7 Reasons Why You Should Learn To Meditate

If you have spent more than five minutes in a row stressing about your life or worrying about the future, then you can find five minutes to meditate. Use meditation to direct your negative thoughts into positive ones, and promote better health.

Here are seven reasons why you should take some time each day to meditate…

1. Manage stress

2. Sleep better

3. Pain reduction

4. Support immune system

5. Reduces blood pressure

6. Improve memory

7. Reduce irritability

Here is a link to an article on Learning How To Meditate.

Also See:

Therapy For Your Soul

Why It’s Great To Meditate

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan, Capessa Health, Women4Hope

Headache & Stress Relief: Make Your Own Herbal Eye Pillow

Headache & Stress Relief: Make Your Own Herbal Eye Pillow

My mother reminded me of a Christmas gift I had gotten her many years ago, and that she still uses. It’s an Herbal Eye Pillow, and she swears it gets rid of her headaches. They are also great for relaxation, stress relief and even as a sleep aid.

These herbal pillows continue to be a popular gift, and it’s something you can even make yourself.

Here are the directions for making one of your own…

1. Stitch two 8-inch by 5-inch rectangles of satin, flannel or unbleached organic cotton fabric together, leaving one end open. Chose your favorite color or fabric design.

2. In a small bowl, blend 1 cup of flaxseeds with 1 cup each of dried English lavender, chamomile and peppermint.

3. Add the herbal mix to the fabric bag and sew closed.

4. Lie down; place the pillow gently over eyes for 15-20 minutes. Breathe and relax. Dispose of the pillow if it gets wet or damp.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan, Capessa Health, Women4Hope

Use Diaphragmatic Breathing To Reduce Stress and Increase Energy

The holidays can be a stressful and tiring time of year. So, wouldn’t it be great if we could learn one technique that could help reduce stress and increase energy? Well, it seems we can.

It’s all about breathing.

You can learn a special way to breath that can improve your health, it’s called diaphragmatic breathing.

Here are some of the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing…

• Relax and reduce anxiety.
• Increase energy.
• Improve concentration.
• Reduce blood pressure.
• Increase circulation and oxygenation.

Here is what you do…

1. Relax your shoulders. Drop them down as low as they’ll go.

2. Put your hands on your abdomen with your fingers overlapped, just below your ribs.

3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, making your abdomen push out while you breathe in. (Remember to keep those shoulders down.)

4. Breathe out slowly, about twice as long than you breathed in, using pursed-lips. Gently, with your hands, push your belly in and think about expelling all that bad, stale air.

5. Practice this from time to time throughout the day.

Give it a try and let know if notice a difference.

Be Happy During The Holidays and Always

You Can Choose to be Happy During the Holidays and Always.

Most people are under the mistaken impression that being happy is difficult. But, it’s really not hard to be happy, it’s just a matter of choosing happiness. No matter how bad life seems to be, we always have two choices…

We can choose to be happy, and see our negative situations in the most positive way possible. Or, we can see the negative in every situation.

Believe it or not…It’s actually “easier” to choose happiness. It takes less energy to be happy, than to be worried, stressed, and unhappy.

What are you feeling negative about today? Can you choose to see this negative situation in a more positive light?

Also See:

3 Ways To Instantly Lift Your Mood

Leave Anger and Loneliness Behind and Choose Happiness

Being Grateful is Good For Your Health

Reduce Holiday Stress: Tips For Getting A Better Night Sleep

One way to reduce holiday stress, is to make sure you are getting enough sleep.  Are you?  Could you use more?

We all know how important getting enough sleep is for good health, but many of us still are not getting enough.  So, here are a few tips to help you get enough sleep and reduce holiday stress…

1.  Try not to drink beverages with caffeine within six hours of your bedtime (that includes soda).

2.  Turn off the t.v. and relax for 15 or 20 minutes before bedtime.  This is a good time to read a book (I recommend a good inspirational book).

