Health Highlight
Your Weekly Wellness Update
Safety Tip
Moreover, cyclists walking their bicycles are considered pedestrians and they must follow the laws and regulations covering pedestrians. Riding a bike on a sidewalk is technically illegal, as riding a bike is considered the equivalent of operating a motor vehicle. In fact, sidewalk cycling is consistently the most dangerous type of cycling.
As for motorists, where a bicycle lane is provided on the roadway, the operator of a motor vehicle shall yield to a person operating a bicycle in a bicycle lane. The state of Georgia defines a "safe distance" to pass a bicycle is 3 feet and you should maintain such clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle. The reason why you should pass a bicyclist at least 3 feet is due to the wind drag the bicyclist feels when you pass her/him. If you pass too close to a bicycle, the bicycle may be pulled in the drag off the vehicle which may cause the rider to overcorrect, either running into the street curb or to another car behind him/her. Be safe and enjoy the nice weather!
Comedic Moment of the Week
Fitness Focus
Hello, I am Asheley and I am a Tech Junkie.
But during my lunch break, I walk home. During this time, I leave my phone on 'Do Not Disturb' and make sure to not use any tech devices. I try to sit and eat my lunch listening to the sounds of people walking by, birds singing or listen to the rain. I remind myself how grateful I am for the food I'm eating and try to be very present as I eat. This is my form of mindful meditation. Now, this isn't easy for me - to be still and not think about either the future or the past. What is the reason for the tech disconnect? Being still, mindful and not connected to tech devices increases my patience and attention span and as much as I like to talk up apps, I know there is a point where interacting with technology can be bad for your health.
Physical Effects
- Staring at your phone might hurt your spine. For example, one study found that when you tilt your head 60 degrees to stare at your phone, you're putting 60 lbs of pressure on your neck.
- Your phone can cause blemishes. Our phones are teeming with bacteria. Bacteria piles up on our phones which can trigger acne or eczema outbreaks. Clean and sterilize your phone and/or go hands free whenever possible.
- Constant tech interaction may be giving you a headache. If you stare at a screen too long, you experience tension headaches as a result of the digital eye strain. Moreover, reading dark text on a bright screen can lead to muscle spasms at the temples. To alleviate the pain, adjust the contract on your screen
- Not sleeping well? That could be because you're using your devices too close to bed time. The light emitted from screens can have an adverse impact on your sleep cycle.
Mental Effects
- Too much tech changes your brain. That's right! Tech we process each day actually rewires our brains. Juggling email, phone calls and other incoming information changes how you think and behave. Our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information. In fact, there is a term called technology addiction. According to a 2012 study, 66% of people feel panicked without their phones.
- You can get addicted. You thought my comment about being a Tech Junkie was a joke, huh? Actually, research shows that heavy Internet users suffer from withdrawl similar to those experienced by drug users when they went offline.
- Technology can make you feel lonely and isolated. Experts conclude that lonely people turn to Facebook more often than people who feel socially connected.
Technology is a tool and its effectiveness or harm lies in how we use it. Make sure to take time each day to unplug!
Money Matters
Lately, I've been feeling the travel bug. I haven't traveled in a very, VERY long while because I haven't had the money. Then I found Tomislav Perko's story. Tomislav spent 5 YEARS travelling the world with almost no money. He made his way throughout each country by hitchhiking, couch surfing and picking up odd jobs. Now, I know what your thinking - hitchhiking? Are you crazy? While hitchhiking isn't as common and accepted in the U.S., in many countries like Germany, England, Turkey, Albania, and Poland hitchhiking is common and encouraged. Curious about this culture of generosity? Websites like HitchWiki and Trustroots.org provide support, advice and tips for people traveling through another country.
Alternatively, you can get paid while you are abroad by volunteering or participating in work-exchange programs. Diverbo is a company providing free room, board and meals for speaking English with non-native speakers. Additionally, I've had friends travel via work exchanges like those offered Help Exchange and spend time on organic and sustainable properties, homestays, B&Bs, and even on sail boats. And there are a lot of people who need house sitters for extended periods of time to maintain the grounds and/or pet sit. SO. MANY. FREE. TRAVEL. POSSIBILITIES.
DIY Spotlight
Perspective
What's the voice in your head sound like when you talk about yourself? (And yes, I know you all have one). Do you praise yourself for your achievements, or chide yourself for your failures and shortcomings? When you're feeling down, do you treat yourself with tenderness and care or anger and frustration? Do you take care of yourself physically or have tendencies to neglect your health? And finally, would you speak to other people you care about the same way you speak to yourself?
Have you ever heard the phrase you have to love yourself before you can love someone else? Once you develop a deeper understanding of how to care for yourself, you'll be able to help others in a way that is healthy and healing. Self-love is a state of appreciation for yourself that grows from actions that support your physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love grows by actions that support, foster and nurture who you are and what you want. When we act in ways that expand self-love we begin to accept our vulnerabilities as-well-as our strengths, have less need to explain away our short-comings, have compassion for ourselves as human beings struggling to find personal meaning, are more centered in our life purpose and values, and are fulfilled through our efforts.
Simple Yet Effective Ways to Promote Self-Love:
1.Become mindful. People who have more self-love tend to know what they think, feel and want. They are mindful of who they are and act on this knowledge, rather than on what others want for them.
2. Act on what you need rather than what you want. When you love yourself, you can turn away from something that feels good and exciting to what you need to stay strong, centered and moving forward. By staying focused on what you need, you turn away from your automatic behavior patterns that may keep you stuck in the past and attenuate self-love.
3. Practice good self-care. Nourish yourself daily through healthy activities like sound nutrition, exercise, proper sleep, and close personal connections with friends and family.
4. Establish and maintain healthy boundaries. Boundaries reflect who you are and what you're about. They let people know what you will and will not tolerate and in turn attract people with similar boundaries and beliefs in your life. Moreover, boundaries protect us by putting us in a better position to walk away from unhealthy or time consuming endeavors. Also, they set a tone for what is to be expected.
5. Bring the right people into your life. There isn't enough time in your life to waste on people who want to take away your joy. You need people who love and respect you.
6. Forgive yourself. There is a balance to be struck between taking responsibility for your actions and punishing yourself too much for mistakes in learning and growing. You have to accept your humanness before you can truly love yourself. There are no failures if there are lessons learned.
7. Establish intentions and live according to your intentions. Whatever is happening in your life, live with purpose and design. Your purpose doesn't have to be crystal clear to you. If your intentions is to live a meaningful and healthy life, you will make decisions that support this intention and feel good about yourself when you succeed in this purpose. You will love yourself more if you see yourself accomplishing what you set out to do.
Finally, don't wait or think that you'll be whole when you make more money, look different, have more accolades, etc. You are perfect and whole as you are right this second.