Blog

Home › Blog

My 7 Day TV Diet…PERFECT

21 Mar
0 1226 Post by

I have discovered the perfect diet. I challenge anybody to find one better than this. I am calling it ‘The 7 Day TV Diet’.

I know there are hundreds of diets out there. Each claim to be better than the other. The Paleo Diet, The Vegan Diet, Low-Carb Diet, The Dukan Diet, The Ultra-Low-Fat Diet, The Atkins Diet, The HCG Diet, The Zone Diet, The Intermittent Fasting, my favorite...The Tomorrow Diet (I’ll start tomorrow after I inhale all the junk food in my house first), on and on and on, etc etc. Every diet you can think of.

Well, this diet trumps all those. It will not only improve your physical health, it will also improve your mental, psychological, emotional even your intellectual health.

Do I have your attention yet? Are you wondering what this amazing diet is yet? What do you have to give up? What do you have to add? Here we go…

For this diet to work as well for you as it has and is for me, there is only one thing you have to give up. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it is your TV. Yes, I mean literally, this is a TV diet.

Television has become such a permanent part of our lives and culture that we don’t realize it is more than just the ‘norm’, it is an addiction. Prior to this diet, I actually don’t recall an entire day going without watching TV. Even on travel days there are TV’s all over the airports and in the planes themselves. There is no escape. It is probably the number one addiction shared worldwide and we have no idea how bad it really is.

According to recent studies, the average American spends 4-5 hours a day watching TV. According to Nielsen’s findings there is a large generation gap in TV consumption. While those aged 50 and older spend close to six (ages 50-64) and more than seven hours (ages 65+) a day in front of the tube, young adults watch significantly less TV, but it doesn’t mean they are sitting in-front of the tube any less.

While some of this difference might be explained by the fact that many people over the age of 65 are retired and thus have more time to watch TV, the fact that younger people are more likely to use streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video instead of watching “traditional” TV likely plays an even larger role in this. In addition, the new generation are playing their high end Xbox and PlayStation games on the tubes to add to their time sitting in-front of the screen.

I will be the first to admit that in this last year, my TV time has increased considerably. I am guessing I’m not the only one though. The Covid-19 pandemic has had more of an effect on every day living than any of us can count, and this is no exception. With the combination of Covid and the US Election, it’s not far fetched to say television sets around the world likely doubled in time. We now spend more time at home than ever before. Students are being schooled at home and millions are either working remotely from home or, unfortunately, sitting home unemployed because of the pandemic.

Now I would like to talk about my experience with this diet. I went on a 7 Day TV Diet. Right off the bat, the first thing you do is simply look for something to fill in the time. The trick though for this diet to be successful is DO NOT replace TV time with Social Media time. There will be a net zero gain if you do so.

The very first thing I did...I pulled out the Sudoku book I had stored away many moons ago. I love Sudoku. It’s a great game that allows me to not only enjoy some downtime, but frankly, exercise my brain. It is known to help with critical thinking, improve concentration and improve memory. Sure beats an hour watching a sitcom.

However, something absolutely amazing happened while playing Sudoku. On my very first day of this diet, and while playing this game that has benefits and that I enjoy, my son Ibrahim was curious about what I was doing with a book and pen in my hand. He came and sat next to me, ‘Baba, what is that?’. My eyes wide open and my heart skipped a beat (yes I was that happy) because it just hit me the true potential of this diet.

It was just my son and I. No TV. No smart phones in our hands. No stupid tiktok videos. No news anchors in the background talking about how many new cases today or sound of cat fights otherwise known as Republicans vs Democrats. Just Ibrahim and me. We focused on something together. I got to teach him something new. Guess what...later on that day, and even the next day, he asked me if we can play again. This right here...this alone...made this experience an absolute success.

I showed him the puzzle. Explained to him what I’m doing. He started looking for numbers to fill in the blanks with me. I gave him some hints on how to find the answers. He found his first. Than second. Than third. Than he grabbed the pen right out of my hand all awhile sitting next to me. We sat for a while not paying attention to the time just playing together. We laughed and we smiled. This was unexpected quality time that I will remember for a long time and God Willing so will he.

