Maturing Skin

Usually, around the age of 50, we experience some significant changes in the character of our skin. Bruising occurs, usually on our hands and forearms, but many times on our feet, ankles and our calves. Our face and neck begin to lose volume as well. It is called aging.

There are some things you can do to slow down, arrest and even reverse this process. As the body ages, the ability of the body to produce collagen is reduced. There are some creams and serums that can help, sometimes significantly. The most effective way to reverse collagen loss is, not surprisingly, from within.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies, especially type 1 Collagen is found in our skin obviously, but it is also in the make up of our bones muscles, tendons, gut, blood vessels and even our teeth, But for this discussion, as collagen production is reduced, it leaves us with sagging skin, wrinkles, and joint pain.

As the available collagen in our skin is diminished, the skin thins. It tears more easily on the outside, causing wounds and on the inside causing sometimes unexplainable bruising that is ugly and many times enduring. Since collagen is so vital to the many inner-workings of our bodies, why not encourage your body to produce more collagen with some natural collagen boosters.

Your diet is one way. Foods like blueberries, dark leafy greens, garlic, eggs, mangoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and white tea, all stimulate the production of Collagen. In addition, take hydration seriously and drink plenty of water.

Vitamin supplementation with vitamin C and A, as well as B-12 and even amino acids, will aid your body in manufacturing more collagen. The attached bulletin from MEDILINE will tell you more. As you choose your supplementation regime, remember that the quality of your vitamins and other elements like the aminos, does make a difference. I’m associated with a company that has developed and manufactures some of the highest quality products on the market.

Being Coachable

You have probably heard it most in connection with sports; he or she is “coachable”. While it is certainly relevant to the sports model, have you considered how it also applies in the business environment as well.

It’s not complicated. Listening and learning should be an everyday activity as you grow and develop yourself and your business. Being coachable has a lot to do with linking yourself with one (or a few) trusted mentors. It involves absolute trust in the lessons they provide, just as in sports. Even if it sounds unreasonable or doesn’t make sense, it will as you grow in your business.

We aren’t saying your  ideas and concepts don’t have relevance—they do—but the experience of those you choose as your coaches offers a history of success. That history  is why you chose them.

As you grow and expand personally and professionally, you’ll find a plethora of people and information that are relentlessly trying to influence you and your decisions. This “white noise” must continually be filtered and your coaches can help you sort them into “What is true” and “What isn’t true” categories. This is an ongoing practice.

I have attached an article from INC. to clarify some of information you need to make sound decisions. Choosing your coach or a team of coaches is an indispensable part of your own success. Vett their credentials carefully. What have they accomplished? Do other business people have good things to say about them? Are they focused on you and your goals and not their own? You have an obligation to yourself to be selective and scrupulous in choosing those whose lead you will follow. Remember good leaders are coachable themselves. Now go play the game to win.

 

 

Great Coffee

The most popular hot beverage in this country is coffee. Millions of us enjoy a hot cup of coffee or two to start our day (or throughout). In searching for the best way to make a great cup of coffee we turned to (where else) the National Coffee Association.

Attached are some guidelines that the association recommends. Their advice in this article ranges from cleaning your equipment properly, to the beans, to the freshness, to the grind, to the water, including the ratio of water to coffee, the temperature of the water, brewing time. Some great basics that can make us all better at brewing that perfect cup.

Great coffee the NCA points out starts with great beans. That means that the beans you choose should match your own personal taste. The roast, the origins and even the preparation are matters of your own taste, so don’t hesitate to experiment while you search for you own “magical cup”.

A couple of years ago, my company introduced coffee to its wellness line of products. It took them years of research and tasting to find just the right beans and places that they were grown. The company is driven by quality so the research was an important part of introducing coffee to their product line.

They wanted to be sure that the coffee we offered was proprietary, so they contracted to purchase the entire production of the beans and the plantations they chose. Even the plantations and their locations are kept a secret to prevent duplication of our superior brand. The company did all that. All I have to do is enjoy a cup of this most delicious brew and it is priced so competitively that I am able to enjoy it every day.

http://makegreengogreen.com/article/great-coffee?barbarahay

Blame And Responsibility

If you are in business, whether it is one you own or one you manage, you are going to make mistakes. Those mistakes are inevitable. They are part of your business’s and your own personal growth and ultimate success.

It is how you personally respond to those mistakes that can make a huge difference in your effectiveness as a manager or an owner. As this article from the Harvard Business Review states, playing the “blame game” never works.

