Confusion is more common than you think.

Is getting healthy over whelming for you? You are not alone as so much bad information is served up to us every day on many platters. Also, taking into consideration that most of us are fed up with being unhealthy and suffering with health problems, and of course dealing with unhealthy symptoms. Being this frustrated with unhealthy living leads us to do one of three things, it either motivates us to make a healthy changes after doing our homework, doing nothing, or buying into something that sounds too good to be true, meaning it most likely is!

If I had one wish it would be for people to live their lives in the grey area, you know a life of moderation. This could prevent frustration, deprivation, and keep us on the right track, mostly because it would not be one of those all or nothing propositions!  But somehow we tend to fall into the all or nothing mentality, and then we are only able to stay on track for a short period of time.

Getting back to basics with our health is obviously the key. Better diet, more exercise, more sleep, better stress balancing and moderation of all the things we should not be doing... Of course some of the really bad things should most likely go all together.

I also like the put it in reverse theory, where we do the opposite of the things we are doing now in different categories to bring about a better outcome. For example, if you eat no vegetables, eat them. If you do not exercise, exercise. If you eat too much junk food, don't.. and so on...Sounds basic and simple, and it is... I think if we would stop adding so many bells and whistles, and get back to basics, we might just be effective this time, and all times moving forward.

Do I need to consider supplements?

I am often asked how do I know if taking supplements is for me. I guess there was a time when the supplement industry was a luxury, or the in thing to do, but today we have created a world of unhealthy people that need a way to fill the nutritional gaps.

We have all come from a place where food was food, we ate to rebuild and replace the nutrients lost during the day, and to provide our body with the tools to keep healthy and to function in a healthy way. Today we no longer eat to live, we live to eat, and none of it is providing us with the values our bodies need to survive in a healthy way. The time when being older age meant the breakdown of our bodies, and that because of age only the inevitable risk of disease was a reality has dramatically changed. We are now experiencing disease and health disorders, once present in only the geriatric years now visible in all age brackets and personally I feel we are responsible for this situation.

We do not rest our bodies, exercise them, de-stress and decompress out stressed out emotions, we choose food stuff and processed fast food over real foods and we dramatically push our bodies to the limit with no regard of the toll it takes on our future self's. We then gravitate to as many of the symptomatic quick pharmaceutical fixes that are visible on drug store shelves, as we are annoyed with the symptoms of the health problems we have personally created for ourselves and do little to nothing to get to the cause, or to fix the problems that got us here in the first place.
So when I am asked about eating healthier, exercising, getting more rest and balancing ourselves with a more positive outlook and using supplements to fill the amazing gaps in our health, the answer is always a resounding YES!

On your mark, get set... go!!

It is that time again.. The end of the year, holiday, eating out of control, stressed out season..It is a fun time of the year, but many of us pay the price for a few months into the new year, a time when we are supposed to be getting healthier! Although our hind sight gets very clear after the fact, maybe a few small tips or changes or adaptions could make it a little better in long run.
   First, diet.... Just because there are plates of cookies and cakes and candy out on every table does not mean you have to eat your fill, or eat them at all. It also does not give us the right to stop feeding our body with healthy food...Vegetables, fruits, healthy protein and whole grains are still important, and we do not get a free pass to ignore them.
  Second, sleep..You need it, and without enough of it you will get run down, stressed out and sick. If you need to use some herbal supplements to get a good night of sleep, please do, they work wonderfully.
  Third, slow down, chill out, and decompress. Everything will get done, and if it does not, so be it. The stress we have that we cannot control is hard enough, putting added stress on your life and mind can be controlled. You may have to say No once and a while, it is what it is, and your body will thank you for it.
  Fourth, take your supplements, drink your 8 glasses of water whether you are thirsty or not, and take some me time to keep balance in your life.
  If you have a history of being sick every year, get to the best quality health food store in your area and adjust your supplements to help guide you through this crazy, fun and sometimes out of control season.
On your mark, get set...

here we go!!!

Hot weather preparation....

The summer heat is upon us, and protecting our skin is only part of process of being"summer ready:. Today sunscreens have become a part of our lives as the incidence of skin cancer has become more common, and more serious. There are many sunscreen products to choose from ranging from light protection to the heavy duty where you are basically wrapped in protective armor. Finding the best, healthiest and less chemical based choices should be a big part of your decision making process. For the longest time drug stores were our primary location for picking them up, but today your local health food stores have amazing choices that are not only protective, but good for your skin.

