Ten Lies the FDA wants us to believe (Natural News)

(NaturalNews) The Food Safety Modernization Act looks like it's headed to become law. It's being hailed as a "breakthrough" achievement in food safety, and it would hand vast new powers and funding to the FDA so that it can clean up the food supply and protect all Americans from food-borne pathogens. There's just one problem with all this: It's all a big lie.

Here are the ten biggest lies that have been promoted about S.510 by the U.S. Congress, the food industry giants and the mainstream media:

Foods that make you smarter

For years scientists have known nutrition was linked to intelligence. In fact, reports in the Lancet and the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging showing that positive changes to diet, as well as mineral and vitamin supplements, can increase IQ as well as alter behavior. But do you know what foods will make you smarter.

Are we setting your kids up to be obese

A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association says 40 percent of the energy consumed by children today are coming from empty calories like those found in sugary sweetened drinks including fruit juice and soda. The study concluded by saying "Parents should limit the quantity of sweetened beverages consumed during preschool years because it may increase propensity to gain weight." 


“These statistics are very concerning for the future health of children, especially in terms of their potential for developing heart disease early in life due to childhood obesity,” said Rae-Ellen Kavey, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, and author of an editorial accompanying the article which was published today inJADA.“We all develop our food preferences in childhood. Children who drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages including fruit juice are at risk to develop obesity and will find it hard to break the habit of consuming these empty calories in the future.”

The Best Deal In Your Town

If you have heard of Groupon you are really missing out. Imagine getting a daily email featuring a great deal in your local community. Just click the link and you will be surprised. I was.

What do you belief? Part II

Many people limit their potential by how they use their mind. They allow negative thoughts to enter their mind and weaken their strength both physically and mentally. How much you accomplish and don't accomplish in your life will come down to the way you use that 3 pound muscle called your brain. In most cases we don't know how much we are capable of until we are pushed beyond our limiting beliefs. The previous post introduced you to Victory; if you visited her website you should no longer have excuses.

The following video will demonstrate what you are capable of when you don't know your potential and you stop making excuse and try.  Think about your own limiting beliefs and how they are holding you back from living up to your potential.

What do you believe? Part I

Yesterday met Pauline Victoria. You most likely have never heard of heard but if she's a little lucky you will. You see she is one of the people trying to get her own show on the Oprah network. Yes Oprah is giving a way a show for some lucky person to have. The winner is selected based on who got the most votes by a public pole. I voted for Pauline because she had the most remarkable story and message of hope and possibility.  Here story is about the power of a dream, what is your dream?

Pauline was born with no arms or legs and that  did not stop her from living a wonderful life. As a grown women she has accomplish things that would make the average person go WOW. And she doesn't have arms or legs. And you were complaining about what? You said you couldn't do what?

Visit Pauline and see what a positive attitude, belief, and a dream can do, just click here:
Pauline Victoria


http://paulinevictoria.com/

The Frog in the Pot Principle

This is not funny but important to your life.

What bad health habits do you need to change  right now. The Frog Principle demonstrates how slow changes in your life can go unnoticed until it is to late. Examples are overeating until your doctor says you have diabetes; not exercising until you are overweight/obese; not being health conscious until heart disease; not managing stress until you get hypertension; and not visiting the dentist until gum disease.  

But, the most dreadful of all bad habits are pessimistic, negative self defeating thoughts; this one habit is at the root of most of all the issues one will suffer from. Take some of the students in some of my Kaplan classes; because it is the final week of classes with final exams and term papers due many of them are worrying and even saying things like my paper is really bad or worst I will probably fail this class. This negative self talk makes you fat, sick, and dumb (See June 21 post "Stress Management Techniques), and their grades will probably prove it. It is true that you reap what you sow, and this starts in your mind with your thoughts.

What happens to the frog happens to most people that wait to long to start paying attention to their health and fitness.   

Are you guilty of any of these bad habits and need to change right now?

Importance of Humor - The worlds funniest joke

Humor is one of the most powerful free tools you can use manage stress and your health. When Freud studied humor he concluded it was the most advance human mechanism for simultaneously decreasing pain and gaining pleasure. Today humor is used as therapy and theorist agree that humor has medicinal effects meaning it can be used as medicine in some cases. Studies show humor promotes mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being

An article written several years ago in Psychology Today says that the average person laughs about 15 times a day.  Considering all the stress most people are under today in the 21st Century I bet that quota should be raised to around 30 times a day.

