Stress Management and Longevity For Women over 40

How to use Law of Attraction for Stress Reduction?

2011-08-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

Our thoughts and feelings create our experiences, and that we attract to ourselves what we focus our attention on.

Where is the focus of your attention Right Now?

(Share your thoughts in the Comments box)

Is your focus positive, inspiring, energizing or do your thoughts create worries and negative emotions?

The Law of Attraction is one of the oldest "Universal Laws" known to man, and when used the right way, it's incredibly powerful. The Law that has been known to sages for thousands of years is just now gaining mass popularity due to "The Secret".

How the Law of Attraction can lead to Stress Reduction?

You learn and apply the law of attraction to relieve stress, and attract the balanced life you want.

How to know you are making progress with the Law of Attraction?

• You start to determine exactly what you wanted to attract

• You achieve abundance in every area of your life

• You flood your mind with positive thoughts

• You get rid of fears, worries and doubts that stresses you and would stop the law from working

• You become calm, confident and optimistic

You can start right now practice The Law of Attraction for stress reduction:

• Imagine your ideal balanced life, be bold.

• How stress free and balanced your life will be when you let go unhelpful negative thoughts, frustrations, maintain positive mental attitude, live mindfully-here and now, focus your thoughts, feelings, and behavior on your goals and positive outcomes, rather than your frustrations, or any negative feelings.

• Yes…but….Doubts?

• Stop self sabotage and negative self-talk right now. Keep your self-talk positive and optimistic.

• You attract what you mostly think about. Period.

Seven Keys to High-Energy Living

2011-07-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

By Brian Tracy

Energy is a key luck factor. For you to be at the top of your form, to be action oriented, fast moving, and extremely productive, you have to have high levels of physical and mental energy.

For you to be able to take advantage of all the possibilities around you, and to have the continuous enthusiasm that keeps you and others motivated and moving ahead, you have to organize your life so that you feel terrific about yourself most of the time.

1. Eat the Right Foods

The first key to high energy is a proper diet. To perform at your best, you must eat the right foods, in the right balance, and in the right combination. Your diet has an inordinate impact on the amount of energy you have, how well you sleep, your levels of health and fitness, and your performance throughout the day and into the evening.

2. Watch your Weight

The second key to high energy is proper weight. Proper weight is essential for health, happiness, and long life. Being slightly under your ideal weight is best. As they say, you can never be too rich or too thin. If you are not happy with your current level of physical health, you need to set specific goals for yourself for the weeks and months ahead.

3. Exercise is Essential

The third key to high energy is proper exercise. The best activity for high energy and physical fitness is aerobic exercise. This type of exercise requires that you get your heart rate up into what is called the training zone three times per week. This training zone is about 120 to 160 beats per minute, depending on your age. You then keep it there for at least 20 minutes or more each session.

4. Get Lots of Rest and Recreation

The fourth key to high energy is proper rest. You need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to be fully rested. You need to take off at least one full day each week during which you don't work at all. You should take regular mini-holidays of two or three days each, every couple of months. You should take one and two week vacations each year when you relax completely and get your mind totally off your work.

5. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

The sixth key to high energy is the elimination of negative emotions. This can be the most important thing you do to assure a long and happy life. Your ability to keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want will determine your levels of health and happiness more than any other decision you make.

6. Start a Personal Mental Fitness Program

The seventh key to high energy is for you to go on a 21-daypositive mental attitude diet, one day at a time. Resolve that, for the next 21 day, you are going to keep your mind on what you want and keep it off the things you don't want. You are going to think and talk positively and optimistically about your goals, other people, and everything that is going on in your life.

7. Become a Personal Powerhouse

The more you practice the health habits we have talked about, the more energy and vitality you will have. The more you keep your conversation focused on your goals and on the things you want, the greater the amount of strength and power you will feel. You will be more alert and aware. You will feel more positive and action oriented in every situation.

For more FREE ideas visit Brian Tracy International

How to Lower High Cholesterol Naturally

2011-07-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

Cholesterol is an essential part of every cell structure and is needed for proper brain and nerve function. It is also the basis for the manufacture of sex hormones. Cholesterol is an essential component of the blood stream that repairs body cells.

As you see cholesterol itself isn’t harmful.

Danger starts when extra cholesterol is not efficiently removed from the blood stream and therefore there is too much cholesterol in the bloodstream. It leads to the formation of plaque, a sticky substance that accumulates in and blocks the arteries, which can lead to an atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attach, circulatory problems, and hypertension.

