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Life “zips” by fast…..Literally so hang on for the ride and keep your eyes wide open, you won’t want to miss a thing.

Experience all that life has to offer make a choice to live life to the fullest. Visit the places you want to see, enjoy the culture, experience the life there.

That’s how we roll so we found our self “hanging” around the tree tops in Jamaica with the locals, the wildlife (us and the real thing) and the beautiful views.

I realized how wonderful I felt zipping along with the wind in my face and the sound of the zip line in my ears. The sight of the ground far below and the distant ocean was breath taking. The “drops” were exhillerating and I realized that what we were doing was so much real life.

The first thing I felt was anticipation and excitement like when something new is about to happen.
Next we needed to prepare for our trip with safety equipment just like preparing for a big project.

I needed to be patient because I was ready to go and there were 30 of us that needed to get ready, it seems like real life is a waiting game.
Then it was time to zip and life started moving really fast.

Sometimes you slow down so much you need to pull your self to safety, just like real life.

The drop offs represented when things aren’t going right to me, we hold on for the ride and eventually our feet hit solid ground so we can get back zipping along again.

When you get to the other side it is absolutely exhillerating just like a job well done.

So get out there and live life.

click on the link to find out more about living a healthy life

So why do we over eat?

Our intentions are good. We know what things are bad for us so why is it that we smell a yummy cookie that we have to have it and we don’t stop at just one.

Was it the rough day at the office, the stress of bills, the kids bickering? Let’s find out.

“Health Magazine” asked some of the leading experts in the field questions about the unexpected reasons why so many people over eat or binge from time to time.

What we found out is that eating to much happens from time to time and the lack of will power is NOT to blame.

REST

One of the main reasons that we feel the need to over eat is that we are not getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can actually cause metabolic changes that can actually create weight gain.

A lack of sleep is harmful because of two hormones that are affected when we don’t get our rest.

Leptin is the hormone that tells us we have had enough to eat.

Ghrelin is a hormone that triggers hunger.

When we dont get enough sleep there is an increase in Ghrelin and a decrease of Leptin. That is why when you don’t get enough sleep you are hungry and you eat until you are “stuffed” Getting enough sleep can stop the ugly cycle.

Not only that but not getting enough sleep can impair glucose metabolism and if that doesn’t change it can lead to type 2 Diabetes.

STRESS

Stress in constant doese causes your body to pump out the hormone called Cortizol. Over time that Cortizol will boost your appetite and lead to eating to much. Cortizol and Insulin work together to boost our cravings for “comfort foods” that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

The Bad news is that Fat cells create Cortizol on their own so if you are over weight you are getting it double.

Cortizol and Insulin togetehr causes our bodies to store more “viseral fat” which puts us at risk for Heart Attack or Stroke.

Stress is the reason that people go off diets, even people who normally restrict their portions will over eat during stressful periods.

FAT ON THE BRAIN

We are hunters and gatherers and there are certain things that seem to be written into our “DNA” (not really, they just SEEM to be). Back when our ancestors were foraging for every meal they welcomed finding foods that would give them a little more energy and pad their bones.

It’s not your lack of Willpower that is your failure, what it really stems from is our outdated survival mode. In fact, when you eat fatty foods your brain gets a signal from the body that it is satisfied and in addition to that creates a memory of that experience. That is why we crave certain foods, the memory.

What once helped Humans survive in small portions is now expanding our waistlines when we eat them in larger portions.

Click here to find out more about where those extra pounds come from

Visit our sight: Meet Gordon and Shelli

Flu Season is upon us.

Are you planning on getting the two flu shots that are recommended this year? Maybe you are just stocking up on cold and flu medicine or maybe it’s hand-sanitizer.

What ever method you choose, there are some natural ways to boost your immunity. , It includes some twists and inversions that encourage the main immunity components in our bodies, the lymphatic system and the adrenal glands to perform better.

These methods help to balance, calm and relax the nervous system.

Dr. Jeff Migdow. MD developed a system to help.

Do the following exercises 4 to 5 times a week to be healthy and feel great all season long.

Half Shoulder Stand

How to:

Lie on Back, bend knees and lift them towards chest. Rock back up onto shoulders, bend elbows and put hands on either side of hip for support, extend legs upward. Stay in this position for 2 minutes taking deep breaths. Bend knees to chest to reverse out. Recharges the Kidneys, opens up the back, good for circulatory and lymphatic systems.

