Healthy Lifestyles for Today

Holiday Stress

2006-11-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

Most of us really love the holidays -- planning, preparing, spending time with family and friends. One of the things we don't seem to plan for is the stress. But planning ahead to have a stress free holiday season is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves.

I always find it is a great idea to make lists of what I want to accomplish. I choose what I can comfortably do in a day -- and mark off and appreciate what I have accomplished. More importantly though I visualize what I expect the holidays to be like and anticipate in the joy in advance.

Rather than rushing through card writing, really concentrate on your feelings and truly connect with the person you are writing to. Celebrate in your mind the past memories you have shared.

Don't let the holidays pass you by -- really enjoy them -- all the sights, sounds and fellowship.

Each day do something simple but relaxing just for you -- even if it is only five minutes to drink a cup of tea.

This year let's commit to having fun -- and getting through the holidays stress free.

Happiness is a Choice

2006-11-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

Why is it that we always look for happiness outside of ourselves? We try all sorts of activities, change our appearance, read countless books, etc. all trying to find happiness in the world, rather than within.

Author, speaker and coach Alexandra Watson has a wonderful site on creating lasting happiness. She is known as the "happiness coach". Happiness is something that needs to be cultivated from within. Only then we will find lasting happiness in our lives.

Please visit her site at www.AlexandraWatson.com.

Have a happy day!

Creative Visualization and Your Future

2006-10-24T08:29:00.000-04:00

Daydreaming is really an art form. Children know it instinctively and believe that they can achieve anything that they concentrate on long enough. As adults, we forget the power of daydreaming, of letting loose and letting our minds create limitless possibilities for our lives. We’ve let life and responsibilities interfere with our hopes of who we’d someday like to become, what we’d someday like to create and what we’d someday like to accomplish. We’ve allowed ‘someday” to be pushed so far out of our minds that we no longer believe we can achieve those things we dreamed about so long ago.

Dictionary.com defines daydreaming as “a dreamlike musing or fantasy while awake, especially of the fulfillment of wishes or hopes”. Without the ‘fulfillment of wishes or hopes’ life has little meaning. Instead we go through the drudges of life thinking that someday we’ll have time for ourselves, time to do all of the things we’d like to do, time to become the person we’d like to be.

The problem is that we’re caught in the middle. We’ve left our daydreams behind forgetting that life should be a fun and fulfilling journey. We’ve postponed our ‘someday” to when we retire, and we’ve left our responsibilities behind. Except that responsibilities are never left behind. That’s life; there’s always something we’re supposed to do. And so, we’re stuck in the middle, living life, going through the motions, with little time spent on fulfilling those dreams that once had so much meaning.

That’s when creative visualization and meditation techniques need to step in. That’s when we need to focus our concentration on becoming the best we can be. It’s time to let our imaginations go, follow our dreams and start on a journey of fun, fulfillment and self-actualization. It’s time to live up to our full and complete potential.

So what is creative visualization? And how does it relate to meditation? Creative visualization is simply setting our minds free, daydreaming and letting our creative thoughts flow. It is allowing our imaginations to run wild, setting us on a course of action we might never have taken. It’s about attracting into our lives those things that our hearts truly desire whatever they may be. Meditation allows us to reach a dreamlike state by relaxing our minds and slowing our brain frequencies. Together creative visualization and meditation allow us to focus on a life of fulfillment, a life we have first created in our minds.

Shakti Gawain in her book Creative Visualization talks about the steps of creating anything you would like to manifest in your life. The process is a simple one, yet one that leads to happiness, joy and the knowledge that we’re living life on our own terms. She defines them as:

1. Set Your Goal
2. Create a Clear Idea or Picture
3. Focus on it Often
4. Give It Positive Energy

Picture a goal you’d like to create or an outcome you’d like to achieve. It could be something material, a change you’d like to make, becoming more spiritual, improving your relationships – anything at all. Then form a clear mental image of that desire in your mind, complete with emotions, pictures, colors and as much detail as your can muster. Think of it as happening now, here in the present, already manifest in your life.

Throughout the day think of your desire, daydream about it, and meditate on it. It doesn’t take long, a few minutes here and there several times a day. Perhaps a morning and evening meditation with several minutes of quiet attention paid to that special desire.

