Election stress.

 

 

 

 

I know we are all faced with stress on a daily basis. Some of it we are responsible for, because of our life choices, and some that comes at us directly that we cannot control. This time of year, going into the stressful time of the year we are faced with another layer of stress..Elections.. And oh how they are taking up every aspect of our life, in every form of media, and doing it in a way that drives me insane...

Seriously, I do not ever remember it being this ugly, this hurtful and this obnoxious. I get it, the country is in the dump, and we need to do something different than what we are doing, whether with the same administration or a new one. The negative ads are something that I seriously wonder how we just turn off November 7 Th? I guess it is a lot more visible today with all day news shows, newscasters debating every word and every issue and everything every candidate says. Then we have to hear the dissecting of every speech twenty four hours a day, and always with a party preference by the broadcaster, depending on what net work you watch.

My solution, when the candidates are chosen, they each get a maximum of 1, 000,000 to use on their campaign, and all the other money raised goes to schools, infrastructure or the building of parks or cancer research. This way the candidates will have to make every word count and only the true reason they should be elected will be brought forward. We can have the debates and then make our choice. This will bring us back to a time when there was no Internet, no speed of life reporting, no 24 hour a day breakdown of words and we will have to make our choices on change, issues and trust.

This just may balance the nations stress level out a little so we can concentrate on the other stresses that need our attention. It may also create a trend towards unifying the country, rather than dividing it. Of course, great diet, good supplements, and getting sleep, well that just goes without saying...

Stress..

How is your stress level? Are you someone who is lucky enough to thrive on stress, or find it motivating, or are you an individual that gets sick, worried and overcome with things you may or may not be able to control?

Stress has become a "go to" word for many people. It has become a word that is thrown around as much as hello, and sometimes I think it also ends up being more of an excuse for disorganization, procrastination or just lack of organization. Is stress truly a "real" issue, of course, but many times there is an intensifying of the actual issues because we are in a state of such ill health that things that overwhelm us today, thirty years ago would have been considered mole hills, compared to today's mountains of stress.

When you look at the world today we are eating totally deficient diets, getting no sleep, taking on more than we can handle and then living in bodies that are totally abused and most often from our own choices, vices and forks.

When I am asked about the best supplements that can give relief or supply a benefit for stressful lifestyles, I often recommend the nutritional supplements last. How could I do that knowing how unhealthy we are? My opinion is that supplements are added to our diet and lives to "supplement" the daily routine, not fix or allow you to continue to be bad to yourself and let you get away with the mistreatment of your body, I believe changing "US" first is the only way to go.

When stress is an issue, of course basic supplements are essential but life and habits are first and primary for change. Number one, drink more water, number two, get sleep. number three, exercise, number four cut out junk food, excess sugar, over consumption of starchy white carbohydrates, sodas, candy, trans fatty foods, and of course adjust the vices like smoking and drinking. Just these modifications can change the course of your health dramatically. When these, or even some of these changes are made, bringing in supplemental nutritional supplements at that point will allow you to see the changes you have only dreamed about.

The last quarter of the year is upon us....

The last quarter of the year is upon us and many of us will fall into the hustle, bustle and craziness of the holiday, stress and end of the year busy season. How many of us will fall prey to the flu and cold bug, and end up in the quick care or at your Doctors office looking for anything available to make you feel better? Year after year we get sick and swear that we will prepare ourselves next year, and when sick we will say out loud, if I only get over this I promise to take better care of myself. Sound familiar, of course it does because we all say it, do it and live it year after year.

When I am asked what to do to prepare for the upcoming season I have learned that the easy and direct path is a better course of action for me to express the basics that we should already be paying attention to all year long. I start with the most basic, and most commonly overlooked step, water consumption. We do not only need water in the summer when we feel the dehydration after five minutes in the heat, we need it all year long. When people get sick in the winter and end up at the Doctors office almost a hundred percent of us are low in moisture, and if there is a fever you will sweat out any reserve you have built up. Dehydration does not only cause cramping of muscles, but can stop your heart, affect your sugar level and cause devastation to all of your organs especially your kidneys, besides prematurely wrinkling your skin.

The second basic thing I speak about is sleep. Very few of us get the sleep we need, and if we do, many times we wake up more tired or just as tired as when we went to bed. Stress, too much on your mind and exhaustion can cause you to be over tired and can make it difficult for you to get the needed quality sleep you need. If this is an issue talk to your nutrition people about formulations, natural ones that can allow you to get into a deep constructive quality sleep every night.A tired, weak, low energy body is a gold mine for a virus or bug to take up residency.

The third is exercise. Anything that keeps you moving, active and reduces stress will work. It also has a direct relationship with building a solid immune system and building healthy fighter cells.

The last is diet. You know what you should eat, and you know what you should not be eating. Just remember to shop the perimeter of your grocery store, and stay away from the center, as that is where all the low quality foods are. Instead focus on the vegetables and fruits, healthy dairy, quality protein and healthy grains. This way you can do nothing but the right thing for your body as this is quality fuel your body needs and you will feel and enjoy.

If you get this far and are on the correct course, go to your health food store and check out a great whole food multiple, an antioxidant formula, a wellness product, some Omega 3 fatty acids and keep in mind the alternatives that are available just in case a bug gets by you. Remember, you may still have a bad day here and there, but that is so much better then an entire season of feeling terrible.

Technology...Friend or foe?

I am an advocate and follower of technology, but when does technology go too far? I love the idea of being able to do research in a moment, and have all the information I need at my fingertips. I think the idea that I can be almost anywhere and have the availability to be able to do a radio show, call a friend, get information or be in touch or available by my phone. I also like the idea that I can have a phone for my elderly Mom where she can be reached, or reach me if something good or bad happens. I guess where I start to have a problem is when we have passed by normal social skills and the devices have become more important than interpersonal relationships.

I posted on my Face Book today of a recent visit to a restaurant where a family of five sat across from me, and after ordering their phones and I Pads came out. From that time, through dinner and up until they left not a word was spoken, nothing, not one word. I also, in my post said I was brought up at a time when I would never thought of bringing a device to the table. The table was conversation time, talking about the day, the night before, upcoming events, school and just getting caught up. Although we did not have the technology, if we had at that time, I think manners and etiquette would have won out. Today, social skills are lax, respect is at an all time low, and customer service is almost non existent. I remember I tried one time to bring my "computer of those days", my etch a sketch to the table, I never did it again. You would have thought I started a world war, but I never tested those waters again.

Is it that we just do not care about how rude we are, or do we just get so entranced with the devices that we just lose all track of manners and social obligations. I fear that today's  friendships are just based on totally different levels? I am sometimes just perplexed how we will do anything to have our devices close at hand, or in hand,  and we have totally convinced ourselves that without them , or checking in with them continuously, we will be out of touch. I guess I get it a little, I have friends that have gone out of the country on a cruise, where a signal was not easy to find and for a few days they actually went through withdrawal. They said for two days the were in a total funk and did not enjoy anything they had planned. The third day they started to realize how ridiculous this was, and by the end of the trip they could have cared less about their phones. They also said, almost in the same breath, that once back in the satellite area it took almost no time at all to be back in the world of smart phones.

Will it get better or worst with our reliance on these devices, worst for dependence, better for the technology is what I think. Will our manners and priorities go back to where they were? I think the jury is still out on that...