Something so extremely valuable came out of the simplest task. Power Off = Quality Time.

My daughters were sitting around looking at their phones doing what they do. I went over and hung out with them. Did absolutely nothing in particular. Just started hanging out and asking questions about their studies. Next thing I know we are having a three way conversation. I am as emotional now writing this as I was while experiencing this added quality time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we never spent time together before, but something about it was just extra special. No distractions. No TV noise in the background getting our attention here and there. No news on Covid. Just us and no technology in front of us or in hand.

One of my bad TV habits was always in the morning. I wake up and automatically I put on the news. I flip the channel between CNN and FOX news (yes...both...I know I know). Now I gave that up so what am I to do with this earned time? Well, it hit me. Something I never did in my entire life...morning calisthenics. YES...exercise. In the morning. I opened my laptop, went to YouTube, I typed calisthenics for beginners, and now, it is part of my morning ritual.

The morning calisthenics is better than any cup of coffee I have ever had in my life. It wakes me up, gets my blood flowing, and it doesn’t take an hour to do it.

While keeping in mind for this diet to be successful I can not replace it with Social Media time, I am going to spend more time on the internet though. However, it will be valuable time reading and researching. One thing I always wanted to get into and learn about is meditation. What did I do? You guessed it, went to our old friend YouTube, typed in meditation for beginners, found millions of videos so just clicked on the first one I found and followed the narrators step by step instructions as he spoke with a very soft and calm voice. I am hooked to meditation now. What took me so long to learn about it? Oh ya, TV time.

Since I am spending more time on the internet (not excessive though and not Social Media sites), it is the absolute best opportunity to learn and research frankly anything I want. What do I want to learn about? What am I curious about? What else do I add to my self improvement list. Anything I want. That is the beauty of this diet. By the way, who says this has to be on the internet. Why not read a book? Remember those?

According to other studies, the negative impact of television is more severe than most people realize or appreciate. There is a direct link between television consumption and obesity. Across cultures, television consumption has been associated to cause an overweight, inactive lifestyle among high school students. From a study of over 15,000 high school students, 43% of those students exceeded 2 hours a day of television viewing on a regular school day. Overall, 31% of the students did not participate in daily physical activity, 11% were overweight, and 76% ate an insufficient amount of servings of fruit and vegetables. Watching television for 2 hours a day was indeed correlated to being overweight.

To summarize, in my first Seven Day Diet I have gained a considerable amount of quality time with my family, true quality time. I am spending more time for my own personal health including physical, mental and intellectual.

The truth is, all these gains were unintended and unexpected. When I decided to cut off TV for a week, honestly, I just wanted to give myself a break from the same old boring and depressing news. I believe to a certain extent we have all become news junkies. If I want a quick update on news, I can always google it without watching for hours or anchor after anchor and millions of dollars worth of TV commercials.

At the conclusion of my Seven Day TV Diet, I automatically renewed it. The decision to renew it was a no-brainer for me. The benefits just simply outweigh the negatives infinite to zero. As I am writing this blog, I am now on my fourth renewal.

By the way, another absolutely fantastic gain out of this, my children are watching less TV now. I told them what I’m doing and they are seeing with their own eyes the things that I am now doing and it is rubbing off. Once again...infinite to zero benefit to negative ratio.

This is not a challenge, I welcome everybody to try this diet. You literally have nothing to lose and much to gain.

Iyad Allis

Read More
Categories: Health & Wellness, My Blog

My Mind Over My Matter

01 Mar
0 1087 Post by

‘Mind Over Matter’ – We have all heard that saying at one point or another, but have you ever actually thought about it? I’ve always loved that saying, but really…Mind-Over-Matter??

I was thinking about it the other day and I decided just for the heck of it I wanted to google it. I skimmed through a couple of articles and thought OK good, so it’s not just me because there were so many interpretations of that saying. That, in and of itself, made me like that saying just that much more. In so many ways it does make sense.