Picture yourself as already having that desire, as already being, doing or having what you’d like to create. Let negative thoughts simply pass through without giving them any credence. Just concentrate on the positive, feeling it, seeing it, enjoying it.

Before long, you’ll start noticing some wonderful changes in your life. Things you’ve thought about will materialize; you’ll feel lighter and more relaxed; you’ll start accomplishing things you’ve always wanted to; your heart’s desire will begin to come true. You’ll be on a path of your own choosing; moving closer and closer each day to becoming who you’ve always hoped you would someday be. After all, isn’t that worth dreaming about?

Ginger to the Rescue

2006-10-17T14:48:00.000-04:00

For those of us who suffer from motion sickness, traveling can be a real problem. It doesn’t matter whether we travel by automobile, train, plane or boat; the result is the same. Overwhelming feelings of nausea, dizziness, and headaches prevail. We may even throw up. Closing our eyes and holding our heads steady may help temporarily – that is until we make the slightest movement. It also doesn’t help that after we’ve had motion sickness a couple of times, we assume we will again so are already waiting for it to happen.

Trying to focus on a particular object without moving our heads may give some slight relief. Breathing in fresh air and concentrating on our breathing also offers a bit of relief. But even after we’ve arrived at our destination, the feelings linger. It may take hours for these feelings to completely disappear.

Fortunately there is a natural remedy that has been proven over and over again to eliminate these sickening feelings when we travel. It’s Mother Nature to the rescue again. Its official name is Zingiber officinale; we call it gingerroot. The underground stem is what is used in health remedies and cooking.

Here are some wonderful benefits of adding ginger to your diet:

· Relieves nausea
· Relieves motion sickness
· Relieves dizziness
· Soothes upset stomachs
· Works as an expectorant for respiratory infections
· Supports the cardiovascular system
· Reduces inflammation
· Neutralizes stomach acids
· Limits flatulence
· Relieves muscle strain
· Relieves cold and allergy symptoms
· Stimulates circulation
· Relieves diarrhea
· Soaking in it relieves athlete’s foot
· Freshens breath
· Relieves stress

Fresh ginger can be sliced, minced or crushed. Ginger is available in pill or capsule form, powdered, crystallized and pickled. One of the great benefits to the pills or capsules is the ease in which they can be taken anywhere. Simply slip them into your purse and you’re ready to go. Ginger tea can be made by steeping the ginger is very hot water or you can purchase it in packaged teabags. Drinking Ginger Ale is also beneficial as long as it is made with real ginger and not merely flavored.

If you know you are going to be traveling it is best to start taking ginger the day before. It should also be taken approximately two hours prior to your trip. Continue to take ginger throughout your journey, and you will find that your motion sickness is a thing of the past.

Daily Motivation

2006-10-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I envy people who decide to make a change and then completely follow through as if it were so easy. I wish I was one of those people, but I’m not. I need continuous reinforcement. Whenever I want to lose a couple of pounds, start a new habit, get rid of some bad feelings or make any changes, I need to spend some time each day really focusing on what I want.

Do you feel the same way? Do you want to exercise more, create healthy recipes, meditate, lose some weight or start some positive, healthy habit? If you’re like me, you may need to zero in on one or two key goals you’d like to achieve, and then do something each and every day to motivate yourself.

It could be as simple as listening to some upbeat music that puts you in the right mood. Or maybe a special quote or joke will put a smile on your face and put you in the zone to accomplish what you want to. Perhaps writing the reasons your goals are important to you and then reading them several times a day will keep you motivated.

For me, I use a few different ways to motivate myself. I meditate each day and visualize what I want to create. I see it as if it has already happened. I also keep a list of all of my goals in my organizer and review them daily paying specific attention to the ones I want to work on that day. Listening to motivating tapes or CDs while driving also works great for me. In fact, I rarely listen to the radio. I prefer spending my driving time learning or listening to something uplifting.

So if you’re like me and need that continuous reinforcement and daily motivation, maybe finding a couple of ways to get yourself going each day will help. Constantly keeping your goals in front of you and focusing on them each day really helps to get that momentum going.

And, after all, you deserve to accomplish all that you desire in your life.

