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Archives for August 2010

How to Prevent Arthritis Or 20 Ways to Stay Out of Arthur’s Reach

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Arthritis is one of the most painful conditions an individual can live with.  Unfortunately our risk of learning this truth firsthand increases with age.  Fortunately, as with a lot of diseases, there are certain things we can do and certain things we can avoid to keep ourselves off of the arthritis radar.

  1. Drink your orange juice. Studies show that the antioxidants found in citrus fruit greatly reduce our odds of developing arthritis.
  2. Got milk? You should.  Calcium should be a part of your daily diet, especially if staying out of arthritis’ path is high on your “must do” list.  Drink milk and enjoy yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products.   If you are lactose intolerant (such as moi), remember that salmon and broccoli are sources of calcium.
  3. Watch your weight. Extra weight puts pressure on your joints and, when trying to hide from arthritis, you certainly don’t want to stress out your joints.  Just add arthritis to the list of diseases and ailments that can be discouraged by maintaining a healthy weight.  I read somewhere that if you lose 12 pounds, you cut your risk for developing arthritis in half.
  4. Stay active. Inactivity is a dangerous thing – for the body as well as the mind.  Brisk daily walks, strength – training, pilates, swimming, tennis, or yoga are excellent ways to keep your body active.  They’ll also help you with #3.  Stretching exercises and swimming are two of the best ways to keep your joints happy and stress-free and your muscles in top working condition.  Try to get at least 30 minutes of activity daily.  Exercise builds your muscles and your muscles support your joints.  See the connection? Weak muscles don’t offer the support your joints need but strong muscles will keep them honest.
  5. Use common sense. When home, at work, or at play, pay closer attention to what you put your joints through.  Find ways to lessen lifting and carrying activities.  Avoid things that put excess stress on your hips and knees.  Also, take extra care when playing sports.  Never put yourself at risk for injuries and remember to warm up before an activity and cool down afterward.
  6. Quit smoking. As if there aren’t enough reasons, already, to quit a habit that’s so bad for you! Cigarette – smoking is a habit that’s bad for you in every way conceivable.  It weakens your immune system and compromises your overall health. People who smoke cigarettes even age faster than others.
  7. Wear comfortable shoes. Never compromise your feet for stylish shoes.  Be certain that your shoes are the size you need and make sure they’re padded.  Neglected feet can cause a whole world of problems and none of them are pretty.
  8. Don’t sit still for long periods of time. If you have a desk job (or you simply enjoy sitting a great deal!), make it a point to get up and stretch periodically.  Using gentle movements, stretch all of your muscles to keep them nice and limber.  As an extra bonus, stretching will make you feel better.  It’ll also help you stay more alert.
  9. Try to avoid repetitive motions. If your job calls for you to make repetitive motions on a consistent basis, make it a point to find ways to take some of the pressure off of your joints.  Always remember:  When it comes to preventing arthritis, you want to keep your joints as stress free as possible.
  10. Take fish oil supplements.  Add preventing arthritis to the long list of benefits of taking daily fish oil supplements.
  11. Practice good posture. Sit up straight and walk tall.  Keep your back straight and your abs pulled in.
  12. Sleep on a firm mattress. Again, it’s all about supporting your joints and keeping them happy.
  13. Drink plenty of water. Water is necessary for joint lubrication.  It’ll also help with weight maintenance.  Think of drinking water as ridding your body of toxins – after all, that’s exactly what you’re doing.
  14. Get plenty of rest and relaxation. If you’re tired or run down, you’ll increase your risks of harming your muscles or other parts of your body.  Be sure to get plenty of sleep AND be sure to take breaks during the day.
  15. Be informed. I can’t possibly tell you how important it is to stay on top of information and news – especially health news.  Read, read, read, read.  Then read some more.  Stay current with health issues and advice from reputable doctors and other experts in the health field.
  16. Bundle up in cold weather. If it’s cold outside, don’t be a hero – dress warmly. Keep your joints warm and protected from the frigid cold.  Be extra thoughtful and considerate of your hands and protect them with a great pair of gloves.  Think of all your hands do for you – protect them and keep them safe.  Also, keep your poor knees in mind!  Wear thick pants or even long underwear.  As for your feet (also pretty important, right?) wear thick, appropriate socks and waterproof footwear.
  17. Use Heat Therapy. When you’re feeling achy and kind of stiff, take a warm bath or a warm shower or snuggle up with a heating pad.  Heat therapy soothes and relaxes over-worked muscles and joints.
  18. Learn relaxation techniques. Not only should you get plenty of sleep and rest, you should become a master of relaxation techniques.  Tense muscles cause joints to become stressed and, as we’ve already determined, we want our joints to be as stress free as a trophy wife.
  19. Don’t carry extra burdens. No, I’m not talking about worries this time – I’m talking about literally carrying extra burdens.  If you can pull it or push it, don’t lift it.  Also, use wheelbarrows, wagons, or other useful tools to do the hard work for you.  Don’t exert undo pressure on your joints.
  20. Consider Cod liver oil and Vitamin E.  Each of these reduce inflammation in the body.  Experts tell us that eating fruits and vegetables each day also reduce inflammation.

