drink aQUA!
3 May 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so
weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s
metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger
pains for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a
University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the ..1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses
of water a day could significantly ease back and
joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy
short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and
difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a
printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the
risisk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the
risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less
likely to develop bladder cancer.
Purpose!
3 May 2006 | Purpose (Spiritual Health) | No Comments
I will write about this later, but before I forget I wanted to be sure to note that I was itching to explore my purpose a bit, and Donna helped me with exactly this today. She helped me realize that I need to not only quit smoking, but work harder at getting the toxins out of my life… including alcohol, bad foods, unnecessary stress, overworking, etc… I need to detoxify in a big way!
the Goal State - takes 2 minutes, and should be done MANY times each day
- Ground all worried energy with goal to secure neutral mind.
- See white bright light or whatever and let it fill your heart… feel healing.
- Continue sending through your entire body.
- Set boundaries… first 18 inches around your body… second boundary as checkpoint to survey what comes in.
- Cleanse all of the negative energy off of your first boundary.
- NOW, let the divine energy from above rain into your head the light.
- Ask for help and widsom/guidance will appear.
- Listen closely
- Write down what you learn and repeat it to yourself.
…seems like hollistic new-agey hippie crap, but I’ve been getting overwhelmed lately, and hey… taking these 2 minutes to flush everything out, felt great!
She also mentioned a book called “Biology of Perception” by Bruce Lipton and “Psyche K” by Rob Williams, which is work along these lines based on quantum physics. Hmmm…
5 Reasons Wheatgrass Rocks!
1 May 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
- helps cleanse and detoxify your blood
- helps make your skin look great
- assists in digestion
- helps metabolize energy and fat
- helps bolster your immune system
NOTE: I am on Day Three of no smoking, and Jamba Juice is helping me curb the habit!
Cut Fat, Insert Nutrition
14 April 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
We know cutting fat, which is everywhere these days, lowers our cholesterol. However, in recent years we’ve realized that you can’t just go to a non-fat diet… you must insert nutrious foods… not just fat-free-cookies. A few examples:
- Sweeten w/ Fruit, not sugar. Sprinkle berries on cereal, bring an apple to work, follow dinner with kiwi, mango, papaya, or other exotic fruits.
- Replace meat w/ healthy alternatives. Try protein-rich soy burgers and vegetarian burritos, for example. Worried about taste? There are now many flavorful varieties available.
- Make side dishes the star. You don’t have to give up meat entirely. Just keep portions to 2-3 ounces (about the size of a deck of cards), and fill your plate with vegetables, beans, or brown rice.
- Vegetize comfort foods. Adding more vegetables or beans to soups and casseroles adds thickness and nutrients. Good choices: dried navy, kidney or black bean, and heavier vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, and carrots.
- Stop snack attacks! Pack fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables and unsalted nuts to carry with you on long commutes and day trips. You’ll avoid impulsive, less healthful snacks.
There’s much more, but these tips alone will help you on your way to lower cholesterol and and a healthier heart!
Balanced Diet
12 April 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
Do you know how many servings of fruits and vegetables you should be eating every day? What about meats and protein? And how much fat is OK for your diet?
I went to Jamba Juice today for lunch… one of my new things to work on longevity. Eliminate fast food as much as possible! Anyhow, the kind folks at Jamba hooked me up with this brochure on MyPyramid, which answers these questions for the individual. It was created in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to replace the original “Food Guide Pyramid”.
Check it out!
Slurp on a Watermelon!
10 April 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
Thirsty?! These guys should make you smile. Makes you want to head to the grocery store and buy a watermelon right now, doesn’t it?! Why don’t you! GO! Get off this stupid machine. Get outside… slurp on a watermelon!
Did you know?
There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon grown worldwide? The largest watermelon weighed more than 250 lbs!
Dr. Edwards has known for a long time that watermelon contains vitamin C. But in recent years, scientists learned that watermelon also contains a phytonutrient called lycopene (sounds like “LIKE-oh-peen”). It is the substance, or pigment, that gives tomatoes and watermelon their rosy red color. These red pigments are known as carotenoids (ka-ROT-en-oids). Scientists are interested in carotenoids because of their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are one of many nutrients that we get from plants that are needed to help keep the body’s cells healthy.
What’s so special about the lycopene in watermelons?
