Find Shortcuts To Happiness
Find Shortcuts To Happiness
If someone said you could feel inner peace and joy by just deciding to do it, would you believe them? Well, we're telling you just that! Anyone can choose inner comfort, ease or a feeling of well-being by learning simple tools that will teach you how to make these decisions. Here's a taste of one of the 6 Shortcuts To Happiness we teach at The Option Institute and how you can begin to use it now:Being GratefulTake a few moments to sit with your eyes closed and find a quiet place inside yourself. As you do this, begin to breathe in an easy manner. Now think of one person that you feel particularly grateful to have in your life. As you think of this person, bring to mind all the reasons why you appreciate this person, and as you do, notice how you feel. Then gently open your eyes and pick one object that is in your line of vision. Pick anything. Think of all the reasons you feel grateful to have this object. See if you can make your gratitude really big. Now look outside and decide to be grateful for something you see. Can you make your gratitude for this item huge? Notice how you feel as you do this.We can delight, enjoy and appreciate the wonder of the world around us just by deciding. Gratitude can now be your way to short circuit discomfort, pain and fear and help you to make the decision to choose inner comfort and peace of mind.About The AuthorBeverly Haberman, Certified Option Process Mentor/Counselor and Teacher/Trainer.Currently teaching at The Option Institute ( http://www.option.org )Practicing The Option Process for 12 years.Director of Outreach Associates Network.
Find the Right New Year?s Resolution to Get into Your Best Shape Ever! – Weight-Loss
Find the Right New Year?s Resolution to Get into Your Best Shape Ever!
Yep, it is that time of year again! Time to moan and groan about the weight we gained over the holidays as we resolve to lose it all in the New Year! If memories of failed New Year's resolutions are haunting you, it is time you found the right resolution for 2005.The reason that most New Year's Resolutions fail is that they are too extreme or time consuming. Who is really going to give up all sweets or stick to sweating in the gym for hours each day? What you need this year is a New Year's Resolution that is simple enough to become a part of your daily life, and will lead to long term weight loss. Read on for five simple yet effective New Year's Resolutions for you to choose from.Resolution #1: Drink a large glass of water before each meal.This simple action will save you mountains of calories in the coming year! By filling your stomach with water right before you eat you reduce your chances of overeating during the meal. Drinking more water is also healthy for all of your body functions, including converting body fat into usable energy.Resolution #2: Wait 20 minutes before deciding on seconds.Do you remember the last time you were uncomfortably full after a meal? Chances are that you were hungry and, rather than stopping when you were satisfied, you overate. In the same way that your body tells you when you are hungry, it also has a way of telling you when you are full. The catch is that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message from your stomach that you have eaten enough. What you eat during that 20 minutes is extra food that your body doesn't need. Next time that you are in the middle of a meal contemplating getting yourself seconds, allow 20 minutes to pass before you decided if you still need the extra food. Chances are that your brain will get the "full" message and you will pass on the extra calories!Resolution #3: Walk or Jog in the morning.Did you know that going on a 15 minutes walk right after waking contributes to weight loss? Getting out of bed 15 minutes earlier, lacing up your tennis shoes, and simply walking around the block will lead to fat burn and lost pounds! When you get up and move first thing in the morning, before breakfast, your body is more likely to used stored fat as energy. Weight loss is supposed to be harder than this, right?Resolution #4: Obey the No Food Three Hours Before Bed Rule.Eating a snack after dinner is a widely held habit. Although food always seems to taste better right before bed, it is also more prone to stick with you when eaten late at night. It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night. If you go to bed at 10pm, finish eating for the day no later than 7pm. Once you have made this a habit you will be ecstatic over the long-term weight loss!Resolution #5: Spice up you Workouts with Circuit TrainingAre your workouts consisting of the same exercises in the same order at the same weight? If you find yourself falling into a rut at the gym give circuit training a try. Start by doing one set of your first exercise and then moving on to do one set of your second exercise. After you have done every exercise once, start again from the top! If you want to burn extra calories add 5 minutes on a bike between each set. Get creative and add new exercises into your circuits, and your workouts will be fun and energizing!Now all you have to do is pick one of these New Year's Resolutions, make it a part of your daily life, and watch as the pounds fall off in 2005!Diana Keuilian, author, ACE certified Personal Trainer, and co-founder of HitechTrainer.com offers online personal training and nutrition programs that fit your budget and schedule. Whether your goal is to lose weight, firm and tone, or to build muscle, HitechTrainer.com will build a custom designed program just for you.
Visit: http://www.hitechtrainer.com/ and begin meeting your fitness goals today!
