Josef Mack

What Role Do Veggies Play In Acne?

Joe — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:13:18 +0000

believe most of you would agree that we do not eat as good or healthy as we know we should. When you look at the food we eat some of it is pretty obvious that it is of little nutritional value. However even vegetables and fruits can be less nutritious than we think. Unless you get everything 100% organic you are not getting the best possible nutrients. Much of our food is shipped around the world these days, that means it is picked pretty much before it has a chance of ripening, and then ripens along the trip to the super market. So by the time you buy it and then eat it there is little to no nutritional value left.

However having said that it is still better to eat a vegetable like that than to eat a greasy hamburger with fried potatoes and a 32 oz caffeinated soda. One meal is of little nutritional value, while the other is loaded with grease, oil, sugar and caffeine. I think you can do the math and decide for yourself which the better alternative is. So you may argue that your uncle John eats fast food every day and he is fit as a fiddle. Well you may or may not be right. Have you ever heard of the fit 40 year old, never sick a day in his life, very active in sports, not overweight even by an ounce. Yet one day while walking the dog he keels over from a massive stroke and dies.

I am trying to say that we do not know how everyone will react to what they ingest into their body. For some it may come out as acne within days or weeks of whatever is going on, and for others it may be years and be something completely different. Do you really want to take that chance?

Please consider how much you want to clear up your skin. If you are really serious about it then use this information as a starting point and find out for yourself what the best approach is for you. I am offering you some things to consider and think about, the final decision is however yours.

By eating healthy you will only help yourself and your body. There are no adverse affects. We do know that eating junk food is not good for us, it is only good for our taste buds. So get started on eating more and more vegetables. Consider eating only raw vegetables. There is one thing you need to be aware of, when you are eating only fruits and vegetables while this is great for you, you are also detoxing. And the detoxing may actually make your acne a little worse for a short period of time. So do not be surprised if you break out more while eating veggies or fruits. This will stop as your body no longer needs to get rid of the toxins. If you do this process in moderation this may not even happen, but if you do it too quickly it may.

In making this change you may not only clear up your acne, you may also lose a few pounds, get more energy and overall feel better. I ask you – what do you have to lose? Try it you may find you even like it.

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8 Steps To Being Happy And Healthy

Joe — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:10:07 +0000

Don’t Worry Be Happy" is a musical hit by the famous Bobby McFerrin. In this song, the message conveyed to its listeners suggests everyone be happy and gives reasons for it. It’s a straight forward message, and one with best of intentions. After all consider the alternatives. Is it really in your best interest to be down, grumpy or miserable? If you live your life this way you will likely become very sick, and that will compound your feeling miserable, which will make you even more miserable and spirals down a slippery slope to depression.

A happy, joyous and positive life is a wonderful journey to be on. It is excellent for physical and mental health. Happiness actually helps us keep out all the stress and depression from coming into our life. Depression and stress are can be holes you never climb out of, and can trigger illnesses such as stroke or cancer.

It is an old saying that the only constant thing in life is change, and that is true when you look into it deeply enough. It is a fact that life is constantly changing. If we do not adapt to the changes we will become anxious, miserable and sick. So decide right now, once and for all to be happy, to be positive and live life with gusto.

Keep in mind everyone is doing the best they know how to. That does not mean it is right, or it is the best possible behavior, it means they don’t know any better. So when you meet and relate with others keep that in mind. If you can try to bring a little happiness into someone else’s life you will both benefit from it.

It comes down to accepting people for who they are, and where they are at the moment. Make the effort to understand and empathize with others. As Dr. Covey states in one of his 7 principles, ‘Seek first to understand’. When you learn why someone is doing what they are doing you can share your happiness with them and watch them either leave or change.

Remember happiness is everywhere all around you and in everyone around you. When you add to it you only bring more and that results in a joyous and healthy life. And as science has proven, a happy life is a long life.

All you have to do is make a decision to be happy and follow through. You can make a choice between sad or joyous, miserable or relaxed, bright or dull and simply move on to a healthy and happy lifestyle choice.

For starters you can follow these steps:

1. Be grateful, for life, your body, your health, just flat out for everything. Look around you and you will see that there is plenty to be thankful for. Thank God for everything that is. Thank the people around you for being helpful, or any reason there may be. This will make them happy and in return give you a relaxed feeling. You are spreading the joy around.

