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Encouragement: Ending June with Thoughts on Travel and Health

6/28/2019

"To Travel is To Live"
Hans Christian Andersen, Danish Author

Over my lifetime I have traveled quite a lot. There are places I want to see and places that I may never see. As long as I am physically able I will continue to travel somewhere. If you never leave your home, you miss out on so many opportunities. Opportunities to learn, to meet new people, to see beautiful new sights, to enjoy exciting new experiences, and just to live. It doesn't have to be around the world or even out of your country. Any where you live, there are wonderful opportunities to travel (even a short distance) even in your own backyard.

To turn down an opportunity to travel is to turn down an opportunity to enrich your life. To turn down an opportunity to travel because of fear is a wasted opportunity. Fear should not be the determining factor when it comes to travel. Even on a limited income, you still have opportunities to travel - even it's walking out your own front door.

There is a beautiful world out there for us to enjoy. A walk in the park and really notice the birds, squirrels, and other creatures can be an uplifting experience. About six minutes from my home is a state park with several walking and hiking trails. Even short little "travels" like this, can be a beautiful experience.

If you have the funds and the opportunities to go to another town, another state, or even another country, then I encourage you to take advantage of that opportunity. Traveling exposes your mind to a different view, different smells, different sounds, different and new people to meet, different foods, different drinks, and just so many learning and enjoyable opportunities. Investing in travel is one of the best investments you can make, the memories will last you a lifetime.

“All you need to know is that it’s possible.”
Wolf, an Appalachian Trail Hiker

It is possible. Traveling alone, with family, or with a travel group, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you take every opportunity that comes your way to travel.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman Philosopher

Traveling clears your mind of worries and often has helped me reach a decision or find clarity in a stressful situation. Traveling can take you away temporarily from your everyday chores and responsibilities so that you come back fresh. The most valuable thing that traveling does is to teach us. It teaches us new ways and introduces us to new people, new food, new ideas.

Get out of your house and go somewhere! Anywhere! Just go, go while you are still able! Go while you still can! Do you have any stories about your travels that you can share with us? Do you have any suggestions about traveling that may help someone else? Please share your travels with us.

XOXO

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Health and Wellness: How to Lower Your cholesterol Naturally! New Information!

6/21/2019

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There is an open conversation and controversy over just how important cholesterol is to our overall health. There are good arguments on both sides of the issue, but recent studies seem to conclude that it does not affect our health as much as once believed.

Our bodies need cholesterol and is capable of making what we need. Adding cholesterol through diet is not necessary, but it is also not the culprit we made it out to be.

Here is a statement by Harvard Health Publishing – Harvard Medical School in an article you can find here:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/cholesterol

“Cholesterol isn't entirely
the health villain it's
made out to be,
its name darkly linked to
heart attack, stroke,
and other types of cardiovascular disease.
Our bodies need cholesterol,
which is a type of lipid
(another name for fat)
to make cell membranes,
key hormones like
testosterone and estrogen,
the bile acids needed to
digest and absorb fats,
and vitamin D.
Cholesterol is so important to the body that
the liver and intestines
make it from scratch.
What is "bad" about cholesterol isn't the substance itself
in fact, we can't live without it
— but how much of it is in the bloodstream.”

What the magic number is when it comes to cholesterol is also in question. Many factors can affect cholesterol, such as age and menopause. Some medications can also affect it, as well as lifestyle.
Check with your doctor for the correct number for you.

Exercise is always the first line of defense for any illness or disease. It is the same for lowering your cholesterol. Exercise!

Run or jog
Brisk Walk
Bike
Swim
Weights
Yoga
Cardio Dance or Zumba
Pilates

Anything that gets you up and moving!

Food! Food is medicine. We are what we eat. Food affects you cholesterol. Including the following will assist in lowering your cholesterol:

legumes
avocados
nuts
- specifically almonds and walnuts
fatty fish
- salmon and mackerel are excellent sources
whole grains
- oats and barley
are great
fruits and berries
dark chocolate and cocoa
garlic
soy foods
vegetables
tea -
green and white are the best, black tea is also good
dark leafy greens
EVOO

Eliminate the following:
Reduce saturated fats
Eliminate trans fats
Smoking – STOP Smoking!

Doing the following will also help:

Lose weight
Drink alcohol in moderation
or better yet – not at all
Increase soluble fiber
MCT oil
– there are studies that show this can help reduce cholesterol (The recommendation is 1-2 Tablespoons a day to “replace fat in your diet, not add to” and no more. More may have a negative effect on your health.)

If you are trying to lower your cholesterol and none of these suggestions work, your doctor may want you to take statins or other cholesterol lowering drugs. If your doctor suggests such a drug, then take it as prescribed, however, continue to practice the above suggestions.

After a period of time, these suggestions may change your cholesterol numbers and you may be able to come off the drugs.

(No matter the situation, always consult your physician first.)

Hope this helps someone. If you have lowered your cholesterol without medications (in other words – naturally) please share your story in the comments. Please share your thoughts on the current studies about cholesterol and its effects on health in the comments below. Do you take statins currently and are you going to try to lower it naturally with the information in this article? If so, we would love to know how that works for you!

XOXO

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Travel: Your Own Backyard - You Might Be Surprised What is Out there

6/14/2019

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For the last 20 plus years
I have lived in the same place. I have been everywhere and seen everything in my town. At least that is what I thought.

A few weeks ago when the weather was nice I went downtown for a walk. My town is a rather small one and serves a large rural community. I thought I knew that little town frontwards and backwards, but it turns out I missed something.