There are those who take it literal. Most others however, such as myself, simply take it as a metaphor.

I did enjoy reading some of the historical content of the saying though and how it was actually taken as a literal concept in which people could overcome physical challenges simply by using mind power.

According to Wikipedia, ‘Mind over matter is a phrase that has been used in several contexts, such as mind-centric spiritual doctrines, parapsychology, and philosophy.

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines mind over matter as "the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons" and mind over matter as able to; "a situation in which someone is able to control a physical condition, problem, etc., by using the mind"

Why not though? I’m not referring to psychokinesis, or telekinesis where as you can supposedly physically move an object with just your mind.

Why not have the ability to overcome physical or other personal challenges using mind power? Does that necessarily make it literal? Simply put, it’s mind over matter.

I do believe in that very much. I absolutely believe, that when you put your mind into anything, you can overcome any challenges. This is the true topic of my entry.

We have all experienced ups and downs in our lives. No matter how much advice we receive from others, asked for or not, we will all handle it that way we see fit in the end. It is only you who truly knows what you want, and how you want it. It doesn’t hurt to hear other perspectives as it could get you some direction to find your own answer, but in the end, you do have your own answer. Just think about it, really think.

As far as I go, God knows I have had plenty of roller coaster rides. What I have discovered about myself is that when I do put my mind into something, no matter the challenge, I can and I will and I do get right through it. It was not an overnight discovery of myself. I had a journey to get to this point where I can say that with the confidence that I do today. I am thankful for that journey as it has made me a stronger man today.

A couple of months ago I fell ill to Covid-19. It hit me pretty hard. While I am done with corona, I am still dealing with some of the side-effects till this very day. I have a number of different medications the doctors have me taking on a regular basis now. I am on the road to full recovery thank God. Frankly though, this is taking more time than I like. So...I am in the process of practicing what I am preaching here.

I am going to beat this 100%. Physically speaking, I will get through this and I will not be dependent on any medication these doctors have me on. Mentally and emotionally, my personal experience with corona will not keep me back anymore. This is not a promise to you, this is a promise I am making to myself. While corona beat me up early on, the gloves are off and it will not make a comeback against me.

I lived through some dark times back in the day. I look back at those days and remember how I allowed all the outside factors and influences to not only determine how I am to deal with that situation at that particular time, but worse that that, I allowed them to determine the outcome. Ohhhh how many times I have told myself if only I knew than what I know now (but no looking back).

I made a promise to myself, from now on, it is my mind over my matters. In fact, it is also my mind over everybody elses matter. I will not, I refuse to, I have drawn the line, nobody will ever get to me again.

That...my friends…is My mind over My matter.

Iyad Y Allis

Read More
Categories: Health & Wellness, My Blog

Me Time!!!

14 Feb
0 1025 Post by

I don’t know about you, but I love 'Me Time'.

We have our daily routines. Most of us live in a routine and don’t realize it until it’s too late. Stop...Rewind...Play. That is a typical day in a typical life of a typical individual. My advice is to just stop it. Change up your routine and shake it up a little. The good news is, it is not that difficult to do so and will only require minutes out of your day.

Me time doesn’t mean an entire day off at the park. It only requires a few minutes of your day. You need those few minutes to relax and recharge.

As you are reading this, you might be saying to yourself this sounds good, but I just can’t do it. The reality is, you can’t afford to NOT do it. Attempting to do everything at all time can and will take its toll. We all have our limits.

Ironically, you might actually think that taking daily ‘me time’ out of your schedule is a selfish act. The truth is, it can be one of the most generous things you can do. Not just for you, but for those around you, especially your loved ones and the ones who are dependent on you.

Yes, your me time will benefit you and everyone in your life.

Burning out is a very real thing in life. Burning out will affect you physically and mentally, as well as your relationship health. When you are unable to function at full capacity, or feeling unhappy, you will directly negatively effect those around you. You owe it to yourself and to those around you to make daily me time.

