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Blog Thursday, April 23 2020
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
At this time, many people are fearful and anxious with the events surrounding COVID-19. This unseen enemy has affected our livelihoods and wellbeing. During these time of uncertainty, I want to appeal to you to care for and protect our most vulnerable citizens, our children. The data is conclusive that when there is a major crisis, in this case a world pandemic, child abuse increases. Many parents are overwhelmed with the need to provide food and shelter, in light of being unemployed/ underemployed and they are required to homeschool with little or no training. Not in our recent history have children and teens been sheltered in their homes with little or no physical contact with their extended family, friends and teachers. This makes for a potential toxic and harmful environment for innocent children who depend on their parents and other caring adults for a healthy existence.
Children’s limited outside contact with others inhibits the detection of abuse. Schools have personnel who are trained to detect and report child abuse. The latest reports in the media indicates that child abuse is sadly increasing. No child deserves to be hurt or neglected. We know also well that children are violently injured physically, emotionally and killed by the hands of their parents and or caretakers. According to TexProtects, in Texas, more than 3 children die from abuse or neglect on average every week, 182children are confirmed victims daily, and more than 7 children are maltreated every hour.
There are four basic types of child abuse. Children being abused are likely to experience more than just one type of abuse:
How you can help?
Partial Reprint: TexProtects.org
Stay Safe and Healthy, Dot
Thursday, March 26 2020
Many of us are stuck at home due to the "Shelter in Place", "Stay at Home" mandate because of the coronavirus outbreak. This disruption in our daily routines can cause much anxiety and depression, heightened by layoffs and loss of income.
Here are a few do's and don’ts’s to survival during this time:
Do maintain a schedule close to the pre-virus schedule Do get plenty of sleep. Avoid staying up late and sleeping in late. Do reach out to family, friends and co-workers through social media. FaceTime, ZOOM, and the "old fashioned" phone calls! Do eat healthy and exercise daily. This is an excellent time to go outside and walk (maintain the social distancing). Do something new! Those ideas and projects you have wanted to do, but did not have time. Now is the time. Do keep your trust in the Lord! Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Don’t' over think and worry. Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Don't isolate yourself from others. Especially those that are close to you. Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two is better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Don't over eat and or veg out in front of the television. Watching too much television can increase anxiety and depression with all of the reporting on the virus. Don't use drugs and alcohol as a means to escape.
I hope this helps you as it is helping me to bring peace and stability during this difficult time. "This too shall pass". Keep the faith.
To Your Health and Safety!
Wednesday, March 18 2020
In Times of Uncertainty…..
There is an invisible enemy among us! Namely, COVID-19, or more commonly called the Coronavirus. As many of you are aware we have in the past faced national emergencies, seen and unseen. To name a few, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Swine Flu, and 9/11. The commonality that we have manifested throughout these difficult times, is that we grow closer as human beings, we grow closer and stronger as a Nation. During these difficult and uncertain times, as Americans; we not only seek help and protection for ourselves but for others. As a Nation, we are strong and resilient because of our reliance on the Divine sovereignty of God. We must continue to stand strong and committed to words spoken by our 16thPresident Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” United we stand, divided we fall”.
We are all faced with massive uncertainty as we face the constant change to our daily lives: School and business closures, social distancing, workplace layoffs, restricted travel, just to name a few! We have never been in a situation like the coronavirus is presenting us with. When faced with much uncertainty, it is a rather normal human response to go into at least some degree of fear and anxiety. Some of you may even be experiencing panic. We try to understand “why” this happening and make some sense out of it with our minds to give ourselves some degree of certainty and safety. Attempting to figure it out is not the highest use of your mental energy. We must trust in the Lord and follow the orders and recommendations of our local, state and Federal government to help conquer this hidden enemy! There is no need for panic and uncontrolled anxiety. “This too shall pass.”
To quote President Franklin Roosevelt, “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days”. “These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men”.
Verses from my favorite Biblical passage: “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease”. The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name”.
To Your Health and Happiness!
Monday, January 06 2020
Healthy Body by Dottie
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Tuesday, December 24 2019
The True Reason for the Christmas Season
Christmas is a time for the celebration of the birth of Christ, “Christmas” is a two-part word; Christ (the Anointed One) and Mass(a service which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) as Christians we remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. Billions of people celebrate Christmas around the world, the majority of the people like myself, celebrate for religious purpose. For many others, the celebration is cultural, centered around commercialism.
