Friday, December 28, 2007

Life After Christmas

We don't know how your Christmas went, but ours was unbelievable. It started on the 23rd and ran for 3 days ending, finally, at 10 PM, the 25th. A whirlwind of parties at various relatives' homes all over southeast Texas. And now, supposedly, the "let down". Whoa, not necessarily.

The New Year arrives in a few days and that could be, for some of you, another round of parties. If it is, and you haven't set up your party plans, you could have some problems unless you are attending someone else's party. That is not the case for us.

We will be having a party put on by 2 of our teenage grandchildren for a group of their friends. But, true to normal teenagers, they have set up no plans other than invite a dozen plus of their friends. NOW WHAT?

During our annual after Christmas buying spree on the 26th, we quizzed the kids, got their input, then layed out the rules and plans for the party and bought what was necessary for the party. All done in about 2 hours. How? Organization.

Living at the beach has required that we have plans set up for just about any type of party with limited notification in advance. Yes, we do keep plans and lists of party requirements for just about any type of party. These are simple outlines with with a general check list to keep us on track. Is it hard to do this? NO!

Simple organization is all it takes. Sit down with a pad of paper and start writing your ideas down. Review what you wrote, add or subtract ideas, prioritise the items, and save for your future (put your list somewhere you can easily find it like on your refrigerator).That is all that is needed to begin your organization.

And why are we doing this and suggesting you do it too? To enjoy life, CUT DOWN ON STRESS, and have fun. Remember, stress can and will mess up the holidays IF YOU LET IT. Don't be a victim of stress. Organize, prepare, enjoy!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Tips For Resolution Success

One of the main topics at New Years parties is: "What resolutions have you made for this year?" Of course, you will also hear: "I probably won't keep it. I'm just not successful with resolutions." Why is that? Maybe a few tips for success will help.

1. Don't make it if you plan to break it.

2. You must be committed and sincere.

3. The resolution must be something you really feel is in need of change.

4. Don't choose a complicated resolution. Break it down into easy steps. Be organized.

5. Educate yourself in how others have achieved success for a similar resolution.

6. Plan your "attack" and work your plan.

7. Try to add fun ways to be successful.

8. Put your ultimate goal in writing. Motivate yourself by writing down how you will be when you have accomplished your resolution. Then, read it out loud to yourself each day.

9. If you need help or encouragement, GET IT!

10. Don't procrastinate!

These tips have helped us achieve our resolutions as well as any goals we want to accomplish. We hope thes will help you be a success this year with your resolution(s).

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Staying Healthy During Holidays And Beyond

Strange, but we seem to think more about staying healthy during the holidays more than other times. OK, that's fine but this brief listing will not only work during the holidays, but should be used all tear long.

1. Eliminate and/or control stress. Check our posts on stress and modify the holiday items to everyday life to maintain your control over stress.

2. Wash your hands frequently and definately before leaving the rest room and before meals. Insuring that your hands are clean reduces the germs you may carry (believe it or not; germs are on you all the time) and the risks involved.

3. Avoid people who are ill. Yes, you can be in the same room. But, you don't need to be too cozy with them by hugging, or kissing, etc. If you shake hands, keep your hands away from your face and wash your hands as soon as you can.

4.Eat well. No, don't over do it. What we mean is to eat a balanced meal. Lots of fruits and veggies. Don't forget to eat the recommended amount of protein also. You can get proteins from soy, grains, nuts, and lean meats.

5. Get plenty of sleep. Regulate your schedule to insure that you stay rested. If you need to, take a nap.

6. Get your vitamins. Try cooking with olive oil and eat fish a couple of times a week. Also, you may need vitamin supplements. Be sure you consider vitamin B, C, and E.

OK, that's it. Short, brief, and to the point. These few tips used daily will give you a great head start to staying healthy during the holidays and all year long.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Why Are Holidays So Stressful? - Part 2

Considering that stress is widely associated with holidays, what can be done to eliminate or reduce it? There are several things you can do, but first, accept that much of the stress is self induced. We do it to ourselves. Now let's look at ways to control it.

First, get organized. Sit down before the holiday and decide what you want to accomplish during this holiday. (Do this at least 4 to 6 weeks before the event.) If you are going to prepare a meal, what will you prepare and what do you need to do it? Write it down. If you need presents, for whom, what, and how much to spend? Write it down. Take the time to think of everything you want to do during the holiday and WRITE IT DOWN!

Once you have the list, review it with your spouse (or partner or your best friend). Decide who will do what, when, and your budget. Put on your list the time to accomplish each step and make sure you are generous with deadlines so you have time to overcome shortcomings. Get your partner, spouse, or friend to committ to the plan. If you are doing it all yourself, make sure you have adequate time allowed for each step.

Now is the time to invite your guests and get their commitments so you know exactly how many to expect. Go back to your plan and adjust for the number people who will attend your party. Work into your plan some considerations for some last minute cancellations and the possibility of some last minute additional guests.