It seems like holidays, and mostly those outdoor holidays like this weekends 4th of July holiday are the events when people tend to remember to use sun screen because they are outside in the sun, at the beach at the water park and feeling the heat on their skin. We need to remember that our skin is exposed everyday, year round, holiday or not. I  personally started applying a natural sun screen to my face, neck, arms and of course being follically challenged, the top of my head every morning. The sun does not care if it is a holiday or just a regular day, damage can occur anytime, and you do not want to be one of those people saying I should have done that.

Next on the hot weather preparation list is the addition of electrolytes to enhance the beverages we drink. Now I am not talking about the sugar, chemical, well advertised sugar drinks that we are instructed to drink, I am talking about adding healthy electrolytes to our beverages to get what we are actually looking for. This not only allows your healthy beverage to benefit your body and replace essential fluids, but at the same time give your body the essential minerals it needs to work in hot weather.
Being outside in the summer can be fun, great exercise and a wonderful way to be with family, friends and our pets. Make sure to prepare yourself for the challenges of the hot crispy weather. A little preparation can make a world of difference.
Happy Holiday weekend!!!
Be safe..

Back in the saddle again!

Finally.. I am back with my blog again..It is truly amazing how many projects we get started and then notice that many of them are getting little to no attention.

So many things going on in my life now, be careful of what you wish for, as they may all come to reality at the same time, but blessed I am to be doing what I love.

I thought I would start today with just an, I am back note and tomorrow start with daily bringing some hopefully good information that all of us can use. Have a great day and remember to put yourself in the number one priority seat, because you deserve it!

Motivating change

Sometimes I feel that when we say we are looking for a change, and we are thinking that we are tired of something we do every day, in my heart I feel we mean it. I mean we do want something to change, but I think we fall short with the actual work involved in getting the change to become reality.

Is it because we are creatures of habit? Maybe. Is it because we are too busy to fit everything into our schedule to give the change the focus it needs? Possibly... I think the real reason is we tend to Not do our homework, Not ask the questions necessary for us to be successful, and last but not least, I think it takes almost a do or die situation to light a fire under us to follow through.

Think about it, you have an emergency that takes you to the hospital, and close call medical situation, a bad blood or cat scan report, or your routine changes drastically because you are all of a sudden to sick to do what you normally do. These tend to be extreme motivators, and many times  they are exactly what someone may need to move forward.. Sad, yes it is, but somehow we now need these close calls to stimulate change. Change is no longer just a great idea, or something we Should do, it now needs to be something we have to do...

I think that if we adopted just a common sense approach to life and change, we might not end up in the do or die situations.

Every moment is important

 

 

 

Over the years I have heard,  actually from the time I was quite young through high school, that life is way too short. I guess I compartmentalized this saying with all the other cliches and phrases brought to my attention throughout my entire childhood, until I needed them I guess, or when had the ability to seriously comprehend them. Personally, growing up I tended to spend more time with people that were much older than I was, and I think I am a more informed adult for it, because I tried to listen and learn from others success and mistakes.

Today I think we all tend to deal, live and prosper in the moment, or only in the past. We have learned to live for life's quick gratifications, and we have learned to dwell in the past for those great stories and experiences, or even the bad experiences or memories that we are unable to let go of and move away from. I think that living in the moment, as well as dwelling in the past can cause us to slide through life with blinders on, and I feel it is a major reason we miss a lot of other great experiences. I understand the overwhelming stresses we face daily, of course I have them as well, but letting them run and control your life is unhealthy. I also know that trying to live from experience to experience has caused me to miss a lot, and some of the good things were right under my nose and I stupidly let them zoom right by.

My Grand mother said something very memorable to me one time, and I will always remember it. She said life is just a series of seconds, moments and minutes, and that I should try to hold onto and enjoy as many of them as possible. One  day, later in my life I recalled the day she said this to me and I remembered the information she passed onto me. Since then, it has allowed me to have so many wonderful, and  memorable moments that were right there in front of me all along, that now I was able to enjoy.  The alternative is to put all of our eggs in one basket, and sit around waiting for that  time when our so called ship will come in day finally happens. If it does, make that day the cherry on top of an incredible sundae day, rather than waiting that one moment to be the actual sundae! Do this by enjoying every day up till that day happens.

 

My moral to all of this is to enjoy everything. Learn from all of your experiences, good and bad. Make sure you are learning from everything you experience, and taking knowledge from everything you do. In a short period of time you may just be able to discover how to have more of the great experiences and less of the bad ones, although all of them come with lessons to be learned.\

 

Celebrate life every day, and make amazing memories every day... all day long!