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Green Living

ESSENTIAL OILS AND SMOKING CESSATION

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BULLETIN: Trying to quit smoking is difficult. This isn’t a stocking statement (particularly to those who are smokers). If you are a smoker, who finds it counterintuitive to use nicotine therapy to accomplish the task of being smoke/tobacco free, I have some alternative suggestions.

Your diet can influence your success in quitting smoking. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can not only aid in keeping off the weight which often accompanies smoking cessation, it also triggers brain endorphins to improve attitudes of “grumpiness” that can result from quitting the habit.

Another way to produce those endorphins is through exercise, and it helps with keep the potential weight gain at bay. Often, meditation can help with the multiple symptoms that a cessation regime can produce. Upping your consumption of water and herbal teas has also shown some positive results.

Essential Oils are another tool in the quitting smoking arsenal in fact, the attached article explains several combinations of certain essential oils that work to reduce cravings. They can be inhaled from the bottle or sniffed from a tissue or cotton square or diffused into your environment. Some of the essential oils that have proven successful are clove; clary sage; basil; and marjoram. But the list doesn’t stop there: rose; bergamot; lavender; ylang-ylang; patchouli and a wide variety of citrus oils (think lime; grapefruit; orange and lemon) have also shown success at stimulating, relaxing, relieving lethargy and irritability and agitation.

If you find the side effects and disclaimers that are attached to the nicotine based remedies, unacceptable, you may want to consider some of these alternatives to break your physical and psychological addiction to tobacco and tobacco products.

Of course, the quality and freshness of the essential oils make a big difference in their efficacy. I am associated with a company that manufactures some of the purest (and most affordable) essential oils available. The benefits of being successful in your quest to quit can add years and years to your life. Is it worth it?

EYES AND NUTRITION

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It’s not necessary to point out how important your eyes are to the quality of your life. They are your windows to the world—without good vision reading is difficult; your favorite television shows provide diminished satisfaction and hobbies become less enjoyable. 

As you’ll see in the attached bulletin from All About Vision, nutrition plays a large part in your overall eye health. The prevention of macular and lens degeneration and conditions causing “dry eye” become more and more necessary as our eyes mature. 

There are things that you can do now to slow down and possibly reverse some of the risks associated with your vision. A proper diet can provide some of the protection you need to preserve your valuable sight. Antioxidants and other important nutrients can help reduce sight-robbing conditions and disease. An open relationship with your ophthalmologist can help you avoid some of the risks can help you identify the proper levels of vision supplements you can be taking to make up for the nutrients that you may be missing in your diet.  

Things like beta-carotene, bioflavonoids, lutiein, zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc are some of the nutrients you should be aware of that should be included in your diet and supplements that you are taking daily. In general, include at least two servings of fish and plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet.

You will likely find that is often difficult to get all of what you need through diet alone. That is why I use supplementation of a highly pure and effective line of vision directed vitamins and minerals to assure my good ocular health.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/nutrition_summary.htm

GET RID OF WATER SWELLING, NATURALLY

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From time to time, all of us have experienced  swelling in our feet, ankles, and hands. It is usually simple water retention. Pregnancy and injury are also causes of peripheral swelling or edema. Whether it is natural or another cause, it is uncomfortable and often unsightly.

Pregnancy will almost always produce some water swelling. In certain cases, even after giving birth, swelling or edema can occur. Most of the time, it isn’t serious, however, if it persists longer than a month, you should see your physician.

Injury, such as sprains from activities, can also cause swelling. This usually causes pain in addition to the swelling because of the inflammation caused by the injury. In these cases, prescribed or natural anti-inflammatories can bring a great deal of relief.

Water retention and edema can also be caused by lifestyle. Increased physical activity and dietary changes can help a great deal—whether for short-term relief, or to keep the condition from recurring. Some tips:
• Raise your feet above your heart as often as possible.
• Cranberry juice and dandelion tea have excellent diuretic effects.
• Reduce your sodium and caffeine intake.
• Reduce red meat and add fish three to five times a week and add or increase the fruits and vegetables in your meal plans.
• Carrots, asparagus, leafy greens, pineapple, and watermelon have particularly good diuretic effects and…
• Drink plenty of water.

If you are currently under a physician’s care for your condition, be sure to check with them before you add or replace your medical regime with a natural one. The company with whom I am associated provides many wellness solutions that can assist you in your switch to a less prescription based solution to your water retention and swelling in your extremities. Take the time to read the attached article from LiveStrong for some additional details and information.

Maturing Skin

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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