Spinal twist-seated

How to:

Sitting tall on floor legs extended, bend left knee, place Right foot to outside of L. knee, L. elbow to R knee and twist, look behind. This stimulates flow of lymphatic fluids.

Open chest with Pigeon pose

How to:

Sit cris cross on the floor. Take R. leg around behind, knee to floor, top of foot to floor. Front leg remains at 90 degrees in front touching floor all the way to buttox. Clasp hands behind, roll shoulders down away from ears and stretch open the chest.

To find out more about healthy living visit us at:
http://www.healthpulse-shelli.blogspot.com

The shift towards longevity is a choice.

A choice to live a healthier lifestyle and make changes in food consumption.

Unfortunately in America today the obesity rate continues to increase at an alarming rate. Creating more illness and disease.

Fast food companies are setting the pace to have a record year. Economy is down and their food is cheap.

This is where the choice needs to be made.

The choice not to go through the fast food line. Head to the grocery store and spend some time in the produce department.

To make a choice to cut down on sugar and make healthy food choices.

To make a choice to Exercise and take care so that you can enjoy your life and be productive, live a quality life until the end.
That is what I call Longevity.

There are many studies that link exercise with longevity. The most recent study: “Extended Lifespan” came from Brigham and Womans Hospital in Boston. They set out to see if exercise had the ability to “modify” longevity.

What they found is that those that exercised regurlarly had a life span that was greater than the sedentary group at age 65 and beyond.

The study noted that even in the presence of heart disease and chronic illness that exercise had the ability to increase longevity.

Eating healthy along with an exercise program that includes resistance exercises and cardio is the best way to maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit and increase longevity.

When “dieters” were studied, one group modifying diet only the other group adding exercise to the diet. The group that added exercise lost twice the weight and kept it off.

Make a choice to get up, turn off the TV (unless it is an exercise program) and get moving.

Creating lean muscle mass is the best way to boost the metabolism, burn calories at a higher rate and release Endorphines into the body. It also sculpts and tones, increases bone mass, and burns more fat at a higher rate.

Not only will you look younger, leaner and more toned. You will Also increase you longevity.

See my article called Sick and eating by cliking here

And visit my blog about portions Size and Our size

How are you growing?

I was in the office the other day, looking out the window at the yard. I was thinking how beautiful it looked after a summer of stellar weather.

As I was looking at the planter near the fire pit I noticed the decorative grasses planted there. They are the cool stiped type. There are three in all, but why was one of them much smaller?

They were all healthy and growing straight and true. They had all gotten the same care and water the entire time they have been planted. The one just didn’t seem to be expanding like the other two.

Just like people, not two plants are alike. They all adapt differently and need different amounts of food and water to be happy.

Roots run deep or they are shallow depending on the plant. We all know shallow people, they seem to be the ones that don’t grow. they are the ones that seem to stay in the same place year after year.

Then there are the deeply rooted ones. Always moving forward, growing and spreading into new areas.

What makes people what they are?

Your up bringing has much to do with it but not everything. Who are the individuals who shaped your life and what were their beliefs? You will have some of that mixed into who you are.

You know that we don’t grow old, we just stop growing. So how is your growth going? Are you striving to be the best person you can be? Cheerful, friendly and positive thinking is the most healthy way to be.

If there are people surrounding you that are pessimistic, jealous and basically not growing, your times spent with these individuals needs to be limited.

This isn’t always easy to do, sometimes they are family or somebody in your life that is hard to limit. You need to find a way. You can’t just cut them out of your life no matter what some people say. Just limiting your time with them and maybe sharing with them why you need to do that should be adequate.

Find out more about us @ http://shellithompson.blogspot.com/ (Copy this address into your browser)

Everything starts with a belief

If you sat back and waited for change the two things that would prevent it from happening besides “sitting back and waiting” is:

Lack of Belief and the lack of action taken

.First you need to take action and make something happen in order for you to change anything

.When you see that change then you will grow the belief that you can make change happen for yourself.

You are one step closer to what you want to attain when first you believe

.A doctor writes you a prescription, you take it to the pharmacy and pay to have the perscription filled and then you take the medication. Why do you do that? Because you have a belief that the medication will help you and you have gotten the medicine from a practitioner that you trust. That faith will be the first step to your recovery and it will put you on the road to healing.

Just like that, Belief in yourself will lead you on the path that you are looking for. Surrounding your self with supportive people that believe in you should never be taken for granted, it is the most priceless commodity.