To help with your laugh quota here is one of Readers Digest 30 funniest jokes in the world. But I must warn you if you don't find this joke funny it might be an indication you have a humor deficiency and require either counseling or medication. So here is the joke:

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi want to see who's best at his job. So they each go into the woods, find a bear, and attempt to convert it. Later they get together. The priest begins: "When I found the bear, I read to him from the Catechism and sprinkled him with holy water. Next week is his First Communion." 
"I found a bear by the stream," says the minister, "and preached God's Holy Word. The bear was so mesmerized that he let me baptize him." 
They both look down at the rabbi, who is lying on a gurney in a body cast. "Looking back," he says, "maybe I shouldn't have started with the circumcision." 
Readers Digest--Submitted by Mitchell Hause

My Plan for Health Care Reform

The new health reform bill has excited a lot of people. And why shouldn't it. The White House website states: "Health reform will make health care more affordable, make health insurers more accountable, expand health coverage to all Americans, and make the health system sustainable, stabilizing family budgets, the Federal budget, and the economy." 

Now that sounds fantastic, but, I hate to rain on everyones excitement; it doesn't say it will make anyone or the U.S. a healthier nation. Now you might think just because we have all these new benefits we will get healthier; well I think that's an illusion. This bill will not move us from the 37th healthiest or unhealthiest country ranking based on the World Health Organization Raking to one of the top 10. 

I believe this reform bill only makes health care available to the people already sick. This tells them not to worry about being healthy, you now have health care so keep doing what you have been doing and just go to the doctors when you need to.  Back in the 1960's President Johnson's solution for poor people was a welfare system; it back fired because it eventually made it desirable for poor people to stay poor; it gave them no incentive to get off  welfare.  Health care reform is a similar program; where are the incentives to inspire, motivate and empower people to change their behaviors so they don't get sick. 

What is really needed to improve the overall health of our country and its citizens is a lot more than just access to health care. Health care is where you go after you are sick, we need a national program designed to keep people from getting sick in the first place. There needs to be programs that encourage a massive lifestyle change; something that makes people get up and exercise, eat properly and manage their stress better. 

Today more than 80 percent of the causes of death in America are life style behaviors, things that are in the individuals control. Yet, nothing about this bill address that, it only provides health care for all the people that are getting sick; and of course that's great. But, the real solution to the health problems in America I proposed several months ago, and apparently the president didn't see it. 

My proposal would provide a financial incentive for all Americans to embark on a healthy life style program.   Just like the tax refund program inspires many people to fill out their taxes early, this program would inspire many people to get healthy, because they want the Health & Wellness Refund.  And because the most unhealthiest people are those with the least amount of money this will appeal directly to them 

For starters the program would be called The Health and Wellness Plan.  It would list several requirements to get the money:

1. Stop Smoking
2. Be drug free
3. Participate in a specified exercise program
4. Join and make progress in a weight management program if required
5. Attend a bi-annual or yearly stress management program
6. Attend a yearly healthy eating and cooking program
7. See your dentist and health care provider on schedule

At the end of the year your requirements would be verified and based on your success a check would be mailed out for a certain amount. The big question is always were does this money come from; it comes from the same place your take return money comes from; you pay it into a tax pool. At the end of the year just meet all requirements and you get it back. Fail to meet them and it goes into the pool for paying for your doctor bills.


So, essentially your taxes go up but you have to opportunity to get a refund at the end of the year. This tax money either provides the individual with a little Christmas bonus money or it provides the funds for their medical bills.  


WIthin this new policy there would be two other new policies. The fast food industry would be regulated better and forced to provide better quality food. Ok so you are thinking you can not regulate the fast food industry like that. Why not congress regulated the tobacco industry once it got feed up with their lying. Congress should be feed up with the fast food industry's role in our sick country. 

