Fasting & Intensity Exercise

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art... Natural health expert and Mercola.com founder Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Dr. Michael Mosley about intermittent fasting and how it can help you live healthy and longer.

Lemon Water benefits

We're all always looking for easy tricks to improve our lives, and time and again, one keeps coming up — the completely wonderful health benefits of drinking lemon water.

As far as routines go, it's a pretty simple one to get into. Keep a pitcher of room temperature water and lemons on hand, and each morning, squeeze the juice from half a lemon (or a whole lemon if you're over 150 pounds) into a cup of water. According to Sacred Source Nutrition, it's important to make sure the water is room temperature, because cold water can shock your system and prevent all of the many health benefits from starting to work.

And what exactly are these health benefits? Well, much like lemon can be used for all manner of cleaning products, the citrus fruit has the potential to clear up anything from your skin to that nasty cold you've been harbouring for ages. And of course, smell great while doing it.

Check out these 12 reasons to start drinking lemon water first thing in the morning:

Hydration
There may be arguments in the health community about exactly how much water to drink each day, but we do know it's important to stay hydrated. For those who find water boring, lemon has long been suggested as a tasty addition to help compel them to chug. 

Constipation Help
If you're having trouble pooping, warm water and lemon might be just the thing to help you go. Taking in plenty of water is helpful for constipation in general, and the citrus can give some help to get things moving inside.

Stop UTIs
If you're suffering from a UTI or want a way to prevent them, lemon water can help. According to Ask A Naturopath, lemon helps change the pH blood and the urinary tract so harmful bacteria can't stick around. 

Battle Breath
Of course, there's no way to avoid morning breath, but drinking lemon water can combat the bacteria in the mouth, according to Conscious Connection magazine, and therefore, lessen the potential for bad breath. Be careful, though — lemons can also erode the enamel on your teeth, so it's a good idea to rinse with plain water after your glass.

Weight Loss
There are a variety of theories as to why lemon water might cause weight loss (including feeling more full from the pectin contained within). Though it hasn't been definitively proven, we do like what Fox News had to say, which is that drinking lemon water will undoubtedly have fewer calories than drinking, well, anything else except for water. 

Freshen Your Skin
Thanks to all the vitamin C within lemons, your skin reaps the benefits of you drinking the fruit as well. According to FitDay, vitamin C assists in the production of collagen, so having more in your diet can prevent wrinkles from forming. And of course, drinking lots of water is great for skin in general.

Pump Up The Immune System
There's a reason you're always drawn to oranges when you're sick — once again, the power of vitamin C at play. Consuming the vitamin daily (via lemon water) can help keep you healthy and stave off infection, notes The World's Healthiest Foods.

Recover From A Workout
Sports drinks have long been seen as the best way to 'rehydrate' after a workout, but as CBC found earlier this year, they're often unnecessary for the kind of exercise most people do regularly. Lemon water, meanwhile, provides the hydration needed, and according to Best Health, is what Hayley Wickenheiser drinks when working out.

Helps With Aches And Pains
As Lily Gold of Simply Healthy and Happy says, lemon water can help reduce uric acid in our joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation, especially as related to arthritis. 

Reduces Phlegm
It's a sad fact of our cold weather existence — phlegm happens, especially in the morning, but lemon juice can help. Dr. David Williams recommends adding a little honey to help rid your body of the mucous.

Strengthens The Brain
Lemon may be known best for its vitamin C, but it also contains potassium, which helps with brain and nerve function. So for a quick natural way to feel more alert, lemon water is a great bet.

Cleanses The Liver
As reported by LiverSupport.com, in Dr. Alexander F. Beddoe's Biological Ionization in Human Nutrition, he notes the liver can make more enzymes out of lemon juice than any other food. While we aren't advocating for an intensive cleanse (we know those are unnecessarily), this can help give your organ a boost.

