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A few weeks ago on Twitter, I sent out one of my energizing quick tips – a simple reminder to break up the workday doldrums with some jumping jacks or running in place. I ended with the question, “Now, how do you feel?”

Soon after, I received an answer. But not the response I was looking for . . . Rather I got back a disheartened, “My knees ache!”

Oh yeah! Those creaky knees and whiny hips are no fun when it comes to exercise. Even in small doses.

I know – because I’ve been there. Last year, my hip dragged my running down. Actually I should say, my hips. Because the pain seemed to switch back and forth from hip to hip. As soon as one felt a little better, the next one would kick in. Probably I was favoring one to spite the other – and my hips were letting me know this!

And I’ve watched my husband grimace through knee pain, Achilles tendon injuries, stiff elbows and more.

However here’s the secret that you won’t hear much about  when it comes to joint pain . . .

As much as it hurts to use them . . . it hurts more not to move them.

If you can work through the initial pain, using your tender joints can actually be part of the healing process.

Keep reading, because I’m going to tell you why leg exercises can make such a difference when it comes to healing and reducing pain.

But before I get into the why’s of this, let me start with a few guidelines:

• Focus on slow, careful strength-building leg exercises. This is about building muscle – not pounding your joints into submission! And start small. Only do one set at a time until you get stronger.

• Give yourself some additional support. Wrapping the sore joint with an Ace bandage can help you diminish the strain, especially as you start up with exercising.
• Use some of the other healthy pain-relieving, healing tactics I list here.

Okay, let’s get going with the explanations of why exercising can make such a difference in your joint pain . . .

Why Leg Exercises Heal Reason #1: Hard Work Tells Your Immune System To Back Off

Bodybuilder Tammy Thomas was hit by the debilitating autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In a personal article she describes how RA initially shut her beloved weight-training down. Despite her doctors concerns, she resumed training and discovered high-resistance workouts actually made the pain go down.

Research indicates when your body does high intensity training it actually produces anti-inflammatory immune communication molecules called cytokines. In particular, your body produces a unique cytokine called interleukin 6 (IL-6). This signal molecule is unique in that it signals the immune system to get busy in repairing the strained and stressed muscle tissue, something that usually results in inflammation.

But IL-6 also does something else. It signals your immune system to back off and stop the inflammation.

As a result, you feel less pain and stiffness.

As sports researcher and fitness expert, Lani Muelrath, noted in her article on this phenomenon,

Properly performed exercise releases signaling molecules that stimulate a unique healing response that couples both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms to repair, regenerate, and grow stronger tissue.  Unlike drugs, which have single targets and ignore the web-like interactions in the body, exercise works with the body’s innate intelligence to produce broadly beneficial effects that improve whole body function.

I couldn’t say it better. Your body uses movement as medicine for healing. Tap into this with some good cytokine-releasing strength-training.

Why Leg Exercises Heal Reason #2: When You Work Your Body, Your Body Has To Focus On Getting Your “Rusty” Parts Better

This is less technical but rooted in wisdom and experience. It’s one of those “common sense” insights my husband, Cassius, hits on so frequently. As he explains, when you move through an injury, it’s kind of like you tell your body, “I’m going to move – so you better deal with it!”

Perhaps this is a dose of that mind over matter phenomenon. When your brain is focused on the idea of getting moving again, your body has to adjust its activity accordingly. When your body is told it needs to get those muscles in gear, it focuses nutrition and resources into healing that part.

We’ve gone through lots of injuries and sore spots that were begging for mercy. But by moving it after an initial resting period, we got our movement back, often pain-free and as strong as ever.

Why Leg Exercises Heal Reason #3: When You Continue To Work Your Joints, Your Body Builds Protective Muscle

This step is both a proactive step you and a way to fortify an injured body part.

Scientists have been amazed when people with spinal or nerve injury manage to regain movement as their body rewires itself and bypasses the initial injured nerve pathway. While the “normal” nerve pathway may not be working, the body finds another route.

It’s the same thing when you build your muscles around an injured or sore spot. Muscles are your body’s internal armor. When you develop a weak spot – like that achy knee – if you focus on slow and careful strength-building activities you can grow extra struts and supports to fortify that joint.

Perhaps you may not be able to shorten that worn out ligament, or build up all the cartilage you once had. But if you build muscles, you can take some of the strain off of both these connective tissues.

Hint: When you do this kind of strength-building exercise, if you can use free weights or calisthenics using your own body weight you get a much richer muscle-building experience than if you use a weight machine. Because your body has to stabilize and balance as you squat or move that joint, you build up tangential, smaller muscles. As a result you develop a much more diverse and stronger muscle support.

And you can also use this strength-training proactively. In the spring – to prevent injury - I’m particularly attentive to my core and shoulders with all the gardening work coming up. When winter comes around, I focus on my legs for ski season.

When Your Body Aches, Exercise For Relief

Certainly, when you first injure yourself, you need to rest that body part. The good old acronym RICE (Rest, Icing, Compression and Elevation) works very well. This tried and true system says that upon injury you should rest the injured area, ice it, apply compression (wrap with an ace bandage) and elevate the injured area.

I’ve also developed some additional tactics for reducing the inflammation and pain.

But don’t stay in the convalescent stage too long. From back injuries to knees, sports rehabilitation experts are now recommending you get active before too long. Use it or lose it.

For example – when Cassius injured his knee playing basketball, he could barely bend it much for a couple months. However, by doing more and more one-legged squats, he was able to make his knee stronger than ever. And eventually the pain when he ran and played became minimal.

I did the same with my ongoing hip pain. I backed off on running. Instead I did squats and deadlifts with heavy weights. With my back pain it was the same – a deliberate progression of using my back again.

How long should you rest before moving again? It depends on your fitness level and the injury. If it’s a break, or you’re feeling sharp pain and the area is still severely inflamed and swollen, definitely don’t move.

But don’t wait to feel no pain to start moving. Even a little inflammation is okay.

The key with new injuries or old aches is to start slow with one set of strength-building exercises. See how you feel after doing a set. See how you feel the next day. And slowly but surely build on this activity.

Want to get going with some simple and effective leg exercises? Try these 4 joint-strengtheners. (Please note, the jumps should be reserved until your joints are strong enough. But they are mighty!)

Got some sore joint suggestions or recovery stories? Please share below!

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Why Leg Exercises Are So Important For Women With Achy Knees Or Sore Hips appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

Once the sap was collected, I turned my attention to the chickens. I gave the injured hen in the barn fresh water and feed. Added some more shavings to the deep bedding in the coop, gave them some bread and veggie scraps we collected from a local pizza place/bakery and replenished the water, drawing icy water from the collection bucket we keep near the house.

The chickens tended, the sap collected, a bucket of wood brought inside – finally I was ready to get work with my writing.

As the day wears on, I’ll take breaks to wash the dishes, get some more wood and eventually make dinner.

In my book it’s all part of running a healthy – nay, thriving – home business.

Because here’s the dirty little secret many productivity experts don’t know about - in fact warn against . . .

Getting your hands dirty with some manual labor is a invaluable part of making your home business strong. It keeps your mind sharp and creative. And it fuels your vitality. It keeps you sane and capable.

Many business gurus – including ones I greatly respect – advise you to hire a housekeeper or yard maintenance company so you’ll be freed up to work on your business.

But when you work – not just exercise – but work, you develop your creativity, gain better focus and – in the long run-  maintain your health. All of these help you build your business successfully.

