Norovirus is actually a term for a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is also commonly referred to as “the stomach flu.”

There are about 2,500 norovirus outbreaks reported annually in the United States. The outbreaks can occur throughout the year but are most common from November to April. It’s not unusual to see surges during the holidays when people gather in close proximity and some may cook and prepare food not yet realizing they are infected.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, most people who think they have food poisoning actually have contracted norovirus from a contagious food handler.

And not only is norovirus highly contagious, it’s everywhere: offices, homes, schools, stores, hospitals, you name the place, it’s likely there.

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Causes And Risks Of Norovirus

Anyone who is actively infected can spread norovirus in public areas or at home. It spreads rapidly on hard surfaces like doorknobs, countertops and furniture.

It’s considered a food-borne illness also because it can spread easily through: 

• Infected people touching food with feces or vomit on their hands; 
• Food being placed on surfaces with tiny drops of feces or vomit; 
• Tiny drops of vomit from an infected person spraying through the air and landing on food or surfaces.

Note: If you or someone you know has norovirus, keep in mind that while symptoms can go away in a few days, a person is still contagious for three days after symptoms disappear. Unfortunately, many people who have norovirus feel better and engage in social functions while still contagious.

While the stomach flu is widespread and contagious, those with a strong immune system who wash their hands (I can’t emphasize hand washing enough!) and surfaces (ditto!) regularly are at lower risk. However, adults and children are at greater risk than infants or toddlers.

Uncomfortable Symptoms

Often the norovirus is spreading at the same time as the flu, but symptoms of these two conditions are not the same. As mentioned above, the norovirus is a virus of the gastrointestinal system, so symptoms of this group of viruses include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping (in the upper part of the abdomen). Secondary symptoms include headache, body aches, low fever, chills and fatigue.

Dizziness can be a prominent symptom due to dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea as well as a lack of thirst and upset stomach that limit fluid intake. Dehydration can be a serious problem, so please ensure you are drinking plenty of fluids all day, more so if you are in the vomit/diarrhea stage. Seek medical attention if dizziness persists more than episodically.

Treatment And Prevention

My son got the stomach flu and passed it on to me. Medically, there are no treatments (antivirals or vaccinations) for norovirus-caused gastroenteritis. And, as in the case of the flu, antibiotics do nothing, since those drugs can attack bacterial infections, not viral illness.

On my quest to reduce my symptoms, I worked through several rounds of different foods, beverages and supplements.

I found a few items that worked for me and made my life more bearable.

Food and beverages: A difficulty with food as therapy during a bout of gastroenteritis or norovirus is your aversion to eating. Everything is moving out of the body quickly, in one direction or the other. However, there are measures that help.

For instance, drinking ginger tea is a good way to reduce stomach upset and settle down the nausea and vomiting. You can buy (and have on hand) ginger granules that dissolve in hot water or teabags of green tea with ginger.

I prefer taking a fresh 2-inch piece of ginger root, chopping it up and boiling in 10 ounces of water until the water turns murky. I drain the fluid of particles and pour it into two 4-ounce cups for consumption. I found that taking it twice per day, morning and evening, works well. More than that can irritate the stomach or intestines.

I also kept on hand containers of organic chicken broth and organic vegetable broth. Both are nourishing to the stomach and keep you well hydrated. I heated the broth, poured it into cups, and drank as it if were a warm beverage. When you feel a bit better, you can eat chicken or vegetable soup, avoiding the kinds that are tomato-based.

Once diarrhea and vomiting subsided and appetite returned, the old BRAT diet standby worked well: bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Low fiber and bland is the name of the game for a short while, especially if you still feel a little nauseous.

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For fast relief of stomach upset and heartburn associated with gastroenteritis, fill a teacup with warm (not hot) water and add a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of organic raw honey. Avoid making the water too hot, as that will kill the live honey, which is good for digestion. The apple cider vinegar helps decrease stomach acid and settles the stomach.

Supplements: Your stomach may not be ready for supplements until the nausea is gone. So when you feel able to “stomach” them, they can be helpful because the immune system is impaired or overworked and the body is losing nutrition from not eating, as well as the expulsion of food and liquids.

I focus on omega-3 fatty acids; a gluten-free, live, whole-food multivitamin; turmeric/curcumin; and a stress formula with the essential B vitamins. Boosting immune function, reducing inflammation and pain, and ingesting live nutrients are essential to lessen symptoms and for faster recovery.

Of course, vitamin D is a must year-round to support your immune system response.

Be On Guard

In the case of norovirus, if someone else is sick, do not touch or kiss him or share food. Be mindful of hard surfaces that contagious people have touched. Wash your hands several times a day, and keep your home and workspace clean and disinfected.

Wash all fruits and vegetables before consuming them; you don’t know if they’ve been handled by someone infected with norovirus.

Prevention is always the best cure. Good hygiene, a strong immune system, ample rest, and a nutritionally dense diet go a long way to protecting you from the stomach flu. And remember, even when symptoms have disappeared, you are still contagious for three days to a week. Be mindful of this when interacting with others.

(This article was updated and republished.)

The post Norovirus: What to know and how to avoid it appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we learn to “observe, smell, listen, and feel (palpate)” to discern health quality.

Your body offers many “secret signs” that, really, are just “hidden in plain sight.” All you have to do is know where to look, what you are looking for and what the signs you see mean. I’ve previously shared some of the body’s secret signs, including what your tongue says about you. And while I touched on fingernails in the past, I would like to offer even more details today…

Because your fingernails tend to grow quickly and continuously, they are great indicators of your health and wellness. Believe it or not, you can learn about early signs of organ dysfunction from the nails long before you might feel symptoms that send you to the doctor. Nail color and nail quality reflect different things, so let’s look at both.

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Nail color signs

Pale Nails and especially very pale nails (and skin) can be signs of anemia (low blood iron), lack of nutrition (whole vitamin sources), congestive heart failure and liver disease.

White Nails with additional markers signify different things. White with darker rims can be a sign of hepatitis. White with narrow pink bottom (known as Terry’s nails) can also signify liver disease, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, or diabetes.

Yellow Nails are often associated with fungal infection, and also liver dysfunction. If they are yellow and brittle, or crumbly, this might also indicate issues like psoriasis or diabetes, or disease of the lungs (chronic bronchitis, for example) or thyroid. Caveat: smoking can also stain the fingernails yellow as can use of nail polish.

Bluish Nails, like bluish lips, can represent extreme cold or lack of oxygen. If you are not cold, then they can indicate respiratory issues like COPD and emphysema.

White Spots on fingernails often indicate a deficiency in zinc. Even with good diet you may need to take a zinc supplement to get enough if you have white spots on your nails. However, the zinc deficiency could be due to other issues, which would be good to review with your doctor; but wait a while to see if they go away first, as they can be caused from physical trauma.

Black Nails or dark lines under the nails could be a sign of dangerous skin cancer, like the deadly melanoma. If you see black streaks or painful growth, please consult with your doctor immediately.

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Nail quality signs

Rippled or Pitted Nails could represent psoriasis or sign of early stage autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and connective tissue disorders like Reiter’s syndrome.

Cracked or Split Nails generally follow a dry and brittle phase and are often associated signs of thyroid disorders, especially hypothyroidism. This can also be a sign of vitamin deficiency, especially of vitamins A, C and B (biotin). However, fungal infection could be the cause if the cracked and brittle fingernails also have a yellowish tint.

Puffy Red Nail Fold is due to inflammation around the edges of the nail, especially at the base. This may be due to injury, infection or connective tissue diseases like lupus.

Your nail color and quality signs can offer invaluable insights into your state of health. So when you cut them back or paint them, take a few moments to look them over and see what you see… it may give ample warning and help stave off disease.

The post 9 fingernail signs you might be sick appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They are often sudden and painful, and they come with little warning. Sometimes, though, they do offer warning signs like shortness of breath, visual aura and nausea. At other times, your experience with their appearance lets you recognize when one is coming.

While many people take prescription and over-the-counter medications to relieve the pain of migraine and headaches, there is a more natural way…

Using the simple method of self-acupressure to the specific points shown here, you can relieve a migraine greatly or stop its onset before it takes hold. These acupressure points come from ancient Chinese acupuncture but are done with only finger pressure. No need for needles.

Here is a series of points to locate, press and rub for 30 seconds each, from leg to hand to head, that can help reduce your pain and symptoms while helping reduce your dependence on medications.

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Leg Points

While it seems counterintuitive, points on the legs are very powerful for treating the body and head, especially where pain is associated. For this article, we will use two leg points, one on the shin and the other on the foot.

Gallbladder 34: This is the 34^th point located on the gallbladder energy channel. It is located in the depression just below and behind the head of the fibula. It is a great point for headaches because it is related to the sinews as well as the liver. When the liver qi (energy) stagnates from anger and stress, the sinews become tense and pain arises — especially with migraines, wherein blood vessels constrict to cause pain. Compressing this acupressure point releases the liver qi, opens the meridian, relaxes the sinews and helps reduce pain.

Gallbladder 42: This is the 42^nd point on the gallbladder energy channel meridian. It is located on the top of the foot between the pinky toe and the neighboring toe, next to the fourth metatarsophalangeal joint. It is used for headache and eye pain (think “cluster headache”), and it moves liver qi and heat from the gallbladder. When liver qi stagnates from stress and anger or if there is too much liver heat from alcohol or gallbladder heat from fatty or fried foods, the heat rises into the head and causes a headache. Think of your typical anger or hangover headache or the pounding feeling of a migraine.

Hand Point

The hand and arm also contain a vast number of powerful acupuncture points. For migraines, the point known as Large Intestine 4 (LI4), is of particular help. This is the fourth point found along the large intestine meridian. It is related to the intestines and digestion, and it is the so-called “command” point for the head and face. While this point has many uses, it works extremely well for headaches related to food triggers and is great for pain, anywhere in the body.

Head Points

Since the head is the location of migraine and headache pain and throbbing, it seems like this should be the first place to press points. However, to be most effective, I recommend releasing the points first in the legs and hands to remove blood stasis, energy blockages and other issues that can continue to cause migraine and headaches, even when direct points on the head are activated.

Yin Tang: This is a special point located on the forehead between the eyebrows. It is where many traditions locate the “third eye,” which is why its Chinese name “yin tang” can translate to “hall of impressions.” Based on personal experience, I tend to locate this point slightly above the central point between the eyebrows, in the depression just above them. The point is most useful for headaches, heavy head, foggy thinking, sinus blockage and insomnia: all things related to migraine.

DU 15: This point is located on the back of the head, just above the hairline at the occiput, below the spinous process of the first cervical vertebra. It is related to vitality and emotional issues, deafness, stiff neck and headache. Of these, stiff neck and emotional issues can trigger headaches and muscle tension in the base of the skull can trigger pain in the trigeminal nerve, which travels up the head from the back of the skull to the front.

Du 20: This is the so-called “hundred meetings” point where so many acupoints and vessels converge. It is on the top of the head, directly in the middle and is located by drawing a line from the top of both ears to where it meets on top.

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How to Apply

Self-acupressure is simple and easy. Simply use your thumbs or forefingers and press in and then rotate slowly for 30 seconds while pressing on the tender space at the points. Be gentler for toe points so you don’t bruise or injure the small toe bones. Press and rub to open the point and release the energy blockage. This helps restore balance in the meridian and, thus, remove what can negatively affect the body and cause migraine.

Check out my video for guidance on using acupressure for headache pain.

The post Simply press these points for headache relief appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

While some work, they often are not as workable or useful as we hope or are led to believe.

But Mother Nature sure does have a way with her “products.” One such tiny superfood is so amazing it’s worth celebrating… and taking every day.

Tiny Green Algae

Chlorella consists of tiny green algae that grow in the freshwater ponds and lakes of Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia and in other areas.

First discovered in 1890 by a Dutch microbiologist, this unicellular alga packs a powerful punch.

It’s so powerful that scientists tried to package it as a meal for post-World War II famines and NASA space missions.

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Tiny Organism, Huge Nutrition

While only 3 to 8 micrometers in diameter, chlorella is among the most nutritionally dense foods in existence.

It contains a relatively enormous amount of protein when compared with spinach (two times as much), soybeans (38 times as much) and rice (55 times as much).

Not to mention, it’s chock-full of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

It is packed with magnesium, which the body needs for thousands of different functions.

It helps stimulate probiotic growth in the gut and also binds with toxins (including the pesticides and fungicides that linger on our foods) and heavy metals (from the mercury in silver fillings), moving them out of the body and keeping them from recirculating in the bloodstream.

Medical Miracle

Algae could be considered Mother Nature’s medical miracle. Not only does it naturally contain and support the most beneficial things humans need to thrive, but many of its natural components help reduce the negative effects of a modern lifestyle. That is, its nutrition helps protect against diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and syndrome X (metabolic syndrome).

Our modern diet today is atrocious. Fast food, packaged and preserved food, genetically modified food, pesticides and depleted soil leaves the average person with health issues that are the direct result of a calorie-dense and nutritionally deficient diet. Even when we try to eat healthily, the food is often laced with herbicides and packaged with unhealthy ingredients.

By adding chlorella to your daily intake, you can help supercharge your health while reducing the effects of our poor modern diet and lifestyle. Here’s what Mother Nature’s little green product does:

• Helps reduce body fat, blood glucose and blood serum cholesterol levels.
• Helps counter type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
• Boosts the immune system.
• Improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), helps prevent constipation and aids digestion.
• Acts as a natural antidepressant and stress reducer.
• Helps with symptoms of fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis and hypertension.
• Is the ultimate superfood for detoxing

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Chlorella’s Ingredients

Here are the reasons why chlorella is a superfood and Mother Nature’s best health product:

• Abundant in vitamins, including A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E.
• Packed with minerals, including magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium.
• Contains amino acids to help rebuild lean body tissue and replenish neurotransmitters.
• Rich in chlorophyll to improve immunity, promote alkalinity and reduce inflammation.
• Detoxifies; binds to toxins and heavy metals in the intestines and removes them from the body.
• Promotes healthy probiotics in the gut to diminish candida or yeast overgrowth and aid digestion.
• Contains powerful carotenoids to help boost immunity and fight cancer and heart disease.

How To Take Chlorella

The best way is to make sure it is an ingredient in a greens powder with additional green superfood powders. I enjoy it in with flax milk for a nutrient-dense, detoxifying and satisfying breakfast, but it mixes well with water, regular milk, oat or almond milk or even juice and is a must-have ingredient in any smoothie recipe.

If you purchase chlorella, make sure the label indicates it has broken cell walls, thus making it more bioavailable. You can also purchase it in capsules.

Whether you are seriously ill, suffering some of the modern-lifestyle diseases or an athlete looking to perform and feel better, chlorella is what you need. I take it daily (sometimes two to three times daily), and I feel marked improvement overall. Do yourself a favor and give it a try, too.

The post Chlorella: Mother Nature’s superfood miracle appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Diets come and go like the seasons. Fitness programs gain steam and tire out.

And supplement companies pound the pavement in relentless advertising with claims of amazing health benefits of things from faraway places, or with strange-sounding names.

Acai is one example that has been made into a supplement and sold as a wellness miracle. But is it? Perhaps, but not so fast. Today I’d like to look into some of the super claims associated with acai, especially about weight loss, inflammation, heart health and more.