Without a Doubt, The Next Book You Should Read Is…

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The Instant Millionaire: A Tale of Wisdom and Wealth should absolutely be the next book you read. In fact, if you read only one (non-human-authored) book this year, I encourage you to choose The Instant Millionaire by Mark Fisher.

(Of course, then I’d encourage you to read the rest of the books I recommend on Self Help Daily – one by one.  After all, books can encourage, motivate, enlighten, and inspire.  Who wants to miss out on any of that?)

My great love of books and my eagerness to publish book reviews – recommending the best of the best to my friends (that would be you) – often creates a bit of a quandary for me.  I read so many great books that sometimes I fear that truly outstanding ones (such as The Instant Millionaire) will get lost in the masses.  There are times I wonder if each book I recommend will be able to stand on its own two brilliant feet.

However, I saw something the other day that alleviated this book worm’s fears:  A Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  They’ve given out gazillions of these honors – the total surpasses even the number of books I’ve read… this year, anyway.  Yet each one of their recommendations more than stands on its own two feet, it stands tall.

Which is my fervent hopes for the books I recommend.  As I often remind you, I don’t recommend each book I read.  Remember the song by Salt & Pepa, Push It.  The great voice at the first of the song says, “Now wait a minute, y’all. This dance ain’t for everybody. Only the sexy people. So all you fly mothers, get out there and dance.  Dance I say.”

In an equally dramatic voice, that’s what I say to my very, very favorite books – aka the ones that blow my socks off.  So here is my review for one such book.  A fly mother, to be sure.

The Instant Millionaire: A Tale of Wisdom and Wealth by Mark Fisher is a highly unique book. It is exactly as the title suggests:  A tale.  A fictional story – as in colorful characters, a plot, unexpected twists, drama, humor, and the whole shebang.  However, the lessons to be taken away from the entertaining story are more than worth the time and money you invest in them.  You’re apt to learn as much, or more, from this book than any book you’ve read in a very long time.

This book has the potential to change your life in ways you never imagined. One of the main reasons is that it reminds you just how important your thoughts are.  Your thoughts build your world or they tear it down.  In this remarkable little talk, Mark Fisher does a beautiful job of illustrating the difference between constructive thoughts and destructive thoughts.

Below are the 3 main reasons I’m so excited about The Instant Millionaire.  These, added to the fact that the book reads fast (although I promise you that you’ll want to read it through several times) AND meets my much-ballyhooed “Treadmill Criteria,” meaning I was able to hold the book and read it as I worked out on the treadmill.   You know the drill, bonus points are awarded to books that allow me this luxury.

  1. The Instant Millionaire opens up a door that leads to a new way of thinking. Not only are you challenged to look at the world and everything in it in a different light when it comes to money, you’re challenged to do so in other areas as well.  In reality, everything in life is a matter of attitude.
  2. The Instant Millionaire opens up a gate that leads to a new view of life. You will realize that the world, as you know it, was created by YOU.  Your every thought has led to your every action, which ultimately have led you to the world that you currently know.  When your mind wraps itself firmly around this truth… look out!  You’ll learn how to harness your thoughts and make them work for you.
  3. The Instant Millionaire opens up a world where you’re only limited by the limits you set yourself. Everything that happens to us is a product of our thoughts.  Positive affirmations spring from this powerful reality.  Life is, to a very real extent, exactly how you see it.  What’s more, we tend to get from life what we expect from it.