2. Avoid starting your day with listening to the news. Remember bad news sells. Very rarely do we get reports of the good things going on. It is usually about all the negative things going on.

3. Learn to develop inner peace. Find something bigger than yourself and become part of it. Many people find support and help in a religious environment. Find what works for you and go with it.

4. Learn time management. Don’t waste time because you can never get it back.

5. Laugh from the inside and laugh well and full every day – don’t hold it back.

6. Always express and show your appreciation those around you.

7. Working out is a good way to energize yourself.

8. Avoid negativity at all costs.

These are some ways you can become a happier person and as a happier person you will also be a healthier person. It really is as simple as making a decision and then taking action. The choice is up to you, so start playing that tune in your mind: Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

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Does Depression Depend On The Seasons?

Joe — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 02:07:34 +0000

Perhaps if you are a very observant person you may have noticed that people behave differently during the various seasons of the year. Many people suffer from at least a mild form of depression during the winter months. As the days get shorter and colder, the nights get longer and darker. We get less sun than during the spring and summer months. And this lack of sunshine has a physical affect on our body. They have actually now come up with a name for this ailment, it is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD for short).

This number of sufferers of this disorder vary around the world, since some regions have almost 24 hours of daylight, or 24 hours of darkness depending on their geographical location. So people in those parts of the world have higher incidences of SAD. The term was coined in 1984 by Dr. N. Rosenthal a doctor in the US. It has now been documented that SAD is indeed a medical issue involving changes in the body’s mood centers due to less sunlight at certain times of the year.

Sufferers find themselves feeling lonely and isolated, depression can often set in as well. While this may not be much consolation there are many people suffering this way at the same time every year. One way to help is to get better light bulbs for the home or work place. Light bulbs which mimic the sunlight will help these people through these times. Or a nice long vacation to a tropical island would also help, but keep in mind the amount of sunlight even there is reduced during some of the year.

One form of treatment has proven to be about 80% effective is using light therapy. One needs to keep in mind that the light therapy is not as simple as sitting in front of a light bulb. The light needs to be as close to the level of what a person would be exposed to on a bright sunny day. There have been several inventions created to simulate the exact amount of illumination. The patient would need to sit in front of this light for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on their condition.

While the light therapy works well for some patients there are still a significant number of people left suffering. For some of those patients they are given drugs to help with their depression.

While this is something you may or may not have been aware of please keep it in mind when you deal with others during these periods of time. They may not be themselves due to a SAD situation.

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4 Easy Health and Fitness Tips

Joe — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:53:55 +0000

How are you dealing with your health? Is it a top priority for you? Or are you too busy bringing home the pay check? You plan to get all those 65 years of exercise in during your retirement, which may not come. The way things are going the retirement age may shift from 65 to 70 or higher. So what is your physical condition these days? Are you fit as a fiddle, a little plump around the mid section, or as the medical community is calling many – obese?

The AMA is saying we are facing an obesity epidemic right now. To top that off we have every pharmaceutical out there selling every type of weight loss, quick weigh loss pill, powder, lotion, salve, you name it they are selling it. And you know what – people are buying it. People actually believe that if they pop a pill for 30 days they will lose all their fat and it will stay off forever. I wish it were that simple, but the truth is it is not. However these drug companies are making a fortune selling the quick, easy fix. While we have the drug companies selling the quick weight loss magic super pills there is the diet industry offering so many different diets it is hard to keep track of them at the rate they are coming out.

Both these industries are preying on the pain and angst of the consumer. They have truly found a hungry market, (sorry for the play on words), and are doing everything they can to make as much profit as they possibly can. What we really need is some good old fashioned common sense that really works.

People need to be told the truth. And they need to be given the tools to work with to get what they are looking for. So here it is in simple terms, no fluff, no hype, no sales pitch, just the plain honest facts.

1. Drink more water. I don’t think it is possible to drink too much water. Get good quality water and drink as much as you possibly can every day. A gallon or two won’t hurt you. The water will help flush out the toxins in your body and will keep you hydrated.

2. Eat smaller but more frequent meals. It is true that to lose weight we need to eat less calories than what we burn. At the same time we need to get our metabolism revved up. Also remember that breakfast is really the most important meal of the day. So eat a good breakfast, and if you can’t then at least grab a piece of fruit, or food bar as you head out.