Give Up The Dieting

2006-10-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

Dieting is an obsession, a way of life for most of us. We feel that if we could just stick to a restricted plan for a given period of time, we will get to our goal weights and that will be the end of the story. We calculate how much we can lose each week and how long it will take to get to that desired weight. The reward at the end of the road is another special meal or dessert. Something sweet would be wonderful, and we are already dreaming about how it will taste.

One of the primary problems with dieting is that we are looking for a quick-fix, a one-time solution to a long-term problem. We try every kind of diet imaginable, find it isn’t right for us and go on to the next one. All the time we are feeling lousy about ourselves and our self-esteem is gone with the wind. Each time we start a new diet we are already in a failure mode. After all, we’ve gone off of every other diet we’ve been on.

Because we never think long-term, we are doomed to fail. This overwhelming desire for a simple “get it over with now” approach has cost us years. If we had just stuck it out, we’d be where we should be, right? If we had just gone ahead and stuck to the diet, any diet, we would be at our goal weight – and we’d be happy for life. Well, even if we did manage to obtain that goal there’s still the problem of maintaining it – that’s another story.

The problem isn’t only what we eat but our entire lifestyle. Addressing only one symptom won’t give us a cure to what is ailing us. The only way to truly achieve our desired weight, to overcome our lifelong battle with food and finally be able to look at ourselves in the mirror is a change in lifestyle. It isn’t just the food that’s ruining our lives. It is our attitude and our way of thinking about the “cure” to this addiction of overeating in our lives.

We need to stop dieting. We’ve got to start thinking healthy lifestyle instead. One of the problems with this is that we like our lifestyle of eating anything we choose. But if we keep eating what we’ve always eaten, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten – heavier and heavier. We need to once and for all make that difficult but magnificent decision to change our lives, not just the food that we eat.

Committing to a lifetime of healthy eating might seem a bit mind-boggling at first. We’re not talking about never eating those wonderful foods that we love so much – the ones that got us into all this trouble in the first place. We’re talking about a healthy lifestyle, a commitment to ourselves to be the best we can be.

Wouldn’t it be great to get up in the morning without hating ourselves? Think of all the things we could do that our weight prevented us from doing before. Think of all the things we could try that we were too embarrassed to try before. And what about having a great feeling about ourselves instead of having self-esteem that’s been trampled into the ground.

Maybe it’s time we forego the diet. It’s time to let go of the past and move towards a great future. We’ve already given up enough years to this obsession. So let’s pursue a healthy lifestyle instead.

Let the Sun Shine

2006-10-11T10:08:00.000-04:00

Not everyone is a morning person, raring to go bright-eyed as they wake up each morning. I must admit that I am a morning person, loving to accomplish lots of stuff before mid-morning. But I live with a bunch of night owls -- who much prefer doing things later in the day.

So what's a person to do? I find that leaving the windows open, regardless of the temperature really helps to perk up everyone's morning. If the sun is shining, what better way to wake up those sleep eyes than to have golden rays and beautiful colors glimmering outside your windows. Even if the sun doesn't shine brightly, the sounds of nature are just too good to ignore. Besides that, a cool morning breeze just feels wonderful.

When you wake up feeling great and enthused, your day is much more likely to follow suit.

Create Your Own Destiny

2006-10-10T10:29:00.000-04:00

We all like to daydream and fantasize what our lives could be about if only we were able to make our dreams and wishes come true. Is it possible that maybe we really do have some power over our thoughts, wishes and dreams to actually make them a reality?

That's what creative visualization is all about. It is about creating your life, your way and living life on your own terms. Now what could be better than that? Through focused attention, with enough positive emotion and energy, and with some practice, we really can create our own destinies.

So isn't it worth the time and effort to spend some quality time each and every day visualizing your way to success? The process is a simple one; the reward is a life of total satisfaction and fulfillment.

The Power of Attraction

2006-10-09T09:22:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard about the Law of Attraction? It really is an interesting phenomenon that like attracts like. So if you think positive thoughts, good things will happen. If you think negative thoughts, bad things will happen. So we actually attract things into our lives depending on whether our thoughts are positive or negative.

Have you ever had a day when you were just in a really bad mood and everything seemed to go wrong? The day probably started out poorly and then continued that way well until evening.

On the other hand have you ever had such a great day that everything seems to fall into place perfectly? These are the days when we are our best, as if we were on fire and nothing can stand in our way.

