Are You On a Diet? Let’s get active, eat better for a diet, and lose weight.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve discovered some interesting extra pounds recently. Not only am I eating more but I’m also moving less. It seems with each passing day, I’m a bit older and a bit rounder.
Sometimes I feel like I can’t win this battle. Then, I think about my situation and I realize that I can win this battle. I need to go on a diet.
The last time I went on a diet, I lost almost three dozen pounds. That was a long time ago. Almost thirty years ago, to be exact. I kissed carbs goodbye and the pounds went along with them.
This time I know more. I think I can have a more successful diet and my life will be easier, too. So…I’m taking this diet week-by-week. I plan to lose weight using newer, more effective, techniques. I plan to be healthier.
I hope to do some more interesting things along the way, too.
Will you join me?
Whether you join me or not, I’m hoping to share effective weight-loss tips that will make weight loss easier and more fun. I’m also hoping I’ll be able to keep the weight off!
For my first week on this diet, I’m thinking of ways to move more. I’m getting active for more energy.
I have a weekly zoom yoga/fitness class with Carolyn Abedor on Thursday mornings. I would prefer to have two classes each week with her but I am at my job on Tuesday mornings when she has her other class. I would love to rearrange my work schedule but, so far, have been unable to do so.
I spend a few short minutes on a personal trampoline each day. Reflexologists love personal trampolines and I’m no exception.
At least twice daily, my 5-pound chihuahua walks me down the street. That will soon end when the snow comes. Taco can’t stand icy roads.
So, I’m seeking other active options.
I try to walk more at work and I like to walk down extra aisles at the super market.
A new goal is to put in about 300 extra steps every day – no matter what. I plan to add more physical activities over time until I’ve move this 300 steps to 30 minutes of daily exercise.
I’m searching for low-impact activities on exercise videos such as YouTube and Amazon. I’m planning to check out some videos at the library. I also plan to contact my area hospital to see what programs are available at its wellness center.
Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you. I wish us all success in this quest for better health and a better weight.
I’m hoping you’ll share this article with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Is it a Cold, the Flu, or Coronavirus?
For months we’ve all been reading and hearing about a resurgence of the coronavirus combined with the flu. So…what does this mean?
Every year I hear the same question at the beginning of flu season: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER IT’S A COLD OR THE FLU? This season, the question is a little different: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER IT’S A COLD OR THE FLU OR CORONAVIRUS?
There are some real differences.
Fever is rare with a cold. Fever is common with the flu. It’s usually high and lasts three or four days.
Headaches are rare with a cold but common with the flu.
Cold sufferers may have slight aches and pains. Flu sufferers have definite aches and pains which may be severe.
Extreme fatigue and/or weakness is just not a factor with a cold. Exhaustion is common with the flu – especially at the onset of the illness.
Sore throat, stuffy nose, and sneezing are common with a cold. A person suffering with a cold may have mild symptoms to include a hacking cough. With the flu, these symptoms can become severe.
With colds, treatment includes antihistamines, decongestants. With the flu, the patient needs to consult with a physician about any needed medication.
Coronavirus complicates things.
Many people experience fever as the first symptom of Coronavirus.
The second symptom is often a combination of a cough and muscle pain.
Nausea and vomiting make up the third tier.
These symptoms are usually followed by diarrhea.
And, that’s not all. Some people experience a loss of taste or smell.
And, some people experience deeply reddish-blue toes (chillblains).
Others have headache and dizziness.
The bottom line here is that coronavirus has many symptoms while colds and flu
are much less complicated.
If you suspect coronavirus, go get tested. Waiting around while you try to decide you are sick and contagious or not is not good for you and it’s not good for those around you.
There are several tools at your disposal which can help you early on.
A thermometer is essential. Take your temperature daily.
When I’m out in the community, my temperature is the key to getting into the office where I have an appointment.
The no-touch forehead fever thermometer gun has become ubiquitous on receptionists’ desks wherever I go.
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t take your temperature every morning. Your temperature can accompany your blood pressure reading. You can keep your thermometer gun beside your blood pressure cuff.
Then, you only need one other item: a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter estimates the amount of oxygen in your blood.