Dr. Edwards says that watermelons and tomatoes both have lots of lycopene. It seems that your body can use the lycopene from watermelon more easily than the lycopene from raw tomatoes. Actually, the lycopene from tomatoes is more easily absorbed inside your body once the tomatoes have been cooked.
Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause a great deal of damage. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls, where it can lead to heart attack or stroke. They can add to the severity of asthma attacks by causing airways to clamp down and close. They can increase the inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause most of the joint damage that occurs in these conditions, and they can damage cells lining the colon, turning them into cancer cells. Fortunately, vitamin C and beta-carotene are very good at getting rid of these harmful molecules and can therefore prevent the damage they would otherwise cause. As a matter of fact, high intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A cup of watermelon provides 24.3% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its beta-carotene, 11.1% of the DV for vitamin A. Watermelon is rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production. Our food ranking system also qualified watermelon as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, and potassium. Part of this high ranking was due to the higher nutrient density of watermelon. Because this food has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories), it delivers more nutrients per calorie - an outstanding health benefit!
Watermelon is also a very concentrated source of the carotenoid, lycopene. Well known for being abundant in tomatoes and particularly well absorbed from cooked tomato products containing a little fat such as olive oil, lycopene is also present in high amounts in watermelon and mangoes. Lycopene has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. In contrast to many other food phytonutrients, whose effects have only been studied in animals, lycopene has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. These cancers now include prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancers. A study published in the November 2003 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that in patients with colorectal adenomas, a type of polyp that is the precursor for most colorectal cancers, blood levels of lycopene were 35% lower compared to study subjects with no polyps. Blood levels of beta-carotene also tended to be 25.5% lower, although according to researchers, this difference was not significant. In their final (multiple logistic regression) analysis, only low levels of plasma lycopene (less than 70 microgram per liter) and smoking increased the likelihood of colorectal adenomas, but the increase in risk was quite substantial: low levels of lycopene increased risk by 230% and smoking by 302%.(December 31, 2003) The antioxidant function of lycopene – its ability to help protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage – has been linked in human research to prevention of heart disease. Protection of DNA (our genetic material) inside of white blood cells has also been shown to be an antioxidant role of lycopene.
Protection against Macular Degeneration
Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Opthamology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.
In this study, which involved 77,562 women and 40,866 men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants’ consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARM, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but watermelon can help you reach this goal. What could be more delicious on a hot summer’s day than a slice of sweet, refreshing watermelon? For the best ever summer spritzer, blend watermelon with a spoonful of honey and a splash of lemon or lime, then stir in seltzer water and decorate with a sprig of mint. If you didn’t experience the fun of a seed spitting contest as a child, it’s not too late to introduce this summer ritual to your children or the child in you! (July 10, 2004)
It’s too bright in here!
10 April 2006 | Happiness (Mental Health) | No Comments
This poor beast, isn’t he cute! HAHA… and hungry, and ferocious! Great photograph though. I want to hope that the photographer had a great zoom on his/her camera.
42 Reasons to Quit Smoking
10 April 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
PawPaw, my grandfather died of lung cancer when I was seven. It sucks I didn’t get to know him much, cause I hear he was a great man. My mother, his daughter, gave me his airforce ring, which I’ve been wearing since 2000 or so. It’s a constant reminder that I, and my mother both, need to quit smoking.
Therefore, my goal is to finally quit in two weeks on May 1st when I return from Vegas. My lungs ache, I can hardly breath, I’m out of shape, am guilty for not respecting the spirit of my grandfather, and am… well… way beyond ready to quit this shit! As if I need any more motivation, I’ve pulled together this list of 42 reasons to quit smoking.
#1 - Within 20 minutes of quitting smoking your lungs and airways begin to heal and your blood pressure and pulse return to normal.
#2 - Eight hours after quitting smoking, the nicotine levels in your blood reduces by 50%, and your oxygen levels return to normal.
#3 - Twenty-four hours after quitting smoking, your lungs begin clearing out mucus and other smoking debris.
#4 - Forty-eight hours after quitting smoking, your body is free of all nicotine and your sense of taste and smell greatly improves.
#8 - Five years after quitting smoking, your chance of experiencing a heart attack drops 50%.
#9 - Ten years after quitting smoking, your chance of developing lung cancer drops about 50% and your chance of experiencing a heart attack is that of someone who has never smoked.
#10 - It’s never too late to quit. Even if you are 65 years old, you can reduce your risk of dying of smoking related diseases by 50% if you quit smoking now.
#11 - You’ll have fewer wrinkles.
