Stress Management

In our world we deal with stress all the time. Many dont realize how harmful it can be. The stress response (a physical and chemical response for dealing with stressful situations) has developed over thousands of years. Our ancestors used the stress response in critical life or death situations. E.g. An angry tiger wants to make you his next meal. You must either run away or fight. Either choice requires a quick response. Your sight and hearing improve, more blood flows to the hands and feet, breath and heart rate increase, and digestion stops. All these changes help you to survive this situation.

The challenges we face today are different than our ancestors but the stress response remains the same. E.g. Your boss is mad because you didn't turn in your reports on time. The stress response activates. Your sight and hearing improve, more blood flows to the hands and feet, breath and heart rate increase, and digestion stops. None of these changes will help you complete the reports quickly and and effectively. You need to think clearly and stay organized to finish the task and the stress response makes this more difficult. It is designed to assist in times of extreme physical need, but here you need increased mental power.

The stress response is activated by the emotional part of our brain. Because your mind is so powerful it can override the changes produced by the stress response. When you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed there are three simple steps to handle the situation:

1. Stop

2. Breathe deeply

3. Think-- What are my options?

This will free you of the stress and allow you to think clearly. When you understand the continual feeling of stress is a choice your life can change dramatically. Effective use of this ancient process allows us to perform incredible physicals feats in critical situations and also to shut it down when we need mental clarity in the daily challenges of life.

Lets Live Longer

We are not living up to our potential for a long and healthy life. The average life expectancy in the US is about 78 even though there are many places throughout the world where people often live more than 100 years.

These areas where people live longer include Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Many people believe that genetics plays a big role in your health and longevity but research shows that genetics determines only 25%. The choices you make in life determine the rest.

There are several factors common throughout these areas where people live the longest.

Limit Meat

A diet consisting of beans, whole grains, vegetables, and other plant foods promotes a healthy body. Our bodies have difficulty digesting meat so it is best to avoid it.

Eat Less

The biggest health problem in the US is overconsumption. This increases the risk of many health problems including: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic fatigue. Okinawan elders remind the young of these words: hara hachi bu -- a reminder to stop eating when you are 80% full. Our stomaches start off small when we are young but will expand when we eat too much. This causes us to eat more because we don't feel full. By eating less it is easier to maintain a healthy weight.

More Activity, Less Exercise

Our bodies are designed to move. When we sit in an office all day, drive our cars home, and watch TV at night we are not making use of our gifts. Because people feel they have to move around to stay healthy they buy gym memberships to run on treadmills and lift weights. These actions only work our bodies in isolation.

Activities such as as hiking, tending a garden, dancing, climbing trees, and martial arts work the whole body and are fun. Daily activity improves our balance and mind body connection and keeps us healthy for years to come.

Try some red wine

Moderation is key for everything in your life and drinking is no different. Research shows that people who drink a glass of red wine a day may reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease later in life. If you often drink beer or hard liquor consider switching to red wine. If you do not drink alcohol I cannot recommend that you start drinking now.

Connect with your Family
You chose your family when you were born because you had something to teach them and also to learn from them. When you establish strong family relationships it creates a space to learn and grow together and people to turn to for support and celebration. Your parents are the first people who you learn from and connect with. Because of this, people with weak family relationships are more likely to develop emotional problems and connecting with other people.

Develop a Sense of Purpose in Life
We all have a reason to live. One of the greatest challenges in life is finding out what this is. Search for whatever it is that excites you and gets you going in the morning. When you believe you have a purpose in life everything you do becomes more enjoyable from eating meals, working, to your daily interactions with people.

Life is a journey so be sure to have fun along the way. It can be easy to get so caught up with what you want to achieve that you lose enjoyment on the path that gets you there. Remember that moderation is important in everything you do. Don't focus so much on what you have to do that life becomes a drag. In the end your life is measured not by how long it is but by what you do while you're here.

Stress and Relaxation

Are you feeling stressed out? Often it can feel like there just isn't any time to relax. We work so much we may not even consider taking a break. This situation might seem like it happens all the time, but do you know just how harmful constant stress can be for you?

The stress response developed over time as a method of dealing with critical life or death situations. E.g. When you're hiking through the jungle and a tiger decides to make you its next meal your body goes into overdrive to protect itself. There are two options here: fight or flight. Either way you will need quick reactions so your heart and breath rate increase, more blood flows to the eyes, ears, hands, and feet while the digestive system shuts down. Once the threat is over the body will return to normal and may then begin to relax.

Relaxation is a chance to heal ourselves. We are blessed with the gift of an amazing immune system and the power of regeneration. As you relax, the heart and breath rates slow down and blood flows to the inner organs to aid in digestion. Every night when you go to sleep the body, mind, and soul rest and recharge. Relaxation is important for us not only when sleeping at night but throughout the day as well. This allows us to effectively deal with the challenges of life.

Although some of the challenges we face today are less dangerous than those of our ancestors we find them everywhere we go. Computer problems, paying bills on time, trouble with relationships, and traffic congestion are not usually life threatening situations; however, the stress hasn't changed for thousands of years. As Americans we suffer from many health problems because of constant stress. Appliances such as TVs, computers, and cell phones were supposed to save time and make life easier; however, they often have the opposite effect.

