AHEAD OF THE CURVE AT MIDLIFE- Finding Balance and Opportunity in Economic Crisis and Uncertain Times
- The Benefits of Happiness and Positive Emotions in Reducing Risks of Heart Disease
- Osteoporosis Drugs Like Fosamax May Increase Risk of Fractures and Brittle Bones in Some Women
- Long Periods of Sitting Is Harmful for Your Health – Even If You Work Out
- Most New Small-Business Jobs to Have a Woman as Top Boss
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Feb
24
Eckhart Tolle, the runaway bestselling author of A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, and The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, continues to inspire with his stated goal of creating an online community intended to help usher in a new state of consciousness into the world. A long time in the making, you can tune into Eckhart Tolle TV with a monthly membership that gives you live guided meditations, access to a private seminar series, an online community to chat with, and short question and answer clips of Eckhart answering member’s questions. You can also submit your own questions for upcoming recordings.
Feb
22
Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto put forth three simple “rules” for eating healthily while being mindful of the impact your food choices make on the planet: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” His latest book, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual uses these categories, but adds what he’s learned about the psychology of food and eating. “The games we play with ourselves about food, about how we confuse lots of food with lots of food experience. They’re not the same thing. You can have an intense food experience with less food. Europeans have intense food experiences but eat less food.” Pollan questions the premise that science is the only authority we have on matters having to do with food in our bodies. Long before nutrition science, culture guided us, with what’s now relegated to old wives’ tales. His goal is to resurrect that cultural wisdom, and the book is full of the rules of our grandmothers’ – 64 of them. Read more
Feb
20
Tips from Chinese Medicine on Staying Healthy During Deep Winter
February 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
In Winter’s Emotional Weather it’s suggested that winter is a time when energy retreats deep inside the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine, lifestyle choices should shift with the changing seasons, and winter is a time to explore the interior landscape of your body as well as your thoughts, feelings and aspirations. Physically, stretching, yoga practice, focused pilates, or Tai Chi practices open the bodymind through increasing flexibility, and strengthen and stabilize joints, tendons and ligaments. They help counter the prevailing contraction of mind and body, gently bringing to the surface thoughts, feelings and memories stored in muscles, making them accessible for review, release and transformation. If outdoors exertions are your way of recharging, your deep work may emerge in your dreams. Read more
Feb
18
A central dilemma to come to terms with in so many midlife passages Carolyn Myss tackles the ’spiritual stickiness’ of settling for less than what you want, in this piece on Oprah. Myss bypasses the easy answer of looking at ’settling’ as a passive choice that lets you off the hook for the choices you’ve made that have given you what (you say) you don’t want. But then she digs deeper. How she resolves this dilemma reminds me of Werner Erhard’s admonition that “happiness is choosing what you’ve got.” Every choice does matter – even the passive ones, she says, and deep in your gut, you know it: “I would never have chosen this, but I am so glad I’m here.” On the mark. Read more
Feb
16
Vitamin D is in the news a lot, and it’s wise at this stage of life to pay attention. Why? Because vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many chronic diseases that tend to emerge later in life – from cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and depression, to fibromyalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Why is vitamin D implicated in so many diseases? Because of how it controls and regulates gene function. By reducing cancer- promoting cellular growth, it’s a potent cancer inhibitor: vitamin D deficiency is linked to colon, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. It also acts on receptors that send messages to genes. Optimal levels reduce inflammation to boost your mood, ease muscle aches and pains, and fibromyalgia. Read more
Feb
14
This Valentine’s Day, Develop the Second Most Important Quality in Your Relationship
February 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
When asked what the second most important quality to develop in a relationship is, beyond mutual recognition of spiritual awareness, counselors, teachers and author of several books including their classics, A Shared Heart, Models of Love & The Heart’s Wisdom, Joyce Vissell, RN, MS & Barry Vissell, MD would respond with a litany of qualities like appreciation, gratitude, understanding, sharing ideas, making the relationship a priority, a sense of humor, a healthy sexual relationship and a shared vision – until a couple in one of their workshop showed them that taking responsibility for your own pain rather than blaming it upon your partner underlies your ability to develop all the other qualities. Well worth a read, this excerpt is the gist of their insight: “Projecting your anger and pain upon your partner is a burden. … It is so tempting in a relationship to Read more
Feb
12
This new series explores how becoming aware of the impact of seasonal change on health and well being can provide insight and new tools to guide your actions and improve your quality of life.
It’s not coincidental that, instead of celebrating the new year a week after the winter solstice, the Chinese calendar falls nearer to the spring equinox, when life underground begins to stir. Western cultures prefer to bypass the limits that winter rest represents, interfering as it does with lives based on continual growth. But continual activity loses its footing when it’s not rooted in periods of reflection and integration. And winter isn’t empty rest, it’s teeming with life under the surface. Read more
Feb
9
Jimmy Carter Chooses Women’s Equality Over Church Affiliation
February 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
Thank you! says Marianne Williamson on her website, posting this open letter by Jimmy Carter, Losing My Religion for Equality, to say that he is severing his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention after years of trying to change its views over its treatment of women. Indeed! He also speaks as part of fellow global Elders Nelson Mandela, Gro Brundtland, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and other leaders deeply committed to challenging injustice. Their recently published statement declares that “the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.” Carter says that “Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God,” and that he had to take action. Read more
Feb
7
Natural Compounds in Pomegranates May Prevent Growth of Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer
February 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
Besides benefiting the heart by reducing arterial plaque, raising HDL and lowering LDL cholesterol, and helping inhibit damage to cartilage in osteoarthritis by its enzymatic action, a new study shows phytochemical compounds in pomegranates reduce the incidence of hormone dependent breast cancer. Ellagitannins appear to be responsible for pomegranate’s anti-proliferative effect, suppressing estrogen production to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells in estrogen-responsive tumors. Pomegranates have three times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, making them potent anti-aging free radical quenchers. Drink it straight, add it to orange juice, or try some new ideas to spice up your diet, like a syrup to enliven greens or a tangy and sweet Persian dish with walnut and pomegranate molasses sauce for chicken or turkey. Yummy! I love finding new foods and flavors, don’t you?
Feb
5
Strength Training Improves Women’s Ability to Think, Focus and Plan
February 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: k daniel
In case you need another incentive to pick up those weights, interesting results from a new study may just tip the balance. Older women who underwent a strength training routine of only 1-2 hours a week scored higher on ‘executive function’ tests for brain processes responsible for planning and executing tasks after one year. This means an improved ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and to stay focussed without being distracted. Strength training improved these women’s performance by 10-12%, while women who only did balancing and toning exercises experienced a .5% deterioration. Wow! Unfortunately, older women are among the least likely to focus on building strength, even though it’s one of the most important preventive health actions to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis, and to counteract muscle loss and strength. To the gym! -the payoffs keep mounting. It’s great to feel strong, light on your feet, not to mention looking great and being able to jump tall buildings in a single bound!
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