The second part to this policy would be a requirement for all schools K-12 to implement a PE program and a health and wellness education program. The goal hear is to graduate from high school having been involved in exercise everyday of school from K to 12, and they have taken health and wellness classes the entire time also. We want to graduate kids from high school that know about fitness, health and wellness and they become healthy productive citizens, with the emphases on healthy. 

How the iPhone makes life easier

It was with extreme reluctance that I made the shift from Sprint to AT&T. I had been a loyal Sprint customer for more than 20 years. But after testing Sprints Palm Pre and the iPhone there was no way I could disregard the iPhone's overwhelming and superior number of programs that could make your life easy; and after all isn't life better when it's easier. 

This post will give you a short preview of one day in my life with the iPhone. You may not run out and buy one today, and I’m not selling them. But if simplicity in life is what you seek here is how I do it. 

32 iPhone apps that make your life easier.  

1. Computer, just put it in your pocket and go.
2. Send and receive email wherever you are. 
3. Manage social networking profiles.
4. Read the New Papers with one button.  
5. Listen to the radio anywhere there is phone signal. 
6. Listening to music is one button away
7. Alarm clock is one button away.  
8. Watch is one button away.
9. Calendar and to-do list one button away.
10. Check movie listing right on the iPhone.
11. Meditation programs one button away. 
12. Read or listen to books with one button.  
13. GPS, never get lost, one button away. 
14. Check bank accounts with one button. 
15. Book flights, rental cars and hotels with a few clicks.
16. Makes and take note with a few clicks. 
17. Create a shopping list with a few buttons,
18. Flashlight, one button turns phone into flashlight.
19. Locate the best restaurant with one button.
20. Carry your bible on the iPhone in your pocket
21. Listen to college lectures on the iPhone. 
22. Play games.
23. Strengthen you brain power. 
24. Track your fitness goals.
25. Track your period. 
26. Track and manage your weight.
27. Track airline flight status.
28. Track your baby cam.
29. Track your kids or partner. 
30. Track your eating habits.
31. Take photos. 
32. Make phone calls, I almost forgot. 

Is your self talk hurting or helping you?

It never seems to amaze me how people can talk themselves into a problem, or exacerbate the one they have just by the way they talk to them-self. Most sane people would never just sit around all day and listen to someone berate, criticize, condemn, and belittle them but they easily do it to themselves. Some of the things one might say to them self are:

• I don't know how I'm going to pass this class.
• I'm just not good at writing.
• Everything is just so hard on me.
• I can not do this.
• I'm going to fail. 
• I just can't remember anything. 
• I'm so stupid. 
• I think I got into more than I can handle.

“Your Self-Talk is the new blueprint of you, that you are giving to yourself.” -- Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D., Author, and Self Talk Expert

These type of thoughts drain you of physical energy and mental power. But that's not the worst thing negative self talk does. When we make these self defeating comments about our self, it degrades our self image and self-esteem but even worst it signals your brain to stop trying to help you.  All this does is depress or repress your power to succeed.

Empowering language that give you strength and mental power sounds more like this: 

• I can finish this class problem with a little effort. 
• Actually I'm going to finish this thing no matter what. 
• I guess I need to study a little more. 
• I can do this with a little effort.
• Now let me think were did I put those keys. 

To begin to change yourself talk start with the answer you give to the single most asked question on the planet; How are you doing? Answer it as you want it to be and over time that's exactly how it will become. The best answer you can give is to say I'm doing:

• Fantastic
• Outstanding
• Wonderful 
• Great
• Superb
• or event your own self empowering answer. 

Try it and watch how your day get better.


If you hear a voice within you saying, ''You are not a painter,'' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. 
Vincent Van Gogh 
1853-1890 
Dutch Painter

Stress Management Techniques

People often, ask me why am I always so positive, upbeat and enthusiastic. People that actually know me never just ask how am I doing; they always ask “How fantastic are you today Clint.” And then there are some who say you can’t possibly be that positive and happy all the time. My response is simply. “Yes I can watch me.” There is one story I always tell and several techniques I use that can help you never have another bad day in your life.  

First, the story I always tell for why I’m so positive and happy all the time starts with something I learned many years ago from an old Japanese WWII soldier called “The Secret to everlasting happiness.” This Japanese soldier had been stationed on the island of Okinawa Japan during the U.S. invasion but was not captured nor rescued or told when the war ended. As far as he was concerned the war was still going on. He would sneak down into the city of Naha and steal food and cloths and go back to his hideout.