If you have coronavirus, your pulse oximeter will register a lower oxygen level in your body. This is because with coronavirus, your lungs are inflamed. (Actually, with coronavirus, inflammation is all over your body).
So, if you are concerned about your health because you may become exposed to coronavirus, you can help yourself with your temperature, your blood pressure, and your oxygen level.
If you feel ill, you will help your healthcare professional with these three scores.
For those who aren’t really familiar with an oximeter, it is the little plastic clip placed on your finger when you get your blood pressure measured.
These devices are not that expensive, are easy to use, and you can find an explanatory chart which will explain the meaning of the score.
Whatever you decide, prevention is important. Wash your hands often, wear a mask always when you leave your home, use hand sanitizer and don’t go anywhere around other people if you can help it.
Thanks for reading this blog post. If you liked this article, please forward it to your favorite social media networks.
Thanks again,
Thurman Greco
September Solstice – a Time to Focus on Wellness and Healing for Ourselves and Our Planet
The September Solstice is a time to promote wellness and healing throughout the planet. Please take a moment to dwell on a planet where all beings experience wellness and coexist in honor and support.
Visualize a world where all beings experience positive renewal and growth as wellness and healing become real. Get to know all the wonderful opportunities in your world for growth and hope throughout our planet.
As the planet goes into its next phase, support your spirit and encourage healing and wellness to all plants and animals on earth. Make a place for yourself during this time to encourage spiritual growth.
Think of ways you can invite universal balance in your life. Think of how you fit into your day, into your world, into your goals.
Check in with yourself to give support to your spirit. Focus on a world where everyone works together with respect and harmony in support of all needs.
Create a vision of peace and wellness for yourself. Attract spiritual calm.
Expand your peace and wellness and spiritual calm to include every living thing in the world.
Thank you for reading this meditation.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network. If you like this post, please forward it to your friends.
Thanks again,
Thurman
4 Times to Rely on Your Abdominal Brain: Know When to Go With Your Gut
Hello there, cerebral brain! It’s me, your abdominal brain. There are some important situations in life when we can work together. Actually, we work together daily.
I send you information all the time. I want you to know what happens in the abdomen where I live and work.
When I send red flags bubbling up, I hope you listen.
Example 1:
You are looking for a new job and may have an offer.
In this process, you sometimes when you need need more information.
You don’t have a job offer until you know the day you are expected to report to work, where you are expected to be on the start of your first work day, the name of the person you are to report to, and the amount of money you will be paid.
Can’t decide whether the job offer is for you? List all the positives about the job. Next, follow that list with a list of all the negatives. If the positives outweigh the negatives, you can begin to feel good about your offer.
If you don’t…think about what your abdominal brain is trying to tell you. Maybe, for the moment, you need to override your abdominal brain and use your head for a while. Or, maybe you need to listen to your abdominal brain and learn from its wisdom.
Example 2:
When you can’t eat or sleep, your abdominal brain is talking to you. Something isn’t sitting right for you.
You may have a stomach bug.
Or, you may also be hearing from your abdominal brain. What situation is causing physical stress? Is your abdominal brain working with your intuition to tell you it’s time to deal with it.
What decision-making skills do you need to reduce this stress and live a more comfortable life? Your pros-and-cons list can help here. You can also listen to your inner self which tells you what you need to know.
While you decide what to do, spend some time reducing your stress. As you lower your stress level, you may find yourself in a place where it’s easier to listen to your inner voice and your abdominal brain wisdom.
When this happens, you make way for a path to appear for you.
Example 3:
You encounter a situation or someone who is suffering.
Your abdominal brain appeals to you to help others. But, then, your cerebral brain or your friends and coworkers try to talk you out of it.
You experience objections: “I’m in a rush.” “This may be a scam.” “If I give this person money for food, she may just buy drugs with it.”
Think, for a moment, about a time when you were in need. How lonely was your situation? If someone stepped in to help, did your view of the world change?
This might be a time to pay your gratitude forward.
Example 4:
You are in a situation where a person is talking to you and suddenly your gut does flip flops or you get negative chills or you feel trapped.
This is not a time to dismiss your abdominal brain message. You are in a situation which is not good for you and your body knows it. This is a time to follow your gut.