Tips to lower High Cholesterol naturally

•Include cholesterol lowering foods into your diet: apples (apple pectin lowers cholesterol levels by binding fats and heavy metals and removing them from the body through the intestine before they are absorbed through your bloodstream), bananas, carrots, cold water fish, dried beans, garlic, grapefruit and soy products.

•Use natural remedies and herbs such as spirulina, cayenne, and goldseal and cholesterol lowering supplements.

•Increase your dietary fiber intake in the forms of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Vegetables and fruits lower cholesterol level. Studies have shown that diet consisting of grains, fruit, and raw vegetables result in lower blood cholesterol levels.

•Use only cold pressed oils. Pure virgin olive oil appears to help to reduce serum cholesterol.

•Eat unsalted walnuts and almonds.

•Drink fresh juices, especially carrot, celery, and beet juices.

•Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Eliminate from your diet hydrogenated fats, such as margarine.

•Consume good fats which supply essential fatty acids.

•Consume low-fat diary products, and skinless white poultry meat, but only in moderation.

•Detoxification can also help significantly lower cholesterol.

•Do not consume candies, cookies, alcohol, nondairy creamers, processed or refined foods.

•Avoid smoking and excessive drinking.

•Get regular moderate exercise to combat a sedentary life, obesity and stress.

•Try to avoid or prevent stress.

•Learn stress management techniques.

•Practice yoga, qigong or meditation to relax and relief stress. Get Indian head massage or reflexology. Making time to relax and do the things you enjoy may help you achieve a lower cholesterol level.

Read How Stress increases Cholesterol level >>>

Stress Solutions For Women in Times of Change

2011-05-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Stress solutions for women in midlife dont need to be complicated neither create additional strain in the life of busy women. Your lives tend to be quite stresfull already. In addition to the stress related to trying to balance work, personal life, health and high expectations others or you have put on yourself, lately a lot of events have taken place across the world that could leave anyone, even the most laid back person, a little on edge.

Having stress in times of uncertainty and change is understandable, but worrying about things you have no control over isn't doing any service to you either.

Is stress a problem for you?

If you're ready to reduce stress in your life, knowing your sources of stress is the first step in your stress management plan which will help you to reach your stress reduction goals, whatever they might be.

One of the first things that you need to do when you begin thinking about stress management or stress reduction is to be aware what creates stress in your life.

One way to do this is to get out a piece of paper and write headings that correlate with various aspects of your life: your home life, your job, your family, your relationships, your hobbies, etc. Under each heading, write down the things that create stress for you whether it's your boss, your commute, not feeling satisfied at work, a family issue or any number of other things. In order to start creating solutions, you have to truly understand what the problems are. As your problems and stressors become clearer, it will be easier to set goals and establish boundaries that will reduce your level of stress.

Finding difficult to reduce stress for good on your own? Stress management coaching helps...

Improve Your Mood For Good in Just Five Minutes

2011-04-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

You have heard about the importance of de-cluttering from the past? And this is indeed the right approach in creating and living stress free balanced life. For many of us the past holds painful memories and ‘watching that old movie’ again and again can acts as a very strong stress trigger.

The worst aspect of the painful past memories, as I have noticed, is that they tend to overflowed our mind right in those importune, sad and ‘I am worthless/I will never be able to succeed’ moments. Many times instead of encouraging ourselves we continue beet ourselves down and act as our worst enemies.

Still there is a way how be can benefit: reduce stress, and improve our moods using our past a source of strength and inner calm. Sadness can change when you remember your true worth, when you recall the sources of your nourishment and pleasure.

When we know where to look we can use our armchair time travel as very nourishing and relaxing moments in our life.

The exercise is called The Five Finger exercise and was developed by Dr. David Cheek as a way to achieve deep relaxation and calm, while at the same time affirming our human worth. (and we women need that reminder time to time, needn’t we?)

The exercise can take less than five minutes.

Sit in a comfortable position and when you are ready start to focus on yourself….begin by taking in a few deep, relaxing breaths…breathing slowly….feeling the rise of your chest...as you inhale...slowly….and deeply...and feeling your shoulders gently fall...as you gradually….exhale...And each breath...in...and out...can relax you...calm you….reacquaint you….with the deeper parts of yourself….that you sometimes get too busy to notice…

Now take a deep breath and as you exhale and touch your thumb to your index finger.

