I used to confuse the word discipline with punishment, and consequently disliked this word immensely for the first three decades of my life.  It used to mean to me having no fun, being bossed around by someone else rules, trapped, bored and regimented.

"Discipline! Not for me ... what a bullshit, beige word  ... get a life!" Hmmmmmmmm, my words of wisdom up until the age of 33.

Nowadays, with the big 50 looming next year, I cherish and embrace daily practices of discipline with my whole being.  Head, heart and body.

I was heartened to learn back in 1995 that this word discipline derived from Latin origins translates simply into meaning "one who chooses to follow and learn from the light". It is not exclusively a religious word at all however disciples were simply those who chose to follow this way of life.

As seasoned blog followers of mine are aware I am not a religious person. Spiritual yes, religious no. But I certainly respect whatever works to enlighten an individual's heart is their business alone. For me G.O.D. stands for Great Out Doors, governed by Mother Nature and Father Time. Might sound fruity to some, but hey, it works for me.

I loved it when someone told me back in the late 1990's that "Religion is for those who don't want to go to hell, Spirituality is for those of us that have been there and don't want to go back."

I could relate to that. Hell on earth. Maybe you have visited that dark place too, where there seems like there is no light, no hope, love nor beauty to believe in or to want to hang around and live for. I didnt just visit, I set up camp there. Those who get stuck, like I once was, in survival mode where trust and emotional security are scarce come to know that reacting in fight or flight is how one gets through.

I practiced my own forms of discipline like many who identify with just surviving life, but it was misplaced discipline. I was committed to fear and doubt. This narrow view of the world had lead me to chronic alcoholism, drug addiction, self disgust and a nameless fear thundering through my heart from dawn till dusk. To truly enjoy being alive, and to learn how to live and love is a far more challenging existence I have discovered. When we are stuck in survival we are going backwards in life, self destructing with fear.

The word evil is simply the word live spelled backwards. When we back away from love, we don't live, we barely survive and life turns to shit. Hell on earth. These days my Emotional Fitness Program that is my life's work is designed to help those like myself do a u turn.  From the dark state of fear based survival, into a lighter hearted place of loving living life!

Many people by mid life discover they have used discipline against themselves destructively rather than for themselves constructively. The good news is that often in life destruction needs to happen first before solid construction can take place. The walls of past fears need to be knocked down and the rubble cleared away before a new home for our grander life can be built. I am reminded of a gentle experience that unfolded before me demonstrating my own practices of misplaced discipline that really helped the penny drop for me. I was having a challenging emotional day to say the least and was walking up the outside stairs leading to my therapist's office.

It was one of those days where I struggled not to well up with tears when anyone spoke to me. I was overtired and overwhelmed and needed some wise advice on how to better help myself. I reached the top landing of the foyer and noticed a beautiful little bird trapped behind the window within the stair well behind the glass door. We startled each other. I stepped back as the frantic bird tried to fly out of the corner it was trapped in but it immediately bashed its soft little head onto the glass. I could see the bird was tired and had probably been stuck here a while. I used my gentlest birdish voice to try and tell it what it needed to do. It ignored me, and continued its same route into the hard glass.  It looked like it must have been getting one hell of a headache, the poor darling thing.

"Come on Sweetheart, I won't hurt you, let me help you" I whispered, trying to help this fatigued and highly distressed creature. But no matter what I did even using my arms to show it how to fly around the door, this bird was not listening. It was relentlessly disciplined in its commitment to the same route and would not give up. I realized I was making matters worse panicking this little bird more with my presence.  I was also getting increasingly upset, as I saw my own behavior in the bird's stubborn and self destructive actions. How many times do we keep hitting our heads and hurting ourselves with repetitive behaviours?

When people ask me "Cynthia, how do I know what to let go of, and what to hold on to?" The most helpful suggestion I can offer is what I practice in my own life. Let go of fear ... and  Hold onto love  ... When I let go of my fear based disciplined behaviours and relationships that consistently leave me feeling trapped, punished, joyless, bored and regimented I no longer feel like I am just surviving life. If I hold onto love based disciplined behaviours and relationsips that consistently leave me feeling respected, empowered, interested, full of joy and creative freedom I return to feeling like I am truly living my life.

It is a rare person who doesn't experience times in their life when they feel like they are lost and trapped in the darkness fear brings and there seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It takes a lot of discipline to keep believing it will get lighter again.  Winston Churchill was heard to mutter words of wisdom about those trying to survive life when he encouragingly said "If you are going through hell ... Keep going!

