50 Ways You Can Create a Better Day

Every now and then I wake up in a crappy mood, feeling totally unmotivated and not wanting to do anything or see anyone. It could be due to something bad happening the previous day, or it could be due to nothing at all. I just feel crabby for no reason. Weird, I know. But, I’m sure you know what I mean. Everyone has experienced dreadful waking moments in the past.

In fact, it is not really surprising that a lot of people nowadays feel bad the moment they wake up. If you are bombarded with negative news like the recent airplane crotch-bomb threat and the Haiti earthquake, it is little wonder that you’d feel the world is all doom and gloom.

However, it is worth noting that you can actually make your day better no matter what situation you have in life. So, in order to overcome that awful feeling to make my day a rich and beautiful one, I apply a few or more of the following tips throughout the day.

Here are 50 tips to set you on your way to a better day. Do yourself a favor and don’t try more than a handful of these in a single day. In fact, put these ideas in a hat and pick one randomly the next time you get in a funk.

1. Think Positive Thoughts Before You Sleep
   The quality of sleep you get the night before can affect your mood the next day. Thus, if you want to create a better day tomorrow, you have to make sure that you think only positive things before you go to bed at night. Do not fret about your mortgage problems or dwell on the bad things that happened to you during the day. You need a good night’s rest in order to prepare your mind and body for the busy day ahead.
2. Tell yourself That Today is a Better Day
   The first thing that you should say to yourself the moment you wake up is that today will be great and marvelous. Know that you have control of what kind of day you will have. Telling yourself that today is going to be a great day will give you a positive attitude and a winner’s outlook. The power of the mind is strong so feed your mind with positive things.
3. Wake Up a Few Minutes Earlier
   If you want to get out of bed at 6AM, set the alarm for 5:45 and then allow 15 minutes for your body and mind to adjust and wake up. At 6, hop out of bed! Waking up late and rushing through things will increase your heart rate and simply stress you out. On top of that, you’ll inevitably forget to do something and then stress about that too!
4. Take It Easy
   Take things easy. Breathe deeply and slowly. If you are feeling rushed, take a deep breath and remind yourself that in the big scheme of life, being a minute late is pretty small.
5. Keep a Mental Note of the Things You Need to Do
   It is always a good thing to try to keep a list of the things that you ought to do or accomplish for the day. If you are forgetful, you should write these things down. Aside from the things that you need to do at the office, you also need to remember those that you need to do for your family or friends. Write them all down so that you can manage your time wisely throughout the day.
6. Get Some Inspiration
   Do not expect manna to come down from heaven. If you want to create a better day, you have to make a conscious effort to achieve things. Give yourself a boost with some inspiration. Be sure to read, listen or watch something that can perk your day up. Sometimes, just seeing your child laugh is enough to make your heart smile.
7. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
   Your mood for the day can actually be affected by the things that you do and eat. In order to jump start your day and prepare your mind and body for the busy day ahead, you need to have a power breakfast. Make sure that you eat something healthy. Whole grains, protein, and fruits can surely give you the nutrients that you need to do the things that you need to accomplish for the day.
8. Some Stretching Will Do You Good
   Stretching and exercising your muscles will also help in jumpstarting your system. If you wake up sluggish, you need some exercise and stretching to perk up your day. Besides, stretching and exercising can also prevent muscle cramps and other aches that can ruin your mood for the day.
9. Pay Attention to your Hygiene and Appearance
   One of the things that people are conscious about is their appearance. To ensure you won’t feel insecure, make sure to take a bath, wear clean clothes and pay attention to your face and grooming. If you know that you look presentable, you will feel empowered and confident.
10. Compliment Yourself
    Say good things about yourself. Do not be afraid to compliment yourself once in a while. However, be careful not to be conceited because people hate narcissistic individuals.
11. Adopt a Positive Attitude
    Before you step out of the house, make it a conscious effort to be positive in all things you do. Tell yourself that you will stay positive throughout the day.
12. Exert Some Effort to Smile
    Studies show that smiling, even if there is no reason to do it, can lift up your mood. Besides, a smile can make you look even more attractive.
13. Try Not To Be Reactive
    There is a tendency for men to react to everything negatively, especially on the road. Thus, you should try not to be reactive, especially when you are driving. If somebody cuts you on the road, just let it pass and think that the other guy may be having a bad day. Or just be please that you are not as rude as that individual.
14. Count to Ten to Keep You from Exploding
    If you think that you are going to get mad, count to ten to calm your nerves. This will let some steam out.
15. Think before You Act
    Many people end up feeling remorse after they have done nasty things without thinking. To prevent feeling guilty and remorseful, think first before you do something.
16. Don’t Take Things Too Seriously
    Not everything that you hear people say about you should be taken seriously. Some people just like being nasty so you should not get affected with what they are saying.
17. Be More Attentive to People
    In order to minimize altercations or misunderstandings, it would really be a good thing to listen attentively to what others are saying. Being attentive will also help you come across as being sincere, thus making you more likable. Of course, don’t do it for the sake of being likable. Be genuine in it.
18. Look at People and Situations in a Positive Light
    You really can’t prevent bad things from happening. Sometimes shit does happen. In order not to let these things ruin your day, try to look for the silver lining in everything.
19. Give Compliments to Other People
    Make a conscious effort to compliment other people. This will help build better relationships. Just make sure that you are complimenting them genuinely.
20. Manage Your Time Wisely
    A good day can turn bad if you feel stressed out. Thus, manage your time wisely to ensure that everything that you need to do can be accomplished with time to spare.
21. Take a Break
    To prevent being burned out, you should take a break once in a while. Try walking around the office or doing some stretching while you are in your desk every time you are feeling a bit drained.
22. Deal with Things the Mature Way
    Do not be petty and do not act like a child. You are an adult so try to do things maturely.
23. Laugh a Lot
    Laughter can pick up your mood. Just do not laugh at other people’s mistakes.
24. Consider Inputs from Other People
    Take time listening to the suggestions and inputs of other people. Even if you are the manager or head of your department, you need other people’s contributions too.
25. Grab Fruit Instead of a Bar of Chocolate
    Fruits can surely wake you up in the middle of the day, whereas a bar of chocolate will just give you energy spike for a few minutes. So, you will end up feeling even more tired and sleepy.
26. Always Do Your Best
    You will not have regrets if you know that you have given your all in everything that you do.
27. Don’t Wallow in Sorrow and Defeat
    Nobody is perfect and sometimes you need to experience losses and defeats to learn. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, use these negative things to make you a better person.
28. Stay Away From Negative People
    Negative people can just pull you down so there is really no point in spending your time with them. Stay away from them whenever possible. If they happen to be your mates, seek to inspire them. If that won’t do, perhaps it’s time to find yourself new mates.
29. Be Courteous and Kind
    Doing other people some good will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. And also make you more likable.
30. Build Bridges and Develop Friendships
    Having enemies can surely drain your energy, whereas building friendships can make your support team bigger and stronger.
31. Be Careful with What You Say
    It is often hard to take back the bad things that you say, so you need to be careful with your words.
32. Take Time to Stop and Smell the Flowers
    You can enhance your mood by counting your blessings and seeing the good in other people, things or situations.
33. Learn to Pace Your Energy
    You need to be careful with energy bursts and crashes. Try not to exhaust yourself in the morning because you will surely have a nasty and tiring afternoon if you do.
34. Incorporate Exercise Throughout the Day
    Exercise can give you a “high” because endorphins are released after a good workout.
35. Wear Comfortable Shoes
    It is very hard to stay positive if your feet are hurting. I’ve seen too many of my female friends wear heels that hurt their feet just because they look good.
36. Drink Plenty of Water
    Dehydration can cause lethargy. So avoid it at all costs.
37. Pay Attention to What You Eat
    Eating junk food can contribute to mood swings. So eat moderately.
38. Go Easy on the Coffee
    Too much coffee can make you nervous and fidgety.
39. Treat Yourself
    Be sure to give yourself small rewards every time you did well. We all need to give ourselves a nice pat on the shoulders to give ourselves a little encouragement.
40. Plan the Next Day before Going Home
    Before you head home, make a list of the things that you need to accomplish in the office the following day.
41. Spend Quality Time with the People You Love
    Don’t take anyone for granted. Sustain your relationships. Spending quality time together is the best way to keep and improve relationships.
42. Keep in Touch With Friends and Family
    If you live alone, calling your loved ones or just dropping by to say ‘hi’ can lift your spirit as well as theirs.
43. Have a Hobby
    To keep your mind off your work, do something that you love outside your office work.
44. Have No Regrets
    You cannot go back in time so you cannot undo the things that you have done. Instead, make a conscious effort to make things better in the future.
45. Keep a Journal
    Writing things and ideas down can help you to keep track of your goals and remember things you’ve learned and observations you’ve made. And it can also help you figure out new directions for your life and then guide you as you go.
46. Take a Relaxing Bath
    After a stressful day, a relaxing bath can help you go to sleep comfortably.
47. Prepare the Things You Need Before You Go to Sleep
    This will help make tomorrow less stressful because you won’t feel at a lost of what to do. Being prepared always help you to stay focused and assured.
48. Get in the Mood to Sleep
    Do the things that can help you go to sleep early because a restful sleep can help you improve your mood for the next day. Reading a book before bed or listening to soft music helps me to sleep better.
49. Make Love
    Making love can also release endorphins and help you have a good night’s sleep. Plus, it helps to improve your relationship. Of course, I don’t expect you to do it every day.
50. Go to Bed Early
    Try to go to bed early and get enough sleep to prepare yourself for the day ahead tomorrow. You don’t want to wake up the next day feeling like a zombie.