As our medical technologies become more advanced people continue to forget our amazing abilities to heal ourselves. Our ancestors knew how to promote healing of injuries and illnesses with various relaxation techniques using plants, stones, and meditation. Many people dismiss this as hocus-pocus with no real benefits, but with the understand of how your body and mind works comes an incredible power.

There is so much we can do to heal ourselves you might be wondering where to start. From now on, every morning when you wake and at night before you sleep give thanks to all your blessings. It can be so easy to obsess over everything we don't have that we forget about how rich our lives are. Give thanks to your parents, friends, and family. For having food to eat, a place to sleep and warm clothes. The opportunity to grow and learn. Having more than enough money for everything we will ever need. When we count our blessings it reminds us just how lucky we are.

2010 Handbook

I take no credit for this. My friend Robin (http://www.facebook.com/robin.shrake) came up with this and it is so great I had to repost this. Isn't it amazing how simple life is?

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4.Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5.Make time to pray.
6.Play more games
7.Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8.Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9.Sleep for 7 hours.
10.Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake,but pay attention to your driving.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree....
25. Call your family often.26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change...
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you wake, alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Eating Healthy Made Easy - Part One

Today there are many products and services to choose from in our daily lives. Food is no exception. We can choose from fast food burgers, pizzerias, diners, taco trucks, fancy high-class restaurants, grocery stores, and farmer's markets to buy our food. With so many choices it can be difficult to make a healthy decision; however, with a little practice you can become an expert in no time!


Everything we eat has a direct effect on us. Have you ever heard the saying "you are what you eat"? This is the truth. When we constantly eat burgers, chips, and drink soda, energy drinks and fruit drink it can cause serious damage to our health. Fortunately Mother Nature already has the solution for us. There is no secret to eating healthy. Go for unprocessed foods that come from trees and the ground. This means avoiding foods with artificial colors, flavorings, sweeteners, and preservatives. Vegetables are the main part of a healthy meal. Treat everything else as a side dish. (Yes, even meat!)

You need to get your vitamins and minerals: it's like putting oil in your car, you need them to perform well. Each one serves a vital (important) purpose. The best way to get these "nutrients" is to include as many different types of food as you can. Variety is king. Eating various colors is a simple and fun way to get your nutrients. (not food coloring, but the natural colors)

Here are a few examples of some foods to try and how you can include them in your food: Remember, try to get these foods in the most natural condition possible (i.e strawberries (fresh) in your cereal, instead of strawberry jelly (contains too much sugars and often preservatives *what's the point!?)

Red: Raspberries, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries
Meal Idea: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with sliced tomato, Raspberries and strawberry milk shakes!
Blue/Purple: Blueberries, purple cabbage, eggplant
Meal Idea: Egg scramble with purple cabbage and other vegetables, Blueberries pancakes!
Green: Lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, broccoli, spinach, green beans
Meal Idea: Stir fry that includes broccoli and green beans, cucumber in your tuna salad!
Yellow/Orange: Carrots, oranges, bananas, sweet potatoes, squash, corn
Meal Idea: Oven roasted sliced squash and sweet potatoes with BBQ chicken! 100% orange juice
Brown/Black: Lentils, brown rice, beans, almonds, mushrooms
Lentil Soup (Recipe on page 6), bean burrito, almonds in your cereal or shake!

Remember, What we eat is our primary defense against disease and illness. A balanced mixture of fruits and vegetables can reduce the the risk of many illnesses including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and digestive problems. This is why it is so important to be conscious of what we put into our bodies.

These days it is often hard to find unprocessed, non genetically modified foods that haven't been treated with toxic chemicals. By making smart healthy choices we can prepare for a lifelong loving relationship with our bodies. Want better control over what you eat? Make your own meals!

The best time to start making smarter food choices is now.
Your body will thank you later!

The joy of nasal cleansing with neti pot

There's this wonderful thing out there called a neti pot. Have you heard of this before? I am about to let you know about one of the greatest things I have discovered in my life so far.

Nasal cleansing is a practice that originated in India as part of the preparation for doing yoga. Using a saline solution to rinse the sinuses and nasal passages removes dirt, pollen, mucus, and other unwanted debris. Although this is something that started well over a thousand years ago the benefits of nasal cleansing are greater now than ever before. We live in a world of incredible pollution. If you're reading this you probably live in a city of a moderate to fairly large size. That means you are surrounded by so much toxicity in the air its a bit overwhelming to think about. Now before you start getting all freaked out about how polluted our environment remember there are no problems only solutions.

Of course now here is the solution: Nasal cleansing with a neti pot. The instructions are simple.
1. Buy a neti pot.
2. Mix 1 tsp. non-iodized salt (Morton's kosher salt is a good choice), 1/2 tsp. baking soda (Arm & Hammer), into 1 cup of warm water.
3. Here's the part even you seasoned neti pot users don't know about: Add a drop of eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils to the mixture. These not only add a pleasing fragrance but have very strong anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. This provides a huge boost to the effectiveness of your nasal cleanse.
4. Rinse your nose with the neti pot
5. Feel the joy!

I really want to stress the importance of incorporating these essential oils into the rinse. When I purchased my neti pot it said more advanced techniques involve the use of different oils, but there is only a limited amount of information available on this. Personally I have only tried the eucalyptus and tea tree, but the difference compared to salt water alone is immense. I also suggest trying rosemary and lavender essential oils, but I cannot truly reccomend this because I have not tried it myself. Once I obtain some of these I will test it out and let you know how it is.

Happy Cleansing!