More than 40 years later, he was still hiding in the mountains. And in 1985 when I was stationed their while in the Marines I ran into him by accident during a training exercise when he started shooting at my unit. We only had blanks, so when we realized someone had real bullets we left, called the MP’s and they finally captured him. During the interrogation everyone wondered why he was so happy, positive enthusiastic and of course hungry. When he was asked why he was so happy, after being left and forgotten up in these mountains for more than 40 years he smiled and said “I happy because I know secret to ever lasting happiness”.  

Now being a Marine and having served around Sailor for many years my first thought was “B_ _ _ S_ _ _.” I would have been mad as hell if the Marines had left and forgot about me for only 40 minutes. We then asked him what was this secret? He again smiled and said, “I can only share secret if you first take a solemn vow to apply and use the secret for the rest of your life.”  At this point I’m standing in the back thinking “Give me a break”. So you can tell I had a bad attitude before learning the secret. We all took this vow and he told us the secret. And ever since then I have used this secret every day and now I’m positive and happy all the time. 

Keep reading if you want the secret. 

Along with the secret I use these stress management techniques on a regular basis. In fact some time two or three times a day. Some of these can be used for immediate stress management and some are for long term management of stress.  

The first technique I used every morning right after applying the secret to everlasting happiness is Mediation. Meditation is used to train the mind to be relaxed and free of all the chatter that goes on throughout the day. But this morning mediation is not just any kind of meditation I do what is called “Transcendental mediation. To learn more about Transcendental Mediation watch this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfIqvZLIZz8

The second technique I used though out the day anytime I feel the need to relax is call diaphragmatic breathing. This technique can be used to almost immediately reduce the stress of the moment. It is base on the scientific research conducted by Herbert Benson, MD and described in his national best seller “The Relaxation Response” To learn more about this technique watch the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgZqxAaYQU

Oh before I forget send me an email saying you vow to apply and use the “Secret to Everlasting Happiness” every day for the rest of your life and I’ll send you the secret he gave us.

Stress Management Made Easy

Is Stress Making You Fat, Dumb, and Sick?

All over the planet people are suffering from the effects of stress.  And there is a very good chance you are also. In fact if you are alive right now living in the 21^st century; you have encountered at least one stressful moment in the last 24 hours.  You can’t avoid it and you can’t eliminate 100 percent of it if you intend to live in the 21^st century. Stress comes in the form of job stress, family stress, technology stress, information overload stress, financial stress, news stress and many other forms.  Failure to get your stress under control will have three detrimental effects on your health; chronic stress will make you fat, dumb and sick. This article will explain how this happens and what you can do to avoid this situation. 

What is stress? Stress is a physiological response your body goes through when you perceive a threat to your mental, physical, or spiritual well being. Notice I said perceived threat; that means it can be a real threat or an imagined threat. And in most cases the things that produce the most daily stress are not real, or they are incorrectly perceived as a threat and the stress response gets activated. Here is an example: About 20 years ago I was driving from the west coast to the east coast, and while in Dallas pulled off the high way to get something to eat and gas. While waiting at a red light I put in a cassette tape, that’s what we listened to before CD’s. Just as the light changed and I started to move I heard the sound of a car racing its engine and then slamming on their brakes. The sound was so load I thought someone was running into me, so I slammed on my brakes, looked around and though the rare view mirror and there was nobody around, it was 2:00AM in the morning.  At that very instant I realized it was the cassette tape I just put in. If you are old enough you might remember the R&B group The Gap Band and their song “Don’t Burn Rubber on Me”. Here is a YouTube link to it. Listen to it and you will see what scared the heck out of me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb1cpSJtIqM

Now, the point is the thing that stressed me out for that brief moment was all in my imagination. Don’t laugh, most of the things that stress you out are developed in your imagination or you create them and blown them out of proportion. Here’s a few other examples: 

• Each time you have a negative thought about sitting in traffic that creates stress.
• When you watch the news and get upset about the latest homicide or robbery that creates stress. 
• When you read your college class project for the week and think oh-no this is too much, that creates stress. 
• When you yell at your kids for not picking up their cloths that creates stress.

