Home and Health

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Cover via AmazonDuring the end of year holidays I like to kick back and put my feet up. I also like to read widely to get some inspiration to help me focus in the coming year.

Here are two quotes I read during my break that really resonated with me:

“If you want better children and a better society then you need better parents.” Maurice Balson.

“Parenting is probably the most important public health issue facing our society.” Professor Graham Vimpani

Thinking about those two quotes helped orientate me and reinvigorate for the coming year. So in this spirit I have listed 21 ideas to guide, inspire and reinvigorate you to become a better parent in 2009. Read the list and choose a couple of ideas to focus on in the coming months. Often only a small change is needed to make a big impact on your kids.

Here goes:

1. Build traditions in your family.
There is no better way to build memories and bind your family together than to establish your own traditions and rituals. Traditions anchor kids to their families as well as to their childhoods. Tradition can be translated as “this is the way we do things in our family.”

2. Build self-belief in kids.
It is self-belief rather than ability that holds many kids back from really achieving their best. Put effort into ‘developing the courage to be imperfect’ so that kids aren’t afraid of messing up. It is through mistakes that kids learn and grow. Learn more in Bringing out your Child’s self-confidence.

3. Build self-knowledge in kids.
Self-knowledge is the best knowledge that kids can have. The best way to do this is to develop the habit of describing kids being good. When they do something special (or not so-special) tell them what they have done. ‘I love the way you greeted your nana with a smile. You’re really good with people.” This becomes part of their internal self-reference system as it was told to them by a significant adult in their life.

4. Encourage kids to be self-occupiers.
Kids’ ability to keep themselves occupied cannot be underestimated. Avoid rushing in when they seem bored. Suggest ideas rather than provide entertainment. Self-occupiers readily get into the state of flow and get lost in play which is great for achievement and mental health.

5. Balance boredom with busyness.
Leave some spaces in kids’ schedules for some hang-time and muck-around time. These are good for building family relationships and promoting mental health.

6. Encourage a sense of generosity.
Moving kids from ‘me’ to ‘we’ takes work these days. Encourage kids to volunteer, give some pocket money to charity and give away unused toys to develop their sense of ‘other’.

7. Parent differently for each child.
You can bet your bottom dollar what worked with one child won’t work with another so be flexible with your behaviour management, communication and relationship-building skills. Read Why first borns rule the world and last borns want to change it.

8. Consciously model the behaviours you want.
Kids will sometimes do as you say but will always do what you do. If you want them to be generous and kind-spirited then you have no choice but to be generous and kind-spirited yourself.

9. Have at least five family mealtimes a week.
Sitting down and breaking bread together as family or group builds strong families and gives you the chance to talk. If you want to influence your kids and their thinking then you need to talk with them more. Mealtimes provide these opportunities.

10. Build redundancy into your parenting.
You don’t want you kids living with you when they are forty so you had better start making yourself redundant right now. Some people wait for a certain age before they let kids do for themselves. Build scaffolds to independence from the earliest possible age. Teach them, then give them opportunities to be self-sufficient. Even three year olds can make their bed – just not as well as when they are ten.

11. Give kids a map and a compass.
Just as explorers need a map and a compass to guide them when they enter unknown territory, kids need a map and a compass to guide them when they meet with difficult and different situations. The map they have is made up of what they know of you and your life story. This helps them work out smart from less than smart behaviour. The compass is the made up of the values that you live so they know right from wrong.

12. Make it easy for kids to behave well.
Kids usually want to behave well but many find behaving well hard. Make it easy for them not by lowering your standards but by giving gentle reminders, setting up simple routines and giving simple verbal cues. Read One Step Ahead or learn more in Bringing out Your Children’s Best Behaviour.

13. Teach kids to be financially smart.
Financial smarts begins at home. Give them pocket-money on a regular basis and allow them to take some control over their spending. Avoid being their own personal ATM and don’t give them money whenever they want it.