Those who work with you and for you observe your behavior when a mistake is made either by you or someone for whom you are responsible. If you assume responsibility, you are not taking the blame. After all, you are the boss or manager, so you are responsible. Sometimes the blame does belong to someone else, so it has to be addressed. The way you handle it can be a learning moment for those you work with, so be constructive, not destructive.

A good manager or owner always creates a psychological environment of security so that others are not afraid to take risks because that creates the success of the mission statement. The article suggests that focusing on learning from those mistakes, even rewarding them creates a culture where no one is resistant to innovation. Blaming produces the opposite effect where everyone lives in fear and innovation is at best diluted and at worst invisible.

http://workingwhileliving.com/article/blame-and-responsibility?barbarahay

Anxiety Can Be Your Biggest Enemy

All of us experience anxiety to some degree and from time to time. In our business, the business of marketing, you are marketing yourself and your company’s products or services. If your anxiety occurs often and is significant enough, it can become an overwhelming obstacle. The longer it continues at that level the worse it can—and will—get.

Anxiety will not go away by itself. Like everything in life and your career, you must take positive personal steps to overcome it. Your personal and professional life will suffer immensely if you don’t do something to address it. The below article contains some exercises that can and will help you. You need to retrain your brain.

There are some interesting perspectives here that can really help.
They fall into several categories that begin with:
Don’t even talk to anyone, and then talk to people while eliminating any chance of rejection.
Be curious and ask genuine questions. The answers will follow, easily.
Quiet your mental chatter in that moment. Your self-talk is more powerful than you think.
Have fun play games and even bet your friends.
Avoid over thinking.
Fear is a gift of life. It means you’re still alive; you’re still breathing (even if it is heavy).

Like many lines of work, rejection exists within my business and therefore I am exposed to anxiety-related situations regularly. There is no question that approaching someone that I find attractive as a potential customer can trigger those feelings of anxiety. I HAVE TO overcome them. It is my livelihood. Remember, yes is a good answer, but no can be good because it is one step closer to the next yes. Do some positive things today that will help you overcome and enjoy a better life and career. Don’t let anxiety win. It is the most important battle you will fight.

https://www.nicknotas.com/blog/18-exercises-to-overcome-your-fear-of-meeting-people/

http://makegreengogreen.com/article/anxiety-can-be-your-biggest-enemy?barbarahay

Red Wine Has Many Benefits

That glass of red wine y at the end of your day or with your evening meal can provide more than just good taste. The article link below from Prevention explains the incredible benefits of drinking one (or even two) glasses of red wine every day.

Red wine is an important part of the “proven healthy” Mediterranean diet. Red wine contains resveratrol, which has been proven to produce many health benefits. It not only reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol, it increases HDL (good) cholesterol.

It protects your heart in other ways, too. The antioxidants in red wine can keep blood vessels flexible and reduce the risk of clotting. It is nearly as effective as an aspirin protocol without the risks of harm to your gut. Resveratrol also helps control blood sugar.

Resveratrol also can keep your memory sharp as you age. It inhibits the formation of beta-amyloid protein that causes plaque in the brain and has been connected with the onset of Alzheimer’s. If you hate getting sick, even things as minor as a cold can be guarded against by the antioxidants in red wine. The article also shares other benefits

The company I have partnered with has formulated several products that contain the good and science proven extracts of grapes so I am sure that I get enough resveratrol even if I don’t drink that glass of red wine. But who would pass that “life’s pleasure”? Cheers.

www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/health-benefits-of-red-wine

http://makegreengogreen.com/article/red-wine-has-many-benefits?barbarahay

Sweet Potatoes

400% of your daily vitamin A requirements are provided by one medium sweet potato. The article below from MedicalNewsToday tells us the health benefits don’t stop there. Along with that generous dose of Vitamin A, sweet potatoes contain loads of fiber and potassium.

The additional benefits of this magical “spud” include decreasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality. Read on and you will be informed of how each of these risks as well as blood pressure, cancer, digestion, fertility, immunity, inflammation and even vision are affected by the nutritionally packed sweet potato.

Find ways in your daily diet to include this recognized “super food” and your health can and will be, improved. As you read on you will find additional ways that make it easy to adapt your daily food intake to include more sweet potatoes, more often.

Several of the supplemental products I use include sweet potato extracts, which helped me make these dietary transitions. They’re easy to use and very tasty and affordable. So the next time you reach for that white ”baker”, think a little bit sweeter and pop in a sweet and get some big advantages.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/281438.php

http://makegreengogreen.com/article/sweet-potatoes?barbarahay

CAPSAICIN. IT’S MORE THAN JUST A WEIGHT LOSS TOOL

Capsaicin is a molecular compound found in spicy peppers. It contains no calories or additional nutrients. It is used by many as a weight-loss supplement, sometimes in the form of cayenne pepper. It is extremely effective at “cranking” up your metabolism. While capsaicin can be quite effective in the weight-loss regime, there are other reasons to make it part of your diet.