We’ve become a society always looking for conveniences – aps and appliances to do things for us, to take care of “unimportant” work. But what we lose with this obsession is the satisfaction, problem-solving skills and unique mental engagement physical work brings.

When you work with your hands something particular happens . . .

When You Do Physical Work . . .

You engage your body – you’re physically engaged. Not just your fingers tapping and your eyes moving . . . Your whole body is awake. The blood is flowing. And unlike the more routine exercise of running or weights or biking, most yardcare tasks or housecleaning jobs require that you engage a variety of muscles to balance and lift. You usually move in a more complicated and variegated way than your standard workout allows.

It’s been interesting to me to see how more and more gyms and high-performance training programs have people doing the kind of activities we do all the time on the farm – swinging sledge hammers (like the maul I split wood with), carrying heavy weights around and up and down stairs, swinging ropes, pushing big tires end over end, etc. Even free weights has had a resurgence over weight machines.

The reason they’ve switched to these modes of “working out” is that these forms of activity require your body to figure things out more, constantly shifting and adjusting to the task. Small, overlooked muscles are engaged, your nerves are fired up as you have to coordinate your movement.

It’s the best form of muscle workout you can have.

When You Do Physical Work . . .

You turn off your internal editor allowing some real genius to peek through.

When you’re busy managing an hands-on task, your conscious mind is preoccupied just enough that its tendency to edit deeper thoughts gets hobbled. At the same time, most household tasks are not mentally-demanding enough to absorb all your mental energy – like writing this article is.

Consequently, deep, creative thinking that’s been pushed down by your conscious awareness starts to percolate up. When you combine this phenomenon with the time and space you’ve given yourself to muse (because you’re busy with something other than working at the computer) these thoughts have time to work their way up to the top where – whoa! you’ll have amazing revelations.

I’m always surprised at the solutions I find for a particularly challenging writing project or client management problem when I’m hanging laundry on the line or splitting wood. 

When You Do Physical Work . . .

You nourish your confidence in your ability to get things done successfully.

As much as we live and work in a virtual world, we’re still physical creatures impressed by tangible results. Sometimes it’s difficult to feel a sense of progress and see results in your online work. When you clean a room or mulch a garden bed properly you have a very deep feeling of satisfaction that can transfer into your confidence about your home business.

Now some people would advise you not to distract yourself with household chores when you’ve got to stay focused on your business and not get discouraged. And to some extent, they’re right. A clean sink can be such a satisfying tangible alternative to the abstract results in your Google analytics report that you may find yourself scrubbing all day when you do need to get some work done.

However, on numerous occasions when I’ve felt stumped or frustrated, if I take a break and get something else done, I come back recharged. And usually – thanks to the phenomenon I mentioned above – with some new insights in how to approach my business.

When You Do Physical Work . . .

You challenge and take care of yourself in a complete and wholesome way. You are not just a brain and a picture on Facebook. You’re a person, an organism with many needs, experiences and abilities. Developing your ability to care for yourself and your family in more than just dollars is an art that is quickly being lost in the online world.

In fact, at the risk of you panning me as just another crazy doomsday prepper, let me add this warning:

Right now, most of us home business folks are capitalizing on a unique time when we can accomplish huge amounts just with a computer and some communication skills. Our businesses and our lives are increasingly becoming dependent on this infrastructure.

Now I expect with all the vested interests in the survival of the internet, that if something should go wrong, it will quickly be fixed or at least eventually.

But any person who studies history knows how foolish it is to put all your eggs in one basket. From the Irish potato famine to the Titanic we can see examples where people count too much on one innovation and find themselves in dire straights when it fails.

By developing skills to take care of yourself and your family in the physical, real world, you safeguard yourself no matter what comes. For some of us this may start with learning to cook a meal. In other cases it may be planting a garden or learning how to fix things around the house. Whatever area you decide to start getting your hands dirty doesn’t matter.

But bottom line, don’t break all ties with the real world. Strengthen them.

Build your mastery in the physical world. As my wise husband says, “Reality doesn’t like to be ignored. At some point it will come back to bite you with a vengeance.”

When you learn to integrate physical work into your day, you’re truly becoming a master at life. You’ll gain skills, wisdom, problem-solving insights that you just can’t get by only using your intellect. And interestingly enough – when you build your capacity in the physical world, you’ll find you have more and more to apply in building your business as well.

A provocative bit of advice – what do you think? Have you experienced this when doing work around the house? Please share your take on this.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

Are you a writer, too? Check out the Make A Living Writing Link party where I’ve shared this post with other writers.

The post Hard Work appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

A few days ago I sent out a notice that I’ll soon be releasing The Flu Survival Guide.

It’s a project I’ve been working on for at least 5-6 years but I’ve never quite finished it up.

However, given the current flu epidemic, and the limited advice being given for how to contend with it, I felt I had to do something.

So I’m rushing to put something together.

(If you’re just hearing about this now, you can read more about the soon-to-be-released  The Flu Survival Guide here. And if you’re not subscribed, you can sign up there to be alerted to the report’s release.)

Since I sent out the announcement, I’ve gotten a few questions back and I realize there’s a some bits of information you should have about the guide and why I’m putting them together . . .

If you’ve shared the sign-up page link with friends and family, I’ve incorporated much of the information on that page as well.

Let me start with this simple statement . . .

You’re The Expert

A. emailed me to tell me she was looking forward to seeing the guide. However, she and her husband had been getting the vaccine for years due to his heart problem. She reported they hadn’t gotten sick much and it seemed to be working for them.

Here’s the thing, I didn’t write the guide to tell you not to get the vaccine.

When I started this research years ago, I wanted information so I could decide what was best for me and my family.

And that’s what this guide is for – to give you information so you can decide what’s best for you.

No one – no doctor, health official or fired-up health writer – can tell you what you should do about your health. I consider doctors to be health consultants who we should value for their experience and information.

But they are limited in many ways in the scope of their expertise. I’ve worked with and interviewed dozens of doctors who will tell you up front, medical school trains you in medicine, not health and nutrition. And as one nutritionist (with a Ph D) explained to me, in essence, when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

For doctors trained in using pharmaceuticals, medical devices and surgery, they have a hard time even seeing the nutritional and common sense options outside of medicine.

When you graduate from medical school, orthodoxy and the status quo make it hard to look at new approaches outside of the field of medicine. Doctors are flooded with literature about pharmaceuticals and very little about nutrition. Laws in this country make it illegal for nutritional companies to discuss how their products work for diseases. And a huge bulk of the funding for medical research goes to pharmaceuticals.

I know doctors who have told me they are worried about liability lawsuits or censure from their colleagues if they should stray from the standard practice.

This is why I cannot emphasize enough, you are the expert when it comes to your health. Your doctor will probably only bring part of the story based on their expertise. But many of them are limited in their perspective and scope.

And consider this, too. While many doctors have very good intentions in medicine, no one has as big a stake in the final results than you do. Ultimately, you’re the one who has to live with the choices you make about your health.

You are also the one who knows the most about your body and your specific life situation.

As the Tempurpedic commercial puts it so eloquently, “There are no mass-produced people.” We all have unique chemistry and biology that makes it hard to mass-prescribe a solution.

So when it comes down to it, you are the expert. And I firmly believe for your own best interest, you need to take this responsibility seriously.

The story gets worse, however.

In 2012, the Cochrane Collaborative, a very well regarded international research review group released a review of research on the flu vaccine. They looked at 75 published studies and concluded that most of the studies were conducted by manufacturers and not disinterested parties.