To avoid the crowds, do your shopping on line. You can go online and check out Target, Walmart, KMart, and others, see what they have, the price, AND whether it is available in your local store. You can order it (if available locally), pay for it, and then go to the store and pick it up (if its large, they will even load it for you). Many local grocery stores will offer a complete package of holiday meals you can order, pick up, and then you can do some personal additions in your kitchen.

For decorations, you should consider the simple and tasteful to avoid too much effort which could limit time for other aspects of your plan. Of course, there are some of us who go "bananas" with Christmas decorations or, for us gulf coast residents, Mardi Gras is really big.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask your guests to contribute to your party. This could be in the form of bringing a dessert, or condiments, or some side dish. OR, you could ask for help in clean up and dish washing. If you have overnight guests, ask them to strip the beds before they leave. Some guests may even pitch in to put clean sheets on the beds for you.

Planning is the key to eliminate stress. Don't be hard on yourself. Take set backs in stride. Things happen and adequate time in preparation will overcome most everything. And remember, you must enjoy yourself too, so make everything involved easy on yourself, and don't bite off more than you can chew. Now, enjoy.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Some Tips For Your Resolutions

Here are a few of the most popular New Years resolutions.

1. Lose weight
2. Get out of debt
3. Get rid of a bad habit
4. Get fit
5. See the world
6. Get more education

This is by no means a complete list. In fact, each of these can be broken down into many sub topics. But it's a start for you to think about. We also suggest you think about the following tips that may help your thoughts:

1. Take care of yourself. Check out your habits and pick out any bad ones you want to lose. Do you need or want to end smoking, or stop gambling, or end drug abuse?

2. Get rid of little anoyances before they get big. These can be lateness in paying bills, or forgetting important events, or not buying the right thing.

3. Make a list of what you feel are important changes you need to make. List the pros and cons. Decide your main objective and set up your plan of attack.

4. Do your homework. Get the facts by your personal research such as talking to your doctor about good diet plans, or check out on the net what others have to say about breaking bad habits or their experience with certain diets. Cheking out the library helps also.

5. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Make your resolution(s) manageable. If you have a very major change as your goal, stick with that as your resolution. Don't try to lose weight and end smoking at the same time. Start with one, and when you feel you have that very much in control, you can begin the next. Several minor resolutions can be done at the same time but don't over do it.

6. Get your attitude on track. Resolutions are your goals for improvement and you must have the right mindset to be successful. If you don't feel you have the right attitude, or can't get it yourself, ask for help with your doctor, or minister, or priest, or a reliable counselor.

We'll look at few other ideas in another post in a day or so. You'll notice that we are taking this a little at a time so you can absorb these ideas just as you should develope your action plan one step at a time.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Why Are The Holidays So Stressful?-Part 1

Imagine, if you will, what happens in the last six or seven weeks of the year. Three holidays in a row with all kinds of joy, reactions, requirements, and STRESS. Yup, for some, the "happiest" time of the year can be a real "bummer".

It begins with Thanksgiving and what has evolved into "the huge get together and meal". Stuff yourself with turkey, dressing, and all the goodies. Don't forget the pumpkin pie. Next is Christmas with gift giving, meals, visits, and on and on. Lastly is the New Year's with parties, resolutions, football and sports, or movies. Just three days, right? For some, yes. But for many, it builds over the six weeks into turmoil, stress, and even depression. Why? Let's break it down.

Before Thanksgiving, you decide where you will celebrate that day. If at home, you must prepare by determining who the guests will be (if any), getting all the "stuff' for the meal, clean the house, make arrangements for out of town guests, and planning events if needed. If you are going to someone else's home, you have to plan how and when to go, what you must take, etc. If traveling, every means of travel can be a hassle due to traffic, or amount of people, or the weather. After the day is over, you've got everything in reverse.

Now, Christmas is approaching and what you did for Thanksgiving repeats itself. Plus, you've got presents to buy, decorations to put up, and, if you celebrate New Year's largely, that planning must be added in on top of preparation for Christmas. Consider the crowds during shopping, what will you buy for whom, and what, and how much. And traffic just went crazy with all the others doing the same things you are doing.

Yes, the holidays can be crazy, and stressful, and eventful, and, sometimes, depressing. But, if you do some advanced planning and preparation to get yourself organized, you can beat the odds and have a very pleasant holiday season. We'll look at this in Part 2 in a few days.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The New Year Brings Thoughts Of Change

In a few weeks, 2008 will be here. Naturally, the first thing that normally jumps up is "Where will we party?". A little later another subject arrives: "Should I make some New Year's resolutions?" Admirable, BUT...

If Resolutions are sticking in your mind, perhaps you should. But we recommend you consider a few points before jumping in feet first.

