Written by Tamara Komuniecki

It’s perhaps one of the most vexing issues in modern-day life: what we eat. It used to be as easy as: coffee stunts your growth and carrots are good for your eyesight. However, we’ve entered into information overload when it comes to what we put into our bodies. There’s the whole carbs/protein debate, diets named after people and places and pyramids, calorie restriction for longevity, to soy or not to soy, and organic foods that cost twice as much at the checkout.

It’s a mind-boggling exercise to wade through the books and web sites dedicated to the subject of eating and diet. Whether you’re happy with your weight or have a couple of pounds to lose, here are a few principles from some esteemed minds about what to eat for good health. Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and co-author of YOU: Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty and other books in the YOU series, gave a lecture at the Women’s Conference last October in Long Beach. His session was entitled Your Wellness Matters: How To Get In Charge Of Your Health NOW!

One important and evocative message from his presentation was, “Eat food that comes out of the ground looking the same as when you eat it.” In other words, highly-processed foods that look nothing like anything you’d find in nature, are just not good for you.



Dr. Oz has a few essential recommendations for healthful living (taken from the Discovery Health Dr. Oz web page):

• Avoid refined, processed foods (basically, anything with white flour).
• Avoid toxic fats, i.e., foods that are fried or made with hydrogenated oils.
• Eat foods rich in phytonutrients, e.g., berries, cruciferous vegetables and soybeans.



Dr. Andrew Weil, well-known naturopath, notes a few important tips on his web site:

• Fish are an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support cardiovascular and neurological health. (To learn about healthy and sustainable seafood choices, visit aquariumofpacific.org.)
• Lentils and other legumes are good sources of zinc, a mineral that’s essential for immune function, wound healing and defense against macular degeneration.



Doctors and dietitians alike agree on a few further principles:

1. Read labels at the grocery store. Stay away from hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, and foods that contain added sugar, MSG and other chemicals, and food coloring.
2. Drink less soda. Sports drinks are not a good replacement, either, unless you’re doing heavy exercise.
3. Color is king. Choose a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables.
4. Eat whole grains, in pasta, breads, and cereals.
5. Teach your kids to eat well from a young age. Healthy eating habits ingrained from the beginning develop their tastes as they grow up.
6. It’s okay to have a treat. Complete abstinence from the things you crave can easily turn into over-indulgence. Manage that with a little taste once in a while... just know when to stop.



And never forget that old adage, you are what you eat. The question is, do YOU want to be artificial, high-fat, and pumped full of preservatives and fake color, or all-natural, from the earth, wholesome… and once in a while just a wee bit naughty?



Resources:

health.discovery.com
drweil.com – home page of Dr. Andrew Weil
kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/labels.html
This web page is designed to help teach kids how to figure out food labels – a great primer for any age.



Written by A.J. Yager

”Your brain is like a sleeping giant…”
- Tony Buzan

What is the real potential of the gray matter between your ears? Does the human brain stop evolving and changing after a certain age? How can you stay mentally fit throughout your life? If the human brain has been a mystery to you and you wonder why keys keep disappearing or your learning speed has dwindled, then read on.

Exercising your brain is the key to unlocking the real truth: your brain will never stop changing and adjusting!

It wasn’t until just recently that the really great strides were made in our understanding of the brain, which means I have great news for you! For far too long it has been assumed that the brain declines with age, reaching a peak between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, and deteriorating steadily from then on. This decline was held to include most mental abilities—among them retention, creativity, alertness, vocabulary, etc. You can forget about all of those phony beliefs.

In his research, Professor Mark Rosenzweig, retired Professor of psychology from UC Berkeley and accomplished author, has proven that if your brain is stimulated, no matter what your age, it will physically grow more and increase the total number of connections within. There is solid evidence from various scientists around the globe that neurogenesis, the formation of new nerve cells, occurs in the adult brain, and such changes can persist well into old age.

With that said, you have no excuses. It’s too easy to become fixed and tired in your ideas. Laziness and fear present formidable obstacles to the mental exercises that could prolong a healthy life.

Apart from these scientific findings, history has provided us with great minds who showed that ability was not dependent on age. Michelangelo produced some of his great works of sculpture, art, and writing into his eightieth year; Haydn wrote some of his most beautiful music in his final years; and Picasso produced into his nineties.

The old contention that we lose brain cells continually throughout our lives and that this causes serious mental decline is again... not true. Apart from the fact that we can generate new connections far more rapidly than the average loss of brain cells, it can also be shown that even if we lose 10,000 brain cells a day from the time we are born, we have started with so many that the total number lost by the age of eighty would be less than three percent. Flex your brain muscles every day.



Resources:

Start with small daily exercises:
The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim.

The Intellectual Devotional is a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. Available at Borders, $24.

Learn to read and process information faster with PhotoReading:
Forget speed reading! Process material three times faster than you can now on all types of material, including books, magazines, trade journals, technical reports, web pages, email, electronic files, novels, and newspapers. Available directly from photoreading.com.

Become A Divergent Thinker:
The Mind Map Book introduces a revolutionary system of planning and note-taking that has already changed the lives of millions of people across the globe. The Mind Map, which has been called the ‘Swiss army knife for the brain’, is a ground-breaking note-taking technique that is already used by more than 250 million people worldwide and has taken the education and business world by storm. Available at Borders, $14.99 (paperback).



Written by Tamara Komuniecki

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word hobby as, “A pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.” Activities like stamp collecting, kite-building, auto restoration, storm chasing, crossword puzzles and radio-controlled toys fall into the category of “hobby”, and they also fall by the wayside when things get busy.

