Health, Happiness & Vitality

1. Conscious Breathing: When you stop and do slow conscious breathing, you take in much more oxygen which helps the cells in your body work more efficiently. Most of our breathing is too shallow and we lose the benefits of getting a good dose of oxygen.

Take longer to breathe out and you will take more oxygen in on the next breath. Here's how you do it: Sit quietly and breathe in slowly for a count of seven, hold for a count of seven and then with the tip of your tongue resting on the inside of your top front teeth, breathe out for a much slower count of seven. Do this seven times at least once a day at first. It will bring you peace, balance and harmony. 

For other breathing techniques, go here and here.  Read how breathing is helping children  at The Art of Living

2. Meditation: Sit or lie quietly for atleast 5-20 minutes and pay close attention to the thoughts that pass through your mind. Bring your attention to your breath and when you notice a new thought, let it pass by without judgment. This practice will bring clarity and order to your life. When I miss this meditation, my day is filled with chaos.

3. The Lemon Solution:

Squeeze half a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink when you wake up in the morning. It will help clear the mucous if your blood type is A or AB.

4. Jump: on a rebounder or trampoline if you have one. If you have neither, move your body in a similar fashion as if you were on a rebounder, bouncing on the balls of your feet and moving your shoulders up and down. This movement stimulates the lymph system after a night's sleep.

5. Early Morning Walk

Take any opportunity to get this walk before you start your day.  Walking to the subway counts.  Early morning outdoor light keeps your hormones in sync with the circadian rhythm of your body.

6. Graze:   Eat small meals throughout the day. It's better to eat small portions and you won't overload your digestive system. Eat breakfast. How many times have you heard that one? Sometimes we are not that hungry in the morning and we assume we can burn a few extra calories by skipping a meal. The opposite is true. Your body goes into starvation mode, your set point lowers and you burn less calories and make it up at the absolute worst time of day..nightime. Bad choice because your body is burning calories at a much slower rate.

7. Sleep: how much and when: Go to sleep as close to sunset as possible and wake seven to eight hours later without an alarm clock. Hormones work more efficiently on this schedule. A 10 minute nap is helpful but not longer or you will feel groggy when you wake.

Did you ever take notice when you don't get enough sleep? Your eating is out of control, you don't think clearly and the circadian rhythm of your body is not balanced which can lead to many uncomfortable bodily symptoms.

So one by one, make each tip a habit. It only takes 21 days to feel like you must do this new habit daily. It will definitely add to the quality of your life. It does mine!

Get your very own copy of 7 Little Things eBook


It would be great to hear what you get out of 7 Little Things and if you have your own 7 tips, do email me and I may add it to the next edition.

Listen to Shelley Yates as she recalls her near death experience with her four year old son Evan when their car hydroplaned off the road, overturned, and sank to the bottom of a flooded marsh in Nova Scotia.  You can read more about it at Fire the Grid.

Shelley Yates is on a mission to share a divine message of hope and is encouraging us to participate in a global project of loving intention for our planet earth and its inhabitants on July 17, 2007.  People from around the globe will be joining together spiritually in a one-hour meditation to channel Divine energy toward our planet and for the enlightenment of all humanity beginning at 11:11 Greenwich Mean Time (that is 7:11AM to 8:11AM Eastern Standard Time).

Who doesn't need more Love, Intimacy and Understanding in their relationships!  Have you ever said, "There's GOT to be a better way!" after an upset, argument or a misunderstanding?   Well, guess what!  Help is on the way with Paul and Kristin.

Paul Sterling and Kristin Denton present  The Magic Relationship Method  (Compassionate Communication For Couples) and they can show you how.  Get their free eBook to read more about the program and visit Paul and Kristin at Magic Relationship.

Here are two messages from participants in the program. Turn your speakers up and click the arrow.

Netie Pot, what is it?  It's a small ceramic pot that you fill with warm salty water when you can't breath easily and want quick relief.  That's what I use it for. 

What a great natural aid to allergies, breathing problems, post nasal drip or sinus infections. 

Read more about how a neti pot can give you relief.

Oh, for all you animal lovers and those who want to learn about love... You know Drs Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen,  Oprah's sweetheart docs who write and talk about how to live healthier after 40.  

Well, research shows that living with a dog or any pet can extend years on your life but it would be great if we could teach our pets to be 'polite' and fit in while we enjoy growing older with them.

Tamar Geller helped Oprah work with her three dogs with love and boundaries and now Oprah is raving about Tamar and her dogs.   Tamar supports many organizations that improve the quality of life for animals.