14. Help kids appreciate what they have.
Some children have a default mechanism that is both negative and self-centred. Encourage them to look on the bright side and be thankful for what they have rather than always wanting more or focusing on what they don’t have.

15. Focus on feelings not just behaviour.
Next time a child asks for an extension to bedtime because they doing a fun activity resist going into behaviour management mode and move into emotional intelligence mode. “It’s great to see you happy and really enjoying that game. What’s it like having so much fun?” Then move them to bed while you are listening.

16. Understand child development.
Some stages are harder than others and different stages require different things of kids. Early childhood is about bonding and then breaking away. Middle childhood is about developing competencies and self-esteem and adolescence is about identity formation and breaking away. Each stage has its own joys and challenges for parents. Appreciate each stage and don’t wish them away.

17. Build mental health skills.
The World Health Organisation predicts that mental health will be the biggest health issue in the developed world over the next few decades. Teach kids good mental health skills at home by helping them relax and unwind, deal with anxiety and talk about their every day challenges without fear of being judged.

18. Be the hope person in their life.
Life can sometimes suck when you are a kid. Offer kids hope that things will get better or that they will get used to difficult situations. Help them set goals or do something that will help alleviate a difficulty. Learn about Resilience in Bring out your Child’s resilience.

19. Focus on relationships, not rules.
It’s hard to fight when you get on with someone so make sure you have something in common with each of your kids. The love languages approach (Google Love languages) offers a framework that will help you connect with each of your kids.

20. Build layers of community around kids.
Family, friends, teachers, coaches, people in the broader community form a protective circle around kids, help keep them safe and prevent them from falling through the cracks. Encourage a sense of community. Let them bring friends home. Encourage them to take up community-based activities and value relationships they have with coaches, teachers and people in their neighbourhood.

21. Attend a Happy Kids Parenting Seminar this year.
Get your blueprints for developing confidence and character in kids at my Bringing out your child’s CONFIDENCE seminars in all mainland capitals in February/March and the Raising WELL-BEHAVED kids seminars in August/September. Both have FREE bonus workshops beforehand where I can answer your pressing questions. Find out how and where, by visiting my website.

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeIt's a universal truth that parenting is a tough job - perhaps one of the most tough in the world! After all, there's not a time when you're "off the clock"; between caring for your family, supporting your child's after-school activities and running a household, it can seem almost laughable to make time for just yourself. These days, who has the time?

But if you want to maintain a happy and healthy family - not to mention your own sanity - it's more important than ever to make a bit of time for yourself at the end of a particularly hectic day. As a parent, you need this time to decompress, restore your frazzled nerves and relax those tense muscles. An additional bonus is that once you've taken time for yourself, you'll be able to be a better parent and partner, since you're more relaxed, and less likely to succumb to stress and anxiety.

So how exactly do you find "me" time during the typical hectic day? Easy: just follow these tips and you'll be back to your carefree - or at least, less-stressed! - self in no time!

1.Take a ten minute bath at the end of your day. Once your children are in bed, zone out in a nice and relaxing bath. The warm water will calm and soothe tired muscles, while you'll get a moment to collect your thoughts.

2.Go for a walk on your lunch break. Experts have long known that exercise boosts our happiness and can work wonders on stress, so take advantage of your hour-long break to give yourself a quick pick-me-up!

3.Sing in your car on the way to and from work. If you commute alone, make a CD of your favorite music and sing your heart out like nobody's watching. After all, your commute is probably one of the few times that you'll get a significant amount of time to yourself: take advantage of it by turning into a singing superstar. If that's not your cup of tea, try something else that makes you feel relaxed and stress-free: buy an audio book, call a friend or just simply enjoy the scenery en route to work.

4.Meet up with friends that you haven't seen in a while. It's easy to let weeks, even months, pass without catching up with good friends - so hire a babysitter and make a day of it. You'll have so much fun laughing with old friends that you'll hardly feel frazzled once Monday morning rolls around!

