Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 26

8 Ways to Wake up With More Energy - #1

This fits me 100% so I thought I would share with those of you who are like me.  This is from GrandParents.com
Tired of Feeling Tired?Brrrrrrriiiiiiiinnngggg! When the alarm goes off, do you:
A. Spring immediately out of bed, shouting, “It's going to be a great day!”
B. Moan, hit the snooze button and then pull the sheets over your head.

If your answer is A, then good for you. In the more likely event that your answer is B, don’t worry, help is on the way. Here are suggestions on how to quickly shake off the morning blahs and greet the day more refreshed.1. Go to Sleep the Right WayThe best way to wake up refreshed is to get a good night’s sleep. This means:


No caffeine after lunch since caffeine can be a stimulant and keep you awake. And only one glass of wine at dinner. Too much wine can knock you out, then cause you to wake up during the night.Make sure your room is cool. “The drop off in temperature is a natural cue for your body to fall asleep,” W. Christopher Winter, MD, Medical Director at the Martha Jefferson Sleep Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.Don’t exercise near bedtime—it will just rouse your body.
Stay off the computer—and away from any lit screen—an hour before bed. The light makes your brain think it’s day time. (If you must, download F.lux at stereopsis.com/flux. It’s a free software program that makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the light in the room.)

Fruit, Vegetables & Pesticides

A friend sent this article to me so I'm sharing.  I love fresh fruit and vegetables but didn't realize just how much pesticides they might have on them.  She found this at a site titled  Natural Health Care For You - Thanks Lynn
Recently, we all became aware of the grand contamination of fruit and vegetables. This is why we must learn how to reduce the level of pesticides. Pesticides cannot be washed only with water. Washing fruits and vegetables using vinegar.
In this article we will present a great solution for removing bacteria from fruit and vegetables. You need to use a mixture consisted of water and vinegar in a ratio of 3:1. This solution can remove even 98% of bacteria. Fruits and vegetables should be soaked in the mixture for 10 to 20 minutes and then rinsed with water. Or you can pour the liquid into a bottle with sprayer and spray the fruit and vegetables with it. Let them stand still for 10 minutes and then rinse them with water.
You can also make other effective mixtures– 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of water
– 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of water
For products with very high percentage of pesticides, try the following solution:– 1 cup of water, half a cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and a few drops of grapefruit seed extract. Let the ingredients soak in this mixture for an hour.
Peel fruits or vegetablesThis is maybe the best way to remove harmful pesticides, especially when it comes to apples. Rinse the apples with water before you peel them.
Remove outer layersTry to eat only the internal parts because outer layers may contain a high percentage of chemicals.

Controlling Cholesterol - Do's and Don'ts

I found this information on Spark People and decided to share.  If you're like me you have high cholesterol and need all the help you can get to lower it.

Heart disease is a scary thing. In the face of dire risk factor statistics and horror stories about cholesterol, you can easily get rattled. You might feel overwhelmed by the whole cholesterol question, and feel like you face uninformed life and death decisions every time you sit down at the table.

But reducing your risk of heart disease is not an impossible task. All it takes is a few simple adjustments.

Your cholesterol level is determined by several factors, including your genetic makeup, your diet[image error], and certain lifestyle choices. You can’t do anything about genes passed down from Grandpa Charlie, but you can change your future with a few new, heart-friendly lifestyle choices.

The list below contains several strategies to help you develop cholesterol-smart, heart-healthy habits. These nutritional do’s and don’ts won’t have you feeling deprived, or require you to train for a marathon. They will, however, make your heart very happy. And a happy heart has nothing to be afraid of.

DO watch your cholesterol intake. Dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol you eat) may raise blood cholesterol levels. Limit dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams a day.

DO limit the fat in your diet. A diet rich in fat encourages weight gain and may lead to elevated blood cholesterol levels.

DON’T eliminate all fat from your diet. You need some fat in your diet for good health[image error]. Fat adds pleasure to your meal and makes you feel satisfied after the meal. Fat also gives flavor, texture, and moisture to food.