The fact is, when life becomes overscheduled with work, exercise, cooking, cleaning, walking the dog and getting the kids to soccer practice and piano lessons on time, hobbies are the first thing to go. Which is too bad, considering they’re one of the few activities that are undertaken solely for your own enjoyment.

There are many benefits to spending time on your hobbies – they are a great distraction from the day-to-day worries and concerns of life, and they also augment problem-solving skills. Trying to figure out exactly how to fit the large sailboat into a not-much-larger bottle, or focusing to paint a tiny toy soldier helps your level of concentration as you hone in on one thing and one thing only.

A lot of activities that we undertake as hobbies in this age of convenience are what our parents and grandparents did out of necessity, like hunting and fishing, gardening, baking, canning and sewing. Embrace your hobby and get back to your roots by making your own things. You’ll save money and enhance relationships as you learn from those who came before you, and follow in their footsteps. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to share these great lessons with your own kids.

For every hobby, there’s a manual, a club or association, and/or a web site dedicated to the activity. Seek these out and you’ll find tips and tricks, gear, and like-minded people.

For your own mental health in this new year, we implore you to to find the time or make the time to rediscover those hobbies that used to captivate your interest. After all, there’s definitely a reason that there’s an entire book dedicated to hobbies, called The Book of Hobbies or a Guide to Happiness. (Available at Borders, $31.95 paperback, $46.96 hardcover.)

Resources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hobbies



Written by A.J. Yager

”Early to bed and early to rise—till you get enough money to do otherwise.”
— Peter’s Almanac

Aww yes, the “green” challenges that we face in life can be so overwhelming! No, I’m not talking about you being environmentally conscious... I’m talking about your money!

Most likely, you have issues with money, whether large or small. If you have a lot of it, you manage and keep it, and do your best to turn in as little as (legally) possible to Uncle Sam. If you have just enough, you struggle to keep it that way while trying to make small deposits to your savings. If you don’t have much, then you simply need more. The bottom line is, you can’t live well when challenged by money. These issues need some more in-depth attention than this short article can provide, so we asked a local expert to weigh in on the subject.

Natalie Brownfield, a Financial Advisor for UBS Financial Services Inc. says, “Work with an expert and have a detailed, current financial plan. This will give you a road map to follow toward reaching your financial goals. It motivates you to save because you know exactly what it will take to be able to afford your future and the things that are most important to you. A lot of financial anxiety comes from the unknown and not having a clear idea of where you stand financially. A financial plan can give you clarity and show you the big picture.” She also recommends being patient.

“Invest for the long term. Don’t try to time the market. It is not about market timing, rather it is about your time in the market. You’ll never be able to pick the exact bottom of the market, instead you need to decide where your own parameters and comfort zone lie. Many people are emotionally affected by market volatility. You should always make sure that you only have as much of your money in the market as makes you comfortable. By investing money that you know you will not need for many years, it helps take the emotion out of investing. It gives you time to let your investments experience market cycles and recover.”

I believe Will Rogers said it best: “Don’t tell me about the return on my money, tell me about the return of my money.” More specifically, It’s not what you earn it’s what you keep!



Written by Tamara Komuniecki

“Rest: the sweet sauce of labor.”
Plutarch (Ancient Greek Biographer and Author, AD 46-120)

The Ancient Greeks understood that rest is a delicious reward for hard work. It seems that we in the modern, “early bird gets the worm” times, have forgotten this idea—and also the ancient knowledge that rest is integral to good health.

When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses, or just to let the world slow down for a little while? Doing so can be considered an investment in your health and well-being, as well as your competitive edge.

After all, science proves that a 20-minute power nap in the afternoon can lead to increased rates of alertness and productivity for the rest of the day, to say nothing of the other benefits such as improved learning and retention, and increased creativity and cognitive functioning.

Let’s also rethink the “no pain, no gain” theory. Consider combining a slower-paced workout with a restful mindstate in such meditative exercises as Tai Chi and yoga, to quiet the mind and soothe the body.

Qigong and meditation are also excellent practices that help move the mind into a deeper state of relaxation. If you are unsure of how to begin, simply sit quietly for five to 15 minutes and focus, most importantly, on quieting your mind. To quell the internal dialogue most of us have as an inner accompaniment at all waking hours, recite a mantra that is meaningful to you, or learned. “Om” uttered in a slow rhythm is effective, but beginners might be more comfortable with counting their breaths. Count each breath from 1 to 10, and then start again at 1.

And finally, don’t skimp on your sleep. The National Sleep Foundation defines “sleep hygiene” as a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.



Here are some sleep hygiene suggestions:

1. Start with a comfortable bed, clean and good-smelling linens, and a room at the right temperature – not too hot and not too cold.

2. Don’t sleep in a cave – blocking out all lights with blinds plays havoc with your sleep-wake cycle.

3. Remember that your bed is for two activities only: not paperwork, catching up on e-mails on your laptop, or watching old re-runs. It’s sex and sleep. And don’t forget, the two enjoy a symbiotic relationship: do one, and the other is better.

4. Avoid stimulants like caffeine (which is also found in chocolate) too close to bedtime. And don’t turn to the bottle for better sleep, either. While a nightcap might help you fall asleep, you won’t be in for a restful night because you’ll move into a more awake state as the alcohol is metabolized.

5. Try to establish a relaxing nighttime routine like a warm bath with quiet and restful music, application of a lavender-scented body moisturizer, snuggling into a nice set of pajamas, and a warm cup of chamomile tea. Sleep is beneficial for a good memory, stress reduction and repairing your body, but it is also essential for weight loss. The National Sleep Foundation says that, “…insufficient sleep affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity; as the amount of hormone secretion decreases, the chance for weight gain increases.” You snooze, you lose? In this instance, that’s a good thing.



For more information:
National Sleep Foundation
sleepfoundation.org