This might be a provocative, if not startling question. After all, many of us spend our waking hours concentrating on our family's financial destination complete with detailed plans and strategies for retirement. But how many of us put the same energy and focus on our own health destination? In the end, which is more important?

Both journeys, health and wealth, will happen whether we pay attention or not. That's why it's critically important to know the 5 fundamental truths to living healthy. Once you know, and apply, these truths you'll discover more vitality, like I have - to look, feel and perform better because of increased energy and well-being.

How do you increase your vitality? First, download my free report and learn the fundamentals. It's a straight-forward and actionable guide to discover your vitality - to look, feel and perform better. Second check out the tips, tricks and news - the latest buzz - on experiencing vitality in your life.

Thanks for spending time here and I wish you the best of health.

- James

Get Up And Move Around For Better Health

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Gretchen Reynolds wrote a new book called “The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer” based on a decade of writing a weekly column “Phys Ed” for The New York Times.

One point of her book is to encourage people to get up and move around. If you do that, you’ll get a whole host of health benefits. All it takes is 20 minutes.

“Two-thirds of Americans get no exercise at all. If one of those people gets up and moves around for 20 minutes, they are going to get a huge number of health benefits, and everything beyond that 20 minutes is, to some degree, gravy.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m suggesting people should not exercise more if they want to. You can always do more. But the science shows that if you just do anything, even stand in place 20 minutes, you will be healthier.”

Her book also details exercises to do, and how much, to stay healthy. Pretty cool. Just remember – simply get up and move around regularly and you’ll be healthier.

 

Source: The Surprising Shortcut to Better Health | The New York Times
Thanks Dawn for the heads up

Image: dailyvibrations.blogspot.com

Take This Quiz To Determine If You’re A Morning Person

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The New York Times put together a fun 8 question quiz to determine if you’re a morning person or not. It’s pretty short, fun and informative. It turns out that I’m only sort of a morning person: I enjoy the morning, but don’t jump out of bed at 4am excited to take on the world.

 

source: The Well Quiz: Are You a Morning Person? | The New York Times
image: history-herstory-scubanurse.blogspot.com

How to Make Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

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My wife and I have a bread machine we received from my Grandma. The first time I made bread with it was a little bit of an adventure. First, it didn’t come with the instruction manual, but thanks to Google and half an hour of searching I was able to find a PDF version for our machine.

Of course, I was such a noob at making bread I didn’t realize that the manual had a mistake in the recipe. I followed along blindly adding 3 tablespoons of salt to this poor small loaf (that’s a lot!). Imagine our surprise on our first bite of this delicious smelling bread. Needless to say, I was more than just a little disappointed to be tossing my first creation.

But we didn’t quit. We tried again and this time Jessi watched to make sure it turned out well. It did.

From there, we started experimenting with different recipes and variations. For example: substituting whole wheat flour for white, using honey instead of sugar, olive oil instead of butter, adding various dry fruits, and so on.
Then we really kicked it up a notch when we got the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It has all sorts of awesome recipes for bread. We’ve gotten good enough that we don’t buy bread at the store anymore. It’s so much more fun, and makes the house smell absolutely wonderful.

Side note: I once thought it would be fun to wake up to fresh bread in the morning. Unfortunately, I forgot that bread starts to smell delicious at least an hour before it’s done. It smells so good in fact, that I woke up way earlier than I wanted and still had to wait around for the bread to finish. Now I just have fresh bread for lunch or dinner.

Today, I wanted to share one of our favorites. It’s called Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (found on page 92).

Here are the ingredients & amounts:

5 cups of whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 large eggs
2/3 cups neutral flavored oil, or melted unsalted butter

For cooking in a bread machine, I cut everything in half (2 eggs). You can also cook it on a pizza stone, but I like the bread machine because you can “set it and forget it”.

First, I dissolve the yeast with the lukewarm water.

Second, I mix the dry ingredients together in a mixer mixing bowl.

Third, I mix the rest of the liquids together (beat the eggs first)

Fourth, I pour the liquids into the mixer and let it run for a bit. I use a spatula to make sure everything is mixed well. The dough should be very tacky… almost seemingly too wet… don’t worry, that’s good.