Gift giving is a big part of the Christmas season. Many people will spend large sum of money to buy gifts for family and friends. The commercialization of Christmas entices us to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on gifts, many will spend money they do not have, in other words; incurring debt that could take years to pay off. I encourage each of us to pause, and reflect on the real reason for the season and on the tradition of gift giving. The Gospels states that the Wise Men, who were distinguished, wealthy foreigners visited the baby Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As you open those beautiful wrapped presents this Christmas remember it all started with a celebration of Jesus birth!
I will continue to expound on our Christmas tradition of “gift giving”. The Bible states that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, who came in the form of a man, borne a baby unto a Virgin, named Mary. This illustrates the greatest gift of all, the reason for the “Gift of Jesus”, is God’s love for all mankind. The scriptures continue to state, “that whosoever believes in this “Gift” shall not perish, but have everlasting life”! What great love displayed by the Lord! This is the miracle of Christmas, the love of God.
As we gather with our families and friends during this Christmas, let’s us not forget the “true reason” for our celebrations. Our natural families are a representation of God’s desire that we will come to the full knowledge of His divine purpose to accept His “Gift” and be eternally united to His family!
I would like to encourage all of us to follow the example set by God “to love our neighbors as ourselves”. To pray for peace and love for ourselves, our families, friends and all people of the world.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous, Happy New Year!
Peace and Love to All!
Dot High-Steed is a Health and Life Coach, who has over 25 years of experience in health/wellness, business and education.
Dot may be reached at: oneononewdot@yahoo.com https://www.successunlimitedwdot.com https://www.facebook.com/success2050
Wednesday, October 02 2019
The Power of the Tongue
There is a popular Proverbs that says “life and death is in the power of the tongue”. Our words are so powerful they can either create life or destroy it. As a child, growing up, I would hear people say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but talk don’t bother me”. How far this is from the truth! The reality is that bones can heal and mend with medical attention and time. Hurtful and destructive words spoken to people can permanently damage their soul. The tongue is a small member of the body, but is a very powerful force used to give life or to destroy it.
Some may say, “Dot, but these are just words, I don’t really mean to destroy anyone!” Allow me to enlighten you. Words are a creative force. The Bible states that God spoke the Universe into existence. “And God said let there be light and there was light”. We as humankind have in our DNA the same creative force, to speak words of encouragement, which bring light and life or to speak negative, hurtful words which creates gloom, doom and destructions.
In my coaching and teaching professions, I have worked with many people both young and old, who have been victimized and wounded by hurtful and negative words spoken by others. The most tragic, is to hear parents, teachers and caretakers, speak to and about children in a demeaning manner. They say things like: “you are a bad boy”, “you are so dumb, you can never do anything right!”, “why can’t you be like….?”, “you are not as smart as your sister”, “you are too fat”, “You are too skinny”, “You will never amount to anything!”, “you are just like your no-good Daddy”! Even if these negative words are not directly spoken to a person, they are set in motion to have a lasting negative effect on a person’s earthly existence. We must speak life!
Of course, the destructive power of the tongue is just not relegated to the children; marriages are wrecked, businesses and professional organizations are ruined, and Nations are toppled. And the list goes on and on. The tongue has also been likened to a “burning fire”. A biblical reference quotes, “And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickednessand is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence”. What a poignant but true description of the tongue’s ability to destroy human lives. As a small spark of fire left unquenched can destroy a great forest, the small tongue, uncontrolled can destroy many lives.
The tongue must be directed to steer clear of harm. Just as the Captain can steer a large vessel to avoid danger in the open seas and ocean, we must make every effort to discipline our spoken words. My mother would say, “If you can’t say anything good about someone, say nothing!”. In others words, if you cannot say anything good and encouraging, shut your mouth! Good advice Mom, for all of us.
Stayed tuned next week! The Power of Your Words
To Your Health and Happiness!
