Successful New Years Resolutions

The new year is almost here, and whether you make a resolution or not, this post will give you some tips to stay on track with life goals or changes. A lot of resolutions that are made have to do with health, but a lot of times people break within the first month and only less than half turn out to be successful for the entire year. I've been there too, saying something I wanted to change and then returning back to where I was shortly after. There is something special about sticking to a promise that you make yourself, and the accomplishment you feel when you achieve your goals is amazing.

My dad for example said that he wouldn't eat sweets for 1 year, and he stuck through it. I don't know how he did it, but I am really proud of him and happy that he stuck to his promise.

Here are some of the most popular resolutions that people make on New Years
-Lose weight
-Drink less alcohol
-Eat better
-Quit smoking
-Manage stress
-Save money
-Take a vacation
-Help others

It doesn't mean that your resolutions have to or should fall into these popular categories. Come up with something that you feel would benefit yourself and that you could implement in your own life with ease. An issue is that a lot of people want to lose weight, but they just adopt some "fad" diet. It may wok temporarily, but usually you are left unsatisfied and it's easy fall into the old ways. What I am trying to say is that if you really want to lose weight, or change your habits to be more healthy, you need to implement lifestyle changes. You need to analyze what you can change and truly adapt so you can be successful and feel good about yourself in the long run. It is cool to lose weight and see results over a short span, but in the end you want to eat and live in a way that you can sustain your whole life and feel good about. Below are some tips to sticking with your resolution this year, whether it be for health, happiness, love, etc.!

Tips for a successful resolution this year:
1. Pick something you truly want: Try not to pick something that other people force upon you, but instead pick something that you feel will benefit your life. Make sure that it fits within your own value system as well.

2. Limit your number: Try and stick with two or three instead of six or seven goals. This way you can focus on the goals you truly want, and remember exactly what you promised yourself. It can be easy to overload on the resolutions, but also easy to break the ones that weren't as big of a deal.

3. Specific: Being specific about your goals is important for an effective resolution. For example, if you say you want to exercise more, it would be better to say that you'd workout at the gym on mondays and tuesdays for one hour.

4. Create a plan: Instead of jumping in and attempting to conquer or change something big, create some smaller steps to get there. Have a plan, and figure out exactly what you want to do. This could go along with creating short term, and long term goals, so you can progress and achieve exactly what you desire.

5. Write and visualize: If you write down your goal, and visualize it on a regular basis, it can help you to be more successful and stick with your resolution easier. Make sure you put your list in a place you will view it often so that you can be reminded.

6. Tell a friend: Having someone know exactly what you want to change will help to keep you more on track because your friend can hold you accountable. Share your goals with someone that you know will be supportive and help to motivate you when and if you are feeling down.

7. Forgive yourself: If you fail once, don't sabotage your entire goals for the year. Just pick yourself back up and continue on. Many times people trash their resolutions just because they messed up once or twice. Slipping is part of the process and it happens. We are only human and we make mistakes, and we must learn from them. Believe in yourself.

Thanks for reading! Stay safe this holiday/new years season, and spend it in good company :)

This post is written by Michael.
Adapted from: 
Popular Resolutions
Keeping Resolutions
Image 1

Tea? It's like a hug in a cup.

Michael and I have basically been sick on and off for the past three weeks. During this time, we decided that no drugs would be necessary. Actually, we never even thought about it! Why? Because tea cures. (At least, we think so.)

Why Tea Rocks
Tea has been around for thousands of years for healing, health, wisdom, and social gatherings. However, doctors do not "prescribe" it for whatever reason they may have. Tea is naturally soothing and healing to the mind, body and spirit. There are many reasons to love tea!

• Tea has less caffeine compared to coffee. This means it is better for the heart and helps prevent cancer. But...
• Some Teas have caffeine! It is great for people like me who cannot drink coffee because gives me headaches and anxiety. 
• Helps burn fat! You are basically drinking water with a little (or a lot) of flavor. Zero calories! I think yes. 
• Green tea has antioxidants, more than broccoli, carrots, or spinach.
• White tea has the most anticancer properties.
• Oolong helps lower bad cholesterol. 
• It boosts your immune system, boosts functioning for old age, lowers blood pressure, 

Teas We Cannot Get Enough Of

Herb Tea for Detoxing

Herb Tea for the Libido

Peach Blosson Oolong

Tea for Lifting Your Spirits

Lupicia's White Christmas

We love tea so much that my mom got Michael and I these cute double walled glass cups for our anniversary. So there you have it. Our little obsession over tea. Why do you like tea? What is your favorite kind? We would LOVE suggestions! (Katie...? I know you're reading this.)

This post is written by Karel.
Adapted from: Tea Types and Their Health Benefits
Tea Health Benefits   
Republic Of Tea 
Title Inspiration 
Tea gif
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by The Republic of Tea or Lupicia. We just really enjoy their products. 