3. Get your body moving. Exercise, make it a habit and start – NOW. If you won’t do that then do everything you can along the way to get your body moving. Walk up those stairs and never use the elevator, take your pet dog for a walk every day, find other fun ways to move, but in the end burn calories. The best way to lose weight is not just to eat less, or exercise more, but to do both at the same time.

4. Find your "Why". When you have a big enough WHY you will accomplish whatever you want. In high school I was a few pounds overweight. I got nicknamed the bottomless pit. The next year I dropped from 185 to 150. I had my WHY and I did it.

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5 Tips to Cure Snoring Problems

Joe — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:49:57 +0000

Everyone probably knows what snoring is and how it sounds, due to cartoons and TV shows that make light of a potentially serious problem. Snoring presents several challenges:

1. It is virtually impossible for anyone else sleeping in the same home to get a restful night’s sleep, much less the snorer. A night without sleep and you are a major safety hazard.

2. Snoring could be an indicator of sleep apnea, which means you stop breathing many times during your sleep cycle. Sleep apnea can indicate other serious health issues. You need to see a doctor ASAP for a correct diagnosis. Your life depends on it.

Here are five tips that may cure your snoring:

Tip 1: It has been proven that diet plays a vital role in all functions of the human body. While the food you eat may not have a direct correlation to your snoring, it is a good place to start to ensure you are as healthy as possible. It is possible that you may be eating something that might be interfering with your breathing cycle. It may be mucus that could be blocking up your system, which would be because you are lactose intolerance. Alcohol also interferes with the sleep cycle, so don’t drink late at night.

Tip 2: Breathing is often affected due to improper pressure on the back of the neck and the chest. This is due to the body being overweight. Your weight might block the breathing passage while you sleep, and you end up snoring. Basically being overweight has consequences for many areas of our health, so if you lose weight, it will help in many areas.

Tip 3: Another way to stop snoring is by sleeping on your side. This may be easier said than done, since you are not conscious while sleeping. You may start out that way, but end up in different positions throughout the night. Try this little trick: put a tennis ball in the pocket of your night shirt, and wear the shirt backwards. This should help you not lay on your back while you sleep.

Tip 4: Nasal strips are another way to go. Their purpose is to open up your nasal passages so you can breathe easier. When your nasal passages are open you will get more air in and that is a very effective way of not snoring.

Tip 5: Give your throat muscles and your tongue a good workout by stretching and making silly faces. Do some deep breathing before falling asleep and during the day. This may eventually help you get rid of your snoring habit.

One or more of these five tips may help you to stop your snoring. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and while some of these tips will solve some people’s issues, it depends on the severity of your snoring problem. Good luck and peaceful rest to you and the rest of your family.

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Are You Inadvertently Making Your Acne Worse?

Joe — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:44:07 +0000

A lot of us have to deal with skin problems at one time or another in our lives. Some of us deal with it during our teen age years, some as adults, and the very lucky few may never have to deal with it at all. For those of us who have had acne it may have shown up on various parts of our body, not just the face. So we go out and look for remedies and cures, some of us find them and some don’t and just deal with the result in our appearance. Many will find something that works for them and helps them thru this particular crisis.

It is important to note that while going through the process of finding a cure that we do not make the acne worse than it already is. There are things we could do to ourselves that actually make the acne worse. Here are a couple recommendations on how not to make it worse.

Wash your hair before you go to sleep. The oil from your hair will transfer to the pillow you are sleeping on and then from the pillow to your face as you move around during your sleep. Your goal is to keep the oil from getting onto your face.

It is very important to leave the acne alone. While it is necessary to clean it regularly you should not be touching the area, or picking at it in any way whatsoever. If you touch areas that have broken out you then risk spreading it even further and that will cause you more frustration and take even longer to heal. For the sake of your appearance and health do not touch the areas which have broken out.

When the acne forms a pimple many people think the best approach is to pop the pimple. While that may have some initial advantage it is very bad in the long term. When you squeeze the acne some of it will come out, that is true. At the same time you may be pushing some of it below the surface further into your body. The result of this is that your acne will actually spread, so where you were thinking you were doing something good you are actually hurting yourself. Another affect is that by doing this you may cause scarring, and this could become permanent. So before you go and squeeze like crazy consider the affect it may have on you at the end.

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What Preparation Do You Need In Order To Meditate?