5.Try learning how to meditate or do yoga. These types of physical and mental exercises are no longer for celebrity starlets - in fact, many of your coworkers and friends likely dabble in yoga and meditation themselves! Once you've become practiced in these soothing exercises, it won't take long for peace and tranquility to be restored to yourself again!

6.If you're feeling really exhausted, get your partner to watch the kids while you take a nap. A quick twenty to thirty minute nap will work wonders for your mood and will instantly perk you up; plus, it's not difficult to take twenty minutes out of your day to catch a quick snooze. Just remember to promise your partner the same in return!

In order to be the best parent that you can be, you'll need to make time for yourself once in a while. Try not to think of it as selfish "me" time; rather, focus on the fact that taking a few minutes out of each day to devote to yourself will make you a better mother or father and partner - your family will certainly notice the difference!

(Excerpts from the e-Book " Enjoy a "Long, Healthy, Happy Life" )

"Those who fail to take the time to be healthy will ultimately have to take the time to be sick." ~ Dr. James Chappell

So you want to enjoy a long, healthy, happy life or should I say, you want to be the "exception to the rule."

You should know from the start that the "odds" are stacked against you, but by accepting and tackling the challenge you will find it very worthwhile and rewarding, not to mention adding many years of happiness onto your lifespan.

Talking of "lifespan", lets pause for a moment and think about that.

Its key to differentiate between living a "long life" (lifespan) and living a "long HEALTHY life" (healthspan), which then can translate into the ideal situation where you can enjoy a "LONG, HEALTHY, HAPPY LIFE".

I know of many people, young and old who just exist from day to day with aches and pains, disease and suffering and with many bedridden for a number of years before they die prematurely from one of the modern lifestyle diseases like cancer or heart disease. One can hardly call that "living" or having had a great life.

Most people look forward to retiring after a long period of working and bringing up a family, with a vision of being able to relax, travel and enjoy a long, happy, healthy life with one's family. The reality, unfortunately is very different for most people.

This dream unfortunately, invariably has a perverse ending in this day and age. Virtually every one of us living a modern lifestyle will be diagnosed with a fatal chronic disease in our lifetime. Most of us will land up having long term expensive drug treatment, causing misery, pain and suffering and eventually death without dignity. At least half of us will be diagnosed with cancer and will be treated by conventional medicine, resulting in a slow painful death after undergoing expensive poisonous chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Those of us lucky enough to escape cancer will most probably succumb to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's or some other chronic degenerative lifestyle disease.

Supercentenarians

However there are people, who in their early years, were never exposed to the current modern lifestyles, toxic pollution, fast foods, processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs, who have proved that you can "LIVE" a long, healthy and happy life.

The Gerontology Research web site (http://www.grg.org) have a validated worldwide list of living "Supercentenarians". ( people who are 110 years old or older). There are currently 69 women and 8 men on this list with 25 in the US, 24 in Japan, 26 from other countries and only 2 living in the UK.

So from this you can get a true understanding of "longevity", but the million dollar question is why do these people live so long ?

Its all about "how we live" and "what we eat" which all boils down to "LIFESTYLE".

Take Control of Your Lifestyle and Your Healthcare

The key challenge is to want to do this for yourself and your family. The starting point is to take control of your lifestyle and your healthcare by becoming aware and informed and then to take the appropriate actions.

Its hard to accept, but actually NOBODY out there is interested in you and your families healthcare or whether you live a "long, healthy and happy life" or not.

As a matter of fact you will be very surprised to know that there is a whole industry that want just the opposite.

I hear you say "But what about my GP, Gynie, Paede, Oncologist, Cardiologist, etc?, surely they are interested ?"

They should be, but remember each of these people make a living from the "Disease Business" astutely managed and controlled by the Pharmaceutical Industry.