The 2012 Transition: New beginnings

The time has come. We have just ended the great 26,000 year cycle. There have been many prophecies to explain what will happen in 2012, but the world is definitely not ending. Unfortunately many people have thought this and continue to live in fear. Instead, get excited for the beautiful changes about to happen, and be grateful to be on earth during this wonderful time!

The universe was founded on a sacred level of creation relating to geometric shapes, and this is why everything is a part of everything else. The universe is an infinitely expanding space where life exists on many different levels, and also dimensions. Unfortunately, in world we currently live in,  we experience polarity that consciously permeates all of our lives. This is seeing good/bad and separation in everything. We separate ourselves from others by comparisons, judgements, etc. But in reality, we are all one, and have the same cosmic energy of creation flowing through all of us. It is an amazing thing, but with the dominant male energy in the universe, we forget our feminine connection to all things, and mother earth. The male dominate left brain is the one that harbors competition, separation, and is a complete illusional type of thinking. It is no surprise that we see things as being separate. We go to school and are immediately thrown into left brain type of learning, without knowledge of the feminine emotional aspect of our lives. The feminine becomes suppressed, while the male force is exaggerated. This has led us to where we are today; wars, destroying the environment, and being disconnect from our family and friends. We have forgotten our intimate connection to all things, and have wrecked havoc upon our own earth. With the ending of the great cycle that has just occurred on December 21, 2012, we will be entering a new cycle where the feminine energy will begin to flower and blossom. This is a new age for change, and conscious upbringing. We must learn to live from the heart, and help heal our mother earth, and raise our consciousness of connectedness. We are creating our very reality and world every second by our thoughts, and feelings. We don't see this, because in the third dimension, manifestation takes time to occur. Since we are all one, we become the creators of the world. I want to ask you to be conscious of your thoughts, and to not live in fear. Fear is harmful to everything, and lowers our vibrational being. Instead, live within your heart, where you will find the truth to all things. 

We will soon be entering a time of christ-consciousness. This will be the change from a third dimensional world, into the fourth. We wont go anywhere, and will stay on earth, but we will be changing frequencies so to speak. This is a special time to be here on this earth to experience this change. It will be a transition of consciousness. In the fourth dimension, what you think manifests instantly, unlike on the third dimensional level we currently live on. In our world there is a delay in manifestation that occurs through our thoughts. There are many ascended masters currently among us who have come down from higher dimensional levels to ease us into this time of change. The geomagnetic field of the earth has slowly been decreasing over the past two hundred years dramatically. When this field collapses soon, the world will be left for three and a half days without it. This may cause people to act in weird ways and go somewhat crazy. Normally when there is an axis shift, a change in consciousness occurs with it. Synthetic three dimensional objects will start to disappear and only true natural objects will remain intact. This is the reason why natural structures have remained around earth, always. This shall not be a time of fear, because we have all made this transition before, we just don't remember. We have existed since the beginning of time, but have forgotten who we are. When the time comes, we will remember exactly what needs to happen, and will all be at peace together. Just remember, look to your heart, because all of the answers are within. 

This post is written by Michael, from the heart.
Adapted from: 
School of remembering
The Shift
Image 1

11 Quick Gifts for the Money Conscious

Admit it. It's a little late and  you are still looking for gifts for the holidays. Here are a couple that you can whip out real fast. Even for those who aren't super crafty! Click the titles to see the genius, original crafters and tutorials on how to make it!

Bread In a Bottle

 
Natural Room Scents

 Make Your Own Cupcake Kit

Toddler Scribble Art

Sweaty Bands

 Sharpie Mugs

 Toilet Paper and Card

Mini Bow and Arrow Set

Confetti Crayons

 


 Button Calendar

Money Balloons

This post is written by Kare.
Adapted from: see individual title lings for sources

Boosting your Immunity this Holiday Season

So let's face it, it is that time of the year when everyone is getting sick.. It can be hard to avoid, but we can improve our chances of not catching a cold by following some good guidelines. Flu shots can be good, but unfortunately they contain some nasty ingredients like aluminum, and mercury, formaldehyde, and MSG (according to the CDC). We need to protect ourselves in the best way that we can to prevent sickness, and that means taking matters into our own hands. Read below for some good tips to boost your immunity!

Boosting your Immunity this Holiday Season:
1. Exercise regularly: moving the body around helps to increase circulation and help the lymphatic system clear toxins from the body. The more we are stagnant, the easier it is to be susceptible to colds

2. Herbal supplements: some great supplements for improving your immune system are garlic, echinacea, elderberry, and osha root.