In fact, every time you make an issue about something that did not go your way it creates stress. Notice that all these events only create stress because of the way you interpret them. You could have chosen to react in the complete opposite of the negative reaction.  

We encounter events all week long that send us into this same negative reaction mode and the stress just keeps building and building. At the physiological level what is happening is extremely harmful to your health. When we react in a stressful manner we activate the Stress Response (SR); this is the fight or flight response, we will call it SR.  You activate your SR when you see or hear something that you interpret as harmful, negative or you just don’t like it, and you make an issue about it. The SR was a great idea when we lived in the jungle and needed to run from hungry tigers or other people that wanted to kill us. But evolution has not modified this system, so it kicks into play all day long when you have these negative responses.

How Stress makes you sick, fat and dumb.

When this SR is activate on a regular basis three things happen that you will not like. 

First, the hormone cortisol is released into your blood stream and research has shown that excess cortisol can direct your body to release excess amounts of cholesterol. And excess cholesterol is associated with plaque buildup that leads to hypertension and coronary heart disease. Excess cortisol is also associated with the weakening of your immune system. When your immune system is weakened you become susceptible to sickness and all kinds of diseases. 

Second, cortisol is also associated with weight gain. There is a direct link between stress and food. When we are under stress, food becomes a mechanism to control the stress. When we place food into our stomach a message is sent to our brain that produces a calming effect and decreases the intensity of the stress felt throughout the body. Eating to calm our stress is such a natural process; many people never even realize that’s why they are eating. And if that’s not enough, Dr. Oz says cortisol also causes a build up of fat around the abdomen and thighs. So under stress you eat more and it sticks to your belly and thighs. 

Finally chronic stress overloads our brain with hormones that were intended for short term emergencies. These hormones damage and kill brain cells in the part of your brain used for memory and learning. So, now you can’t remember or learn. If it wasn’t enough just being fat, you have to get sick and dumb all from stress. So what can you do? 

Symptoms of Stress 

According to the Mayo Clinic we experience stress in three ways, body symptoms, thoughts, and behavior. However, the three steps we are going to talk about are designed to catch the stress before it develops into these symptoms. These steps are not a replacement for professional health care. If you are suffering from the below listed symptoms you may need to consult your health care provider. 

Body Symptoms: • Headache • Back pain • Chest pain • Heart disease • Heart palpitations • High blood pressure • Decreased immunity • Stomach upset • Sleep problems

Thoughts • Anxiety • Restlessness • Worrying • Irritability • Depression • Sadness • Anger • Feeling insecure • Lack of focus • Burnout • Forgetfulness

Behavior • Overeating • Under eating • Angry outbursts • Drug abuse  • Alcohol abuse • Increased smoking • Social withdrawal • Crying spells • Relationship conflicts

Immediate Steps for Managing Stress  

Step one is to recognize when you are becoming stress. You can not minimize your stress until you know when it is affecting you. Lets use an example of your company is downsizing and your boss just called you into his office. You immediately get upset and say “OH Shoot I can’t believe they are firing me”.  This thought activates the stress response. You know it because you just started breathing hard, sweating, thinking negative thoughts, and you know from reading the first part of this article that those negative thoughts are activating the SR. Ok good you understand step one. 

Step two is to immediately stop the negative thought.  For most of us these thoughts are automatic and they occur without us ever thinking about them, we just react. What you are learning here is to respond with thinking rather than reacting with behavior. To stop the negative thought pattern you are going to attack it with a giant warrior called NATAK, Negative Automatic Thought Armed Killer. NATAK is a 9 foot tall steel and concrete warrior carrying a giant ray gun, 6 foot long sword and a shield; and he kills negative thoughts before they can fully activate your SR. Every time you have a negative stress activating thought you will say “Get-em NATAK” or “Sick-em NATAK”.  You can do it out load or to yourself. I do it out load and smile at how people react. They look around and say excuse me or are you talking to me. I just smile and say “just killing some negative thoughts.” This action has the immediate effect of stopping the negative thought before it get to the part of the brain that activates the SR. With practice you can learn to do it instantly every time a stress activating negative thought comes into your mind. 