I normally have positive, uplifting thoughts throughout the day. My best days are when I stick to my normal routine of meditating three times a day. Each session doesn’t have to be long, just enough to rejuvenate me and keep those positive thoughts flowing.

Well, one day I really let my thoughts get out of hand. Someone had been particularly rude to me over and over again. He was just downright nasty to me, and I had no idea why. I actually had never even had a conversation with this person.

So there I was at work, thinking about this person and really being annoyed. I just kept thinking about it allowing myself to get more and more agitated. The result was that I was overwhelmed with bad thoughts, fell and broke my knee. I just couldn’t believe that I had done something so incredibly stupid when I know better.

I allowed someone who is not even important in my life to affect my thoughts. He has absolutely no significance in my life whatsoever. But I had allowed my mind to be taken over by bad thoughts – and wound up breaking my knee.

What a lesson I learned. We are in control of our own thoughts regardless of how anyone treats us. It is up to us to decide how we will react. Deciding in advance to think positive thoughts will set us up to have a great day. And when those bad thoughts do enter our minds as they will, we should just let them pass through without paying them any unnecessary attention.

So let the Law of Attraction work for you. Think great, wonderful, happy, positive thoughts and see what wonderful things will happen. At the very least, you’ll have a great day.

The Problem with Being Right

2006-10-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

This morning as with so many other mornings, I was cut off as I was driving to work. I find it absolutely amazing how rude some people can be – and how careless. My personal belief is that these are the people who would be the most offended if this were to happen to them.

So what does this have to do with living a healthy lifestyle? If I were to continue to dwell on this all day long – something I have done in the past – I would ruin my own day and affect my work performance.

But the truth is that the person who cut me off is never going to think about it. He/she has moved on and will not give it a second thought. So I now just take this as a fact of life – one of my three things that will go wrong each and every day – and get on with my life.

I am determined to choose and maintain my own moods and to be responsible for my thoughts and behavior. So if someone cuts you off or otherwise disrupts your day, move on and let it go. After all, the other person did. So you, and only you, are responsible for your own reactions.

A Lesson Relearned

2006-10-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

There are times in my life that I do something that I know is incredibly stupid but nevertheless do it anyway. This morning was one of those times. I had this craving to have a cheese Danish for breakfast this morning. Okay you say – what is so bad that that.

And here it is. My wonderfully sugary, empty calorie breakfast left me feeling absolutely, totally awful. Within 20 minutes of eating it, I was extremely tired and wanted to take a nap. Within 30 minutes, I had trouble concentrating. Shortly afterward, I had difficulty focusing and working on the computer.

Within two hours of eating this nonsensical, ridiculous breakfast I was in a terrible state of mind. I felt like crying and was totally and completely depressed. I basically ruined my own morning as I played with my blood sugar level.

I know not to eat this stuff – to stay away from garbage food. Yet I fell into the trap of eating something that looked and smelled scrumptious. Definitely a lesson relearned. If you want to look and feel great, you have to eat healthy.

Plan Ahead for Frustrations

2006-10-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

It is just a fact of life. Each and every day of your life something is going to go wrong or not according to plan. Here’s a great way to handle this in advance.

Assume in advance that three things are going to go wrong each and every single day. Promise yourself that you will not get upset about anything until after these three occurrences.

When this happens to me, I often find myself able to laugh things off that otherwise might have been upsetting. And I tend to sweat the small stuff less often.

The great thing about this is that you’ll prove to yourself that you don’t need to get upset, angry or frustrated each time something doesn’t go according to plan or something goes wrong. On the days when three or less things happen that are upsetting, think how great you’ll feel.

The One Percent Solution

2006-09-28T13:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, so you want to make some changes in your life whether it be physical, mental or spiritual. But when you look at the big picture you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you want to loose 50 pounds, look great for a reunion, interview for a new job, start on that exercise plan you've been putting off or really commit to meditating.

We all have things that we know would be great for us and make us feel better about ourselves long term. But sometimes the big picture can be down right depressing -- it seems as if the goal we set is just too big or too far away.

But tackling some big areas in our lives is really about small day to day changes -- the one percent solution. Commit to doing something today that is one percent better than what you did yesterday. You'll be surprised how much this adds up and pretty soon some amazing changes have taken place. And what's more the one percent keeps compounding so that a few weeks, months or a year from now your entire life has taken on a new wonderful direction.