Are you as struck by that truth as I am?  We tend to get from life what we expect from it. What do you say, is it time to raise the bar high or what?!  I promise you this:  The Instant Millionaire is the first step in raising this bar, higher than you ever dared to before.

“All the events in your life are a mirror image of your thoughts.” – The Instant Millionaire, Page 46

The Instant Millionaire: A Tale of Wisdom and Wealth contains the single most profound example of the power of words I’ve ever read. It’s something that happens to the main character in Chapter 8 – something that makes you stop and truly think.  You’re along for the ride with him and you FEEL what he’s going through.  Suffice to say it’s more than an AHA moment, it’s an Oh Wow moment.  I won’t give it away here because…

  1. I want you to read the entire book.
  2. It’ll have more of an impact if you meet it head on.

It’s not an overstatement to say that it’s one of the most powerful illustrations regarding the power of words I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty much THE illustration that all of us who are huge believers in positive affirmations have been looking for our entire lives.  It’s proof, positive, that words (whether they’re the ones we say to ourselves or words others say to us) carry far more weight that we give them credit for.

In most cases reasoning and logic become roadblocks in the way of great achievement, because great things are created only by those who have faith in the powers of the mind. – The Instant Millionaire

The Instant Millionaire: A Tale of Wisdom and Wealth will show you how you have been getting in your own way and, more importantly, it’ll show you how to get out of the way.  I read a GREAT DEAL of books that relate to self help, self improvement, mental fitness, positive affirmations, attracting success, and so forth.  Let’s be honest, I swim in the ocean of these books daily.

Okay. Hourly.

However, this particular little book has stopped me in my tracks and has caused me to dig deep into my own cellar of thoughts.  I honestly wish I could put a copy of this book into everyone’s hands – I feel that it’s that important.

I urge you to go immediately to Amazon (by clicking the following link) and order your copy of this outstanding book.  It’s only 121 pages and, as I’ve said, it reads very fast.  I believe most people could read this book in the time it takes them to read the newspaper.  However, when you put the newspaper down, you aren’t any better off for having read it.   When you put The Instant Millionaire: A Tale of Wisdom and Wealth down, you will have taken the first giant step to raising the bar higher.  What’s more you’ll have the tools, keys, affirmations, and knowledge you’ll need to sail right over the bar with room to spare.

So all you fly mothers, get out there and soar.  Soar I say.

A Cherry Tree, an Ax, and A Life Changing Question

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I recently saw a great cartoon that didn’t make me laugh or even smile. How can that be? Great cartoons always make you laugh out loud or at least chuckle a little inside. At the very least, they make your face break out in a smile.

Not this one.

This particular cartoon simply made me think and think hard.

In the cartoon, you see George Washington as a little boy. The future Father of our Country is standing with an ax in his little hand and a once beautiful cherry tree on the ground…. the deed, done. Apparently little George has already made his admission of guilt – you know, something along the lines of, “I cannot tell a lie. I did if, father.”

His obviously frustrated father says, “All right, so you admit it! You always admit it! The question is when are you going to stop doing it?”

Le Sigh.

How many of us could star in our own comic strip?  Maybe instead of an ax and a fallen cherry tree we have a napkin and a Big Mac.  As we wipe our mouth we tell our bathroom scales, “I cannot lie. I ate the whole thing – hundreds upon hundreds of wasted calories.”  To which our scales reply, “All right, so you admit it! You always admit it! The question is when are you going to stop doing it?”

Oh, there are other areas of our lives where this same scenario could apply:

  • Financial carelessness
  • Bad habits
  • Negative thoughts
  • Poor anger management
  • Dishonesty
  • Laziness
  • Procrastination
  • Gossiping
  • And on and on…

The parent who overreacts to a small child’s infraction only to admit, later that day, that they were way out of line. Their temper got the better of them, yadda yadda yadda.  Like little George, admitting a mistake is well and good – it puts the individual in a small minority of  “super cool” people.