And then they said this:

“Studies funded from public sources were significantly less likely to report conclusions favourable to the vaccines. The review showed that reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin but there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions and spurious notoriety of the studies.”

In other words, much of the research cited by so many about the vaccine seems to be horribly misleading.

I spoke to the lead researcher of this study, Tom Jefferson, 6 years ago when he released an earlier version of this review. The 2006 report had gotten a lot of attention, covered in all the major media. And in 2006, 6 years ago, he expressed similar frustration in trying to get the raw data from the vaccine manufacturer that was not published with the published study.

They would not release it and when I spoke with the vice president of clinical development at the company, he beat around the bush. And they still haven’t release the data.

I had hoped when I refreshed my research after 6 years, things would have changed . . . not so as this updated meta-analysis showed.

Likewise, the lead researcher from the Cochrane Collaborative review released in 2012 on Tamiflu research has hit similar brick walls in getting the full data.

Again – we’re not getting the information we need to make an informed and wise decision about the flu, the vaccine and our health.

And here’s my second point . . .

The Vaccine Is False Security

Have you heard about the Norovirus Sidney? It’s hit Utah after circulating through Australia and England.

You probably know the norovirus well – it’s the one that makes you vomit, have diarrhea and an terribly upset stomach.

It sweeps through cruise ships and nursing homes. In 2012, more than 1500 hospital wards in England were shut down due to norovirus outbreaks.

It’s nasty and fast. Researcher Ian Goodfellow calls it the “Ferrari of the virus world. One of the most infectious viruses of man.”

This year’s version seems to be particularly bad.

And the flu vaccine does nothing to protect you because it’s not an influenza virus.

This is why this soon-to-be-released report is so important.

It gives you options. As any good general knows, you want to have a backup plan for the backup plan.

Whatever you decide to do about the flu shot, you need other ways to protect yourself as well.

The report is not going to give you magic formulas or some miracle cure.

It gives you lots of different tools – lots of them. Many of them very basic, some of them that will take a little effort and diligence to implement. But options that will help you safeguard your health and your family’s health no matter what hits your neighborhood.

Bottom line, while I’ve researched and written about health for close to two decades, when it comes down to it, I’m just a mom.

I’m a mom who doesn’t like to stay up all night with a sick child and can’t afford to miss a day from work.

I’m a mom who watched with fear when 14 years ago my eldest child’s body was wracked with febrile seizures.

I’m a mom who wonders when they talk about flu epidemics if we’re really safe – and what we can do to make our families safe.

I’m a mom who worries and then – together with my husband who hasn’t met a problem he doesn’t chomp at the bit to solve – got researching and experimenting to find some tactics that work.

Do you have other questions or comments? Please share them below.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

She and her personal trainer husband also provide family fitness guidance on their website www.FitFamilyTogether.com.

The post Update On The Flu Survival Guide appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

In the summer, dripping with sweat, my throat dry and parched, I drink more water instinctively. Even my kids need few reminders to stay hydrated.

But why drink water when winter hits?

This may surprise you . . . but in the winter it may be even more important to drink water.

Here’s why:

Why Drink Water In Winter Reason #1: Winter’s Dry

When I was younger I lived for a while in Kenya where winter was the rainy season. If you live closer to the equator this may be your experience.

However, for those of us in the temperate zones, winter means indoor heating. And when temps drop outside, so does the ambient humidity. Inside and out it gets very dry.

Now unfortunately, too many health “experts” recommend getting a humidifier to increase humidity indoors.

In fact this is the worse advice to follow. Your curtains, rugs and books don’t need to be humidified. In fact, you only encourage mold growth by doing this. Mold spores are one of the worse indoor air hazards. They’re linked to serious health issues from migraine headaches to cancer to neurological.

Don’t put water in the wrong place when winter’s dryness hits.

You need to put water where you need it. Inside of you.

Why Drink Water In Winter Reason #2: Winter Roughs You Up

With winter’s dry indoor heat and cold winds, your face takes a beating.

Your skin, especially the skin of your weather-worn face, needs all the help it can get.

Moisturizers will help keep water in and deflect some of the abuse. But if there is one essential ingredient to beauty, it’s water.

When you’re first born you’re about 95% water. However, by the time you’re an adult this goes down to 55%. Water is the signature of health and youthfulness.

Water keeps your cells plump. It is key to your skin cells ability to repair themselves and maintain their elasticity.

But this isn’t just a vanity thing . . . dry skin means itchy, flaky, red and uncomfortable skin. Getting more water inside and you’ll feel more comfortable.

Why Drink Water In Winter Reason #3: Water Can Help You Stay Flu-Free

Now’s the time when you’re probably busy looking closely at every immune-boosting remedy. But there’s one that’s not talked about as much as it should be – it’s water.

Your immune system needs water to function at its best – on two levels.

First, we’re talking skin again . . .

Your skin and the mucus membranes lining your nose and mouth are essential parts of your immune system. This is your body’s first defense against invaders. The skin keeps microbes out. The mucus traps them and disposes of them. And your mucus membranes also house your body’s first responder – immunoglobulin A. Immunoglobulin A tracks down unsavory microbes and neutralizes them.

When you keep your skin and these specialized mucus membrane in good shape, you keep your first defensive walls intact.

Secondly, your water keeps the second part of your immune system – the specialized immune cells that circulate in your bloodstream – moving around inside of you.

Without enough liquid in your body you put your immune system in the position of a cop car trying to get across town in rush hour traffic. You can’t count on your immune system getting to a crime scene in time to make a difference.

In contrast, when you drink enough water, you can be confident that your immune system will more readily get to the scene of an infection sooner, before invading microbes have a chance to multiply and spread.

Why Drink Water In Winter Reason #4: Energy

As a result of all this immune activity, your body ends up carrying a burden of old busted microbe detritus and defunct immune cells. This is in addition to the build up of discarded or diseased cells and toxins resulting from normal metabolic activities.

Essentially, you’ve got a lot of trash building up inside of you.

When you don’t get rid of all this junk, your body suffers. Your systems can’t work as efficiently. You experience this as less energy. You may even have headaches and achiness.

However, when you drink more water, you help your body move this debris out efficiently and thoroughly. Lightened of this burden, you’ll feel energized and alert.

In addition, water makes up 75% of your muscle fibers and 90% of your brain.

When you get enough water you enable your muscles to work effectively and your brain to function at its best. Water helps you feel ready to move and alert.

Now, more energy is welcomed no matter the season. But in winter especially – between the frenzy of the holidays and the depressing lack of daylight – energy becomes even a more precious commodity.

Why Drink Water In Winter Reason #5: Lose Weight And Keep It Off

You’ve probably heard this before. And maybe you’ve considered it. Put it to work and you’ll understand how well it works.

First, water fills you up.

If you’re worried about holiday feasting, use water to help you eat a little less. When a snack attack hits you, try drinking a glass of water before eating something. Often we confuse hunger for thirst. And simply by drinking a glass of water, you can help cut down on unhealthy snacking and overeating.

It can’t neutralize every temptation. But it can help take an edge off your cravings.

Secondly, often we eat to take the chill off or gain a little comfort when we come in from the cold. Instead of reaching for a muffin, make a cup of tea. By drinking warm liquids – even soups – you can help your body stay comfortable without loading up on calories.

Inspired Now To Drink More Water?

Here’s some more resources on getting more hydration in you and your family this season:

• Find out how drinking water can help your home business in Drink And Be Merry: Water Drinking Benefits You Don’t Want To Miss
• Find out why I think distilled water is the best choice you can make for safe water in Is Distilled Water For Drinking? Dispelling The Myths
• A good discussion on one of my favorite kitchen appliances made by an inveterate tinkerer: Where Can You Get Distilled Water?

