My 5 Top Secrets to Avoid Getting Sick

My 5 Top Secrets to Avoid Getting Sick

1. Optimize Your Vitamin D
   
   This takes the number one position for a reason: if you're vitamin-D-deficient, and many are, your immune system will not activate to do its job.
   Vitamin D also functions in many different tissues and affects a large number of different diseases and health conditions. So far, scientists have found about 3,000 genes that are regulated by vitamin D.
   Just one example of an important gene that vitamin D up-regulates is your ability to fight infections, including the flu. It produces over 200 antimicrobial peptides, the most important of which is cathelicidin, a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic. At least five studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections.
   Plus, studies have shown you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF and lower your risk of many other common diseases -- like diabetes, heart disease, depression, hypertension and Alzheimer's disease -- simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels.
   To find out more, including your best sources of vitamin D, dosing and what proper levels should be, please watch my free one-hour lecture.
2. Optimize Your Insulin and Leptin Levels
   
   Eating sugar and grains will increase your insulin level, which is one of the fastest ways to get sick and also experience premature aging. Leptin is another heavyweight hormone associated with disease and the aging process.
   Like your insulin levels, if your leptin levels become elevated, your body systems will develop a resistance to this hormone, which will wreak havoc in your body.
   Ron Rosedale, MD, who is one of the leading experts on leptin, does an excellent job of explaining the links between insulin, leptin, your weight and your overall health, and has done so in numerous articles posted on my site.
   My nutrition plan, based on natural whole foods, is your first step toward optimizing your insulin and leptin levels and increasing your chances of living a longer, healthier life. The heart of my program is the elimination, or at the very least, drastic reduction of grains and sugar in your diet, while focusing on the foods that are right for your unique biochemistry.
3. Exercise
   
   If you are exercising regularly, just as if your vitamin D levels are optimized, the likelihood of your acquiring an upper respiratory infection decreases quite dramatically, and studies have clearly shown this.
   In one such study, staying active cut the risk of having a cold by 50 percent, and cut the severity of symptoms by 31 percent among those who did catch a cold. The researchers noted that each round of exercise may lead to a boost in circulating immune system cells that could help ward off a cold virus.
   It's a well-known fact that exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The job of these cells is to neutralize pathogens throughout your body. The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at locating and defending against viruses and diseases trying to attack your body.
   Upon reviewing 40 papers published between 2006 and 2010, researchers found that exercise reduces the risk of about two dozen health conditions, ranging from cancer and heart disease to type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and depression.
   Exercise also slows down the rate of aging itself, providing perhaps the closest example of a real life fountain of youth as we will ever find.
   Since exercise has repeatedly been proven to benefit your immune system over the long haul, it's crucial to treat exercise like a drug that must be properly prescribed, monitored and maintained for you to enjoy the most benefits.
   Essentially, you need to have a varied routine like the Peak Fitness program I now highly recommend. The Peak Fitness program includes:
• Peak 8 exercises
• Conventional aerobics
• Strength training
• Core exercises
• Stretching
4. Eat Plenty of Raw Food
   
   One of the most important aspects of a healthy diet that is frequently overlooked is the issue of eating your food uncooked, in its natural raw state.
   Unfortunately, as you may be aware, over 90 percent of the food purchased by Americans is processed. And when you're consuming these kinds of denatured and chemically altered foods, it's no surprise we have an epidemic of chronic and degenerative diseases, not to mention way too many cases of colds and flu.
   Ideally you'll want to eat as many foods as possible in their unprocessed state; typically organic, biodynamic foods that have been grown locally, and are therefore in season.
   But even when you choose the best foods available you can destroy most of the nutrition if you cook them. I believe it's really wise to strive to get as much raw food in your diet as possible. I personally try to eat about 80 percent of my food raw, including raw eggs and organic, naturally raised meats.
5. Learn How to Effectively Cope With Stress
   
   In my past experience treating patients with serious chronic illnesses, the vast majority have previous emotional stress that contributed to their problem. And for most of the serious illnesses, the trauma stems back to their childhood.
   But according to at least one recent study, it doesn't take serious trauma to cause these changes. Even normal "everyday" emotional experiences can have a detrimental impact on your future health.
   Emotional stressors can also predispose you to an infection while making cold symptoms worse. Finding ways to manage daily stress as well as your reactions to circumstances beyond your control will contribute to a strong and resilient immune system.
   My favorite tool for this is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a system that helps balance your body's subtle energies and repair emotional "short-circuits."

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does give you a general idea of how to live healthy and avoid getting sick. Other factors, like getting high-quality sleep and avoiding exposure to environmental toxins, are important too, but if you're looking for a few simple "secrets" to get started on today … start with those listed above.
Chances are that if you use them, you, too, will become one of the growing numbers of people who are using a healthful lifestyle to avoid getting sick.

Posted By Dr. Mercola  on his website, see entire post here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/28/the-secrets-of-never-getting-sick.aspx

12 Steps to Clear, Effective Goal Setting

Step 1: Develop desire for health and being fit—Our actions are usually based on fear or desire. If you are trying to implement changes because you fear you'll never achieve the weight or health you desire, you are most likely going to fail. Fear is a powerful force, but not one that spurs you toward greatness.

