Author: Lenny Variano
All or Nothing…
Having a fitness goal is important but what if you are unable to work out in exactly the way you had planned. A recent study held at the university 
of Michigan showed that if a person could not work out the way they had planned, they often did nothing at all. Having this all or nothing mindset is proving to be a major barrier in developing a healthy exercise routine. Flexibility not discipline is more successful when it comes to exercise. Pressure from trainers who feel that if you miss a workout you must start from the beginning or those who are unable to fill the 150 minutes of weekly exercise which is medically recommended can deter a person from exercising. If you adopt a flexible, adaptable view of exercise it can encourage activity even if you may have only fifteen minutes. Even small doses of exercise can lower blood pressure and increase mental health. A good attitude to take is if I cannot do what I am planning what will be my alternative. If you can’t make it to the gym have a set of exercises you can do at home. If you can’t make it to an exercise class on time show up late and do what you can. Half of a martial arts class is better than none. The benefits of exercise are long term so missing a workout here and there will not matter in the long run. It is always good to look at how far you have come and not focus so intently on where you feel you have to go.
https://lifestylemedicine.org/how-all-or-nothing-thinking-deters-physical-activity-and-what-clinicians-can-do-about-it/
https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/how-all-or-nothing-thinking-derails-exercise–and-how-to-change-that
Do Trees have Feelings?
Trees can clean air and water damaged by pollution as well as take up excess ground water in turn reducing flooding. Along with providing shade to cool us their beauty supports us emotionally. Statistics show that tree lined streets encourage slow driving vehicles and produce less noise. Trees
are planted to honor the passing of a loved one, a wedding or the birth of a child. They measure the passage of time through their stability and resilience. Are trees aware of what is happening in their environment? Are they sensitive to danger? Scientific studies around the world are showing that trees are alert, social, and maintain a level of intelligence. Trees, especially of the same species, are interdependent and have a communication system that is taking place underground. This underground system is referred to as the “wood-wide web”. It consists of a fungal (mycorrhizal) network. Trees can share water, send distress signals about disease and insect attacks through this network and in turn adjust. These large fungi networks receive sugar from photosynthesis and in return provide mineral nutrients to the trees. For saplings, unable to reach sunlight, this network is important for survival. Alarm and distress signals are of main concern with trees. They will send out toxic chemicals if they feel too many of their leaves are being consumed and they will send anesthetic substances to that part of the tree that has been wounded even if it is one branch. The National Institute of Health recommends that every citizen should be able to see 3 trees, every neighborhood should have a 30% canopy of leaves to reduce heat, and every resident should live not farther than 300 meters (984ft.) from a green space. Trees are an important part of our healthy existence. Try looking up instead of down more often to appreciate what surrounds us.
https://www.bbcearth.com/news/plants-have-feelings-too
https://nbsi.eu/330300-principle/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/