Physically, remove yourself from the premises.
At a party or other group gathering? Leave. Now.
Getting ready to get on an elevator? Back off. Don’t get on the elevator. Go somewhere else instead.
Walking down a hallway and suddenly realize you are alone in a dark, public place? Get out of there immediately. Find people. Find lights.
In all of the above situations, you must make a stand for what your gut knows. It’s okay. This is one of the things your body is built to do.
Thanks for reading this blog post. You can connect with me on Facebook. If you have friends or know someone who might enjoy this post, please forward it.
If you are looking for more, please check out my books.
Thurman Greco
It’s Here! A Wellness for All Reflexology Video
It’s time!
THE VIDEO IS AVAILABLE NOW!
What began as reflexology class notes years ago has now become an informative and entertaining video just waiting for you!
One evening several months ago Karen White, Arlene Ferrieri and I drove out to Palenville to my publisher’s studio and very casually produced this video. Our intention is to offer a dialogue about reflexology which is easy to follow and use.
I hope you like it!
And, the price is sooo right. Simply go to
www.thurmangreco.com and click on videos.
There it is! It’s waiting for you and your donation. Every penny is destined to feed the hungry. No one received any payment for providing this video.
It is our hope that you will enjoy this video and find it informative as well as entertaining.
Please refer this blog post to your preferred social media network.
It is my dream that people will be as happy with this video as they are with the book, which is going into its third edition.
If you like this video, I hope you’ll send thoughts of gratitude to Karen and Arlene and everyone at Turning Mill who gave of their time with love.
Thurman Greco
Use the reflexology you keep in your toolbox – Part 6
One nice thing I like about reflexology: it’s adaptable.
You don’t have to do a lot to prepare for a reflexology session. Don’t get me wrong. Your session preparation can be as elaborate as you can imagine and desire. It can include music, incense, essential oils, enfolding comforters, gentle lighting, and anything else you want to add to support your client partner.
But when the going gets tough, all you have to do is gently touch a person’s hands or feet for a few moments. Reflexology warm-ups and warm-downs are powerful. And there are few to no contraindications to touch a person.
And, a person doesn’t have to be lying by the side of the road to qualify for a gentle touch and nothing more.
Reflexology works well with other modalities. I love to add Reiki therapy and chakra healing but there are many more modalities that work fine. The choice is up to you.
On a gurney or roadside, I would certainly add Reiki but, honestly, it’s not necessary. Reflexology will do the job quite well.
Popular reflexology holds which are appropriate for gurney or roadside situations include simply holding the person’s hands or feet.
If I can’t make contact any other way, a hand placed on a shoulder can be effective.
I like to begin a session with a gentle solar plexus hold. After that, I might hold the person’s heels to offer comfort and support. Gently holding a person’s lymphatic reflexes for a minute can bring calm.
And, truthfully, Reflexology’s job is to bring about homeostasis. This happens in a session, no matter the circumstances.
At your table, reflexology will generate a different result during each session. That’s because your client is different every day on a cellular level. This daily difference produces a unique outcome at every session.
But, no matter the circumstance, reflexology is a heavy lifter in your toolbox. It will not let you down. After a session, don’t waste even a minute thinking you should have done something else or touched the person’s feet or hands another way. Your hands did the right thing at the right moment for this person.
Thanks for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
THANKS!
Thurman
Healing Music – an important part of your toolbox – Part 5
Music is an important component of healing because everything has its very own musical component.
When we speak to one another (or to ourselves), our voices transmit a unique spiritual music. Each person’s voice is individual.
When we move, our bodies send a tempo representing our feelings at the moment.
Everything around us is musical because we are all composed of energy.
When we offer reflexology or Reiki therapy or chakra healing or any number of other healing modalities, each one has it’s own music. But, that doesn’t mean that an added layer of healing music isn’t important. The healing music you play while you heal a person contributes to that person’s wellness.
I have known healers who used only one or two musical selections for everyone. Other healers had stacks and stacks of cd’s to choose from.
I have also known client partners who preferred a specific song. One client partner wanted only a special song playing when she entered the healing room. She wanted nothing more. For her, healing began when she heard the music she chose. Her choice: “Nada Himalaya” by Deuter. New Earth Records produced this CD.
