LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com BLOG

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Chris — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:08:56 +0000

You Can Do It! Do Not Underestimate Your Power and the Power of Your Choices!

The power of our choices can bring about growth and life abundant or destruction and drain our lives. We need to remind ourselves that our choices can and do have results whether or not we want to face the results. Our awesome God absolutely wants to see his people have a life abundant. Our God wants us to be able to live life unlimited. We all carry crosses. That is just a fact of life. But we also are all blessed beyond belief in so many ways. Most of all, it is incomprehensible that each one of us, no matter who we are or what we have done, have the same opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with God Almighty where we will have no more limitations.

In the meantime, God did not put us on the earth to go from one sense of defeat to another. He came that we may have abundant life not abundant junk. So often in our gathering of stuff, useless or excessive material things, or stuffing ourselves with toxic and excessive food we are digging a hole that keeps us from living free. Unfortunately, we are so often digging the hole so fast and so deep that we consciously or unconsciously choose to ignore where it is leading us. Then one day, we wake up to find ourselves hopelessly stuck in this hole. As an occupational therapist working in long-term care, I see this played out daily in so many of my patient’s lives. Many of them are beyond the point of return in regards to their health. Tragically, the reality is that many of us know of family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and others that are finding themselves in this predicament or on the verge of no return. If we are really honest, are we one of them too? It breaks my heart to see my dad has one of these people. At age 84, he is living a life so limited by the effects of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, dementia and other medical conditions. I had tears in my eyes as I recently read a note I had written in a birthday card that I had given him 17 years ago. The note dated May 13, 1993 read:

“Dear Dad,

By the time you receive this we are praying that you are home and feeling much, much better. Have a relaxing birthday, don’t overdo it. We wish we could be there but you are in our thoughts and prayers. May this year truly be a year without significant pain or discomfort for you. Then you can plan your visit to Calgary. By the way, thank you for walking me down the aisle, it meant a lot to me, dad.”

I had thanked my dad for walking me down the aisle because initially he did not think that he could due to his severe hip pain from the arthritis. After our wedding, he had hip replacement surgery, one of many surgeries over the years to try to correct his medical problems. His surgeries have included knee replacement, shoulder repair, spinal surgeries for the neck and back, open heart surgery and the list goes on. Sadly, as we celebrated his 84^th birthday on May 16^th this year he was in excruciating pain from the wound that is coming from the inside out on his right foot due to the poor circulation and diabetes. It is now the end of June and his right foot continues to turn blacker as the week’s inch by. His days are consumed by the pain, not the joy of watching his grandchildren and great grandchildren grow or other joys life has to offer.

Over the decades, I have watched my dad suffer from severe chronic pain and the depression that comes with it. Many of these conditions could have been avoided or at least minimized by better lifestyle choices. My challenge to you – “Will you make the choice to put down the shovel and step away from the hole?” Further, my plea –“Will you make the decision today to empower others to make healthy lifestyle choices instead of helping them to dig their own hole also?” Life is too short and precious to live it so limited.

LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com – empowering people to live life beyond limitations

Elasto-Gel Cold Therapy Wraps

Chris — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:16:30 +0000

Wow! There are many great advantages to using Elasto-gel therapy wraps for cold therapy. Cold therapy has been used for centuries for pain and edema management. When it comes to the question of cold versus hot for treatment, the debate goes on. However, there is a general consensus that heat is contraindicated when an area is hot and swollen. A both hot and cold therapy is not recommended for areas where sensation is impaired. Often people tend to have a personal preference for heat, as they find it soothing and relaxing. But, with Elasto-gel therapy wraps one finds a whole new way of experiencing cold therapy as soothing and relaxing. Elasto- gel therapy wraps are soft and provide soothing cold sensation without the harshness that people frequently think of with cold therapy.

Following are more great advantages to using elasto-gel therapy wraps. A huge plus is that the wrap can be secured to stay in place over the targeted area. Elasto-gel has wraps designed specifically for the head, back, neck, knees etc. As well they also have universally designed wraps that can easily be interchanged to different body parts as the need arises. The wraps are extremely easy to use. They can be left in your freezer for extended periods making them ready at a moments notice. The therapy wraps hold their cold temperature for 20 plus minutes. Fifteen to twenty minutes is the typical recommended period of time for a cold therapy intervention. A real bonus for cold therapy intervention with elasto-gel therapy wraps is that it is very cost effective. The wraps can be used over and over and will not become hard or change shape. As well, they are very well made and attractive.

Visit http://LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com and order your elasto-gel therapy wrap today to be on your way to effective pain and edema management. It is recommended that you consult with your physician first. At LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com we are committed to helping people live life fully and unlimited by pain. Our goal is excellent customer service and we donate 20% of our profits to World Vision for our aim is to help make the world a better place. We look forward to servicing you.