Acai is a fruit…

The acai “berry” is a fruit that looks an awful lot like a grape. Unlike grapes, however, it doesn’t contain very much pulp. Also, the acai contains a single large seed, like the pit of a plum. The fruit grows on trees, with approximately 800 fruits per panicle (which is something like a branch). Acai are harvested and are a staple food in under-developed regions of the world.

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Some very big claims…

The health benefit claims for Acai can leave one bursting with enthusiasm. Advertisers claim this miracle fruit can work wonders for arthritis, cholesterol, obesity, heart health, digestion, constipation, energy, erectile dysfunction, inflammation, appetite, detoxification, diabetes, allergies, bloating, water retention, muscle cramps, oxidative stress, and even cancer.

How can ALL this be true?

It’s in the antioxidants…

Well, no matter what the marketing claims, one thing is for certain: acai is packed with antioxidant power. Moreover, it contains fiber, heart-healthy fats and plant phenols giving it an ORAC value of 102,700. The ORAC score is about the antioxidant power of a food regardless of its nutritional content. And acai has many times the ORAC value of any other fruit or vegetable.

Acai is also packed with minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and sodium; and vitamins like A, E and C.  And it’s rich in plant sterols which act as vasodilators relaxing blood vessels. This is important for reducing blood pressure, preventing blood clots, calming or preventing migraines, and lowering risk of heart attack and stroke.

Because of acai’s inherent qualities, like other plants and high-ORAC and antioxidant fruits and vegetables it can do wonders for the body. Aside from the overall benefits some studies point to additional specific benefits…

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Studies show positive effects

• According to the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health, a preliminary study suggested that eating acai fruit pulp might reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels in overweight people. Laboratory studies have focused on acai’s potential antioxidant properties, and a juice blend with acai as the main ingredient has been shown to have an antioxidant effect in people.
• The journal Biology of Sport published the findings of the effects of supplementation with acai berry-based juice blend on the blood antioxidant defense capacity and lipid profile in junior hurdlers. While the six weeks of consuming the acai blend had “no effect on sprint performance,” it did lead to a “marked increase in the total antioxidant capacity of plasma, attenuation of the exercise-induced muscle damage, and a substantial improvement of serum lipid profile.” These findings are mainly attributed to Acai’s high total antioxidant and polyphenol content.
• The China Journal of Materia Medica presented a study looking at the protective effect of Acai on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their mechanism. The researchers found that acai berries show s specific protective effect on alcoholic hepatic injury.

The post Acai: Miracle of wellness appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That is what happened to me on a memorable and long flight back from Asia…

I felt sick for four hours in the midst of a 13-hour flight, and I was so stressed over the ill feelings that I forgot I knew how to allay them.

Finally, my recall triumphed and I was able to get a handle on it all. Here’s what I did…

In-Flight Sickness

There are many reasons people feel ill while flying. Motion sickness is among the most common and benign. Other problems like food poisoning, norovirus, bacteria from tray table handles — and microbes from the seats and the bathrooms can be worse.

The airlines can do only so much to help you feel better. They conveniently place a handy bag for vomit in the seat back in front of you. And the service staff is quick with a ginger ale and, in some cases, Tylenol.

But aside from these things, there is little they can, or are equipped, to do.

On my ill-fated half-day, overnight flight back from the Philippines, I experienced a number of ill-feeling symptoms all at once. It started with clammy hands and then sweating. This was followed by stomach cramps and a jittery digestive tract. Next came the dry heaves and headache, followed by some unsavory and not-so-dry heaves.

I was standing outside the onboard restrooms, unable to sit or close my eyes. Every time I did, the room spun and I felt even sicker. I looked at the clock on my cellphone to see when we would land. Not for another eight hours! What to do?

I felt so sick I was trembling. I looked around to see it if was food poisoning from the plane food, but no one else seemed to be suffering. It was probably a result of the fried and overly sweet foods in Manila that I am unused to, as well as bacteria in the water. While I did my best to drink only mineral water, the ice, soups and coffee were made with tap water.

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In-Flight Solutions

After about two hours of this, the steward made a comment: “Too bad there’s no doctor on board.”

Well, that was my eureka moment!

Funny how I can help others who are not well and have a seemingly never-ending stream of advice to offer. But when it comes to me, being ill myslef, I dwell in the illness and forget I probably know a solution.

So I set about making a short list of solutions. Within 30 minutes, I was feeling 70 percent better.

Here are the solutions I used to help relieve my in-flight illness. I present them here as tips to make them easier to remember…

1. Even though I was nauseated, I drank two bottles of water. It is important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Avoid coffee, tea and soda; these are dehydrating. Feelings of nausea can be caused in part from dehydration and food that is “stagnant” or not able to move smoothly through the digestive tract.

2. I focused lightly on a spot on the seatback in front of me to help still the jumping images. It is best to stop reading, gaming and watching movies when feeling motion sickness or nauseated. Otherwise, the words passing by and fast-moving images on the screens can cause more motion sickness.

3. I slowed my breathing, inhaling and exhaling in counts of six seconds to control the heaves and relax the nerves. This also helped me feel less anxious about being sick on board the plane while feeling more optimistic that the ill feelings would pass.

4. I settled my stomach first by sipping ginger ale. Ginger is so good for calming the stomach, aiding digestion, quelling nausea, alleviating headache and dizziness, and detoxifying. I then remembered that I had strong ginger candies in my bag that I had packed for such an occasion. They are called Chimes ginger candies and are strong and made from ginger puree. They worked rather quickly. You want to find a ginger candy that does not contain too much sugar or syrups. Here is the website for Chimes. (I purchased my bag in Marshalls.)

5. I applied self-acupressure to two sets of points, one on my hand and the other on my stomach. These points are indicated for digestive issues and stomach problems:

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Stomach 25 – Tianshu (“celestial point”): This point is located two thumb widths away from either side of the belly button. Simply place your thumbs together on the side of the area and press. The points are on both sides.

Simply press these points until you feel a sensation and hold or massage for 30 seconds. Repeat as often as you like. These points are for abdominal distention, constipation and diarrhea, gas pains and amenorrhea. According to the theories of Chinese medicine, they work by regulating the spleen, stomach and intestines, dispelling dampness and heat (sweaty and burning feelings) while regulating energy and blood.

Large Intestine 4 – Hegu (“joining valley”): This point is located in the webbing between your index finger and thumb, on both hands. If you touch these fingers together, a slight mound forms between the fingers, in the webbing. Simple pinch this point with the fingers of the other hand and hold for 30 seconds, massaging it afterward as frequently as you like.

This point is indicated for headache, dizziness, congestion, nosebleed, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, gastric pain, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. According to the theories of Chinese medicine, this expels wind, tonifying the energy, strengthening immunity, stopping pain and regulating the face and head.

Pre-Flight Tips

The most important thing I realized during my experience is that people need to prevent in-flight sickness; being prepared is the best way to do this.

Pre-flight tips:

1. Don’t let yourself board the plane too hungry or too full. Avoid greasy food before takeoff.

2. Bring plenty of water with you on board, (as security allows) to keep yourself hydrated.

3. If you are prone to motion sickness, take along ginger candy, ginger tea or products like Dramamine, Bonine and Scopolamine patches. Holding a cold can of soda behind the ear also helps.

4.  If you can select your seat ahead of time, choose a window seat by the wing; this is the most stable area in cases of turbulence.

5. Bring a list of remedies and solutions in your bag (or print this article) and refer to it if you get sick while flying.

Here’s to your next uneventful flight!

The post Sick during air travel: What to do appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Perhaps every culture drinks tea, uses it as part of rituals, and also relies on its purported healing properties.

China has been consuming tea for some 2,000 years and cultivates five distinct classes: green, red, black, oolong and pu-erh. Pu-erh is a tea unlike any other, with clinically-proven health benefits that can be attributed to a unique fermentation process.

Pu-erh, a microbially-fermented tea

Pu-erh (also spelled pu’er, po lei and bo nay) tea is served with every meal in China because it aids in digestion, promotes bowel regulation, helps shuttle fat through the digestive tract, regulates blood sugar and balances cholesterol.

Pu-erh is in a category of its own because of its special post-fermentation process. Through this process it becomes a true ‘black’ tea; the Chinese consider Assam or Darjeeling teas as ‘red’ teas.

While most teas undergo oxidation via tea plant enzymes, they are not truly fermented. Conversely, pu-erh goes through a post-fermentation process wherein active bacteria, molds, yeast and fungal cultures are added, making it microbially fermented. This unique process makes pu-erh at once unique in flavor but different in its chemical composition, thus lending itself to delivering potent healing properties.

Because pu-erh contains theophylline and the amino acid GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), it is shown useful in alleviating the symptoms of arthritis, anxiety, asthma and arteriosclerosis. Below, we’ll look at a handful of published clinical studies on the healing properties of pu-erh that make it a great addition in helping to keep metabolic syndrome away.

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Weight loss and cholesterol suppression

A study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry which compared studies on the hypolipidemic and growth suppressive effects of oolong, black, pu-erh, and green tea leaves in rats. The study, carried out by the Wun-Shan Branch, Tea Research and Extension Station, Taipei, Taiwan, evaluated the growth suppressive and hypolipidemic effect of these four different teas on male rats for 30 weeks. The results were interesting, indeed. Oolong and Pu-erh teas had the greatest effect on “body weight suppression,” respectively. Pu-erh and oolong also had the greatest lowering effects on levels of triglycerides, but overall pu-erh was more efficient in lower the levels of total cholesterol.

Another study carried out by the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine National Taiwan University, Taipei, and published in the journal Oncology Research, looked at pu-erh’s effects on suppressing fatty acid synthesis (FAS). The researchers fed pu-erh tea leaves to rats and the result was a significant suppression in FAS, and suppression of body weight, levels of triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol.

Cardiovascular disease

Experimental Gerontology published a study on the effects of fermented and unfermented pu-erh tea on weight gain, serum levels of lipids and lipoprotein, lipid oxidation, and blood antioxidant enzymes in rats. Sponsored by the Certificate Assessment Center of Yunnan Pu-erh Tea, Kunming, Yunnan, China, researchers examined the effects of these two kinds of pu-erh against control groups. Results suggest that when compared to unfermented pu-erh and control group, fermented pu-erh tea “exerts strong antioxidative and lipid-lowering effects and therefore can be used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders.”

Epilepsy

The Department of Biotechnology, Yuanpei University, Hsinchu, Taiwan published a study in the Journal of Biological Sciences that looked at the effects of pu-erh tea and GABA on oxidative stress in kainic acid-induced status epilepticus. The results found the combination to have “neuroprotective effects against excitotoxins that may have clinical applications in epilepsy.”

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Diabetes

China Daily newspaper published a study on pu-erh’s effective on diabetes, hailing the tea as “a wonder cure for diabetics.” Researchers from Jilin University and the Changchun Science and Technology University in China, studied the effects of pu-erh on reducing blood sugar levels. They used 20 genetically-obese lab rats with high sugar levels, feeding 10 with pu-erh tea and 10 with no tea. After 11 months, 8 rats in the non-tea fed group became diabetic and had sores before dying. All 10 rats in the pu-erh group survived the year and showed no trace of sores or diabetes.

Researchers took the information a step further, comparing pu-erh with the popular blood sugar lowering prescription drug Rosiglitazone. Two weeks into the study found the Rosiglitazone-fed rats had a blood sugar decrease of 36.5%. However, the pu-erh fed rats had a blood sugar reduction of 42%.

These results led the researchers to then conduct a human trial of the same nature. They asked 120 diabetic volunteers to “drink pu-erh regularly and stop their medicines, while making no change to their dietary habits.” Seventy percent of respondents reported a lowering of blood sugar levels to below 7 mmol/L. The average decrease among the group was 35%.

How to enjoy pu-erh

Most often pu-erh is found tightly compressed into round ‘cake’ shapes or bricks that must be pried apart to release chunks for brewing. It is said that each layer of the tea has its own flavor and unique attributes.

Prying the tea apart can be difficult, as some pu-erh are fermented for years and very tightly packed through a special process of piling and pressing.

It seems pu-erh may indeed be a ‘miracle healing tea’ and I can attest to its great taste. I encourage you to give it a try — three times a day to experience the best results overall.

The post The tea that helps you drop pounds, cholesterol points and blood sugar levels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

We tend to think more in terms of nutritional supplements for health than we do food, let alone the herbs and spices we use to flavor our favorite dishes. And we think even less of food as a pain reliever. Yet, some flavor profiles play a major role in pain relief.

Food, herbs, and spices have been used for thousands of years for their powerful health building and curative effects. Traditional cultures the world over have well developed medical systems based on substances that appear in nature.

The use of spices for healing is less well known, but these two traditions, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, use mixtures of spices in their “food as medicine” principles, including relieving inflammation and pain.

Today, science has helped confirm that adding spices into your daily eating habits can go a long way toward low-side-effect, natural pain relief.

The post Three spices for natural pain relief appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It is a time I relish because I get to be around family and friends, cook and enjoy food made with love and share in meaningful conversation.

No one has to exchange gifts — because being together with loved ones is the gift — and I am grateful for it.

Gratitude is a powerful social emotion; a deep feeling of thankfulness, one that has long-reaching benefits for wellness and quality of life.

And multiple studies show that aside from being a socially favorable way to be with others, being in a place of gratitude is good for your health and improves your quality of life.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude is difficult to define, though everyone knows what it means to be grateful and how it feels when others are also grateful for you or your actions.

Gratitude communicates to another that you recognize what they have done for you and that you are reciprocating with words or deeds that express your gratefulness, and your thanks, in return.

It displays your manners to others that you are polite and thus serves to enhance, at least for the time being, how others perceive you.

Yet, gratitude is not an empty social play to get more or to appease another. In fact, gratitude that is sincerely felt is experienced in the body as a change in emotional and physical well-being. This happens, it seems, through changes in the brain via neural correlates that have finally been observed by science…

Gratitude adjusts the brain

A few months ago, the journal Frontiers in Psychology published the result of a study on the neural correlates of gratitude, in which they used MRI imaging to see what is happening in the brain when one feels grateful.

A neural correlate is a brain activity that both corresponds with, and is also necessary to produce, a given experience. Thus, the neural correlates of gratitude are the events that must occur in the brain for gratitude to become manifest.

To observe its effects on the brain, participants in the study were induced gratitude while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (an MRI scan).

The study was complex, but its results “provided a window into the brain circuitry for moral cognition and positive emotion that accompanies the experience of benefitting from the goodwill of others.”

This is important because until recently many scholars believed that neural correlates existed. And now this study has found them, in association with gratitude, via MRI imaging.  And according to the researchers, gratitude “leads to benefits for both mental health and interpersonal relationships.”

Gratitude supports healthy sleep

Sleep is one of those all-important aspects of good health and quality of life. Sleep deprivation causes so many health concerns, from migraine headaches to chronic pain, forgetfulness, depression and heart disease.

The Journal of Psychosomatic Research tested whether individual differences in gratitude are related to sleep after controlling for neuroticism and other traits.

The results found that gratitude bolstered how participants rated their sleep quality. It also allowed them to fall asleep faster, sleep longer and have fewer daytime dysfunctions.

This was the first study to show that a positive trait such as gratitude is related to sleep quality and duration.

