• Thursday, January 29, 2009

    Laundry tips from the refrigerator

    Out of bleach or have a big bottle of
    RealLemon sitting around that’s expired?

    Toss in 1/2 cup of RealLemon juice
    when laundering your whites.

    You could also keep in a spray bottle to spray
    on stains as a pretreater and stain remover for whites.

    Thursday, January 22, 2009

    52 PROVEN STRESS REDUCERS

    1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.

    2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table. Make lunches. Put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.

    3. Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. ("The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory."- Old Chinese Proverb)

    4. Do nothing you have to lie about later.

    5. Make copies of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden. Carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.

    6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break down "at the worst possible moment."

    7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.

    8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.

    9. Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below onequarter full, keep a well- stocked "emergency shelf'' of home staples, don't wait until you're down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.

    10. Don't put up with something that doesn't work right. If your alarm clock wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers-whatever-are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.

    11. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.

    12. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.

    13. Always set up contingency plans, "just in case." ("If for some reason either of us is delayed, here's what we'll do..." Or, "If we get split up in the shopping center, here's where we'll meet.")

    14. Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn't get mowed this weekend.

    15. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count 'em!

    16. Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back the directions that someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old "the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get" idea.)

    17. Say "No!" Saying no to extra projects, social activities and invitations you know you don't have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs quiet time to relax and to be alone.

    18. Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect.

    (The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.)

    19. Turn "needs" into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don't get attached to preferences.

    20. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

    21. Make friends with nonworriers. Chronic worrywarts are contagious.

    22. Take many stretch breaks when you sit a lot.
    23. If you can't find quiet at home, wear earplugs.

    24. Get enough sleep. Set your alarm for bedtime.

    25. Organize! A place for everything and everything in its place. Losing things is stressful.

    26. Monitor your body for stress signs. If your stomach muscles are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax your muscles and take some deep, slow breaths.

    27. Write your thoughts and feelings down on paper. It can help you clarify and give you a renewed perspective.

    28. Do this yoga exercise when you need to relax: Inhale through your nose to the count of eight. Pucker your lips and exhale slowly to the count of 16. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.

    29. Visualize success before any experience you fear. Take time to go over every part of the event in your mind. Imagine how great you will look, and how well you will present yourself.

    30. If the stress of deadlines gets in the way of doing a job, use diversion. Take your mind off the task and you will focus better when you're on task.

    31. Talk out your problems with a friend. It helps to relieve confusion.

    32. Avoid people and places that don't fit your personal needs and desires. If you hate politics, don't spend time with politically excited people.

    33. Learn to live one day at a time.

    34. Everyday, do something you really enjoy.

    35. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.

    36. Take a bath or shower to relieve tension.

    37. Do a favor for someone every day.

    38. Focus on understanding rather than on being under stood, on loving rather than on being loved.

    39. Looking good makes you feel better.

    40. Take more time between tasks to relax. Schedule a realistic day.

    41. Be flexible. Some things are not worth perfection.

    42. Stop negative self-talk: "I'm too fat, too old, etc..."

    43. Change pace on weekends. If your week was slow, be active. If you felt nothing was accomplished during the week, do a weekend project.

    44. "Worry about the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves." Pay attention to the details in front of you.

    45. Do one thing at a time. When you are working on one thing, don't think about everything else you have to do.

    46. Allow time every day for privacy, quiet and thinking.

    47. Do unpleasant tasks early and enjoy the rest of the day.

    48. Delegate responsibility to capable people.

    49. Take lunch breaks. Get away from your work in body and in mind.

    50. Count to 1,000, not 10, before you say something that could make matters worse.

    51. Forgive people and events. Accept that we live in an imperfect world.

    52. Have an optimistic view of the world. Most people do the best they can.


    Source: American Lung Association

    Thursday, January 15, 2009

    Are You a Foodie Or An Emotional Eater?

