Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tuesday's Tip! Hydration

Even those of us who are focused on our heath and aware of what we eat can sometimes underestimate the importance of how much water we take in. Here are some of the many reasons why good hydration is essential to good health...
Your bodies hydration can affect your: Energy, Digestion, Regularity, Blood Pressure, Respiration, Weight Management, Skin Health, Stomach Health, Acid-Alkaline Balance, Cholesterol, Kidney and Urinary Health, Joint Health, and Aging... and that's only some!

Here are some tips to staying hydrated...

~Each day before your morning cup of coffee, start your day with a glass of water. This will help your body replace the fluids you lost overnight. It is also helpful to keep a refillable water bottle with you throughout the day.

~Try eating two or three servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. They are full of water and contain minerals that help the body absorb and use them properly. Remember that most processed foods can lower the body’s water levels.

~Create regular water breaks. Try drinking a glass of water at your desk each day before lunch, drink an extra glass of water if you worked out or didn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables with your meal.

~Drink sparkling water or vegetable juice instead of sodas and fruit juices. The sugar in soda and fruit juice, as well as the chemicals can cause unwanted reactions in your body like blood-sugar spikes.

~Use a water filter, pitcher type filter or keep a constant pitcher of water in the fridge at home

~Try using high-quality sea salt when you cook. It is rich in minerals that are key to cell health and hydration. Also sea salt has less sodium than table salt.


Have any other ideas?

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sick!

Let me start off by stating, I hate being sick! I hate it, I loath it, I despise i!  Now I'm sure no one loves to be sick, but i down right hate it, did I mention that?  Maybe I have such a strong opinion because as I write this I am struggling to breath through my congested nasal passages, or because i am sweating on a 30 degree day, but none the less, I hate being sick. 
What I truly dislike is the way it creeps up on you, for no reason and puts a halt to your everyday life.  You can't go to work, you can't go to the gym, you can't even get out of bed! And why? what did we do to become sick?  I didn't go outside with wet hair or without a jacket on (which is what my grandmother always told me would make me sick).  No I was just minding my business, going about my day when someone else decided to share their germs with me!  Now I'm not saying I haven't done the same.  Since we usually become ill before we ever realize we actually are, I'm sure I have shared my fair share of germs as well.  But that's not that point, the point is someone gave me their nasty germs and now I am holed up inside, unable to move off my couch and wishing my mommy was here to make me chicken soup!  So instead of waking up and having a productive day including working out, running errands and seeing friends I instead woke up unable to breath, coughing up foul looking substances and unable to leave my bed.  So while everyone else is out enjoying their weekend I will be here nursing OJ and cursing the infected stranger that landed me in this perdicament!

Am I being a baby? Perhaps! but who likes being sick?

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Happy!

For the first time in a long time I am 110% happy. I am completely and truly happy with all aspects of my life. With the New Year came a new beginning for me. I decided to fully commit to myself and finally allowed myself to fully go after my true passion. Along with the freedom and joy of fully pursuing my dreams comes fear and nervousness. For the first time I am allowing myself to completely fail. For years I pursued what I felt as my true calling “on the side”. I lived a normal life, kept a normal job and never fully immersed myself into that life. Along with doing that I never was truly able to fail. It was always something I never had enough time to pursue or fully commit to. Now I have nothing but time. Though the fear of failing is there I also know that I will never be truly happy if I don’t pursue what makes me happy. I don’t want to be the person who looks back in twenty years looking back wondering what if? I guess if I fail, I will have failed giving it 100. %Though I don’t plan on failing it is something that is always in the back of my mind. What’s not in my mind anymore is frustration or unhappiness. For the first time I am finding myself ridiculously happy morning, noon and night. Even while working my “day job” to pay the bills, a job that most people aren’t excited to go to everyday, I am always in a great mood. I know that finally I am living my dream and pursuing what makes me happy. I am in the driver’s seat of my destiny and I am going full speed ahead!

Are you living the life you want to be living?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Garbage Island!

If you have ever wondered if you should recycle those pesky plastic bottles...here's just ONE reason why!



If you want to learn more just do a search on google or YouTube and the results come pouring in.

Have you heard of this "Trash Island"?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thoughtful Thursday!

Here is another touching email that floated into my inbox recently, it reminds us that everyday we should take a moment to think of others.  Enjoy!







Five lessons about the way we treat people

First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor
Gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
And had breezed through the questions until I read
The last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
Cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
Dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
Blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
The last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely, " said the professor.. "In your careers,
You will meet many people. All are significant.. They
Deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
Is smile and say "hello.."

I've never forgotten that lesson.. I also learned her
Name was Dorothy.


Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American
Woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
Trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had
Broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
Unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man
Took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
Put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
Address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
Knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
Giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
Special note was attached.
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
The other night. The rain drenched not only my
Clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
Husbands''s bedside just before he passed away... God
Bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
Others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.


Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
Sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in
Front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and
Studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the
Waitress was growing impatient..
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
The table and walked away The boy finished the ice
Cream, paid the cashier and left.. When the waitress
Came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
Table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
Were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
To have enough left to leave her a tip.


Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
Anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
King's' wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
And simply walked around it.. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve
our condition.


Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save
her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed
next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing
the color returning to her cheek. Then his face
grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Have a wonderful day....

Ducky Life Tea!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Handbook 2011!

I recived this in an email recently and decided to share it with all of you! Enjoy!


HANDBOOK 2011

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2010

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.


Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.