What does this really mean? It means several things. But most importantly, it means that you are in control and you are the one who has the power to be happy and live a health-filled life. To do so, there are certain principles that you have to be mindful of to achieve and embrace living a smarter, healthier lifestyle. They include:
- Consciousness. Being conscious of your actions and in tune with your body and mind. Being aware of how your decisions impact your health and how you feel. Being aware of what your body needs nutritionally and physically, and what your mind needs to be emotionally happy.
- Moderation. Understanding that there will be times where you choose to indulge or take a day off from exercising. Not being obsessive compulsive of your weight or your health. Enjoying what you eat and enjoying the activities you do.
- Self-Love. Embracing yourself and respecting you for who you are. Loving your body, loving your talents, appreciating your whole package. Believing in yourself and what you stand for.
- Mind-set. Leaving the quick fixes behind and understanding that healthy living is a mindset, not a week or two of extreme behaviors. Embracing a lifestyle that reflects a longer term approach to health.
- Rest. Getting enough sleep and resting when you need to. Not burning the candle at both ends. Building in the ‘you time’ that you need and so deserve.
Lifestyle change implies permanence and consistency. Taking on a healthy lifestyle should be fun, comfortable and empowering. You are the one who is in control and you are the one who has the power to live a life that is smarter and healthier.
Have you made ‘lifestyle’ changes? How long have they lasted?
- S – The Brain’s Set-Point: When someone looks at a situation, they can either see it as positive or negative. Chopra explains that although we are somewhat conditioned by our environment, our parents, and even our ancestors into responding to situations in certain ways, we have the power to change these responses and reset our “set-point.” Doing so can help a negative person become more positive and to see challenges as opportunities…not as problems. Chopra explains that this can be accomplished through meditation and cognitive therapy which helps us go beyond our beliefs. The “Set-Point” has been evaluated as making-up 50% of our ability to be happy.
- Conditions of Living: These include your financial status, your relationship status and even your health status. For instance, are you rich or are you poor? Did you just get married or are you going through a divorce? Have you recently lost a loved one or friend? Did you just suffer an injury? Because conditions of living are constantly changing and are external, they don’t have as large of an impact on our ability to be happy. As a result, they make up 10% of the happiness equation.
- Voluntary Choices: There are two types of intentional actions/choices that are influential to our happiness: Personal action and fulfillment. Personal actions are those that include daily activities that bring us happiness, such as sex, eating good food, going to ball games, enjoying a hobby, etc. Fulfillment, however, gets to our core and what drives us as individuals. What is our purpose? How do we unleash our innate creativity? What do we do to make others happy? This last one in particular – how do we make others happy – has tremendous impact on our happiness. Chopra explained that the fastest way to feel happy is to make someone else happy. Voluntary choices make up 40% of the happiness formula.
After discussing this formula with the audience, Deepak Chopra made the point that the formula doesn’t factor in fear and pain from our past, something he specifically addresses in his book: The Ultimate Happiness Prescription: 7 Keys to Joy and Enlightenment.
Do you agree with these three components of happiness? Have you read Deepak Chopra’s book? What makes you happy?
Scientists don’t know yet what causes dreams, but we do know something about the state of dreaming.
Immediately after we go to sleep, our brains enter a stage called ’slow wave’ sleep. The brain waves (electrical activity in the scalp) slow down distinctly from the awake stage, the muscles are completely relaxed, and the heart beat, blood pressure, and body temperature reduce. If someone is woken up at this stage, they don’t remember dreams.
Then the brain waves change: as we enter what is known as ‘rapid eye movement’ (REM) sleep, the brain waves are indistinguishable from when we are awake. This is when we dream.
When we dream, our heart rate and blood pressure may rise, and the eyes move behind the eyelids (hence the term REM sleep). The rest of the muscles, though, are in a state of paralysis (except for those that control the basic body processes). This is what prevents us from acting out our dreams.
Normally, slow-wave sleep alternates with REM sleep. Over one night of sleep for the normal adult, the REM sleep stages become gradually longer till the person awakens. Babies, though, spend much of their sleep in slow-wave sleep.
When the switch between slow-wave sleep and REM sleep does not work properly, it can cause a lot of trouble. In people who walk or talk in their sleep the mechanism that causes low muscle tone during REM sleep doesn’t seem to switch on. On the other hand, in people with narcolepsy, the muscles may suddenly lose tone (like during REM sleep) when the person is awake. The person will not be able to move – a state called cataplexy. People with narcolepsy also switch between the waking and sleeping states suddenly (they may have a sleep attack in the middle of a cooking or driving, for example) as well as between slow-wave and REM sleep.
Why? Scientists suspect that a mixture of genetics and environmental factors cause narcolepsy. But like so many things connected with sleep, we don’t understand much about what is the trigger.
