Mike Jones Now Blog

As many of you know health and wellness is very important for me and my family. I find it very alarming that obesity and other diet-related health problems are a leading cause of death in America, surpassing the smoking problem our government has done so much about.

Four Americans die every 18 minutes because of their diets, and our children are expected to live a life ten years less than that of our own due to the landscape of our food that we have built around them. It is time to wake up and start taking better care of ourselves and our children.

It is very difficult to get the nutrition that we need in our diets today. Let’s face it, it is impossible for most of us to consume all of the fruits and vegetables that we need on a daily basis to keep our body healthy. We must supplement if we are to stay healthy and we must find the time to exercise.

I know we are all busy and time seems to get away from us, but everyone needs to do better. You can’t afford not to, you will either pay a little now for better health or a lot later, the choice is yours. Obesity costs Americans 10 percent of our health care bills. 150 billion dollars a year, in ten years, it is set to double to 300 billion. That is a higher cost than what we are now spending on smoking related illnesses. We are now one of the most unhealthy countries in the world.

It is time to take action for you and your family, contact me today and let me share some information with you. Information that will provide you with the knowledge that you need, so you and your family can have a healthier lifestyle. If you will take the time to eat better, exercise and supplement your diet, you will be amazed in the difference it will make in your life.

I always give people the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes it can be very difficult! For instance, my flight attendant for this trip is from India, he is very bright, professional and really enjoys his job. A couple months back on a flight into Miami while the baggage was being offloaded, a passenger asked why he was not opening the door. His response was polite and professional, he explained that he had to wait until the gate check bags were brought to the front of the aircraft.

At this time the man jumped up and punched him in the face and shouted that he was a terrorist and for everyone to get him. The pilots had to come into the cabin to pull the man off and defuse the situation. This man was not only a military person, but a member of the Navy Seals. What gets into people sometimes, where has the mutual respect for one another gone? I especially hold our military personnel to a higher standard than most people.

This is an extreme example of what I am talking about, but I see it everyday. The morales and values that we use to have in this country are gone. I know times are bad and a lot of people have fallen on hard times and there is stress everywhere that you turn, but being ugly toward one another will only make a bad situation worse.

I have been so impressed with this flight attendant, how he can do this job so well and have such a wonderful outlook and personality and be that way everyday. He is not worried or stressed about anything, he has multiple businesses’ and makes more money than some of our pilots. He does the job because he loves to travel and loves working with people, the money he makes is just some additional spending money for him.

When you position yourself properly and take care of yourself financially, You have a better disposition about yourself and can take things in stride and the little things in life, like waiting a few extra minutes for your baggage will not enrage you to the point that you want to physically harm someone. When you are in a stressful situation, just try to think about something that is good in your life or a time when things were exactly the way that you wanted them to be and try to figure out away to get back to that place. Do not sweat the small stuff, life is too short!

I have been talking about back pain and interviewing doctors on this subject for several months now. It is the number one complaint among airline crews, I personally have suffered from back pain for the last 25 years. It was not until I had my son that I really began to see just how it was affecting me. I, like most men, just kept thinking that it will go away. Until recently, researchers believed that back pain would heal on its on.

A recent study has showned that is just not true, when back pain is not treated, it may go away temporarily but will most likely return. If back pain is ignored, it will not go away, it will continue to affect you for long periods of time and may even require surgery. If you will take some simple steps and learn some back care techniques, you can feel better and avoid time away from work or not having quality time with your family because of back pain.

1. Exercise regularly. An inactive lifestyle contributes to lower-back pain

2. Don’t twist your body while lifting.

3. Push, rather than pull, when you must move heavy objects.

4. Don’t lift by bending over. Instead, bend your hips and knees to squat to pick up the object. Keep your back straight and hold the object close to uor body.

5. If you must sit for long periods, take frequent breaks and stretch.

6. Wear flat shoes or low heels

If your back pain persist, a visit to a chiropractor could be very helpful. Chiropractic spinal manipulation is a safe and effective treatment for your back pain. It reduces pain, increases range of motion and can reduce or eliminate pain medication. According to Dr Jennifer Lidstrom owner and medical director at Lakeside Sports Chiropractic & Motorsports Rehab. Also, some of the signs that you may have a spinal problem that should be looked at:

1. Pain goes down into your buttock or into your leg below your knee.

2. Your leg, foot, arm or hand feels numb.

3. You have fever, nausea, vomiting, stomachache, weakness or sweating.

4. You lose bowel control.

5. Your pain is so intense you can’t move around.

6. Your pain doesn’t seem to be getting better quickly.

This economy has been difficult for everyone, however the “generation Y” is the first generation in a century that is unlikely to end up better off financially than their parents. The feeling that we must have it now and pay later has many people in a difficult position to say the least. Combine that mentally with a poor economy and a high unemployment rate and it does not take long before a large percentage of good people are in a bad situation.

Only 58% pay monthly bills on time says the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 60% have cashed out their 401(k) retirement plans and over 70% are not building up a cash cushion according to a survey by MetLife. I have been speaking with many airline professionals about the importance of having multiple streams of income. Our industry has been one of the hardest hit since 9/11, having an additional source of income has provided many of us with some comfort and security.

Now more than ever it is important to have more than just one source of revenue, for those that are trying to achieve wealth and possibly retire early or for those that are buried in a mountain of debt and can see no light at the end of the tunnel. Having a side business can really improve your situation a give you some peace of mind.

I have been interviewing doctors about the effects that stress can have on your body, financial stress is at the top of everyones list right now. From back pain, stomach problems, headaches, loss of sleep, relationship problems, short temper, the list goes on and on. Get control of your life today, take that first step, learn how to provide some additional security in your life. Contact me and allow me to share some of the things that I am involved in that is providing me and my family with a better quality of life.

You are not alone, almost 27 million Americans suffer from the most common type of persistent arthritis pain. By 2020, it is estimated that nearly 60 million Americans will suffer from this condition.

If we do not change the way that we are living today by watching what we eat, exercise more often, supplementing our diet and getting better rest, we are going to be the first generation not to out live our parents.

That is not the legacy that I want to leave behind, that is why I am working with professionals in the health care industry to provide airline professionals the information that they need to have a happier, healthier more productive life.

Please drop me a comment if there is something that you would like more information on. I work with aviation professionals, helping them to become more healthy, physically and financially.
Also, contact me on twitter at mikejonesnow.

Finally some time off! It is a beautiful day in North Carolina and I plan to spend the entire day just hanging with my son. I really envy those few people that get to spend everyday with their children, from stay at home mom’s & dad’s to individuals that have the ability to work from home. It is amazing to have that kind of freedom.

Everyone can have that if you so choose to. I do love to fly, that is why I do it. No amount of time with my son will ever be enough, but I do get a lot more than most men do and I am providing a great quality of life for him.

As he gets older and my side businesses continue to grow, I will be able to walk away from my airline job while my son is still young and still provide a good quality life for my family.

It is not difficult to do, but it does take some effort and planning on your end. Plan to retire early and rich, not die on the job and broke. That is sadly becoming more common today with people entering retirement. The elderly gentleman that greets you a walmart, he is not there because he wants to be!

The seventy year old lady that just took your order at McDonalds, she is not having a good time working with a bunch of teenagers! If we are not careful and spend the time to educate ourselves and take care of ourselves, that could be anyone of us and it could happen at a blink of an eye!

I know you know someone right now that is struggling through life, maybe it is you. Take action today so you can have a better tomorrow! Leave a comment for me or follow me on twitter at mikejonesnow and I would love to share some of the things that I am doing that is making a difference in my life.