3.  Don’t go to bed hungry…But also avoid heavy meals before bedtime.

4.  Some foods may help promote sleep – milk, tuna, pumpkin, artichokes, avocados, almonds, eggs, peaches, walnuts, apricots, oats, asparagus, potatoes, and bananas.

5.  Avoid alcohol before bedtime.  It may initially help you fall asleep, but it also can cause disturbances in your sleep.  Having an alcohol drink before bedtime may make it more likely that you will wake up during the night.

Do you have any tips for getting a better night sleep?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan, Capessa Health, Women4Hope

Dance To Some Christmas Music & Burn Holiday Calories

Dance To Some Christmas Music & Burn Calories

Are you too busy with holiday cooking and shopping to find time to workout?

Well, you don’t have to make time for the gym to burn off those extra calories.  A fun way to get some exercise in and still keep up with your holiday preparations, is to dance around the house to your favorite Christmas music.

Sound silly?

Yes.  But it is fun, and it does work.

Listening to Christmas music is already a tradition for many families.  Just make dancing to the music part of your tradition and have a healthy holiday.

Also See:

How Many Calories Can Your Burn Dancing?

Start A Heart Healthy Workout

Can You Laugh Your Way To Better Health?

Can You Laugh Your Way To Better Health?

Diet and exercise are important for good health, but did you know laughter is too? If you want to be as healthy as you can be, than laughter needs to be part of your healthy living regimen. Is it?

Here are some of the Health Benefits of Laughter:

• Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
• People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.
• Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Here is a Humor Survey by the University of Maryland Medical Center…

How Well Does Your Sense of Humor Protect You From Heart Disease?

Are you someone who easily finds the humor in things? What advice would you give to your super serious counterparts?

Reading Inspirational Books For Good Health

Make a point to read from an inspirational book every now and then. I guess they’re not for everyone, but over the years, inspirational books have gotten me through some pretty tough times.

I have always thought that a big part of better health, is better mental health. When we feel good emotionally, we usually feel better physically. For me, better mental health can be as simple as reading an inspirational quote, aspiration, or meditation.

Here is a site I like with Louise Hay’s Wisdom Cards

I also like…

The Woman’s Book of Courage

What about you? What are some of your favorite inspirational books?

Reducing Election Day Stress and Anxiety

Day 4 – Reducing election day stress and anxiety – From BlogHer’s 61 Days To Better Health

By now, if you are like me, your election stress level is through the roof. But, it’s time to let go of your stress. Once you have placed your vote, the outcome is out of your hands (let’s face it, it was never in our hands). So, why worry about something that you will not be able to change? Regardless of the outcome, you will wake-up tomorrow morning, and your life will go on as it always has.

So, I want you to try something. Right now, as you read this brief post, I want you to slowly take a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. OK, that was good, but you know you can do better.

Now, do it again. Take a very slow and deep breath in. And now exhale…slowly. Do you feel a little better now? It’s amazing what getting a little more oxygen into our bodies can do for us, and how quickly it happens.

Let’s take it one step farther. This time, slowly breathe in peace, love, hope, and anything that makes you feel calm. Now, slowly release your breath, exhaling your fears, worries, and stress. If you’re alone, close your eyes while you do this. Take another minute or two, and breathe a few more times, slowly and deeply. Visualizing yourself breathing in the good, and exhaling the negative.

Better, now?

If possible, go do something else that makes you feel more calm and relaxed. Have a cup of herbal tea, take a bubble bath, turn off the television, read a book, take a walk outside, call a friend, hug your kids. If you feel the stress creeping back in, simply let it go.

This is something you can (and should) do often. Each day, try to become more conscious of your breathing. You will probably notice that you are taking very shallow breaths most of the time. To combat that…Make an effort to take some deep, slow, and purposeful breaths each day. You will be doing your body good, and your mind, too.

Contributing Editor BlogHer Health & Wellness Catherine Morgan
Also at Catherine-Morgan.com, Capessa Health & Fitness