#12 - After the first year, you’ll have saved enough for a Carribean cruise.
#13 - You’ll be around to see your grand children!
#14 - There are new drugs that can help, like the patch, or bupropion (Zyban).
#15 - Your physician won’t need to “counsel” you anymore.
#16 - You won’t have to worry about how smoking is ruining your health.
#17 - You’ll be able to exercise more.
#18 - In time, you’ll have the same life expectancy as a nonsmoker.
#19 - No more coughing or wheezing!
#20 - You’ll be able to taste and smell food again.
#21 - Your children will have fewer ear and respiratory infections.
#22 - Your teeth will be whiter.
#23 - The same drug (Zyban) that can help you stop smoking can also help prevent weight gain.
#24 - If you’re a new mother, your baby will be at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome.
#25 - It’s one less thing to carry around.
#26 - Your lungs won’t turn brown.
#27 - No more burning holes in your clothes.
#28 - Your spouse will be less likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer.
#29 - You’ll have to pull off the road only when I need gas.
#30 - Your car won’t reek.
#31 - You won’t need to look forward to receiving oxygen through a nasal tube.
#32 - Your house won’t reek.
#33 - If you plan on giving birth to a child, you’ll save your unborn child from nicotine withdrawal.
#34 - You won’t reek.
#35 - You’ll be able to play with my grandchildren without gasping.
#36 - You won’t have to feel second class anymore.
#37 - No more nicotine fits on airplanes.
#38 - You’ll have more energy.
#39 - You’ll make new friends.
#40 - You’ll be able to get rid of something that is controlling your life.
#41 - You’ll be a good role model for your children.
#42 - You’re ready!
Sip on a lil’ White Tea
10 April 2006 | Longevity (Physical Health) | No Comments
While many food and beverage products banner themselves as “new age” offerings that fit nicely into a health-conscious consumer’s lifestyle, many contain only “trace” amounts of ingredients shown to have beneficial properties, including ginkgo biloba, taurine, ginseng, proline, and creatine among others. (Trace amounts are so miniscule that even though the ingredients do, in fact, have health-related attributes, their effects are not discernable.) White tea is different.
Just like the popular green tea (which has been noted for its antioxidant qualities, particularly among Asian cultures, dating back centuries), white tea is derived from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, unlike most other varieties (including traditional black tea and oolong tea), the leaves of white tea are harvested before they are fully opened. Indeed, the name “white tea” is derived from the fine white hair that covers the uppermost tender buds of the plant. For this reason, white tea is sometimes referred to as the “Rolls Royce” of the tea family.
And like green tea, white tea undergoes very little processing. While green tea has a noticeable grass-like flavor, and often requires sweeteners to be acceptable to the American consumer’s palate, white tea offers a natural light, sweet flavor. For best results, white tea, which contains less caffeine than most other varieties (15mg per serving as opposed to 40mg for black tea, and 20mg for green tea), should be steeped just below the boiling point. White tea also should be consumed in its natural state - that is, without adding sweeteners or dairy products. Doing so has been likened to adding Coca-Cola to a single-malt whisky.
But most importantly from a scientific perspective, studies have indicated that white tea offers even more cancer-fighting antioxidant agents than green tea. Tea consumers are apparently listening. According to ACNielsen data, while dollars generated by bagged tea in the combined food, drug and mass channels (excluding Wal-Mart data) have increased marginally over the past four years, dollar sales of white tea have jumped exponentially.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11944323/
Love Thyself
10 April 2006 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Ultimately, it is your job, and no one elses, to love yourself. In this ever-changing, fast-paced, complex time that is the 21st Century, it is becoming an even greater responsibility. You make choices every single day that have long-term effects on your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and this blog is where I will begin to take greater notice, myself, of how to form a life which follows “The Way”.
First and foremost, I believe living “The Way” is a conscious undertaking where the individual decides to take responsibility for their own sense of purpose, happiness, and longevity. Once you are able to fully design your lifestyle to accomodate these three principles, you may decide to seek out others who also live their lives with such responsibility… but it all starts with you!
Personally, at the time of this writing, in the year 2006, I am 34 years old and have spent over a decade of my life, not keeping my (a) sense of purpose, (b) happiness, and (c) longevity amongst my highest priorities.
Time to Love Thyself
I’d love to hear from others who are considering loving themselves or have developed expertise in loving themselves… and let’s not limit that to masturbation. 
Good day,
NORTH