This article, with additional information on the website

http://www.naturallyhealthylifestyles.com

and in the e-Book, sets out to enlighten and inform you about what you have to do and what you have to avoid, to escape the "Disease Business" and enjoy a "long, healthy and happy life". We also want to expose what the true obstacles are that you will encounter on this amazing, rewarding "lifestyle" journey, which will enable you to make the necessary decisions and actions to avoid them.

Modern Lifestyles

Its an undeniable fact that in this modern era of toxic air and water pollution, fast fried fatty foods, processed foods, carcinogenic groceries, sugar filled foods and drinks, pesticide poisoned soil, fruit and vegetables, alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, prescription and recreational drugs; just to name the main culprits; nine out of every ten adults will die prematurely from a serious chronic lifestyle degenerative disease. Very few of these diseases were common just a hundred years ago and are unquestionably caused by our modern lifestyles.

The variety of aches, pains, disease and suffering are as plentiful and as diverse as humankind. Sickness and disease abound and as we all know most of these diseases cause us and our families misery, pain, financial hardships and suffering and in many cases "death", but sadly most of these deaths could have been prevented.

The Germ Theory

Modern medicine is based on Louis Pasteur' s (1822-1895) "Germ Theory" where every disease is caused by a specific external germ and is seen to be different. The solution being, specific drugs to address and mask each of these symptoms, of which there are currently hundreds. This was the fatal birth of the "Disease Business" and the most lucrative and protected industry on earth today – the pharmaceutical industry. Although Pasteur was recognized at the time as the father of bacteriology and microbiology based on his "Germ Theory of Medicine", he was not a medical man and was in direct conflict with other research doctors of the day.

The Cellular Theory

Alternative medicine on the other hand has a holistic, preventative approach and is based on Dr Antoine Bechamp's (1816-1908) and Claude Bernard's (1813-1878) "Cellular Theory" which is based on the "healthy terrain" concept. (a healthy inner body).

So what is the healthy terrain? Béchamp began to describe it nearly two hundred years ago, but Claude Bernard finally stated that to maintain a "healthy terrain" (disease free body) there were two factors, which when violated were responsible for every known disease.

1. The necessary Nutrition to feed the bodies numerous cells

2. Toxin free blood, cells and body tissues

One must have proper nutrition and be free of toxins to maintain a "healthy terrain". He also established that germs were attracted to diseased tissues and cells and were not the cause of the disease, dispelling Pasteur's "Germ Theory".

The following paragraph is taken from the Antoine Bechamp website.

"Bechamp was one of France's most prominent and active researchers and biologists. He taught in universities and medical schools, and published widely on cell biology, disease, botany and related subjects. His would probably be a household name today if it wasn't for the activities of Louis Pasteur, who history has treated very kindly indeed, considering his fake science, his tendency to steal ideas (mainly from Bechamp), falsify experimental data, and in general make claims which had no basis in fact. "

It is unfortunate that the profit driven "Disease Business" continues to endorse the "Germ Theory" for obvious reasons, despite vast scientific research proving the "Cellular Theory". Notable work has been done for numerous years by many credible researchers worldwide, with a huge contribution from the Dr Rath Foundation in the USA who have been very active since 1993 when Dr Rath made the first of many new scientifically proven discoveries leading to his Cellular Medicine theory.

Miracles

Modern medicine has made incredible advances over the last decade, specifically in surgical techniques, identification of viruses, burn treatment, trauma and emergency room care. So if you are involved in an accident, these services are essential and often life saving, with these specialist doctors performing lifesaving miracles. Unfortunately not all modern medicine, especially in the area of disease prevention and treatment fits into this category.

The "Modern Medicine" Paradigm

There is however a very different face to modern medicine that affects us all a lot more seriously and frequently. The "modern medicine" paradigm, which promises good health for all and the prevention and cure of disease, has not only failed completely to meet these objectives but has delivered pain, suffering and misery and cost trillions of dollars.

No amount of modern medicine or medical advancement can help you if the drugs are filled with poisonous toxins and have such serious side effects. Similarly no amount of processed or fast foods can provide you the nutrition your body needs to be healthy. Ultimately, if you want optimum health and want to prevent or reverse disease, you have no choice, you must take control of your own healthcare and change your lifestyle.

