January 2008 Add 14 Years To Your Life

According to a study published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine (London) people who did the following lived an average of 14 years longer than those who did not:

• Don't Smoke
• Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables
• Exercise Regularly
• Drink Alcohol in Moderation

Interestingly, the benefits of these behaviors were seen whether people were fat and what social class they came from. The study included more than 20,000 people aged 45 to 79 years, from 1993 to 2006.

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

The latest issue of Sunshine Horizons (from the folks at Natures Sunshine - a high quality line of supplements and herbs) offers the following tips for a Healthy Immune System:

• Get enough sleep
• Wash your hands often
• Eat nutritious foods, especially those high in Vitamin C
• Avoid unhealthy foods, particularly those high in sugar and overly processed foods
• Get adequate exercise
• Avoid alcohol and cigarettes
• Avoid excessive sun exposure
• Avoid exposure to pollutants and toxic chemicals

They also suggest that according to experts the following eight factors are the leading causes of disease. Although the more health issues you suffer from, the higher your risk of disease...as you eliminate or address the causes your risk of disease is reduced.

1. Deficiencies
2. Immune Dysfunction
3. Injuries
4. Contaginons
5. Genetics/Age
6. Toxins/Free Radicals
7. Abnormal metabolism
8. Stress

Check out the various articles in Learn About for idease to help you create a healthier, happier life!

THE PERFECT EXCUSE FOR A NAP!!

There is growing evidence that napping has health benefits, including being good for the heart. A study of 23,000 people in Greece showed a 37% reduction in heart attacks among people who napped at least three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Dr. Robert Downey, chief of sleep medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California suggested to increase altertness you should probably nap for 20 to 30 minutes. After 30 to 40 minutes the brain goes into still deeper sleep and you can awaken more groggy than rested.

BEAUTIFUL SKIN ALL WINTER LONG

Cooler, dryer air can contribute to dryer skin, and can result in itchy, flaky skin. To keep your skin looking and feeling good:

• Drink lots of water to flush toxins from the body and maintain skin moisture
• Keep your skin clean and moisturized
• Eat right...but if you don't take a good multivitamin
• Vitamins that are good for the skin include: Vitamin C, which supports the formation of collagen and Vitamin E which can help protect the skin from damage due to wind and environmental pollutants
• Ascorbyl Palmitate, a unique form of Vitamin C, can be used internally or externally, to support the upper layers of the skin
• Alpha Lipoic Acid has been shown to protect the skin and diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and relieve under-eye puffiness...it can be used both internally and externally.
• EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) like olive oil, flax seed oil, fish oils and evening primrose oil help maintain skin moisture

A New Year, An Opportunity to Begin Anew…

The beginning of a new year is a great time to make the changes in your life that you have been thinking about making…a time to try new things, approach life with a new perspective. Words of inspiration and wisdom always help to motivate me... here are some new, and old, favorites that I hope inspire you to create positive change in your life in 2008!!

“If you want to succeed in your life, remember this phrase: The past does not equal the future. Because you failed yesterday; or all day today; or a moment ago; or for the last six months; the last sixteen years; or the last fifty years of life, doesn’t mean anything…All that matter is: What are you going to do, right now?
~Anthony Robbins

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
~G. K. Chesterton

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
~Oprah Winfrey

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.
~Ellen Goodman

One resolution I have made and try always to keep is this: To rise above the little things.
~John Burroughs

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years.
~Henry Moore

Choose a “word of the year” every year – Gratitude, Generosity, Creativity, Courage – and let that word guide you through the year.
~Christine Kane

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.  To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.  To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."
~Henry David Thoreau

Tips for Creating Purposeful New Year’s Resolutions

More than 70% of people make some kind of New Year’s resolution, though a very small number actually follow through. Here are some tips from the book Rat Race Relaxer:Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey to help you to create realistic and attainable goals:

1. Is your list the same or a similar list to the one you wrote last year?
2. How many years have you used this same list without achieving the results you sought?
3. Are you setting goals to please others or to please yourself?
4. Why did you set each resolution on your list? To answer this WHY question, consider the following:
   Why do you want to accomplish each goal now?
   What specific steps will you take this year to achieve your resolutions?
5. CHALLENGE: List at least ONE thing you will do differently than you have ever done before to make your dreams a reality in 2005!

