There is no end to the health advice you can find online. From doctors telling us to eat more meat and no bread, to others who tell us to cut out fat, add more olive oil, avoid all oil. Even doctor Oz weighed in this week, encouraging governors across the nation to have more sex, as a way to lead healthier lives. Presumably he implied that the governors were to have sex with their spouses.

The advice is plentiful, yet so many of us are unhealthy. Not just the obesity epidemic sweeping the nation, but our lifestyles have changed, and we have changed.

Most people are unhealthy, unhappy, and unsure where to turn for answers.

Having a healthy body is important, as our body is the vessel that carries us through life. The body is the box that houses who we really are. So of course, we must maintain the skin bag that we wear. It is important to give sustenance, nourishment and protection to the external transportation. Much like you maintain a luxury automobile, so too should you maintain your body.

But there is so much more to a healthy life than what to eat or not eat, or what to wear or not wear. Happiness affects your health on a daily basis, and we can all manage our own happiness.

Once you realize that you are in charge of your own happiness, something happens. A shift takes place as you realize that you have control over yourself. You can be happy if you choose. You can also choose to be unhappy. The good news is, for your health, choosing happiness is an option.

When we are happy, stress is released, our bodies and our brains relax, and we are able to function from a place of health. Every day is a choice. What will you choose today? To be happy and healthy, or to drag your skin bag along behind you as you travel your unhappy path through life?

The choice is yours, my friends. And in a moment, you can choose again.

Namaste Friends, thank you for listening.

We all have fears. Some of them are huge fears. Cancer. Death. Divorce. Some of them are smaller, but no less terrifying: public speaking, flying, spiders. Fear prevents us from living the full and abundant life the universe has in store for us. Fear paralyzes us and prevents us from taking forward motion.

If we wanted to, we could live our lives focused on our fears: What if no one likes me? What if I fail? What if they laugh at me? What if he leaves me? What if I'm not good enough?

Life is full of fear. The good news is, we can live a life free of our fears. We can overcome those fears and live a life of victory, of encouragement and of fulfillment. But first, we have to learn to release the grip of fear in our lives.

During his first inaugural speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." Our fears paralyze us, and prevent us from moving forward. As FDR said, they are nameless, unreasoning, and unjustified. Once we learn how to release our fear, and embrace our lives, then we will be on the path to victory.

It can be hard to know how to let go of fear. The bible has some great things to say about overcoming fear, about casting your cares upon God. He promises to sustain us, regardless of what we fear, and regardless of what we face. 

The first step in overcoming your fears is to become aware of them. Don't beat yourself up, just be specific with yourself about what you really fear. Once you identify your fears, look at them in the here and now. In this moment, realize that you are safe, and that there is nothing to fear, right now. For just this moment, you can let go of that fear. 

There are some things in life we can change. Other things, we have no control over. As you begin to identify your own fears, ask yourself if this is something you can affect. Are you afraid of a loved one dying? There isn't much to do about that, so release that fear into the universe. Fearing cancer is useless. You can be aware of your risks of cancer, and mitigate your own health issues, but there isn't much change you can effect against that ugly disease. You could fear having a heart attack, but then you could change your diet, get some exercise, and take control of your own life. When you take control of the things you can change, then you can manage your fears.

The acronym for fear is: False Expectations Appearing Real. Most of the things we fear never come to pass. We waste a lot of time, energy and money worrying about and fearing things that never come to pass.

Focus today on the things you can do to improve your life, and let the rest of it go. It sounds easy, and really, it is. Be realistic. Focus on now. Change what you can, and move forward, free from fear.

Namaste friends.