Do you have a tip to help us create a better day? Please share with us in the comment section below.

Written on 2/5/2010 by Mark Foo. Mark shares how you can achieve all that you want in life in his FREE eBook The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Claim your free copy now at http://www.77successtraits.com.

A Roll in the Hay Keeps the Doctor Away?

Having Sex Twice A Week Reduces Chance of Heart Attack by Half

Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research.

It shows men who indulge in regular lovemaking are up to 45 percent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions. The study, of over 1,000 men, did not examine whether women benefit too.

The researchers who carried out the investigation are calling for doctors to screen men for sexual activity when assessing their risk of heart disease. 

The researchers were so impressed with their finding they suggested that physicians start screening men for sexual activity as a way to determine their risk for heart disease.

Men who made love regularly (at least twice a week) were 45 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did so once a month or less.

So if your doctor starts grilling you about your bedroom habits, now at least you will know why.

A Roll in the Hay Keeps the Doctor Away?

Sex is an activity that involves intense physical and emotional elements, and it’s likely its benefits do too. The researchers from the New England Research Institute in Massachusetts who led this study believe that sexual intercourse may be a marker for a healthy heart because:

• Sex can be a form of physical activity that, like exercise, gives your heart a workout
• People who have a desire for frequent sex, and are able to do so, are likely healthier overall
• Men who have regular sex may also be in a supportive relationship, which offers stress reduction and emotional benefits

Sex has also been found to boost self-esteem and improve intimacy in your relationship. This is because sex and orgasms result in increased levels of the hormone oxytocin — the “love” hormone — that helps you feel bonded to your partner.

As oxytocin increases, so do hormones known as endorphins, which in turn lessens feelings of pain related to everything from headaches and arthritis to symptoms of PMS. It can also help you to get a better night’s sleep.

So though it may sound tongue-in-cheek to recommend more sex as an important health tool, it does appear that is the case.

If you are fortunate enough to be in a mutually monogamous relationship, frequent sex is an excellent way to improve your health and even prevent future disease.

“Frequent” is all relative, of course, and although the above study counted twice a week as frequent, other studies have found that having sex even once a week can benefit your health in the following ways;

1.  Get fewer colds because of an increase in immunoglobulin A, an antibody that fights infection

2.  Women can get more predictable periods because of exposure to male pheromones

3.  A better physical response to stress

4.  Lower blood pressure, which lowers your risk of heart disease

5.  Lower your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol

6.  Help tone your abs, gluts and pretty much any muscle in your body

7.  Natural increases in estrogen improve the appearance of your hair, skin and nails

8.  Improve your memory because blood flow increases to your brain

9.  Increased feelings of motivation because of the release of endorphins

If You’re Not Having Regular Sex, You Can Still Protect Your Heart

Obviously having a regular sexual partner may just not be a practical option for many for a large variety of reasons. If you fall into this category, then relax as there are many other factors that can improve your cardiovascular health.

Low levels of vitamin D in your blood have long been correlated with a higher risk of heart disease and heart attacks, and a previous study found women who take vitamin D supplements lower their risk of death from heart disease by one-third.

There are a number of physiological mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production through sunlight exposure that act to fight heart disease, such as:

• An increase in your body’s natural anti-inflammatory cytokines
• The suppression of vascular calcification
• The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth

So to everyone, make sure you’re monitoring your vitamin D level regularly and then taking the steps – either sun exposure, safe tanning bed or vitamin D3 supplements — to keep your level in the optimal range.