Take a look at Tamar Geller's video and check out her book, The Loved Dog.

Time to pay big attention to exercise.  But most people say they don't have time and as the years pass, they realize...if only I had!  Get out your tape measure instead of your scale and start walking.

It's really about this visceral fat(tummy fat). An article by Christian Nordqvist, editor - Medical News Today... read more

Read "Blogging By Blood Type' by Amy Cunningham at Chattering Mind.  She's on to this special program..not your typical diet plan that we've read or heard about so often.  Amy is very positive about this diet that goes way beyond just losing weight.

"This is so fascinating. I just discovered it. Dr. Peter D'Adamo, author of "Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight," maintains a site with a fleet of good bloggers writing about their lives and diets, planned according to their blood types.

I happen to be a type O (I need some red meat and am not the best candidate for a vegan lifestyle). Do you know what you are? You can buy a blood-type determining kit for $9.95 plus postage. I'll be posting more on this fascinating, health-transforming subject as I get deeper into it myself."

Can't wait to hear more from Amy as she progresses with this diet.  Meanwhile, watch for my posts on different aspects of the diet and why it is one of my healthy lifestyle choices. 

Live Right 4 Your Type is the sequel to Peter D'Adamo's first book, Eat Right 4 Your Type which over a million readers used to achieve their ideal weight.  Live Right 4 Your Type is The Individualized Prescription for Maximizing Health, Well-being, and Vitality in Every Stage of Your Life.

The latest research indicates that there's a blood-type profile for many aspects of our lives and in this book, Dr D'Adamo tells each of us how to achieve optimal health.... according to our blood type.

To read more, click here.

The third episode of the Charlie Rose Science Series where experts examine the science of living longer was on PBS last night and again today.  I was totally focused and  refrained from multitasking. It was an amazing discusion with Paul Nurse of The Rockefeller University, Leonard Guarente of M.I.T., Cynthia Kenyon of UC San Francisco, Richard Weindruch of the Wisconsin National Primate Center, Robert Butler, President of the International Longevity Center, Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois, Chicago, and Sue Levkoff of Harvard Medical School.

Charlie mentioned getting enough sleep, exercise,  less stress and eating the right foods but listen as they speak about 'caloric restriction' and how that extends life in animals...not sure if the animals are happier.  All we have to do is start cutting back on the high glycemic carbs that turn to sugar quickly.  In calorie restriction, inflammation in atipose tissue was reduced by 70% meaning more lean muscle mass.

Cynthia Kenyon of UC San Francisco made the point that since sugar makes us want to eat more, we should  just cut sugar out of our diets and  we won't be hungry.

Click now to see video discussion on living longer.

Become a Passion Test facilitator with Janet and Chris Attwood. Ask Janet or Chris how to live your passions or read the book and take the Passion Test yourself. Even if you believe you are following your passions, read what Jack Canfield said after he took The Passion Test:

"The Passion Test has given me incredible insight into what was missing in my life, where I was not 100% spot on in pursuing my passions. It's simple, it's easy, and it's profound. Out of it came the creation of an organization I'd been putting off for six years and a fuller expression of my love and my commitment to my family. I think there's nothing more important than that." - Jack Canfield, co-creator, #1 NY Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series

Let's do more yoga!  Here's Deb's brand new spanky book on YOGA. 

I couldn't get enough of Wayne Dyer's Power of Intention and here he comes with another sure to be best seller, Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

"Let the world unfold without always attempting to figure it all out. Let relationships just be, since everything is going to stretch out in Divine order. Don't try so hard to make something work-simply allow. Don't always toil at trying to understand your mate, your children, your parents, your boss, or anyone else because the Tao is working at all times." - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Wayne Dyer's new book, Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao will be released on July 31, 2007.  If you're in the San Diego area, you can get tickets to go to the PBS special taping which will reflect the concepts in his new book. 

Seth Godin, our hero, here at Squidoo,  had the most fun and infomative interview with Michael Port from Book Yourself Solid.  Seth was basically answering questions about his new book, the dip. 

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Only 86 pages. With cartoons! (By Hugh Macleod). Chris Anderson, author of the Long Tail, called it, "Utterly Delightful."

Seth talks about how it's not only ok to quit sometimes, it's the best thing that you could ever do and if there's no 'dip' in sight you better get out if you want to grow.  Well that's kind of nice to remember when we're down and out, that there are usually no mistakes but get out when the time is right.  It's all perfect. 

You can listen to Seth's interview here and read more from Seth about his latest book at Dip Blog