Supernatural Botanicals

Utilize plants all winter long to reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 percent, partially by increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust.  Plants do wonders for the aesthetics of a room.  Home retailers, such as Home Depot, have beautiful 6′ plants for about $30.  Turn up the design element in the room with an up-light (also sold at Home Depot).  Putting a light underneath the plant’s branches will cascade shadows all over the room…it’s a gorgeous look.

Meditation.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Now hang on, don’t grab your latte and go running for the door just yet.

Meditation, perhaps to your surprise, is not only reserved for the deep-thinking, tree-hugging, granola-eating individuals of the world.  And those of us who practice meditation regularly, we have all been on that side of the fence at one point, too.  Many of us have thought it was too new-agey or down right flaky, that is, until we tried it.

Meditation can be simply sitting in a quiet room, concentrating on your breath slowly in and out, for no longer than a minute.  Yes, even one minute can bring great benefits to your life.  Consider the wonderful benefits below, then contemplate at least one minute of time just for yourself today.  After all, you’ll never know until you try..so dig right into the concept of taking a minute of  “me” time and start to notice how you feel.  Who knows, you just might have a craving for granola afterward!

Here are just a few of the hundreds of benefits meditation offers:

Physiological benefits:
1- It lowers oxygen consumption.
2- It decreases respiratory rate.
3- It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
4- Increases exercise tolerance.
5- Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
6- Good for people with high blood pressure.
7- Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
8- Decreases muscle tension
9- Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
10- Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.

Psychological Benefits:

1- Builds self-confidence.
2- Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behavior
3- Resolve phobias & fears
4- Helps control own thoughts
5- Helps with focus & concentration
6- Increase creativity
7- Increased brain wave coherence
8- Improved learning ability and memory
9- Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
10- Increased emotional stability

Spiritual Benefits:

1- Helps keep things in perspective
2- Provides peace of mind, happiness
3- Helps you discover your purpose
4- Increased self-actualization
5- Increased compassion
6- Growing wisdom
7- Deeper understanding of yourself and others
8- Brings body, mind, spirit in harmony
9- Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation
10- Increased acceptance of one’s self

If you’re anything like the rest of the working class in America, chances are, you are starved for sleep.  Dropping into bed at 11:30 p.m, only to wake again at 5 a.m. is robbing you of much needed mental functioning.  But, there’s good news.  If you aren’t getting enough sleep Monday through Friday, sleeping in late on Saturday or Sunday can undo the damage.  According to a UPenn study, a full 10 hours of rest one night a week can boost energy and increase your mood.

It’s the second week in January….are you still keeping your fitness goals?  Keep yourself inspired and motivated with magazine subscriptions to fitness magazines.   Fitness magazines, such as Oxygen, Self, or Shape magazines keep you learning and yearning for more.  It’s literally the gift that keeps on giving.  Each month you’ll learn about new techniques and exercises to help you achieve a lean, strong, and healthy body.  And if you subscribe to a fitness magazine, you’ll get a new dose of inspiration every 30  days.  Without a doubt, you’ll see a body in those magazines that inspire you to work out harder, eat better, and push yourself to achieve your fitness goals.  From rookies to advanced gym rats, you’ll find something inspirational every single month.  *Frugal tip:  Borrow magazines from the library and have access to all the fitness magazines on the newsstands.

For decades we’ve heard we should avoid feeding our children sugar, fearing that it will make them hyper.  But according to new studies, scientists no longer believe that to be true.

Scientists have found no connection between sugar and hyperactivity.  The theory is…sugar is a carbohydrate that our bodies use for energy.  It shouldn’t make you more hyper than if you ate any other carbohydrate. 

Sugar, of course, can lead to tooth decay and obesity, but as far as it being linked to hyperactivity, there’s no concrete evidence to prove such a theory.

What steps will you take to make next year the best ever?  Don’t know where to start?  Contemplate this progression of actions as depicted by A Mindful-Based Stress Reduction Workbook:

1. Intention shapes our thoughts and words.
2. Thoughts and words mold our actions.
3. Thoughts, words, and actions shape our behaviors.
4. Behaviors sculpt our bodily expressions.
5. Bodily expressions fashion our character.
6. Our character hardens into what we look like.

Look at this LifeCORE bike….Fancy!  It has all the bells and whistles with 12 challenging programs.  The cool mesh seat makes it extra comfy.  Wouldn’t you love to mix up your cardio routine with this bike?  Well, you can!  Click on over to Shape magazine your chance to win this bike! 

Do top earners in America enjoy a piece of chocolate cake as much as you do?  Researchers don’t believe so.  They found that the more people earn, the harder it was to enjoy life’s little pleasures, like a slice of chocolate cake or a beautiful sunset.  Researchers found that the more you earn, you have greater access to expensive experiences that make you happy, so you don’t notice the simple pleasures in life.  No matter what tax bracket you are in, you are missing the point of life if you don’t enjoy all that life offers…including sunny days and dinner with friends.

Time for end-of-year personal assessments.  Did you create a vision board last year?  How many things did you accomplish that you had set out to do?  I’m happy to have accomplished almost everything on my board.

Don’t forget to assess your vision board at the end of the year to see your accomplishments.  Then it’s time to get started on next year’s goals.

If a vision board seems a little too seventh grade for you, go with what works for your personality.  I created mine on an art program on my computer and saved it as my desktop display…assuring that I’d see it every day.  You may choose to add magazine clippings and photos to a beautifully leather bound book with white pages, creating a vision book instead.

It’s so empowering to see accomplishments being checked off one by one.  Try a vision board this year…you may push yourself further than you ever knew you could go.

Vitamin C  keeps skin well-toned. A deficiency can cause wrinkles and skin discoloration. As skin ages, more vitamin C is essential to maintain elasticity. Broccoli, kale, cabbage, strawberries and cantaloupe are all full of Vitamin C.  Beef up on your vitamin C intake for great skin.