Listen to this music in the background. Do you find it inspiring?

Skip Orem (00:25    ):

I use, especially in the background music frequently on our Web Radio Today, podcast episodes. I play music to inspire us as we do our mini workouts. I play songs for us to enjoy and to discover as featured songs. I use music to move us from well from one segment of the podcast to another. I enjoy using music sometimes to set the tone, set the mood, or to reinforce things that I’m trying to say.

Skip Orem (01:02 ):

Just to highlight how important music is in our lives. Certain songs can cement important events, both happy and sad into our memories. For some of us, a particular song it can take us back to the exact moment when we knew we were in love.

Skip Orem (01:26):

As we try to get and to stay healthy, it’s important that we do everything we can to reduce stress. And that includes being active, eating healthy, meditating, laughing more, spending time with God and spending more time with our family and our friends. Getting enough sleep and including music in our lives.

Skip Orem (02:16 ):

Listening to, or playing music is such a good stress reliever because it’s sort of provides a mental distraction. It can reduce muscle tension and it actually decreases stress hormones. It’s got to be good, right?

Skip Orem (02:36):

A few weeks ago, I did a positive imagery session as part of Web Radio Today episode eight, music was a significant part of that session because it helped listeners to be still and relax, discharging the physical effects of stress. You go for a massage, most of those sessions, they have music playing in the background. Again, to help you relax and unwind so that you get the maximum effect from the massage session. Faster music, uptempo music, it can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Faster, more upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and have more of a positive attitude about life. And slower tempo music, it can soothe your mind, relax your muscles, relieve stress.

Skip Orem (04:06): 

I know of an individual who while battling cancer, she was older like us. She decided right then and there to learn to play the piano. It’s something she’d always wanted to do. So right there in the middle of a life and death battle with cancer, she started to learn to play the piano, never had played any kind of musical instrument in her entire long life. She credits the distraction, the enjoyment, the feeling of accomplishment, of learning to play the piano, and listening to other people play the piano. She says that all that was instrumental in winning her life and death battle with cancer.

Skip Orem (05:08):

Listening to music before you go to sleep at night, it quiets your mind and it helps you to fall asleep. We know sleep is so important for us in staying healthy and fighting off diseases.

Skip Orem (05:35):

And everybody, while music is one of the Web Radio Today, disease fighting elements. I’d also encourage you to look at the arts in general and include them in your life. It is absolutely not too late to start a hobby, painting, photography, building things, enjoying nature, just any kind of hobby.

Skip Orem (06:01):

I don’t have any aptitude, probably don’t have the attention to detail for gardening. But I was thinking the other day that especially at the point we are in our lives, I would think gardening just watching and planning for that whole life cycle of things, that’s part of gardening, I think that’d be a pretty cool hobby.

Skip Orem (06:25)

Hobbies, they help to enrich your life. They’re wonderful stress reducers. They make you a more rounded and interesting person. And of course they help to keep you healthy.