My thoughts on this: Whatever works for your client is the right choice.
The important thing is not whether I like the music or not. My preferences don’t matter. The important thing is that the person who needs and receives the healing responds positively to what she hears.
I have client partners who only want to hear chants. Others dislike the chants and don’t want to hear them. My job is to discover what music each client prefers and have it playing during each session.
If you don’t know what to offer, you can’t go wrong with some quiet Bach or Pachelbel. Music by Steven Halpern or Deuter have been staples in healing rooms for decades.
But, whatever you select, your choice is important, very important.
Not long ago, I lost a client because of the music I selected. This woman was a recent regular client – coming to my table weekly. She appeared to be happy with my services and healing modality environment.
She enjoyed a variety of music and I had enough CD’s to offer a different selection at each session. Then, one day, she walked into the healing room and immediately went on alert. She was even a little fearful. I didn’t know why.
Before the end of the session, she commented to me that I was playing her “favorite song”. The musician was not well known and only had one CD out. She revealed me that this love for the music we were listening to was a deep dark secret that she had never shared with anyone.
I had, inadvertently, invaded a private space she was not prepared to share.
Do I need to tell you what happened to this client?
Every client has a private space where no one can be invited in. One of the jobs of a healer is to find the door, make sure it’s locked, and throw away the key.
The music you share in your healing space is as intimate as the work you do.
Thanks for reading this blog article! Please share it with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Feel good about your feet!-Healing tools in your toolbox. – Part 4
Once you see the soles of your feet as more than just the bottoms of your feet, you find your soul. You have a better understanding of the path you travel to a deeper consciousness.
I’m a reflexologist, teacher, writer, speaker, dowser. And, whether I heal, teach, write, speak, or dowse, my intention is the same.
I want us all to become more conscious of our unique selves.
I want us all to take charge of our own healing.
I want us all to release things we don’t need anymore. This will make room for changes that are important for our current time and place.
As we journey through life, we discover things about our selves that we never knew. We rediscover things we once knew but forgot. And, finally, we see things about our selves which we may have felt weren’t important but now realize they are.
My job is to help you find your feet.
Once you see the soles of your feet as more than just the bottoms of your feet, you find your soul. You have a better understanding of the path you are traveling to a deeper consciousness.
After awhile, everything falls into place. For some, this shortens the journey. For others, it takes months or even years.
Historical references to our feet as healing conductors can be found in the Physicians’ Tomb in Saqqara, Egypt in wall paintings dating back almost to 2400 BCE.
Ancient Chinese writings describe pressure points on thumbs and toes.
The Medicine Teacher Temple in Nara, Japan has stone carvings of Buddha’s feet.
In India, Vishnu paintings highlight points corresponding to reflexology points on feet.
Ayurveda medicine incorporates foot reflexology.
When I work a person’s feet, I feel as if I’ve opened a book filled with stories, all waiting to be told. This is the Language of Your Feet.
But, many of you already know this. You practice reflexology, or some other healing modality, either as a hobby or as a profession.
But, however we describe our Reiki therapy, our healing modalities, our Yoga classes, our music, our meditations – let us never forget: These are tools to use throughout life. They exist to get us through the tough times, the crises. They “get us down the road” as my grandmother used to say.
I’m so grateful we have these tools!
Thank you for reading this article. Please share this post with your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Practicing Reiki-Part 3
When I enrolled in my first Reiki therapy class, I was primarily interested in learning something I was curious about. A massage therapist, I regularly participated in continuing education programs. I liked to learn new things to use in my healing practice. Reiki therapy interested me because it was so hidden in my area.
I learned Reiki therapy was easy to use, and extremely adaptable. In short, I loved Reiki.
For the next few years, I was in a Reiki therapy class somewhere learning something at every opportunity. I liked to tell my classmates that I loved Reiki therapy classes and somehow the universe saw to it that I had enough $$$ to pay for every class I signed up for and that my car had enough gas to get me there.
But, not everyone who studies Reiki therapy is a massage therapist seeking continuing education credits for annual certification.
Whether healing professionals or not, a question in every student’s mind was “What am I going to do with my new skills?”