Capsaicin, various studies show, has many more additional benefits. It may be helpful in delaying the spread of prostate cancer, according to a study at the UCLA School of Medicine. It can also be helpful and effective against H. pylori induced gastritis, which is a precursor of gastric cancer.

It may also be useful in fighting breast cancer, the second most fatal cancer in women. It has the ability to induce apoptosis in specific breast cancer cells. Another study in South Korea found that capsaicin might also kill breast cancer stem cells, which can avoid the recurrence of new, additional cancer cells. There is also evidence that capsaicin has an impact on primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma associated with HIV. In general, research abounds regarding the cancer preventing dimensions of capsaicin.

Capsaicin can be used to diminish the suffering of cluster headaches. It is a proven pain reliever, especially in cream form for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and certain other joint pain. It is also can be used to relieve the dry itchy skin of psoriasis. It has been very useful in reducing the reactions of blood sugar and insulin

And, yes, it is very effective in speeding the metabolism associated with lower body weight. It also suppresses appetite and increases overall physical endurance and athletic performance, a necessary component of successful weight-loss.

This article by Dr. Axe in the bulletin: Food is Medicine. Will give you a lot more detail.

Some of the things I was looking for and found in a supplement containing capsaicin was that it also contains green tea complex and green coffee bean extract. So pepper up your diet and get all of the benefits of capsaicin.

 

 

http://saferhousehold.com/article/capsaicin-its-more-than-just-a-weight-loss-tool-705?barbarahay

PROPER HYDRATION IS MORE THAN QUENCHING THIRST

We all know that when we are thirsty, we reach for a beverage. Eight glasses of water a day, they say. Most of us do not thirst for eight glasses a day but there are good reasons, beyond thirst, to consume that much or even more.

Since your brain is composed of 80% water by weight, being dehydrated will prevent you from thinking clearly. If you find yourself with “fuzzy” thinking or without an accurate short-term memory, dehydration may be the cause. Even a two percent shortfall, can evoke these effects.

Similarly, dehydration can cause mood swings because water is required to transport nutrients and hormones to your system. At the same time, water (or hydration) transports waste. When it doesn’t, the function falls to amino acids (tryptophan and tyrosine) two mood elevators that, when they are used up, can cause depression.

Joint lubrication is also a function of proper hydration. Stiffness and even “faux” hydration can be caused by the lack of proper hydration. This explains why people with vigorous exercise regimes pay careful attention to adequate hydration levels.

Asthma and allergies are also linked to dehydration. The body produces additional histamines that seek water in the body. Histamines also regulate the muscles in your bronchial tubes. Most important, increased water intake correlates with overall better health.

Several drinks like coffee and alcohol actually have diuretic effects, even though they are liquids and can increase dehydration levels. Sports drinks can help with dehydration because they not only contain water but electrolytes. I choose to hydrate with a drink mix that provides 4 electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium) and not just the two provided in traditional sports beverages. So drink up. It’s good for you…in a lot of ways.

 

 

http://saferhousehold.com/article/proper-hydration-is-more-than-quenching-thirst-1?barbarahay

THE HISTORY (AND THE MIRACLE) OF TEA TREE OIL

Natural tea tree essential oil has been a legend for over 70 years. It is a natural essential oil, which has a plethora of applications in a natural environment. It has been used as a traditional medicine for many years.

The incredible numbers of applications of tea tree oil are truly amazing. In the days gone by even pirates would port in Australia to take advantage of the melaleuca alternifolia plant, either as a tea or a poultice, that would cure everything from digestive problems to foot fungus.

In 2010, there were reports released that tea tree oil (TTO) may play a prominent role in treating skin cancers, both basel cell and melanoma. It is important to note that the “freshness” and quality of the distillation of the oil itself has much to do with its efficacy, but all indications point toward the incredible results for everything from cold sores to minor skin abrasions.

My own experiences with tea tree oil never cease to amaze me. As I age, skin abrasions come from “nowhere”. Applying tea tree oil for several days, not only heals the abrasion, but also eliminates the perpetual bruising that occurs and endures.

The company with whom I am associated was a pioneer in the pure distillation of tea tree essential oil and now provides dozens of the purist and most diverse essential oils available. Most importantly, they are the most affordable and effective you will be able to find anywhere. Tea tree oil should be an essential in your medicine cabinet.