Gratitude and well-being

The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published an interesting article titled, “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens” by professors Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough. It recounted and examined the results of three studies on the effects of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being (including participants with neuromuscular diseases).

The findings were direct and showed the power of gratitude. “The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.”

Emmons told The San Diego Union-Tribune that those participants who kept a list of a few things they were grateful for each day tended to exercise more, had more energy and vitality and were less bothered by pain. He also said grateful people sleep 30 minutes more each night and exercise 33 percent more each week.

Keeping a list of what one is grateful for, it seems, is a more powerful catalyst for wellness than merely thinking about it.

Journal your gratitude

So here we are at Thanksgiving, a time when we are supposed to be grateful for all our blessings; and in the case of my family, find the courage to stand up at the table and tell everyone what these blessings are.

Nerves and shyness aside, as a child I was fearful of this but now I embrace it wholeheartedly.

Why the change? Well, I began journaling about gratitude several years ago. Since then, I’ve had many journals throughout the years.

One of my favorites covers several years, one day of each year per page, so I can reflect back on the big things and the little things I was most grateful for year after year.

Whether you use a gratitude journal that helps prompt you along the way or simply make a list of several things per day for which you are grateful, I challenge you to see for yourself how a gratitude practice can bolster feelings of well-being and lift your quality of life. And what better time to start than now, as a single day set aside for giving thanks kicks off an entire season of joy.

The post Giving thanks, a powerful healing vehicle appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because the entire universe and everything in it resonates at specific vibrational frequencies.

In fact, energy is nothing but vibration, and we are surrounded by it; we are made up of it.

Even the vibratory rate of healthy humans is different than that of unhealthy humans.

When you feel excited you are resonating at a high frequency — or good vibrations. On the contrary, when sick or tired or stressed, you resonate at low frequencies.

The trick is to raise your vibration to resonate at rates that are in the healthy human spectrum. And there’s an easy way to do it… using healing sound vibration, to release stress held in the body and uplift energy.

It’s called gong bath therapy and here’s how to use it for good vibrations…

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Healing sounds

Using sound as a healing modality perhaps began with the Gregorian chanting; believed to be the precursor to music. Buddhist monks and Indian yogi often use chanting of phrases to enter deep meditation to alter states of consciousness.

In China, also, there is a healing sounds qigong or energy medicine wherein the practitioner learns to express six different sound tones that resonate at specific frequencies and thus positively affect different organ systems.

In fact, in many traditional cultures all over the world, drumming and singing are used in healing ceremonies and practices.

What is a gong bath?

Based on the same theory as the healing sounds, a gong bath is the event of relaxing in a room where a gong is struck at various rates and percussive impacts to create “vibrational waves” of energy. These energy sound waves surround you as if in a bath, impacting your mind, bones, organs, blood and cells.

In essence, the sound of the gongs, and the frequency of its vibrations, washes over you to change the tone of frequencies in your body for healing.

Many who participate in these gong baths report feeling soothed, relaxed, energized and rejuvenated — as if they had gone through a total mind-body detox meditation. The gong bath alters consciousness, thus creating a deep sense of peace, relaxation and well-being.

The gong bath process

The process of taking a gong bath is simple.

Generally a group meets for the session in a relaxing environment with a matted floor or using yoga rugs. You lie down on the mats and can use pillows and blankets as you like, in an effort to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible. However, because you want to feel the vibrations over your body, it’s best not to use thick or heavy blanket coverings.

Over a session of about 20 minutes a gong master sounds his gong at various impacts and rates, building up to a crescendo then slowing to an end. You simply relax and feel the vibrational tones and sounds of the gong as it bathes you in healing energy.

The vibrational sounds will lead you into Alpha and then Theta brain wave states. This means you will moves from daydreaming into deep RFEM sleep. Alas, it is while asleep that the body repairs itself and with the aid of the gong vibrations the detox and healing are even deeper.

The next time you need some stress relief, want to feel energized, or are in need of deep healing give gong bath a try. If you can’t find a place nearby that offer this therapy, you can find soothing gong sounds on You Tube. Turn up the volume and relax into it. Healing never felt, or sounded, so good.

The post Heal, soothe and destress using good vibrations appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, about 2 in 3 irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) sufferers are female, and about 30% of all visits to the G.I. doctor are due to IBS symptoms.

If this sounds like you, you might be wondering if there are ways to stop the cycle of abdominal pain and distress.

The good news is there are, indeed, natural and effective methods to control and greatly reduce IBS symptoms…

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1. Medication and IBS

Certain foods and medications are known to trigger IBS. Medications such as prescribed or over-the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may trigger abdominal discomfort and distress in IBS sufferers, and should be used minimally. If you suffer from pain and inflammation, here are natural ways to relieve without the GI irritation. You can also refer to my book, Natural Solutions for Pain and Inflammation, for even more you can do.

2. Diet and IBS

There are foods to avoid if you suffer from cramps, excessive gas, bloating or abdominal discomfort. These include beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, raw fruits, and carbonated drinks like soda and sparkling water. Fatty, greasy foods, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, sugar, chocolate, artificial sweeteners and dairy are known to cause constipation.

Gluten is also indicated in IBS. Gluten irritates the intestines and causes diarrhea. Avoid products made with wheat, rye and barley (such as bread, crackers, pastries, etc.).

A diet rich in dark-green leafy vegetables and fiber rich fruits like blackberries and raspberries promotes normal, regular bowel movements. While fiber helps reduce constipation by helping form stools, too much can cause cramps and gas. You can reduce fiber intake if you see a link between it and symptoms. You can get more fiber from supplements such as Metamucil or Citrucel. Remember to drink plenty of water with added fiber.

It is also important to eat at regular meal times and not skip meals. Eating smaller, more frequent meals is helpful if diarrhea is an issue. Keeping a food journal is helpful to see what foods may trigger IBS symptoms. Record foods eaten, any symptoms, and when symptoms occur.

3. Supplementation and IBS

Supplements helpful for IBS include probiotics, peppermint oil and Iberogast.

Probiotics are gut friendly bacteria essential for healthy digestion. They are naturally found in fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, yogurt, kefir and kombucha. You can also take a probiotic supplement. Be sure to ask someone at a health food store or supplement shop for advice before selecting one.

Peppermint oil has positive effects on IBS because of its anti-spasmodic properties. Taking 1-2 capsules three-times per day for 6 weeks shows effective for IUBS relief in those without serious complications of diarrhea and constipation.

Iberogast (also known as STW-5), is a proprietary formula of nine plant extracts that is proving helpful for the pain symptoms associated with IBS.

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4. Stress Management and IBS

Stress can easily build up and worsen IBS symptoms if left unchecked. There are several stress management techniques and practices I recommend to reduce the effects of stress on the body.

• Set priorities: Don’t attempt to do more than you can and don’t feel bad saying no or delaying work, activities or other commitments.
• Reframe: Adopt a reframing skill from programs like NLP or the Sedona Method to help reduce stress. This means confronting doubts, fears, anxieties and other psychological issues.
• Exercise: Sign up for bi- or tri-weekly yoga classes, Pilates, qigong or tai chi to help align mind, body and spirit. Get moving!
• Relax: Engage in meditation or other deep-relaxation practices every evening. The body metabolizes stress hormones during rest and sleep, so relaxing the mind and body prior to sleep can offer an even stronger “sleep repair” and stress release.
• Get out of your rut: Take a vacation or staycation and chill out. Even if you think there’s no time, your body and mind will benefit greatly from the break.

Conclusion

IBS is a painful and often life-altering syndrome. With some planning and implementation of the above solutions, you should be able to reduce its frequency, duration and level of discomfort.

The post Get IBS under control in 4 steps appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

According to the American College of Gastroenterology, women have an increased sensitivity of the gut to different types of stimulation and are more prone to G.I. disturbances than men.

Women’s digestive tracts also empty slower than men’s, which makes it even more important and necessary for women to pay extra close attention to their digestive health.

So today, let’s take a look at how to naturally treat commonly occurring women’s digestive issues, including constipation and diarrhea, heartburn, abdominal bloating and discomfort

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1. Constipation

Constipation happens when dry, hard stools form in the lower intestine and bowels become sluggish due to lack of water. Surprisingly, diarrhea may occur because of severe constipation.

In most cases of constipation, there are a set of specific contributing factors, including diet, sedentary lifestyle, psychological stress, and medications. Here’s what I mean…

• Poor diet – A diet consisting mainly of overly processed foods, little to no fiber, and diuretic beverages such as sugary drinks (soda, iced tea, fruit juice), alcohol, tea, and coffee.
• Sedentary Lifestyle – Not getting enough exercise and prolonged periods of sitting cause the digestive system to become sluggish.
• Psychological Stress – When adverse stress happens, muscles tighten, chemicals in the body change, and breathing becomes shortened and labored, all of which affect bowel function.
• Medications – Many prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medications also contribute to constipation.

Constipation Solutions
The good news is you have the power to change the way you eat, move, handle stress, and manage your medications. Make it a priority to include a generous portion of fiber (20-35 grams) from vegetables, whole grains, and fruit every day! Fiber is necessary to create bulk in the gut, form stools properly, and help transport matter through the intestines. Remove sugary and diuretic drinks from the menu and drink water instead. Maintaining a steady regimen of probiotics will calm your digestive issues and “keep things moving,” too.

2. Heartburn

Women, like men, also suffer from heartburn, especially in pregnancy. Heartburn, also called acid reflux or GERD, results from too little hydrochloric acid (HCl), the “good” stomach acid, which breaks down food in the stomach. According to the journal Gastroenterology & Hepatology, because women are more sensitive to irritants than men, they may experience heartburn more strongly than their male counterparts.

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While the causes of heartburn are broad, some of the more common causes include:

• Certain foods – Chocolate, dairy, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, peppermint, onions, tomatoes, and high-fat foods.
• Certain medications – Including those indicated for anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, angina, osteoporosis, pain and infection — and even HRT.
• Lifestyle factors – Smoking, stress, being overweight or obese.
• Pregnancy – Growing fetus puts pressure on the mother’s stomach

Heartburn Solutions
Diet plays a big role in preventing heartburn. Eating a diet of mainly alkaline-forming foods, and avoiding acid-forming foods is key.

• Acid-forming foods – Eat less of these: Alcohol, barley, beer, beef, brazil nuts, bread, canned fruits and veggies, dried cereal, chocolate, cigarettes, coffee, most cooked grains, cornstarch, most dairy, drugs, eggs, fried food, flour, lobster, malt, pasta, pickles, popcorn, soft drinks, soybeans, sugar, artificial sweeteners, tea, table salt, wheat, and vinegar.
• Alkaline-forming foods – Eat more of these: Most green vegetables, apples, apricots, avocados, baking soda, banana, beets, broccoli, berries, chlorella, kale, lemons, lentils, lima beans, limes, lotus root, mangos, mineral water, mushrooms, mustard greens, nectarine, onion, persimmon, pineapple, pumpkin seed, raspberry, sea salt, sea vegetables, seaweed, spirulina, sprouts, sweet potato, tangerine, taro root, vegetable juices, and watermelon.

Related: 6 ways to alkaline for a disease-fighting body

Two other things to help with heartburn are apple cider vinegar and baking soda:

• Apple cider vinegar is a great preventative fix for acid reflux. Take 2 tablespoons in a glass of water 30 minutes prior to eating to help normalize stomach acid and prevent indigestion. It’s more effective if taken before a meal.
• Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is perhaps the best remedy when heartburn hits. Drink ½ teaspoon mixed with a cup of water. It doesn’t taste good, but works great.

3. Abdominal Bloating and Discomfort

For women, there are natural and effective ways to relieve the digestive issues of stomach pain, cramps, and bloating, including applying heat, eating ginger, and sipping chamomile tea. Let’s take a look:

• Applying Heat – Heat is excellent for cramps because it increases circulation. There are many ways to apply it: Hot water bottles, heating pads, and microwaved microbead packs. Apply heat for at least 15 minutes several times per day until tummy issues subside.
• Eating Ginger – Ginger is one of the best remedies for all things stomach related. It helps reduce abdominal pain and inflammation, increases digestion, and reduces nausea and motion sickness. You can drink prepared ginger tea, make it yourself or cook with it.
• Sipping Chamomile Tea – Slowly sipping a cup of chamomile tea is a great way to reduce stomach upset. Chamomile promotes relaxation and helps reduce stomach pain, tightness, and stress-induced upset.

If you suffer from any of these common digestive issues, before reaching for that pink liquid or prescription meds, give these natural solutions a try and see how they can work for you.

The post 3 digestive woes that strike women and how to relieve them appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Many more are in constant pain, from issues like fibromyalgia to diabetes, where the illness itself hurts too much to exercise; yet, exercise is one of the remedies to the Illness.

So if time and pain are issues for you, you might want to consider rebounding. There are so many built-in benefits to rebounding by the simple fact of its construction, but three new studies help to showcase this exercise form’s vast benefits to health and wellness beyond a shadow of doubt…

Built-in benefits

Because rebounding is performed on a mini-trampoline (rebounder) it offers several intrinsic benefits.

First, even when simply standing on the rebounder your body must continuously fire-off different muscles in a series of contract-relax-contract to keep you from falling off balance. As such, even simple things like standing, hopping or bending while on a rebounder offer strength and balance training that you’d never get on the solid floor.

Second, rebound provides a soft and reflexive surface to exercise on. Unlike the gym floor or or other hard surfaces, rebounding is free of painful, deep impact on the joints. Each movement is soft on the joints, offering support and strength to muscles at the same time.

Exercise on the rebounder provides, in a short time, effective results for cardiovascular health, muscular endurance, improved balance and coordination, stronger legs and a tighter core. What’s more, according to the below studies, it also works effectively at lowering blood sugar, reversing type 2 diabetes and sculpting the body.

Study 1 – Rebounding and blood glucose

According to a study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, blood glucose levels respond favorable to rebounding exercise. For the study, 24 healthy adults with normal blood sugar levels were divided into two groups: 12 each in the rebounding and control groups.

The control group did not engage in exercise. The rebounding (experimental) group engaged in a 50-minute rebounding session where max heart rate was held at 70-85%. Every 15 minutes capillary blood glucose levels were measured.

The rebounding group saw impressive decreases in blood glucose levels from baseline: 26.1% reduction at 15 minutes; additional 24.2% at 30 minutes; and additional 15.7% at 45 minutes, as compared with the control group (18.8% at 15; 14.3% at 30; and 6.9% at 45).

The conclusion: “The study results provide good evidence that a prescribed exercise program on a mini-trampoline can be used for reducing blood glucose levels and thus can potentially control blood glucose.”

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Study 2 – Rebounding and type 2 diabetes

According to another study, also published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, rebounding is twice as effective as running in aerobic improvements and is a high fat-burning exercise.

For this study, 60 non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetics were randomized into two 30-person groups: rebound exercise and control. The control group read health magazines or watched television while the rebound exercise group jumped on a mini-trampoline at moderate intensity for 30 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks.

Following rebounding exercise there was significant improvements in insulin resistance and lipid profile as compared with the control group. Specifically, the HDL (good cholesterol) increased while the LDL (bad cholesterol), triglycerides and insulin resistance decreased significantly from baseline.

The conclusion: “Mini-trampoline rebound exercise is beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes and can serve as a useful exercise approach in the management of cardiovascular risk in diabetes.”