DO choose olive oil and canola oil for salad dressing, sautéing vegetables, cooking and baking. They are rich in monounsaturated fat, the heart healthy[image error]fat.

DON’T forego seeds and nuts, like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and peanuts. These are high in the healthy monounsaturated fats. A small handful 3-5 times a week can help prevent heart disease and increase your HDL (high density lipoprotein, the good cholesterol) levels.

DO find more soluble fiber. Soluble fiber may help lower blood cholesterol levels. It is found in oats, rice, bran, barley, dried peas and beans, and certain fruits like prunes and apples.

DON’T overlook complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Choose more whole grain breads and cereals, pasta, brown rice, and dried beans and peas. Enjoy fruits and vegetables more often.

DON’T overindulge in salt. High blood pressure is associated with a diet high in sodium. Check labels carefully and watch the amount of salt you use in cooking and at the table.DO cut back on trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are formed during the process of hydrogenation, which makes a fat more saturated and extends its shelf life. Avoid the term "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on the ingredient list of margarines, as well as packaged foods[image error], cookies and crackers.

DON’T forget to go fishing. Fish[image error]rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, is good for cholesterol. It is recommended to eat at least 6-8 ounces of baked or broiled fish each week. Salmon, mackerel, tuna, and halibut are excellent sources.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 14 (End)

More cool facts you may not know

*More than 16 million one dollar bills are printed each day.

*The average dollar bill lasts 21 months in circulation.

*One-dollar bills make up 45 percent of all bills printed by the U.S. government each year.

*If you had 10 billion one-dollar notes and spent one every second, it would take 317 years for you to go broke.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 13

·        Fun activities you can do with a dollar bill
Track your bills.Go to the website Where's George?and enter the serial number of the bill. If the bill has been in circulation long enough, you might be able to see where your bill has been as it travels from wallets to registers and back. After you enter your bills, check back later to see where they have gone.

Play dollar-bill poker. Each of you takes a dollar bill and examines the green serial numbers as if they were a hand of playing cards. Make your best poker hand and see who wins

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 12

How many groups of 13 can you find?
Answers:

*The eagle is holding an olive branch in its right talon with 13 leaves and 13 fruits.
*In its left talon, the eagle is holding 13 arrows.
*The shield over the eagle's chest has 13 bars.
*Over the eagle's head, there are 13 stars.
*The phrase E Plurbus Unum, on the scroll hanging from the eagle's mouth, has 13 letters.
*The phrase Annuit Coeptis has 13 letters
*The pyramid has 13 steps.
*The green seal of the department of the treasury has a chevron (a V-shaped stripe) with 13 stars.
*There are leaves and fruit on either side of George Washington totaling 13 — eight leaves and five fruits.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 11

How many groups of 13 can you find?

Thirteen states came together to form the United States. The number 13 is represented in many places on the dollar bill.

Check 1st - Answers are on the next post.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 10

What does E Pluribus Unum mean?

"Out of many, one." The 13 disparate colonies came together to form one nation.

Why a bald eagle? The founders wanted an animal native to America to be the new nation's symbol. In its talons the eagle holds arrows and olive branches, signifying war and peace.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 9

Why is there an unfinished pyramid with a glowing eye?

Thomson explained the sturdy pyramid as a symbol of "strength and duration". He did not explain its unfinished state, but many believe it signified that our nation remained unfinished. The pyramid also stops at 13 steps, the number of the original colonies.

The "Eye of Providence" is a visual representation of the words Annuit Coeptis, and reinforces the founders' notion that God looked upon the endeavor of the new nation with favor. Many theorists mistakenly believe the symbolism of the eye is related to the Freemasons (a secret society whose members believed they were under the careful scrutiny of God), but the symbolism of the glowing eye is far older than any Freemason thinking. Scholars have traced versions of the symbol as far back as the ancient Egyptians.

Prepare to be Amazed - Part 8

Why is MDCCLXXVI on the bottom of the pyramid?

The letters are Roman numerals for 1776. M is 1,000, D is 500, CC is 200, L is 50, XX is 20, VI is 6. Add the numerals on the pyramid together and you get the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, and when the Novus Ordo Seclorum began.