Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life


Experiencing a healthy and long life requires several things, including a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, adequate sleep each night, exercise, plenty of water, and eliminating any bad habits that can cause disease, such as smoking and overeating.

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life


Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life



Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life

Foods

The truth is that many Foods that are very rich in vitamins that your body needs everyday are available for your consumption on the go. And with some minor changes, even your Fast foods can be healthy choices when you're considering vitamins. With all that is available today, there is no excuse not to eat healthy.

Make or keep a wide variety of healthy foods ready at home to be eaten as snacks. Try to eat as many whole foods as you can as opposed to processed foods.

The reason processed foods areenriched in the first place is because their process has stripped them of virtually all their vital nutrients. By eating natural foods instead of processed you allow your body to have the nutrients it needs to fight disease and allow you to live a longer, healthier life.

If you are the parent of a baby, keep in mind that the first year of solid foods is a very important time for establishing your child's eating habits. Your child is constantly enticed towards foods that are appealing and not necessarily nutritious. By forming good eating habits from the beginning, they are more likely to accept a healthier diet throughout their growing years and beyond.

Exercise

Starting a family fitness routine is a great way to set up your kids with a lifetime love of fitnessand exercise, not to Mention that it's good for your health and waistline as well.

Although most of us know the importance of exercise and physical fitness, life often gets in the way and exercise is often the last thing on your mind. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, tried to quit smoking or lose weight, or give up junk food.

You don't have to be a professional athlete-just make time for 15-20 minutes of exercise daily. That's the key.

Sleep

Besides exercise you need to have good sleep and rest in order to be healthy. The trick is to receive 7-9 hours of sleep each night as opposed to a few nights out of the week. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night can extend your life.

Water

Drinking enough waterevery day is extremely important. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

Research has shown you can speed up your metabolism by 1/3 by drinking several glasses of ice water each day. There are at least a dozen ways water aids different parts of your body, including your heart, skin and digestive system.

Get Rid of Bad Habits

Do you have any bad habits that keep you from achieving better health? Overeating, smoking, or Watching TV for hours each day can lead to many health disorders such as high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer.

Ask your doctor, healthcare provider, friends and family members how you can overcome your existing bad habits and replace them with new ones.

Conclusion

Five Good Habits for a Healthy Life

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance


Want to live off your land? More people are pursuing a lifestyle of self-reliance, depending upon themselves for their Food and making a living by homesteading. If you long to get off the treadmill and office onto your own land, here are fifteen steps you should take crucial to pursue your life of freedom:

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance


Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance



Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance

Get out of debt

As any farmer will tell you, unless you own a corporation with hundreds, if not thousands of acres, you won't make a fabulous income living off the land. Those farmers who do own hundreds of acres and thousands of Dollars worth of equipMent (along with the mortgages to prove it) are struggling to get by. The secret is to live simply and downsize. Sell that car with those newer high car payMents and buy a used model, preferablywith no payMents. Stop eating out as much and use that extra money to pay off your loans.

Get some land

You don't need hundreds of acres, but if you want to live off your land, you will need at least five. You will want enough space for a good sized garden, along with some farm animals. Live in town? Consider selling or renting that house and buying a used manufactured home set on a small acreage instead. Many people do it and live quite comfortably-and debt free.

Learn to grow your own Food

Put in a lot of raised beds and grow potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables. Learn to preserve your food through canning, drying and freezing, so that you go to your pantry instead of the grocery store, cutting down on cost andtime.

Raise chickens

These wonderful birds will Supply you with eggs, meat, and even income if you raise enough of them. Fresh chicken eggs are easy to sell. These eggs are delicious, and if they come from chickens who have eaten mostly grass and insects-chickens who live in chicken tractors, for example-they are also far healthier and more valuable than the store bought brands.

Get your goat

Goats will Supply you with milk, meat and cheese. Control their diet-only hay and grains-and your goat's milk will taste exactly like cow's milk, only sweeter. Plus, many people are realizing the health benefits of raw goat's milk, making it a marketable product. Get two or three female goats-or does-along with a billy goat, and you will haveenough milk for your family and some extra to sell to cover your cost.

Diversify what you sell

Many people who try living off the land make the mistake of raising a single product in large supply and then selling it. But if the crop fails, then you are in trouble. Instead, raise a small supply of several items to sell. Sell chicken eggs and goat's milk, honey and produces when it's in season. That way if one item fails to produce, you have others to fall back on.

Avoid the exotic

A few years ago, raising ostriches were all the rage. At least they were until those raising them realized that not many people are willing to eat ostrich meat. It is far wiser to stick with the standard do-chickens, pigs, and beef, for example. Raising something unusual andhoping to get rich off it-like many get-rich-quick schemes-usually leaves you with an empty pocketbook and an animal nobody wants and you have to feed.

Raise only what you want to eat

This goes with the ostrich example above. If you don't sell those hundreds of bushels of Swiss chard, then be prepared to eat them. If you don't enjoy them that much, then don't grow them.

Be prepared to learn a new trade

My grandfather was a plumber, and even during the depression, he prospered. During hard times, people might not need an insurance adjuster, but they will need someone who can fix their leaky pipes. Consider learning carpentry, electrical work or mechanics. Learn to make practical, useful items that you can sell or barterwith.

Simplify

Do you really need three television sets? They use electricity even when they are not running. How about that 3.000 square foot home? Do you really need all that space, and all that clutter you accumulated to fill it? Learn to live on less. Cleaning and protecting all those things simply takes up precious time and money.

Give up driving

You won't be able to homestead successfully if you are driving into town everyday for one thing or another. If you are a soccer mom and trying to homestead, you are going to become exhausted in a hurry. Caring for livestock is a full time Job that requires you to spend a lot of time on your land. Plus, the gas and wear and tear on your car is expensive. If you don't like staying at home, thehomestead life may not be for you.

Don't go it alone

Don't try to homestead by yourself. Accidents can happen, and when you live in the country, there will be few neighbors who will hear you call for help. If you are single, consider finding one or two like-minded individuals who will room with you and share expenses.

Join a community

Find others in your area passionate about homesteading. Look for a local online group or start one. Go to your nearby feed store and see if they offer classes on animal husbandry. Sign up for an organic gardening class. All of these will get you in touch with people who can share information with you and who will encourage you.

Give back

Be willing to help those who are just starting out.There's an old phrase that rings true: what goes around, comes around. Make certain that what goes around from you is positive, rather than negative.

Embrace hard work

The homestead life is wonderful, but it does involve a lot of hard, physical labor. You will be lifting hay bales, roping contrary critters and moving chicken tractors. I personally love the hard work (and the great sleep I get each night), but if you prefer a desk Job, then naturally, the homesteading life probably isn't for you.

Think you can do these fifteen things? Then start working on getting out of debt and go forward! A life of freedom and purpose awaits you.

Live Off Your Land-Fifteen Steps You Can Take to Get Out of the Cubicle and Onto Self-Reliance