Fibromyalgia – Living Your Passion and Purpose Helps To Manage the Chronic Pain

Chris — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:20:03 +0000

When was the last time you did something you really enjoyed? Life is too short to be consumed by stress and chronic pain. The bigger question is “What is your passion and purpose in life?” If you find yourself overwhelmed by chronic pain and stress, isolating yourself, staying in bed and withdrawing from participating in meaningful tasks, I invite you to take this challenge. The challenge is to decide that you will take an active step each day to move beyond the pain, to live life more abundantly. An active step can be a goal as simple as getting up out of bed and out of your room for one hour if you are someone who has not been doing this recently. Often as an occupational therapist, I work with some of my patients to achieve a simple goal such as getting up out of bed and participating in a meaningful activity outside of their room 5 days a week initially for one hour at a time. A higher level goal may be to participate in an exercise such as yoga or another low impact exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. As always seek the advice of your physician as needed. However, be honest with yourself and avoid giving yourself excuses as to why you cannot do this, that or the other thing or anything for that matter to actively manage your stress and chronic pain.

Another goal may to be to get some helpful and motivational books or CDs and commit to reading or listening to them for 15 minutes a day. I have been so encouraged and challenged by some absolutely great speakers and authors over the last several years. For me, it started when I attended a “Get Motivated” seminar. From there I have been inspired by Jim Rohn in his book/CD series, The Art of Exceptional Living and transformed by Dr. Mike Murdock and his ministry the Wisdom Center. Of course, none of this has made me perfect, much less totally pain free. However, my life is much more rewarding and abundant. My husband and I completed the 40 day journey with Rick Warren’s the The Purpose Driven Life at the end of 2009. We highly recommend this resource. It has helped to clarify our passion and purpose in life.

What is your passion and purpose? My passion is to help those who are hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. Among my dreams is the dream to do mission outreach work in the Philippines. The Philippines is my husband’s country of origin. Approximately three years ago, I set a goal in my journal that by the end of 2010 my husband and I would be able to go to the Philippines with our three sons. Our desire is to show them their culture, to meet the children they sponsor from World Vision in the Philippines and to help in the mission field. As I write this blog, on March 9, 2010 it seems like an impossible dream with my husband having been laid off for more than a year and credit card and business debt. However, it is because of the clarification of my purpose and passion in life and faith in God that I will not let up. In fact, it is in knowing my passion and purpose that motivates me to get up out of bed at 5:00 am some mornings, when I wake with a screaming headache and feeling like a “Mack Truck” hit me in my sleep, to take steps to actively manage my pain. For me, I found it more helpful to get up out of bed, take some aspirin as needed, put on a cold gel pack and start moving. Sometimes, I conscientiously make the effort to go workout. I go to the gym and do an elliptical machine for 40 minutes while I watch an inspirational program such as Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer or Wisdom Keys with Dr. Mike Murdock. These can be very effective pain management strategies. By far the majority of the time, the gentle aerobic exercise and inspirational programs have helped my mind and body to refocus.

Clarity of my passion and purpose is what motivates me to go to work and keep my focus. Research shows that it is difficult to stay focused on two things at the same time. It is so true with pain management. When a person is engaged in purposeful and meaningful tasks, the mind cannot stay fully focused on the pain. When our focus is off the pain, our bodies are better able to relax and thereby assist with decreasing our pain level even more.

My question to you is what is your passion and purpose that helps you move beyond the chronic pain of fibromyalgia and/or other painful conditions? If you do not know, then I invite you to take the active step to discover this. If your budget is tight the libraries have great resources. For pain and stress relieving products and articles on stress and chronic pain management please visit our website at http://LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com. At LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com we donate 20% of our profits to World Vision to help those in need. May God heal you and bless you richly in your journey with joy and hope.