Recall a time when your body felt a healthy fatigue, like how you felt after exercising, or just stepping out of a sauna or digging in the garden. Feel how heavy and relaxed your muscles are, feel the warmth and sense of wellbeing spreading throughout your whole body. Enjoy the scene and sensations for a minute.

Take another deep breath, and as you exhale, touch your thumb to your middle finger and recall the time when you had a loving experience, a time when you felt a strong, sense of closeness or connection. This could be a spiritual experience while you were alone or feelings of love toward another person. Take a moment to feel that feeling as vividly as you can now.

Now take another deep breath, and as you exhale, touch your thumb to your ring finger and recall a time when you performed very well, when you mastered something and received recognition or the nicest compliment you have ever received. Listen carefully; hear it right now. Take that sense of accomplishment in now, feel it fully and know that you deserve it.

Finally, take one more deep breath in and as you exhale, touch your thumb to your little finger and as you do, recall the most beautiful place you have ever been or imagine how such a place would look and feel if you were there now. See the colors and shapes; hear the sounds of that beautiful place: the roar of the waves or the wind playing in the trees. Take a moment to absorb the full feeling of this place.

When you’re ready, bringing with you the feelings you would like to feel for the rest of your day, come back.

Get more relaxation techniques for stress management here

Top 10 Reasons to Take a Multivitamin

2011-02-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

Multivitamins–do we need them or not? Multivitamins are the most popular supplements that are taken by a substantial number of Americans. So if you are on the fence about whether to supplement see if you fall into any of these categories that would justify supplementation.

1) Pregnant or breastfeeding women. Taking supplemental folic acid prior to and during pregnancy can reduce the incidence of birth defects. During pregnancy & breastfeeding it is hard to meet the increased needs of iron and other nutrients through diet alone.

2) Children. A supplement can help balance the diets of picky eaters or children with special nutritional needs or food allergies.

3) People with severe food restrictions, either self imposed or prescribed. Supplementation my help people who are on a strict weight loss diet, those who have eating disorders, or those who limit their eating due to social or emotional situations.

4) Strict vegetarians who abstain from dairy and animal products. People who don’t eat meat or dairy products will need additional B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, another minerals.

5) People who take certain medications. Certain medications can block the absorption of some vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, folic acid, and other B vitamins.

6) People over 60. Because inadequate stomach acid is common in older people this leads to a deficiency in B12. Also elders tend to get limited sun exposure to get proper vitamin D and there is an additional requirement of calcium associated with age.

7) Heavily stressed individuals. Stress can lead to eating a poor diet and a lack of absorption of particular nutrients so use the multivitamin as a back-up so you don’t miss anything vital in your diet.

8) Women with heavy menstrual bleeding. Women with this problem lose more iron and may need to supplement. It is best for women of child bearing age to supplement to ensure they are getting enough folic acid.

9) You have a gastrointestinal disease such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, or IBS. The disease may lead to a lack of absorption of certain vitamins, and food choices may be limited to manage the effects of the disease. These factors can lead to a deficiency of vitamins and minerals so supplementation may be necessary.

10) People with poor diets. Only a small amount of the population eats a healthy, balanced diet to get all their nutrients daily. Use a multivitamin to be sure you have everything you need on a daily basis.

Remember a multivitamin is not a substitute for a healthy diet, but an important complement to meet all your nutritional needs. Always consult with your physician first before taking any vitamins or supplements.

Source: http://blog.evitamins.com

Stress Prevention Tips

2011-01-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

Got stress? You are not alone!

The best way to deal with daily stress and burnout is to prevent it.

Do you wander about the first step?

Simply put yourself at the top of the list and embrace a self-care. We women tend to care for everybody else except ourselves. This might be the reason why we finish stressed out and tired.

Caring for ourselves requires proactive approach toward our physical, mental, emotional, social, professional, and spiritual health. Balanced, low stress life is a choice and your responsibility.

Click to read Simply daily practices toward preventing stress.

Ease your Fibromyalgia Symptoms with Yoga

2010-12-26T04:22:00.000-08:00

Symptoms of fibromyalgia, including fatigue, headaches, anxiety, muscle soreness, stiffness and sleep disorders, can be overwhelming to sufferers. However, some individuals are turning to alternative forms of self-care such as yoga to relieve symptoms. For people with fibromyalgia, moving the body may seem like the last thing they want to do, but studies have shown low-impact movements, such as those involved in yoga, may change the way the central nervous system responds to pain.