Then, begin a healthy eating plan consuming real foods. This will virtually eliminate your heart disease risk — sometimes quite rapidly– because it helps to significantly reduce inflammation in your body. And keeping your inflammation levels low is key if you want to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Sexual Dysfunction Can be a Sign of a Much Larger Health Problem

Are you in a committed relationship and finding your sex life leaves much to be desired?

This sexual dysfunction could be a sign of an underlying health problem. It could also simply be a manifestation of stress or emotional problems, so it may take some detective work on your end to determine the problem.

The reason why you should take time to figure it out, aside from the obvious, is that erectile dysfunction (ED) may be the first and earliest indicator of a significant cardiovascular condition.

If you suffer from ED, and have ruled out emotional issues as a cause, it is especially important that you take the steps I noted above to strengthen and protect your heart.

Next, get physically active, exercise-wise, and pay attention to cleaning up your diet.

Studies have shown that men who engaged in regular physical activity lowered their risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction, while a healthy diet will not only improve your body image in time (always a big help in the bedroom), but high levels of sugar in your bloodstream can actually turn off the gene that controls your sex hormones.

So we’ve come full circle once again, and all arrows point to a healthy lifestyle as the solution for maintaining not only a healthy sex life, but also a healthy heart.

Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Set Your Intentions and Your Goals Workshop..

Welcome to Living Workshop: Set Your Intentions and Your Goals  Welcome to Living is teaming up with two other coaches to bring you this unique experience! Begin the year with a fresh start. Move from stated resolutions to an achievable plan filled with inspired daily action. Shape your 2010 by first building on what works naturally for you, understanding your obstacles, and being clear with your intentions. Learn easy, helpful tools to keep you on track in your daily life.  Workshop Details: Location: Be Luminous Yoga         900 LENORA, STE 128 SEATTLE, WA 98121 206.682.9642 (YOGA) Date: Saturday, February 13th 2010    Time:  1:45 to 4:15 pm      Tuition: $50     Enrollment entitles you to a complimentary coaching session valued at $150.    Benefits/Outcome:   Determine your ideal life balance.     Have a more holistic and clear sense of your goals and any roadblocks to reaching them.      Identify available resources needed to help you achieve your goals.      Build a powerful plan that will jump start your 2010.     Each class comes with one 30 minute complimentary coaching session.       Coaches:     C.J. Liu from My Whole Life Coaching. Website: www.mywholelife.net Phone: (206) 280-4165.   LaVonne Dorsey from Welcome to Living Coaching. Website: www.welcometoliving.net Phone: (206) 941-3422   Virginia Fink from Keep It Simple Life Coaching. Website: www.keepitsimplelifecoaching.com Phone: (360) 221-2406    To Enroll:  Act quickly! Space is limited to the first 30 people to sign-up.   Forward this to your friends and colleagues who want to learn more about coaching.    Email lifecoach@welcometoliving.net to sign up for our 2 and half hour workshop and schedule your complimentary coaching session.   ***Please bring the intake form (emailed to you) and anything you have with respect to your personal goals, inspiring pictures/objects, intentions, visions, etc***    Follow the Welcome to Living Blog  “2010: New Intentions and New Year’s Resolutions” Check out other Welcome to Living  specials and offerings!

12 Foods to Make the Ultimate Guy’s Salad

Thought this was a great article from Men’s Health.  They call it the Ultimate Guy’s Salad, but, of course, it works for women too!  Below I have added a salad recipe with  some of the ingredients they recommend….

If a colorful diet is a healthy one, it’s easy to see why the right salad is a potential lifesaver. Sure, Centrum is fine in a pinch, but the best way to get your essential vitamins and antioxidants is straight from the source.

A recent study conducted by the Louisiana State University School of Public Health found that men who eat a salad a day are more likely to get their recommended daily intake of many essential nutrients. What’s more, the study authors note that men who eat more than 60 grams of vegetables a day increase their life span by 2 years.

Try this nutrient-filled smorgasbord. It’s not only great for you, but it will also leave you feeling as if you’ve eaten a real meal.

Spinach

One cup of spinach gives you 58 micrograms (mcg) of folate. According to a study in the journal Stroke, consuming at least 300 mcg of folate a day reduces your risk of having a stroke by 20 percent and decreases your risk of developing heart disease by 13 percent. Other studies have found that folate helps protect against both Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Other nutrients: fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, and potassium

Disease-fighting power: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, diabetes, weight gain, hypertension, and depression

Broccoli

You get 294 milligrams (mg) of potassium in just three spears. According to Mayo Clinic researchers, potassium counteracts the effects of sodium by dilating blood vessels and increasing the amount of sodium excreted in your urine, thus lowering blood pressure and protecting against stroke.

Other nutrients: calcium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and lutein and zeaxanthin

Disease-fighting power: heart disease, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and weight gain

Red Kidney Beans

A quarter cup of red kidney beans gives you 6,630 ­disease-fighting antioxidants, plus a full 3 grams of fiber. According to the American Dietetic Association, dietary fiber lowers blood cholesterol levels and helps normalize blood glucose and insulin levels, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

Other nutrients: protein and folate

Disease-fighting power: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s

Yellow Bell Peppers

Four strips of yellow bell pepper provide 48 mg of free-radical-fighting vitamin C (free radicals are rogue molecules that can damage cells and lead to cancer). According to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, levels of C-reactive protein—a blood marker for inflammation linked to heart disease—can be decreased by 24 percent if you consume 500 mg of vitamin C a day. Plus, nutrition researchers from Arizona State University reported that vitamin C can help with weight loss by assisting in fat oxidation, or the body’s ability to burn fat.

Other nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, and potassium

Disease-fighting power: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, weight gain, and hypertension

Swiss Cheese

Four cubes of Swiss cheese provide 476 mg of calcium and 26 IU of vitamin D. In a 20-year study, British researchers determined that men who consume more than 67 IU of vitamin D and 190 mg of calcium a day have half the risk of stroke of men who consume less. Vitamin D has also been associated with a decrease in the risk of pancreatic, prostate, and testicular cancers. A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that men with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a 17 percent reduction in total cancer incidence and a 29 percent reduction in total cancer deaths.