Study 3 – Rebounding and body composition

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness published another study, this time looking at the effects mini-trampoline rebounding exercise program on functional parameters, body composition and quality of life in overweight women.

Here, 18 overweight women participated in the study, wherein their functional profile, strength, body composition, quality of life, and pain intensity were assessed at baseline and again after 12 weeks of rebounding exercise.

Not only were significant improvements measured in body circumferences, fat bass, lean and muscular mass, but there were also significant decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure values and an improvement in lipid and glucose profiles.

The conclusion: “Moderate rebounding exercise appears feasible to ensure positive effects on overall health and can be proposed to populations that could greatly benefit from training programs, such as overweight women.”

Begin rebounding today

The outcomes of these studies, plus the inherent benefits of rebounding strongly suggest that you begin this exercise method today. You can learn several ways to exercise on a rebounder in the videos in the following articles:

• Rebound for cardio fitness,
• Rebound to tone your legs and lower body,
• Easy rebound exercises for core and leg strength
• 4 ways to ‘bounce’ your way to a stronger core

Good luck and have fun getting in shape while improving your health and quality of life!

The post The workout that’s easy on joints and hard on blood sugar and lipids appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Well, with a little out of the box thinking you can make your workouts much more fun. And in today’s video, Tema from Potentia Personal Training, is going to show you how to do a curtsy exercise with an overhead press.

This is a compound movement exercise that works multi muscle groups at one time, cutting your workout time down substantially. Also, it’s a super fun and different way to work your butt, legs, shoulders and arms at the same time. Let’s get started!

Curtsy exercise with an overhead press

The curtsy is an old-timey gesture women and girls used to greet people, by kind of bowing by bending one knee in front of another.

Actually, this movement is great for the quads and especially good for working the glutes. And the overhead press works the deltoids, upper back and shoulders. That’s why it’s called a compound exercise.

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How to do it

To do this curtsy exercise  you will start standing, arms bend at elbows, hands in a fist by your shoulders.

To curtsy, move your left leg back and behind the right leg, then lower yourself down. Do this by bending your knees. Bend them enough that you are working the legs, but not so much that you can’t see your toes past your front knee.

Now stand back up the starting position, raise both arms up in a pressing motion.

Then repeat the curtsy exercise on the other side. Here, the right foot will move back and behind the left.

Caution: You want to feel all the weight in your butt muscle and thighs… and not in your knees. If you feel it in your knees, this means you are leaning forward too much. Simply adjust upward or back a bit until the weight is off the knees.

If you have no trouble doing 10 reps of this exercise, then go ahead a grab a set of hand weights and try it again. This adds weights to the arms and shoulders in the press movement. It also adds body weight to the curtsy exercise for increased leg endurance and strength.

Tip: Squeeze your glutes (butt muscles) each time you stand at center and raise the weights or your hands. This will help stabilize your body and reduce any chance of injury to your back.

Try for a set of 10, and to make it easy to count just follow the overhead presses.

The post How to ‘curtsy’ for total body sculpting appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Do your hands hurt when you hold things and perform repetitive motions, like washing dishes or gardening?

Well, the issue could be lack of grip strength. And it’s more than just a problem that makes daily chores or tasks difficult for you…

Grip strength has been revealed as a very reliable gauge of your biological age. In fact, studies have shown that grip strength is connected to your:

• Lifespan
• Risk for heart attack and stroke
• Dementia risk
• Mobility
• Loss of overall muscle mass (sarcopenia)
• Chance of survival if you get cancer

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So, as you’ve learned, grip strength important, especially as we age; yet, rarely, is it a focus of fitness programs.

In today’s video, Tema Esberg of Potentia Personal Training, shows you a fun and easy grip strength exercise that is also a compound movement. This means, this exercise will simultaneously develop your fingers, forearms, deltoids, shoulders, abdominals and butt muscles while raising your cardio, too.

Related: How your hands can reverse aging and improve your memory

In this video Tema is holding a round, weight-lifting plate. She suggests using one that is between 5-15 pounds. If you don’t have a weighted plate, you can hold a heavy book, dictionary or other heavy object. It does not have to be round.

Let’s have a look and follow along!

How to “pitch carry and drive”

Begin by standing with feet comfortable shoulders-width apart, hands by your sides. Grip the weighted object between pinched fingers of your right hand.

Pinching the disc tightly to really work those finger grip muscles, take 4 lateral steps to the right side.

Now lift the plate up and in front of your chest and hold with both hands, like a steering wheel. Squeeze your butt muscles and your abs for added stability and isometric strength training.

With arms extended, draw 5 circles clockwise and then five counter-clockwise. When doing these, keep your arms very straight so that you will target the shoulders and deltoids development.

Related: What’s your true age?

Now grip the plate with the fingers of your left hand and lower your arms to their sides. Take four lateral steps to the left while pinching the weight tightly.

Do a total of 6 repetitions of Right Steps – clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations – Left Steps.

The post Strengthen this surprising indicator of how well you’re aging appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The approach is based on acceptance of new behaviors in relation to food, the feelings of hunger, and one’s daily activity.

This study found a 36% clinically significant improvement in weight loss with behavioral interventions through promotion of self-regulating eating and activity skills, as compared with the control group who followed standard weight loss methods alone.

The weight loss trial was headed by Prof. Evan M. Forman and colleagues of Drexel University in Philadelphia, and it lasted one year. There were 190 overweight and obese participants and randomized them into two groups: 90 were assigned to the standard behavior treatment group and 100 were assigned to the acceptance-based treatment group.

While all participants were taught certain behavioral teaching interventions such as calorie counting, diet and exercise recommendations, the acceptance-based treatment group received supplementary training gathered from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Relapse Prevention for Substance Abuse.

By the end of the trial, the acceptance-based treatment group lost 13.3% body weight while the standard weight loss group only lost 9.8% bodyweight, on average. Again, showing a 36% improvement in weight loss with the acceptance-based approach.

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Related: Copper’s fat-burning secret

The most effective wellness strategy for long-term success is one rooted in lifestyle changes and self-discipline. Yet, these are very difficult to maintain, especially because willpower is so fragile. As I previously wrote, you must ditch will power for willingness, which is an entirely different approach to wellness. In reviewing the acceptance-based model, it sounded an awful lot like willpower; but I wasn’t sure. So I reached out to Prof. Forman and asked him several questions in follow up to his study. His responses are reassuring.

What are the basic tenets of Acceptance- and Commitment-based Intervention for weight loss?

The basic tenet of acceptance-based behavioral treatment (ABT) that our biology combined with the modern environment make it exceptionally difficult to make and sustain the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight (and keep it off).  As such, we need a set of specialized psychological skills in order to be successful.  These skills include developing a clear sense of our ultimate values (what big ideas should guide our decisions), the ability to have these values in mind when making eating and physical activity decisions, and an ability to accept psychological discomfort/a reduction in pleasure, such that we can make values-consistent choices (like choosing to eat a fruit salad instead of ice cream) even if doing so results in discomfort or a loss of pleasure.

What are the key differences between this model and standard Behavior-based Intervention for weight loss?

Standard intervention has more emphasis on what to do (how to eat differently in order to reduce energy intake, how to exercise more to increase energy expenditure).  ABT believes those changes are 100% essential, but that they aren’t enough.  We also need special psychological skills in order to be successful at making those changes.  Also, standard intervention is somewhat more oriented to changing one’s thoughts (I’m a failure; I’ll never be successful; I deserve this pizza) or urges, whereas ABT teaches ways to psychological accept those thoughts and urges such that they no longer determine behavior.

What were the key practices brought to the acceptance group from the ACT, DBT, and RPSA?

These include psychological acceptance of discomfort and loss of pleasure (including the ability to see cravings/urges as waves to be ridden), willingness to choose behaviors even if they bring discomfort or loss of pleasure, clarification of values

How difficult is it to get someone to commit to self-regulation in weight loss?

The initial commitment is often relatively easy.  But sustaining this commitment through time is difficult for a number of reasons, including the fact that weight loss becomes more difficult as time goes by and the rewards become less obvious (e.g. the amount of weight lost per week decreases)

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We know that willpower always fails in diets and resolutions. Does the success of a self-regulation intervention program depend on one’s willpower?

No, the program is built around the idea that willpower is a bogus concept.

Related: The waist-shrinking food found in the produce aisle

Did you find those participants who did not lose weight ‘quickly’ to be less willing/able to depend on their self-direction effort?

We set expectations for moderate and sustainable weight loss of about 2 lbs./week.  Of the people who lose more slowly than this target, some are long-term success stories who embody the “slow-but-steady” idea.  However, many ultimately are not successful.  Thus, overall, success early on is a strong predictor of ultimate success.

Final thought or advice?

Above and beyond everything just discussed, virtually no one is successful in the long-term without (1) a clear set of goals related to lowering energy from food intake and increasing physical activity, (2) a way to track energy intake and physical activity to make sure goals are being met, (3) regular weighing, (4) a structured weight loss program, and (5) accountability from having to report in to someone on a regular and sustained basis.

The post How to boost your weight loss efforts by 36 percent appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Having strong lungs and a healthy heart are essential to wellness and quality of life. Yet many people really don’t like cardio exercises because they are hard to do, take a lot of effort and often can be painful on the joints.

Well, that’s not always the case…

In today’s video Coach Kevin Kearns will take you through a fun set of eight cardio exercises in a series that builds up and will improve your health. Let’s follow along and see how it feels.

1 – Side Jacks

The cardio exercises begin with jumping jacks, but the low impact kind known as side jacks. With these, you do not get the jarring in the head or joints as you do with regular jumping jacks. What’s more, these side jacks also work the hips and improve lateral balance.

Stand with feet parallel and arms at your side. Now lift both arms up so hands touch above your head, while one leg goes out to the side. Lower your arms as the leg comes in. The raise the arms again as the other leg goes out to the side.

Do 10 slow reps to warm up.

2 – Punches in Bunches

Nest, you will do what’s called punches in bunches. Stand by standing with one leg and one arm in front of the other; like a boxer’s stance. Now you with alternately punch with the front hand and then the rear hard, like a boxer’s jab and cross.

You don’t have to be a boxer to do this, and the form need not be perfect. The main objective is to alternate the hands to move the waist and torso and rotate the feet to engage the core, shoulders, waist and build your cardio.

Do 10 two-punch reps.

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3 – Skiers

Next, we move on to skiers, which are motions like you are skiing.

Stand with one foot in front of the other. Hope one leg up and one leg back. As the right leg moves forward the right arm also moves forward. Then as the right leg and arm move back, the left leg and arm move forward.

Do 10 reps then move right into the next exercise.

4 – Lateral Lunge

Keep the cardio exercises going and move into a lateral lunge. It’s like an ice skater’s movement.

You’ll take a hop to the left, lifting your right foot off the ground and moving it behind you. At the same time your right hand will move behind you and your left hand moves in front for balance.

It’s easier than it sounds, so check our Coach Kevin in the video and follow along with his 10 reps.

5 – Progressive Burpee

Next, we find the dreaded burpee. Yes, these are difficult, and many despise them. But they are so effective at developing your cardiovascular and muscular fitness. Here, Coach Kevin shows them in progressive steps, to make them easier for beginners. If you can do the progressives without struggle, move on the full burpee.

Begin standing with feet shoulder’s width apart and hands by your sides. Bend your left knee as you step back deeply with your right foot and your hands both touch the floor in front of you. Then lower your left foot back next to the right, ending in a push-up position. Now stand up and repeat for a total of 10 times.

6 – Mountain Climbers

Go back down as if doing an 11^th burpee but remain in push-up position. Now move right into mountain climbers.

Simply hold the hands in place as your alternate stepping your feet up and back for 10 reps.

7 – Bicycles

No turn over and do bicycles or lying crunches to keep the heart rate going.

Clasp your hands behind your head, raise your knees and alternately touch your right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee.

10 reps are the magic number.

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8 – Side Jacks

Stand back up and return to the side jacks. This time, because you are now warmed up, do a faster set of 10 reps.

Follow along with Coach Kevin until you have these down, then add more reps as your cardio improves over times. Good luck and have fun!

The post 8 super fun and effective ways to get your heart pumping appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

By high school many dropped out of sports and never stretched again, unless they were involved in extracurricular activities like dance or running, biking or karate.

And then as we reached college and then adulthood we found ourselves sitting and sitting and sitting some more while studying, reading, working, driving, and relaxing. We soon came to experience the loss of elasticity in our legs and tightening of our hips and shoulders…

And pain soon followed.

If this sounds familiar, you may have even tried to get back into exercise to be more active, to burn off stress or have a good time. But the weekend warrior exercise routine only brings frustrations. That’s because you’re not as limber as you used to be, and when you push too hard — you pay for it with pulls, strains and sprains.

Well, fear not because a recent study shows how stretching a few times per week can garner some pretty solid results that will last…

Study: Stretching method and frequency

The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research published the results of a randomized single-blind longitudinal study on the effects of different stretching programs on men and women. The study looked to assess the “Effect of stretch frequency and sex on the rate of gain and rate of loss in muscle flexibility during a hamstring-stretching program.”

For the study 53 healthy individuals (ages 18-46) were divided into four different weekly stretching protocols and a control group for an eight-week period. They wanted to see the rate of gain or loss in hamstring flexibility across the different groups, and genders.

The control group did nothing different than usual. The stretching groups either stretched: 1) every day, once per day; 2) every day, twice per day; 3) three days per week, once per day; or three days per week, twice per day.

They stretched their hamstrings the same way in each of the stretching protocol groups, for a total of four weeks. Each week they were measured for hip range of motion (ROM). Weeks five through eight saw no additional stretching, but the ROM measurements continued.

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Sustained results

The results of the stretching groups were fantastic…

While the results showed no difference between men and women or the rates of ROM gain or loss, the six-days-a-week stretching group saw greater flexibility gains (24%) than the three-day-per-week groups (16.8%).

Each of the four stretching protocol groups showed gains in range of motion in their hips from day one through end of week four. What’s more, after eight weeks all four groups saw the same amount of ROM loss. However, all four group saw a sustained ROM improvement at week eight, even after not stretching for a month.

This lead researchers to conclude: “Stretching appears to be equally effective, whether performed daily or 3 times per week, provided individuals stretch at least 2 times each day.”

What to do

Based on these results, we can see that it is important to stretch at least twice per day, three days per week for sustained results. But these don’t need to be marathon sessions. And while the study only looked at hamstring ROM, for best quality of life results, you should stretch your whole body, from neck to calves.

There are many different approach to take when stretching, which you can read more about in “The Stretching Dilemma,” “Get up and S-T-R-E-T-C-H,” and “9 upper body stretches that relax and rejuvenate.” Here is a fun video for lower body stretching. Or try a yoga series for total body stretching.

Whichever stretching program you decide to use, make sure you do it consistently. Repetition changes your body and creates new muscle memory. Stretch one in the morning before work and again at night while watching television. Super easy!

The post The amazing and lasting benefits of simply stretching appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The mini-trampoline is a terrific tool for developing stability through dynamic movement. Because the trampoline is not “fixed” your body is forced to keep firing all different muscles at different rates and intensities to keep you in balance. This requires the development of leg strength and endurance that you cannot get by lifting weights or working on a stable floor.

