Holistic Wellness for Life North of 50

Archive for the ‘a simple life’ Category

Like a road sign or a compass, the reason why we do something is much more important than how we do it. How is the procedure. It is the mechanics of doing all the steps to get to our goal. Why is what lets us reach our goals. It gives us our starting point and helps us to define our path. It tells us where we want to be at the end of the journey. It reminds us what we were doing if we wander off our path. It allows us to adapt, improvise and overcome when obstacles get in our way. It helps us to keep going when we have lost all hope of ever getting to where we want to be.

So, the next time you are stressing out about planning and other miniscule details, remember the why. The how is important, but the why is the reason we are doing it. Sit back for a minute and remember why and then go forward, because life is about the journey and the why not the destination.

Some related articles:

Asking ‘why’ instead of ‘how’ helps consumers achieve goals of saving money or losing weight

Change Your Life Your Way

Research, The Anchor Of Any Plan

Technorati Tags: holistic wellness, mind health, weight loss, Why

Recently, I was watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Channel. Apparently the host, Alton Brown, had lost some weight (about 50 pounds). His feeling (which echoes mine) is that diets usually don’t work in the long run and don’t make you feel better. His idea was to make a life change in the way he eats and thereby produce a positive effect in his health. He came up with his own plan and in the process lost 50 pounds, lowered his cholesterol and improved his self image.

The system that he concocted to produce this life change is brilliant in it’s simplicity. Using his knowledge about food and working with the premise of eating nutrient dense food instead of energy (calorie) dense food, he was able to lower his overall intake. He made four (4) lists to use as his daily outline. The lists split various foods into daily, 3x weekly, 1x weekly and finally 0 (zero)x weekly. The daily list had items like fruits , nuts, and whole grains. The 3x weekly had oily fish sweetpotato and avocado. 1x weekly had red meat, dessert and alcohol . And the never (0x) list included fast food, canned soup and “diet anything.” His one big rule is always eat breakfast which helps prevent bingeing later in the day. A few lists and some rules, what could be simpler.

You can do the same thing. If you feel the need for a change, a little research, a simple plan and a little determination and you can do the same thing. There’s plenty books andauthoritative online information to pick from. People like Andrew Weil, Dean Ornish and Jorge Cruise all have books and informative websites to gather information from about holistic wellness. Then put your plan together and go forward to a better life. Not a diet but life change for the better. Good Luck and…

Be well.

Take the initiative, and you will create your own opportunities.
There is no substitute for action backed up by a well-thought-out plan. -Napoleon Hill

Technorati Tags: health and wellness, holistic wellness, nutrition

Came across this article while wandering the web. This was on Jeff Yeager’s column at www.AARP.org. Jeff has been titled “The Ultimate Cheapskate” for his ability to find multiple ways to NOT spend a lot of money and keep it in your pocket. He has even published a book, “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less.” So enjoy the video and check out the column at AARP.

The Freecycle Network: Good for the Planet (and Your Wallet)

By Jeff Yeager

My Generation: Freecycle

From ‘My Generation’ TV

“Freecycling” allows you to be a part of a community. On the Web, post items that you want to give away and receive—free of charge. Find out how to get started.

For more details and the rest of the article go to Freecycle Network

Reprinted from www.AARP.org

Technorati Tags: health and wellness, holistic wellness, men over 50, women over 50

There are many things in life that can intrude on your peace of mind and stress you out. Any stress over time can pile up and adversely affect your health and wellness. Somethings are major ,some are minor, some are just  annoying and some are life altering. A minor but very annoying aspect of life is junk mail.The average American adult receives about 41 pounds of junk mail a year, even though, as Newsweek reports, polls show that 89 percent of us prefer not to receive direct-marketing mail; 44 percent of it is never opened. Opposition from the US Postal Service and the Direct Marketing Association has so far helped defeat passage of any Do Not Mail legislative relief in 19 states.

Low-cost initiatives like 41 Pounds.org ($41 for five years includes a $15 eco-cause donation) and StopTheJunkMail.com ($20 a year) are coming to citizens’ rescue with services that solve 80 to 95 percent of the problem for us. Do-it-yourself types can also make it happen using how-to tips courtesy of The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at PrivacyRights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm, with an assist from OptOutPrescreen.com and CatalogChoice.org.

Nationwide annual benefits of getting out from under junk mail include: preventing production of greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of 9 million cars; destruction of the 100 million trees and use of 28 million gallons of freshwater it takes to produce 4 million tons of junk mail; $550 million in transportation costs; paper waste comprising 40 percent of the landfill load; and $320 million in local taxes spent on junk mail disposal. Not to mention the estimated 350 hours each household spends sorting and shredding it to protect against identity theft and fraud.

For more tips, visit BigGreenPurse.com and search”control catalog overload.”

Reprinted from    Natural Awakenings October 2009

Another inventive way to deal with junk mail especially in winter is to turn it into a low cost heat source. A pile of junk mail in your home is not a pretty sight. If you live far away from a recycling center or just want to get rid of all your junk mail quickly, a junk mail fire log may be the answer to your junk mail problem. Follow these tips to learn how to make one and use it as an alternative heat source.

Reprinted from http://www.ehow.com/how_4454260_make-junk-mail-fire-log.html

One last note, if you are shredding your mail and sensitive material and you shred it very fine, then you can take those shreddings and use them as mulch for your plants. They will help your plants retain moisture, provide some nutrients when they (shreddings) rot and won’t increase our landfill load unnecessarily. (Just make sure that the shred is fine enough that it can not be reassembled.

Technorati Tags: health and wellness, holistic wellness, men over 50, mind health, women over 50