The Way Forward

So how do you get the awareness and the necessary information to enable you and your family to live a long, healthy, happy life.

Firstly, you must take control of your lifestyle and your healthcare.

Secondly, unless you understand the true nature of what CAUSES disease and death, and how degenerative diseases develop in the body, you will not be able to take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family. The earlier you start the quicker you can start living and have peace of mind and not become a "Wasted Life" statistic.

"Wasted Lives"

Did you know that in the UK somebody dies unnecessarily from heart disease every three minutes? Are you or anyone you know a potential candidate for heart disease or any of the other modern scourges, like cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer's ?

To get a real perspective on the scale of these "wasted lives", lets look at just a few of the statistics for the UK and the USA. The following are just for the three main killers, heart disease, cancer and modern medicine. Yes "modern medicine" !

Cancer deaths in the UK – in 2005 there were 153,491 deaths from cancer, according to figures published on the www. cancerresearchuk.org web site.

Cancer deaths in the USA – in 2003 there were 556,902 deaths from cancer according to figures published by the National Centre for Health Statistics.

Heart disease deaths in the UK – 70,000 deaths occur each year with one death every three minutes according to a BBC news article.

Heart disease deaths and statistics in the USA – according to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the number 1 killer responsible for 1 million deaths in 2002 with the statistics for various heart conditions showing 1 adult person in 4 suffer from some form of heart disease.

50 million suffer from high blood pressure
12 million suffer from coronary heart disease
6.2 million suffer from angina pectoris
7 million suffer from heart attack
4.4 million suffer from stroke
1.8 million suffer from rheumatic heart disease/fever
1 million suffer from congenital cardiovascular defects
4.6 million suffer from congestive heart failure

That's SCARY ! If that's not got you feeling a little worried, lets look at the most incredible statistic of all, which is the deaths caused by "modern medicine" in the USA. This is the very medicine prescribed by our friendly trusted GP to "supposedly" make us better- makes you think?

In October 2003 the Nutrition Institute of America (NIH) released a report stating that between 1993 and 2003 – Medical mistakes took 7.8 million lives, more deaths than all the wars America fought combined.

A group of researchers meticulously reviewed the statistical evidence and their findings are absolutely shocking. These researchers have authored a paper titled "Death by Medicine" that presents compelling evidence that today's system frequently causes more harm than good.

This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million per year. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections is 20 million per year. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million per year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million per year.

The following is an excerpt from Death by Medicine

By Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD; Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, PhD

"The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year. It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US. (By contrast, the number of deaths attributable to heart disease in 2001 was 699,697, while the number of deaths attributable to cancer was 553,251.) "

The Naturally Healthy Lifestyle Journey

"Optimum nutrition is the medicine of the future"
Dr Linus Pauling – twice Nobel Prize winner.

We all want to live a long, healthy, happy life with an abundance of energy and vitality, the ability to perform mentally and physically with emotional balance and the lack of disease and disorders. To achieve this we need to embark on a naturally healthy lifestyle journey.

The Miracle Healer

The body is a "miracle healer" made up entirely of molecules from the food we eat and drink, which is what "enables" the body to heal itself and to exist in perfect health. The problem is most of us eat and drink the wrong things which poison the body with toxins that make us ill and expose ourselves to the killer diseases, causing us extreme pain and reducing our life span significantly.

You are a unique individual in a specific phase of your life with specific needs to cater for your current lifestyle, whether it be starting a family, being a busy corporate employee, manager or executive, self employed, a sportsman / woman, highly stressed, sickly or suffering from a chronic disease, a government employee, a busy housewife, a teenager, over 40 or 50, a senior citizen or any other phase of life.

During this journey you will want to look at the following areas of your life and decide which of these you want to change to achieve your specific goals.