Exercise is frequently recommended for those with fibromyalgia, but many usually find that most activities are too painful to partake in. However, unlike high-impact exercises, yoga postures are easy to perform and can even be practiced in the privacy of your own home morning, noon or night. Yoga is also great for beginners because you don’t have to know all the poses in order to start. When practicing in the home, use a beginners’ DVD or join a beginners’ yoga class. With practice, moderate yoga postures can gently strengthen weak muscles, relieve tension, and improve circulation in the body.

Another plus to doing yoga is the benefit from doing breathing exercises. Breathing exercises can help lower anxiety levels, while also helping oxygen appropriately flow through the body and help provide nutrients to all cells. In addition, many individuals suffering from fibromyalgia have feelings of depression due to their constant pain and inability to enjoy life to the fullest. Learning to breathe properly through yoga exercises can greatly reduce the risk of depression.

Tips before starting your yoga practice:

◦Start slowly- Don’t begin a lengthy practice in the beginning; starting with a ten minute yoga practice in the morning is a great way to start your day.

◦Listen to your body- Don’t ignore your body when you feel worn-out. Pushing yourself through any exercise can lead into overexertion and ultimately defeat the purpose of the practice.

◦Keep a routine- In the beginning, sticking with low-impact poses like the downward dog or tree pose can really help you become accustomed to movement and relieve muscle pain.

Incorporating alternative treatments for fibromyalgia into your life like yoga not only helps physically but mentally as well. Meditation techniques are a huge part of yoga, which can aid in balancing moods and ward off depression and anxiety.

You might consider FibroFree Complex ™ in order to relieve localized muscle pain, soreness, fatigue, and nervous system hypersensitivity.

Source: nativeremedies.com

Autumn Wellness Tips | Optimum Wellness

2010-12-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

#1: Consider incorporating fresh ginger this week in a stir-fry. Just add a chopped tablespoon of minced ginger to vegetables, olive oil, and chicken, fish, or tofu and cook it up. Ginger has properties of being an antioxidant, supporting healthy digestion and helps to normalize inflammation processes.

#2: Your mind matters. Your body believes your every thought and responds positively to affirmative thinking. Focus your attention on loving thoughts and gratitude. Research shows a healthy attitude helps in creating a healthy body.

#3: Age less this week. Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables each day – raw, steamed, or stir-fired. Remember a diet high in vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cancers of the lung, colon, breast, cervix, esophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas, and ovary.

#4: Did you know that daily exercise can reduce all of the biomarkers of aging? This includes improving eyesight, normalizing blood pressure, improving lean muscle, lowering cholesterol and improving bone density. If you want to live well and live longer, you must exercise!

#5: Ride a bike this week for 30 minutes each day. You’ll burn roughly 300 calories. If you eat a small serving of fast food French fries you will ingest over 500 calories. It’s your call – enjoy your ride.

#6: 9 LIFESTYLE PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTHY IMMUNE FUNCTION

•Not smoking

•Increased intake of green vegetables

•Regular balanced meals

•Proper body weight

•7 hours of sleep minimum

•Regular exercise

•Optimistic attitude

•Reducing sugar and alcohol from diet

•Relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga

#8 Many of the most powerful phytonutrients are the ones with the boldest colors. Eat a lot of color in your fruits and vegetables. You are assured to get your healthy share of these protective attributes when you choose broccoli, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, grapes, and leafy greens. Season your vegetables with ginger, turmeric, and cayenne – all known for other health-enhancing properties. This week shop with color and health in mind.

#9 Remember there is no competition on the creative plane. Be original, live originally and give from the source of your originality . . . your heart.

#10 Include organic yogurt in at least one meal or snack this week. We love Greek-style yogurt, naturally high in protein. Yogurt can benefit your immunity, digestion, and be a great source of calcium. Add yogurt to your pancake mix this weekend, fruit for breakfast, and nuts for a mid-afternoon power snack.

Sourse http://optimumwellness.com/2010/11/08/autumn-wellness-tips/

Seven Keys to High-Energy Living

2010-11-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

By Brian Tracy

Energy is a key luck factor. For you to be at the top of your form, to be action oriented, fast moving, and extremely productive, you have to have high levels of physical and mental energy.

1. Eat the Right Foods

2. Watch your Weight

3. Exercise is Essential

4. Get Lots of Rest and Recreation

5. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

6. Start a Personal Mental Fitness Program

7. Become a Personal Powerhouse

Finding it difficult to do this on your own? Coaching helps…….

Join my mailing list and receive free weekly newsletter that includes features articles about stress management, work life balance, wellness and longevity issues, updates from my blog along with my notes and features products.