1. Is there something you really want to change? Be honest with yourself. Are you truely wanting to change something?

2. If you want to change; is it because it bothers you, or have others told you, or is it the "in" thing to do?

3. If something really bothers you about yourself, then, yes, it's a good idea. If others have made mention, (it affects your relationships, or affects how others see you) then consider the change since it could improve your lifestyle. If it just happens to be the "in" thing, forget it!

4.If you decide to make a resolution to change something, ARE YOU COMMITTED? In other words, are you going to do it?

5. If you are committed today, will you still feel the same way tomorrow? Commitment can be a fleeting thing. How many people do you know that said they were committed to certain resolutions but were "done' with them a few weeks later with zero results? The reason: ATTITUDE and COMMITMENT.

6. Resolution means to take action to "resolve" something and continue that action UNTIL the matter is resolved. Can you do that? Better yet, WILL YOU DO THAT?

Looks like we were a little dramatic in our points above. Yet, to decide to commit to an action requires drama since the course you about to take is life changing. Losing weight, or slowing down a "too" active lifestyle, or getting out of debt is dramatic. And, its very rewarding if you DO IT and stay on track to the conclusion regardless how long it takes.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

What's Coming In The Days Ahead

We have to admit that we have been very lax in posting to this blog. Strange how you just procrastinate sometimes with things you want to do. We digress so back to business.

In the days and weeks ahead, we have decided to get off our duffs and post an article or two each week on the following subjects:

1. Thoughts on New Year's resolutions

2. Healthy eating, diets, or whatever, relating to the Holidays and beyond

3. Stress and relaxation especially during the holidays.

OK, that's what you can expect. We can't say we'll do it each day but we will have at least 3 posts up each week. Come along for the experience.

As the Holidays approach, remember: LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

DID YOU SEE OPRAH'S SHOW ON ACCUPUNCTURE?

What a show!

Oprah's showDec. 3rd was about accupuncture but that was just the begining. As the show went on, the guest doctor started to talk about sharing worldwide knowledge on medicine as used in other countries. He also taked about understanding the energy of the body since we are all made up of energy. Wow, that's controversal.

Having travelled worldwide and also having lived in other countries, this is very exciting to us since we have seen how medicine is practiced in other countries. We know, first hand, how much the USA could benefit from this. You would be surprised how much better medicine is in Europe and those other countries that have been influenced by Europe.

Since American medicine is influenced vastly by the almighty buck, what would happen if care for the people was first and foremost instead of profit? We are sure that many changes beneficial to the population would come about.

For example, instead of the many publicised stop smoking products seen on TV (which usually don't work), perhaps a real, quality product would be developed. Of course, this might lead to many quality products instead of the crap we are beseiged with every day in the media.

Well, don't hold your breath on this. Dollars rule in the USA. If we did change, where would the dollars come from to pay for the sports stars? And how could we keep the bloated, inefficient FDA buracracy? But, stay tuned. IT JUST COULD HAPPEN!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Hello World

After being on the web for awhile, we finally started this blog. While wanting to do this, we have had other interests that have taken up much of our time. Well, here we are.

You can expect, from us, honest comments not influenced by the over hyped media, or the politically correct crowd. We do the research and you reap the benefits.

Health, yours and ours, is of utmost importance and we will provide as much information as we can as quickly as possible. Stay tuned - you will appreciate it.

Good Health Is More Than Physical

Ask most people what good health is, and their comments will probably be "free of disease", "lower cholesteral", "weight control", etc. That's the norm, but good health is more that just the physical aspects. Let's look at other considerations.

Mental Health

You or someone you know could be suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, anger, shyness, or something more drastic. Each of these can be controlled if you know what is happening and seek out qualified help. Sometimes something as simple as good information can "start the ball rolling" in helping yourself or others. But nothing replaces professional help.

Lifestyle

What's your life like? Do you sit in traffic for hours each day building your frustration and stress? Do you need to keep a calender for your and/or your family's activities and events? Do you need to check your business events before you can schedule personal activities? Have you had a vacation lately?

A hectic life can be very detrimental in maintaining your health. Being organized is a begining to maintaining health. Time management is also very important since lack of time increases stress, anger, and weight because it's quick to substitute fast food for a proper, well balanced meal. Again, good information starts to improve your lifestyle.

Environment

How's the air quality where you live? Do you live near a busy freeway with high noise and bad gas fumes? Do you live near a factory, a utility producer, or a refinery which really messes up the air quality?

How about your home? Is it free from pollutents? Do you use environmentally friendly cleaners? Are you conserving on energy? Do you use "farm fresh" or organic foods? Do you recycle?

How about your car? Is your muffler OK? Are the tires at proper pressure and not worn? Have you had an oil change lately? Had an engine tune up?

Lots of questions, but the answers are vital. Your health and your budget are inner twined. By doing your part in going green, you will take steps toward improving your health and your budget.


What we are saying is that everything about you, your life, your family, your "world", affects your health. Health is totally encompassing. Once you start to view every aspect of yourself and what is "around", you will have a better understanding of those actions necessary to improve and/or maintain good health.


Your health is your best investment!