Got some other reasons why we should drink water this winter? Please share them below.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Why Drink Water When It’s Winter appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

Today we’re eating pigs foot soup.

Thick and gelatinous, seasoned with onions and garlic, enriched with swiss chard and lentils, sharpened with a dash of cider vinegar.

When we didn’t have much money at all years ago, we got the pigs feet for free from our neighbor who sold free-range pigs. No one else eats them around here. So they were ours for the taking.

Back then, my kids didn’t really know what was in it. They just knew that it was rich and delicious.

The pigs foot soup nourished us when money was tight.

Today they know the full ingredients list. And even though I now have a solid business and we’re doing better financially, it still nourishes us.

But in a deeper way.

Because it’s a constant reminder that no matter how tough things get, you can find a way.

If you look, you’ll find resources you may not have known about. If you add some creativity and get to work, you can create something that nourishes you and your family no matter what the weather is outside.

In essence, don’t let doubts and fears blind you from what you can do.

It’s a reminder that frugality can give you riches.

When my husband lost his job years ago, we were able to put our money where it counted: Into taking care of our health and our family. And building our businesses and our farm.

We weren’t compelled to run out and take whatever jobs we could get. We weren’t compelled to allocate precious funds to commuting costs, work clothes, etc. We could reset our sights on what we really wanted to do. And put our resources into making that a reality.

When I look back to the time when my husband was out of work and I was busy juggling credit cards and bills, I realize that things weren’t really that different from now.

Back then, even though each purchase was fraught with debate . . . even though we heated water up on the wood stove to save money . . . and even though we ate pigs foot soup frequently . . .

Things weren’t that different.

Our children still sang silly songs, argued and got into wrestling matches with each other or with us.

My husband and I still discussed the news and made sure we had our evenings together after the kids went to bed.

As a family we still enjoyed exploring the woods and hills on our bikes or on foot.

We filled our freezer with blueberries each summer after a day of picking on the mountain. And put them in our oatmeal on winter mornings.

Money can’t buy love. It didn’t buy love then. And it doesn’t now.

So I know a lot of families are worried about what tomorrow and the next few months and years will bring. I understand because in the big picture there are some big problems looming over us. It’s impossible not to be aware of them if your eyes are open.

But I also know that you can pull together as a family and take care of what’s important. You can maintain control over your lives in many ways.

You can.

Take care of your health.

Take care of your family.

Spend time together.

If there is anything you need to hold onto fiercely when the going gets rough, it’s your health and your family.  These will get you through anything.

Don’t just bemoan what’s going wrong.

• Put your focus into what you need to take care of and figure out how to take care of it. You’re more powerful than you may believe.

Don’t let the anxiety overwhelm you. Bear in mind that when you stress, your children sense it and stress too.

• Instead fight back by taking control where you can.  Take control with exercise. Exercise is the best biological destresser in the world. It happens to be free. And exercising together as a family will give you more time together and help you defuse the pressure.

Don’t let money control your choices.

• Use your resources wisely so you can focus your energy on sustaining yourself for the long haul. Cut spending where you can. Look for innovative ways to make do. And invest in your health, your relationships and in strategically building a life that makes sense.

You may find that nothing can be better – no matter how much money you have – than eating a good bowl of pigs foot soup. 

This kind of soup nourishes the strong person inside of you who can do more than you may understand.

Got some thoughts on this? Please comment below . . .

Got a butcher or farmer willing to give you some pigs feet and interested in cooking up some of this delicious, healthy soup? 

Here’s a basic recipe for pigs foot soup. Hint: You can make this in a slow cooker or I’ve left it simmering on our woodstove. The key is to let it simmer for several hours:

1. Wash 4 pigs feet with a scrub brush and white distilled vinegar. Bring some water to a boil and plop the pigs feet in it. Let them boil for only 2 minutes or so.

2. Remove them and cut or scrape off any remaining hair.

3. In a large Dutch oven, put a dollop of olive oil and saute up 1 chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 chopped carrots, 2-3 chopped celery stalks.

4. Add the pigs feet, beef bouillion (I like Better Than Bouillion), 2-3 cups beans (lentils or canellini work well), 2 bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, 8-10 cups water depending on how much soup you want.

5. Add in any additional greens or seasonings – kale, swiss chard, spinach, cabbage all work well. I’ve added cayenne, paprika and turmeric on different occasions. Let simmer for several hours until the pigs feet have dissolved and the beans are cooked.

6. About 10 minutes before serving, add a dash of cider vinegar. Also optional, dumplings: Mix some whole wheat bread flour with enough water to make a dough that you can knead. Knead for a few minutes and then roll into dumplings of any shape you like. Drop them into the soup and let cook until they rise to the top. Stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.

Note: For more great ideas about eating traditional foods that have long been forgotten (like pig’s feet) check out, The Food Renegade.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Pigs Foot Soup: Getting Through Tough Times As A Family appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

It’s 6:30 in the evening and my son is asking me a math question . . .

But instead of taking the time to sit down and work through it with him, I quickly snap back a barebones response and leave him to muddle through it.

My mind isn’t here. It’s on an upcoming deadline I’m worried about. It’s on bills breathing down my neck. It’s on the 99 things I have to get done in the next few hours before hopefully I can get to bed and get some sleep.

My home office is tugging at me with all the tasks I didn’t get done today. And then I have my pile of mail on the counter, the kitchen is a mess and I really have to call the health insurance company tomorrow at all costs.

My breath is short. I’m feeling my neck muscles straining. I’m tired. I’m cranky and I have a strong craving for something sweet and starchy.

Stress.

We all go through these times.

Sometimes it’s just the accumulation of small things that pile up to become a big snowball bearing down on you.

Sometimes something hits out of the blue that throws your life in disarray. And yet you still have to keep going. And keep things going.

Whatever the specifics, stress is a doozy.

In fact, anti-aging expert Dr. Nicolas Perricone states that the biggest hazard in our 21^st century lives may well be stress. An estimated 75% of visits to the doctor are for stress-related health problems.

And to make it worse, when we stress, our children stress. Stress in children is linked to diabetes, obesity, learning problems and more.

The more I understand the physiological consequences of stress, I have to agree with Dr. Perricone. Stress is a health hazard not to be ignored.

Your Stress Response System

The truth is your stress response system in itself isn’t a death threat.

As I’ve written about before, allowing our children and ourselves to wrestle with challenges and stress is a healthy part of living and growth.

Stress is the trigger that spawns evolution and adaptation. There’s an old saying – what doesn’t kill you make you stronger. In biology this is called hormesis. Hormesis describes how stress helps organisms change in reaction to their environment so they can survive even better.

It’s a term applied to the relatively controlled stress of exercise. When you stress your body with exercise, it’s forced to build muscles, change your use of oxygen to be more efficient.

Research has shown that physical stress can help your brain grow new neurons.

The stress of exercise makes you stronger, smarter and more adaptable.

Stress also includes the ecstatic feeling you experience during happy events – when you get married or secure a new job. This giddy feeling is also a part of stress. This good kind of stress is called eustress as opposed to the bad stress in life called distress.

Finally, stress – specifically our stress response – serves a valuable lifesaving purpose.

Generations ago it helped us evade or fight off a marauding predator coming too close to us. Or safeguarded us as we took a risky climb up a cliff to get some wild honey.