Making massive changes or commitments may be hard. But one percent, well, that's certainly doable.

Living for Today

2006-09-27T14:25:00.001-04:00

It's great to look back at old memories and happy times. It's amazing how great memories can still put a smile on our faces. It's also great to plan for the future. I'm a big believer in meditation and creative visualization. I know that what I focus on with conviction can become my reality.

Both the past and the future are great places to spend time. But to truly make changes, we need to focus on today. Some of our goals take work, work that we choose to do to follow our chosen paths. And many things like health, well-being and vitality are something we need to spend time on each and every day.

But some things are just, well, not too pleasant to do. If you're trying to lose weight, it's not likely that you look forward to the challenge every day. Not all of us are enthused about exercise although we know with certainly that it is a necessity, not a luxury.

So each day, remember that to make our futures the way we desire them to be, we need to do what is necessary today. Not everything may be pleasant, but it sure will be worthwhile.

Daydream Your Way to Happiness

2006-09-15T14:10:00.000-04:00

It’s been raining here a lot lately, and I’ve found myself gazing out the window and daydreaming – just like I did when I was a child. Remember those days? Remember when you were a young girl, sitting in class and daydreaming? Your teacher probably told you to pay attention and stop daydreaming. Well, she was wrong. Okay, maybe she was right about not daydreaming in class but that’s it.

Daydreaming is fun, it’s relaxing and it expands who we are as women. When you daydream you allow your mind to just wander freely, letting yourself be or do anything you can imagine. Remember all those dreams you had growing up --maybe of being a ballerina, an Olympic gold medalist, a championship rider, an astronaut, a best-selling author. Well, maybe you didn’t achieve those dreams exactly as you wanted to in reality. But, then again, it’s not too late.

After all, it isn’t too late to take classes – to learn how to fly, to ice skate, to paint, to sing. It isn’t too late to go back to school and take those science, writing, math or computer courses. It’s never too late to expand your horizons and be that person you’ve always dreamed of being. You may not get exactly what you daydreamed about as a young girl, but you certainly can come close – or even soar beyond those wonderful dreams.

Maybe it’s time to let those dreams loose and see where they lead. Maybe it’s time to set that little girl you once were free so you can be the person you’ve always daydreamed you could be. And, just maybe, it’s time to dream some new dreams.

Running Scared

2006-09-14T11:47:00.000-04:00

Are their things in your life that you really want but are afraid to go after? It is a problem that we all seem to have at some time or another. That’s where the courage part needs to take over. We need to step outside of our comfort zones – that place that we prefer to live knowing just what to expect.

The problem with living in our self inflicted safety zone is that we will never be satisfied. We will always look back on our own lives and regret what we let pass us by – mostly do to our own self-inflicted fear. Because of this our self-esteem drops. This cycle continues until we rarely do anything special or try anything unique.

To truly find happiness and inner peace, we must take that shaky first step outside of our own comfort zone. Then, and only then, we will truly know what the world holds in store for us. The first step is the toughest but after that we can take another small step and another small step towards growing and becoming the person we really want to be. On this journey, we will find our true selves and tap into our full potential.

The Diet Dilemma: Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates

2006-09-12T10:48:00.000-04:00

We all want to eat healthier, feel great and live longer. We know that a proper diet is fundamental to a lifetime of health and well-being. The foods we choose help to determine our level of health and longevity. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to eat and why.

Choosing the right carbohydrates is important. There are three forms of carbohydrates – simple, complex and dietary fiber. The difference between these three is the amount of sugar units and how these sugars are combined.

Simple carbohydrates have a either one or two units of sugar. An example of a simple sugar, one with a single unit of sugar (called a saccharide), is fructose. An example of a double sugar, one made with two units of sugar (called a disaccharide), is sucrose. If you look at the ingredients on the labels of ordinary foods you buy at the supermarket, you will find these sugars in many of the every day items you buy. Some of these foods are table sugar, candy, soda, juices, syrup and jellies. Simple sugars are broken down quickly into the blood stream giving you a sugar rush. Although these foods may taste great, they have no nutritional value and are empty calories. These are the foods to avoid.

Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) have a string of simple sugars linked together. A starch is a complex carbohydrate that comes from plants such as seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables and grains. Whole grain breads are included in this category if they contain no refined flour. Complex carbohydrates fill you up, increase your energy and make you more resistant to illnesses. They take longer to be broken down so take longer to enter the blood stream. This gives you energy over a longer period of time, not a sugar rush. So when you eat complex carbohydrates, you help to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Dietary fiber is a polysaccharide like complex carbohydrates but unlike complex carbohydrates it does not get broken down by digestive enzymes. Dietary fiber comes from plants but is not digestible. Eating dietary fiber is important because it helps to maintain proper blood sugar levels. Some examples of dietary fiber are oatmeal, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, grapefruits and oranges.

By eliminating or greatly reducing our intake of simple carbohydrates we are well on our way to a healthy diet. Complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber provide the nutrients essential to a healthy lifestyle. Simple carbohydrates lead to a sugar rush; complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber fill you up, give you more energy and provide the necessary nutrition vital to your body’s health. For a healthy diet, make the switch from simple carbohydrates to complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber.

For further information on living a healthy lifestyle, please sign up for our FREE NEWSLETTER.

Use Stretching Exercises to Start Your Day Off Right

2006-09-04T20:38:00.000-04:00

Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling stiff and uncomfortable? It may be a once in a while thing like sleeping in the wrong position or may be an ongoing problem like a sore back. I know on many mornings, I have woken up walking like a zombie. I felt stiff, tight, and clumsy.

Here’s a great way to wake up those tight muscles. Try stretching in the shower. Yes, in the shower. The warm water will relax your muscles, increase your blood flow and make your muscles more supple.

Here are some of the benefits of stretching:
• Stretching both before and after exercising lengthens your
muscles
• Improves tissue flexibility and elasticity
• Increases blood flow
• Makes your muscles more supple
• Helps to prevent injuries
• Helps with your balance and coordination
• Improves your range of motion
• Improves circulation
• Helps to improve posture
• Reduces stress
• Helps you to wake up in the morning, feeling fresh and ready to go
• You can do it anywhere – even in the shower

Do you love a warm, soothing shower in the morning as much as I do? Isn’t it a great way to start the day? By adding just a couple of extra minutes to your morning routine, you can start your day relaxed, invigorated, warmed up and ready for anything.

Wouldn’t you feel great starting your day stress free with a warm and cozy feeling? You’ll feel more awake and optimistic. And you’ll also help to prevent injuries caused by stiff muscles and joints. And if you shower at night, stretching is a great way to get rid of the stresses from that day. So start your day off tomorrow with a warm, soothing shower and some stretching time. You’ll start your day off feeling great.

For a Healthy Diet Eliminate Simple Carbohydrates

2006-09-01T17:21:00.000-04:00

The world is full of simple sugars. Everywhere we look we are surrounded by a multitude of cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, ice cream and candy. Our sodas, iced teas and many of our water products are loaded with sugar. Sugar is added to every day items including cereal, spaghetti sauce and canned fruit. It is everywhere, and it is killing us slowly – bite by bite.

Obesity and diabetes are at epidemic proportions. Many of our schools now serve junk food and have food and beverage vending machines. We reward and comfort our children with food. We celebrate our accomplishments and good fortunes with a tempting meal followed by a luscious dessert. We eat to comfort and console ourselves chomping on sweets without even tasting them. We entertain and socialize using sugary foods as part of our camaraderie.

This obsession with sugar and other simple carbohydrates including white pasta, white rice and white bread is not only contributing to our waistlines but making us ill as well. We are prone to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other debilitating and deadly diseases. Overeating sugar leads to depression and cloudy thinking as well as other mental disorders.

For a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle, we need to dramatically reduce or eliminate sugars and simple carbohydrates from our diet. We need to eat complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber instead. Complex carbohydrates include seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables and grains. Dietary fiber includes oatmeal, peas, sweet potatoes, squash and citrus fruits.

Once these simple sugars are eliminated from the diet, other foods taste different to us. Fruits are sweeter, vegetables tastier and whole grain breads have a nutty sweetness to them. By varying the types of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber we eat, we find foods with different tastes and textures that we might never have tried.