Reiki therapy is a keeper skill. Once you receive an attunement, it stays with you – whether or not you consciously use it. Reiki accompanies you on your life path.
Reiki helps you create your life story. Because each of us experiences a unique life journey, Reiki therapy is different and inique for each of our needs. No two people experience Reiki in the same way.
If you received a Reiki attunement 20 or 30 years ago, you still use it.
Books were few and far between when I learned Reiki. Today, Reiki books are everywhere it seems. You have the luxury of picking up any Reiki book that attracts you.
We can all thank Diane Stein for that. Diane Stein changed the game in the healing world when she wrote a memoir/expose about her career as a Reiki Master. “Essential Reiki” is probably still found in book stores and libraries today.
I have a suggestion for you if you are attuned to Reiki and are not sure what to do next:
Get yourself a spiral notebook, or bound journal, or whatever.
Get yourself an appointment book or calendar.
Call around and tell people you have learned Reiki therapy and are doing your clinicals. Schedule 100 sessions.
Include your hairdresser, neighbors, friends and anyone else who might take you up on your offer. Find five people with health issues. This can include things like MS, headaches, allergies, low thyroid, cancer.
These five people will receive five Reiki sessions as close together as you can schedule them.
Everyone else receives one or two sessions.
Record each session in your Reiki journal. Include the person’s name, address, contact information, and a short description about the session.
At the end of these 100 sessions, you will have learned much about Reiki, yourself, healing, and life.
Join or start a Reiki circle. In a Reiki circle, you’ll meet new people and share Reiki on a regular basis.
But, what if you don’t want to do any of these things?
Your new-found Reiki therapy skills are with you – assisting you throughout each day. You carry the Reiki energy with you every where you go on your life journey.
How cool is that?
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
A Reiki Practitioner’s User Manual – Part 2
When I studied Reiki, Mary Ruth Van Landingham’s classes and handouts were my user’s manual. They didn’t even begin to approach all the things Reiki can do for us all. I think Mary Ruth Van Landingham did that intentionally because we each write our own user’s manual.
Reiki is a unique and individual experience for each of us. Our attunements are the user’s manual for each of us.
I learned to practice Reiki on my massage therapy clients. Each one got a 10-minute Reiki boost at the end of the massage therapy session. Because Reiki was still unknown in my area, none of them had ever heard of Reiki. Their introduction to Reiki came during the last ten minutes of a massage therapy session so it came at a moment when they were blissed out, pain free, and totally relaxed. Needless to say, they all loved their Reiki.
This was good for me also because I was new to Reiki and was fearful about the results. It took a while for me to become accustomed to how Reiki worked.
I worried that they might not receive a proper introduction. So, what happened was that both my clients and I learned together. For starters, we learned to recognize my warm hands when I introduced Reiki into a session.
Over time, I learned that my hands warmed up whether they were on another person’s body, or my body, or a plant, or a car. Or whatever.
I learned to trust Reiki. This was a huge life lesson for me. I suspect it is also an important lesson for others as well. Many people go through life never learning to trust people, places, or things.
When I teach Reiki, I don’t think I even mention the word trust. The word floats above the classroom like a gorgeous cumulative cloud. It’s there for all to see.
A wonderful thing to do is practice self-Reiki to experience a regenerative sleep, easy your headache pain, feel comfortable in your body, or simply feel grounded.
Actually, it’s not necessary to do anything with Reiki. Just enjoy having received your Reiki attunement(s). Rest. Heal. Let Reiki be with you.
You do not give up anything to learn Reiki. Reiki does not test you in any way. Reiki is not a cult. It does not come between you and your religious beliefs. You do not need to change any of your core beliefs.
Instead, Reiki opens doors and windows of learning, opportunity, and enlightenment for you…if that is what you want. For some, changes are apparent, immediate, and outward. For others, changes are slow, careful, discreet. It all depends on you, your situation, your life path.
Some students, after receiving their attunements, internalize their new skills. Reiki is private, intimate, internal.
Other students use their newfound skills, practice Reiki and give sessions at every opportunity.
Neither way is better than the other. In all cases, Reiki assists you on your path. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than to travel one’s life path.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
heart with wings