Six Easy Steps to Change Your Life

Everyday Wisdom for the Soul – Change Your Life

 

By Gary Quinn
Each of us has been called to life to create and contribute to the world. Each of us was born with a purpose that attracts to us the people, places, events and opportunities for the fulfillment of our destiny. How much energy do you lose on a daily basis by worrying about things over which you have absolutely no control? Just image if you turned that worry into power. The power to be fearless in life. The power to erase anxiety and fear. Just imagine what you could accomplish if you turned that worry into courage and power.

Happiness is something that everybody interprets in a different way. Some people consider themselves happy when their relationships work; others see happiness just in giving to others. Happiness is a choice. It is the way we choose to think about ourselves, where we are in this world, and the world around us, and how we act in that world, that differentiates the happy people from the less happy people. If you judge your situation as bad for you, that’s unhappiness. If you judge a situation as good for you, that’s happiness. People use different terms to describe what feels good for them. For someone it might be excitement, passion, exhilaration, fulfillment, freedom, feeling fully alive with inspiration and joy. For another it might be more peaceful, content, capable, hopeful, satisfied, and comfortable feeling. Whatever you call it, all that counts is that it feels good to you.

Each of us has the freedom to live as we choose. When we make a choice it is backed by all of the will, purpose, and the law in the universe. Since there are no limits to this universal law there are no limits to our lives. We all have the potential to create a great life for ourselves. You can change your life!

Change Your Life Step #1 – CHANGE YOUR THINKING
Change your thinking, change your life—it really works. The great irony is that if we think we are powerless, and then you are. Know right now that you have a divine center that is ready, willing, and able to join with you to bring forth a wonder-filled life now and forevermore. Only YOU can change the state of your mind and belief system. The only thing you really need to do is erase all negative thoughts, feelings and uncomfortable emotions from your mind. You must begin to change your subconscious mind. That means to let it go. Let the past go. What is left is happiness. It takes a lot of practice and patience to master this task. Just think about it as reprogramming your computer and putting in new software. Throw all your old “files” out, put new ones in, reboot and you’re done. Well, almost. In the beginning you will most likely have difficulties working with this “new program” because you are not used to it. As time goes on, you can make positive changes.

Make a plan and motivate yourself every day. When you wake up in the morning say, “I will make the best out of this day and won’t waste time on negative thoughts.” At night, when you go to bed, ask yourself whether you have really utilized this day. Did you stick to your initial plan? Have you achieved everything you wanted to? If all answers are yes, celebrate the day and rejoice. If something did not go the way you wanted, find out why and learn from it. That way you can gradually achieve your goal and strengthen your mind. It is important that you train yourself. Through constant training you will be able to transform yourself and achieve happiness from within.

Change Your Life Step #2 - CREATE WITH INTENTION
The word “create” comes from the Latin word creatus, “To cause to grow, to bring forth or produce.” When we combine our ability to create with clear thinking and a vision for our life, we are on a path to true spiritual enlightenment. When you ask people what they want most out life, nearly everyone will say that they just want to be happy. The bottom line of a great life is to manifest your hearts intention. You need to wear it on your sleeve like a designer handbag. We need to also realize our full potential and how to make full use of our capacities. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy unless you make millions or are the president of a company. You will only find satisfaction if you feel from within. Pay attention to the quality of your inner experience. Take a few minutes out of your busy day, sit down and take a look from within. If you are always on the go you don’t have enough space to create a happy life.

Change Your Life Step #3 - MANIFEST YOUR DREAMS
Many of our choices are driven by the demands of time and space, our physical requirements, and so forth. But underneath all that is something that from time to time comes above ground; specifically, it’s our connectedness to the self we have always been, and a remembering of the time-less path we are committed to, that’s behind all that has transpired.

When we make a momentary choice congruent to our soul’s intention, a strange feeling of rightness occurs. When a choice is made that diverts us, we get a strange feeling. The soul’s intention itself evolves over time. We exist and create on many levels.. Ask yourself questions like: Do the things that I am doing give me joy? Does my inner voice tell me I should be doing something different? Is everything I do meaningful to me? Do my intuitive feelings tell me that I should maybe change my life? Get a new job? Get out of my relationship? The key is to really listen to our hearts and minds, our emotions and feelings

Only spend time with those who make you feel good about yourself and your life. It is also important to put things into perspective. Ask yourself whether the problem you are experiencing will matter a year from now or next week or in an hour. Think positive! Boost your outlook!  It’s hardly surprising that people with rosy outlooks — people who expect things to turn out well — report themselves happier and less prone to psychological distress. While each of us is born with a tendency toward optimism — or pessimism — you can teach yourself to shift your attitude to manifest your dreams!