Step three after you have killed the negative thought you want to replace it with a positive thought. In other words instead of reacting you now can respond. In our example your boss calls and says can you come into my office, you sense the negative thought and say “Get-em NATAK”, and you immediately feel a sense of calm.  Next you immediately replace the negative thought with, “I don’t like this Job any way.” In psychology they call that rationalizing, but if he’s going to fire you, so what. Actually a better replacement would be a positive thought like “Humm could I be getting a promotion.” Now you may be thinking this is ridicules, but remember the idea is to turn off the stress response so you can keep from becoming fat, dumb and sick.  Plus if you are getting fired what good does it do to also get stressed. And since most of the things that stress us are imagined what if you got all stress and your boss wasn’t firing you; you just contributed to being fat, dumb and sick for no reason. 

So the first lesson in managing stress is to stop the negative thoughts that create stress all day long and replace them with positive thoughts. This is can easily be done by using the NATAK warrior and with a little practice you will become a master of your thought and close your mind off to the automatic negative thoughts to lead to a life of being fat, dumb and sick. 

Bonus

Since you read this fare you get a bonus step. We already talk about the SR and what activates; but what if there was a reverse response to the SR. What if there was a way to reverse the SR. What if there was a way to activate an immediate relaxation response. 

Well there is, and it is called the Relaxation Response.  Discovered by Dr. Herbert Benson and written about in his best seller The Relaxation Response in 1975. Dr Benson discovered that the SR was associated with breathing and it could be stopped and reversed and a relaxation response activated by learning how to breathing properly. Today this is called diaphragmatic breathing and is a very simple process. When under stress start by taking a moment to relax, then focus on taking three to five deep breaths and pay close attention to the air coming into your nose or mouth, going down your lungs and feel your stomach rise. As you exhale feel your stomach descend as you feel the air leave out though your longs and nose or mouth. Don’t hold your breath and keep your focus on the four steps. Do this 

The four steps are:

1. As you take the air into your nose or mouth feel it and sense it coming in. 
2. Take a slight pause when your lungs are full and feel your stomach rise. 
3. Exhale and feel the air slowly leave your lungs and your stomach descend. 
4. Pause when your lungs are empty for a second and take another slow deep breath. 

Diaphragmatic breathing redirects your focus and attention off of what initiated the stress and turns off the ST.  

Reference:

Benson, H. (2000). The Relaxation Response. New York, NY:  Harpertorch

Mayo Clinic Staff (2009). Stress symptoms: Effects on your body, feelings and behavior. Retrieved June 23, 2010 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-symptoms/sr00008_d 

Seaward, B. L. (2009). Stress Management: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. Sudbury, Ma: Jones and Bartlett Publishers

Question of the day and lesson of the week.

Question for the day - Did you eat a nutritious breakfast today; if you did, fantastic. If not go stand in the corner until I get tired. Don’t you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it jump starts your metabolism, it sets the tone for the rest of the day, and eating breakfast is a good way to lose weight and maintain weight. Research shows people that eat breakfast are healthier, and thinner than people that do not eat breakfast. 

When you wake up from a good night's rest, your blood sugar, or glucose levels will be very low. Your body is basically now running on empty in the morning. By eating a good breakfast you will 'break the fast and replenish your glucose levels. Glucose is your body's energy source. Your brain lives on glucose, but does not store glucose. With a good breakfast you'll be sharper and have better concentration in the morning.  If you will need to use your brain in the morning eat breakfast it's the healthiest thing you can do. So please eat breakfast!

Welcome fellow Kaplan Students

If health and wellness is important to you, you will enjoy this blog. Every week I will post a topic of interest to those that want to live as healthy a life as possible. Every week you will find information obtained from my weekly reading, course requirements, and projects all specifically related to health and wellness.  I hope you enjoy it and benefit from it.

Seven Goals to Better Health

Health and wellness really is a simple process. If your health is important and you would like to begin a process of getting healthy, and staying healthy here are seven keys that will get you going on the right track.

Goal # 1: Drink 8 glasses of water a day. Our body is more than 70% water and when we are dehydrated this lack of water is the first step to cellular destruction. Dehydration leads to organ failure. When our organs fail we get sick. Goal # 1 is to get 8 hours of water a day.