Fifth, I put the dough into the bread machine. Set it for a large loaf and light crust. While that gets going, I clean up the mini-mess I just made. I tried just put the ingredients straight into the machine (in an effort to save time and a mess), but I found our machine doesn’t get a proper mix on its own.

Total time is about 30 minutes, and that loaf will last a week for Jessi and I.

The end result is delicious bread that stays moist, doesn’t instantly crumble, and is actually healthy for you.

8 Healthy Drinks To Bring As A Dinner Guest

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When visiting a friend’s house it’s typically customary to bring something to supplement the meal. Classic examples are wine, desert and/or flowers for the table. If you don’t choose wine, soda is typically the next option.

But what if you want to bring something healthier to drink? What beverage options do you have? Plenty!

My wife and I found ourselves in this situation earlier this week. We got asked to bring drinks to go with pizza. Clearly it’s a casual evening and thankfully pizza is flexible enough that pretty much any drink will go well with it. While deciding what to get, I thought it would be fun to share what I found.

Some healthy choices:

  • Orange juice – a great substitutive for soda
  • Apple juice – pick a cloudy one
  • Cranberry juice – good for non-sweet occasions
  • Mango juice
  • Pineapple juice
  • Tomato juice
  • Milk
  • Green tea – instead of coffee

Notice that most are juices. For the most part you can’t go wrong if you choose a juice. Just head over to that aisle of your store and pick something from there. Your host will appreciate it and you’ll feel good for choosing a healthy beverage.

source: Drinks That Are Good For You | Squidoo
image: JambaJuices.com

Pets Can Improve Your Health

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WebMD shares 27 ways pets can improve your health. Pictured above is our little guy helping us in the garden, who definitely makes us feel good, but WebMD takes it a step further talking about the explicit health benefits. Here are a few of my favorites. The whole slideshow is here.

Keep Blood Pressure in Check
“You still have to watch your weight and exercise. But having a pet can help you manage your blood pressure. In one study of 240 married couples, pet owners had lower blood pressure and lower heart rates during rest than people who did not own a pet. That held true whether they were at rest or undergoing stress tests. Another study showed that children with hypertension lowered their blood pressure while petting their dog.”

Fewer Allergies, Stronger Immunity
“Researchers have noted that when children grow up in a home with a dog or cat they are less likely to develop allergies. The same is true for kids who live on a farm with large animals. In addition, they have higher levels of certain immune system chemicals indicate a stronger immune system activation, which will help keep them healthy as they get older.”

Overcoming the Limitations of ADHD
“Kids with ADHD can benefit from working with and keeping a pet. Taking charge of the tasks on a pet care schedule helps a child learn to plan and be responsible. Pets need to play, and playing with a pet is an excellent way to release excess energy. That means an easier time falling asleep at bed time. And because the bond between a pet and a child is unconditional love, pets help children with ADHD learn about self-esteem.”

Relief From RA
“People with rheumatoid arthritis derive benefit from movements like walking and throwing a Frisbee with their pet. And pets provide a distraction that can help take your thoughts off of your own condition. But perhaps the best help comes from those dogs or cats that seem to be super sensitive to people who aren’t feeling well. Sometimes just their presence can provide a relieving comfort.”

 

Source: Slideshow: 27 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health | WebMD

Non-Milk Calcium-Rich Foods

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Milk is an excellent source of calcium. “A one-cup serving of milk has about 300 mg of calcium“, and your “recommended daily intake of calcium for an adult between the ages of 19 and 50 is 1,000 mg a day.” But milk isn’t the only place to find calcium. Here are some other calcium-rich foods and the amount of calcium per serving:

  • Kale: 90 mg
  • Oranges: 60 mg
  • Sardines: 325 mg
  • Soy Milk: 300 mg
  • Oatmeal: 105 mg
  • Sesame Seeds: 280 mg
  • Swiss Cheese: 270 mg
  • Soybeans: 261 mg
  • Almonds: 80 mg
  • Salmon: 181 mg
  • White Beans: 100 mg
  • Yogurt: 415 mg
  • Dried Figs: 55 mg
  • Turnip Greens: 200 mg
  • Arugula: 125 mg
  • Broccoli: 180 mg
  • Tofu: 250 mg
  • Sunflower Seeds: 50 mg

 

source: Surprisingly Calcium-Rich Foods That Aren’t Milk | The Huffington Post
image: She Knows Health & Wellness

Natural Ways To Overcome Jet Lag

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When traveling to different time-zones, jet lag can feel pretty bad. Sure, there are pills you can take which claim to help, but there are healthier things you can do to prevent jet lag… or at least minimize it. This 9-panel cartoon gives ideas for what you can do before, during, and after travel.