You can join the mailing list Click HERE.

Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Reduction

2010-10-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Mindfulness is a type of meditation that essentially involves focusing on your mind on the present. To be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present, without judging yourself.

Research suggests that mindfulness meditation may improve mood, decrease stress, and boost immune function.

How to Try Mindfulness Meditation

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.

2. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present.

3. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.

4. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.

5. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens.

6. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Get up gradually.

Sources:

Kabat-Zinn J. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

You might like to learn how conscious eating or an apple a day keeps your stress away

How to become a good Listener?

2010-10-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Listening well is a gift. All that's required is a little self-awareness, a good degree of patience and the discipline to keep your solutions to yourself, hearing out the speaker until it's your turn to talk.

Try the following tips to help you listen well.

1. Quieten your mind. When your mind wanders, gently guide your attention back to listening. Really try to take notice of what is being said. Pay attention to body language, tone and even what's not being said. If you notice yourself feeling bored or restless, take a couple of breaths to keep you in the present moment. Remember that listening well is one of the greatest gifts you can give the people you care about.

2. Ask questions. Most people want to jump in with a solution. Try taking a step back for a moment to find out more. Asking questions gives the other person the chance to talk through the issue in detail - which helps both them and you understand it better. Make your questions open ended where possible, for example 'How did that make you feel?' is better than 'Did that upset you?'.

3. Trust in the process of talking. More often than not, the talking process helps people work through their problem. According to Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, talking can improve brain function - which in turn means better problem solving.

In a study Ybarra conducted, he found that short-term social interaction (just ten minutes) boosted participants' intellectual performance as much as engaging in so-called 'intellectual' activities for the same amount of time. Allow the other person to talk uninterrupted for longer than you normally would. (If you're really jumpy and can't wait to break in, take two deep breaths before speaking or count to say, five).

4. Don't make it about you. When we're talking with someone close, we can sometimes feel inclined to make their problem ours. When my partner tells me he wants to move house, I notice myself thinking 'What can I do to make him happier living here?' when really what I need to do is listen to what else he might be saying.

I also need to be careful not to turn the attention back to myself and talk about my needs too quickly.

Let the other person hold the space - even for a whole conversation. At another time you can make a request to be listened to.

5. Empathise. There is nothing in the world that feels better than someone saying 'I understand.'

Even if you don't agree, try putting yourself in the other person's shoes for a moment or two. What might it be like to feel like they feel?

Being genuinely able to say 'I get it' is often all they need from you.

Finding it difficult to become a good listerer on your own? Stress management coaching helps…….

Why you should afford Massage?

2010-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Massage is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body and mind. Many people feel that it is an indulgence and a luxury they cannot afford.

I would like to share with you the reasons you will benefit from massage and I would like to offer some tips to help make it an affordable part of your health routine.

Why Massage?

1.It is healthy. Massage increases circulation and thereby increases the flow of much-needed nutrients and oxygen to your cells. Your immunity is enhanced by the stimulation of the lymph flow, your body's natural defense system.

2.Massage helps reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. When you experience stress, there are changes triggered in the body. These changes increase the likelihood that you will get sick and can also lead to more serious problems for all parts of you, including your heart and other vital organs.

3.It feels good. Massage will release your "feel good" endorphins. You deserve to feel good. It may also be the only time you really STOP and rest. You need to "turn off" the mind sometimes.

4.You will release pain. You may tighten up during the day, and your shoulders, neck and back end up aching. Massage will release the lactic acid build-up and hence, release the pain.

5.Massage can help heal injuries. It can relax inflamed muscles. It releases tight muscles and loosens scar tissue. It promotes your flexibility and can stimulate the production of natural joint lubrication.(If you have an injury, get the go-ahead for massage from your doctor and make sure you let the massage therapist know that you have a muscle injury.)

About the Author: Diana Fletcher is the Stress Reducing Expert Certified Life Coach, Author and Speaker. For more Stress Reducing Strategies, please visit her site at http://www.dianafletcher.com/

Are You Ready to get Heathy?

2010-08-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

We are personally responsible for our health.

Naturopath’s have said this for over 200 years (and years of experience proves this is true for anyone willing to test it); if we are plagued with disease it is our own doing and if we want to get back to health all we have to do is quite building disease. I want the best for your health and take this time to give your the best of researchers. Please make healthy choices.