So I am happy to report when I returned to the stair well after my therapists visit that day, the beautiful bird had found freedom, and in a way by surrendering my ego and asking a wiser elder for help, so had I.

My Word Vitamins for today are from an Old Scandinavian saying for those of you who might be trying to hold onto love and let go of your fears, one day at a time, like me.

Kidney beans are very high in fibre which is great for diabetes sufferers as they are not to hard to absorb which enables the stabilisation of insulin in the body. They are a great source of protein like all legumes and can be used as a substitute for meat.  The high amount of nutrition in kidney beans  packs it punch.

Kidney beans are great for adding to salads or creating Chilli Beans.

Its always so handy to have a tin of Kidney Beans in your cupboards to get a protein hit.  Add it to some lettuce, goats cheese, cherry tomatoes and you have a quick and simple salad.

The topic of a sprained ankle is actually quite close to me.  I have one right now from doing the one thing I felt uncomfortable doing - running on a dirt  track. There was an uneven ditch that my foot went into and my ankle gave way.

Aside from calling from help straight away.  The immediate procedure was to P.R.I.N.C.E my ankle.

P - Protection - Protect your ankle immediately and limit the pressure on the foot

R - Rest.  Elevate your foot immediately to let the fluid / swelling not be limited to the area of the ankle. Do not try to walk on your ankle at all.

I - Ice - Administer ice to your ankle for 20 - 30 minute intervals in each hour to reduce the inflammation and the swelling. Continue this procedure throughout the first 24 hours the injury occurs.

N - NSAIDS - The family term for anti-inflammatories. If ibruprofen or Advil does not upset your stomach ingest these to reduce the inflammation of the ankle area.

C - Compression - Compress your ankle by strapping it with a bandage to reduce the swelling. 

E - Elevate - Ensure your leg is elevated to reduce the swelling and drain the fluid to the lymphatic glands.  The elevation will assist in reducing the bruising too. 

After the first 24 hours of the injury the bruising should change colour if you have completed the P.R.I.N.C.E method effectively. 

if you have any further symptoms like unable to move your toes after 48 hrs, or you still cannot put pressure on your foot 72 hours after the accident, make sure you see a specialist.  You are better off being safe than sorry to ensure a speedy recovery so you can run on the road and not uneven grass.

1.  Blurred Lines - Robert Thicke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

Buy it now - http://smarturl.it/BlurredLines

2. I need your Love - Calvin Harris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtKZKl7Bgu0

3. A little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) - Fergie, Q-Tip, GoonRock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhwGlpgjAKg

Buy it now - http://smarturl.it/GatsbyMusic

4. Kikkae - DJ Kentaro (feat. DJ Krush)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw40TOIaspg

http://itunes.apple.com/album/contras...

5. What Happens in Vegas - Chuckie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pasvhLZkWy8

Buy It Now: http://bit.ly/VegasiTunes

6. Pair of Dice - Tiesto & Allure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boGCwYr4M00

Buy It Now - http://bit.ly/pairofdice

7. I Didn't Believe - Flight Facilities (Feat. Elizabeth Rose)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdsvtnOoFAg

Buy It Now - http://smarturl.it/IdidntBelieve

8. Need U (100%) - Duke Dumont (Feat. A*M*E)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTB1ay_nnA

Buy It Now - http://smarturl.it/DukeDumont-NeedU

9. Up in The Air - Thirty Seconds To Mars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9uSyICrtow

Buy It Now - http://smarturl.it/LLFDpreorder

10. Get Lucky - Daft Punk (Feat. Pharrell WIlliams)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-bcnVU_NAU

Buy It Now - www.iTunes.com/DaftPunk

This is a very simple app which is very effective for high intensity interval training (h.i.i.t) or even complete entire workouts.  The exercise routines are based solely on body strength so no weights or machines are required. There are over 100 exercises to choose from you can have a random or customised workout which is a great feature.  You can also skip an exercise which is designated if you choose to.

The variation of time of workouts ranges from five minutes to 1 hour.  It gives the user the ability to workout for the duration you require.   You have instructional videos and an instructional diagram of the workout to show you what to do. 

 I must say I am more than impressed with this app.  It is simple, and cost effective for the app owner.  You can workout anywhere for short or long periods the choice it yours.  It covers all you need from fitness levels to workout type ie yoga stretching or strength training.  I just think it is one of the most self explanatory apps on the market.  Well done Sworkit.  You have nailed it!!