Tag Archives: burn

Boost Your Brain Power With Meditation

Your brain is like a muscle. Without exercise, it can begin to weaken — just like any muscle. Researchers from Harvard University have been studying the effects of meditation on brain erosion, with surprising results. In your early 20s, your brain begins to erode — specifically the areas that deal with decision making, attention span, and memory. The Harvard study compared the MRI scans of people who meditated daily with those of people who did not meditate at all. The long-time meditators had thicker brains in the areas that eroded in non-meditators: the areas that deal with attention, memory, and … Continue reading →

Tip of the Day- Stretch before bed

No gym and no special equipment, no previous experience required. Learn a lesson from your cat, and stretch! Stretching is often over looked for its health benefits. It can give you increased flexibility and better range of motion, improved circulation, better posture, stress relief, enhanced coordination, and lowers your risk of injury during exercise and daily activities. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry even suggests that stretching can lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol, and increase your body’s ability to use insulin to improve the metabolism of blood sugar and carbohydrates. Stretching keeps our muscles flexible and increases blood … Continue reading →

Take Care Of Yourself

As parents and especially mothers it seems like we are constantly giving. From the time that our first children are born out lives are devoted to caring for our children. But sometimes we need to take care of ourselves first. One of the ten things that you will find the parents doing in a happy family is making sure that they are taking care of themselves. I was talking to my sister who commented that her baby recently started waking up more frequently during the night. My sister of course was getting less sleep and as a result was much … Continue reading →

Essential Rest

Your body needs rest. Rest doesn’t mean sleep. Rest means taking a break BEFORE you collapse! It means giving yourself time throughout the day for a little mental vacation. Rest helps your body fight stress and disease. It gives you back a sense of balance and patience. How do you know if you’re in desperate need of rest? Ask yourself a few questions: Are you having trouble making simple decisions? Like what to wear or what to eat? Are you feeling like you’re on your last nerve? Are you short tempered and snapping at people who don’t deserve it? Are … Continue reading →

Why I Love to Read (one of the many reasons)

I’ve been a little busy lately. As I’ve mentioned, I recently moved, and that involved a whole lot of showing the house, which involved a lot of housework so I would look like I’m a better housekeeper than I really am. It also involved a great deal of packing, and then the move itself, and then a great deal of unpacking. Because of the fact that I’m not a very good housekeeper, the unpacking probably took longer than it should have, and I haven’t decided for sure if that cupboard is really where I want to keep the plates or … Continue reading →

What’s the Best Way to Boost Your Mood?

Easy answer: exercise. That’s almost too easy, right? But here’s the thing, exercise is a great mood booster and it helps you to relieve stress, tension and excess energy – but at the same time, it boosts your energy levels. This is one of those cases where you do get more out of it than what you put in. Short Walk A short walk can get your heart rate up and can actually give you a mood and energy boost. Feeling tired and depressed? Hop on the treadmill for ten minutes. Can’t shake the yawns and actually feel yourself fading … Continue reading →

Artwork and Relaxation

Most people enjoy art even if they are not exactly connoisseurs. Different ways of using space and color can achieve many different thoughts and feelings. Some paintings as well as other works of art draw emotion from the viewer, while others may be inspirational, provocative, or may make either a strong or a simple statement. The type of artwork you choose, may tell people a lot about you. It may also make a difference in how well you are able to relax. For example, it is said that photos or portraits of children in the master bedroom of a married … Continue reading →

A New Way To Protect Homes From Fires

October is Fire Prevention Month. It’s a great time to review ways to protect your family and your home from the ravages of a fire. Some ideas include designing a family fire escape plan and installing or checking on smoke detectors in various rooms throughout your home. Another tip—use this month to talk to your children about the dangers of smoking. Did you know fires started by cigarettes kill more than 1,000 people every year in the United States? Yet, there are still people who choose to light up in their homes. Unfortunately, if you have a friend or loved … Continue reading →

Mental Health Day

Yesterday, I got up and got started on my day as I normally do. But as I dove into the writing for the day, I recognized the fact that I wasn’t really getting a great deal done. I was having a hard time really stringing two or three thoughts together in a row. I’m a writer for a living and some of us who are writers can forget that we really do work every day of the week. As some of you may know, I write a great deal here at families.com, but I also write elsewhere. On average, I … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Cope with Stress When Pregnant

It was funny, when I was pregnant because on more than one occasion my husband would state categorically (and very emphatically): “The pregnant woman wins. No contest.” It would be nice, if that were always true. That philosophy would mean that stress at work, stress at home and stress of life would evaporate for that nine months and just make your life easier. Of course, reality sets in and all the nice thoughts in the world will not make the stress of living day to day life go away, nor will it alleviate other sources of stress – including other … Continue reading →