I will start general so this may be review for some of you. One day the truth will be realized and that day is coming soon. Science and nature are coming together in quantum physics. The truth is the power to throw off disease is within the power of the body itself along with the function of the subconscious. According to the toxin philosophy every disease is a crisis of toxemia (self poisoning). This happens because toxins have accumulated in the body above the toleration point. The crisis(cold, flu, headache, cancer etc.) has occurred because of over worked channels of elimination. The body is trying to rid itself of toxins.

What is toxic about what you put into your body? What can you eliminate to assist the body in health?

I will leave it there and let you answer those questions.

Only one more: what are you willing to do to keep your health?

Finding it difficult to do this on your own? Stress management coaching helps…….

Join my mailing list and receive free weekly newsletter that includes features articles about stress management, work life balance, wellness and longevity issues, updates from my blog along with my notes and features products.

Healthy Aging: 10 Tips for Staying Young

2010-07-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them -- that is why you pay them.
Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
Enjoy the simple things.
Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county. Travel to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Top 10 Age Defying Foods

2010-07-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

Forget cosmetic surgery, the elixir of life is probably sitting in your fridge! Some foods are fantastically age defying, and better still, all are delicious, and some a bit naughty!

Blueberries

Blueberries are full of antioxidants, including vitamin C, vital for helping to mop up chemicals called free radicals in our bodies. Over a lifetime, the cellular damage caused by free radicals mounts up and can cause many health problems. Vitamin C also helps make collagen, the body's natural scaffolding, found in bones and skin.

Carrots

Carrots contain the antioxidant, beta-carotene, thought to help prevent and the spread of some cancers, particularly cervical and lung cancers. It protects your heart and circulatory health, too. Women who eat at least five carrots a week are nearly two-thirds less likely to have a stroke than those who eat them once a month.

Curry

Every time you tuck into your favourite curry, you may be diminishing the risk of developing Alzheimer's. Studies have found that a chemical in turmeric called curcumin, is effective in blocking the development of this degenerative brain condition.

Soya

Soya is full of potent antioxidants called flavonoids, which protect against many types of cancer including those associated with increasing age such as breast and prostate. Try soya milk, ice cream and yogurt instead of dairy.

Green tea

Green tea also contains flavonoids and helps kick starts your liver's detoxification system. It's protective against heart disease and cancers, lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of stroke and even combats the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Dark chocolate

Another high flavonoid food. Chocolate also helps keep blood pressure healthy and may even activate the immune system against cardiovascular disease and arthritis. But don't overdo it! Chocolate also contains lots of fat and refined sugar, which are bad for you.

Water

Replenishing moisture lost throughout the day is critical to your long term health. Drinking eight glasses of water per day can improve your memory, ward off disease, ease joint and back pain, and enhance the glow of your skin.

Red wine

A glass of red wine every few days may protect against heart disease. Alcohol stimulates insulin activity so you need less to keep your blood sugar stable. Moderate drinkers tend to have higher levels of healthy HDL cholesterol than non-drinkers. But moderation is the key: too much alcohol can seriously reverse these benefits.

Garlic

Garlic can all help the liver eliminate toxins and free radicals. Garlic is also known to help protect the heart, reduce cholesterol levels and stimulate the immune system. Unfortunately over consumption may not win you many friends!

Nuts and Seeds

A handful of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or linseeds contains high levels of omega 3 fats, which are great for your heart and have been shown to help maintain good brain function and ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds are best.

Power of the Law of Attraction

2010-05-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

If you truly want to create change in your life, harness the power of the Law of Attraction. "Anything that we've manifested in our lives, we have either consciously or unconsciously used the principles of the Law of Attraction," suggests motivational expert and best-selling author, Marci Shimoff

Shimoff shares her simple, three-step formula for manifesting what you want in life:

1. Intention: Be clear on what change it is that you want to make. What is it that you intend to have different in your life?

2. Attention: Align your thoughts, words, feelings and actions with that intention. For example, if you intend to get a new job, speak in positive terms about it, visualize yourself in that job, etc.

3. No Tension: Relax, let go and trust that the universe will take care of you and support you.

How to Break the Habit of Overeating

2010-05-14T02:49:00.003-07:00

Imagine that you have a tendency to eat an extra dessert or snack after dinner, or to eat dessert and snacks more often than you should. In this situation a lot of us would decide, "Oh, I'm not going to eat dessert anymore." That stringent commitment may last a couple of days, or, if we're really strong, a couple of weeks, and then we're back eating desserts again--maybe even more than before.

