Last week I posted a personal story in How to Overcome Adversity (and Attract What You Want). Today’s guest blogger, psychotherapist and author, Judy Belmont, writes about the very same thing using a metaphor to help us gain a new perspective on the trials and tribulations of life.

As we all know, life is not smooth and predictable. It has twists, turns and is full of changes. Although as a psychotherapist I hear many people say, “I don’t like change,” upon exploration, I invariably find that everyone actually welcomes change. But only on their own terms, how and when they want it, and when it is in their control.

Good Luck! Who has not experienced change and stress that they would not even wish on their worst enemy, never mind themselves!?

Enter: The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life: How To Get Through Life’s Holes Without Getting Stuck In Them! which is a whimsical yet informative book that has just been released by Mental Health Publisher, PESI.

The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life uses the analogy of Swiss cheese as a metaphor for life itself. After all, life is not smooth and predictable like American or Cream Cheese. Rather, life has holes and it’s how you get through them that counts! In fact, it is the holes in our lives that give us depth of character and make our life rich in meaning, just as the larger the holes in the Swiss, the sweeter the taste of the cheese. Thus, we need holes in our lives to become who we are!

What are the holes in your life? How can you use the lessons learned as stepping stones towards a better future rather than wearing your mistakes, setbacks and failures as a cloak draped around you?

Your setbacks do not need to become your defining moments in your life that weigh you down and stop you from becoming the person you could be. If you set yourself free of the shackles of the past that no longer work for you and no longer define you, and get through the hole in your self-perception and come out on the other side, you will get a whole new perspective on life!

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Regular readers know we advocate a healthy lifestyle that naturally leads to a healthy weight, rather than choosing other solutions which may get quick results but won’t last long. Today guest blogger, Joel Newman, reminds us of a few healthy eating tips!

Staring at the belly fat almost gawking beneath a loose dress, all of us have wondered if losing weight is all about – to eat or not to eat. Many of us have gone ahead and cut calories, stuck to water and pills for weeks; all for the extra pounds. But does weight loss really come down to the choice between eating and starving?

Not at all, weight loss is all and only about what to eat and what to ditch, the choice is to choose wiser and healthier – not popping pills, starving and looking sick.

Depriving the body of the fuel needed is possibly the craziest and most inefficient attempt at weight loss. The few researched outcomes of the magic pills and water diets include – malnutrition, weight gain due to fat survival habit of the body, susceptibility to binges, possibly inactivity due to lack of physical energy, headaches and anorexia.

Eat to lose weight!

To not eat and lose weight is a terribly unhealthy and ineffective way to stay on a diet! All one needs to do is pack the fridge with healthy foods and eat the way to the right weight! We all have known our problem zones and our weaknesses – the sweet tooth, carbohydrate addiction, comfort food needs and so on.  And, so the weight loss plan really is what one should eat ditching the unhealthy options.

Here are a few dos and don’ts for weight loss: [click to continue…]

I’ve heard lots of good things about Spirulina but haven’t had the time to research it yet. Thank goodness for our guest blogger today! Tom Hines tells us a bit about superfoods and a lot about Spirulina.

Modern day human beings have to live with stresses associated with jobs, finances, travelling and relationships. In addition, environmental and unhealthy foods contribute immensely to these stresses. The overall effects are metabolic disease like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases being seen with ever increasing frequency.

One way to combat this is to live a healthy lifestyle: working out and eating healthy, nutritious food. However, it is not always practical to eat small portions throughout the day as recommended by fitness gurus. An effective way to overcome this is to consume green superfoods. These are vegetarian foods that are packed with nutrients which make your job easy. One serving can be equivalent to as many as 5 servings of normal food in terms of proteins, vitamins, micronutrients, etc. Thus, they can save you a lot of time and hassle. In addition, they have numerous health benefits.

What Superfoods are available in the market?

Superfoods are among the most researched foods on the planet. A wide range of superfoods have now become available. A feature common to all is that they have proven health benefits on account of the vitamins and minerals present in them.

Most important of these super-foods Spirulina and Chlorella which are derived from microscopic plants. However, even traditional foods like Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, Coconut Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, apples, cocoa, cranberries, garlic, ginger, etc. are considered superfoods.

A wide range of other products are also available to choose from:

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Our environments are just as important to our health as is the food we eat. When you feel good in the space you’re in, then you’re healthier in mind, body and soul. And according to research, adding nature can increase your health even more. Today guest blogger Pasha Lubeck gives us a few tips in how to design our homes with nature in mind.

Make no mistake about it, “going Green” is not a fad, it’s not a fashion trend, and it is not a passing fancy. Whatever reason is being flouted for going Green or for sustainability, the bottom line is plain common sense.

The Roots of the Green Movement

Sustainability and the Green movement is not a modern invention. Even as early as the start of the Industrial Revolution, when the use of machines started taking hold, there was already a push for critical thinking about the possible effects on the environment. In every major technological and socio-cultural change, the effects on mankind have been rapid and immediate, even as this was considered by some as a necessary side-effect and a small price to pay for progress.

Going to the very bottom of the concept, sustainability means that for any given area of land, or locality, you can only harvest so much without getting greedy. Feeding on greed and squeezing more production out of limited land would destroy the soil. At some point, the land would just self-destruct and would not produce any more.

Sustainable production means that you can produce the same amount of any item, every year and have the same top quality. Doing things this way, you’re sure of the consistent high quality of the produce, always and every time.

Sustainability: Here to Stay?

Sustainable alternatives are being developed every day – from energy generation to household appliances. There are now more consumer goods which are the result of energy-efficient Green manufacturing technology. With further developments along the line, a tipping point would be reached, and sustainability would become the norm.

Going Green does not mean going luddite. On the contrary, the sustainable design uses the latest high-technology and incorporating these in consumer products. Sustainable design respects nature while being on the cutting edge of technology.

Going Green at Home

As a designer, I try to integrate my beliefs as much as I can into decorating my home. There are many ways to go Green in your own house and below are just some of them: [click to continue…]

Having come out of a depression earlier this summer, I now recognize how important it is to have a hobby. It adds spice to life! So whether you’re a Mom or not, I think you’ll benefit from this guest post by Melissa Cameron.

I remember when I used to think of hobbies as something that small boys or grandparents used to keep themselves busy. Hobbies, I reasoned, were not intended for grownups who were working for a living or raising children or both.

Why a Mom Should Get a Hobby

What I didn’t realize was that hobbies are also useful for extremely busy people who are looking for ways to de-stress. One of my favorite quotes is from a Wisconsin newspaper man named Doug Larson who said, “If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.”

I don’t fish, but I get the point. Relaxation is just as important as our other, less relaxing pastimes.

When I began to list hobby ideas for myself, I only looked for hobbies which were affordable and convenient. It was also important to get a hobby in which I was actually interested. After I used these guidelines to eliminate things like snow skiing, sky diving and stamp collecting, I settled on three very reasonable hobbies: gardening, scrapbooking, and learning to play piano.

My next step was to evaluate each of these hobbies with regard to their advantages and disadvantages.

Gardening for Busy Moms

Gardening has been a popular hobby for centuries, which should be your first clue that it works rather well as a stress-buster. The advantages of gardening are;

• Great excuse to enjoy fresh air and sunshine,
• Chance to learn patience and persistence
• Great reason to go shopping for flowers

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