The hardest part for me is staying awake on the airplane. It’s not to say the chairs are that comfy, but there is something about a plane that just makes me want to snooze. It looks like I’ll need to walk around more and bring some nuts along.

Click here to see the full image

Source: 9 Tips for Overcoming Jet Lag | WonderHowTo

How To Floss Better

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Flossing regularly is super important to your health. “New research shows flossing may even protect against diabetes and preterm births.”

“But there is little literature on flossing’s finer points, says Denis F. Kinane, professor of pathology and periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Dental Medicine.”

So, what are the correct ways to floss? Here are some tips from the article:

  • Brush first, floss second, rinse third.
  • Floss at night so you get 8 food-free-hours to recover from the day. You only need to do it once a day.
  • Do not saw back and forth. Go straight down to the gum, then go up. Use a new section of the floss each time.
  • Plain floss works just fine, no need to get all fancy

 

Source: How to Be a Better Flosser | The Wall Street Journal via LifeHacker
Image: andrea drugay

Constant Stress Makes You Sick

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I hope it’s no surprise that chronic stress is not fantastic for your health. Sure, intuitively that makes sense, but why? Anahad O’Connor from the New York Times explains reason:

“New research suggests that the hormone cortisol plays a critical role. Released in greater amounts in times of stress, this hormone provides the body with a burst of energy. It also helps suppress the body’s immune response to infections like the flu, keeping inflammation responses like coughing, sneezing and fevers in check.”

“But when levels of cortisol remain elevated, the body may become less sensitive to it, in the same way that elevated insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance.”

So, the same hormone that prevents you from getting sick also helps you manage stress. If you’re chronically stressed, this hormone gets constantly produced. And just like everything else, eventually your body adjusts to the new amount, making it less effective. That means that when it’s time to defend against viruses, your body produces cortisol, but your body doesn’t react because it’s the new “normal”.

Let that sink in for a bit: being constantly stressed causes you to get sick more often… Yikes!

What can you do about it? How do you de-stress?

I go into the details in my free report: The 5 Fundamental Truths to Living Healthy. You can get it for free. I give a bunch ideas, and further explain the relationship between stress and sickness. Plus, I reveal the ONE THING that you do to “help” you through the day, but actually cause yourself to get more stressed.

 

Source: Really? Constant Stress Makes You Sick | The New York Times
Image: A Magicians Approach To Surviving the Holidays | International Grand Illusionist Ryan Joyce

Do You Need More Sleep As You Get Older?

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Does this sound like you? Susan Schade shares here story of how as she’s gotten older she’s required more sleep.

“Now as I get older, I am realizing that my body’s sleep requirements have changed. In high school, I could pull all-night study sessions and still be productive for the next day’s test.”

“My ability to function on minimal sleep only grew stronger as I started college. Now I could manage both my school work and keep an active social life. I could literally stay up all night perfecting a paper, turn it into class the next day, sleep an hour or two between classes, then go to work before proceeding on to a house party.”

“Somewhere between get older and having a family, I started to get really tired. The best amount of sleep for my body is eight hours a night.”

“Without enough sleep, physically, I suffer. I wake up with tired eyes and heavy dark bags under them.”

“I can no longer look like a fresh-faced girl ready to start her day. I look tired. No one wants to look tired.”

“I have a big job everyday. I need to be at my best. My best is rested.”

So true. Sleep is critically important to maintaining good health. Have you experienced a need for more sleep? What do you do to meet that need?

 

Source: health.yahoo.net
Image: fillmoregazette.com