Another Way

Here is another way to approach the dilemma when you're interested in having a dessert. Rather than saying, "I'm never going to do it again," make a pact with yourself: "Look. You can have it if you want it, but release first."

The reason to release first is that all habit patterns are locked in by patterns of feeling. Certain feelings come up in our awareness, and the way we compensate for them is by taking a particular action, such as overeating. So when you release, you let go of the underlying cause or motivation for that particular habit.

To go back to our example, let's say you're interested in having a piece of pie. If you tell yourself you can't have it, you just get into a push-pull situation. You miss it, and then obsess over your missed piece of pie. You feel deprived. You do the boy-would-a-piece-of-pie-taste-good mantra, holding your desire in mind--and this merely builds up inner pressure. Then you end up having the pie anyway, or two days later you break down and eat two pieces of pie instead of the original one.

But if you first release whatever feeling is making you feel like you need to eat the pie, and then you let yourself have it if you still want it, it's easier. This creates the space to get into releasing around the habit, and you'll soon notice the habit drop away.

Rather than trying to fix or change your habit, make a pact with yourself that the next time you want to reach for a dessert, a snack or a food that is not part of your dietary regimen, you can, if you still want to after you release. You will notice that the habit will fall away gradually, or very quickly. So, experiment with it on your own, and you'll see that it's a very effective way of achieving or maintaining your ideal weight.

Get more info how to lose weight, quit, smoking, drop addictions and other Bad Habits

Food Sources of the Vitamins

2010-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Vitamin A

Offals, dairy products and shellfish as preformed Vitamin A. Green, yellow, orange and red vegetables and fruits in the form of carotene and some related carotenoids. Especially turnip tops, carrots, red pepper, spinach, watercress, endive, and mustard and cress. These have the highest values.

Vitamin C

All fruits and vegetables but with large differences in the levels. Blackcurrants, strawberries, spring greens, parsley, broccoli florets and green and red peppers offer some of the very best values.

Vitamin D

This is available preformed only in animal products, the best sources being eggs, butter, fortified margarine and fish and fish liver oil. Among the best fish are salmon, herrings, sardines and tuna.

Vitamin E

Vegetable oils such as sunflower seed oil and wheat germ oil are the most concentrated sources. After that come margarines, nuts and seeds.

Vitamin K

The nest sources are broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, green tea and turnip greens.

Thiamine

Vegetables and pulses are best, especially pumpkins and peas, followed by meats, fish and cereals.

Riboflavin

Dairy products come first, followed by fish, meats, seafoods and vegetables.

Nicotinic Acid or Nicotinamide

Fish, Meats, seafood, pulses, vegetables are the best.

Pantothenic Acid

Vegetables and pulses are best.

Vitamin B6

Fish and vegetables are by far the best.

Vitamin B12

Liver and kidneys are the best and after that mussels and mackerel.

Folic Acid

Vegetables are the highest by far with pulses next.

Biotin

Pulses and nuts are the highest, followed by fish.

DeStress with Fruits and Vegetables

2010-05-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants - important diseasefighting compounds that help to fight diseases and boost our immune system.

Fruits like oranges, grapefruit, kiwis, and strawberries are all excellent sources of stress-busting vitamin C.

The alkaline element in fruit combined with its acids stimulates the liver and pancreas, giving a natural laxative effect which we can call natural detox.

Dark green vegetables contain high level of B vitamins a group of stress-relieving vitamins that can also calm anxiety and depression.

The phytonutrients - carotenoids in carrots, curcumin in turmeric help to turn on your metabolism at the cellular level and regulate hormones that help control appetite. Use fruits and vegetables as snacks and use spices-cinnamon, turmeric, garlic liberally.

Try to eat more organic fruit and vegetables or at least from local farmers markets.

How to De-Stress Your Decision Making?

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Decision making can be quite stressful. But there some actions you can take which can make your decision making less stress and more fun.

1. Create a visual.

Try to 'see' the final outcome exactelly as you wish it to be.

2. Take your time.

If you're not sure about a decision, sleep on it. Meditate on it. Take your time. Don't rush. If you must make a decision hastily, take half an hour out of your day and go to your local park. Lie on the grass under the trees and let yourself completely relax. Quite often the answer will arise by itself.

3. Listen to your intuition

I can't emphasise this point strongly enough. For me things tend to go wrong when I ignore my intuition. Listen to those little niggles. Trust yourself. You really do know what's best for you. Even if you can't explain why.