Other nutrients: protein and vitamin B12

Disease-fighting power: osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and stroke

Carrots

Carrots are one of the richest sources of pro–vitamin A carotenoids, plant compounds that provide color and function as antioxidants. Just a quarter cup of shredded carrots provides 2,279 mcg of beta-carotene and 4,623 IU of vitamin A. According to a study in the journal Thorax, beta-carotene can slow the age-related decline of lung power. Vitamin A has also been shown to improve vision, bone growth, and cell division; help regulate the immune system; and decrease the risk of lung cancer.

Other nutrients: vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and potassium

Disease-fighting power: cancer, osteoporosis, weight gain, and hypertension

EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar

One tablespoon of olive oil delivers 10 grams of monounsaturated fat. Research shows that men with diets high in monounsaturated fat have higher testosterone levels than those who don’t. Antioxidant-rich balsamic vinegar can improve vascular function when ingested with a high-fat food like olive oil, which contributes to a reduction in the risk of heart disease.

Disease-fighting power: Adding olive oil to red, green, orange, or yellow fruits and vegetables increases the amount of heart-saving, cancer-fighting, vision-boosting, immune-repairing, bone-strengthening vitamins such as A, E, and K, as well as carotenoids

Sunflower Seeds and Flaxseeds

One tablespoon of sunflower seeds provides 8.35 mcg of selenium. Harvard researchers discovered that men with high levels of selenium have a 49 percent lower incidence of advanced prostate cancer than those with the lowest levels. One tablespoon of flaxseeds will give you 2.3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to reduced risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression. They have also been shown to inhibit ­cancer-cell growth.

Other nutrients: vitamin E and fiber

Disease-fighting power: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, and diabetes

Almonds

One tablespoon of almonds provides 2.2 grams of alpha-tocopherol, a type of vitamin E, which reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to a National Institute on Aging study. Another study showed that people who were clinically depressed had lower levels of alpha-tocopherol than their happy peers. Vitamin E also fights free-radical damage.

Other nutrients: monounsaturated fat, protein, and fiber

Disease-fighting power: Alzheimer’s, depression, cancer, heart disease, and diabete

Tomatoes

Four cherry tomatoes will give you 1,748 mcg of lycopene. A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that increasing dietary lycopene intake to 30 mg reduces oxidative DNA damage to prostate tissues and decreases PSA levels.

Other nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and potassium

Disease-fighting power: cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension

Chunk Light Tuna

Tuna, one of the best sources of protein, contains no trans fat, and a three-ounce serving of chunk light contains 11 mg of heart-healthy niacin, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol and help your body process fat. University of Rochester researchers determined that niacin raises HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and lowers triglycerides more than most statins alone.

Other nutrients: protein, selenium, and vitamin B12

Disease-fighting power: heart disease and diabetes

Red Leaf Lettuce

Four leaves of red-leaf lettuce contain 1,213 mcg of antioxidants, 96 mcg of vitamin K (which has been shown to maintain bone mass), and 1,172 mcg of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. The National Institutes of Health found that lutein and zeaxanthin can decrease your risk of developing macular degeneration by 43 percent.

Other nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, and potassium

Disease-fighting power: osteoporosis, macular degeneration, cancer, heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, and weight gain

 Broccoli Salad with Caramelized Onions and Toasted Almonds

Serving Size  : 4    
 2/3  cup           yellow onion, finely chopped
 1/4  cup           balsamic vinegar
 2/3  cup           water
 1      teaspoon  agave or honey (optional)
 4      cups          broccoli florets (about 12 ounces)
 1      tablespoon    extra virgin olive oil
1/2  teaspoon      sea salt
1/4  teaspoon      freshly ground black pepper
2      tablespoons  almonds, toasted (for garnish)
1      tablespoon    fresh lemon peel, grated

1. In a saucepan, place onion, vinegar, water and sweetener.  Bring to a
boil and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, or until liquids have nearly
evaporated.  Watch carefully so mixture does not burn.  Let cool.

2. Bring a pan of salted water to boil and blanche broccoli for 3 minutes or
until it turns bright green.  Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water.
Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.

3. Drizzle oil over broccoli and toss lightly.  Add onions and toss again.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Divide among four plates and sprinkle
with almonds and lemon peel.

Author Note: Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins A, B and C, as well
as iron and potassium. Its powerful antioxidants help prevent carcinogens
from forming.
                   – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Need more salad ideas or help with planning meals, contact wendy@fitfoodcoach.com

How To Get Better Sleep While Spending Less Time In Bed

There are two gifts I want to give you right now: more time and better sleep. To do this I will need your complete attention and an open mind. It’s really not that hard but it does require a little self discipline, some patience and a willingness to make a few changes in your life.

Many people believe that the more time you spend sleeping, the more rested your body becomes. Well, this is often not the case. Our body sleeps in multiple cycles throughout the night, each one essential and each one very easily interrupted. Every time you find yourself tossing and turning, waking up to go to the bathroom or just being woken up, you are interrupting one of these sleep cycles and detracting from their effectiveness. So the key is not MORE sleep but BETTER sleep.

There’s no doubt that you need a certain amount of sleep every night to be healthy. 3 hours of even the best sleep would not be enough for any human being. But what if I were to tell you that you could feel more rested than you ever have before and, here’s the kicker, knock 30 minutes to an hour off of the time you spend ‘trying to sleep’. It’s one of those ‘best of both world‘ scenarios but, as I stated before, it will require you to take action and make the changes necessary to obtain this precious gift.

So let’s get to it. Here are the elements you will have to consider:

• Diet
  Eating a well balanced, healthy diet will not only help you live longer but it will help you feel better throughout the day. You should eat a good balance of complex carbs, meat and vegetable protein and fruits and vegetables.
• Blood Sugar
  Your blood sugar plays a crucial role in helping you not only sleep better but have a consistently positive outlook. You blood sugar is mostly affected by simple carbs.If you eat a bunch of sugar, your blood sugar will spike and you will have a quick burst of energy; this is short lived. Anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours your blood sugar starts to quickly drop and you will feel tired. You may even start to feel irritable and/or depressed (This is why maintaining a consistent blood sugar level is crucial for a positive outlook). This is called a crash and it is something that often happens to people in the middle of the night. Do you ever wake up in a hot sweat. Or do you ever wake up at an odd hour and feel wide awake. Chances are this is the result of you blood sugar crashing.
• Hydration
  Water to our bodies is like oil to an engine. It keeps everything running clean and smooth. First thing in the morning is usually when our bodies are the most dehydrated so it is important to drink a glass or two of water right when you get up.Many people skip breakfast because they’re not hungry or don’t have time. This lack of hunger is usually the result of dehydration. And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day it is important that you eat and drink before you start your day. If you can, stay away from sodas and other ‘water alternatives’. Loaded with caffeine, sodium and sugar, these drinks do the opposite of hydrate. Stop drinking fluids at least 4 hours before you go to bed. This might sound hard to do but if you are staying hydrated throughout the day you should be just fine. The purpose of doing this is so you don’t have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. 
• State of mind
  Your state of mind plays a big role in being able to sleep deeply. If you go to bed with any kind of worry, anxiety, fear, sadness, even positive stimulation, you will have a hard time falling into a deep sleep. I find that reading a light book 30 minutes before you turn out the lights is a great way to ‘turn off’ your brain. You may even find that your eyes grow heavy as you try to read. The goal is to go to sleep quickly and you can’t do this if you try to go from a stimulated brain to the pillow without down time in between. 
• Exercise
  One of the absolute best things you can do for yourself as well as your sleep is to exercise. Even a 15 to 20 minute jog or brisk walk everyday will not only improve your ability to sleep soundly throughout the night, but it will enhance your mood throughout the day. Depending on your fitness level these numbers may be different so adjust accordingly. If you don’t exercise on a regular basis you cannot expect to get the kind of sleep that we are talking about today. 
• Bed time – Wake time
  Try to get up at the same times everyday. Over time this will set your internal clock so you will be tired when you should be tired and wake up when you want to wake up. As you decide when to sleep and wake you can look at the possibility of cutting down on sleep time. Using myself as an example let me explain what I mean.I used to ‘need’ 8 hours of sleep each day. Even then I felt tired during the day. After I started doing the things listed here I was unable to sleep for more than about 7 hours a night. Yet I would have much more energy and feel better than ever. What I determined was that those 8 hours were not 8 SOLID HOURS of sleep. Whereas the 7 hours I’m getting now are a FULL 7 hours of sleep. THIS IS THE KEY! 
• Environment
  Having the right environment to sleep in is also very important. Try to block out as much light as possible (make sure the sun doesn’t wake you up before you want to get up.) Make sure that you aren’t too hot or too cold. Have a little ‘white noise’ if necessary (my wife and I sleep with fan blowing all night). Even consider ambient music. We also play a ambient CD in the background every night and it helps set the mood for rest and relaxation. 
• Routine
  They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit. Give this at least a full month before you make any decisions of whether or not you want to continue. It will also take some time to completely adjust to the specific sleep patterns and whatever else you change because of this list. But once you adjust you should be able to fairly easily maintain it and reap the full benefits. 
• Satisfaction
  Make sure you are enjoying the benefits that come from having more time and more energy. Take advantage of the extra time and use it to do things that you used to only wish you could do. Work on a project, set some new goals, or just relax and have some ‘you time’. The more you appreciate this new routine the more likely you will continue to do it. 
• Helping others
  The final step and a great way to ‘keep it up’ is to help others do the same. If you find that this information really helps you sleep better, feel better and have more time during the day, than the best thing you can do is to share this with others. As you help other people learn these steps you will strengthen your resolve to continue them yourselves. At the same time you will be helping someone else experience the same benefits.

I hope you really read through these steps and gave them some thought. It’s a lot to take in and may require a lot of changes. If the end result is a healthier, happier, more productive ‘you’ then it will be well worth it.

Written on 8/25/2008 by Eric Hamm, a technology consultant with a passion for helping others improve their lives through his blog Motivate Thyself

 

 

Here is a recipe for Sleepy Time Tea you might like… 

                             Simple Bliss Relaxing Tea There’s nothing worse than “trying” to get to sleep. You can count
as many sheep as you want, practice body relaxation techniques, or read your
computer manual, but those eyes continue to remain agonizingly wide open!
So here is a super easy-to-make tea that will help you get a deep and
relaxing night’s sleep.

     1/4  cup           dried chamomile flowers per cup
     1/4  cup           vanilla hemp, almond, or coconut milk, per cup
                                Honey or maple syrup to sweeten (optional)

1. Pour boiling water over the chamomile, cover, and steep 15 to 20 minutes,
until strong.

2. Add the milk and sweetener to taste.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Herbal Teas, by Kathleen Brown
If you’re a regular reader – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this.

 

You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.

 

 

If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!

12 Tasty Substitutions When Cutting Carbs

Great tips from Men’s Health…

“The best way to cut carbs from your diet is to make creative substitutions,” says Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of The South Beach Diet. “That way you can still eat the foods you love, without busting your diet.”

Dr. Agatston told us how to make cauliflower taste like mashed potatoes. Other nutrition experts gave us tricks for cutting white flour, pasta, and potatoes and replacing them with lower-carb alternatives that taste nearly identical. We then had some loyal carbo-cravers taste-test these dishes. Turns out some of them are so good, you’ll wonder why you weren’t eating them in the first place.

Hash Browns

Substitute: Squash for potatoes

Summer squash (the football-shaped yellow kind) tastes similar to potatoes when cooked—but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil, says Mary Dan Eades, M.D., coauthor of The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook.

Carbs Eliminated: About 15 grams (g) per hash-brown patty

The Taste: “Not as firm and crispy as regular hash browns, but the potato flavor is there.”

Mash Potatoes

Substitute: Cauliflower for potatoes

One of Dr. Agatston’s favorites: Steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute, add a little nonfat half-and-half substitute, and puree in a food processor or blender. “Salt and pepper to taste and you’ve got something that quite honestly can compete with the real thing any day,” says Dr. Agatston. To make it even better, try adding roasted garlic, cheese, or sour cream to the mixture.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup

The Taste: “After a couple of bites, you forget it’s not potatoes.”

Lasagna

Substitute: Zucchini slices for noodles

Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips, instructs Lise Battaglia, a New Jersey chef whose past clients include Jon Bon Jovi. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp. “Then simply make the lasagna as you normally would, replacing lasagna noodles with the baked zucchini,” she says.

Carbs Eliminated: 36 g per serving

The Taste: “Delicious. The zucchini provides texture that you don’t get from noodles alone.”

Spaghetti

Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti

A cooked spaghetti squash is like Mother Nature’s automatic spaghetti maker—the flesh becomes noodlelike strands. “All you have to do is cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half—cut side down—on a plate with a quarter cup of water,” says Elizabeth Perreault, a chef at Colorado’s Culinary School of the Rockies. Nuke the squash for 10 minutes or until it’s soft to the touch. Let it cool, then scrape out the “spaghetti” strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup

The Taste: “Great. Spaghetti squash has exactly the same consistency as real pasta.”