However, when they’re able to learn from their mistakes (rather than simply repeat them) they experience the much-coveted self growth and the much-hyped self improvement.  That’s the point they begin to change their life, as well as themselves, for the better.

I’m sure each one of us had at least one thing in mind when we read the father’s response.  Let this scenario resonate in your mind for the rest of the day.  Replay it in your mind the next time “it” happens and see if you can come up with an answer to the question, “All right, so you admit it! You always admit it! The question is when are you going to stop doing it?“

Brain Power: How to Improve Your Memory and Strengthen Your Mind

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Brain Power: Make Yourself Smarter!

Since one of my websites deals with Mental Fitness, I spend a great deal of time wrapping my brain around mental fitness, brain health, memory, brain games, Alzheimer’s prevention, and so forth.  Truth be told, even if it weren’t for this particular website, I’d still be found reading every book, magazine, and article I could get my hands on that dealt with the health of the brain.

Trust me, it’s an incredibly fascinating field.  One can’t underestimate it’s value, either.  Think about it, we spend a great deal of time and money in the pursuit of physical fitness – and rightfully so!  But, what good will any of that do us if we allow our brains to turn to mush?

I don’t want to give details – because it would be decidedly uncool to do so – but I recently had a conversation with someone who told me (with as much shock on their face as I had on mine) that their co-workers were unable to do simple arithmetic.  I’m talking about the sort of arithmetic that a fourth grader knocks out within 5 minutes.  The co-workers range in age from about 28 to 50.

Before I could pick up my jaw, I was told that they also struggled with simple spelling and vocabulary words.

I’m afraid that this isn’t a rare thing.  I’m part of a large, wonderful family – but, aside from them, I’m somewhat kind of sheltered from society.  I work from home, so I don’t have a lot of experience with face to face human interaction.  However, from what I’ve seen and heard, it seems that many people aren’t just letting their minds turn to mush, they’re facilitating the process.

What would it take to snap people out of the mental rut they’re allowing themselves to sink into?  I have no idea but, truth be told, it kind of scares me.  Make no mistake about it, you won’t agree with 100 percent of the things you read on Self Help Daily or Out of Bounds.   I wouldn’t want every visitor to agree with every word.  That would mean I wasn’t – in any way – encouraging you to think or encouraging you to challenge other ideas, beliefs, and concepts.

One of the things nearest and dearest to my heart is mental health and brain fitness.  I spend hours each day researching, reading, and writing within this area.  Maybe that’s why I often come across as almost desperate to get through to people.  If we don’t use our brains, challenge our minds, and pursue mental growth… you guessed it, mush.

We become adults who require a 4th grader to show us how to add fractions, tell us how to spell Antarctica, and clarify the capital of Texas when we aren’t sure if it’s Austin or Dallas.  Granted, as adults we sort of step away from these subjects.  Antarctica, Austin, and fractions may not necessarily come up in our everyday conversations and activities…

…. especially if these activities never vary and especially if the majority of these activities take place in front of sitcoms, reality television, or YouTube.  Oh-my-God, no she didn’t go there.

Mental Exercises and Brain Games

This would be me encouraging you… perhaps even pleading with you…. to broaden your mental horizons – each and every day. Put aside a little time each day to challenge yourself, mentally.  Below are a few mental exercises that you can do just about anywhere.  Occasionally leave the radio off in the car and give your mind something it really craves – challenging brain games and mental exercises.  They’re invigorating, they’re rewarding, and they’ll increase your mental power.

Experts tell us that we can increase our brain’s powers and strength by working it out.  Please make this part of your everyday activities and put it at the forefront of your goals.  In no time at all, fourth graders will be coming to you for all the answers.