Essentially, when your body sets off the alarm for danger, stress changes your physiology to rally all your forces so that you can react quicker.

Your adrenal glands release the hormone adrenaline. And this signals your body to increase breathing and heart rate as well as flood your bloodstream with sugar so your muscles have easy access to fuel.

These changes do a good job of preparing your body to run, jump or fight.

Why Stress Today Does So Much Damage

But you can’t run away from your deadline . . .

You can’t jump up on the couch to end a squabble between your kids (although it might distract them for a moment) . . .

And although I love practicing jiu jitsu and kickboxing with my husband, you certainly don’t want to start brawling with your spouse for real over a marital problem.

But even though you don’t take these physical actions – your body prepares you for them.

When you’re stressed, your body goes through tremendous physical changes. But you’re not able to put these changes to use physically.

So what happens? As stress expert, neuro-endocrinologist Robert Sapolsky, author of “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” describes it, we end up marinating in stress hormones.

This edgy chemistry rankles inside of you. These metabolic changes sit inside of you, wreaking havoc.

Physically our body wants to put them to use and move dramatically. But we don’t and so our chemical changes backfire on us causing harm rather than helping us defeat danger.

Research shows that chronic exposure to stress increases our risk for plaque build-up in our arteries . . . makes digestion an ordeal . . . increases your risk for cancer . . .

Chronic stress can shrivel our brains . . . and it throws our immune system into disarray.

But there is help . . .

And once again, it comes in the form of exercise.

Two Ways Exercise Helps You Deal With Stress

In my module on stress for The Healthy Home Biz System I cover a number of different ways to tame stress – and use it to your advantage.

But the best one by far is to physically move.

As I just explained, your body’s physiological response to stress is really preparation to physically react.

So if you really want to help your body work through the physiological changes of stress . . . move!

Feeling frustrated with a project, drop and do a few pushups.  Feeling like you’re going to explode during homework time? Take a break and go outside for a quick round of tossing the football – your kids will welcome the release as well.

By physically moving your body you can actually put these physiological changes brought on by stress to use.

But managing stress with exercise preventatively works even better . . .

Research has shown that when we exercise regularly, our stress response is less severe in general. We produce less stress hormones, our stress centers in the brain are less active and our immune system stays more on course.

Simply by exercising regularly, you make it easier for you body to weather major challenges when they crop up.

While we need stress to grow and become stronger, stress also kills.

Our crazy, busy, information-overloaded, plugged-in, stressed-out, high-pressure 21st century lifestyle is literally putting us through the wringer with the wrong kind of stress.

And we’re getting less and less of the best stress management technique out there – exercise.

If you’re feeling stressed about how to fit more exercise into your life, I’ll show you how to sneak it right into your very workday. Sneaking Fitness In gives you one of the best strategies for making the most powerful antidote to stress – exercise – an integral part of your routine.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Your Best Survival Tool For Dealing With Stress appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

Simply put, I’m vehemently opposed to the soda ban that has been recently implemented in New York City.

Frankly, right now I’m mulling over whether I should propose the New York City council ban sitting (if you’ve read my free report, you know it kills), high heels and old sofas (back pain costs business $300 billion) . . . or maybe simply put a limit on birthday parties.  All of these will certainly help save lives and money.

(You can go read the rest of my passionate opposition to the move to ban soda in my full discussion of the ban here.)

The soda ban won’t shrink any waistlines. But it makes people feel like they’re doing something about a tough problem we all face.

Instead I’d like to offer some real help to folks who genuinely want to cut the soda down to size and do the same to their bodies as a result.

So in this post I show you  step-by-step how to stop drinking soda  . . . or at least drink less – whether it’s legislated or not.

But before I get into the how-to, let me share with you that this challenge is very close to home.

Even though I’ve never been hooked on soda (espresso and chocolate were my demons), for my husband it was a different story . . .

One of his most vivid memories of immigrating here from the Caribbean when he was 14 was walking into a supermarket and seeing row upon row of 2-liter soda bottles. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His eyes still glow a little as he recalls bringing his first 2-liter bottle home and having it all to himself.

Fast forward a decade plus and he ran into me. Along with helping him make friends with broccoli I got on his case about soda.

It wasn’t easy since he pretty much considered soda the only beverage, period.  And he was always thirsty! His mom and aunts used to call him “firebelly” since he drank so much liquid.

However, fortunately enough, even though he loved the flavor, he loved being healthy even more. And when he started to learn about the “side” effects of soda drinking, it started to lose its appeal.

With half his family battling diabetes – including losing limbs and eyesight due to this disease – he knew this was nothing to mess around with.

So before I get into the how to wean yourself off of soda, let me start with a few of the facts that helped make my husband more determined than ever to leave that sugary-stuff alone . . .

4 Good Reasons (And Counting) To Stop Drinking Soda

Soda, as everyone now undoubtedly knows, has sugar in it. A lot. Just to make it easier to visualize, 4.2 grams of sugar is a teaspoon. So a 12-ounce can of coca cola which has 39 grams of sugar is about almost 9 teaspoons of sugar which is over half a cup!

Just pour a half cup full of sugar and look at it. That’s how much you get when you slam down one can.

Ideally we should have close to 6 teaspoons at the most for the entire day. So suffice it to say, with just a can of soda you easily blow past this ideal amount.

When you stop taking in so much sugar, you . . .

1. Boost Your Immune System. Research indicates that simply by taking in a couple teaspoons of sugar, your immune system activity plummets. This means your body is less equipped to fight off everything from cancer to the common cold.
2. Stay Slimmer. As I noted before, it’s not eating fats that’s making us fat. Just the opposite, eating more satisfying healthy fats will actually help you lose weight. It’s sugar that really makes you fat.  A little can be used for energy. Too much gets stored as stored energy a.k.a. fat.
3. Have More Energy. Dr. Jacob Teitlebaum, an expert on chronic fatigue syndrome, calls sugar (along with caffeine) an “energy loan shark”. Sure, it picks you up for a little. But then it sends you crashing down, feeling more tired than you felt before. When I started cutting sugar out of my diet more, I felt the difference. You will too.
4. Protect Yourself From Diabetes. Diabetes may seem like a distant threat, but I can tell you right now it’s not pleasant. Like I said, I’ve seen firsthand how it physically hurts your body.  When you eat too much sugar you make it harder for your body to respond to the hormonal signals telling it how to take sugar and use it. Over time this can cause tremendous stress on your pancreas. Diabetes puts you at a tremendously greater risk for all kinds of health problems from heart disease to Alzheimer’s. And it can make you blind and rob you of feet, legs and other precious parts of your body. I know two people who have lost a leg due to diabetes.

Less sugar will put a spring in your step, give you glowing skin, help you see better, lift your mood – the list goes on and on . . .

There are lots of ways to get rid of the sugar in your diet. But since the topic is soda these days, I’ll stick with it. And it’s a pretty good focus since as a liquid form of sugar, it’s somewhat deceptive in how much it harms your body.

It’s harder to believe that something that goes down with so little work, can make such a huge difference in how solid and big we become. (To disabuse yourself of this misconception, go take a quick peek at that half cup of sugar on your counter. Remember, that’s just one can of soda!)

Now before we go into how to stop drinking soda – soda ban or not – just take a moment. Look over that list of 4 reasons to stop drinking soda. Think about what you want out of life . . . What you want to be doing 10 years from now . . . What you want to do tomorrow with more energy and focus.

Would it hurt so much to lighten the sugar intake? Keep referring to these images whenever you start hankering for soda. Like I’ve explained before, these images can help you want to change with all your heart and soul . . . and thus make it easier to make changes.