Simple changes in diet can have a profound effect on our health and well-being. Choose to eat more fruits and less fruit drinks and juices. Try different varieties of apples, pears, cherries and other fruits. Let the season guide you as to what is best to choose at that particular time of year.

Have vegetables and/or salad with lunch and dinner. With the many varieties of lettuces and the vast assortment of vegetables, varying the type of salad prepared is easy, enjoyable, colorful and tasty. Try adding beans, seeds and grains to salad for added flavor.

Choose organic whole wheat pasta over white pasta, brown rice over white rice and whole grain breads over white bread. Not only will you notice a wonderful change in flavors and texture, but you will find yourself fuller, more energetic and more resistant to illnesses.

For a healthy diet, eliminate those pesky sugars and simple carbohydrates. Instead energize and revitalize your body, mind and spirit with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Your body will thank you for it.

Health and Beauty from Within

2006-08-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

It’s seems these days that women are obsessed with health and beauty. We try just about every product imaginable. We read loads of information putting us on overload. The more information we get the more confused we seem to become.

A key factor in health and beauty is to look within. When we value ourselves more and look to the positive, we will feel a greater sense of self worth. First we need to honor and value ourselves as women – trusting in our intuition and inner strength.

We need to stop running all over the place looking for just the right health and beauty products that will change us. Instead we should focus on health and beauty products and ideas that compliment our personalities and lifestyles.

Cooking With Kasha

2006-08-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

Do you eat the same foods that you grew up with? For about half of my life I did – eating the same foods I was used to, the same familiar recipes. Isn’t that what most of us do – stick to eating what we know?

To have a truly healthy diet you need to expand your horizons. You need to go out of your comfort zone of cooking and try some really great, really easy recipes using a variety of grains, beans, legumes, etc. By reducing the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet and replacing them with mouth-watering complex carbohydrates, you are well on your way to a healthier diet.

One of my favorite foods is Kasha—also known as buckwheat. It has a wonderful nutty flavor.

Here are some facts about buckwheat:
• Buckwheat is full of protein, vitamins and amino acids
• Buckwheat is a complex carbohydrate that will satisfy your
appetite
• It is gluten free
• It is a great source of dietary fiber
• Buckwheat is actually a plant
• It has no cholesterol
• It is almost fat free
• Buckwheat can be used as a main meal, a side dish or in soups,
salads and stuffing

One of the best things about Kasha is how easy it is to make. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Cut several onions or one large Spanish onion into thin strips. Sauté the onion in a small amount of olive oil until the onion becomes golden and caramelized.
While the onion is cooking, place one cup of Kasha in a separate saucepan. Mix in one beaten egg. Cook the mixture over medium high heat, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes. When the kasha kernels are dry and separated, it is time to add
some liquid.
Add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth to the kasha mixture and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
Mix the onions and kasha together and you have a great meal or side dish.

You can vary this easy recipe by adding some sliced sautéed mushrooms, celery or peas. Vary the vegetables by what you have available in the house.

To make life even easier, make a double batch. One night serve the Kasha using the recipe above. For another meal, cook up a pound of Bow Tie pasta and add the Kasha mixture. The sweetness of the onions and the nuttiness of the kasha make a great addition to pasta.

Learn to Meditate and Control Your State of Mind

2006-08-26T10:49:00.000-04:00

Control your brainwaves and you control your state of mind. By raising or slowing our brainwaves, we can altar how we think, feel and act. Meditation is the process of slowing our waking beta brainwaves to the slower states of alpha and theta. By learning to control these states, we can improve our health and well-being.

Brainwaves are the electrical movements in the brain. The frequency of these brainwaves can be measured using an electroencephalograph (EEG). Electrodes placed on the scalp measure the frequency of these brainwaves. From highest to lowest frequency, these brainwaves are called beta, alpha, theta and delta.

Beta is the waking, thinking state. During beta, brainwaves range from 14 to 40 cycles per second. In beta, an individual thinks and listens, can solve analytical problems, make decisions, and intake and process information. This is our normal state of mind when working, going to school and shopping. During beta our minds are the most alert.

Alpha is a slower state more indicative of relaxing and reflecting. During alpha, brainwaves range from 9 to 14 cycles per second. In the alpha state, an individual is fully aware of his/her surroundings but in a much more relaxed state of mind than beta. Meditation is often practiced in the alpha state.