Joe — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:40:47 +0000

Meditation is a very personal experience. There are many different types of meditation promoted by many different guru’s and sages. To get started let’s consider what you need to prepare yourself for meditating. In reality for those who are skilled in the art of meditation they can go into a meditative state in the blink of an eye anywhere they happen to be. So while this may be something you are striving for just be aware that it is possible. For now we will start out pretty much at the beginning and help you get started.

Again with the variety of styles and disciplines you may want to find one that suits your particular lifestyle, or interest. Some mediators’ shut out all sensory input, they have no light, no sounds, some even use floating tanks where they float in salt water so there is nothing touching them, (this is perhaps where the cave comes in). But as you will see all this is not as necessary as having the right frame of mind and being willing to practice.

Having said that here is what I would suggest that you do:

· Find a comfortable quiet spot somewhere where you will not be disturbed.

· Turn off all phones, especially the cell phone, and get away from the door bell.

· Have the temperature set to a comfortable level.

· You may choose to wear clothing or not, if you do it should be loose and light.

· You may want to have the room dark, maybe with a candle burning.

· Incense would be appropriate, but is not required.

· Sitting in the lotus position is perfect, but if not possible a straight back chair will work nicely.

· You do not want any tension in any part of your body.

· You will want your back straight and both feet flat on the floor, no slouching.

· Be as comfortable as possible, you could even do it lying down, but there is a tendency to fall asleep if you do.

· You could play a CD with music or sounds conducive to meditating.

So as you can see the process is pretty flexible. While there are a few do’s and don’ts the end result is to learn how to do deep breathing, calm your mind, and enjoy the experience. The easiest way to start once you have everything set up is to get into the position you will meditate in, close your eyes and start a slow rhythmic breathing. Then observe your breathe going in, and out. Just focus on your breathe and gently work to slow it down, When you find your mind drifting bring it back gently and start again, observe the breathe in and out.

That’s the basics, and as you progress you will be guided to other techniques and teachers.

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Growth and Self Development

Joe — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:34:05 +0000

There are many paths that lead to the road of Self Development. It first starts out with deciding what goal or target one wants to attain. What are you looking to accomplish? Are you seeking enlightenment, or just a better way to exercise? As you can see there is a bit of a difference between these two goals. And keep in mind that depending on the goal there may be many or fewer sub goals that need to be accomplished along the way. Another thing that is important is knowing the reason or motivation for the goal. Sometimes the why is as important as the goal itself.

Some would argue that the end justifies the means, while there is something to that it is not always done with the highest integrity. Take for example if you have the goal to become self enlightened. Why would you want to do that? Did someone goad you into doing it and you are doing it to show them? Or is it something that your soul has made you aware of that would be in your highest good?

Once you decide what you want it is a good idea to explore what it really means. Once when I was 19 I talked with a Unity Minister and shared that I wanted to become a minister. He said this to me ‘I don’t like doing funerals’. This caught be off guard, but I quickly realized he was sharing that every job or situation has elements in it that we may not particularly like. It’s like eating a healthy meal, vegetables are included, like it or not. Take some time and find out everything you can about what you want to do. Find experts or others doing it and talk with them. Don’t just find one person, look for as many as you can find, people have different opinions and reasons why. Then look at it for the next year, the next 5, and then 10 to see how you feel about doing this for whatever length of time you intend. While things may look good on the surface they may not be so good down the road.

The part of the brain that handles all the negative and positive aspects of your life is called the subliminal part. This part enables you to store previous thoughts that will later lead you to success or failure. It holds in it the things that you have picked up on along the way unconsciously, so you likely won’t recall doing so. They are not differentiated during the storage in the unconscious part, on the lines of them being bad or good. Therefore you need to understand that this subliminal mind is vital to the development of self growth.

You can make notes during the meditation process in order to help with growth skills and ensuring you success. The meditation process which by the way is highly recommended will help you in see subtle things you may otherwise miss. By practicing patience and meditation you will find stress affecting you less and less. The more you practice the stronger you will become and better able to handle the stress life will put in front of you. Your thoughts and actions need to be congruous. You cannot act one way and think another, that conflict will add even more stress to your life. So learn to be congruent in your thinking, feeling and actions.