Pancakes

Substitute: Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix

Here’s a can’t-fail recipe from The South Beach Diet. Mix together half a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal, a quarter cup of low-fat cottage cheese, two eggs, and a dash each of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process in a blender until smooth. Cook the mixture like a regular pancake.

Carbs Eliminated: 45 g per pancake

The Taste: “With syrup, you could never tell the difference.”

Scalloped Potatoes

Substitute: Tempeh for potatoes

You may think you don’t like soy-based foods, but that could be because you don’t cook them right, says Beckette Williams, R.D., a San Diego-based personal chef. “Tempeh can be really bland, but if you jazz it up with herbs and spices, it’s a great substitute for potatoes.” Her recommendation: Saute a couple of cups of thinly diced tempeh with garlic and onions. Then pour a cheese sauce (sharper is better) over the tempeh cubes and bake for half an hour.

Carbs Eliminated: 11 g per cup

The Taste: “Just like a slightly nutty baked potato.”

Macaroni and Cheese

Substitute: Diced vegetables for macaroni

Even instant mac and cheese can go lower-carb; use only half the pasta in the box and bulk it up with a couple of cups of frozen mixed vegetables, says Sandra Woodruff, R.D., coauthor of The Good Carb Cookbook.

Carbs Eliminated: 13 g per cup

The Taste: “I hate broccoli, but I wouldn’t mind eating this.”

Pasta Salad

Substitute: Mixed vegetables or black beans for half the pasta

Same idea as the mac and cheese, but try black beans, diced tomatoes, and chunks of ham, tuna, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs, suggests Richard Ruben, an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. “These kinds of salads are a blank slate, so you can top them with anything from a creamy blue-cheese dressing to vinaigrette, or even lime juice and slices of avocado,” Ruben says.

Carbs Eliminated: 10 g per cup

The Taste: “Awesome. I don’t miss the extra pasta at all.”

Cheese-Flavored Chips

Substitute: String cheese for chips

Just crazy enough to work: Cut sticks of string cheese into quarter-inch-thick slices and scatter the rounds on a cookie sheet coated with nonstick spray, leaving them an inch or two apart. Bake at 375 F for 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Let them cool, then peel the chips off the tray.

Carbs Eliminated: Up to 90 g per serving

The Taste: “Like the cheese you pull off the top of a pizza.”

Pizza

Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust

Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom, says Ruben, “then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly.” Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni or other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Carbs Eliminated: About 20 g per slice

The Taste: “Like pizza, but moister. Give me a fork!”

Beef-a-Roni

Substitute: Eggplant for pasta

Mixing diced eggplant with ground beef is healthier and more highbrow than this old skillet special—call it moussaka American style. You have to soften the eggplant first, says Williams. Cut it in half, brush it with olive oil, and then broil for 10 to 20 minutes. “Let it cool, dice it up, and mix with hamburger, tomato sauce, and spices,” she says.

Carbs Eliminated: 26 g per cup

The Taste: “Exactly like Hamburger Helper, in a good way.”

Sandwiches

Substitute: Napa or Chinese cabbage for bread

Slap your turkey and Swiss onto a leaf of cabbage and roll it up. “I’ve made some great-tasting BLTs using cabbage instead of bread,” Battaglia says. Dip the roll in low-fat mayonnaise or mustard.

Carbs Eliminated: 29 g per sandwich

The Taste: “Better than eating plain cold cuts.”

If you’re a regular reader – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!

Top 10 Ways to Cut Back on Sugar

Ever tried to cut back- or even eliminate- sugar? It’s not so easy.

Nature gave us a sweet tooth for a reason- and it wasn’t just to frustrate our diet efforts!

We humans – unlike other animals- don’t make our own vitamin C. Vitamin C is most abundant in fruits. So nature gave us taste buds that would make these relatively sweet tasting foods desirable.

Unfortunately the whole system has become deregulated since just about everything you buy now has sugar in it, and there’s a huge disconnect between the purpose of our original wiring- to make sure we got enough vitamin C- and the way that wiring is used today (to make sure we get enough Krispy Kreme donuts!)

Giving up- or cutting back- on sugar is no picnic. But the rewards are tremendous. Eliminating (or even reducing) sugar can benefit your health in more ways than you can imagine.

Here’s a list of my Top Ten Ways to Start Reducing Sugar:

1. Don’t add it to foods. This is the easiest and most basic way to immediately reduce the amount of sugar you’re eating. Biggest targets: cereal, coffee and tea.
2. Don’t be fooled by “healthy sugar” disguises. Brown sugar, turbinado sugar, raw sugar … it’s all pretty much the same thing as far as your body is concerned.
3. Make a real effort to reduce or eliminate processed carbohydrates. Most processed carbs — breads, bagels, most pastas and snacks — are loaded with flour and other ingredients that convert to sugar in the body almost as fast as pure glucose. That sugar gets stored as triglycerides, which is a fancy way of saying fat.
4. Watch out for “fat-free” snacks. One of the biggest myths is that if a food is fat-free it doesn’t make you fat. Fat-free doesn’t mean calorie-free, and most fat-free snacks are loaded with sugar.
5. Shop for color. The more your grocery basket looks like a cornucopia of color, the better. It usually means you’re getting more fresh vegetables and low-glycemic fruits such as berries and cherries.
6. Become a food detective. This tip is from the wonderful author and nutritionist Anne Louise Gittleman, who adds, “To reduce sugar, you have to know where it is first.” Start reading labels.
7. Beware of artificial sweeteners. Unfortunately, they can increase cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. They can also deplete the body’s stores of chromium, a nutrient crucial for blood-sugar metabolism.
8. Do the math. Look at the label where it says “total sugars” and divide the number of grams by four. That’s the number of teaspoons of sugar you are ingesting. This exercise alone should scare the pants off you.
9. Limit fruit. (Notice I didn’t say “eliminate.”) Fruit has sugar, but it also has fiber and good nutrients. Just don’t overdo it. For weight-loss purposes, keep it to two servings a day and try to make most of them low-glycemic (grapefruit, apples, berries)
10. Eliminate fruit juice. It’s a pure sugar hit with none of the fiber and less of the nutrients that are found in the fruit itself.

 By Dr. Jonny Bowden

If you’re a regular reader – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!

HOT NEW STUDIO OPENS THIS MONDAY IN BELLEVUE…

The new FITNESS FORWARD STUDIO opens on Monday, February 1st, 2010 with the newest group TRX Suspension program!  