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, known as America’s most trusted celebrity psychologist, says “Me time is recovery time, it’s recoup time, it’s regeneration time. When you continually do something—even if it’s something you enjoy doing—if you keep doing it and pushing yourself without ever taking a step back, that’s like training for a marathon and running 100 miles a day. You can’t do that. Your body can’t handle it,”

What’s the key take away here? Your daily me time is a must for your physical and mental health. Why you ask, because it will relieve your stress. Based on research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease), when we are stressed out, we’re more likely to get sick because our immune system doesn’t function as well, according to Dr. Lombardo.

In addition to relieving stress, your daily me time can:

- Help prevent and relieve chronic pain. Stress is a major cause of aches and pains, including and especially head aches.

- Lead to better overall health.

- Prevent negative thinking. When our stress levels are increased, we tend to think in more negative ways. Negative energy is very contagious.

- Lead to better night time sleep. There is no questioning the affects of stress to your ability to sleep through the night.

This is just a short list of positive results you gain from your daily me time. Truly, this is a must do to change your life for the better. Like anything else you do, you won’t see results over night, but the short term and long term positive results of your daily me time are undeniable.

Another quote from Dr. Lombardo that just makes so much sense, “When we have that time to ourselves, we can be close to our true self, and that true self is the person who has less stress, is compassionate and loving. When you are your true self, you are a lot more fun to be with, you are a lot more forgiving.”

Now the fun part, what can you do for me time?

- Unplug. Literally, unplug and press the power buttons off. At the minimum, mute. Ban all electronics, social media, email and phone calls. In it’s stead, read a book or magazine, go for a walk, stare out the window and daydream.

- Take yourself out to lunch. It’s OK to indulge yourself to a nice sit-down restaurant or you favorite local cafe.

- Take a nap. When was the last time you took a nice power nap in the middle of the day?

- Start a journal. Write down your feelings, stresses, ideas, dreams or just anything you have in mind. There doesn’t have to be daily entries, it can be sporadic.

- Do you have an old hobby that you have neglected? If not, make one. What do you love to do for fun?

- Spare an hour or two once a week and take a class. What is something you always wanted to learn? Cooking, ballroom dancing, new language, weaving, learn how to dougie (you read that right) etc etc etc.

- What I think is the best daily me time, exercise. Go for an outside walk or run, hit the gym than follow it up with a sauna or hut tub. Your health is a priority, so find the time and make it happen.

The possibilities are endless. You don’t need a doctor or an expert to give you ideas of what to do. You know what you would love to do but have convinced yourself that you just don’t have the time to do it. That thinking must come to a stop. Now!

THE KEY IS TO TREAT YOURSELF WELL DAY TO DAY – EAT WELL, KEEP YOURSELF FIT, TREAT YOURSELF NOW AND THEN, AND SIMPLY ENJOY LIFE!

Your marching orders for today is to promise yourself that you will take that daily me time. No more excuses. Do not forget, this is to your benefit as well as those around you. If you burn out, you will be no good to yourself or your family. Your work performance will sharply decline and you can imagine the domino effect from there.

Trust yourself. Forgive yourself. Love yourself. Always, always, always think positive. Positive energy is the best kind of contagious energy.

Here are some pictures and videos of a half day of 'Me Time'. My awesome sister Sonia Maaliki treated me that day to this amazing hike in Adams Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO3OGnG26WQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mDX0ygom-E

Iyad Y Allis

Read More
Categories: Health & Wellness, My Blog

Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life

01 Feb
0 1113 Post by

The constant drive to run after everything we want in life can leave us, ironically, feeling deserving nothing. Maybe it’s time we discover happiness in the simple things. Slowing down your life will surprise you by finding happiness in doing so.

In life today, it is easy to keep going without paying attention to appreciate just how treasured life is. We all get sucked in to the fast pace life society has somehow convinced us all we must live. We must slow down and appreciate those around us.