The “dream breakers” are the people that you don’t need in your life. These are the people that tell you that you are crazy and your ideas will get you no where fast.

Step back and take a look at these individuals. Are they going anywhere at all? Chances are they broke their own dreams. Now they are on a mission to keep everyone on their level by rejecting new ideas and creating doubt in the mind of the dreamer.

After all you are only dreaming right? WRONG!

The dream breakers do their dream breaking in disguise. They tell you they only want what is best for you or that they just worry that you are being “scammed”. In reality they can see if you stay on your current path, you will move on and belief in yourself will grow and then you will believe anything is possible.

They don’t want you to realize that they are trying to break your dreams because they have a lack of faith and an unwillingness to do what is necessary to move forward.

IT IS NOT EASY GATHERING PEOPLE AROUND THAT WILL ALLOW THEIR DREAMS TO BE BROKEN.

HOW WILL THE DREAM BREAKERS REPLACE YOU?

Find out more @ http://shellithompson.blogspot.com/

We all want to live a healthy life. The choices we make decide on how healthy that life will be. There are certain people that take the “health thing” pretty seriously. They have made a commitment to be healthy and more fit. How do you live a healthier life?

Here are a few tips.

Wash your hands often for at least 20 to 30 seconds. A dose of preventions is better than an ounce of cure. Avoid certain behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol and eating excessively. That can dramatically improve your health all in it self. There are easy ways to get started being more healthy.

Strengthen Your Muscles

Muscles tend to weaken as we age. If you want to prevent a that from happening in a BIG way, you need to practice weight bearing exercises on a regular basis. Weight training increases lean muscles tissue. It also encourages bone Density. Bone density starts to decrease in our thirties but we can combat that with regular resistance training. Weight training also jump starts your metabolism and helps you to burn calories at a faster rate.

Go For A Walk

We are designed to be on the move. We started as hunters and gatherers on the move constantly. Walking actually triggers all of the bodies systems. digestion, stress relief, preparation for sleep, clarity of thinking. It is a free activity, It is easy, most everyone walks and you can get the exercise with out the wear and tear on your body.

Stop Drinking Soda

This is a big one. All of the processed sugars in these sugary drinks just makes you crave more. These drinks have contributed to the skyrocketing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Diet soda is the worst because it tricks the brain with the sweetness but there are not any calories so the body is not satisfied and craves more. It is easy to put down 40 pounds of liquid calories a year by just having 2 glasses of milk, one glass of juice and one glass of wine a day. That is 200,750 calories a year the 40 pounds of liquid calories represents. Add soda to that and the calorie count could easily double along with the liquid calories consumed. These are all — USELESS calories that do nothing but eat your teeth and add unwanted pounds.

Keep a Food Journal

You can double your weight loss by just writing down everything you eat. Doctors have found the more people wrote down what they ate the more weight they loss. We become aware of our habits when we go through the process of reflecting on what we eat. That is the only way to change a behavior, to become fully aware of it. There are online food journal sights that can make it easy or you can get yourself a cheap notebook and write it all down there. Make sure you include the time so you can see any patterns forming with they type of food and the time. Make sure to write how you felt at the time. Measure your hunger from 1 to 10, just that alone may keep you from putting that extra helping on your plate.

Relax, take a “Chill”

If you are a stressed out person, you are more vulnerable to colds and flu all winter long. When you get sick it will take longer to recover if you are a stressed out person. People that do not know how to relax gain more weight and get more illnesses than a person that has learned to “Chill”. People that have learned to combat stress sometimes use exercise or specifically weight training to relieve it. Some find peace in music or humor. Other good ways to reduce stress are Tai Chi and Yoga.

Get Plenty Of Sleep

People really over look this factor. Sleep is one of the most important aspects of health. Without it hormone levels go “whacky” and you do not have the energy that you might have, you gain weight easily and you are moody. Do not put your self in the path of the flu this season. Not getting enough rest will make you more susceptible to what ever is going around. One thing that helps sleep is to have a routine and stick to it. No excitement late in the evening, a dark sleeping environment that is 50 to 60 degrees is best.

Eat Outside The Home Less Often

Eating out at restaurants just makes you loose control of what you are eating. Many times they get prepared foods and fail to really cook anything. many additives and preservatives are used in the foods and many meats are soaked in a “salt brine” to keep it from spoiling (salt is a preservative). Be careful about the foods you buy for home, Look at the label. Be aware of sodium levels and keep them as low as possible. Be a conscious eater.