  • Name all 50 states, alphabetically.
  • Name each state’s capital (and I promise Nashville IS the capital of Tennessee – no matter how badly you want it to be Knoxville!)
  • Name the 8 planets.  Remember, Pluto was stripped of its planet status.  Eh, don’t feel bad, Pluto, I’m not a planet either.
  • Name the 7 continents.
  • In the grocery store, calculate the cost of your purchase as you put things into the cart – see if you can come within $2.00.  It’s harder than you think – especially when you have a large purchase and ESPECIALLY when you’re as mathematically challenged as I am.
  • When you’re reading, write down and look up all unfamiliar words.
  • Whenever you hear a word you aren’t 100 percent how to spell, find out how and write the word down 10 times.  Test yourself the next day.
  • Read at least 1 classic this year.
  • Brain Games! Try the Lumosity Brain Training Program. Only $6.60 a month.
  • Read the newspaper more often.  When you read about a person or place that’s unfamiliar to you, do a little research and soak up the new information.  It’s sort of like turning each newspaper into a stimulating mental workout.
  • Work a crossword puzzle each day.
  • Think of favorite television shows from your youth – challenge yourself to remember each character’s name as well as the actors and actresses who played them.  Depending on the length of time (and the size of the cast!), it could take an hour or more for a name to come to you.  But here’s the thing, even if you have to work for the answer, you’re still getting a great mental workout.  A few days ago, I racked my brain for nearly an hour to remember the name of a guest star on The Golden Girls.  I refused to research his name! It came to me while making supper and I felt like I’d ran a mental marathon.
  • Pick up a few grade school workbooks if you need a great refresher’s course in math.  They’re beside the coloring books and you have my permission to grab one of those as well.  Express yourself.
  • Pick an animal, bird, or fish that you know absolutely nothing about and spend the next week reading about your new friend.  Spiders, sharks, polar bears, penguins, hummingbirds, possums, squirrels, bulldogs, iguanas… the list is endless and the opportunities are priceless.  Each week, take on a new animal.
  • Read National Geographic magazine regularly.  Collect old issues – ebay, yard sales, and Goodwill stores make it an unexpectedly fun scavenger hunt.  The pictures and the information can’t be beaten.
  • Each month, tackle a period of history or an ancient culture.  Few things are more fascinating to read about than Ancient China.  Again, National Geographic magazines are a wealth of  information.
  • Tune in to the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet.  These outstanding channels serve information on platters of entertainment and your brain will love every fascinating minute.
  • Read old books as well as new books.  Old books challenge your mind and stimulate your thinking in a way that new books don’t quite measure up to.  This is part of the reason why I have a Thursday Throwback feature on Self Help Daily.  I can take an author from the distant past and sort of hand the forum over to them for a day.  If you’ve never read older books, I encourage you to browse through the articles in the Thursday Throwback category.  I know you’ll love them – they’re pretty special.
  • This one will surely be unexpected, but sign up for Twitter!  Find a number of people to “follow” from a wide range of interests. Reading other’s opinions and updates will broaden your range.  And, quite frankly, it’s a challenge to express yourself in a limited number of words – at least it’s tough for me.  Shhhhh… You’ll find yourself reading more, interacting more, and thinking more.

Finally, read up on the different foods that are great for promoting brain health.  I have a great number of articles on Out of Bounds (which I recently treated to a new look) detailing which foods are best for your brain’s health.  I read earlier that a favorite snack of mine, sunflower seeds, are an excellent “brain food.”

From Real Age: “In a study, those who reported getting the highest amount of vitamin E — 19 milligrams a day — were about 25 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease over a 10-year period. People in the study got much of their vitamin E from processed or sat-fat foods, like butter, margarine, and mayo. Our suggestion? Get your E from healthy sources, such as nuts, seeds, veggies, plant oils, and nut butters. The bonus with nuts and seeds is that you also get a shot of hunger-quelling protein. Not to mention some heart-healthy fats.”

You can gain more brain power.  It’s a fact.  The flip side, however, reads like a horror story:  You can lose brain power.  Like a coin that’s in the air, waiting to land……. it’s your call.

Heart Health: Seven Steps to a Healthier Heart from the AHA

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In a great story on US News Health about heart health, the American Heart Association outlines the most important factors in achieving optimal heart health.  Seven steps were outlined – steps which each and every one of us should (literally) take  seriously.  Let’s be honest , heart health is one scary monster.  He has a list of victims that I don’t even want to think about.  Fortunately, there are steps we take can  to keep our names off of this massive list.