We can’t seem to slow down our thoughts. We are constantly running towards our worldly goals. We lose ourselves and forget to enjoy the simple things in life. We get buried in the problems and issues that we surround ourselves with. It’s easy to be negative and just ignore how we prefer things to be. When life doesn’t go as we wish we become upset and get less flexible in life.

We need to slow life down and look around us. When we do slow life down, we can appreciate life and enjoy the small things we take for granted. We can work on the connections we have with those closest to us and with life in general.

When was the last time you took a minute to just connect with yourself and with the people around you? You could get a better idea of what you want out of life. It’s a good reminder to be good to yourself as well as to others. It’s a good practice to relax your mind and to just let go.

A turning point in my own life was the acceptance of not only myself, but of my circumstances including my successes and failures. This acceptance brought a permanent end to my judgments of others. This has truly brought peace to my life. This acceptance gave me a feeling of confidence never felt before. I no longer had to prove myself to anybody.

When you learn the art of slowing things down, you inherit a new connection with the people around you, with your purpose in life and most important, with yourself.

Enjoy your time and you will no longer take for granted life. Be mindful of living and watch how much easier life will be and how much more time you will have to enjoy it. When you slow your life down you will be more accessible to those you desire.

Surround yourself with positive people. Positivity, just like negativity, is contagious. If you are around negative people, you will hear nothing but negative comments. Instead, you be positive and spread your positive energy to those around you. Pursue your happiness. If you pass on your happiness to others, you will be that much more happy. Trust yourself and your judgment of others.

Make the most of this journey. Spend time to consider all the good things that can come out of this. We all need reminders at times that life is precious. We have to accept the good and the bad that comes our way. Don’t push yourself to always be positive, it’s ok to have down days sometimes, we are only human.

Do you know what true love is? If you don’t love yourself, or even accept yourself, you will never know what true love is. To love is to understand and to share your happiness. By taking care of others and being kind to others you in turn are being kind to yourself. The key here though, is to love and be kind unconditionally. To be successful at this, it must be done sincerely, you can’t force this.

A major key to happiness is learning to have patience. If you are constantly rushing to obtain whatever it is you want, life will just rush by you and you will never enjoy it. Don’t feel that you have to be superior at everything you do. Remember, slow it down. When you are under pressure, take a step back, a deep breath, and create the opportunity for patience in order to find a solution. When you have patience, you will be understanding and a better listener.

It is perfectly normal to be scared. It is especially normal when you have heavy expectations. Trust your instincts. What are they telling you? If you are scared, it’s likely because you care deeply about something. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but if there is fear about something than you probably need to take action. It’s perfectly alright to make mistakes just don’t let them get you down. Prepare for and accept the possibility of the worse case scenario, than you will not only lose the fear but you will set yourself free.

You need to learn to let your stress go. Accept your situation and place in life and lessen the grip on your attachments and overbearing expectations, than you will see the repressive stress go away. Learn to meditate to slow down your mind and think about what really matters to you and commit to making those items priority. Subconsciously, many of us see ourselves or strive to be superior to others...let it go. Accept your imperfections and be more confident in yourself.

How many times in your life have you said, or heard others say, ‘need to make up for lost time’. There is no such thing. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second will only come once in a lifetime. ‘Close your eyes, open your eyes…’ is another one we have heard plenty in our lives. Life will fly by you if you don’t learn to slow it down and enjoy it. That will be your ultimate regret in life. Nobody will understand this more than parents. Wasn’t it just yesterday your child was born? Didn’t they just start school yesterday? Now...they are teenagers. Close your eyes and open them again, they are now adults with their own lives. Remember those days you can carry them in your arms? Remember those days your children would come running to you for that hug and kiss? Slow life down so that you can remember those days with a sincere smile.

Slow your life down. Enjoy today. Enjoy right now. Avoid any regret.

Iyad Allis

Read More
Categories: Health & Wellness, My Blog

I Went Toe-To-Toe With Covid-19

11 Jan
0 1310 Post by

And I got my ass handed to me!