Eat Whole Foods and Go Organic Where You Can

Any un-processed or un-refined with no added sugar, salt or fat. usually whole foods have a low glycemic index so they will not increase your blood sugar and insulin levels as quickly as processed foods. Eat wheat bread, stay away from french fries. Eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. Stay away from anything in a bag, box, or can.

Find Your Passion

What is Life without passion?
Life needs to have meaning or we are not fulfilled and that is not something that we enjoy. having a “higher purpose in life” can reduce the risk of death among older adults. Purpose is stimulating cognitively so the real truth is “use it or loose it”, they have been saying it for years, now I believe it. Everyone needs to feel useful and have interests or what is life about.

Be As Social As Possible

The reason that we are so social as human beings is that we re-create and in order to do that we need to communicate (although some of us do that better than others). In order to create a strong sense of social identity it is necessary to belong to social groups, clubs, teams or church is another option. Having this strong sense of social identity significantly reduces your chance of having a stroke, dementia, and even our yearly common illnesses such as the flu and a cold. Loneliness breeds both illness and early death.

follow these steps to ease your self into a healthier life

As we start a new year and a new decade many things in our life seem uncertain. The economy is not improving as fast as we would like and we have to wonder what the government is up to? The national debt is doing nothing but increasing and the provider of the paper the government uses to print the money is having a hard time keeping up with demand. So what does this mean for all of us?

It means that we need to do the best we can with the tools that we have. Use our education to the best of our ability. Hold our head high and move our lives forward the best way we can. For some of us it means that we will need to re-invent our self.

We have questions about how we will pay the bills or put food on the table? How will we pay for college for our kids that are in high school? Will we be able to go on a family vacation this year? Will we ever be able to retire?

All of these questions create stress in our life. They create stress and sometimes strife within family units that can blow out of proportion to the questions that we ask. At times the stress feels like it will break you apart so how do we manage it?

Finding ways to relax is the key to living, healthy, happy, energetic and stress free. Relaxation is the key to keeping your relationships healthy and keeping YOU SANE!

Relaxation is an essential part of stress management. Relaxation is not just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation decreases the wear and tear on your mind and body from the challenges, hassles and stress of daily life.

Whether your stress is out of control or you have already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning ways to realize relaxation.

Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy, often free or low cost, and poses little risk. These simple techniques will get you started on taking control of the stress in your life and improving your health.

The benefits of relaxation techniques

With so many things to do, relaxation is easy to ignore. But that means you might miss out on the health benefits relaxation can provide.

Types of relaxing activities

In general, relaxation techniques involve refocusing your attention to something calming and increasing awareness of your body. It does not matter which technique you choose. What matters is that you try to practice relaxation regularly to gain the most benefits.

There are several main types of relaxation techniques, including:

Auto relaxation.

Auto means something that comes from within you. In this technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension. You may imagine a peaceful place and then focus on controlled, relaxing breathing, slowing your heart rate, or feeling different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

Progressive muscle relaxation.

In this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation. You become more aware of physical sensations. One method is to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

Visualization.

In this technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. During visualization, try to use as many senses as you can, including smell, sight, sound and touch. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about such things as the smell of salt water, the sound of crashing waves and the warmth of the sun on your body. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing.

Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:

Slowing your heart rate

Lowering blood pressure

Increasing blood flow to major muscles

Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain

Improving concentration

Reducing anger and frustration

Other common ways to relax include:

Yoga

Tai chi

Listening to music

Exercise

Meditation

Hypnosis

Massage

Relaxation techniques take practice

As you learn relaxation techniques, you will become more aware of muscle tension and other physical symptoms of stress. Once you know what the stress response feels like, you can make a conscious effort to practice the best relaxation technique for you the moment you start to feel stress. This can prevent stress from getting out of control. The first priority in relieving stress is to recognize the presence of it.

Remember that relaxation techniques are slearned over time. Your ability to relax improves with practice. Be patient with yourself – do not let your effort to practice relaxation techniques become stressful. Do not be upset when stress gets the best of you that will make it worse, just tell yourself you WILL do better next time and forgive yourself.

Also, bear in mind that some people, especially those with serious psychological issues and a history of abuse, may experience feelings of emotional discomfort during some relaxation techniques. If you experience emotional discomfort during relaxation techniques, stop what you are doing and get in contact with your health care professional or mental health provider.