Tuesday, July 23 2019
Five Life Lessons I Have Learned to be Healthy from the Inside Out
Like many of you I have spent too much of my life thinking about how much I weigh. My weight increased significantly about 8 years ago. I used food to celebrate and to escape. Food was my comfort. In my late 20’s, I took up aerobics exercise and jogging, and loved it. Back then, I erroneously thought I could eat anything; as long as I exercised. I didn’t pay attention to what I ate or how much I ate! Later, I learned that my excessive weight gain had more to do with what I was dealing with emotionally, what was eating at me! When I learned to value myself, and take time for me, it became easier for me to lose the excess weight and maintain a healthier weight and lifestyle.
The defining moment On a visit to my hometown some years ago, my three sisters and I took a photo. Looking at the photo and comparing myself to them, made me realize how much weight I had gained! The dress I wore was 3 sizes larger than what I wear today. I did not like the way I looked or how I felt. After looking at the photo, I decided to research and educate myself of how to adopt a healthier lifestyle, from the inside out. I adjusted the way I dealt with life stressors, for me that was learning to trust the Lord for strength and wisdom, and to help me change my eating habits. I now eat to live healthy, not live to eat!
Five Life Lessons I have learned to be healthy:
1. Take up an exercise you love I remember my first jog. It was awful. I could barely breathe. I’d jog for a bit and then walk. What surprised me is how quickly I built up endurance and stamina. Today, I jog several times a week and have added weight training to my regiment. You might enjoy Zumba, swimming or biking. Just move and enjoy it! 2. Hang around people who have similar goals Surrounding myself with people who also wanted a healthier lifestyle kept me motivated to stay on target. Our associations really do impact our behavior. Find a family member or friends who enjoy working out. You may also consider joining an exercise group at one of the local gyms or community centers. 3. Tell yourself you can eat anything Forget diets! Diets are about deprivation. If I told myself I couldn't have chocolate, do you know what I’d wanted the most? You guess it, chocolate. I now tell myself I can have whatever I want, just not all the time. This quieted the impulsiveness and over indulgence, now I only eat chocolate when I really want it. Moderation is the key in healthy eating. 4. Set rules you can follow My guiding rule is to eat healthy most of the time. It’s an easy rule to follow. I center my meals around veggies and lean proteins. I keep water nearby all day, every day. I set a goal of a minimum of 3 times a week to work out. I plan healthier snacks for evening treats because that’s the time of day I like to snack the most. I relax my rules on the weekends. 5. I have learned to focus on a balanced lifestyle. A balanced life comprises who I am as a total person, being spirit, soul and body. I take time to feed my spirit with biblical truths, this also help me to keep my emotions (soul) in check. Balance is key to becoming healthy from the inside out. To quote a favorite scripture:“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”.
To Your Health and Happiness,
Coach Dot
Saturday, June 15 2019
A Father’s Love In honor of Father’s Day this Sunday, I would like to say a special thanks to my father for being such a powerful godly influence in my life and to my husband, Mike, who is a wonderful godly father and grandfather to our children and grandchildren. And to all you fathers out there who may sometimes think that you don’t measure up, but rest assured you are very important to the health and welfare of your children by being present and involve in their lives. I would like to share this research about a fathers’ love. I personally believe that our heavenly Father designed the role of earthly fathers to replicate and demonstrate His love to all man-kind, so science is catching up with the original plan of God for fathers. Here’s the scientific study: A father's love contributes as much -- and sometimes more -- to a child's development as does a mother's love. That is one of many findings in a new large-scale analysis of research about the power of parental rejection and acceptance in shaping our personalities as children and into adulthood. "In our half-century of international research, we've not found any other class of experience that has as strong and consistent effect on personality and personality development as does the experience of rejection, especially by parents in childhood," says Ronald Rohner of the University of Connecticut. "Children and adults everywhere -- regardless of differences in race, culture, and gender -- tend to respond in exactly the same way when they perceived themselves to be rejected by their caregivers and other attachment figures." Looking at 36 studies from around the world that together involved more than 10,000 participants, Rohner and co-author Abdul Khaleque found that in response to rejection by their parents, children tend to feel more anxious and insecure, as well as more hostile and aggressive toward others. The pain of rejection -- especially when it occurs over a period of time in childhood -- tends to linger into adulthood, making it more difficult for adults who were rejected as children to form secure and trusting relationships with their intimate partners. Moreover, Rohner says, emerging evidence from the past decade of research in psychology and neuroscience is revealing that the same parts of the brain are activated when people feel rejected as are activated when they experience physical pain. "Unlike physical pain, however, people can psychologically re-live the emotional pain of rejection over and over for years," Rohner says. When it comes to the impact of a father's love versus that of a mother, results from more than 500 studies suggest that while children and adults often experience more or less the same level of acceptance or rejection from each parent, the influence of one parent's rejection -- oftentimes the father's -- can be much greater than the other's. One important take-home message from all this research, Rohner says, is that fatherly love is critical to a person's development. The importance of a father's love should help motivate many men to become more involved in nurturing child care. "The great emphasis on mothers and mothering in America has led to an inappropriate tendency to blame mothers for children's behavior problems and maladjustment when, in fact, fathers are often more implicated than mothers in the development of problems such as these”. Note to Fathers: Please consider the important role that you play in your family. Your daughters are forming views of themselves based on how you relate to them, and your sons are watching you to learn how to act as a man Allow the Lord to teach you how to be a godly father. If you are looking to Him for guidance, He will equip you to be the best dad that your children could ever have.