Months prior to this, I’ve been saying to myself, ‘I almost wish I would just get it and be done with it’. Ya right. What was I thinking??

I didn’t actually go out and intentionally get myself sick. I have a wife and three kids at home. I took every precaution. In fact, I am lucky in that I work remotely so I don’t leave the house unless I need to. When I do leave the house, I wear my mask and I wear it properly. While I am out, to the best of my ability, I keep a distance from people. However, therein lies the problem.

I live in a small town, Al-Bireh and we have limited grocery stores within walking distance. These stores are small and limited in inventory so it is common to go to 3 or 4 stores to get everything that we need for the house (a long way from King Soopers).

The whole point of me bringing this up, is I can actually pin point when and how I got Covid. It was in one of these stores. I was waiting in line for my order of lunch meat and I see this guy walk in who just didn’t look right. He was taking short breathes and he was sweating. I immediately had a bad feeling. It had to have been from him.

Sure enough, the very next day I feel a soar throat and I can feel something in my chest. All of a sudden I build up a cough. I’m thinking to myself please just let this be a cold. I took some over the counter drugs and tried to sleep it off. To be on the safe side though, I took my son’s room and told him to sleep next to his mother.

After a miserable sleepless night, the next morning I took myself to the hospital. I wouldn’t let my wife take me since she was 2 months pregnant at the time. On my way there I just kept saying to myself please be bronchitis. Please be influenza. Although for months I was saying let me just get it and be done with it, now wasn’t the time with my wife pregnant.

I walked into the emergency room at the Hilal Medical Center in Al-Bireh. My cough was getting worse. My head was spinning. My chest felt like there was a bag of ice in there. They checked my fever at 39.4°C. They immediately performed a covid test than hooked me up to an IV and gave me a shot to get rid of some of the pain.

Thirty minutes later a doctor and nurse came in with the news. They said I tested positive for Covid-19. My immediate reaction was to challenge the doctor and told him that I have a history of bronchitis, are you sure it’s not just that. He said we are positive.

Well...sheat.

I called my wife and told her. Her reaction was as of I just slapped her in the face. She was pregnant. We have three kids at home. I am the sole provider.

I got home. I had my mask on and this time was wearing gloves. I walked in my home and my wife told me the room was ready. Her and the kids kept a safe distance while all wearing masks. I felt like more than just a stranger in my own home, right than and there, I felt like a degenerate, an undesirable. Not because of my family, don’t get the wrong idea here, that’s just how I felt about myself.

The first 24 hours in quarantine was a challenge, but it could have been worse. I was feeling sick, but so far, it just felt like a bad flu.

The second day in quarantine...that’s when it really started for me. Holly s***! What’s going on here? Who said coronavirus was just ‘cold like symptoms’??? This is more like flu symptoms on steroids.

I was giving all this medicine for a cold. It’s like sprinkling water on a fire.

I was declining fast. My breathing was getting worse and more painful. I couldn't stop coughing. My headache was so bad and constant there was no relief. This bag of ice in my chest wouldn’t go away.

My wife called her cousin who is a nurse and he was kind enough to come over one night and hook me up to an IV. I got temporary relief, but it was too temporary. They brought me an oxygen mask to assist with my breathing.

The next day I was taken to the hospital. I was given an IV and a shot for the pain than sent home. There was no room to keep me there.

The day times were absolutely horrible. Night time...much worse.

I had no appetite. On a good day, I finished a bowl of soup. I could not take in any solid foods. I drank as much as I could, but it wasn’t enough.

I couldn’t find a comfortable position. Every position I moved to just made me cough more. My back was by far the worse though so I avoided sleeping on my back. I was told to sleep on my stomach. It wasn’t ‘good’ rest, but it was better than the other positions.

Every muscle in my body ached. This was constant. No relief. Everything just ached and hurt. My head would not stop spinning.

One night while lying down, all of a sudden the room became an ice box. It was freezing in the room. The door was closed. The window was closed. The heater was on. I buried myself under all three blankets and just shivered. I tried rubbing my hands together but my finger tips were freezing. My wife opened the door and just yelled. She later told me I was shaking like a fish out of the water.