In today’s video, Coach Kevin Kearns will show you four amazing exercises that will develop your core stability. Let’s have a look!

Mini-trampoline Exercise 1 – One Legged Reach

Many don’t realize that when we walk we are always off balance and falling forward to regain balance. We are balancing on one leg and falling onto the other for stability as we move forward. This first exercise will improve one-leg balance.

Stand upright on the mini-trampoline. Lift one foot off by bending the knee. Then bend the ankle, knee and hip of the other leg to slowly bend over and touch the side of the trampoline. Then slowly come back up. As you bend forward allow your raised leg to drift behind you for balance.

Try a set of 5 repetitions on each leg to start and see how you do. If you feel unstable, just lower your other foot and begin again.

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Mini-trampoline Exercise 2 – Lateral Steps

This next exercise has you moving laterally across the mini-trampoline while squatting and jumping. It works the core, hips and legs.

You will begin with one foot flat on the floor and the other flat on the rebounder.

Push down on the mini tramp, switch feet, and glide over to the other side. Then go back to the other side. Try 15-20 reps and see how it feels.

Mini-trampoline Exercise 3 – Core Twist

Site on your butt on the mini-trampoline.

Bend your knees to elevate your feet while keeping your body upright, essentially holding a crunchy position.

Hold your hands together and move your arms from side to side.  Good for core and lower back.

If your core is not strong enough yet to hold the position, or if your lower back begins to hurt for any reason, simply lower your feet so your calves touch the edges of the mini-tramp.

Do 10-20 repetitions, and make sure you keep breathing and don’t hold your breath.

Mini-trampoline Exercise 4 – Spider-man Knee Raise from Push-up Position

This is another exercise that really works the core and shoulders. It also improved flexibility in the wrists and instability training for the shoulders, while developing hip strength.

Begin in a push-up position holding on to the side of the mini-trampoline.

Raise right knee up to the outside toward your right elbow, place the leg back down.

Raise the left knee to the outside up to the left elbow, place the leg back down.

Try for 10-20 repetitions and see how it goes!

The post 4 ways to ‘bounce’ your way to a stronger core appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But we are on a downward spiral to shorter lifespans with preventable diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes taking their toll.

To the point, many of the worst diseases that destroy lives are preventable; they are caused by our lifestyle choices. So if we are the cause we can also be the cure via prevention.

When it comes to cancer, a few lifestyle changes can make all the difference. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “lack of exercise or physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and drinking too much alcohol — cause much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases and conditions.”

What’s more, according to the World Cancer Research Fund, 20 percent of cancers are attributed to being overweight, being sedentary, having a poor diet and consuming alcohol and cigarettes.  In other words, they are caused by simple lifestyle choices. And with education, we can then choose to make different choices and live longer healthier lives…

Weight is a big issue

Excess weight, especially excess abdominal mass, is directly correlated to increased risk of many kinds of cancer, including:  breast (in women past menopause), colon and rectum, endometrium, esophagus, kidney and pancreatic.

This occurs because excessive body adiposity (fat) causes inflammation and inflammation provides an environment for the growth of cancer cells.

If you are overweight, the best first line in reducing your risk of cancer is to lose weight. You can do this by changing your diet and by increasing your physical activity.

Inflammation

Stress is a killer and those under high levels of stress are more inclined toward unhealthy lifestyle choices and behaviors. Stress also causes inflammation and inflammation is the elephant in the room of cancer.

Inflammation is caused by lifestyle factors and inflammation causes cancer. You can read more about the inflammation abomination. Luckily, the remedy for inflammation is the same as the prevention for cancer: improved diet, more exercise, reduced stress, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol.

Diet improvement is essential

The food you consume plays a direct role in your health and especially in disease prevention. Think of it; whatever you eat, your body magically transforms into cells, tissues, muscles, blood. What you eat becomes your body, and so if you are eating highly processed foods, food additives and chemicals, you are creating an unhealthy body. Inflammation is one of the negative results of a poor diet.

According to the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, “…consumption of processed and red meat, alcohol and sugary drinks are associated with elevated cancer risk. On the contrary, consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains can do much to reduce risk.”

The WHO recommends the Mediterranean Diet. But if you don’t want to follow that, you can make healthy horizontal shifts from convention to organic, from processed to whole foods.

Physical activity powers prevention

Being sedentary puts you at risk for cancer, and many other diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Exercise, even at moderate levels, increases metabolism, burns excess calories and reduces inflammation.

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2015:

• 50 percent of adults aged 18 years or older did not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity.
• 79 percent did not meet recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity.

There are many way to begin increasing your level, type and duration of physical activity that don’t cost money, or take up too much time. These include: Walking, jogging, hiking, yoga, tai Chi, martial arts, yardwork, and bodyweight exercises like push-ups and sit-ups. You can even exercise from your chair. Whatever it is, make sure you get up and move your body.

Drop those bad habits

Any cancer prevention program must include avoidance of tobacco and alcohol. Seriously. If you are at risk even smoking or drinking “now and then” can increase that risk or put you over the edge. Here’s why:

According to the American Cancer Society, “tobacco smoke is made up of thousands of chemicals, including at least 70 known to cause cancer.” And e-cigarettes are not safe, either. As the ACS warns, “Marketers of e-cigarettes and other ENDS often claim the ingredients are safe. But the aerosols these products produce can contain addictive nicotine, flavorings, and a variety of other chemicals, some known to be toxic or to cause cancer.”

Where drinking alcohol is concerned, the American Cancer Society has a stern warning. Alcohol consumption has been linked with 10 different types of cancer: mouth, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, breast and may also increase risk of pancreas and stomach cancer.

Moreover, the ACS warns that “For each of these cancers, the more alcohol you drink, the higher your cancer risk.”

Simply put: If you are at risk for cancer, stop smoking and drinking alcohol!

The post ‘Elephant in the room’ cancer causes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These are exercises which work more than one muscle group at a time, in a series of connected movements.

In this one exercise you’ll strengthen and tone your hips and oblique muscles (muscles along the sides of your torso), and shoulder and upper back. That’s four muscle groups at one time!

Tema Esberg of Potentia Personal Training will show you the “Side Plank with Hip Dip and Shoulder Press” compound exercise. Yes, that’s a mouthful… but it’s worth it — your body will love you as this series really strengthens your core, hips and shoulders all at the same time!

Let’s get started.

What you need

For this compound exercise you will need two things.

1. An elevated surface that is sturdy. This could be a bench, table, chair or sofa arm. It needs to be something that can hold your weight and that will not move from under you.
2. A light weight. Tema is using a five-pound dumbbell, but you can old a heavy book or even a water bottle if you don’t have a weight.

Starting position

Hold the wright in your right hand and rest your left forearm against the bench, horizontally.

Walk your feet out so your body is extended, legs overlapped, with right side facing up.

If you are new to this exercise, or find the position too difficult to maintain, you can place your right foot on the floor.

Raise your right arm up toward the ceiling, keep it straight as it holds the weight.

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What to do

Because this is a compound exercise it is done in three parts, which, when combined, make one repletion. First is the hip dip followed by the arm press.

First, get into position. This is known as the Side Plank and works the core stabilizing muscles of the body.

Second, do the Hip Dip, by lowering your left hip toward the floor then raising it back to starting position. Do this while keeping the weight high above in your extended right arm.

Third, do the weighted press by bending your elbow to lower your weighted hand down toward the floor, in front of your body. Then raise it back up toward the ceiling. Be sure to keep your body aligned and try your best not to bend it.

Reps and sets

This combination constitutes one repetition. You want to do 10 reps, then switch sides and do another 10 reps. If you can, work up to 3 sets of 10 reps each side.

After some time, you will see terrific results in strength, tone, coordination and range of motion from this compound exercise. Have fun!

The post The single best way to tone 4 muscle groups at once appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, a great percentage of Americans are neither healthy nor physically fit.

No matter what the reasons are for this, overcoming one thing could change it all — and that one thing is inertia…

Overcoming inertia means changing your current state by overcoming the inability to move forward.

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But what exactly is inertia?

The dictionary has two basic definitions for inertia…

1) “A tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.” This is the reason many people are stuck in their present state of ill-health. They are inactive or unchanging in their actions, behaviors or outlook.

2) “A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.” This physics definition explains why things never seem to change, when different things are not being done.

What these two definitions of inertia imply is that if your health is suffering now, you cannot become healthier or more fit if you do not change what you are currently doing. After all, you know what they say about  insanity… it’s “doing the same things again and again yet expecting different results.”

But when those habits become healthier, the game changes…

So, this is how it feels…

To overcome inertia you must do something and do it repeatedly. Yet once you get going the inert force to overcome becomes less and less. Like a car going from parked to 60 mph, it begins slowly and then once the speed limit is reached, it’s like coasting along at the same speed. With health and fitness, once you get up and get moving, or adopt a new diet, the effort to continue doing so becomes easier and easier each week.

When I begin making changes in myself, I find it useful and motivating to acknowledge how I feel about it. When trying to do cardio for an extra 15 minutes than I am used to, it will be difficult. Rather than give up, I push through it and say, “So, this is how it feels to keep my heart rate elevated and push my lungs for 15 more minutes.” When I decide I will try to do another 10 push-ups, I will push through the difficulty by saying, “So, this is how it feels to do more push-ups than I thought I could.”

When you begin a new habit of eating, choosing more fresh and whole foods and less refined or prepared foods, it can be difficult. First, you need to change your thinking about food. Next, you have to become familiar with the better foods to consume. Third, you may even have to drive to a different grocery store. All of this requires change and discomfort. But once you go to that new store a few times, it is no longer “new” or “unfamiliar.” Once you get used to eating more whole fresh foods, your meals are no longer unfamiliar to you. And each time you shop or prepare or eat the new foods you can say, “So, this is how it feels to go out of my way to eat healthier.”

Once you know how something will feel, and make it through, you will no longer fear it. Yes, most people do nothing, remain at rest and unchanged because they fear the effort and the unfamiliar feelings brought about by change. Your reality changes once you acknowledge your feelings and use that acknowledgement to help motivate you toward change. With this, overcoming inertia is not only manageable but becomes easier and easier until the new healthier you is no longer the old unhealthy you.

The post When you feel this good, there’s no going back appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Often we feel pain in their lower back after bending “wrong” or trying to lift something too heavy, but the root cause is likely lack of strength and tone in the lower back and supporting muscles of the hips and buttocks (glutes).

This occurs because most of us sit through the day, getting littler exercise or range of movement, and our supporting muscles lose their ability to, well, support us.

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In today’s video, Tema Esberg of Potentia Personal Training, will show you a compound movement exercise combining a Kick Back and a Kick Out. It really works to tone and strengthen the glutes and hips, and even stretch the hamstrings; muscles that are important for helping stabilize and support the lower back. Plus, the exercise will help “sculpt” these areas — a nice added benefit!

This exercise set is done on the floor, so get a matt or rug and let’s get going!

Start on the floor in Table Top position—knees under hips and hands under shoulders.

Begin by extending back the left leg, then raise it up by moving your heel toward the ceiling. This is called a “Kick Back.”

Only lift the leg as far up as you can without leaning forward. Keep the Table Top position stable. Then lower your left back to extended position parallel with the floor.

Next, kick your left leg out to the left side. This is called the “Kick Out.”

Move the leg as if trying to touch your shoulder with your toes. Of course, you can’t do that, but the movement is along that angle.

Return the leg to the extended back position. This combination of kick back and kick out counts as one repetition. Do a count of 10 reps with each leg.

You could do a total of 3 sets of 10 reps each leg for a great workout to strengthen the muscles of your butt and hips, and your hamstrings too!

Have fun!

The post The best exercise for lower back pain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Poor diet, too much stress, toxic relationships, lack of exercise, being too sedentary, living in an unhealthy environment and genetics — to name a few.

But one of the biggest obstacles is just not knowing how to get started… how to change the path you’re on to one that can give you the healthy, productive, long and fulfilling life you deserve.

Well, it’s a new year — the perfect time for new things. So, today we’re going to talk about how you can forge a path to wellness and change your life.

Creating a wellness path is actually quite easy, if you decide you are ready; though if you have been sedentary or used to others directing your wellness, it might seem overwhelming at first.

Well, every great change begins with a single step, and the first step to creating a positive wellness path is removing the barriers to creating a successful path forward.

Let’s get started…

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Barrier 1: Time

Perhaps the most obvious barrier to creating a wellness path, and achieving optimal health, is time. There is only so much of it in a day, a week, a month and a year. We can’t add time, and when we finally do find a free moment it quickly gets eaten up by unanticipated sources, like work, housework, family obligations, events, projects, appointments, you name it. Who’s got time for all that?

Actually, everyone has time to spare and everyone should schedule time for their health and wellness. Make it your priority. I use a Google calendar and put everything on it—work, appointments, family items, and personal time. And it is during that personal “me” time that I exercise, go for a walk, meditate, stretch or some other wellness practice. When it’s not scheduled, it usually gets pushed to the back and then off the edge. Scheduling time is the only way to remove “time” as a barrier to wellness success.

Barrier 2: Money

Another barrier to creating and following a wellness path is money. Many people either don’t have or think they don’t have the financial resources to care for themselves outside of what their insurance covers. But this simply is not true.

There are many things you can do along your path to wellness that are free, or extremely cheap. This includes walking, biking, hiking, exercising, meditating, drinking more water, sleeping better, and eating more vegetables and complex carbs.

For best results, you may need to spend some additional dollars. A personal trainer costs money. A weekly massage costs money. Acupuncture gets expensive. Herbs are cheap, but their costs add up. The main thing is to prioritize your wellness dollars.

How can you find the resources if they are tight? Well, if you are spending money on extra cable channels, eating meals out, then why not cut back on these and allocate the money for your health instead? Skip the designer coffees, pack your lunches and put the money toward organic produce instead. There is always money to be found for wellness, if you make it a priority. And when you do, money will no longer be a barrier toward creating and succeeding along your wellness path.

Barrier 3: Not knowing what to do

Another barrier to wellness success is not know what to do or how to do it. Well, being a reader of Easy Health Options, you already took the first step to increasing your knowledge and moving from ignorance to understanding. All you need to remove this barrier is time to read and perhaps ask someone with more experience along the path some questions.

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Gather your resources

There are also some great tools out there that provide resources for knowing how to get and stay on the path of wellness. First, you want to change your thinking about the process and ditch willpower for willingness. I wrote about how to do that in my article, Ditch willpower for willingness to get where you want to be.

Next, you want create a collaborative wellness support system around you. Read To Get Well, Get Your Collaborative Team Together.

Next, you need to use metrics to calibrate your wellness progress, from where you are now, at the beginning of your path, and points along the way. This will help keep you moving forward in objective way. You can learn more about calibrating your wellness in Stuck? Here’s how to get the life you want.

In closing, I want you to know that I understand that you may be at the end of your rope. You have already spent huge sums of money, time and effort trying to get better, to become pain free, or to lead the life you desire. But your life isn’t over and there is plenty of time left to truly live. All you have to do is redouble your courage, dig your heels in and: 1) make the time, 2) allocate the money, 3) learn what to do; and 4) gather your resources.

Good luck!

The post The first step to better, healthier living appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, I know lots of people who won’t even give them a try. If you don’t have any or much upper body strength they seem near to impossible.