The new larger fitness studio is located in the Bellevue Plaza building suite 118 (first space on the south end of the lower level).  Watch this video to see a group TRX workout in action… soon to be at Fitness Forward Studio!!    We will soon have a massage treatment room as well as a room for semi-private yoga or used as a room for kids (with movies or WII FIT!) to play while the parents workout!

To view the video, please click the link below:

http://www.trxtrainingcenter.com/

How to get started in all new GROUP TRAINING FITNESS classes:
1.  Please see the attached new group fitness schedule, class descriptions and times! 
2.  Register for the classes (this weekend if possible) of your choice for the month of February by email or contact Debbie.  Five people minimum per class and twelve maximum in all group fitness training circuit style classes.

3.  Online registration begins March 1st, 2010 (using www.mindbodyonline.com) via a link on www.fitnessforward.net.

4.  Check out the new schedule at www.fitnessforward.net.  First class FREE! 
 

NEW CLASSES and NEW INSTRUCTORS:

• Clay will begin teaching an athletic circuit for the Tennis players and golfers on Wednesdays and Fridays 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. starting the week of February 15^th as well as 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays!

 

• A new early bird circuit training will be added with me (Debbie) on Mondays and Wednesdays 5:10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (if 5 people register!) 

 

• Another new early bird class added to Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 a.m. to 6:20 a.m. with Debbie (TRX CORE CIRCUIT)

 

• NEW class on Fridays 7:00 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. with Debbie

 

• Connie will be teaching Mondays 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. circuit training

 

• Annelise will be teaching Mondays and Wednesdays 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for beginners.

 

• Dana will begin teaching new classes in March on Mondays and Wednesdays (8:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m.).

 

•  BOOT CAMP MONTHLY SPECIAL….$250 for unlimited classes!!  Includes all circuit type of classes, yoga and pilates plus bonus monthly measurements, body fat testing or posture assessment!

SAVE THE DATE: 
Fitness Forward Open House
Saturday, February 27th
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 
Fitness Forward Rates:  Sign up for monthly classes at the beginning of each month and pre-pay.  Add 9.5% sales tax.

 

Semi private Yoga flow or Pilates Mat : $25 per class

 

One  circuit class per week: $25

 

SAVE and Pre-pay two circuit classes or more per month (if 6 or more per class registered): $20 per class. 

 

BOOT CAMP!  Unlimited group fitness classes per month plus bonus monthly body fat testing, measurements or posture analysis:  $250

 

Drop in circuit class rate: $30

 

Run group drop-in rate: $15 per class by the month.

 

Run group workouts for the month:  includes Wednesday night track workouts, Friday tempo hill workouts, additional organized run workouts and more. 

 

Monthly Coaching program:  $125-$150 includes online coaching, educational articles, online “Training Peaks” coaching program or basic schedule and one group run workout per week (Track night or Friday trails)

 

Body Fat Testing: $15 per 20 minute body weight, body fat test (via skin fold calipers) and circumferences.  Recommend getting your body fat tested every 8 weeks to monitor progress.

 

New Leaf Metabolic Testing:  ask for rates.

                Resting Metabolism test:

                Exercise Metabolism test: treadmill or bike

 

Group Personal Training:

Group of 3 people all pre-pay for month:  $45 (if two or more times a week)

Group of 3 people paying per time: $55 per session

 

Private personal training:

60 minutes$105

45 minutes: $75

30 minutes: $60

 

 

Fitness Forward, LLC  

Director & Owner: Debbie Smith-Potts

118 105^th Ave N.E.

Bellevue, WA 98004                

(425)466-3653              

www.FitnessForward.net

If you drink coffee make sure it is organic. Here is why…

Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee every day, which adds up to over $4-billion worth of imported coffee each year.

Now I am not a fan of coffee — personally I never acquired a taste for it, and it is far from a health food — but it is a sad state of affairs that Latin American farmers are abandoning their organic coffee crops faster than rats leaving a sinking ship.

These farmers were promised they would benefit financially from ditching their toxic pesticides in favor of organic crops, but in order to profit they need to be certified. And farmers cannot become certified organic until their soil is free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers for three years.

This means the farmers have to absorb the extra costs of organic farming for three years before they’ll start to see the returns, and many just could not do it.

Meanwhile, while there is some demand for organic coffee, the market is still very small. Starbucks, for example, reported that only 3 percent of its coffee purchases in 2009 were organic.

Now, as more organic coffee growers abandon their crops, it’s not only limiting the quantities available but also driving up prices. This, in turn, is keeping the organic coffee market from really merging into the mainstream …

And this is a very bad trend not only for the environment, but also for your health.

Most Coffee is Heavily Sprayed With Pesticides

Most people are not aware that regular coffee consumption can be a significant source of pesticides. According to the CS Monitor, conventional farmers apply up to 250 pounds of chemical fertilizers per acre!

Pesticides contribute to a wide range of health problems, including prostate and other types of cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and miscarriages in pregnant women.

So when you sip on your non-organic morning brew, you are also sipping on pesticide residues. Further, the U.S. has limited input and control over the type and quantity of pesticides used in the countries from which we import.

Since the vast majority of coffee, both organic and non-organic, consumed in the U.S. is grown outside this country, a return to non-organic farming of coffee beans in Latin America means a return to heavy use of pesticides.

Now is a Good Time to Kick Your Habit

If you’re going to drink coffee, going organic is the “healthiest” way to do it. Of course, coffee is really not healthy at all.

Caffeine is a drug.

It’s a legal and widely available drug, but a drug nonetheless, and very powerful. My position is that coffee is not nearly as bad for your health as soda or high fructose corn syrup, but nevertheless it is something you or your family would best be served by avoiding — or strictly limiting your consumption.

Caffeine actually alters the way your brain works, and can cause temporary changes in your behavior and mood. If you are especially sensitive to the drug, as is the case with many protein nutritional types, the effects are even more pronounced.

Just a few of the symptoms of caffeine use include:

• A rise in blood pressure and stress hormone levels
• Heart palpitations
• Feeling jittery, nervous, anxious and even panicky
• Insomnia

More Coffee Adverse Effects

Coffee increases your risk for rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, stomach cancer, and stroke. It can further wreak havoc on your health by:

• Raising your cholesterol
• Sending your insulin levels out of control
• Damaging your blood vessels
• Increasing your risk of heart disease
• Damaging your body’s metabolism
• Increasing your risk of osteoporosis

Coffee also interferes with your body’s ability to use folate and vitamins B12 and B6. These nutrients are important in order to keep your homocysteine level in the healthy range. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with a wide range of devastating health conditions.