By focusing on your goal you will bring resources to bear that you were unaware of. It is almost as if when one decides on a path to travel, or a task to achieve the universe comes rushing forward to help realize the goal. Working out is also another way to energize yourself for whatever tasks you have undertaken. It will take energy to accomplish any task, and if you are not in excellent physical shape you will be putting up road blocks to your success. Remember balance, balance the body, mind and spirit. Keeping an optimistic confidence will inspire happy and healthy thoughts which will assist you in self development and give you inner strength as well.

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Positives of Stretching

Joe — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:26:40 +0000

Stretching is an important exercise that helps maintain the flexibility of the body. It can be done on a regular basis. In fact, you do not have to allocate a specified amount of time to the exercise. You will find yourself stretching while you bend down to pick something off the ground or while trying to reach the top of your cupboard. These are simple exercises that one normally does unconsciously, throughout the day. However, the startling part is when you’re unable to stretch out and reach the desired object this calls for an immediate enrollment in a stretching program.

To begin with, we’ll determine what stretching is. Extending your body wholly or even extending a limb can be categorized as stretching. The exercise calls for straightening of your muscles and bones.

How is stretching done?

It is quite an easy exercise which can be taken up by anyone, regardless of their age and weight or other similar factors. However, the flexibility and ease of movement decreases significantly as one becomes old. Also, if you have a sedentary life or if people go around doing your chores then you immediately need to enroll in a stretching program.

There’s not much that you need to allocate to this exercise, hardly, ten minutes. And then you can enjoy the flexibility of your body for the day. Stretching has a lot of benefits some of which are listed as follows:

Increment in your movement range: once you’re in the habit of stretching yourself you will find that your muscles and tendons length have increased.

Better Performance: once you pick up on the range you’ll find yourself accomplishing more tasks which involve such movements. In fact, you can excel with the sport you play, as well.

Prevent Injuries: The risk of damaging your body is reduced through stretching. This happens due to your muscles and tendons becoming flexible which react almost instantly to any perceived danger. In short, your reflexes will become strong and prevent you from many injuries.

Reduce the Tension in Muscles: the normal pains that you undergo through physical wear and tear occasionally can be reduced. Once you get used to the exercise you will find it very easy to accomplish things without causing sores and pains in your body.

Energy Enhancement: once you can easily move around you will find yourself capable of doing many other things. You will be fully energized and probably try out new things, as well.

Cholesterol Reduction: join your stretching efforts with a healthy diet and then you’ll witness a sharp reduction in your cholesterol levels.

These benefits have been researched on and have been very effective. You can simply start by going around doing your own chores which will eventually build the stamina within you.

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What is Anger Management All About?

Joe — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:46:13 +0000

Anger is an emotion. It is an emotion experienced by everyone at some time or other in their life. There are now more children expressing and showing anger than in previous years, and it can have very serious consequences. Everyone is different so it is not possible to know exactly what will trigger one individual into an anger rage and not another. Typically if the individual does not get something they want, or things don’t go their way they expect they can fly off into an anger rage. And the way they go into this anger state varies from one person to another, no two are identical.

One person starts screaming, yelling at the top of their lungs. Another person will pound the table, or wall till their hands start to bleed. Some will take their anger out on other people and get physical and may even put someone in the hospital. It all depends on what the situation is and how enraged they become. The other side of this is the person who also goes ballistic, but does so internally. This person does not show any outward appearance of anger or rage instead they keep it inside and end up harming themselves due to the negative emotions they bottle up.

Interestingly enough many people with anger management issues do not see it in themselves. They cannot accept someone telling them that they have an anger issue. They truly are in denial and not able to accept that they have a problem, which in the end keeps them from seeking professional help. If the situation continues and the individual is not helped he or she will eventually hurt either themselves or someone else along the way. And depending on how that happens they may end up in jail, or in the hospital.

Because of these consequences it is important to convince the individual that there are those interested in helping them. If their anger goes unchecked and uncontrolled for too long they will ultimately end up hurting themselves and those they love. These people need to learn how to manage and deal with their anger. Things happen to everyone and life goes on, but these people are so entangled in their emotions and anger they often do not think straight.

Anger is one of our emotions. It may have an appropriate place at an appropriate time. But when it gets out of control and becomes violent it becomes a huge problem. The anger not only destroys the individual, it also has an impact on everyone and everything around them. Anger management can help these people and get them to lead normal healthy lives.

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