But not these… and even better, this easy-peasy push-up routine works multiple muscle groups at once — and fits into even the busiest schedule. No time to do a lot of exercises? No problem!

This “push-ups with diagonal knee lifts” set will develop your arms, chest, core and oblique muscles — all within just a few minutes.

Watch along in the video, below, as Tema Esberg from Potentia Personal Training introduces you to the magic of compound-movement exercise. This is a single exercise comprised of several movements that work many different muscle groups at the same time.

Give it a try and tell us what you think!

Getting started

These will be done from a raised surface, like a bench, chair, coffee table… or you can do them on the floor.

Begin by placing your hands firmly on your elevated surface. Your arms will be directly under your shoulders, your legs straight, weight on the balls of your feet.

You want also to squeeze your glutes or butt muscles, and keep strong in your core. This will help you keep your body straight and not bent at the waist.

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What to do

Begin with a push-up. You will bend your elbows to lower your body until your chest touches (or thereabouts) the bench. Then press yourself back up.

Next, raise your right knee diagonally up to ward the left elbow then lower back down. Then raise your left knee diagonally up toward your right elbow then lower it back down.

That is one count. Repeat this sequence – push-up, right knee raise, left knee raise – for a set of 10 repetitions. Do 3 sets of 10.

Enjoy the workout!

The post The easy-peasy push-up workout for your whole body appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For ceremonies, meals, leisurely relaxation — and health — tea has held a solid place in history.

There are many kinds of tea and many ways to enjoy it, while at the same time improving health and invigorating life. And numerous studies have proven the amazing health benefits of drinking tea.

Here, I’d like to share a study on how amazing even a single cup of tea a day is on brain health, and then introduce you to a less-known tea in the West: lotus tea.

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Green tea fights Alzheimer’s decline

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, examined the relationships between green or black/oolong tea consumption habits and incident neurocognitive disorders (NCD). An NCD is when there is significant cognitive decline in more than one neurocognitive area, which can include: attention, language, executive function, learning and memory, social cognition and perceptual-motor.

The study, which is part of the larger Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study, followed 957 Chinese seniors from 2003-2010. At study start, all participant were over age 55 and without cognitive disorders. Follow up was done every two years, and the findings are significant…

The study showed that those who consumed as little as one cup of tea daily significantly reduced their risk of cognitive decline as they aged, by an amazing 50 percent. This is compared to their non-tea drinking peers in the study control group.

What’s more, researchers found that those who carry the APOE e4 gene, which has been connected to cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia, were 85 percent less likely to show signs of degeneration.

Drinking one or more cups of plain green or oolong tea daily has many health benefits, especially for the brain and cognition. If you can drink it plain, without added sugars or milk, that is the best option.

Try lotus tea

Many are familiar with green tea and jasmine tea, which is green tea scented with jasmine flowers. Well, my new favorite is the terrific tasting lotus tea, which is green tea scented with lotus flowers.

The lotus is ubiquitous in India and China as a symbol of perseverance and fortitude. Even though the flower grows in mud, its flowers still blossom above the muddy waters. It is therefore seen as a symbol of purity of mind, body, spirit, speech and soul. While the entire flower (petals, stems, roots) are used in herbal medicine, it is easiest and best when drank as a tea.

Because lotus leaves augment the green tea, it still contains all the powerful antioxidants and polyphenols of green tea. The lotus flower, however, adds another level to this tea’s wellness powers.

Lotus tea is calming, helping to reduce restlessness, worry, anxiety, heart palpitations and insomnia.

Lotus tea is great at “drying dampness” from the stomach, spleen and liver. This is a Chinese medicine term for mucus or thick fluids that decrease the effectiveness of the organs.

Lotus tea helps “resolve heat” which means it quenches thirst and cools the stomach, intestines and skin, thus lowering inflammation and redness.

Lotus tea is alkalizing and therefore reduces inflammation, calms acid reflux and lowers blood pressure.

Lotus tea blocks the absorption of fats, and therefore is a complimentary treatment for high cholesterol and triglycerides.

There is a great study article on the seeds of the lotus plant on the website Frontiers in Plant Science, which notes uses for “nervous disorders, insomnia, high fevers with restlessness, poor digestion, chronic diarrhea, enteritis, tissue inflammation, cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and arrhythmia”… and well as its “antioxidant, anti-amnesic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities.”

When it comes to the health of the brain or the body, science and history point to tea as a powerful ally.

The post What a single cup of tea does to your brain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Generally, we tighten up with emotional stress and physically-inactive positions, like sitting and typing or sitting and watching TV.

That kind of prolonged lack of motion without changes in body position leads to tightness, trigger points, limited range of motion and pain. When it comes to your body’s full range of motion — just like the old saying goes — if you don’t use it, you lose it.

So before you know it, it’s not so easy to move, and when you do it hurts. But you can remedy that…

In today’s video, yoga teacher Wendy Krauss Talis will teach a half sun salutation, a full sun salutation, and an additional flow sequence that will warm up your body, move the joints, stretch the muscles and make you feel great!

Give it a try and see about making it a daily practice.

Part 1 – Half Sun Salutation

Stand feet together. Inhale and raise your arms above your head.

Pull arms back and drop them shoulder height and bring your chest forward.

Bend to waist level and allow your hands to rest on your knees, feet, blocks (if you have them) or the floor. Raise chin a bit to look up.

Exhale and soften the knees and lower your head toward the knees. Bend the knees more, bring arms back and then raise them to shoulder height. Keep your weight in your heels and bring your chest forward.

Come all the way up and raise your arms back up above your head. Place palms together and lower hands to chest level.

Repeat this half sun salutation sequence a total of three times; more if you like.

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Part 2 – Full Sun Salutation

If you feel you can do more, continue the flow from the above with arms raised above your head.

Pull arms back and drop them shoulder height and bring your chest forward.

Bend to waist level and allow your hands to rest on your knees, feet, blocks (if you have them) or the floor. Raise chin a bit to look up.

Exhale and bring your head to your knees.

Inhale and raise up so chest is parallel to the floor, hands on your knees or shins.

Bend your knees so your hands can be placed flat on the floor.

Raise your right leg up and place it fully extended behind you into a lunge. Lift your chin and chest.

Gently glide back to allow your left knee to straighten and place your head toward your left knee.

Bend forward into the knee, chest still against it, hands on the floor.

Kick the left leg back and place it fully extended behind you into a lunge. Lift your chin and chest.

Gently glide back to allow your right knee to straighten and place your head toward your right knee.

Bend forward into the knee, chest still against it, hands on the floor.

Part 3 – Ending Flow

Lift and place your right leg back, feet parallel and keep body in the pike position.

Go down onto your knees then sit back into child pose, and hold for a few seconds.

Go back into the pike position, then lower into eight-point pose, and hold for a few seconds.

Glide up into Cobra pose and hold for a few seconds.

Com back up to the pike position and hold for a few seconds.

Walk your feet up into a forward bend, and hold for a few seconds.

Breathe in as you come back up and raise your arms, like you began.

Please be sure to follow along with Wendy on the video!

The post The daily practice for pain-free movement appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But why is that so hard for us to accept?

Maybe because even within the medical community, it’s a hard sell…

It took a long time for the notion that diet affects health to take hold in the medical community in the United States. The idea of psycho-somatic pain was dismissed for decades until the mind-body connection became established as a real phenomenon.

And cancer… nearly 50 percent of cancer cases are linked to modifiable behaviors.

To be clear, it’s been proven that, in many cases, cancer can be avoided by simply changing our behaviors.

I have always been an advocate for self-directed wellness; that is, acknowledging my role in my state of health, and trying my best to take actions to better my health by changing my thoughts and behaviors.

I am not always so successful and you may struggle with this too. But if we could greatly reduce our risks for cancer by changing a few habits, wouldn’t it be well worth it?

U.S. cancer statistics

According to statistics provided by The National Cancer Institute, over 1.5 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2016. That may seem like a while ago, but it takes a while to gather and quantify this kind of data. The same year, nearly 600,000 people died from the disease. The most common cancers in 2016 included breast, lung, prostate and skin, among others.

Approximately 39.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes (based on 2010-2012 data).

The American lifestyle has contributed to much of these statistics, as our modern lifestyle has led many to live a sedentary life, become obese, smoke and drink to excess, and remain bathing in the sun for too long. And it is these very things that are preventable through changes in behavior and can in themselves reduce the risk of cancer by about half.

Risky behavior

According to a press release posted on The Daily Press regarding a study of cancer, behaviors like smoking and drinking alcohol contribute greatly to preventable cancers. In other words, they are not all inherited, as once believed.

The study, conducted by the American Cancer Society, relied on data from 2014 and was published on the subscription-based CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Researchers, including ACS chief medical officer, wanted to reevaluate the estimated causes of cancer, based on behaviors today against a 1981 British study, which attributed over two-thirds of cancer deaths to lifestyle choices, like smoking and drinking and obesity. Things have gotten worse.

Among the findings:

1. Smoking accounted for 82 percent of lung cancers.
2. Excess body weight was associated with 60 percent of uterine cancers and about one-third of liver cancers.
3. Alcohol intake was associated with 25 percent of liver cancers in men and 12 percent in women; 17 percent of colorectal cancers in men and 8 percent in women; and 16 percent of breast cancers in women. It appears the verdict is in about alcohol and cancer.
4. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds was associated with 96 percent of skin cancers in men and 94 percent in women.

All of these – nearly 50 percent of cases – could have been (and can be) prevented through changes in a few behaviors.

Changing behaviors, lifestyle is key

Bad lifestyle habits and choices, or what the study authors refer to as behaviors, are “modifiable risk factors” of diseases including diabetes, lung, liver and heart disease and cancer. These include things like quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, losing weight and eating better.

When we add up the numbers from the study, we find that 45 percent of cancer deaths and 42 percent of new diagnoses of cancer could be attributed to these very unhealthy behaviors.

Related: 8 food sources identified as ‘chemopreventive’ may be future of cancer therapy

With this being the case, it should be easy to drop the cancer rate in the United States by about 50 percent… saving lives, families, and money. The problem is, behaviors are very hard to change.

There are ways to do this with an open mind and a support system. You can read about methods like setting SMART wellness goals; conducting a SWOT analysis to develop your personal wellness plan; improving your diet and losing weight.

The basic idea is to create your own state of health by reframing your thoughts and beliefs. It will take some resolve, some practice and some support. But we all need to do our best to help reduce the burden of this deadly disease by half.

The post 4 behaviors linked to 50 percent of cancers appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It was developed thousands of years ago as a system of health preservation, fitness and self-defense. It is described in the West as “moving meditation” because the movements, when coordinated with correct breathings, lead the practitioner into a meditative state of gentle relaxation.

In today’s video, Dr. Luke Jih, Director of the Golden Light Institute for Body-Mind Advancement, will show you four exercises drawn from Tai Chi movements that will help release stress and tension in your neck and shoulder, while improving overall range of motion. This series of exercises follows naturally from those shown in one of his previous videos.

Exercise 1 — Arm raise and twist

From the same position, raise your arms straight up above your head along the front of the body.

From a relaxed position, inhale and you slowly raise your arms up with palms facing, up and then along the sides of your face. Continue raising your arms all the way up above your head as far as you can reach.

Form the extended position you will pivot your waist to the left to help the right arm reach even higher. Then pivot your waist to the right to help your left hand reach even higher.

Repeat the pivot and reach a total of five times. When done, allow yourself to relax totally and arm to just drop by their sides. This will feel great in your next and shoulders.

Exercise 2 — Arm circle with waist pivot

For this exercise you will pivot your waist while drawing circles with your arm along one side.

To begin, place your left hand on your left hip and extend your right arm up in front on you, then up over your head and, as your waist pivots back your arm will move to the back and lower then come back up in front. That sounds complicated here, but watch the video to see how easy it is!

Inhale as you raise your arm up and over and exhale as you lower your arm and bring it back to front.

Do a set of five rotations and then switch arms and repeat.

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Exercise 3 — Stretch and unfold arms

For this next exercise you will essentially be stretching your arm behind you and the unrolling it forward, like a mini scroll.

Inhale as you raise your arm up behind you, palm forward. As your arm reaches its height turn your wrist over. Exhale as you unfold your elbow and wrist to the front. Review video for details.

Do a set of five and then repeat on the other arm.

Exercise 4 — Shoulder shrug and drop

To complete this set of rotational exercises you will want to relax the shoulders and neck. To do this simply stand with arms by your side. Inhale and you raise your shoulders up as high as you can, then exhale quickly as you allow your shoulders to drop back down.

Do this 10 times.

The post Using Tai Chi to soothe neck and shoulder pain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They are high in flavonoids (antioxidants), B and E vitamins, various minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium) and dietary fiber.

Nuts are like disease kryptonite. They have been shown to strengthen immunity, improve cardiovascular health, slow aging, fight cancer and improve bowel regularity.

Nuts are also a satisfying super snack that can help prevent weight gain and promote weight loss.

And past research has even shown that walnuts might stave off Alzheimer’s. But the most recent research actually takes a look at your brain on nuts…

Nuts and brain health

Researchers from Loma Linda University Health knew that absorbed flavonoids penetrate and accumulate in the hippocampus. This is the region of the brain involved in learning and memory. The direct process through which how nuts affect brain wave patterns has not been clearly understood. For the new study, researchers sought “evidence of a relationship between antioxidant concentration in nuts and electroencephalography (EEG) brain state frequency modulation.” The results were published in The FASEB Journal.

Specifically, researchers sought to discover the correlates of neuroelectric activities that are associated with nut flavonoid effects on neurocognition, neuronal synchronization, memory, recall, mood and behavior.

To do this, they utilized EEG Power Spectral Density to study the effects on the brain of a variety of nuts, including walnuts, pecans, pistachios, peanuts, cashews and almonds. Participants EEG brain waves were recorded at nine places on the scalp. After taking a baseline reading, the nine bandwidths were recorded, second-by-second, through the study.

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Different nuts = Different brain affects

Interestingly, the brain seems to respond differently to different types of nuts. Brain frequency was more pronounced with specific nuts…

According to this study, pistachios produced the greatest gamma wave response, which is critical for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep.

Peanuts, on the other hand, produced the highest delta response, which is associated with healthy immunity, natural healing, and deep sleep. The researchers do know that peanuts are legumes, but still included them in the study.

In another study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers looked at the role of English walnuts in potential prevention of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Because walnuts contain a high concentration of phytochemicals and polyunsaturated fatty acids, it reasoned that they would have a positive effect on brain health. And they do! The researchers found that “walnuts not only reduce the oxidant and inflammatory load on brain cells but also improve interneuronal signaling, increase neurogenesis, and enhance sequestration of insoluble toxic protein aggregates.”

Nuts and higher consciousness

After reviewing their data on various nuts and how they affect EEG brain bands, specifically the Delta and Gamma frequencies, researchers found the nuts do positively affect these brain waves. Not only do they support memory, cognition, recall, mood, and behavior, but nuts’ effects on specific brain frequencies seems also to be “associated with deep meditation, empathy, healing, as well as neural synchronization, enhanced cognitive processing, recall, and memory.”

Diet is an extremely powerful tool for boosting and promoting brain health. Aside from nuts, a host of other foods also contain the phytonutrients, flavonoids, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids that support brain and mood, including: seeds, beans, avocados, blueberries, whole grains, pomegranates, dark chocolate, green tea and wild Alaskan salmon.

