Electronic Waste - Where Does Yours Go?

I was visiting my dad a few weeks ago and he had just received in the mail coupons for his television digital converter box. Living outside the reach of the local cable company, he has had a dish satellite for years. He knows he will need the converter boxes in order to get the local station and this means having one more remote to keep up with. Wow, what happen to the days when there were no remotes. It seems like now we have remotes for everything.

My dad does have another choice, buy a new TV which will not require the converter box. If he decides to do this, like many homes will, what will happen to the old set. Anyone getting an additional set for their home will not want one which will require the purchase of a converter. This means that the landfills are going to be filling up with tv cathode-ray tubes containing lead, mercury, and plastics. Sure a few sets may be recycled, but at some point a huge amount of sets will find their way to the community landfills to leach toxins into our earth.

If you find yourself left with an electronic device, consider a recycle drop-ff location in your area. Visit ComputerTakeBack.com to find a convenient location for your electronic drop off.

8 Week Excerise Class??

This past Sunday, I headed off to the gym for a workout. Sunday is not my normal workout day, but the mood struck so off I went. When I arrived, I remembered that there was a new workout class on Sunday afternoon and thought I would check it out. This particular class was advertised as a combination of yoga, tai chi, pilates workout. Okay I do yoga and pilates regularly. I thought how much different could it be. I found out that each pose was held for 8 counts and then you move to the next. The problem with this is that the teacher gave very little instruction cues on how the pose should be done. I found it difficult to follow the class and also that when looking around that I was not holding arms correctly or having my feet in the proper position. After the class, I mentioned the lack of cues to the teacher. I was informed that with only 8 counts per pose, she did not have time to give very many instructions. I see this being a time problem, but where is the teaching in this type of class. Also, I wondered about how effective or harmful doing poses incorrectly could be. I for one had a very sore knee the next day. I have since find out that this is a class taught using a script and doing the same routine for 8 weeks. At the end of 8 weeks, the instructor learns and then teaches the class a new routine for the next 8 weeks. I have decided that this is not for me and will stick to my regular yoga class where every class is different and continuous cues are given throughout the class.

"Staying on the Go"

A few weeks ago, our family was spending the night in a hotel. While TV channel surfing, I found a show on how an office was using constant motion to help employees to lose weight. (sorry, I do not remember the shows name or even the network which aired it) Each employee used a special treadmill which had been equipped with a desk top to hold a computer keyboard and monitor. All day long, the employee would walk at a very slow pace while working at their computer. It was found that employees had lost weight without any other lifestyle changes. No additional exercise outside the office or any change in their diets.

I found the results to be very interesting and that we could all learn form this. Stay on the go and you are going to burn calories. Whenever you have the choice, take the stairs over the elevator. When shopping, park far from the store entrance and get some walking in. If you have a desk job, take time out to get away from your desk. Walk around the building a few times, do some simple stretches and bends. The point is get your body moving.

Positive Attitude

I have always found it truly amazing what having a positive attitude can do. Whenever I am struggling with a difficult situation, changing my outlook can make a difference. This holds to be true in family life, social life, or in business life. Finding the good in a bad situation is not always easy. At times, we have to step back and take a look from a different angle. We need to find the source of the problem and work back from there Our approach can change when we know why we are having a problem. It could be that we need to talk to others or that we need to change our own attitude. I have found that approaching with a positive attitude, over a negative one, shows those I am working with that I want a solution. They can see that I am not just looking to get my way. I am interested in what others think.

Taking a positive attitude approach will not only reduce the stress in my life, but it will also create a healthy environment in all areas of my life. Being positive makes for a happier, healthier life.

The Power of the Blueberry

This past week I had the opportunity to visit my dad, who lives about one hour from my house. Thanks to my mom who was an organic gardener before it was cool, he has several blueberry bushes in his yard. This year has brought a bumper crop of blueberries. Within about one hour, we were able to pick around two quarts. To me there is nothing better than to be able to eat a fresh picked blueberry. Especially, one which I know has not been sprayed with any pesticides or fungicides. In fact, these bushes are so organically grown we had to cut an invasive grape vine off them.

For a fruit to be so small, the blueberry packs a powerful punch. Not only is it a great tasting fruit, but it also brings with it some great nutritional benefits. When eaten whole in their raw form, the mighty blueberry provides antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins E, A, and C. There is a lot in the news in nutritional world about the advantages of getting antioxidants into your diet. Research has found that antioxidants help to delay or prevent free radical cells in your body from developing into cancer. Free radical cells are present in everyone’s body. Some are produced naturally by our body, while others can enter through our respiratory system. These free radical cells can be in the form of cigarette smoke, pollution, or breathing chemicals in our cleaning products.