    By Dr. Annette Colby, RD
    Annette@AnnetteColby.com or www.AnnetteColby.com

    Are you a foodie? A foodie is a term used to describe someone who seeks out and enjoys new restaurants, foods, and wines. A foodie delights in the total sensory experience of food. For example, at the grocery store, a foodie will joyfully find the perfect plump fruit, squeezing it gently, smelling it, and noticing the ripeness and color. A foodie has a lust for new food experiences, and enjoys the entire experience of eating, which includes exploring food, shopping for food, preparing and cooking food, and of course eating great food.

    Foodie Qualities. Below are 14 questions that can help confirm if you are a true lover of food:

    1. Do you love to explore new recipes?
    2. Do you have a passion for the taste of food?
    3. Do you appreciate the wonders of fresh food?
    4. Do you smell food, inhaling the aromas, and filling up with the joy of scent?
    5. Do you shop for the perfect culinary tools?
    6. Do you know the difference between Wusthof and Kershaw Shun knives?
    7. Do you eagerly await the newest Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma monthly mailing catalog?
    8. Is the Food Network your obsession?
    9. Do you love finding new recipes to test?
    10. Do you savor food, but stop when your taste buds or body tells you the experience is no longer satisfying?
    11. Do you choose the very best food available to you?
    12. Do you eat food that your body, senses, and intuition guides you toward?
    13. Do you eat the types of food that make you more alive and invigorated?
    14. Do you eat food that supports your health and vitality?

    If these questions already have you dreaming about gourmet eating experiences, then you just might be a true lover of food!

    Are You An Emotional Eater? Many emotional eaters don't know they are eating for emotional reasons. They will say, I don't eat because I'm bored or sad. I just eat because I really love food. However, if you look closely, an emotional eater doesn't enjoy the entire process of eating at all.

    Emotional eaters often have forbidden or bad foods. They feel guilty about eating certain food. This have lists of what they should eat and what they shouldn't eat. And they often obsess about when to eat or when not to eat. Overall, there are many rules and restrictions around food.

    Do you really love food as much as you imagine? One way to easily tell if you love food as much as you say you do, or if you're eating to cope with life is to notice your style of eating.

    Below are 14 questions you can use to easily identify when eating is something other than just a love of food.

    1. Do you inhale your food, eating in a hurry?
    2. Do you wolf down your food because you're starving?
    3. Do you heap mounds of food on your plate?
    4. Do you put another bite into your mouth before finishing the last one?
    5. Do you shove food in quickly, often using your fingers and often standing up?
    6. Do you often have an urgent, panicky need to eat something right away?
    7. Are an unconscious eater (eating while doing something else and unaware of eating)?
    8. Are you a chaotic eater (over-scheduled life, haphazard eating, or eating whatever food is available)?
    9. Are you a free food eater (eat in the presence of free food such as buffets, candy jars, office food, candy bowls, etc.)?
    10. Are you a waste not eater, or a member of the clean plate club?
    11. Are you a careful eater, analyzing every morsel for calories, weight, and health?
    12. Do you skip breakfast and other meals, and then eat all night?
    13. Are you a professional dieter?
    14. Do you forbid sweets, but then eat them with a vengeance?

    If you recognized yourself in one or more of the eating styles listed above, you might be surprised to notice that enjoying your food isn't the motivating factor for your eating. You don't need to become a food connoisseur, but an easy way to add more joy to your life is to take action and make your individual eating experiences more enjoyable. The more you enjoy your food experiences (cooking, shopping, creating, eating, and digesting), the more you enjoy life. And you just might lose weight in the process!

    (c) 2008 Dr. Annette Colby, RDAbout The AuthorDr. Annette Colby, RD can help you take the pain out of life, turn difficult emotions into joy, release stress, end emotional eating, and move beyond depression into an extraordinary life!

    Annette is the author of Your Highest Potential and has the unique ability to show you how to spark an amazing relationship with your life!

    Visit www.AnnetteColby.comto access hundreds of content filled articles and sign up for a Free subscription to Loving Mriacles newsletter.

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