Fibromyalgia – Heed the Warning Signs

Chris — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:10:01 +0000

Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if our vision in life would be 20/20 foresight instead of 20/20 hindsight? When I was reflecting back in my journal earlier today, I came across an eye opening entry dated December 09, 1995. It included the following, “This past year has been an exhausting year, Lord, with the demands at Calgary Health Services, my headaches, pain in my neck and back, nauseousness with my pregnancy and trying to do so many things at a rat race pace. Feeling like I just want to get off the merry-go-round.” It seems like such an obvious wake up call that I should have heard loud and clear from my body and heeded the warning signs. Hence, that is why we say 20/20 hindsight and not 20/20 foresight.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have learned a lot over the past years as an occupational therapist and as a person challenged by fibromyalgia concerning stress and pain management. Today, I want to encourage you to take a close look at what path you find yourself on. Especially, to those of you who may be reading this because you are noticing that you are having signs of some musculoskeletal pains that seem to be resurfacing and possibly spreading. You are wondering, “Could I have fibromyalgia?” Or, “Can I be on the slippery road to getting fibromyalgia?” We may not have 20/20 foresight, but my desire is that by sharing with you my journey, you may be encouraged to listen to your body’s wake up call, heed the call and take active steps to manage your stress and pain before you find yourself being consumed by it. If you are someone who is finding yourself overwhelmed with stress and chronic pain, it is not too late to take steps to take back your life. Yes, it is a greater challenge but it is worth stepping up to the challenge. Your life, the quality of your life depends on you taking the active steps to manage your stress and chronic pain.

Please take the time to visit our website, http://LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com, to check out our stress and pain relieving products and read our articles. Our mission is to empower people to live life beyond the limitations of fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndrome.

Hot & Cold Therapy for Fibromyalgia Pain Management

Chris — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:07:06 +0000

Good day! Is it just me or does anybody else with fibromyalgia ever feel like you are on a rollercoaster? I have learned quite a few pain management strategies over the years as an Occupational Therapist and have had many opportunities to put them into practice in managing my fibromyalgia for the past 10 yrs. I can go for a period of time managing my fibromyalgia symptoms quite well and then “bam” I feel like a mack truck hit me. For instance like this past weekend I know I have been working many hours recently in a new chaotic environment, eating more sugary junk and then add some extra family stressors. I was feeling more painful all over with increasing daily headaches but was caught off guard with a screaming headache that escalated and increased the domino body pain effect during the middle of the night on my weekend with guests sleeping over.

After using cold gel wraps, taking aspirin and biding my time, the pain began to ease to a manageable level. My body was sending me a wake up call that I had once again been using to much adrenaline for everyday living. I took the time to listen and took an extra nap and went to do the elliptical machine at the gym while watching a motivating and life giving program. I took time to pray and give it all back to the Lord. In the end I felt much better with increased energy. Now if I could just consistently remember to practice Isaiah 40: 31 “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint,” (NAB). I would truly feel better and have more energy. As I get older I realize there is so much wisdom in God’s word. My prayer for you today is that, you would stop to smell the roses, wait upon the Lord and be renewed in strength and energy and know His peace for that is where real pain and stress management takes place.

Please take the opportunity to visit our website at LivingLifeUnlimitedLLC.com to check out the awesome Elasto-gel packs that can be used for hot and/or cold therapy. These are not your typical hot and cold packs. They are soothing and great for pain relief. They provide pain relief for tight aching muscles, painful joints and headaches. Take caution if you have sensation impairments. As always it is recommended you first check with your doctor before starting a new treatment. Ease your fibromyalgia pain today with a soothing Elasto-gel product.

Have a blessed week.

Fibromyalgia – Words of Hope

Chris — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:00:42 +0000

Good Day! Yes, despite all the challenges we face from fibromyalgia symptoms, it is a good day. A spirit of gratitude can help manage fibromyalgia pain. When we count our blessings and focus on what is good and right, we affect a positive change physiologically in our bodies. I am not suggesting this is a cure all for fibromyalgia, but I would be lacking if I said only the products we offer would “fix you”. Our thoughts and attitudes are a huge piece of managing fibromyalgia symptoms.

I do hope that you are able to find benefit and fibromyalgia relief with one of our relaxing and stress relieving massage therapy chairs or other products for chronic pain relief. However, just for today – actually I extend the challenge for the week, that you list at least ten blessings you have in your life each day. A blessing can be your family, a supportive friend, a relatively decent night of sleep or something as simple as being able to still dress yourself. As an occupational therapist, I work with many patients who would consider it a huge blessing to be able to dress again independently. As a person who is challenged by fibromyalgia symptoms for over 10 years, I understand that some days the fibromyalgia pain is excruciating. But as my 10 year old son said to me, “Life can be hard with horrible fibromyalgia pain slowing you down but turn your life around. Instead of hurting in pain live your life in peace and make it something good.” The point is we must actively take steps to manage fibromyalgia symptoms.

I would also like to recommend an excellent book on fibromyalgia treatments, The Fibromyalgia Solution by David Dryland, MD with Lorie List. The author provides tremendous insight and knowledge on management of and healing from fibromyalgia.

Our God is a great God and He has awesome plans for you. “For I know what my plans for you are, plans for good and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and to give you hope”. (Jeremiah 29:11). God loves you an immeasurable amount. Only you can take that step towards living your life unlimited. Take one now.