my head driving me to the gym on days like today is not always helpful. I happen to be in the middle of a workout cycle that is increasing in difficulty and intensity (I’ll share my current routine with you in another post if you leave a Comment asking to see it.) and I have probably been overtraining a little bit. I can tell because I have not been sleeping very well over the last 3 nights and muscle soreness is lasting a week in certain muscles.

So my friends and fellow gym rats, today’s message is for you: beware of the Type A personality workout routine. It’s easy to recognize. It’s when you push yourself through a workout when you’re experiencing sleeplessness, loss of appetite, fatigue, pain in your joints due to exercise, extreme muscle soreness (so it hurts just to perfom basic living activities: walking, bathing, etc.) lasting more than 3 days, or just not being able to meet or exceed your last workout performance. If you listen to your internal Type A voice telling you to push through the pain, you may wind up with more pain than you bargained for in the way of muscle tears, sprains, or just fatigued muscles that never grow because they are not given adequate recover time.

If I was listening to another voice, (the voice of my body reminding me that I’m not rested, I have delayed onset muscle soreness, my mental clarity is not so sharp, and I’m going to be extremely tired again today at about 1:00 p.m.) then I would have slept a little later and skipped the workout this morning. Adequate rest is just as important as a healthy diet and challenging workout routines when it comes to physical fitness. A Type A personality needs to be aware of the potential pitfalls of being emotionally driven to go to the gym when it is obvious that they would be better served with a little more recovery time.