A cheap radiance booster:
“Mix baking soda with water and use it on your face as an exfoliator. My grandmother gave me that tip.”
No more creasy eyelids!
“I dip my brush in a little water before I apply shadow. It lasts longer.”
Do less, look amazing.
“I don’t like when women wear too much makeup—it should be natural. And this is coming from someone with her own makeup line.”
To prevent fried ends…
“I condition my hair in the shower at night and rinse it in the morning.”
Her get-ahead advice:
“Be fair. It’s not good to be a nasty person. People remember that.”
The writer of Latifah’s latest movie, Just Wright, reportedly got the idea for it by watching her glamorously walk the red carpet.
"The Oprah Winfrey Show," which has been soliciting videos in search of the next big star, got one that prompted the program's security to contact the FBI, law enforcement sources said.
The video was of a man who had a Mac 10 machine gun in tow and was making what appeared to be threatening remarks, sources said.
The sources said the man urged Winfrey to put him on the show and said that if she didn't, she would hear about him somewhere else.
Security for the show, which is taped in Chicago, contacted the local FBI office and the wheels started in motion. Because the man had sent the video from Los Angeles, the FBI and police in that city were notified, sources said.
Los Angeles police ended up reaching the man Wednesday. After interviewing him, they determined the gun was not real and there was no real threat. No arrest was made.
One source said the man claimed he was actor and was remorseful about the video.
"The LAPD spoke to an individual and determined that no crime was committed," Officer April Harding, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman, said tonight.
Winfrey has been running a promotion on her website that says:
The video was of a man who had a Mac 10 machine gun in tow and was making what appeared to be threatening remarks, sources said.
The sources said the man urged Winfrey to put him on the show and said that if she didn't, she would hear about him somewhere else.
Mary Altaffer, AP
Oprah Winfrey's search for the next big television star took an ugly turn when a threatening video was sent to her show's Chicago offices.
Security for the show, which is taped in Chicago, contacted the local FBI office and the wheels started in motion. Because the man had sent the video from Los Angeles, the FBI and police in that city were notified, sources said.
Los Angeles police ended up reaching the man Wednesday. After interviewing him, they determined the gun was not real and there was no real threat. No arrest was made.
One source said the man claimed he was actor and was remorseful about the video.
"The LAPD spoke to an individual and determined that no crime was committed," Officer April Harding, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman, said tonight.
Winfrey has been running a promotion on her website that says:
Oprah and reality TV super producer Mark Burnett ... are joining forces in search of the next big TV star. Do you have a big personality and a big dream for yourself? This could be your BIG BREAK - the chance of a lifetime to host your own TALK show...on OWN. If you think you have "IT" - upload your video audition or go to an open casting call. You can also help decide who wins -- keep coming back right here to view auditions and vote for your favorites.
Leather is a natural material derived from the hides of various animals. It is a popular choice for clothing, particularly jackets, as it offers warmth, wind protection and breathability. Thanks to modern day manufacturing processes leather is available in a variety of different colours, textures and weights. The most popular varieties of leather used for leather jackets are Nappa leather, Hide and Nubuck. These leather types are differentiated by the type of animal they come from as well as the processes they undergo during manufacture and vary in terms of weight and feel.
Nappa leather is a soft and supple leather that is made from the skins of lamb and sheep. It is known as a full grain leather which means that it is non-processed and has an intact surface. Nappa leather is considered a high quality product and is a popular choice for clothing as it is flexible and lightweight so you can enjoy the protective qualities that animal skins provide while still being able to move freely without feeling weighed down.
Hide leather comes from the skins of cow, buffalo and pigs. Since cows and buffalo are very large animals their hides are very thick, thus the leather that comes from these animals is a heavy weight leather. Pig hide is not as thick as the skin from cow or buffalo but is more substantial than lamb or sheep skin. Because pigs are furless animals, their skins experience more of the elements of nature as they do not have the protection of an external layer of fur.
Nubuck leather is a type of leather that comes from sheep and lamb skins that has been put through a milling process. This top grain hide leather is sanded and buffed on the outside during the manufacturing stage to give a slight nap and the result is a leather that is gorgeously soft and velvet like to touch. Due to the treatment that Nubuck leather undergoes it offers a dual tone effect giving it a vintage look.
There is a variety of leather types on the market today and a knowledge of these will help you when you are shopping around for your new leather jacket. Keeping these leather types in mind will help you choose a jacket that offers the qualities you are looking for.
If you conduct an online search, you will be presented with the best variety of jackets to choose from. The selection will show a range of colour choices and classic styles. One of the advantages of shopping online for clothing items such as leather jackets and blazers is that you can often pick up a bargain or sale item. The prices that are available online are usually much cheaper than those you will find in a regular store due to the fact that having an online presence means less overheads and companies can pass these substantial savings onto their customers.
