10-second life coach: A positive statement will give you an instant boost.

Greetings,

I came across this short article and wanted to share it.  Sometimes it's easy to get a quick pick me up and it doesn't even cost a thing. 

So why not give a try and see if this little trick won't work for you too!

Go out and make it a great day!

All the best,
Lou & Debbie 

In the Sixties, clinical psychologist Emmett Velten wanted to create a quick way of generating good cheer. What would happen, he thought, if people spoke as if they were happy?

To find out, Velten assembled a group of volunteers, split the participants into two groups, and handed each group a stack of cards.

For the first group, the top card in the stack explained they were about to see a series of statements and were required to read each one out loud.

Turn that frown into a smile: If you are having a bad day, make a positive statement and your day will instantly lift

The next card contained the first of the statements: ‘Today is neither better nor worse than any other day.’ 

As instructed, the participants read out the statement. The second statement to be read aloud was: ‘I do feel pretty good today, though.’

The participant moved through all 60 cards, with the statements becoming increasingly positive. 

Those in the second group were asked to read a series of neutral, factual statements such as, ‘Saturn is sometimes obscured by the Sun and isn’t visible from Earth’, and, ‘The Orient Express travels between Paris and Istanbul’. 

At the end, Velten asked participants to rate how happy they felt. Those who had said positive statements were in a wonderful mood. But those that had been reflecting on Saturn and the Orient Express flat-lined.

Next time you are having a bad day, make a positive statement and your day will instantly lift.

Health of U.S. workforce declining

Greetings, Why does this not surprise me?  We are working more and not  taking  care of ourselves, and is it a wonder that we are less healthy?  When money gets tight we quit going to health clubs and stop taking  vitamins and supplements.   Think about what we  "do and don't" spend our money,  always try to put your health first! All the best, Lou & Debbie Health of U.S. workforce declining 04/19/2011

The overall health of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored  health coverage declined by 2% between 2005 and 2009, and each worker costs employers about $670 in health care costs annually,according to Thomson Reuters  U.S. Workforce Wellness Index.  The index examined employee wellness by looking at six risk  factors: body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose  level, cholesterol, and tobacco and alcohol use.  The study found that about 14% of incremental direct health  care costs were linked to these six factors.  High BMI cost   employers about $400 per worker, while high blood glucose  levels accounted for $150 per worker. The findings indicated  that cholesterol, alcohol use and blood pressure did not  affect health care costs, but tobacco use cost about $100.  The costs were associated only with medical and prescription  drug costs, and not missed work or disabilities