Theta is an even slower state perfect for daydreaming and intuitive thinking. During theta, brainwaves range from 5 to 8 cycles per second. It is the state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state of mind, memories, thoughts and facts that eluded a person in a wakeful state can be recalled. It is often in this state that answers to problems seem to appear. Deep meditation and prayer are practiced in the theta state.

Delta is the slowest of the four states where sleep occurs. During delta, brainwaves range from 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. At the slowest delta level, sleep is deep and dreamless.

During our waking and sleeping hours, the brain moves through all four of these stages. At any given level, there is a range in brainwaves that effect how deeply we have entered that state. By knowing how these states function, we can knowingly enter a particular state and control how our thoughts are processed.

Meditation allows our minds to move through these states leading us to a healthy lifestyle. When we control our brainwaves, we control how we think, feel, reason and react. Relaxation, creativity and self-awareness flow naturally. As we mediate, our physical health improves as we move closer and closer to a healthy lifestyle. Consciously controlling our brainwaves is a step towards healthy living.

Finding the Right Weight Loss Diet

2006-08-20T18:12:00.000-04:00

It seems that women are always looking for a weight loss diet. Maybe you need to lose just a couple of pounds or maybe you need to lose 100 pounds or more. The common ground for any weight loss diet no matter how much you want to lose is eating healthy and exercising.

We all want that quick fix. We decide to go on a weight loss diet and expect miracles. The problem with waiting for a miracle is that it keeps us from reaching our goals. Quick fixes just don’t work. Even if you do lose weight, the weight will just come right back. To truly lose weight and keep it off you need a weight loss diet and an exercise program that suits your lifestyle.

Thinking long term and keeping your focus is really important. Think about the end result you are looking for and then design a program to suit your own personal needs. It is important to remember that you need to develop a plan that you can stick to for a lifetime.

Meditate Your Way to Self-Actualization

2006-08-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

Meditation is so easy to do that you will benefit from your very first session. The more you meditate the easier it will become. And as you start noticing changes in your life, you will want to continue the practice of meditating on a daily basis.

The more you meditate, the easier it is to reach an Alpha or Theta state. It is in these states that you will experience tranquility, serenity, inner peace, a clear mind, feel a sense of belonging, and find your purpose in life. It is here that you will feel connected to God and the universe.

As you start your journey of self-realization, you only need to spend 5 to 10 minutes a day practicing meditation. After a while, you will want to increase the amount of time you meditate to 20 or 30 minute sessions. You may even want to meditate more than once a day.

You may think that you don’t have the time. I used to feel that way too. But here’s what happened to me. I have always, absolutely positively needed 8 hours of sleep a night. Without 8 hours of sleep, I couldn’t function the next day.

I started meditating once a day for 20 minutes. Within a short period of time, I increased that to twice a day. I now meditate three times a day, 20 minutes each session. Since I began this practice, I only need 7 hours of sleep a night (one full hour less!) – and I feel more relaxed and peaceful than I did when I was getting 8 hours of sleep a night. So meditating did not take up any of my time – in fact, it made me feel more energetic and sleep better than ever before.

Meditating is so easy to do yet so rewarding. It won’t be long before you start to see some amazing results.

Healthy Eating without Pesticides

2006-08-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

Eating a healthy diet is so important for feeling and looking great. Without a healthy diet our bodies just deteriorate since they have nothing of substance to fuel them. For a healthy diet, eating organic foods is vital. Organic foods are healthier and more nutritious, and they are grown without harmful toxins.

One example is eating organic fruits and vegetables instead of traditionally grown fruits and vegetables. When you eat organic fruits and vegetables, you are eating wholesome, nutritious food grown without harmful toxins. When you eat traditionally grown fruits and vegetables, you ingest the toxins that are sprayed on the food. It is really no different than spraying bug repellent on your food before you eat.

When you wash off traditionally grown fruit and vegetables just prior to use, the toxins remain. They have already penetrated the outer layer and are now imbedded in the substance of the fruit or vegetable. The same is not true for organic fruits and vegetables. When you wash them prior to eating, you are simply washing away dirt from the normal growing process.

Always remember to wash off all fruits and vegetables especially since they were handled by so many people prior to getting them to market.

For a healthy diet, choose organic fruits and vegetables.