Confession time. I begged God like never before. I begged God, either end this or just take me. One of the two. We are taught that God does not give us more than we can handle and I do believe that. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Every cough hurt. Every breath hurt.

About eight days into this, I did begin to feel some signs of improvement. I thought please let this be done. The following four days were slowly improving. Night time was still an issue. It’s been close to two weeks since I had a full night sleep. My cough refused to go away. The previous four nights in particular were odd because I was sweating so much at night I would literally change my clothes multiple times per night. I accumulated so much laundry those four days (my poor wife). Is all this sweating some of the covid release??

Day 13, more improvement but a huge set back, my wife lost the baby. She was feeling sick the previous couple of days. She was coming down with the cold. She did a covid test. It was negative. She had been dealing with some discharge. She was dealing with a cold, taking care of the house and our three kids and taking care of me however she could from a distance. My wife made sure I had everything I needed at any given time.

At a time that I should have been there for my wife, instead, she was there for me. She stood by my side and cared for me unconditionally. I am so sorry she lost the baby. We are blessed with three children, but damn that pain.

Day 15 of diagnosis, day 17 after falling ill, I have some energy back and the pain levels have gone down. I needed to do something to feel like a human. I shaved. I left the house and went for a walk. I was feeling better, not great, but better. I went to Quest Diagnostics to do a follow up. Great news, my follow up test for Covid-19 came back negative.

I was very relieved. This last 15 days my biggest concern was the fear of infecting my family since I was quarantined at home. I’m still coughing. While I do have some energy back, I still have some fatigue. I still have some pressure in my chest, but I was Covid-free.

My wife and I looked at each other with a sense of relief, but we can both see right through each other, there is no denying the sadness. We really wanted the baby. Covid was the worse experience of my life, but I would re-live it ten times over if it meant we could have the baby.

It’s a new day. It’s time to move on. I must remain positive.

Iyad Y Allis

Read More
Categories: My Blog

Midlife-Crisis Signs

30 Dec
0 1137 Post by

On average, it is believed that midlife crisis begins at the age of 48. It is definitely possible to begin earlier though, as it did with me. The definition of midlife crisis does not include any specific age or any specific symptoms. It is generally described as a time when adults contemplate their mortality and the years they have left to enjoy life.

According to many experts, that can hit at any age.

For starters, it is critical to recognize your own signs. If you are spending too much time thinking of your own past, you may be experiencing the beginning stages of a midlife crisis. Do not let this sign make the matter bigger than it is as this is very common.

For many, when we get into our 40s, our future is no longer a scary unknown as we are now there and our past is something we can hopefully smile about. Likely, we are perceiving our present as just routine with marriage, kids and career. Among other reasons, this sense of ‘routine’ we are experiencing is a cause of concern or in some cases depression as to what future we have left.

Middle-aged people are experiencing a different type of stress. Mid-lifers are more likely to experience conflicts with their own children so as we age it is not far-fetched that we begin to experience growing stress with both relatives and friends we surround ourselves with.

I read online that some researchers examined the factors that contribute to psychological well-being and they found that some are genetic, but some are based on having a sense of purpose and a good social network. As we get closer to retirement, we must be careful to stay active to not only maintain a sense of self-worth but to transition from Midlife-Crisis to Midlife-Living.

Loss in our life, especially that of someone close to us, can trigger midlife crisis. This type of loss can open your eyes to your own mortality which can easily bring you down if you do not confront or resolve those feelings.

For me personally, I am dealing with this not as a crisis, not by any means, but as an opportunity. I look at my past and see what needs improvement. The first item on my list was my health. The combination of working out, a better diet and liquid collagen were my keys to get on track.

Regular activity, especially exercise, will not only add to your energy and improve your mood, but it will help you take back control of your life. There are different types of activities, find what best suits you but don’t just sit there contemplating it for too long, take control today.