On this nice little walk I found the most delicious little bakery that I never knew existed. I went inside and asked for the best baked sweet thing with pecans that they made. They sold me a Neiman Marcus bar. It was the best sweet thing I have eaten in years (aside from the Pecan Cobbler at the local family owned restaurant).

The point is if I hadn't decided to walk downtown where I had been many many times, I wouldn't have discovered treasure. Treasure that was buried in my own backyard. Everyone should take another look at their hometown or city, spend time walking the streets, with no purpose other than to just see what's there, what's new, and enjoyment.

You don't need a lot of money to travel. If you look around your area, you may be surprised at what you discover. Places change all the time, sometimes when we just drive by a place we are not really looking at it. If we are walking and taking our time, we can really look and sometimes be pleasantly surprised at what we find.
Treasures hiding in plain sight....we just have to look.

When was the last time you walked the streets of your town or city? Did you take time to really look at the shops, the sidewalks, the streets, the whole town? If you have a "backyard treasure story" share with us.

XOXO

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Travel: Travel Someplace You Have Never Been at Least Once a Year - Dalai Lama

6/7/2019

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When I was growing up, I had a lot of dreams. Just like any other teenage girl I had dreams and plans for the things I wanted to do when I got older.

One of those things was travel. I dreamed of traveling all of the United States and seeing my country, but I also dreamed of other countries, foreign cities and towns, foreign countrysides and beaches. I wanted to see the world.

During my young years women were just gaining freedom in some areas. Traveling alone was only done by a very few brave women. Some went into the military to accomplish their wanderlusts, but very few. My father had spent time overseas, mostly Germany, and he was happy to be home. My parents did not encourage me to travel out of the country. They pointed out the dangers and the absence of protections under the laws in some countries that could ruin a young persons life if they made a simple mistake unknowingly and broke some foreign law.

As a result, I never really pursued travel outside of the United States. If I was a young person today, with all the opportunities available and the fact that women do everything they want now, I would have been all over the world by now.

What I am trying to say is this, in today's world, women (and men) travel solo more than ever before. Women go into careers that take them all over the world. Travel has never been easier and we have never known as much about other countries as we do today.

There are still concerns when traveling abroad. There are still dangers abroad, especially for women. There will always be concerns and dangers, however, it has also never been safer. More and more women are going all over the world, some completely on their own.

Now if traveling overseas is not your "thing", there are more than enough places to travel to here in the United States. This country we live in has so many beautiful, varied, unique, wonderful places to see and visit that you could spend your whole life just traveling in the United States and never see everything.

Even if you have a handicap or have a medical condition, you can still travel somewhere new now and then. There are groups for every possible situation that travel to every concievable place. Travel groups for seniors, for handicapped travelors, Christian traveling, health and wellness travel groups, if you have a situation there is a travel group for your situation out there somewhere, you just have to look for them.

Even if you only travel in your own backyard, you will find things and see things you have never known existed. Once in a while I will venture to the Blue Ridge area of my home state, not more than 45 minutes to an hour down the road and I visit a small town. I have found treasures in those small towns. Things that no one every thinks about but would love if they knew they existed.

The real surprises are when I venture to my own downtown area and just walk the streets, window shopping and then treating myself to a local confection, a coffee or a meal. I found stores that I never noticed until I was walking, I may have drove by them many times, but I never noticed them. Walking your town might open your eyes to a lot of surprises and at the very least, you will feel so much better when you are done.

There are also tour groups in many small towns (such as mine) that go to plays, concerts, shopping trips, museums, hikes, etc., and they cost very little. Someone else does the driving and you can sit back and look at the scenery as you pass or chat with the friend in the seat next to you. A lot of these groups are operated by country recreational departments, senior citizen centers, state parks and recreation departments, and even churches. You just need to look around you and ask other people, you might be surprised at what is available in your own back yard.

Many churches have mission trips that you can go on. Not only do you have the opportunity to see a different state or country, you have the opportunity to help others and contribute to others in a way to make their lives better. This is an excellent way to travel and also help others.

About once or twice every two to three months, I sign up with my country recreational department to go on a day trip. I have been shopping, to dinner theaters, to concerts, to plays, river canoeing and many other fun trips. Most of the time I know people on the trips, but when I don't I usually meet new people and no matter what, I always have a great time and see something or do something that I have never done before.

Here are a few pictures of some of the things I have done with this group:

Dinner Out at a Fancy Restaurant..

An afternoon play

A comedy dinner theatre

I encourage you to find a way to get out of the house and see something new at least once a year (more often if possible).

Don't let fear prevent you from seeing the world.
Whether it be your own home town or some country far away...
God created it all and there is something worth finding everywhere!

When was the last time you traveled anywhere? Were you alone or with someone or a group? Do you have plans to travel in the near future? This year? Next year? Where is the one place you want to visit before you die? Do you have plans to visit that place?

XOXO

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Encouragement: Ending June with Thoughts on Travel and Health

Health and Wellness: How to Lower Your cholesterol Naturally! New Information!

Travel: Your Own Backyard - You Might Be Surprised What is Out there

Travel: Travel Someplace You Have Never Been at Least Once a Year - Dalai Lama

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Encouragement: Ending June with Thoughts on Travel and Health

Health and Wellness: How to Lower Your cholesterol Naturally! New Information!

Travel: Your Own Backyard - You Might Be Surprised What is Out there

Travel: Travel Someplace You Have Never Been at Least Once a Year - Dalai Lama

My mission​

Categories

Archives

About

Blog

Contact

My mission