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Carey4.html

Other ideas for making your resolutions a reality:

1. Write it down
2. Analyze the impact it will have
3. Visualize the outcome
4. Create a deadline
5. Have an action plan for each resolution
6. Take action
7. Treat yourself when you accomplish the goal
8. Stay motivated
9. Review your progress
10. Don’t quit

Looking for Resolution Suggestions?

• Look outward instead of inward by taking the focus off of yourself and by doing good for others.
• Spend more time doing and less time thinking about doing!
• Learn something new every day – read, discuss, research!
• Listen more than you talk.
• Try a new hobby or activity.
• Take a new approach to an old problem.
• Learn to accept praise, and also how to give it.

Words of Wisom from Louise Hay: Stop The Pain With Love
 
No matter what we’re doing, or not doing, we are thinking. Our thoughts shape our life! This is why it’s imperative to take control of your thinking. You can stop choosing thoughts of pain.

Here’s a great exercise to do: once a day write down 10 things that you love. Do this first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Verbalize the things you love. Also, if during the day you find yourself thinking thoughts of pain, or saying “I hate (fill in the blank)”, take a breath and say, “Enough of that. This is what I love.”

Try this for a month and your life will explode with good experiences. Remember to be grateful and be sure to say: “Thank you! Thank you!”
~Louise Hay

Stay Healthy: Protecting Yourself From Colds and Flu

Soap and Water - Most colds are transmitted by shaking hands. So wash often...liquied dishwashing soap is up to 100 times more effective than the anti-bacterial variety, including hand sanitizers.

Probiotics - There is growing evidence to suggest probiotics can reduce respiratory symptoms and boost immunity. Try eating live culture yogurt or milk containing lactobacillus.

Exercise - Walking appears to increase immune cells in the bloodstream, leading researchers to theorize that regular exercise can fight off germs. One study found that active people had 25% fewer colds than others.

Fruits & Veggies - Carrots, pumpkin, squash, spinach and broccoli are packed with immune-boosting cartenoids. All fruits and veges are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that will keep you healthy year-round!

Avoid Germs - Anything a sick person touches can get infested with germs, including money, mail, ATM kepads, credit cards, door-knobs, telephones, handrails, etc.Use your own pen when signing receipts and such, and use it to punch numbers on the ATM.

Vitamin C - Eat fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruit and tomatoes. There is mixed evidence that this vitamin can help to reduce colds (as Linus Pauling claimed), but at the very least you are eating healthy foods that will support your body!

Echinacea - Again, mixed feedback on this one...some people swear by it, but medical science has not yet proven it to be effective to prevent colds. It is said to increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells. If you decide to use Echinacea read the label carefully as it is usually suggested you do not take it for extended periods of time, and you should not take it if you are having surgery.

Green Tea - A 2007 study found the ingredients in green tea can enhance the body's immune system by 28%. The antioxidants in green tea are said to be 100 times more effective than vitamin C.

Zinc - Mixed study results on this mineral, but some results showed zinc may reduce cold symptoms by a couple of days. I have used and recommended a product by Kal, LoZINCges, which contain zinc, vitamin A, and bee propolis, and for over 10 years has helped me and my family avoid or lessen the severity of cold symptoms. See Recommended.

Sleep - Research links chronic sleep deprivation to high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems. When you don't get enough sleep, the body's T lymphocytes, which help destroy infections, don't work as well. So get 7-8 hours each night. For more tips: Sleep Well

~Jan Jarvis of McClatchy Newspapers