Iyad Y Allis

Read More
Categories: My Blog

Mid-Life Beginner Workout

23 Dec
0 1272 Post by

June 2020:

I am spending too much time at home thanks to Covid. I can feel my already aching joints getting worse. I have to do something about this. And so...I did.

I’m 45 years old and never got into working out, so I started off with the best and easiest workout there is...walking. I downloaded a pedometer on my phone so I can track how much I am walking a day. The first couple of weeks I was walking 8,000 steps a day than I graduated to 10,000 steps a day.

I had just purchased 6kg dumbbells and an exercise ball and I already had a treadmill home which was just sitting collecting dust. In addition, I got lucky and found an elliptical at a yard sale. The electronics was not working but I can still use it.

I researched on google as well as watched different workouts on YouTube. Much of what I read or saw was to spend a good 30-60 minutes on the treadmill and do some simple and basic workouts with the dumbbells (everything I was looking up was specific to beginners and working out at home).

I had an idea. At the time I didn’t know if it would be a good idea, it ended up being the best idea for me. However, what works for me doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. I am not an expert by any means. My idea was to combine the two. I began doing my basic dumbbell workouts while on the treadmill. It’s not the safest idea, especially for a beginner.

I kept the treadmill speed not too fast and not too slow. I was able to do biceps, triceps, shoulders, forearms and even chest. I started with 30 minute walks. By the end of the first month of doing this I was on the treadmill for a solid hour. I fell in love with this program. I never sweat so much in my life. I was sweating so much my back room smelled like a dirty locker room. My wife and kids couldn’t stand it. At my age, I’m not going to see immediate results so the sweat gave me a sense of accomplishment.

My biggest concern during my workouts was my joints, specifically my knees. I had to be very mindful of my knees, especially since my program was almost entirely on the treadmill. My sister-in-law Veronica introduced me to a liquid Collagen that she sells online. No kidding, this was my fountain of youth. I thought she might have been just exaggerating the effects, but far from it. Maybe this won’t work for everybody, but if it worked as well for me as it did, I have to believe it will work well for most people.

This is how I got into shape...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDID9U_N2kQ&feature=youtu.be

Read More
Categories: My Blog

Is It A Midlife Crisis?

14 Dec
0 874 Post by

May 22, 2020. The day I turned 45 years old. I’m not old but I am far from young. I am home all day like most people around the world dealing with this Covid mess so what else is there to do than to over-think and reflect on my life. That’s where it all started for me.

My life doesn’t stick out from others. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. I’ve had successes and I’ve had failures. I’ve done things that I am proud of and...well...the opposite as well.

I tried to always be positive and avoid negative energy and people, but life happens and I just somehow always found myself surrounded by negativity. It was time to put myself in a drama free zone.

The first step was my health. There is physical health, psychological health (for me it was happiness) and spiritual health. In other words Mind, Body and Soul.

Happiness? As humans, we can’t help but to compare ourselves to others. I compared myself a lot to successful people and said why them? Why couldn’t that have been me? I needed to stop that. I realized that as tough as it has been for me, I still have it better than others. I have a roof over my head and I eat three meals a day. Who was I to complain about my situation when there are so many others who don’t have that?

Soul? I will not get into this as everybody has their own ways and/or beliefs. What I can say is that I am in a better place today.

Body? This is the one I needed the most work on. I never worked out. I was terribly out of shape. My back, my knees, my neck, my shoulders, constant headaches, etc etc if it wasn’t one thing it was always another with me. I hated going up and down stairs. I would get short on breath and my knees were getting worse.

The one good thing I did for myself earlier this year was quit smoking. I never got into cigarettes but I did smoke hookah everyday for the last 28 years.

So...it was time to take action. I have this old treadmill in my house that has been used as a secondary closet for many years. It was time to clean it up and plug it in. I found a shop close by where I went and purchased 6 kg dumbbells and an exercise ball.

In my next blog entry, I will talk about my own personalized workout system and my discovery of Collagen.

Iyad Allis

Read More
Categories: My Blog, Uncategorized
Back to Top