Goal # 2: Get as close to 8 hours of sleep a night. Throughout the day your cells are damaged by the toxins in the air, the foods we eat, and the stress we put on our body. During our sleep cycle our body attempts to repair the damage create during the day. Chronic sleep deprivation will weaken your body’s ability to repair the damage done throughout the day and you will eventually get sick.

Goal # 3: Learn and use a stress management technique at least once a day. Next weeks post will list several stress management techniques. One of the most destructive elements to our health is stress. Stress does three very serious things to us. Stress causes us to gain weight and get fat, stress weakens your immune system, and stress makes you susceptible to illness and disease. Stress also kills the brain cells in the part of the brain responsible for thinking, rational thoughts, logic, reasoning, and intelligence; so essentially stress will make you fat, sick and stupid.

Goal # 4: Begin a simple exercise program. You can start by walking, and gradually extend the distance and speed everyday a little bit at a time. We have been told about exercise for year and most people know the importance of it, but 70% of Americans still don't exercise. Exercise strengthens your immune system, makes your heart stronger, and helps to reduce your stress. If you have not exercise in a while and you have health problems consult your health professional before beginning a fitness regimen.

Goal #5: Begin eating more fruits and vegetable than red meat. The experts have told us for years how important the right food is to our health. Food can be divided into 2 simple categories: foods that add to hour health and wellness, and foods that deteriorate you health. Foods that contribute to good health are fruits and vegetable. The foods that contribute to illness and disease are red meats.

Goal # 6: Take vitamins. The debate about whether you should or should not take vitamins is over. The experts are all aware of just how important vitamins are, but are you. Most of us do not eat properly in the first place so we are not getting everything we need from the food we eat. Even if you are eating properly most of the nutrients we expect to find in the foods we eat have been depleted from farming. The solution is to simply take a multiple vitamin. The link that follows is the super liquid vitamin I take http://www.betterbrainbody.com/

Goal # 7:  Develop and participate in a strong social network. Research has been pilling up that shows how good friends, family and a social support system is very good for your health. According to “Current Directions in Health Psychology (2005)” epidemiological research indicates that supportive relationships may significantly protect individuals from various causes of mortality including cardiovascular disease. The following link is to a nationwide network of various groups that can be used to find networks you might enjoy. http://www.meetup.com/

What has learning integral health done for me?

Studying integral health has been the single most interested and educational course I have ever taken. The knowledge gained from this course had an effect on not only me personally but my entire family. During the third week of this course my mother was diagnosed with leukemia and given 90 days to live; this alone though the entire families into a tail spin. The stress of first trying to find other options for her, because the conventional medical community ran out of their limited options and gave up, to accepting the fact that she decided she didn’t want to try anymore the most stress I ever faced in a 30 day period and I spent more than 31 years in the Marines.

My mom passed away 10 days later, and even though everyone has their own way of handling grief it was what I had leaned in this course on contemplative exercises that help me the most. The Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind exercises were a God send. These two were part of my daily routine and whenever things got a little rough I could always take a moment and calm things down. However, the most exciting affect these two exercises created was not in my but in those around me. I think the Loving Kindness contemplative practice worked wonders on everyone around me.

I have always been or thought I was in very good psychological, physical and spiritual health. In Unit 3 I assessed myself pretty high in all three categories, but by Unit 7 it was clear I didn’t know what I was talking about. As high as I scored myself back than I feel I am at least twice as good now having studied this topic.

I have made major strides towards my goals and feel there will be no problem accomplishing them. I have implemented all my goals and have developed plans to accomplish them I think the most interested goal and plan deals with developing my psychological and spiritual wellbeing though contemplative practice’s. I meditate at least once or twice a day and it has got to the point where I might spend more than an hour in a half in some form of contemplative meditation. But most interesting is the use of brain entrainment to assist in developing the various mental states available thought meditation.

Brain entrainment is a way to rapidly achieve the alpha, theta or delta brain was state found when doing contemplative exercises. It’s used to help you get into a meditative state and create change. There are several brain entrainment tools a person can use I use the one below.
http://www.transparentcorp.com/products/np/?c=5893143

Subtle Mind