Okay, now I’m going to help you actually make this a reality:

The Secret To Drinking Less Soda

Okay, let me just acknowledge if you want a policeman monitoring the fridge, that might work. However, fridge security is not in everyone’s budget. So I’m going to offer you a process you can take with you everywhere. Even if you leave the carefully monitored neighborhoods of New York City.

First of all, let me share a secret that will bolster your resolve . . .

Your taste buds change every two weeks. If you can shift your sugar intake for just a couple weeks, you can literally change your sense of taste.

Proof! My husband used to down soda and only soda. He now winces when he drinks anything slightly sweet. Your taste buds will change!

Now there are a couple ways to make the shift. Certainly you can go the cold turkey route and just not drink or eat anything sweet for two weeks.

But that’s really hard. Our will power can only stretch so far. And when you’ve got kids, business and a marriage to attend to – not to mention making sure you fit fitness in – you don’t have much will power to spare.

So I advocate the slower but very effective weaning process.

1. Dilute Your Drink

Just start watering your soda down. You can use seltzer so you can still get that fuzzy feeling. Or you can go with water. Start with mixing soda and water 2:1, work your way to 1:1 ratio . . . and eventually start shifting it in the other direction so you have more water than soda.

Try to progress to a higher dilution every two weeks. Be consistent and diligent. Remember, you want to retrain your tastebuds so you can’t keep going back to old sweet levels.

When you go to a restaurant, order a soda and water and an extra glass. And get to mixing.

2. Increase The Flavor Factor

Once you start getting used to less sweet soda, start moving away from the artificial color too and increase the flavor factor without the sugar.

In my household we drink lots of Celestial Seasoning’s fruit zinger teas. Chilled they give you an incredible fruity flavor without the sweetness. Often we’ll add a little sweet or juice. But it ‘s just a little. Not too much!

3. Make Your Own Fuzz

If you love the sparkling fuzziness of soda, start buying seltzer. Experiment. Try different fruit juices in it. My favorite is pineapple juice. A squirt of lime is incredibly refreshing with a hint of sweetness.

Buying too much seltzer? Get a sodastream, home seltzer maker setup. You can save lots of money and trips to the store and to the trunk of your car after shopping (no more seltzer bottles).

4. Cut The Sugar Everywhere

Okay, I’m going to stray off of the soda theme . . . but eventually you’ve got to if you’re going to make this work. Start getting rid of sugar in your other foods. See, when you eat spaghetti sauce, chinese stir fry and barbeque sauce with lots of sugar it’s hard to adjust back to watered down soda.  Start reading labels and going for low-sugar alternatives. Make your own where you can.

Warning:

In your effort to go with less sugar, don’t go with aspartame, sucralose or phenylalanine. For years, my father-in-law was having terrible headaches and none of his doctors could figure it out. We advised him to cut out the artificial sweeteners he was using for his diabetes. Within a couple months of following our advice, his headaches disappeared. There are plenty indications that these sweeteners are linked to migraines and other serious health issues.

5. Experiment Cautiously With Natural Sweeteners

Should you go with stevia and other natural sweeteners?

Honey, maple syrup, agave, rapadura are all healthier than white sugar since they give you nutrition along with the sweet. But they are still forms of sugar. They still put a lot of sugar in your body.

With stevia, here’s the thing . . . I’ve done extensive research on stevia for a trade journal article.  I’ve talked to researchers and manufacturers and I’ve read through a dozen peer-reviewed published studies. Stevia is clearly a healthy alternative to sugar and in fact seems to help prevent diabetes and alleviate it.

Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar, without the calories and health problems. It passed FDA requirements to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS, in food industry lingo). And now is considered a safe food ingredient.

But as one researcher I spoke to (who thinks stevia is great) warned we still have yet to see how this ingredient affects people over the long term when eaten at the level that Americans like sweets. While stevia has a long history of healthy use in Japan and originally in the Amazon, neither of these cultures can match our sweet tooth.

And here’s the final caution with using these other sweeteners to cull your white sugar habit: Your ultimate solution lies in changing your sense of taste. What are you going to do if you can’t find stevia and you’re hankering for something sweet?

But when you change your sense of taste, you gain control no matter what the situation. You open up a whole new world of choices that in turn open up a whole new world of health and the benefits that comes with this.

So if you’ve been struggling to drink less soda . . . don’t wait for a soda ban in your neighborhood.

Envision the change that will come with making this shift, take heart in the knowledge that you can change and then take these steps and put them into action.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Forget The Soda Ban – Here’s How To Drink Less Soda, Whether Mandated Or Not appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

This past Saturday my daughter disappeared into her room. After a couple hours and still no sign of her, I knocked softly and then took a peek inside.

She was asleep. Her sketch book cradled in her arms, her pencil on the bedside table. She didn’t even stir when the door gave me away with a cRREEK.

Outside the chickens were gossiping. The sun was bright, filling her room with light.

But she was dead to the world – exhausted and finally getting some rest.

Her first week of school was tough. She had to get up every morning before 6 – before 5 on Wednesday for an early morning soccer practice. She had soccer practice after school and then homework.

Her schedule has certainly picked up as she’s entered high school (Welcome to the world of adults!)

But it hasn’t always been that way. And even now – compared to many of her peers – her routine is pretty straightforward. She doesn’t do a lot of socializing or spend time on Facebook. When she’s not at school she’s relieved and happy to have time at home with us.

And this weekend, after a demanding week, she was soaking it up.

Not your typical teenager.

Here’s the thing – (And please stick with me since I may get a little convoluted . . .)

This didn’t come from nowhere.

See, we live in world where our expectations of what we can squeeze into our lives has gone beyond the boundaries of sanity. 

With new technology, we think we can fit even more in – stay in touch with more people, build more relationships, fit more into your schedule, get more tasks done, process more information.

Not only do we think we can do more. We feel bad if we’re not fitting more in.

It seems everyone around us has a list a yard long of what they manage to do each week. We compare notes and feel that unless we’re doing XYZ, we’re falling short. We’re sold on the idea that somewhere is the perfect app to make it all easier and doable.

We extend this expectation to our children. In fact the message has been that if you’re not fitting in playdates and karate practice and music class and more into your child’s day, you’re depriving them.

We’re under enormous pressure to schedule ourselves and our children silly.

But this isn’t what any of us need.

It took me a while to learn this hard lesson. In my 20′s and early 30′s I put a lot of busy-ness into my life because it made me feel good about myself. It made me feel good to list all the things I was doing each week.  It made me feel good to go on and on about how busy my schedule was.

When it came to creating a busy social life, my parents had taught me that my value was not in the depth of relationships but in the number of friends I had (kind of a precursor to Facebook). We had three walls as you entered our house filled with photographs of friends.

And initially, when I became a mom myself, I thought this was also what our children needed – lots of friends and activities that made them respectable and valuable human beings.

But I’ll tell you, as I grew older and watched my parents’ marriage dissolve and witnessed how many of these supposed friendships didn’t go much deeper than a photograph, I started to realize that love, respect and friendship is not a game of numbers.

And self-worth is not found in all the things you do each day – but how you do the important things.

I found what really made me feel good about myself was the time I took to look at my life and then turn these observations into efforts to do better.

What really made me sit back at the end of the day and feel that incredibly huge, rich, deep feeling of goodness is the closeness I have with my children and husband . . . the hard-fought lessons I’ve learned about myself and started to apply step by step (albeit sometimes grudgingly, I confess) . . .