Change your diet, change your brain. Consuming more nuts each day is the perfect first step.

The post Your brain on nuts appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Well, maybe they’re on the skinny side, but the girl has some tone. If you’d like to whip your arms into shape, I’ve got a great workout for you…

In fact, if you get busy you might be able to see results by New Year’s eve (just in case you’re going sleeveless).

Many exercises work to strengthen one area or another. But when time is in short order and you want to work more areas, you need a multi-faceted exercise.

In today’s video, Wendy Krauss Talis shows you three variations on a single exercise that will strengthen your triceps while also toning your core. Let’s try it with her!

Triceps Press – 1: Basic

Begin seated on the floor with feet extended out in front of you.

Place your hands behind you, palms open and on the floor. Your finger should either point toward you or out to the sides; do not point them backward.

Inhale. On exhale you will press your hands into the floor and lift your bottom up off the floor. Push your pelvis upward to raise your core level with your legs. Hold for a second or two, then slightly bend your elbows and allow your waist to dip back toward the floor.

Repeat 10 times, or more as you are able.

When you complete the set, bend forward and reach for your toes to help stretch and relax the muscles.

Triceps Press – 2: Reverse Table Top

For this variation you will bend your knees, making sure your feet and knees are hip-width apart.

Inhales. On exhale, you will press up and lift your hips up. Engage your core and raise up into “reverse table top” position, which is where your arms and calves are parallel to each other, and your thighs and torso are parallel to the floor.

From here you will bend your elbows and dip down and press up for a series of 10 repetitions.

When you complete the set, bend forward and reach for your toes to help stretch and relax the muscles.

Triceps Press – 3: Elevated on Blocks

For this advanced version, you will repeat the above two variations but with elevated hands.

You will place yoga blocks, or some other stable object, a few inches behind your hips. Place your palms flat on it with your fingers bend over the edge for support.

Try another 10 reps each and see how it goes!

Remember also to bend forward and reach for your toes after each set, to help stretch and relax the muscles.

Have fun!

The post One simple workout for 2x the tone: Arms and core appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You might feel an overwhelming rush of anxiety because you fear something that might happen in the future. You feel overwhelmed because you can’t seem to decide between multiple directions or decisions…

All of this creates what in Buddhism is called the monkey mind — and in the West is commonly referred to as a racing mind.

When the internal chatter is too much to handle or ceases to abate, it can cause mental fatigue, psychological distress and emotional breakdown. Today I’d like to share four ways that you can use to quiet the mind and find peace.

The monkey mind

The monkey mind is the Buddhist’s way of describing what we call a racing mind or racing thoughts. It refers to a mind that is overactive, unsettled, restless, confused, indecisive and uncontrollable.

In his teachings, the Buddha likened the collision of thoughts in an unsettled mind to a crazed monkey, or even dozens of them, jumping around, screeching and creating havoc. The more thoughts going on at the same time, the more monkeys making you crazy.

Meditation, the Buddha taught, was the means to quiet the mind and find stillness and clarity. He described techniques using mantras as well as those based purely on breath-work that overtime calmed the mind.

Benefits of a quiet mind

There are so many benefits to having a quiet mind that everyone should work toward one. On a basic level, we can talk about stress relief, decreased anxiety, clarity of thought, better decision-making processes, better sleep, less distraction, a greater sense of wellbeing.

Busy people, especially those who hold demanding jobs and also have a full family life after work, never seem to have enough time to decompress, to relax. I know I move from one thing to another and often juggle 10 or more items in my head at a time. And while I find it helpful to find time to read and exercise to relax, the mind can still be very active.

Some solutions

There are several solutions that are very helpful when dealing with too much information to process. These include:

• Having someone to share the information with and seek advice from on difficult decisions, like a friend, partner or family member you trust.
• Using a planner or calendar to mark appointments and notes, so you don’t have to keep them in your head.
• Journaling your thoughts, desires, worries or opinions to “get them out” of your head.
• Various forms of “detached focus,” as described below…

Detached focus is the answer

Finding a place to focus your attention, but being detached from it is the key to quieting the monkey mind or slowing down those racing thoughts.

Think of it like a glass of water with dirt in it. When you shake it up the direct is distributed throughout the water. Yet after a while of sitting unmoved on the counter, the dirt rests as mud at the bottom and the water is clear on top. This is what focused attention will do with your thoughts: rein them in to clear the mind.

Here are four ways to accomplish this; all of them requiring you remain still for a period of time as you do them.

Focus on the breath – Breathing is the basis of meditation and most modern approaches to calming down, reducing anxiety and nervousness. Here, you want to place your attention on your breath. You can count four breaths on inhalation and eight breath on exhalation. You can focus on how the body feels when inhaling and exhaling. Regardless of how you focus on the breath, it must not create a situation where you need to ‘think’ about it; like if you have lung issues. If breathing is difficult, try another method!

Focus on a feeling – This could be the feeling of your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale. It could be the feeling of air as is passes through your nostrils while breathing. It could be the feeling of your fingernail gently gliding over your finger. But whatever it is, the feeling must have no consequence to you so you can remain mentally unattached to it.

Focus on a sound – Sound is often used in meditation to quiet the mind by using an external sound to overcome the internal thought sounds. Sound can be used in many ways, including a mantra, or OM, or using singing bowls or listening to a fan whirling. The sound type is not as important as its monotone nature and that it does not trigger in your memories or thoughts associated with it. Music may not be the best choice for these reasons.

Focus on an object – Sight can also be used to quiet the mind. In fact, many ancient traditions use the staring at a candle flame as a means to induce trance-like states. You can stare at a candle flame or just a spec on the wall. It does not matter, as long as you are able to hold your gaze and focus on it to block out other distractions.

Additional thoughts

I find that meditating before sleep is a great way to help me sleep deeply and wake up refreshed. I also am fond of combining two of the above focus methods at once. For example, I might focus on my breathing in my body while focusing my eyes on an object. This allows two of the senses to be occupied at once, to help to overcome the chatter in my mind.

Getting on top of my schedule, trying not to overextend myself, and finding some “me time” also helps prevent too much internal chatter from taking hold. If you’re interested in a meditation, here is a great one: Meditation for a quiet mind and happy heart.

Good luck!

The post 4 Ways to shut down a racing mind for better sleep appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Many things can cause eczema, like allergens, smoke, various irritants and even diet and stress, but there appears to be no cure for it.

Well, in today’s video, Kellie Bach will show you how to make an essential oils blend to relieves the effects of eczema. It soothes the skin and repairs some of the damage, too, and you can make this at home.

What you need

You will need some small glass vials with roller tops for application. You can purchase a box of 40 online for about $10. If you don’t have this, you can make due with another container.

A small plastic dropper is great to use, too; making sure the tip fits into the oil containers.

Some basic sticker labels also help to ensure you know what is in the vials once you make them.

You will also need a carrier oil (like argon or sweet almond) and two essential oils for this recipe.

The first essential oil is tea tree oil. This has strobing antiseptic properties, which means it helps clean wounds and prevent infections to open sores.

Second essential oil is lavender oil, which is also a disinfectant and helps to relieves pain and promote blood circulation for healing.

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What to do

Now that you have all your ingredients and items it’s time to make the eczema relief oil.

First, it is important to use a carrier oil to help dilute the very potent essential oils.

Begin by filling one of your vials to 90% capacity with the carrier oil. In this video, Kellie uses argon oil.

To this, add about 5 drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil. You can always add more later, but you can’t take it away.

Close the roller cap or lid on your oils and shake well.

How to apply

Whether you are using a roll on bottle or a spray bottle or other, it is important first to try the oil mix on a small section of skin. This will allow you to see how it feels on the skin and if you have an allergic reaction.

Once that it oked you can apply to the eczema affected areas of your hands or arms or other body part and rub in well, but not so hard you irritate open skin. You should feel soothing relief and can apply 2 or 3 times a day, as needed.

We hope this helps you or your loved on suffering with eczema as it has our daughter.

The post Eczema relief with essential oils appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And that means maintaining low shoulders, a straight back, holding your chest high and keeping your core stabilized.

But sitting for most of each day, over a computer, as many of us do, our shoulders become rounded, our spine compressed, our chest sunken in and our hips and core lax. This can have painful effects on your neck, shoulders and back — and even decrease lung capacity and lead to gastrointestinal issues.

If you’ve tried to sit or stand using better posture, you’ve probably noticed the first place you feel it is in your tummy area. After a while, those muscles get tired of working to keep your chest high and your back straight, and you feel yourself slouching again. Here’s where boat pose can really help your posture and train those muscles for a firm, tight and flat tummy…

In today’s video, Wendy Krauss Talis teaches several variations on Yoga’s Boat Pose, which is great for core strength…

1 – Beginning posture

Begin seated on the floor, using a rug or cushion under you is ok. Bend your knees so your feet are close to your butt.

Place the flats of your hands under your knees, between your upper thighs and your calf muscles.

Sit up tall by raising your spine. Make sure your shoulders are back and down, not raised up near your ears.

Lift your chest and bring it forward.

This is the first basic position of boat pose. It is the very beginning of getting into the full pose, but for many that is difficult. You can simply hold this position, or come up on your toes a bit to add a little more difficulty.

Hold for 30 seconds at a time, for at least three repetitions.

2 – Intermediate posture

If the above position was too easy, or not challenging enough, it’s time to transition into the next phase.

Raise your kneed and lift your feet off the floor. Here, you will keep your legs and feet parallel, with your calves parallel also to the floor.

Keep your spine tall and chest forward and shoulders down, as in the starting position.

Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.

If you would like a bit more challenge with this variation, that’s easy! Simply let go of your thighs and extend your arms straight in front of you.

3 – Advanced posture

For those who are a bit more fit and/or flexible you can try for the full boar pose. Again, there are some variations here. In all cases your body and legs will make a V shape.

First, you can hold your ankles with your hands to help maintain balance as you straighten out your legs. You can also grab hold of your toes instead for a deeper hamstring stretch, while maintaining balance.

From this “side V” position you will open your legs into a “front V” position, thus making a double V boat pose.

Hold for 30 seconds and repeat.

Coming out of boat pose

When finished you will want to come out of boat pose gently by first closing your legs, then bending your knees, and then crossing your ankles.

Bend forward to stretch your hips and back and release any tension from holding the pose.

Notes

Hold the pose and don’t shake, if possible. Some shaking is ok; it means you are fatiguing. But if you find yourself sinking back down or rounding your shoulders, return to the starting position to elongate the spine, drop the shoulders and put forward the chest and begin again.

Enjoy!

I can’t say enough about the importance of good posture for good health…

And that means maintaining low shoulders, a straight back, holding your chest high and keeping your core stabilized.

The post Get a stronger core, flatter tummy and better posture in one yoga pose appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Acid reflux results from having too little hydrochloric acid (HCl), the “good” stomach acid; although many assume it is from an abundance of it.

When the stomach does not produce enough HCl, foods cannot be digested properly. This causes indigestion, and as the food sits in the stomach too long, the body tries to produce more and more stomach acid to break it down.

This causes the acid reflux or heartburn, for which many people turn to common heartburn medications, like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid, which are classified as PPIs (proton pump inhibitors). Recent research warns against their long-term use, as it is now associated with risk of kidney disease. That’s a good reason to try some natural solutions for heartburn relief…

Common causes of heartburn

The causes of heartburn, acid reflux and GERD are broad, leaving many to think they are only associated with a food cause (acid indigestion). But this is not the case. Here is a look at some of the more common causes that can trigger the problem.

• Certain foods, including chocolate, dairy, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, peppermint, onions, tomatoes and high fat foods, can trigger heartburn.
• Certain medications, including those indicated for anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, angina, osteoporosis, pain and infection, can trigger acid reflex.
• Lifestyle factors, including smoking, stress, and being overweight and obese are known triggers of heartburn.

Downing a few heartburn tablets is an easy quick fix, but the result could be devastating for your kidneys. Here’s what researchers recently found…

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The PPI / Kidney disease connection

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found an association between use of common heartburn medications within the PPI (proton pump inhibitor) category and interstitial nephritis, or kidney disease.

Researchers developed a cohort of over 173,000 new users of PPIs form the Department of Veterans Affairs national databases, who did not have kidney disease or used PPIs at start. They followed the subjects for more than five years to see if the use of PPIs had an effect on their kidneys.

They found that the new users of PPIs were 30% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease during the five year study period. What’s more, their risk of kidney failure doubled.

The good news is that there are natural solutions for heartburn relief and a few lifestyle changes that are easy to implement to combat the problem while avoiding kidney issues.

Natural solutions for heart burn

Apple cider vinegar is a great prevention remedy for acid reflux. You can take 2 tablespoon in a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal to help normalize stomach acid and prevent indigestion. While many advocate drinking it at time of heartburn, I have found this makes the symptom worse. However, when used before a meal it seems to prevent the issue.

Related: 5 ailments to take apple cider vinegar for

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is perhaps the best remedy when you are experiencing GERD or acid reflux. This works by balancing the stomach pH when you drink ½ teaspoon in a cup of water. The taste is not terrific but it works great.

For more tips on creating a lifestyle that prevents heartburn, and more remedies for heartburn relief, check out another article I wrote here.

The post Heartburn relief that doesn’t harm your kidneys appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

What’s more, over four million people have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

When you feel chronically fatigued, you are always in a cycle of being tired, having low energy, poor focus, bad eating habits, chronic aches and pains, tend to have a short temper.

Fatigue can also lead to depression and loss of joy for life. Well, you can make strides in boosting energy and reducing fatigue with these simple six lifestyle changes…

1. Sleep tight

The power of restorative rest and sleep is one of the most essential things one can do for rejuvenating the mind and body, keeping energy high and fatigue at bay. Many of the symptoms of fatigue, like foggy headedness, recall difficulty, muscle motor issues and pain are all associated with poor sleep. Sleeping from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. is said to be the best time for our body clocks. Here are some great tips for sleeping well.

2. Eat tight

Food is an essential piece of the wellness puzzle. It can energize us and fatigue us. To begin, eating too much at any one sitting requires a lot of energy to digest, and can leave you in that so-called “food coma.” Studies have shown that easing less leads to a longer life, too. Be sure to avoid the foods that sap your energy, including: soda, sugar and simple carbohydrates like white bread, rice and potatoes. Replace these with energy-giving foods, including: fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, clean water, and lean protein.

3. Stress less

Stress erodes your health, steals energy and undermines quality of life. The best ways to stress less include reframing the ways in which you see the world, view events and your place in them. Take a break from the unrelenting news cycle. Compartmentalize your time to not take on more than you can handle to create a balanced work/life balance. Find times for hobbies, too.

4. Meditate more

Meditation allows you time to be with yourself while shutting out the noise of the world. Meditation not only can relax you, but can help reduce stress and especially the production of stress hormones like cortisol, that sap energy and cause fatigue. Meditation quiets the mind, slows respiration and helps heal the body. Daoist Meditation is a simple method that both quiets the mind and develops energy to defeat both mental and physical fatigue.