Other health benefits have been found to include anti-aging properties. Studies have found that eating blueberries may help with better memory performance. This is a plus for anyone with memory loss or in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have shown the lowering of LDL Cholesterol, which can reduce the incidence of stroke and heart disease. This could be in part due to blueberries are low in fat and high in fiber content. One cup of blueberries contains less than ½ gram of fat and over 3 ½ grams of fiber.

So when you are selecting fresh fruits at the market, blueberries should be at the top of your shopping list. Eating a cup is an all around good choice.

Source: US Highbush Blueberry Council

In no way is this information to replace any medical advice from you physician

The Effects of Fiber on Your Health

Just what is fiber and how does our health benefit from it? These days we are hearing a lot about the amount and kinds of fiber we are adding to our diet.

A very simple definition of fiber is that part of eaten plants which passes through our system without being digested. Fiber can be label as either soluble or insoluble. Our bodies benefit from both types and each type plays important roles in helping to keep our bodies healthy. Soluble Fiber is that part of the plant that is dissolved by water once we ingest it and insoluble fiber remains unchanged as it passes through our intestinal tract.

The benefits of fibers to our overall health are numerous and should not be overlooked. Soluble fiber has been found to lower cholesterol and helps to regulate glucose levels in the blood. This type of fiber can be found in whole grains (bran and oats), fruits (apples, prunes, pears), vegetables(broccoli, carrots), and legumes(peas, peanuts). Insoluble fiber helps to prevent constipation and has been linked to preventing the risk of colorectal cancer. Insoluble fiber can be found in brown rice, wheat bran, nuts, and seeds.

An additional benefit of fiber in women's diet is reducing the risk of breast cancer. Fiber helps to reduce the absorption of fat and therefor helps reduce the production of estrogen. Estrogen plays a role in the occurrence of some types of breast cancer.

While the recommended amount of daily fiber is 25-30 grams each day, the average American person only consumes half of this. We have increasingly become a society who eats whatever is put in front of us without thinking about a balanced diet. Some form of fiber should be included in each meal which we consume. For those who do not get enough fiber in your diet, supplements are available. These need to be natural supplements and any increase in daily fiber intake should be done gradually. Adding to much fiber at one time can lead to digestive problems, such as bloating and intestinal gas.

Note: In no way should this post replace medical advice from a physician.

Eating Healthy Calories

How many calories are you burning?

We all know that in order to live a healthy life, we need to be aware of the kinds and amounts of calories we consume. In order for our body to function properly, we need calories. This is what helps to build and maintain the cells which make up our body. These cells also include fat cells. If we consume more calories than our body needs, we produce fat cells. When we exercise, our bodies will burn calories. If we are not exercising, our body will turn excess calories into fat.

Every time I hope on the treadmill or the statuary bike at the gym, I am looking at how many calories I am burning. I use this as a guide to help me plan which foods I am going to eat for the day. I know that keeping your weight in check is more complicated than the difference in calories consumed and calories burned. But this is a good encourager for me to stay out of the cookie jar. When I know how long it is going to take on the treadmill at the gym to burn up that one very delicious chocolate chip cookie, I more likely to dig for the will power to put it back.

While playing around on the Internet, I have found several sites which list calorie counters for both foods and exercise. I have put together a simple list of some basic forms of exercise for those who do not have access to gym equipment. I hope that this will help you track those calories you burn when performing any of these activities for 30 minutes. (Please keep in mind that these are average calories burned)

Frisbee - 85 calories
Bowling - 90 calories
Walking for pleasure - 99 calories
Ping Pong - 114 calories
Basketball - 128 calories
Calisthenics- 128 calories
Bicycling - 144 calories
Soccer - 199 calories
Jump Rope - 227 calories
Tennis - 227 calories

As you can see, some very basic forms of fun can be great at burning up the calories. There is no expensive equipment involved and these are some ways to get the entire family moving together.

Just to give you an ideal of how quickly our calorie intake can add up in a single day, I have given you a list of basic impulse foods with their calorie content.

3 Oreo Cookies - 160 calories
1 slice pepperoni pizza - 181 calories
4 oz. Chocolate Ice cream - 145 calories
20 Potato Chips - 150 calories
1 Soft Shell Taco - 210 calories
1 small Fries - 230 calories
1 Fast Food Cheese Burger - 350 calories


When looking at the two above list, I ask you "Are those potato chips worth it". Skip the bad calories and look for the healthy alternatives. Challenge yourself to a healthy eating style. Look to see where you can make positive changes to improve your health.