Coffee also stimulates your adrenals — the hormones that activate your fight or flight response. If your adrenal hormones are stimulated too often, which is bound to happen if you are a daily coffee drinker, your adrenal glands may eventually burn out.

When your adrenals no longer function effectively, your body will go in search of a replacement hormone — which happens to be progesterone.

Progesterone has its own full-time job to do, part of which is to keep your body’s estrogen in balance. As your progesterone is used up compensating for your exhausted adrenals, you run the risk of becoming estrogen dominant.

Estrogen dominance can lead to osteoporosis.

Coffee also raises the acidity level of your blood, causing calcium to be pulled from your bones and teeth for use as a buffering agent. The combination of estrogen dominance and high blood acidity puts you at an even greater risk for osteoporosis. In fact, research has established an undeniable link between coffee consumption and hip fractures.

If You’re Planning a Family, Coffee Should Not be on the Menu

If you’re pregnant or planning to be, you should avoid coffee altogether.

Over 300 mg of caffeine a day, which is the equivalent of two to three eight ounce cups of coffee, can increase your risk of:

• Miscarriage
• Delivering a low birth weight baby
• Having a child with certain birth defects like cleft palate

Four or more cups of coffee a day may increase your baby’s risk of SIDS.

When you’re pregnant, any caffeine you ingest passes easily through the placenta to your unborn child.

It is also transferred through breast milk, and stays in your body – and the body of your un­born child or infant – longer than average. Your unborn baby has no ability to detoxify this drug.

If You Must Drink Coffee …

If you simply MUST drink coffee here are a few tips to help reduce the chances of harmful effects:

1. Use organic coffee – Again, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate the exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The only drawback is that the countries where coffee is produced probably have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices. You will also be helping to protect the health of the people working in the coffee fields, as you will be helping to reduce their toxic exposure as well.If you want to go a step further, look for fair-trade certified coffee, which means the coffee farmers have been paid fairly and treated well.
2. “Swiss Water Process” decaf — If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it is one that uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination. The “Swiss Water Process” is a patented method and is the best choice. Most of the major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says “Naturally Decaffeinated” right on the container. If you are unsure of the methods, contact the manufacturer.
3. Avoid sugar and/or milk — These are actually much worse for you than the coffee itself. Don’t compound the detrimental health effects by adding milk or sugar to your coffee.
4. Unbleached filters — If you use a “drip” coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones, which most people use, are chlorine bleached and some of this chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.

What Makes a Healthy Coffee Alternative?

As my regular readers know, my first recommendation for a healthy beverage is always pure water. It is by far the best choice you can make.

But if you’re looking to kick your coffee habit to improve your health, a cup of high-quality tea can be a great alternative as a warm, soothing morning beverage.

When I drink green tea, I personally prefer Matcha tea, as the color is a vibrant bright green and it is far less processed and of much higher quality than most green teas.

Also, rather than being steeped and strained like typical tea, matcha tea is made of tea leaves ground into a powder, and the powder gets added right into the water. Because you are actually consuming the whole leaf, matcha tea is said to be one of the healthiest green teas out there.

My other favorite is Tulsi tea, which is a powerful adaptogenic herb that provides important therapeutic benefits. The combination of antioxidants and phytochemicals found in tulsi can promote your overall health in a variety of ways, including:

• Support for your immune system
• Improving digestion
• Increasing your resistance to stress
• Promoting healthy metabolism
• Maintaining healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels
• Providing you with skeletal and joins support

Whatever you do, avoid substituting fruit juice or soda for coffee, as they are much worse for you. The sugar, especially fructose, is a far more serious metabolic poison than coffee.

If you use coffee as a crutch to get a quick burst of energy, remember that cultivating a healthy lifestyle will supply all the power you need to get through your day.

And, again, if you do choose to drink coffee, at least switch over to an organic variety for the sake of your health and the environment.

By Dr. Mercola

If you’re a regular reader – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!

Rise, Shine, and Get Some Exercise

Learn the benefits of morning exercise. Find ways to stay motivated and avoid hitting that snooze button.

We all know that exercise is good for us, but when faced with the choice of a little extra shut-eye or breaking a sweat first thing in the morning, who wouldn’t choose the snooze button?

Not so fast, say experts. Before turning over and pulling up the covers, consider the fact that exercise — and morning exercise in particular — has special benefits that can last all day.

Morning Exercise: The Benefits

The advantages of exercise are obvious. It can do everything from decreasing the risk of certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity to improving sleep and lessening feelings of depression and anxiety. And yet, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 45 percent of adults fulfill the surgeon general’s physical activity recommendation of 30 minutes of intense aerobic activity three times per week.

Exercise at any time of the day is better than no exercise at all, but the benefits of a morning fitness routine are plenty.

“Morning exercise revs the metabolism and jump-starts energy levels, actually accelerating your ability to burn calories,” says Amy Burleson Sullivan, PsyD, clinical health psychologist in the primary care section at the Dayton VA Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. “It gets the endorphins flowing so that when you’re finished you have greater acuity, less anxiety, improved mood, and increased ability to concentrate, all of which contribute to a better day,” explains Sullivan.

Practically speaking, people who exercise in the morning are more likely to keep up with their routine, as there is less chance for other responsibilities to get in the way as the day gets busier. Exercising in the evening can make it more difficult to go to sleep, whereas morning exercisers are free to relax with their workouts complete.

Morning Exercise: Tips to Stay Motivated

There are easy steps to help you stay on track.

• Get in the right mindset. Realize that exercise is hard work. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Set small goals and remember, slow and steady wins the race.
• Get organized. Lay out shoes, socks, and workout clothes the night before to make the morning as easy as possible.
• Make a playlist. Don’t forget an iPod, and make sure it has a variety of songs to prevent boredom.
• Rise and shine. Plug in your alarm clock across the room so that it can’t be turned off without getting out of bed.
• Exercise with a friend. It’s tempting to skip a workout when it’s just you, but if someone is waiting for you, you tend to feel guiltier about letting them down.
• Have fun. “Make your workout enjoyable so you don’t dread it,” says David M. Williams, PhD, assistant professor at the Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
• Adapt when necessary. “Set yourself up for success and schedule your workouts, but if something comes up, be willing to be flexible,” says Stephanie Ramones, personal trainer and group exercise instructor at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center.

Morning workouts may be great for jump-starting the day, but if a conflict arises, try working out at night instead or adding time to the routine the next session. Remember, the most important thing isn’t the time of day, but that you are finding time to exercise.

By Kristen Stewart Everyday Health, Inc.

If you’re a regular reader – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!