Desire, on the other hand, is like a burning fire within and has the power to change you to the core.

Step 2: Believe you CAN be successful—In order to fully achieve anything, you must believe it is possible at a cellular level.

To make your goals obtainable, set short-term goals that slowly but surely lead up to your long-term goal.

Step 3: You MUST write it down—Having a goal of exercising optimally or weighing a certain amount is not a goal if it is not in writing—it's just a fantasy.

Once your goal is in writing, it is concrete.

I would encourage you to write out your goal in two ways.

1. Use a lot of detail. Be specific on what your life will be like when you have met your goal. Let your imagination run wild. Then, put this in an envelope to read when you need encouragement and motivation.
2. Write down one sentence that captures what your goal is. Write this sentence out on several post-it notes and place them in your car, at your office, on your bathroom mirror and one by your bed. Each time you pass one by, read your sentence and spend a minute or two visualizing what that feels like.

Step 4: Make a list of all the ways you will benefit from achieving your goal, and get EMOTIONAL—This is similar to what was recommended above, but with focus on your emotions; how you want to feel. Plugging in your emotional reasons for wanting to optimize your fitness and fat loss is crucial. It is the "why" to the "what."

Emotional benefits may include having more energy, looking better, feeling great, or fitting into a dress. Reviewing this on a regular basis will assist in keeping you motivated.
Always use the word "I" with each goal, and write it in the present tense. Your subconscious mind responds only to commands that are personal, positive and in the present tense. Remember that unless you have emotion attached to your reasons, the likelihood that you will succeed is radically reduced.

Step 5: Analyze your starting point—This will provide a baseline to measure your progress from. If your goal is to lose weight, weigh yourself and write down where you are. If your goal is to lower your cholesterol or blood pressure, have your cholesterol or blood pressure measured and write down where you are.


Step 6: Set a deadline—Setting a deadline for a tangible goal (such as reaching a certain weight) "programs" your cells to achieve that goal by a certain time, if not sooner.

However, if your goal is intangible, such as "optimizing health," do not set a deadline. If you set a deadline on an intangible goal, the date you set will be the first date your cells are programmed to actually start demonstrating that quality.
If you do set a deadline and fail to reach it, set another deadline.

Step 7: Make a list of obstacles—After listing all the possible obstacles you can think of, re-list them in order of the difficulty to overcome them.

Step 8: Identify the additional information you will need to achieve your goal—There are multiple resources available on many subjects, so research the area you're pursuing and empower yourself with all of the information you can. Setting a goal and going after it without knowing why you are going after it is a sure-fire way to stop short of your goal.

Step 9: Make a list of all the people whose help and cooperation you will require—This may include family, friends, co-workers, your doctor and whomever else you deem appropriate. But be careful. Select only those you know will support and encourage you to the fullest.

Unfortunately, there are people who seem to want to sabotage others, especially when it comes to trying to lose weight or achieve better health. Educate the people you select on the reasons you are working toward your goal. If you present it well, they may even decide to join you and then you will be really supported and held accountable!

Step 10: Write out your plan—Now it's time to write out, in detail, the entire plan: what you want, when you want it, why you want it, and from where you are starting. List the obstacles to overcome, the information you will need and the people you need to help you. Use steps 1-9 to help with this.

Step 11: Use visualization—It's a powerful tool. If you can see it and feel it, you can get it. Visualize yourself participating in activities that add life and provide energy. Picture how good you will feel when implementing your plan. Imagine your new life.

Take time to do this each day. Right before bed is a powerful time to engage in visualization.

Step 12: Make the decision in advance that you will never, ever, give up—Surround yourself with those who are choosing wisely and who care enough about you to hold you accountable. We all have days, or weeks, where we slip. The important thing is that you realize this, admit it, and get back with the program.

To get you started, feel free to use this Commitment Sheet, created by Darin Steen.

Read your commitment sheet out loud, with a positive tone in your voice, three times, right before bed and upon waking in the morning. Remember, there is power in the spoken word. So stand up tall, with good posture, and say it like you mean it!
Every new day is another opportunity to make a change for the better. And one of the lifestyle changes that can have the most dramatic impact on your health is to start exercising on a regular basis. So, whether or not you made a New Year's resolution to exercise more this year, go ahead—make a plan, taking your personality into account, and get started!

Posted by: Dr. Mercola on his website see entire post here: http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2011/01/29/the-best-fitness-routines-fit-your-personality.aspx

Top Five Most Attractive Guys

I decided to compose a list of my top five most attractive men. Four out of the five men selected are actors. I have noticed that I'm a sucker for a foreign language and instantly drawn to its dialect.

1) Paul (my husband) - A little biased here but he is truly the most attractive male figure I've ever come across in person.

2) Hugh Jackman - Need I explain??

3) Pierce Brosnan - Always on top of the list as a classy and handsome man.

4) Steven Colbert - I'm more attracted and drawn to his witty personality than anything else.

5) Jude law - It's a combination of the British accent, humor, and blue eyes.



 
Notable runners up are Zac Efron, Viggo Mortensen from the Lord of the Rings, and Matthew Macfadyen from the role in Pride and Prejudice as Mr. Darcy. And do I dare say President Obama? I do find him charming, a man of honor, and very respectable. I look at him more of a role-model type than an attractive figure.