I can pause a moment after locking in the chickens at night, glance up at the moon, listen to the cicadas and then look over to the lit window in the home that holds the dearest people in my life and know that with care, effort and time I’ve made this possible. Yeah, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But I’ve also done a lot of fixing and building. Peace of mind.

It’s not the list of things I squeeze into my day. But the depth to which I live.

It’s been a hard lesson for me to digest. (In fact I’m still chewing on it and have to remind myself to chew.)

And it’s a lesson we desperately need to pass on to our children.

For when it comes to our children, what really fills their day and makes them feel happy, confident and ready for the world is not the number of things you fit into their schedule. Or the number of social events they’re invited to.

(And by the way they don’t need much in terms of things like ipods and cool shoes.)

What they really need is not much more than us – their parents.

And simply time at home. Really.

They don’t need to do lots of sports programs when they’re younger. Save that for 6th or 7th grade. Instead find ways to enjoy kicking a ball or  throwing a ball together. If you want to learn something new – like rockclimbing, snowboarding or karate – learn it together. (And don’t try to learn too much at once!)

They don’t need a full calendar of playdates that requires a social secretary or gives them an inordinate amount of peer time. While they occasionally spend time with friends, my children’s main social life has been each other and us. And surprisingly enough, they’re happy, confident, and comfortable among their peers.

They don’t need big vacations, elaborate birthdays or even special summer trips to the amusement park.

Last week I urged you to find a way to schedule family fitness into your routine. Today I’m urging you to take things out of your family’s schedule so you can make time for the important stuff.

Ultimately, what I’ve witnessed in my own two children, my marriage, my personal development and in building my home business is that we need less on our schedule. Not more.

In order to take care of things well – whether it’s family, business or your personal growth – it takes time and effort. The more you pile on your plate, the less you’ll have to give to the core areas of your life. And the less chance you’ll have to craft something you can feel good about. That sustains you.

When I watched my daughter sleeping, I knew there’s not much I can do to pull back the increasing burden of obligations on her shoulders. Ultimately, nothing can change that growing up is tough. Life is tough. It’s full of challenges where you have to go beyond your comfort zone. And it’s up to her to find the where-with-all  inside of her to build the life of her dreams.

But what I hope to pass on to her are these crucial understandings that will help her take on these obligations and succeed in managing them:

Choose what’s important to you.

Be ruthless in eliminating what is not so important to do.

Do less.

And then do more.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy now!

The post Overscheduled appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

I know my 15-year-old daughter is getting close to adulthood because she’s starting to have that feeling that there just isn’t enough time in the world.

She’s decided that she’s going to invent several pills – one for eating . . . one for doing the dishes . . . one for homework . . .

And several times she’s mused about inventing a pill for sleeping – not a sleeping pill that helps you go to sleep, mind you . . .

But a pill you can take instead of sleeping.

Of course nothing can replace good sleep. And even if there was a pill, I’m not sure I’d go anywhere near it.

But there is a pill I do recommend to help you get to sleep.

And funny enough, not only is it one of the most effective natural supplements you can take to improve your sleep, it’s also associated with increasing your body’s energy levels.

It’s an energy pill and sleeping pill combined

But before I tell you about one of my favorite supplements, let me step back a moment and make it clear why you shouldn’t rely on the regular over-the-counter sleeping pills to get snoozing.

Why Sleeping Pills Won’t Help You

Most sleeping pills won’t do you much good.

First of all, they can kill you.

• A study published in 2012 conducted by the Scripps clinic that followed over 30,000 people over 2 ½ years published in 2012 found that people taking prescribed sleeping pills are 4.6 times more likely to die in that time period than people who don’t.

Now, there are all kinds of reasons for why this is the case. This study didn’t go too much into the details of why. As the authors point out these numbers include everything from car accidents from driving when under the influence of these drugs to people who take sleep aids because they’re already sick and in pain.

• However, the study did find that sleeping pill takers were 35% more likely to be diagnosed with a new form of cancer. And other research shows an increased risk for kidney and liver problems associated with OTC sleeping pills.

But the health risks don’t stop here.

See, sleeping pills actually don’t help you sleep.

While certainly, if you’re desperate, they can help you get some rest. They help you sleep lightly.

But when you’re talking about the deep, restorative REM sleep that allows your body to repair itself . . . that strengthens your memory and mental alertness . . . that enables your immune system to build itself . . .

Nope, sleeping pills won’t get you there.

In fact they make it harder to get deep sleep. Just like alcohol, sleeping pills prevent you from getting the real sleep you need.

So while sleep experts like Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of From Fatigued To Fantastic, will prescribe them to help you over the first hurdle of getting a little sleep, he makes it clear they are not a long-term solution. And in the long run they only get in the way of good sleep.

So what can you take? What’s the “sleeping pill” I recommend?

The Best Pill You Can Take For Sleep

Now while I think nutritional supplements are great and far better than pharmaceutical drugs, I don’t advocate blindly replacing good nutrition with any pills – no matter how good they are.

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, there are some very simple ways to help you get more sleep. No pills needed.

But there are a few supplements in particular that I recommend. And there’s one I take myself that can give you a good night’s sleep.

It’s magnesium.

Magnesium is a mineral that often gets ignored despite the fact that it’s an essential co-enzyme in over 300 reactions in your body.

Most notably, it plays a critical role in maintaining the mitochondria in your cells. Your mitochondria are your cells power plants, where energy is made.

It helps your body turn fats, carbs, protein – everything – into energy!

So you need magnesium in order to get enough energy.

And by conservative estimates, at least a third of American adults don’t get enough magnesium.

How Can An Energy Supplement Help You Sleep?

Here’s the funny thing – you need energy to relax. As I noted in the last post on how you can get sleep, the less sleep you get, the harder it is to get to sleep.

Magnesium has a tremendous effect in helping your muscles and nerves relax.

In fact I usually take magnesium after a hard workout when my muscles are sore and cramping. Did you know it’s the main ingredient in Grandma’s cure for sore muscles – Epsom salts?

So simply by helping you physically relax, it can help you sleep better.

But some researchers have gone a little further in looking at what magnesium can do for your dreamtime . . .

In 2002, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry wanted to see if magnesium could reverse the decrease in deep sleep associated with aging.  They conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study with the help of 12 elderly patients.

√       The researchers found that when patients took magnesium, it significantly increased the amount of slow wave – or deep sleep – the patients were experiencing.

√       Blood tests of the test subjects further revealed that magnesium supplementation was linked with decreased levels of cortisol, the hormone that keeps us alert.

Admittedly, it’s a small study – but it hints at something worth checking out for yourself.

Finally, magnesium seems to serve another role in helping you sleep more . . .

You may have heard about melatonin as a good supplement for helping you sleep.

√       While the research is preliminary, a recent study published in the journal Magnesium Research indicates that magnesium increases the activity level of an enzyme that helps produce melatonin.

Where Can You Get Magnesium?

One reason so many of us are magnesium deficient is that it’s not as easy to get through food. As our soils are depleted of essential nutrients, so goes our food.

The magnesium we used to get from our everyday diet is disappearing. And the overprocessing of food doesn’t help.

However, there are some particularly magnesium-rich foods.

• Nuts like almonds and cashews are particularly rich.
• Leafy greens like spinach can give you a good amount because magnesium is the center element in the chlorophyll molecule.
• And whole grains have magnesium in their bran – another reason to skip white flour.

But even then it’s still sometimes hard to get enough. That’s why I take a magnesium supplement. And in particular I recommend Jigsaw Health’s magnesium with slow release technology.

