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4 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier Life

9/7/2015

In addition to building a strong immune system, as we discussed last week, you also need to do what you can to keep your cells young if you want to stay healthy. While your cells die constantly, the new cells your body builds to replace them can either have "young" characteristics, or behave like older ones, which accelerate aging in the body.

If you want to live longer and have more healthy years, you need to take steps to keep all of your cells healthy. After all, no one wants to live more years if those years are to be spent sick and in pain, right? A good, happy life is more about quality than quantity when it comes down to it.

Here are 4 simple things you can do to live a longer, healthier life!

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Health Is Your Natural State

8/23/2015

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Today I wanted to clear up something that has been bugging me for some time. It's perhaps a touchy subject in some ways, so I will do my best to be clear that I'm not pointing fingers at anyone.

Rather, I am attempting to point out a common error in thinking, which is leading our country down a dangerous path when it comes to the topic of health and disease. Luckily, the choice is up to you....

Which path will you choose?

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The Agricultural Con Game

7/13/2015

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Decades ago, when people said "farming", the "organic" part went without saying. But during the second half of the last century, massive food producing conglomerates collectively now known as "agribusiness" have changed the way that we look at, purchase, and consume food.

As if this weren't bad enough, they've somehow managed to convince us that artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified foods are the only way our planet can survive.

The truth, in fact, is just the opposite!

In reality, if we want to survive as a species, it's only a matter of time before we will find these modern methods completely unsustainable. (Hopefully, we'll figure this out before it's too late!)

Here are the 7 things that make our current model of industrial agriculture unsustainable, and what we need to do in order to fix this mess:

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How Healthy Are You - Really?

5/25/2015

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I've noticed something interesting about our weekly email updates that we send out to our subscribers. Whenever we send one that focuses on something like improving relationships, or financial balance, fewer people open the update than when we send one that directly addresses a specific physical health topic like healthy eating, or fighting disease.

From a marketing standpoint, you might say that in that case, it would be better not to focus on those topics. But this defeats the purpose of our main premise of holistic living - that is, that everything is connected!

While most people may think that being healthy simply means eating foods that are good for you, and getting enough exercise, in fact, we feel that True health goes much deeper than that.

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Are You Dying of Lack of Sleep?

4/26/2015

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There is a seriously dangerous health problem in our society that almost no one talks about. It contributes to the development of many modern diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and more. It increases stress, and decreases productivity. It makes you grumpy, short-tempered, and self-destructive, and can harm your relationships with your spouse, friends, kids, and co-workers.

The good news is, there is a cure. And best of all, the cure is totally free!

The bad news is, despite the "cure" being free, readily available, and around since time began, more and more people are affected by this deadly health problem every day. Don't be one of them! Here's how this problem affects you, and how to solve it.

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3 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund to Get Ahead Financially

4/19/2015

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Whew - taxes are done, and now it's time to celebrate with the tax refund that's hopefully on the way, right?

As we have discussed in the past, if you're getting a large tax refund every year, you might want to adjust your withholdings. After all, it's your money - what's the sense in giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan every year? (It always surprises me how many people seem to look at a tax refund as a free gift from the government.... You do realize it was your money that you earned to begin with, right? That's why it's called a "refund.")

That said, many people will receive a tax refund of some kind this year, so if you're one of those people, what should you do with that "extra" money?

Sadly, some of you probably have spent it already before it was even received. But if you would rather not let your refund get gobbled up by bills and shopping, it helps to have a plan in place ahead of time for what you are going to do with that money, and there are several things you can do with it that can actually help improve your overall financial picture in the long term.

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Homesteading Update: April Showers Bring...Spring Fever

4/6/2015

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The current swamp/site of future pond.

As brutal as parts of this winter were, it's hard to believe it's actually April already! Winter shook us like a dog with a rat, then rather suddenly lost interest and went away....

Now the sun is shining, trees are budding, and sap is rising - and I am chomping at the bit to be out in the garden! Only, I can't, because the "garden" is basically a swamp....

Hot with excitement to get out the tiller, build beds in our newly roped-off garden space, and plant asparagus, fruit trees, veggies, and more, our lofty ambitions were dashed last week when we checked the forecast and realized rain was predicted nearly every day for the next 10 days. :-(

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Everything Is Awesome

3/8/2015

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I'm not sure if it's the hint of spring in the air this week, or the fact that we switched to Daylight Savings Time today, but the past few days I keep going to sleep and waking up with that Lego movie song in my mind.... Although the ground is still frozen (and mostly covered with snow), that won't last long, as we are expecting a week near 50 degrees for the first time in... I don't remember how long! While it's still too early to get out and start working on the new garden, at least there is hope in the air. And I have been in a much more positive frame of mind as a result - or perhaps just because lately I've been counting my blessings and realizing just how many there are....

In late winter sometimes it's easy to forget to be grateful, but I am reminded just how important it is to be grateful for all of the wonderful things we are given. I lately ran across an email about this really fun and amazing exercise called "100 Gratitudes," and thought I would share it with you today, as gratitude is one of the most powerful positive forces in the universe, and it's one that can literally change your state of mind for the better in an instant.

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Revisiting Satisfaction: Where Christianity Gets It Wrong

2/8/2015

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As with many of my posts, this one was inspired by something I heard in passing, and have been thinking about lately. Last Christmas, I wrote a post about living a rich and satisfying life. Part of that life for me, for the past 10+ years, has been being involved with my church, and learning to know God through Christianity. But although I do consider myself a Christian, there are still parts of the typical Christian teachings that just don't sit right with me.

One great example is the focus on the afterlife, especially to the exclusion of life here on earth. While I understand the concept, and can appreciate the value of not getting too caught up in the material things of this world, on the other hand I feel that this can be a really dangerous way of thinking...

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Homesteading Update: Winter Doldrums & Garden Dreams

2/1/2015

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"All through the morning, they lay in their beds,
While visions of chicken coops danced in their heads...."

Winter on the "back 40."

It's only the beginning of February, so it's too early for spring fever, right?? In Central Ohio, we still have at least 2 full months of winter left, but we can't wait for spring! Being in a new home, with acres of farmland lying fallow, and nothing but dreams to sustain us through these cold, snowy months, we are already getting a bit stir-crazy.

I try to console myself by making lists of seed packets, drawing out garden beds in my garden planner, and fantasizing about canning tomatoes and making jam, but it's not much of a consolation prize. I've already planned out exactly what will be planted in each of the 20 bales in our hay-bale garden, as well as another garden patch made with more traditional dirt beds. I've also listed out which seeds need to be started indoors, and when (I still have 2 months before it's time for that), when everything else needs to be planted outside, and where the herbs and flowers will be planted. Seed catalog dreams can only take you so far. At some point you just want to get outdoors!

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