How To Find Affordable Senior Housing – Elder-Care
How To Find Affordable Senior Housing
A few years ago Miranda M. became a widow. After a short time her grandson (her only available relative) persuaded her to move across several states to be closer to him.He located a nice retirement apartment where meals, housekeeping, and transportation are provided. By using her small Social Security income, and funds left by her loving husband, Miranda was just able to afford her rent and basic living expenses.She didn't much like taking all her meals in the community dining room, so she continued to fix some of them in her own kitchen.She reluctantly accepted the help of housekeeping for the heavy cleaning. But, as she said, "I need to keep busy. If I can't make my own bed and dust around I feel like a useless slug. I intend to keep doing for myself just as long as I can get up out of this chair."But for one unforeseen disaster, Miranda and I never would have met, and she would have happily lived on in her sunny apartment.You see, disaster struck because Miranda lived too long.Both she and her grandson had counted on Miranda dying before her 85th birthday. It made perfect sense, they thought, as her family was not generally long-lived.Her sister and brothers had all passed away at relatively young ages, as had her parents. Miranda figured she would be long gone before her money ran out.There was only enough left to cover two more months in the retirement apartment when Miranda's grandson called me.What was she to do?Her monthly income of under $900 wasn't enough to pay for rent, utilities, food, and her medications in the least expensive apartment he could find. He asked me to find her a place in a Medicaid nursing home.Well, Miranda certainly wasn't nursing home material.There was nothing wrong with her mind. She could fix her own meals, and she could keep up her apartment (with a little muscle help). She really had no medical needs, and wouldn't have qualified for Medicaid and nursing home care even if she had wanted to.Which she certainly didn't.Her only real problem was lack of money (and a grandson who wasn't any better at planning ahead than she was).After talking with her doctor and the manager of her apartment to confirm that she really was capable, I set out to try to find a "Section 202" apartment.Section 202 housing - named after the section of the federal legislation authorizing it - is rental housing specifically for people over the age of 62 who have incomes under 50 percent of the area median income.According to HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the average Section 202 resident is a woman in her 70s with an annual income of less than $10,000.Section 202 residences are built and run by private, non-profit groups who have received loan incentives from HUD. HUD is not involved in day to day operations. Rents are calculated according to income, and rental assistance funds pay whatever balance remains.Luckily for them, Miranda and her grandson live in a large metropolitan area. There are always more options in a larger town. But somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of Section 202 funds have been set aside for use in non- metropolitan areas, so these apartments aren't only found in big cities.Hunting for a Section 202 apartment can be labor-intensive. When an apartment becomes available it rarely stays empty long. Often there are lengthy waiting lists.The first piece of business was to telephone every apartment complex on the Section 202 list (see below for the web address to get a list). I verified that they were still participating in the program, and asked whether they had any vacancies.Frankly, I didn't expect a "yes" to the vacancy question, but it never hurts to ask.Lo and behold, and miraculously for Miranda, there actually was a vacancy in an older building near downtown. Because it's not in the pretty suburbs it isn't as popular as some of the others. For our purposes, it was a palace and a kingdom all in one. Beggars couldn't be choosers!If there hadn't been a vacancy, Miranda and her grandson would have had to visit each apartment complex and place her name on every waiting list. Sometimes the wait can be as long as 2 years or more, so I don't advocate waiting as long as Miranda did.Along with her application form, Miranda was required to give the apartment manager proof of her income (a Social Security statement or a pay stub). She was asked about previous landlords who could vouch to her suitability as a tenant. She was asked to provide copies of her pharmacy bills, as those expenses are taken into account when the rent is calculated. This particular apartment manager also wanted a statement from her doctor that she was truly independent.If she had planned on visiting multiple places, Miranda would have taken along several photocopies of all her information so she could leave it everywhere she applied.This is where having someone to come along is invaluable. The job can be overwhelming and exhausting for an older person.If she hadn't found this affordable place, Miranda probably would have had to move in with her grandson (NOT a happy thought for either of them), or find a little private room to rent in someone's home, or try to find someone looking for a roommate. I was ready to try whatever it took to keep her off the street.Because time was short Miranda had to take what was available. She has since put her name on the waiting list at two other apartments that are a little nicer and closer to her grandson. The great thing about Section 202 apartments is that you can move whenever and wherever you wish - depending of course on the terms of the lease you have signed.To locate a directory of Section 202 housing in your state, go to http://www.hud.gov/directory Choose your state in the upper right corner. From that point on you might have to search around a little for "renting," because the information seems to be in different places on the state pages.If you want to talk with someone in a HUD office, click on the web address below for a directory of offices: http://www.hud.gov/directory/ascdir3.cfmIf you, or someone you care for, is over 62 and on a limited income, Section 202 housing can be a lifesaver. It's very important to plan ahead, though, because these apartments are popular.If you have concerns about finances becoming a problem in the future, start NOW to investigate your options. There's nothing more frightening than outliving your savings - - ask Miranda.About The AuthorMolly Shomer, LMSW is "Head Coach" of The Eldercare Team, and a dedicated advocate for those who are caring for elderly adults. Please visit her web site at http://www.eldercareteam.com for more elder care articles and important resources for caregivers. "Eldercare News You Can Use," the bi-monthly newsletter, is also available there. Write to her at: molly@eldercareteam.com; mshomer@eldercareteam.com