Full disclosure, Jigsaw Health hired me to write several articles for their newsletter. And this is definitely a case of the more you know about a company, the more you respect and appreciate them.

A family-owned business born out of the father/founder’s health crisis, they put excellence at the top of their checklist. Their high quality magnesium supplement is the centerpiece of their business. And it’s truly exceptional.

In addition to using a high quality magnesium, they have developed a slow release technology. Many people who take magnesium end up having problems with diarrhea. In fact that’s why milk of magnesium is prescribed for constipation.

However, the Jigsaw Health magnesium supplement is developed to go easy on your digestive system. People who have previously had a difficult time taking magnesium don’t have the same digestive problems with Jigsaw’s magnesium with SRT.

Go With Magnesium For Energy And Sleep

So don’t go near those sleeping pills – they might just kill you. And they won’t help you get the real sleep you need.

And for that matter, don’t go near those caffeine-laced energy drinks to help you get through the day after another sleepless night. They can rob you of your health. And they just make it harder to get to sleep.

Instead, enjoy sweeter dreams and more energy during the day with the help of a simple mineral – magnesium.

Have you tried magnesium? Has it helped? Share your story below.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy!

The post The Natural Sleeping Pill That’s Also An Energy Pill appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.

Welcome to Your Healthy Home Biz. To get healthy home biz tips, strategies and inspiration sent right to your inbox, just sign up right here. (You’ll get a great FREE report as well!)

When you work at home you have a wonderful feeling of power . . . You can eat lunch when you want to. Take an hour. Go for a walk. Hey, you can take a whole day off and go for a hike. No one’s looking over your shoulder.

And when it comes to sleep . . .

If you want to sleep in, be my guest. Want to stay up all night? You don’t have your boss expecting you bright-eyed the next morning.

Yeah right!

This is really more fantasy than reality when you run a business from home.

When you run a business from home, this freedom twists around and bites you – hard. You don’t have to leave the office at a certain time. And you don’t have to be there at any specific hours.

As a result, the office never leaves you!

Just like you can’t build a business without some self-discipline, you can easily fall into the trap of letting your business take over your life.

And sleep is often the one of the first things to go.

Getting Sleep Won’t Happen Without This

I know this well. I’ve struggled through many days following rough nights with not enough sleep.

Up at night thinking about cashflow . . .

My mind racing through ideas I wanted to implement to build my business bigger when I should be sleeping . . .

Hit by the dreaded Oh-My-Gosh-I-Forgot-To-Do-That feeling that leaves you scrambling at 3 in the morning!

Or the sleep-stealer that’s getting even our children –social media, supreme sleep saboteur . . .

In the last post I gave you a couple unusual and simple ways to get to sleep if you’re not getting enough.

But looking at my sleep strategy process, I realize I should have gone back a step.

Because none of these techniques will work if you don’t believe in the importance of sleep. If you don’t truly believe sleep is not just an indulgence, but a necessity.

That may sound like a strange thing to say when you’re feeling desperately sleepy.

But like most things in your life that you need to change, you can’t change them unless you commit to making the change.

Make A Commitment To Sleep

You’ve got to decide it’s important enough to shift things and adjust. In fact, recognizing it’s a priority may force you to look at things from a whole new perspective.

When I decided I needed more sleep, I had to face off with all kinds of constraints. My family’s habits and routines. . . how much workload I put on myself each day . . . and those great old westerns that come on at 10 p.m.

I had to decide what I could change and what I had to accept and work with.

But ultimately I had to decide that sleep was important and I was going to make it a priority and figure out how to fit it in.

The steps and strategies I took to get more sleep in my life are many. And I go through them in A Sleep Strategy For Tired Home Business Owners.

But the first step was making a commitment.

And to do so, I spent a lot of time understanding and recognizing the difference sleep played in my life.

So to help you get this crucial commitment step going, I’m going to share what I’ve learned about the power of sleep.

8 Reasons You Need More Sleep

• First of all, the obvious. Sleep is what your body depends on to re-energize.

• Sleep allows your mind to work at it’s best. It affects your decision-making skills. Sleep deprivation can render your mind the equivalent of a drunken sailor’s. Really.

• Sleep affects how wise your decisions are. When people sleep less, they tend to go with riskier choices, unable to weigh the pros and cons adequately.

• Not enough sleep impacts your memory. Need to learn a new skill or remember some data to bring up in a critical client discussion? Without enough sleep, this is harder than ever.

• Sleep also isn’t about giving you the pep to work out. It literally affects whether you gain weight or lose it. No matter how much you work out. People who get 7-8 hours of sleep lose 50% more weight than people on the same regimen who only get about 5 hours.

When you sleep enough, your pituitary gland produces more human growth hormone (HGH), a critical hormone linked to developing muscle and bone mass and reducing body fat.

• Sleep helps ward off depression. People with insomnia tend to have symptoms similar to depression. When you don’t get enough sleep it’s hard to feel good about the world. (And believe me, it shows!)

• Sleep affects your immune system. Your immune system is most active when you sleep. When you don’t get enough, you’re knocking your defenses down.

Finally, here’s a big one I gleaned from an interview with chronic fatigue expert, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum:

• When you’re really tired, it’s hard to sleep. Funny enough, energy is what helps your muscles and nerves relax. (Notice how rigor mortis is associated with death and no energy!)

When you don’t get enough sleep, it gets harder and harder to relax!

How Can You Afford Not To Get Enough Sleep?

Now look back at this list a minute. All of these things affect how well you can run your business.

All of these things affect how rich your life is beyond your bank account. In other words, how much you can enjoy the rewards of success, how healthy your relationships are and how much energy you have for activities outside of work.

And here’s the key aspect I’ve learned through lots of trial and error . . .

• When you sleep enough you get more things done faster so you don’t have stay up as late or get up early.
• You feel more relaxed and satisfied so those worries don’t tug at your mind as much
• And as Dr. Teitelbaum explained to me, your nerves and muscles can relax enough to allow you to sleep.

Getting more sleep helps you get more sleep.

So go back to the first thing we talked about here – how you have a lot more control over your life as a home business owner.

Remind yourself that you have much more control over your hours and schedule. Don’t fool yourself that you can’t get more sleep if you need it.

If you need it . . . and if you want it enough . . . you’ll make it possible.

Stop a moment.

Think about how important sleep is. Go over the list I just gave you. Visualize what it will mean to you and your family and your business if you get enough sleep.

And then decide that you will make the changes you need to make to get enough sleep.

Sarah Clachar has built a thriving health copywriting business from scratch while being a mom . . . nurturing a strong marriage . . . and running a small homestead farm. Along with a BA in biology, she’s got two decades of experience teaching and researching about natural health. Her articles have been published in Life Extension Magazine, Health, Mothering, A Taste For Life, Nutrition Business Journal, and Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Over the years, she became keenly aware how important strategically working to maintain her health was for her business. And even more importantly, how good health factored into enjoying the rewards of having a successful business.

At Your Healthy Home Biz, Sarah has combined her expertise in health and her experience running a freelance health copywriting business into a special resource for home biz owners, freelancers and solopreneurs. Your Healthy Home Biz provides inspiration and a system for transforming your workday so you can run your home business without running yourself into the ground.

Want More Details On How To Energize And Transform Your Work Day? Sarah’s created a FREE report just for you: The Simplest Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business, Your Waistline And Your Life. Go get your copy!

The post How Can I Get Sleep? The Most Important Step For Sleeping More appeared first on YourHealthyHomeBiz.com.