I would guess that one of the most common themes of all of our New Year’s Resolutions is exercise. We are so motivated at the beginning of a new year. We think to ourselves “this is going to be MY year! I’m going to get in shape and finally feel better about myself!” Now, nearly 5 months have passed since the start of 2011 and how many of us are still exercising? Spring is a great time to get back on the wagon!

The sun is shining and the weather is warming up. It feels good to get outdoors and start working out again. I love the theory Judith Sherman-Wolin shares in her book Smart Girls do Dumbbells. After two decades of working with patients, she has found that the long-term exercisers become so because of three contiguous elements: knowledge, results, and consistency.

She refers to this as the Exercise Success Triad. All three of these elements build upon each other. She explains that when you have the knowledge and understand how to exercise correctly, this creates results and when you see results, this will lead to consistency. Knowledge is important because by doing an exercise the correct way, it will ensure results and prevent injuries.

In chapter 10 of Judith Sherman-Wolin’s book she gives detailed instructions on proper form and technique for exercising. Once you have obtained the knowledge and are exercising correctly, you will see results. It’s like making a cake. If you follow the recipe, your end result will be an amazing cake. If you follow the exercise recipe correctly, you will also see amazing results!

As you begin to see more and more results, you will want to increase your knowledge. With knowledge and results in place, this will give you more motivation to be consistent. When you realize it’s working, you will naturally want to continue doing it! Judith Sherman-Wolin states “It is easier to continue exercising, even if it’s just doing a little something each day, than to stop and start again”. (p.23)

The reality is that exercise is tough. A lot of the time it is boring and so it becomes difficult to stay motivated to do it. Then there are the times when you really enjoy it. You love the way you feel and look when you are finished. In order to be successful, exercise needs to become a lifestyle.

It only works as long as you are willing to do the work! A great way to start and stay dedicated to a new lifestyle of exercise is to read Smart Girls do Dumbbells. You will be taught how to work out smarter, not harder. To order your copy of this book, contact Life Science Publishing at 1-800-336-6308 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-336-6308 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Brigadier General Robinson Risner (“Robbie”) discovered the power of hope when he spent seven years as a POW in a North Viet Nam compound. Robbie spent four and a half years of that time in isolation. He endured ten months of total darkness. Those ten months were the longest of his life. When they boarded up his little seven-by- seven foot cell, shutting out the light, he wondered if he was going to make it. One day Robbie got down on the floor and crawled under his bunk. He located a vent that let in outside air. As he pressed against the vent, he saw a faint glimmer of light reflected on the inside wall of the opening. Robbie put his eye next to the cement wall and discovered a minute crack in the construction.

Although the crack allowed him only a glimpse of the outside, he was able to see one blade of grass. A single blade of grass and a faint ray of light. But when he stared at the sight, he felt a surge of joy, excitement and gratitude like he hadn’t known in years. “It represented life, growth, and freedom,” he later said, “and I knew God had not forgotten me.” It was that tiny glimmer of hope that sustained Robbie through an unbearable ordeal. Take a moment to reflect on your life. What is it that you hope for? What is your heart’s greatest desire?

To move forward in life, hope is essential. Hope is the means of keeping your goals and dreams alive. The essential oil blend “Hope” helps you to reconnect with a feeling of strength and grounding, restoring hope for tomorrow. The blend of ingredients found in “Hope” will calm and balance your emotions, release emotional blocks, elevate spiritual awareness, and create a feeling of love and peace to keep hope truly alive in your life.

If your life is full of despair and it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, now is the time to find a way to rekindle hope. Jean Kerr said, “Hope is the feeling you have, that the feeling you have, isn’t permanent.” Hope is what we have when we know that we WILL eventually survive the night and bask in sunshine once again. To learn more about essential oils, call Life SciencePublishing at 800-336-6308 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-336-6308 end_of_the_skype_highlighting and ask about Essential Oils Desk Reference. You can also visit us onlineat www.lifesciencepublishers.com. Remember, as Dinah Shore once said, “There are no hopeless situations — only people who are hopeless about them.”