As Goethe once said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic and power in it.”

Change Your Life Step #4 - CREATE THE BEST LIFE YOU CAN
In order to keep your life the best you can, you need to maintain it like a garden with beautiful flowers. It is constant work. Just because you have a nice looking garden, doesn’t mean you can stop working on it.  It takes skills to keep it flourishing. You will also be able to enjoy it more if you share it with friends or your family. You need to share your joy with others. Spending meaningful time with friends, family or romantic partners will help to enhance your best life. It is important to have people around us whom we care about and who care about us. Share your excitements, your adventures, and your daily activities with a person you love. It will give your life new meaning.

Change Your Life Step #5 - BELIEVE AND RECEIVE
The law of attraction demonstrates that we attract to ourselves the experiences that directly correlate with our thoughts. When we focus on what we fear, we attract the very things we fear. When we think about what we don’t want, we attract into our lives the things or experiences we don’t want. When we are living in lack and limitation consciousness, we tend to dwell on what isn’t rather that knowing what our truth is. When we notice that our thoughts are drifting into the old beliefs of fear, lack, and limitation, we have the choice to practice our mental power and bring our thoughts back to a healthy and positive place. The challenge is to be able to hold our thoughts clearly, positively and consistently on what we really want. If you believe something so strong, you will eventually receive it.

Change Your Life Step #6 - TAP INTO ENERGY
If we trust our higher consciousness we can create on the inner plane and tap into unlimited energy. All that is needed is to focus on what we desire and it will manifest as fast as our thought. Once we have created the energy form of our manifestation, we just need to draw it into our energy field and it will magnetically attract the physical situation that we desire in our lives. The match is as good as the idea we created in our inner world. And once the vibration and energy pattern of what we are choosing to create become a part of our daily energy field, it will begin to transmit the frequency pattern of what we are manifesting on the physical plane, attracting it to us and naturally manifesting it into being. Like an energy transmitter, we will be radiating that vibration outward, attracting the desire and outcome into our lives.

I invite you to choose to generate vibrations of joy, peace and love, and generously share these vibrations with others. By elevating your own vibration power you uplift the energy of joy, peace and love for the whole world. Change your life!

About the Author

Gary Quinn is a life coach, a television host, a television producer, and an intuitive who works with angelic forces. He is the founder of the Touchstone For Life Coaching Certification Program and The Angelic Intervention Coaching Program. He is the author of several books, including Angel Awakenings, An Angel Forever, Living in the Spiritual Zone, and May the Angels Be with You. He lives in Los Angeles.

Cooked kale

I have to admit, in my 3yrs of enjoying kale I have never actually cooked it! I always have it raw in my salads, but thought I'd give it a try, and it was delicious!

Recipe

Curled Scotch kale (stems and leaves separated...from my garden)

1/2 red onion

1 yellow zucchini squash (fresh from neighbor's garden)

Yellow pear tomatoes & chocolate cherry tomatoes (I used up the ones that were cracking that I just picked from my garden)

1 Chinese 5 colored hot pepper (cut in half...from my garden)

1 tsp Jeera seeds

1 tsp black mustard seed

1 tsp of Ghee

sprinkle of Himalayan salt to taste

small handful of pecans

few tbs of water

Directions

Chop kale leaves into bite size pieces, separated from the stems, as they need different cooking times.  Freshly grind the jeera and black mustard seeds.  Chop tomatoes in half or quarters, and dice onion. Chop the stem of the kale in small pieces. Cut the chili pepper in half. 

