Category Archives: Reading

Informative and Eye Opening

Defensive Living

“Defensive Living”

Don't become a vistim of violence!

Don't become a victim of violence!

While recently demonstrating the proper martial arts stance for delivering punches, blocks, strikes and kicks in a Nia routine, I realized how much these moves could save my life in a fight or flight or situation.  The Nia Technique™ offers an invigorating cardiovascular workout but it also teaches valuable self defense moves.

According to the Statistics on Violence against Women, “1 in 3 women experience physical assault, from threats of assault, to attacks causing serious injury”; think about that.  How many times are you (a female) in the company of two other women? You, your mom and your aunt; you, your best friend and her sister; you, your grandma and your cousin; inevitably, you or somebody you love will statistically become the victim of some level of physical violence.

"You may have one to five seconds to make one of the most important decisions in your life!" -Bo Hardy

"You may have one to five seconds to make one of the most important decisions in your life!" -Bo Hardy

“Defensive Living”, a practical guide to survival, written by Bo Hardy; offers information that nobody should live without, especially women! I highly suggest reading this book from end to end.

Here are some of my favorite real-life self defense tips covered in the book:

Don’t Think and Look like a Victim

Always lock the doors in your car and home immediately after entering or exiting

Always use the Buddy System

Take 15 to 20 seconds to observe your destination area before approaching

If you decide to physically resist your assailant, do so only to avoid personal injury or death.

If you are going to carry a weapon, know how to use it and have it available

Be sure to take a Gun Saftey Course and optain your Concealed Handgun License before carrying a gun.

Be sure to take a gun safety course and obtain your Concealed Handgun License "C.H.L" before carrying a gun.

Determine safe locations available 24 hours a day in your city and on frequently traveled routes

Become aware of crime trends and criminal statistics in your area

When confronted with abduction, never leave a public area even when threatened with death or injury

Use positive mental survival training

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz is the international bestselling author of a series of books including The Four Agreements (over 7 years on The New York Times bestseller list).

He has dedicated his life to sharing the wisdom of the ancient Toltec through his books, lectures, and journeys to sacred sites around the world.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book [SPECIAL EDITION] (Hardcover)

The Four Agreements Toltec Wisdom Collection: 3-Book Boxed Set (Paperback)

According to Amazon.com Review
Sit at the foot of a native elder and listen as great wisdom of days long past is passed down. In The Four Agreements shamanic teacher and healer Don Miguel Ruiz exposes self-limiting beliefs and presents a simple yet effective code of personal conduct learned from his Toltec ancestors. Full of grace and simple truth, this handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best. It’s the how and why one should do these things that make The Four Agreements worth reading and remembering. –P. Randall Cohan –This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The second option is a three-book set of the authors most widely acclaimed works:

The Four Agreements (see review above);

The Mastery of Love illuminates the fear-based beliefs and assumptions that undermine love and lead to suffering and drama in our relationships.

The Voice of Knowledge reminds us of a profound and simple truth: The only way to end our emotional suffering and restore our joy in living is to stop believing in lies — mainly about ourselves.

Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward

If you can only read one book, I think I might recommend that it be Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by James O. Prochaska, Ph.D, John O. Norcross, Ph.D., and Carlo C. Diclemente, Ph.D.

Product Description

To uncover the secret to successful personal change, three acclaimed psychologists studied more than 1000 people who were able to positively and permanently alter their lives without psychotherapy. They discovered that change does not depend on luck or willpower. It is a process that can be successfully managed by anyone who understands how it works. Once you determine which stage of change
you’re in, you can:

* create a climate where positive change can occur
* maintain motivation
* turn setbacks into progress
* make your new beneficial habits a permanent part of your life

This groundbreaking book offers simple self-assessments, informative case histories, and concrete examples to help clarify each stage and process. Whether your goal is to start saving money, to stop drinking, or to end other self-defeating or addictive behaviors, this revolutionary program will help you implement positive personal
change . . . for life.

THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE HAS FOUND THIS PROGRAM MORE THAN TWICE AS EFFECTIVE AS STANDARD PROGRAMS IN HELPING SMOKERS QUIT FOR 18 MONTHS.

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

Walter C. Willett, MD.’s book Eat Drink and Be Healthy is another book on the list of recommended reading.

Amazon.com Review
Aimed at nothing less than totally restructuring the diets of Americans, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy may well accomplish its goal. Dr. Walter C. Willett gets off to a roaring start by totally dismantling one of the largest icons in health today: the USDA Food Pyramid that we all learn in elementary school. He blames many of the pyramid’s recommendations–6 to 11 servings of carbohydrates, all fats used sparingly–for much of the current wave of obesity. At first this may read differently than any diet book, but Willett also makes a crucial, rarely mentioned point about this icon: “The thing to keep in mind about the USDA Pyramid is that it comes from the Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible for promoting American agriculture, not from the agencies established to monitor and protect our health.” It’s no wonder that dairy products and American-grown grains such as wheat and corn figure so prominently in the USDA’s recommendations.

Willett’s own simple pyramid has several benefits over the traditional format. His information is up-to-date, and you won’t find recommendations that come from special-interest groups. His ideas are nothing radical–if we eat more vegetables and complex carbohydrates (no, potatoes are not complex), emphasize healthy fats, and enjoy small amounts of a tremendous variety of food, we will be healthier. You’ll find some surprises as well, such as doubts about the overall benefits of soy (unless you’re willing to eat a pound and a half of tofu a day), and that nuts, with their “good” fat content, are a terrific snack. Relying on research rather than anecdotes, this is a solidly written nutritional guide that will show you the real story behind how food is digested, from the glycemic index for carbs to the wisdom of adding a multivitamin to your diet. Willett combines research with matter-of-fact language and a no-nonsense tone that turns academic studies into easily understandable suggestions for living. –Jill Lightner –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Optimum Nutrition Bible

I highly recommend this book as suggested reading for anyone interested in nutrition and a better understanding of their body.  The book is by Patrick Holford and it is well written and a great resource for nutritional information.

The book is well organized and has 49 chapters that are divided into 9 part. The 9 parts of of book are:
Part 1- What is Optimum?
Part 2- Defining the Perfect Diet
Part 3- The Wonderful World Within
Part 4- The Benefits of Optimum Nutrition
Part 5- Nutrition for All Ages
Part 6- Your Personal Nutrition Program
Part 7- A to Z of Nutritional Healing
Part 8- Nutrient Fact File A to Z
Part 9- Food Fact File