Father’s Day As Father’s Day approaches this weekend, take some time to thank your father. If your he has already gone on before you, take some time to recall memories of him. Share these memories with your family so that he will live on in your hearts. If you need to forgive your Dad of emotional wounds from the past, do so quickly to free yourself to become the person our heavenly Father created you to be. Partial Reprint:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases
To Your Health and Happiness,
Dot High-Steed is a Health and Life Coach, who has over 25 years of experience in health/wellness, business and education.
Tuesday, May 28 2019
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Dot High Steed is a Health and Life Coach, specializing in fitness and health. Receive guidance and motivation to achieve your health and weight loss goals.
Call 830-719-5090 to Sign up Today! or Email: oneononewdot@yahoo.com
Be the Best You! Thursday, March 21 2019
The Power of the Tongue
There is a popular Proverbs that says “Life and death is in the power of the tongue”. Our words are so powerful they can either create life or destroy it. As a child, growing up, I would hear people say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but talk don’t bother me”. How far this is from the truth! The reality is that bones can heal and mend with medical attention and time. Hurtful and destructive words spoken to people can permanently damage their soul. The tongue is a small member of the body, but is a very powerful force used to give life or to destroy it.
Some may say, “Dot, but these are just words, I don’t really mean to destroy anyone!” Allow me to enlighten you. Words are a creative force. In the Bible, the writer states that God spoke the Universe into existence. “And God said let there be light and there was light”. We as humankind have in our DNA the same creative force, to speak words of encouragement, which bring light and life or to speak negative, hurtful words which creates gloom and doom and destructions.
In my coaching and teaching professions, I have worked with many people both young and old, who have been victimized and wounded by hurtful and negative words spoken by others. The most tragic, is to hear parents, teachers and caretakers, speak to and about children in a demeaning manner. They say things like: “You are a bad boy”, “You are so dumb, you can never do anything right!”, “Why can’t you be like….?”, “You are not as smart as your sister”, “You are too fat”, “You are too skinny”, “You will never amount to anything!”, “You are just like your no-good Daddy”! Even if these negative words are not directly spoken to a person, they are set in motion to have a lasting negative effect on a person’s earthly existence. We must speak life!
Of course, the destructive power of the tongue is just not relegated to the young; marriages are wrecked, business and professional organizations are ruined, and Nations are toppled. And the list goes on and on. The tongue has also been likened to a “burning fire”. A biblical reference quotes, “And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickednessand is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence”. What a poignant but true description of the tongue’s ability to destroy human lives. As a small spark of fire left unquenched can destroy a great forest, the small tongue, uncontrolled can destroy many lives.
The tongue must be directed to steer clear of harm. Just as the Captain can steer a large vessel to avoid danger in the open seas and ocean, we must make every effort to discipline our spoken words. My mother would say, “If you can’t say anything good about someone, say nothing!”. In others words, if you cannot say anything good and encouraging, shut your mouth! Good advice Mom, for all of us.
To Your Health and Happiness
Dot High-Steed is a Life Coach and Public Speaker who has over 20 years of experience in health/wellness, business and education.
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