FOUNDATION TO AN AWESOME LIFE!

There's this website I've been using and getting tips from for the past few months that I have found educational. I came across this website by looking up information on Chia seeds (great superfood, btw!) There was some article or reference (forget exactly) to RealAge and decided to check it out. The site basically gives you health tips on a daily basis (customizable/optional) on nutritional and health benefit facts about the different foods available to us. Going to the site, you can also take their li'l test that helps determine what your "real age" is based on their criteria to health. I'm about 6yrs younger than my real age, according to their test.

check out: www.realage.com

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Today, I took a closer look at what they have to offer and found a few tips that I'd like to integrate into my lifestyle that seem very common sensical and worth installing as consistent habits into my lifestyle. These are tips suggested after taking my RealAge test. I don't think these tips were customized per the results of my test, tho. Either way, some great tips to follow that I thot i'd share:

see: the Plan

• Do just two things, a.m. and p.m. In the morning, wash your face with your hands -- they're naturally thorough, but gentle. Apply daytime moisturizer to still-damp skin; let it soak in before applying makeup. Repeat at night, but spend a minute longer to be sure you remove all makeup, dirt, and residue from the day. Then, apply nighttime moisturizer.
• Establish a "get ready for bed" routine.
  • 4 to 6 hours before bed: Stop any caffeine (knock off even earlier if you're caffeine sensitive).
  • 2 to 3 hours before: Don't eat a full meal. Digesting food (especially a heavy meal) can keep you awake.
  • 60 minutes before: Turn off all electronics -- yes, the television, too -- and dim the lights. Even if you're in your jammies and not feeling wound up, light signals your brain to stay alert, and mental stimulation (especially from video games, nightly news, Sopranos reruns) makes it harder to fall asleep.
  • 30 minutes before: Drink something you find soothing. It could be a cup of chamomile tea; a glass of warm milk; or a splash (not a glass) of brandy, red wine, or some other nightcap that relaxes you. Just limit alcohol intake, because it can awaken you later. If you find it's a slippery slope, cut it out entirely and switch to herbal tea. Try a warm bath or light reading (no work!).
  • 5 minutes before: Make sure your bedroom is dark (or wear an eye mask), quiet (or get a white noise machine or earplugs), slightly cool (crack the window, if needed), and free of distractions (clutter, pets, work piles). G'night . .
• Connect with friends, book a massage, and/or have sex. Pick up the phone and call someone you haven’t spoken with in a while -- someone who makes you laugh and can take a load off your stress level and help you put things into perspective. (Later in the week, you’ll have dinner with friends, so maybe call someone you want to invite.)
• Start doing daily breathing exercises. Try these three. Then, pick the one you like best, and use it often -- at least twice a day for the next 8 days, preferably at the same time. This will help reinforce a pattern and establish a breathing routine that calms you, refocuses your energy, and changes your body chemistry so that it supports happiness from the inside out.
• Drink tea. As part of your Go Green day, make a big thermos of green tea at home, and sip it all day -- hot at first, over ice later, if you like. Try doing this every day this week.
• Plan a dinner with friends or family. Spend time today with people you care about. If you love to cook, invite them over for a scrumptious meal. If not, go out. The point is to get together with people who are meaningful in your life -- who make you laugh or inspire you -- and share stories and time.
• Sleep late, or try napping. No early obligations today? Sleep in as long as you like. If you can’t, try napping later in the afternoon. The ideal time is about 8 hours after you get up -- that’s when the body naturally takes a little dip in temperature (a sleep inducer); it’s part of your normal biological rhythm.
• (CANI!) Reflect on these 9 days. What’s gone well? Do you feel physically and emotionally better than you did last weekend? What helped most? Getting enough vitamin G? Taking 15 minutes to do nothing? Having more sex? Connecting with friends? Take pride in what you’ve accomplished.

NOTE: these tips are just the ones i picked for myself that I don't currently do daily or at least on any consistent regular basis. Take some time to check out the site and consider how you take care of your gift of life. Your physical health - it's the FOUNDATION to having an optimal, full, and fulfilling life experience in this world. You owe it to yourself to have the best in life... and the best begins at the foundation of everything you do and "be!"

Live Strong and Live with Passion!