Heat up the Ghee. When hot add the spices and onion. Saute for a couple minutes then add the kale stems for a couple minutes, then add the yellow squash.  After a few more minutes too add the tomatoes. Keep stirring to not burn, keep at medium heat. Then about 7 minutes or so later, when everything seem to be softening add the kale leaves. Pour in a few tablespoons of water and cover pot. Sprinkle a little bit of salt, and let steam.  Check on kale and stir in. Keep checking until kale is at a desired consistency.  Sprinkle on chopped pecans. And enjoy hot!

6 week workout

Moves to help you lose up to 8 inches in just 6 week 

 

From Health magazine
Shape up below the belt with these moves from Molly Fox, creator of the popular Skinny Jeans Workout class, taught at Equinox Fitness Clubs across the country. Her six-week plan will erase up to 2 inches from your hips, butt, thighs, and belly. No more too-tight jeans!
 
1. Squats

Stand with feet hip-distance apart and slightly turned out. Hold a 3-pound weight in each hand, arms by your sides. Lower into a squat, keeping upper body as upright as possible while reaching arms forward (as shown). Return to starting position. Do 20 reps. Trainer Tip: In the squat, your knees should be over your second toes. To keep knees from turning outward, tighten your inner-thigh muscles.

 

2. Leg lifts

A. Begin on all fours with your knees hip-width apart, holding the end of a 3-pound weight in your left hand.

B. Raise your right leg out and back so it’s straight and in line with your torso; at the same time, raise your left arm out to the side until it’s in line with your shoulders. Hold for a moment, then return to starting position. Do 20 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

Trainer Tip: Concentrate on keeping your weight centered. You should feel your core working.

 

3. Lunges

A. Stand with feet a little more than hip-width apart, left foot in front of right. Hold a 3-pound weight in each hand, with arms by your sides and palms forward. B. Drop back knee toward floor and bend front knee until it is directly over your ankle. At the same time, bend arms as you lift them out and up until elbows are in line with shoulders and bent to 90-degree angles. Return to starting position. Do 20 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

Trainer Tip: Focus on dropping your hips toward the floor.

 

4. T-Balance with arm raise

A. Stand with feet together and arms by your sides, holding a 3-pound dumbbell in each hand. Slowly tilt forward at the waist while lifting your left leg behind you, so leg and upper body are parallel to the floor; let your arms hang down. Hold for 5 seconds.

B. Raise both arms out to the sides to shoulder height. Hold for 5 more seconds, then slowly lower. Return to starting position. Do 6 reps, then switch legs and repeat.

Trainer Tip: It’s OK to wobble—it simply means you’re working your muscles. 

The 'Dirty Dozen' Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

Many of you have heard of BPA, and some of you may now be familiar with ADA in bread. However, many common household goods, personal care products, and food and water are major sources of chemical exposure that can lead to an accumulation of toxicants in your body and cause hormone disruption. I certainly don't expect you to memorize them all, however being aware of the most pervasive endocrine disruptor is the first step to minimizing your exposures. The EWG's "dirty dozen" list for the 12 worst endocrine disruptors are the following. I've written about many of these in prior articles, so for more information about any particular one, please follow the links provided. 

Bisphenol-A (BPA)	Dioxin	Atrazine	Phthalates
Perchlorate	Fire retardants	Lead	Mercury
Arsenic	Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)	Organophosphate pesticides	Glycol ethers

19 Tips to Reduce Your Chemical Exposure

Implementing the following measures will help you avoid the worst endocrine-disrupting culprits as well as other chemicals from a wide variety of sources. To sum it up, try to stick with whole foods and natural products around your home. The fewer ingredients a product contains, the better, and try to make sure anything you put on or in your body – or use around your home – contains only substances you're familiar with. If you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want it anywhere near your family.