5. Exercise today

Don’t delay, exercise today. Why? Because you must expend energy to create energy. Even though that sounds counter-intuitive, the more often you use energy to exercise, the more energy your body produces as a result. And the more you sit around sedentary, the more fatigued you feel. It’s almost like stored energy becomes somehow stale in the body, and saps energy instead of releasing it. Exercise creates feelings of wellbeing because one is able to let off steam, get out anger, move the blood, sweat out toxins and help the body release chemicals like endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. And mixing up the daily routine between running, walking, weight training and aerobics keep things interesting and fun.

6. Express gratitude

One of the easiest ways to free up energy and reduce fatigue is to express gratitude as often as possible. Each day you can tell those around you how grateful you are for their help, work, friendship, etc. You can tell your spouse or children or parents how much you love them. You can even look around your surroundings and make a note of what you are grateful for, including clean air, a nice chair to sit on, your new book, a steady paycheck, and so on. Feeling grateful for even the smallest of things makes life worth living and seems to dissolve mental fog and physical fatigue. My Gratitude Journal is what I use daily to keep up a steady gratitude practice.

The post 6 ways to beat fatigue and feel more energy appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s known to help with depression, decrease stress and improve sleep and boost immunity.

One of the most popular poses is Downward Facing Dog. This one amazing yoga pose is practically a full-body workout that helps strengthen your arms, shoulders, core and legs, while also stretching the spine.

But some people may have a hard time with the pose at first.

In today’s video, Wendy Krauss Talis and Kellie Bach will share with you how to partner on Yoga’s Downward Facing Dog pose, with some adjustments.Wendy instructs us on three amazing variations for those who need more time to get into the full pose. Let’s have a look.

Assuming the Downward Facing Dog Pose

Begin by going down onto all fours, balancing on your palms and the balls of your feet. You can rest on the flats of your feet if you are able, and they should be at least shoulder’s width apart.

Make sure your fingers are spread wide for good support and that your hands re parallel and at least shoulder’s width apart.

Your head should be down and your butt raised up I a pike position.

1^st Posture adjustment

For the first adjustment, straddle your partner from behind and hold her waists with your forearms. With fingers laced you will squeeze your forearms against the hip and pull them upward toward you.

This will allow your partner to feel, through experience, that more weight should be in the legs than in the arms.

2^nd Posture adjustment

Kellie mentions that she has tight hamstrings, which can make this posture difficult. Wendy suggests she adjust her posture by softening her knees; that is, bending them slightly to relieve the tension in the hamstrings.

You can then bend your knees a bit more, raise the hips higher, and move your chest in toward your thighs.

Relax and stretch

Take a rest and relax the body by sitting onto your knees, your butt on your heels, and your chest toward the floor.

Reach your hands forward to stretch the shoulders.

3^rd Posture variation

Get on all fours and place your forehead down between your hands, which make a triangle.

From here raise up off your knees into a modified Downward Facing Dog.

Again, your partner can stand behind you and pull your hips up and back to help elongate the spine and shift the center of gravity. You can also pull the thighs up or stand in front and push the lower back up.

Relax and stretch

Take a rest and relax the body by sitting onto your knees, your butt on your heels, and your chest toward the floor.

Reach your hands forward to stretch the shoulders.

The post Yoga’s full-body workout: Downward facing dog appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And while many are familiar with omega-3 fish oils, calcium supplements and vitamins C, B, D and E, there is another vitamin that needs your attention…

As you age or let healthy eating habits fall to the wayside — or worse, both — you’re at much higher risk of suffering from bone loss, heart disease and hardening of the arteries. Yet, in many cases these diseases and conditions can be prevented, even reversed, just by getting enough vitamin K.

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Vitamin K’s role and benefits

Vitamin K has been shown to play a key role in strengthening bones, reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and preventing and even reversing osteoporosis; especially in post-menopausal women.

Vitamin K plays a set of important key roles, such as making the protein osteocalcin, which is necessary for strengthening bones.

But it is also essential in making a protein that helps to regulate where in the body calcium is deposited. When it comes to preventing the arteries from hardening, vitamin K helps make the protein matrix GLA (MGP), which directs calcium to the bones instead of allowing it to deposit in the arteries.

The journal Integrative Medicine reported this finding:

“An adequate intake of vitamin K₂ has been shown to lower the risk of vascular damage because it activates matrix GLA protein (MGP), which inhibits the deposits of calcium on the walls. Vitamin K, particularly as vitamin K₂, is nearly nonexistent in junk food, with little being consumed even in a healthy Western diet. Vitamin K deficiency results in inadequate activation of MGP, which greatly impairs the process of calcium removal and increases the risk of calcification of the blood vessels. An increased intake of vitamin K₂ could be a means of lowering calcium-associated health risks.”

Vitamin K is also associated with insulin sensitivity and blood sugar metabolism. According to the Diabetes Council website…

In 2010, a Dutch study was conducted on 38094 people and was followed up for 10.3 years. This study found that those who had good levels of either phylloquinone or menaquinone (MK7) had a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Similarly, a 2012 detailed and long-term study from Spain was conducted on 1069 people without diabetes who were already taking part in the Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet trial. Every year data was collected to check for diabetes. After one year, people with higher levels of vitamin K were found to have lower risk for diabetes.

How much vitamin K do you need?

The best way to consume vitamin K is through whole food sources. Supplementation is also good, especially if you do not have access to a better diet.

50 to 100 mcg daily is a basic level for healthy individuals. Some advocate postmenopausal women take between 5 mg and 45 mg daily. I would consult with your healthcare provider for details on your specific needs.

In the meantime, because of its many health benefits, I recommend increasing your consumption of foods high in this vitamin.

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Best foods containing vitamin K

Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, parsley, spinach, swiss chard and the “greens” (collard, turnip, mustard and beet). It is also found in dairy, fermented dairy (yogurt, cheese), miso, chickpeas beans, liver, soybean oil, wheat bran.

Here are some specifics, for reference:

• Kale contains 565 mcg per 1/2 cup, cooked
• Collard greens contain 530 mcg per 1/2 cup, boiled
• Spinach contains 444 mcg per 1/2 cup, cooked
• Brussels sprouts contain 150 mcg per 1/2 cup, cooked
• Sauerkraut contains 56 mcg per 1/2 cup
• Fermented soybeans, particularly a dish called natto, are the best source of the MK7 form of vitamin K2 that has been shown to help support arterial health and healthy blood flow.

Partnering vitamins K and D

According to research published in the International Journal of Endocrinology, “Animal and human studies suggest that optimal concentrations of both vitamin D and vitamin K are beneficial for bone and cardiovascular health as supported by genetic, molecular, cellular, and human studies… Current evidence supports the notion that joint supplementation of vitamins D and K might be more effective than the consumption of either alone for bone and cardiovascular health.”

The post One must-have supplement for better blood sugar, arteries and bones appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, medical misdiagnosis is found in about 20 percent of all cases — many life-threatening.

If you’ve ever watched an episode of the show “Monsters Inside Me” on the Animal Planet network, then you’ve seen how frustrating and frightening it can be, not only for patients and family members, but doctors as well.

The great majority of doctors and health care providers are professionals operating with a patient’s best interest at heart, but, even armed with a toolbox of knowledge and tests at their beck and call, they are still human.

There are several reasons for medical misdiagnosis; some of which we have control over and some of which we do not. But for the best outcomes you need to have the best (correct) diagnosis and its corresponding treatment.

Let’s look at some statistics, reasons for the problem, and things you can do to stack the odds more in your favor…

The scary stats of misdiagnosis

A recent report by Kaiser Health News outlined the common, serious and potentially life-threatening occurrence of medical misdiagnosis.

According to the report:

• 28 percent of 583 diagnostic mistakes reported anonymously by doctors were life-threatening or had resulted in death or permanent disability.
• A meta-analysis published last year in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety found that fatal diagnostic errors in U.S. intensive care units appear to equal the 40,500 deaths that result each year from breast cancer.
• And a new study of 190 errors at a VA hospital system in Texas found that many errors involved common diseases such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections; 87 percent had the potential for “considerable to severe harm” including “inevitable death.”

These statistics are indeed cause for alarm. Medical diagnostic error not only leads to wrong medical treatment and medication, but extension of the actual medical issue, lost time and out-of-pocket expenses, and potentially death.

The cause of medical misdiagnosis can stem both from the healthcare provider and the patient. Let’s look at this to see why.

Healthcare provider error

Physicians and healthcare providers that are too busy, overworked and overly specialized can be prone to error in symptom interpretation and causal judgement. Just like with anything, we hear what we want and when something is outside our comfort zone, we can rationalize it back in.

Consumer Reports has an informative article on this very subject. In it they state:

“Then there’s the simple fact that doctors, no matter how brilliant, sometimes fall into certain ‘cognitive traps,’ says Jerome Groopman, M.D., who describes three pitfalls that can lead to diagnostic errors:

• Anchoring a diagnosis to the first bit of information provided by the patient and following a narrow path of thinking; for example, focusing on symptoms that suggest acid reflux and not considering that they could also stem from a serious heart problem.
• Connecting symptoms to similar complaints experienced by other patients who had less-serious problems.
• Letting stereotypes interfere with clinical judgment; for example, assuming that a patient with a disheveled appearance could have a drinking problem.

Patients need to understand that doctors are people, too, and thus prone to snap judgment and error. One of the best ways to help prevent quick judgment and error is to ask a lot of questions, and to offer a lot of information; even if it seems unrelated.

How to relate your medical issue

People generally describe the signs and symptoms of their pain, illness or health concerns in terms that they think the healthcare provider in front of them wants to hear.

For example, when facing their primary care physician they tell a story about issues related to the body like pain, itching, rashes and/or congestion. When meeting with their psychologist they may describe the same issue in terms of stress, anxiety, worries and how those things are connected. If meeting with a dietician they may try to relate a connection between what they are eating and drinking and the quality and level of their health concerns.

However, pain, illness and disease cannot be divorced from every aspect of a person. Wellness must be addressed utilizing a systems view of health. In other words, it must be addressed with the understanding that the whole of one’s life is greater than the sum of its parts and that a change in one part affects every other part. A rash is not just on the skin; it is a result of an issue in the body; a trigger and a response.

With this in mind, do your best to relate your health concern in as much detail and breadth as possible. Here are some tips to do just that:

1. Be organized ahead of time. Sometimes when you’re put on the spot you can forget even the most annoying or worrisome symptom. Write important points down ahead of time that you need to communicate to your doctor. Don’t be afraid to bring your list on your visit. You’ll feel more confident talking with your doctor — and get his undivided attention.
2. Be clear on your signs and symptoms. Take note of what type of pain you are experiencing (Is it a throbbing, stabbing or burning?); if you are fatigued, have insomnia, bowel issues, trouble eating — and if these symptoms occur with other events or actions, etc. Be prepared to rate your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10.
3. Be sure to mention all related events, even assumed ones. This includes travels around the start of symptoms, arguments with family or employers, changes in appetite, sleep, bowel regularity, a walk in the woods. Don’t be afraid to offer too much information.
4. Be mindful of your limited time with the doctor. Often healthcare providers are overbooked. So it is best to make your case at the onset and quickly… yet thoroughly (this is where your list of detailed symptoms will come in very handy). Be straight-forward with your communications. Holding out facts or spacing them out can lead to early judgment of diagnosis you want to avoid.
5. Be empowered to push back and disagree. If you think the doctor is wrong in their assessment or simply not hearing you, don’t be afraid to respectfully speak up and say so. Your opinion is valuable. Ask questions and always feel empowered that you can say more or ask for more explanation or tests. You can also always get a second opinion.

When it comes to medical misdiagnosis, you don’t want to be on the wrong end of it. And while we as patients can’t control for what the healthcare provider we are seeing thinks or does or feels, we can bring our best game to the table. Having all the information together, even that which you might think irrelevant, can only help paint a broad picture from which the physician can make the best diagnosis possible.

Editor’s note: Talk about medical errors… 38.6 million Americans take a single drug every day that robs their brain of an essential nutrient required for optimal brain health, and it’s taking their memories. Are you one of them? Click here to find out!

The post Avoid the medical error killing as many people as breast cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For example, thousands of studies have been carried out on the power of the placebo effect showing the mind has powerful healing potential.

The flip side is that the mind can also undermine health. We often struggle with pain, lack of energy, anxiety and depression because negativity or trauma that lives in the mind.

But we can look to some tools from neurolinguistic programming (NLP) to help us make positive changes, by re-association. It’s called anchoring and, despite the complicated name, it’s easy to do and quite effective.

What “anchoring” is

Anchoring is the process of creating an association between an internal response (thought or feeling) with a trigger (an external object or internal thought, feeling). This association process can then be accessed quickly at any time, without anyone else having to know about it.

It is like a ‘mind hack’ you can use whenever you need it.

Now, you may be familiar with Pavlov’s dog and bell experiment. Every time the dog was hungry Pavlov rang a bell (environmental cue) and presented food (result). Over time, the bell sound became a conditioned response that lead the dog to salivate, expecting food. The bell signified food and created a response in the dog.

The NLP anchoring is similar, but different in a specific way…

The cue can be, but does not need to be, an environmental one. The cue can be a thought or feeling or recollection, and still elicit a conditioned response. This has great value and promise for wellness.

One can set an “anchor” by recalling an event, visualizing a photograph, thinking of a special person, or feeling something in their body (e.g., health, wellness, strength, pain-free). These internal feels can create an associative conditioned behavioral response.

In essence, the smell of pie in the oven and view of an heirloom can trigger feelings from another time and place… proof of the mind’s ability to associate and affect. With NLP, you can be in control of the anchors that can become tools for creating better health and wellness for yourself.

Here’s how…

Related: The breathing trick that helps you remember

How to anchor

The key to NLP Anchoring is to strongly associate two different experiences at the same time. And because we know that associations become stronger the more often they are made, we must do it repeatedly each day for a week or two to anchor it in the body. Here are the steps:

1. Visualize: If you are in pain, think of a time in your life when you were the most vibrant, happy and active.
2. Feel: Spend some time on that visualization until it is perfect and does not waver, and then feel it in your body. You want to experience it as if it were the case now.
3. Associate: While you are feeling this you will associate the amazing feeling with a cue. It can be tapping your fingers on your thigh or rubbing your index finger across your thumb nail. Make it simple and do-able at any time and in any place.
4. Anchor: You want to practice the cue when the feeling is at its most potent, and continue until a few moments after you stop visualizing/feeling. This will begin the process of anchoring the cue (finger tap) with the associated behavior (feeling awesome).
5. Repeat: To make the association strong and powerful you will want to repeat this sequence several times per day for a week or more. The more often you can do it the stronger the association, anchor and response will be.

Apply the NLP Anchoring Technique

After you have set aside some “me time for self-care” to establish this new anchor, you can use it whenever, wherever, and however often you like.

If you are feeling pain increase in your body, through arthritis or migraine (as examples), you can just repeat the cue. That is, simply tap your fingers on your thigh, or scratch your finger over your nail… whichever cue you set. That action will trigger the new conditioned response and should elicit those pain-free, vibrant feelings to come to your body; effectively replacing the pain feelings.

This technique works well for many things and many areas, like self-confidence, athletics, inducing creativity, reducing anger, and so on. You can create as many anchoring processes as you can think of and use them as you like.

There are many articles, resources and videos on line you can look up for more details and tutorials on this method. I suggest giving it a try and seeing how NLP Anchoring can positively influence your quality of life.

The post The mind hack that makes things better appeared first on Easy Health Options®.