3. Colloidal silver: I recently tried some of this product, and it kicked my cold in a matter of days! You can find it over the counter and is a great immune strengthener for if you think you are about to get sick, or for recovering faster. Supposedly, it was also used by the egyptians long ago.

4. Sleep well: try to get atleast 8-9 hours of sleep per night. When we don't rest fully our bodies ability to recover diminishes and can weaken our life force.

5. Sunlight: we need sun and the production of vitamin D in order to live healthy and happily  It is hard in the winter seasons to get sunlight, but if you see that it is out, Jump in!

6. Drink juice: green juices are amazing not only for their high nutrient level, but they protect us on a cellular level from the high amount of living enzymes that nourish our bodies. Drink as much fresh fruit and vegetable juices as you can this season!

7. Enjoy spices: spices taste awesome, but are good for our immunity as well. Increase spices such as tumeric, ginger, thyme, rosemary, and cilantro. Spice up your life!

8. Coconut oil: use coconut oil on your hands after washing them to smooth them out, but to also help protect you from catching a cold. The oil has anti-viral properties and can even be better than hand sanitizer, since it doesn't kills the healthy bacteria.

9. Eat better: It is so easy to crawl into a cave with a box of cookies and just binge during these cold times. Try to eat less cheese and processed products. These cause sinus stuffiness and can make you more susceptible to catching colds. Instead, have more roots, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and squashes!

10. Trace minerals: selenium and zinc are especially important for healthy immune function. Zinc is especially good for preventing viral attacks. A good way to boost these minerals is to use a good quality sea salt. Gray sea salt is one of the best, and a lot healthier than regular table salt that is processed.

I hope these tips help you to stay cold free this season! :)

This post is written by Michael 
Adapted from:
Image
Boost

Life Lessons: The Stranger Part 3

A few weeks ago, we had blogged about our experience with The Stranger. We learned many life lessons by said stranger. Here is the continuation of our conversation with The Stranger.

You have the power to heal yourself. The Stranger asked if we had physical pain that were bothering us at the time. Michael mentioned this continuous pain he had in his back for over 6 months. The Stranger had Michael sit neutral and close his eyes and imagine the pain. Where is it? (But don't touch it.) What color is it? Size of a golf ball, baseball, or football? Then he had him imagine there was a spout at the top of his head and emptied at his toes. The Stranger had him imagine that colored water was pouring in and washing the pain away. Of course, if you have pain you need to be proactive and notice what you need to do. The Stranger told us a story about how he helped heal his daughter. It turns out that she seriously hurt herself and didn't come back until months later.

Fears are rooted within yourself. I told The Stranger about a scary incident that had happened to me. I was manifesting what could have happened in my mind creating fear. He suggested to immerse myself in that fear. It involved the dark, so he told me to walk around outside in the dark. It makes you feel powerful. Also, do you notice that when you are fearful all you think about is that fear? He suggested to think about the pink elephant. How big is it? Does it have eyelashes? Also, have some sort of protection that can make you feel more at ease. I carry around pepper spray with me.

For women: Just because you are a woman, don't give away your power. Women are powerful. If you give someone the power, then you are giving them permission to make you feel that way. Stand up for yourself! This though obviously also goes with men (, but it connected with my last story).

Change your words. Say "would you" and not "can you" when asking questions. You are taking away the power to say "no." When you say "would you," you give people the choice to say "no" or "yes". This is better.

We hope you have been enjoying our series of The Stranger. Hold on! There is still more to come! If you missed the previous parts of the Stranger, Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This post is written by Karel.
Adapted from: a peculiar encounter in our life together
 Heart Sweet Clip Art
Shoohan Power Button

Acupuncture: Connecting to the Mothership

Acupuncture is an amazing form of Chinese medicine that is still done all around the world today. It may sound scary since it involves needles, but they don't even hurt at all and are smaller than a strand of hair! The way that it works is basically needles are placed on special points of the body to stimulate the bodies chi. Chi is our life force energy that actually always flowing through our bodies on a subtle level, and there are many different pathways along the body that connect to different organs. These pathways are called meridians. Basically, when we have stagnant chi in the body, disease and pain occur since our energy flow becomes blocked. Acupuncture helps to naturally move stagnation and help keep the life force flowing freely. My acupuncturist calls it "connecting to the mothership" , because it is truly a healing, and wonderful experience. It has been shown to cure and help a multitude of pains and other health issues. I will list more of these below, but before that, I wanted to share my personal story with my first acupuncture session.