Wouldn’t a person be a fool to take their chances with a monster?

Below are the 7 steps for heart health from the American Heart Association:

  1. Don’t smoke and Quit if you do. The AHA reports that smoking  is considered to be the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States.
  2. Achieve and maintain your ideal weight. The AHA recommends aiming for a body mass index less than 25 percent. Clyde Yancy, president of the AHA and medical director at the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas points out that the USA is “under assault” from obesity and that being overweight or obese is the “first step toward adult-onset diabetes.”   (Click the link to quickly determine your own Body Mass Index – fast, easy, somewhat painless.)
  3. Exercise several times a week. A routine that includes at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week—brisk walking, ballroom dancing, or gardening, for example—or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity, such as jogging, aerobic dancing, or jumping rope, is one of the targets for achieving ideal heart health, according to the AHA. I love how Yancy breaks it down, “If you’re doing nothing, do something, and if you’re doing something, do more.”
  4. Eat a healthy diet. When it comes to eating more healthy foods, most of us ride a roller coaster.  We’ll eat healthy foods for a few days, then slack off for a while.  Then we’ll return to a healthy diet.  We need to adopt a healthy diet and stick with it! The AHA recommends eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.  Further dietary advice: Also, eat unrefined whole-grain foods, which help you feel full faster and improve your cholesterol level. Eating fish at least two times per week may help decrease your risk of death from heart disease by supplying you with omega-3 fatty acids. Select lean meat and skinless poultry, and when it comes to dairy products, buy fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat items. Seek out healthy recipes and get creative in the kitchen. Healthy food is delicious AND can protect you from many evils.
  5. Control your cholesterol. A total cholesterol level of less than 200 milligrams per deciliter is the goal for ideal heart health.
  6. Lower your blood pressure. One in three adults has high blood pressure.  One in three! Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80, you can find your own reading at a doctor’s office or even in some pharmacies.  Doctors, of course, can prescribe medications to help control your blood pressure, but there are also very effective drug-free approaches:  eating a nutritious diet, regular exercise, stress management, decreasing alcohol use, staying away from tobacco smoke, and keeping your body at a healthy weight.  For more ways to lower blood pressure (including information about the DASH diet) click the link.
  7. Aim for a fasting blood glucose level less than 100 mg/dL. There’s a reason heart health experts always preach avoiding diabetes with all the fight you have within you: Adults who have diabetes are two to four times as likely to end up with heart disease or stroke as people without diabetes, according to the AHA. Frightening numbers. My mother, a diabetic, died at an early age from heart problems.  Simply having diabetes heightens the chance of heart disease and stroke.

Why do we tend to ignore things until it’s too late?  Think about it.  Each winter, we don’t give the common cold a single thought until the first sniffle – THEN we load up on Vitamin C, frequent hand-washing, chicken soup, and so on. Even worse, we don’t give diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or any other “health monsters” much thought until we’re sitting across from a serious-faced doctor telling us things we never thought we’d hear.

Let’s vow to begin doing the things we know we should do, eating the things we know we should eat, and avoiding the things we know we should avoid.  Let’s promise ourselves to…

  • Get at least 30 minutes of activity daily – gardening, walking, yard work, aerobics, intense house cleaning…
  • Eat more fruits and more vegetables.  Here’s a trick I’ve found:  If you replace things you know you shouldn’t eat with things you know you should eat, you’re giving your health twice the benefit.  Replace fries with salad, soft drinks with green tea (or black tea – studies show that it’s actually as healthy as green tea… tons of antioxidants), have fruit as dessert, eat vegetable soup instead of pasta, etc.
  • Not put anything into our bodies that we wouldn’t recommend to one of our children.
  • Get plenty of rest and relaxation.
  • Find a way to cope with stress.  Stress wears a person down and makes them more susceptible to illness.  Refuse to give it the chance.

Let’s make the vow to take better care of our health. and let’s do it as though our lives depend on it.