1. As much as possible, buy and eat organic produce and free-range, organic meats to reduce your exposure to added hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers. Also avoid milk and other dairy products that contain the genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).
2. Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality purified krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and lab tested for purity. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is about the only fish I eat for these reasons.
3. Buy products that come in glass containers rather than plastic or canned, since chemicals can leach out of plastics and into the contents.
4. Store your food and beverages in glass rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap.
5. Use glass baby bottles and BPA-free sippy cups for your little ones. Some manufacturers have even moved to glass, since BPA-free products may contain other toxic bisphenols.
6. Eat mostly raw, fresh foods. Processed, prepackaged foods (of all kinds) are a common source of chemicals such as bisphenols (e.g. BPA and BPS) and phthalates.
7. Replace your non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
8. Filter your tap water—both for drinking and bathing. If you can only afford to do one, filtering your bathing water may be more important, as your skin absorbs contaminants. To remove the endocrine-disrupting herbicide Atrazine, make sure the filter is certified to remove it. According to the EWG, perchlorate can be filtered out using a reverse osmosis filter.
9. Look for products that are made by companies that are earth-friendly, animal-friendly, green, non-toxic, and/or 100% organic. This applies to everything from food and personal care products to building materials, carpeting, paint, baby items, upholstery, and more.
10. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to remove house dust, which is often contaminated with traces of chemicals.
11. When buying new products such as furniture, mattresses, or carpet padding, ask what type of fire retardant it contains. Be mindful of and/or avoid items containing PBDEs, antimony, formaldehyde, boric acid, and other brominated chemicals. As you replace these toxic items around your home, select those that contain naturally less flammable materials, such as leather, wool, and cotton.
12. Avoid stain- and water-resistant clothing, furniture, and carpets to avoid perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs).
13. Make sure your baby's toys are BPA-free, such as pacifiers, teething rings, and anything your child may be prone to suck on.
14. Only use natural cleaning products in your home or make your own. Avoid products that contain 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME)—two toxic glycol ethers that can damage fertility and cause fetal harm.¹⁰
15. Switch over to organic brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. Remember, you can replace many different products with coconut oil and baking soda, for example. The Environmental Working Group has a great database¹¹ to help you find personal care products that are free of phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals. I also offer one of the highest quality organic skin care lines, shampoo and conditioner, and body butter that are completely natural and safe.
16. Replace feminine hygiene products like tampons and sanitary pads with safer alternatives.
17. Avoid artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners, or other synthetic fragrances.
18. Look for products that are fragrance-free. One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds -- even thousands -- of potentially toxic chemicals.
19. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric.

Garden update & harvest 8/31/14

8/31/14 - Today's harvest - Chocolate cherry tomatoes, Yellow pear tomatoes, 10 large tomatoes, Cossak Pineapple ground cherry tomatoes, 5 Chocolate habanero peppers, 9 Chinese 5 color hot peppers, mini red bell peppers

 8/31/14 - Peppers - 5 Chocolate habanero peppers, 9 Chinese 5 color hot peppers, mini red bell peppers.

 8/31/14 - I love the color of the chocolate habanero peppers! Hot hot! Scoville heat units (SHU): 425,000 – 577,000

 8/31/14 - mini bell pepper

 8/31/14 - White Habanero peppers

 8/31/14 - Curled Scotch kale, dino kale, Red Russian kale and Swiss Chard

 8/31/14 - Curly kale getting huge leaves! (looks smaller in the photo because they curl back)

 8/31/14 - Raspberry bushes, Cossack Pineapple ground cherry tomatoes, Red Russian kale and Swiss Chard

 8/31/14 - Tomato row

 8/31/14 - Dino kale, basil, and collard greens

 8/31/14 - Peppers and Curled Scotch kale

 8/31/14 - Cleared out zucchini and cucumbers

 8/31/14 - Mini red bell peppers

 8/31/14 - Chinese 5 color hot peppers

 8/31/14 - Giant Szegedi sweet peppers

 8/31/14 - Giant Szegedi sweet peppers

 8/31/14 - Dino kale and basil

 8/31/14 -  Chinese 5 color hot peppers

 8/31/14 - Giant Szegedi sweet peppers

 8/31/14 - Mino bell peppers

 8/31/14 - White habanero peppers

 8/31/14 - White habanero peppers

 8/31/14 - Chocolate cherry tomatoes abundant in the front!

8/31/14 - Chocolate cherry tomatoes...my favorite tomato ^_^