When I first got my acupuncture a few months ago, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Basically I went in, filled out some paperwork, and waited in the office. The practitioner doing my acupuncture was a lady named Erin Prucha. She had me go into one of the rooms and I got cozy under a warm blanket. Next, she evaluated the pulses of the different organs of my body, to see where my energy was weak. She also looked at my tongue, and evaluated my overall skin tone. Erin used these methods to help determine which points she would use. She told me that she would do an overall balancing of my bodies energy, and that sounded good to me! She inserted around 16 needles in various parts of my bodies including the ear, arm, wrist, leg, and foot. I couldn't even feel them being inserted at all! It amazed me because I thought that I was going to feel something at least. After this, the lights were dimmed some calm music was put on. Erin gave me a doorbell remote just in case I got uncomfortable or needed her for whatever reason. This made me feel very at ease. She then left me in the room to relax and let the needles do their work. I just closed my eyes and took slow deep breaths. After the first minute, I felt a tingling flow comes from my temple and going down to my chin. It almost felt as if someone was pouring a cooling silver liquid down my face. It was an incredible feeling. Then at one point, I felt that I didn't need to breathe anymore. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced. My breath resumed, but at a very slow and steady pace. I just laid their peacefully and felt so at ease with everything. During this time I had an out of body experience where I literally felt as if I was a foot above my body. Everything felt amazing and I was in pure bliss. I almost felt that I was in another world experiencing pure love. I could feel the energies flowing through my body strongly, and was just enjoying every second of it. When Erin came back into the room to remove the needles, I asked for another 10 minutes. Teehee. When she came back, she quickly removed my needles and told me to take my time getting up. Overall, it was a once in a lifetime experience that I am blessed to have come upon. Since my first time, I have had two additional treatments, and they have all been different but very healing. After all of these sessions I feel vibrant and very connected to myself. Try acupuncture!

Where I got the acupuncture: I received the acupuncture in Santa Rosa, California. A wonderful lady, Erin Prucha, helped heal me, and she owns her on practice and consults with Chinese herbs and nutrition as well. Her practice is in a place called the Soul Shine Wellness Center, where there is also chiropractic, x-ray free breast thermography, and massage. I would highly recommend her if you are in the area and want to give acupuncture a try! Her treatments are very effective, and her magic touch does wonders to the bodies energy.
Erin's website for more information: http://www.acupuncturesantarosa.org/

This picture is just an example to show how many points occur throughout the body that can be stimulated with the needles. There are also many more towards the lower extremities of the body. 

Conditions treatable with Acupuncture:

• Neck or Cervical Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Lower Back Pain
• Sciatica
• Hip Pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Headaches & Migraines
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Sinus Problems
• Arthritis & Arthritic Pain
• Jaw and Face Pain
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Tennis and Golfer's Elbow
• Sports Injuries
• Motor Vehicle Injuries
• Bladder Infection
• Stress Related Disorders
• Menstrual & PMS Problems
• Smoking Addiction
• Obesity & Weight Control
• Infertility
• AND MUCH MORE!

So, if you have never tried acupuncture, or if you have some pesky medical issue you are trying to resolve, or even if you are just wanting to balance your body, give it a try! You never know how it could help you, and I promise that it will be worth it :)

This post is written by Michael
Adapted from: 
Acupuncture
Acupuncture Treatment
Image 1
Image 2

Farmer's Markets

Farmer's markets are a great way to get healthy, organic food. Michael and I go to the Farmer's Market almost every week and we love it! It is one of the oldest forms of direct marketing. You meet the guy that's growing your food! You can't do that when you go to the grocery store.

Why We Love the Market

1. It is affordable. We usually use less that $40 for food between the both of us. We get tons of greens and fruit! We love fruit. We got 7 pounds of apples for $6 once. It was great.
2. You meet the farmer. If you have a question, they can answer it because they are the one that is growing their food. We talked to the persimmon guy and he told us exactly when our persimmons will be good to eat. 
3. Sometimes they give you free stuff. I go to a specific booth and they always give me a free tomato or onion. Sometimes if you go towards the end of the farmer's market, they give more free stuff because they want to get rid of their food. 
4. You can tell them how much money you have left and they will accommodate. I use this trick ALWAYS. I ask "how many zucchinis can I get for $3?" They usually give me more than I pay for because they realize I'm trying to save money as much as I can. 
5. Really good quality food. Obviously if you go earlier, you get the best quality because it hasn't been picked through. Regardless, I always find something I want. 
6. Support local farmers! You know exactly where your money is going to and supporting local farmers is the best. 
7. It's fun. Michael and I love walking around and seeing what they have. There is always someone selling beautiful flowers and a couple booths with crafts and pottery. You never know what you'll find!

To find your local farmers market: Use LocalHarvest. Look it up and research again in Google. Usually the farmer's markets have websites. Use it to see if they are open year round. Sometimes markets are closed due to the cold season and rain, but bigger populated areas will most likely have a year round market!

Do you go to the Farmer's Market? What is your favorite part about the market?

This post is written by Karel.
Adapted from: 
LocalHarvest 
Farmer's Market Box Picture
Fresh Local Produce Picture