The "Toxin" Generators

The key to your "naturally healthy lifestyle" journey is to be aware of the following factors and find ways to positively adapt your lifestyles accordingly to combat the toxic effects and set the foundation for optimal health and quality of life.

Here are some of the key things you need to think about to achieve this:

Nutrition – fresh fruit, seeds and vegetables and natural supplements
Your individual diet – enjoy low-glycemic load eating habits
Stress – avoid physical, traumatic and mental
Pollution – water, air, work and home environment
Fresh produce pollution – pesticides, fertilisers – eat organic
Processed food- additives, preservatives, colourants, other carcinogens, MSG
Fast foods – fatty, fried foods, trans fats, hydrolysed fats, hydrogenated oils
Refined carbohydrates – cakes, cookies, biscuits, breads
Sugar and sweeteners – sucrose, fructose, corn syrup,
Soft / cold drinks - A 12-ounce can of soda has the equivalent of about 13 teaspoons of sugar
Smoking – cell damage
Alcohol- excessive drinking
Prescription and recreation drugs (including street drugs)
Groceries – salt, carcinogens, monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Cosmetics - carcinogens
Sunscreen and tanning lotions – carcinogens
Lack of exercise, sunshine and relaxation
Shallow breathing – slows lymphatic system – slows waste extraction
Meaningful work or hobby to challenge the mind

As you can see there are many things that can affect our health and in many cases we have been abusing our bodies for a long time. So getting our body, mind and spirit back into shape is a journey that will enable us to live a natural healthy lifestyle.

That means, once you understand the effects each of these topics have on your health, you can take the necessary actions to address these either through small changes over time or more aggressively if necessary, which will contribute to you being able to enjoy a long, healthy, happy life.

More detailed information on these topics can be found in the e-Book and on the website.

The Naturally Healthy Lifestyles web site http://www.naturallyhealthylifestyles.com

Our Naturally Healthy Lifestyles web site is dedicated to providing all of the information required for you to fully understand the natural holistic healing powers of the body and soul and the critical role "Optimum Nutrition" plays. In addition the Naturally Healthy Lifestyles web site has all of the information and professional advice and guidance, with proven independent recommendations and solutions from Richard Penfounde, our Naturally Healthy Lifestyle "GURU", to enable you to take charge of your own health and wellbeing by becoming ...

"Your own first-choice Natural Practitioner".

Regardless of our age we all desire to be physically fit with an abundance of energy, an alert and active mind, a resilience to infectious diseases and viruses, protection against the killer diseases like cancer, heart attacks and strokes, while living to a ripe old age, pain free, happy, healthy, full of vitality and actively enjoying life to its fullest. It seems like a dream – BUT its not.

It CAN become a reality through a "Naturally Healthy Lifestyle".

If you would like to achieve this, then the Naturally Healthy Lifestyles web site has the information you need and we would like to accompany you on this journey to assist you to achieve your health goals. For regular news updates on leading edge announcements, you can register for our Naturally Healthy Lifestyle Newsletter, which will keep you up to date with the latest news and trends.

We have made this a "one-stop" web site with all of the information you will need to enable you to "take charge of your own health" and to start living a "Naturally Healthy Lifestyle" with all of the wonderful benefits that come with that.

My team and I look forward to welcoming you to our Naturally Healthy Lifestyles community,

In health and wellness, join us at:

http://www.naturallyhealthylifestyles.com

Richard Penfounde - Natural Health Advisor and "GURU" - Head of the Naturally Healthy Lifestyles Research Team.

About The Author Richard Penfounde was born and educated in England, after which he started his career as a trainee in the vast "Boots Pure Drug Company", where both allopathic and natural medicines were equally acknowledged for what each had to offer the consumer, on his/her path to safe and effective healthy living. He was later sent to South Africa to manage a subsidiary company operation. It was then that he saw a major opportunity to concentrate more on natural medicines, particularly amongst indigenous herbalists, who today are contributing more and more universal knowledge and usage experience to the natural health industry.

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