5. Write it down

For bigger decisions like whether to take on a new role, start a business or move overseas, spend some time writing a paragraph or two of what that experience will look like once you're there. This process requires imagination - putting pen to paper helps you to think creatively. Often once you get to the end of your written piece you may find you've arrived at a place that isn't what you'd imagined.

6. Tell the truth

Let the people you work with know that you're inclined to change your mind. You have the right to change your mind, so have others.

If you’re concerned that stress is the culprit, it’s always a good idea to cut down on lifestyle stress and find some effective coping techniques for the stress that remains.

Morning Breathing Exercise

2010-04-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

Calm, regulated breathing will pacify your mind and counter the effects of the stress in which we live. Try this exercise next time you feel stressed and anxious, and notice the effect it has on your mental and physical well-being.

Start your day with a deep inhale after you turn off your alarm clock and stand up. Hold the inhale for five seconds, then exhale with an audible sound of release. Remember to take the sensation of rest into your standing body.

Your challenge this morning is to take a long, deliberate breath before each small task you do, from the moment you awaken until the moment you leave the house. Breathe at the toilet: one deep inhale and exhale. Breathe before you turn on the taps and splash your face with water. Breathe before you take off your nightgown or T-shirt. You get the picture! As you go about your morning, concentrate on breathing—it will slow down your day ever so slightly but help improve your efficiency and reduce your stress as you calmly focus on being present to the little tasks at hand.

Get more info about stress management tips and stress management coaching

Stress Reduction – Learn Productive Change

2010-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Dealing with change is about dealing with stress. Change is stressful and isn't always easy, especially when you doubt about where to start.

To help you through here are five crucial steps to productive change:

1. Take care of your health. When you're going through change, you tend to sleep less, eat more, drink more coffee or alcohol and stop exercising. Remember, you need to physically move to start moving the emotions of change through you.

2. Allow yourself quiet time. Sit with what is, even for just 10 or 15 minutes a day. That's when intuition starts taking over and you think, "Oh, I see this" or "oh, I should call this person."

3. Become less selfish. Change is very me, me, me, but the human spirit wants connection, unity, giving, sharing and love. Find a way to give, to share, and to be there for someone else.

4. No labeling. During change, everything seems black and white—this is a good change or that is a bad change. In reality, we don't know what the future holds.

5. Know that we don't live in an either/or world. You don't have to decide between the corporate world and pursuing your dreams, or between ambition and spirituality. We live in an "and" world.

Change isn't always easy, especially when you doubt about where to start.

Stress management coaching enables you to create balanced life by identifying the sources of stress in your life and equiping you with techniques to manage stress more effectively in order to reach the permanent stress reduction and work life balance results.

If you'd like to talk about coaching with me, please contact me directly at info@action4balance.com with a brief description of your situation.

Coaching is carried out by phone (you can connect from the comfort of your home or office) in English, Italian, Latvian and Russian.

Meditation for Stress Redution

2010-04-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Meditation is one of the alternative therapies methods. Meditation is considered as a simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states; a way to tranquillize the busy mind.

Meditation can be considered an antidote for stress, fears, worries and anxiety that we all go through.

Continue to read the article

When To Go Raw: Good Times to Go Raw

2010-04-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

There are definitely times and situations when going raw is much more likely to be successful (and enjoyable!).

You need to be fully on board with your decision; your mind, body, spirit and emotions all need to be up for the journey. If one isn't, then you'll soon know about it!

Here are a few brief examples of times when going raw will be easy and not-so-easy... knowing this might make things a little clearer for you if you are currently struggling.

Good times to go raw

In the warmer months
When you’re in a stable position emotionally and mentally
When you feel ready for bigger things
When you really want to
When you’re fed up with feeling tired and lifeless
When you’re body cries “help!”
When you want to transform your body and your life
When you have sufficient time to give to reading up and experimenting
When you have a burning need or desire
When your WHY is big enough and compelling enough to drive you forward

Want more raw expert ideas ?

Grab Raw: Your Biggest Questions Answered

The book is now available to instantly download. In no other book is such a wide range of raw-related topics discussed in such depth and by so many experts. The experts include Dr Brian Clement, Dr Douglas Graham, Thomas Lodi, M.D., Natalia Rose, Shazzie and Tonya Zavasta. Although, inevitably, the panel doesn't see eye to eye on everything, on many topics there is a much larger degree of consensus than you might expect.

For just £9.97 you can instantly download this book and tap into our panel's wealth of knowledge and expertise.

Click here to buy the book now.