Have you ever wondered why some people just look healthier, they rarely get sick and they have that amazing healthier glow? Many times we just feel it must be good genes, and that may be part of the answer, but more than likely it is a healthier way of living. Taking a little time to live even a bit healthier can bring results that are amazing. Many times when I am speaking with people and answering questions they have an all or nothing idea in their mind that the only way to achieve great health is to give up everything they love and hold near and dear, no matter how unhealthy it may be. This is not true.

 One of the many things we have forgotten along the way on our daily journey is that things we did instinctively at one time, like eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of fresh water, get a good nights rest and have daily activity have become very unfamiliar to us.  Today we have to plan to eat good healthy food, and we have to manage our time and fit in our exercise, and sleep, and many of us rarely try to fit it all in the schedule. It seems to me that all the unhealthy things we do without thinking at all, where we should be doing the healthy things automatically.

I am a true believer of small baby steps in a healthy direction, and possibly rewiring the way we think about health.
It does not have to be an all or nothing proposition, it can be a gradual process, we do not have to feel guilty if we veer from the path, and we should celebrate every goal no matter how small.

  I was in line at the store and I heard a young lady say to her friend water, water is only important in the summer when you do that dehydrating thing. Her friend said, I think you are wrong, water is needed all year long that is why people get dry skin and constipated and have kidney and urinary problems. The friend said where did you ever hear that? Water is only important in the summer because you only sweat in the summer.
 Now people that know me know that I am a born educator, and I like people to have the information they need to make better decisions with all, or at least a good amount of information to work with. So, again the non informed friend said where did you hear such crazy information? Her friend says I listen to a Naturopath on the air during the week, and I have for many years. My Mother introduced me to him, as she has been listening to him for over 20 years. He is very informed and shoots straight at the correct information, and does not sugar coat things or but into misinformation.
 The friend replied, I do not believe anything on the radio, and then it happened, the words  just fell out of my mouth... It is very obvious that you do not believe anything from books, Doctors journals, special reports, news or studies on health either. I shook the other ladies hand, and I thanked her for listening to my show. She said Jeff, I said yes nice to meet you. She replied did I get the information correct, I said yes, perfect.
 Then I looked at the other one and I said are you seriously this uninformed, or is there a television camera somewhere in the area... And just like that  she said we are on tv? I looked at my listener and said Happy Healthy New Year, and oh my good luck with this one! She gave me a hug, thanked me for all of the information, and as I walked away shaking my head like I was having a spasm, the other lady was still looking in every direction for a television camera or film crew.

It really does amaze me when I hear the conversations the week before New Years day. Everyone seems to have an  attitude, even after many many years of unsuccessful journeys that having monumental goals and aspirations will allow them to all of a sudden magically transform into the person they have always wanted to be.

Now, do not get me wrong, I would gladly shop at that magic wand store too if it existed, but sadly it does not. Change comes from changing the daily routine for a healthier more organized and managed way of living. When you think about it, when the stroke of midnight happens we instantly forget about the unsuccessful journey of the previous year and automatically start a new freshly polished road map. I truly feel we get more and more unsuccessful because as each year goes by, our problems become bigger and more and more things break down.

My simple no bell and whistle solution to the New Years Resolution conundrum is to make all of your goals easy to achieve. Now, just for examples sake, people will say, 5 pounds a month that is no goal, my response... try it! Because 5 pounds a month becomes 25 pounds after 5 months, and that is something to celebrate, where the person that had a 25 pound goal in January, in May will most likely still be trying to get any loss going at all!
So, keep in mind, baby steps in a positive direction can yield positive and monumental changes.

​I am always happy when the holiday season comes around because people tend to be a little nicer and happier. Although the holidays have gone in a very material thing and stuff direction, the underlying theme is still there, although sometimes buried way down deep.
As the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays have come and gone, the New Year is upon us this week. A time when we yearly look in the mirror only to see that none of last years resolutions have come to reality, and most likely if we set this years goals out of sight, the same will happen again. I guess change, although needed for almost all of us is a scary proposition, is still a reality we need to face either now, or later when our health has declined to a level of absolute necessity. So my idea this year is for all of us to make the resolution to be Better to ourselves and healthier than this year....This is an easy way to stay on track with minimal, but noticeable differences, and just maybe enough of a difference that we will work a little harder to get even better results during the year... You know baby steps before the 10k run.. 

Good luck on your journey...

They say that pets have a way of working their magic all the way deep into our souls, I think I would agree. There will always be pet lovers, pet appreciators and of course that small amount of pet abusers. The first two groups understand the long term effects of a healthier life due to having pets in your life. The last category, misguided and demented and abusive will remain that way and that is the way they will most likely always be.
​  Pets have a way of de- stressing us on those out of control days, filling a void when loved ones are not around, and intensifying great days to even higher levels. For me, my life would feel empty, not complete and actually the void would be too hard for me to handle not having pets in my life. I depend on their loyalty and unconditional love, and my life would be lacking without them. 
  Today pets are used for all stages of therapy for helping with pain relief, assisting the blind and disabled, brightening the day of recovering soldiers returning from war and helping to bring people back to us that are lost in a sea of despair and depression. Although I am a huge advocate of having a pet, they are not for everyone. When deciding top get a pet, there are questions you must ask yourself, and be honest and serious with your answers.
1- Can you afford a pet knowing there will be costs involved with vet bills, grooming, food and maintenance?
2- Do you have the room for a pet, you may need to choose your pet in relationship to the area and size of your home.
3 -Do you have the time in your life for a pet?
4 -Do you have the energy needed?

  I hope you can have the chance in your lifetime to open your heart to an amazing pet.


  

 

​Amazing how ill-prepared we are for the yearly cold weather season that we all know is coming, but it seems to escape our mental preparation yearly. There was a time when I would do shows on getting prepared nutritionally for flu and cold season in December, but over the last few years I have actually started in November, and it sometimes still falls on deaf ears. I figure that our memories of a miserable flu and cold season from last year would still be in our memory banks, but we all tend to forget the annoyance, and suffering almost a week after we are feeling better and on a road to recovery.
  Is it difficult to prepare for this season? No.. It seriously comes down to basics.. Eating a healthy a diet, getting enough rest, exercising, drinking plenty of fluids, and keeping a more positive attitude. Of course these are things we have heard our entire lifetime from family members, parents and even from the media, but for what ever reason something this easily done must be outdated or folk lore by today's standards, and something better with more bells and whistles is  much more relevant.  We tend to think this way in almost every sector of our life, and I think we end up in the long run doing nothing because of misinformation and media confusion. Maybe what we need to do is take a step back, listen to the knowledge we all have in our head and get back to basics, a time when things worked, worked well, and the side effects were little to none!