How would you like to work your abs and improve your posture without ever having to go to the gym? Even though I strongly believe a regular, holistic exercise routine is an integral aspect of a healthy lifestyle, the Bellyminator might just be a product worth considering – especially when you’re starting out!

Alright, to be honest when I first checked the Bellyminator out on the website, the cheesy marketing turned me off. But as I continued my investigation and read the FAQs, I realized they just might have something here.

It’s non-invasive, for one. Two, the developers have designed it to train the mind (which is aligned with Live Lighter’s philosophy) to tighten your core muscles, strengthening and developing them so eventually you won’t have to use the Bellyminator for perfect posture!

What Is the Bellyminator & What Does It Do?

The Bellyminator is an adjustable belt with a plastic-toothed pad that releases to give you a gentle reminder whenever you forget and you loosen your posture/belly. It also comes with a “level 2″ plastic pad with even longer teeth that you replace with the level 1 pad when you’re ready to move onto the next level of improving your posture.

Here’s how the product developer explained it to me:

Bellyminator is designed to help people get rid of their “excess profile” by packing it back into where it came out from by creating a cage of muscles and enforcing them with memory to stay toned and flexed, even when the Bellyminator is not worn. It is just the way the back muscles work. All these muscles are expected and supposed to work in unison to achieve that.

My Bellyminator Experience

I’ve been trying out the Bellyminator off and on for a couple of weeks now. It’s been a bit challenging finding the right spot on my waist – the few times I thought I got it right, either the belt was too tight and caused discomfort, or the clip wouldn’t release, even if I pushed my belly out.

I have a small waist and spoke with one of the developers about this, thinking that maybe this was the reason why I was having so much trouble. I was also placing it low on my waist as my intention was to focus on my lower abs (the part that I feel needs the most work).

Here’s how the developer replied:

Bellyminator does not separate abs by upper or lower section. It operates by engaging all core muscle groups at the same time. Therefore, you need to find your universal (sweet) spot (mine is in the little dip right above the liver below rib cage). It supposed to discharge at even mildest tensions applied, yet you’re not supposed to have it too tight around your target area to allow yourself some “operational comfort”. Honestly speaking, it takes some time to get used to.

So the Bellyminator is very personal and individualistic. It takes some time for users to adjust the device to our own specifics. I’m going to keep trying (I actually had it on for about 30 minutes before writing this review) and not only because I’m dedicated to trying different approaches to make things work for me, I had an interesting and exciting experience with the Bellyminator last week!

Bellyminator Can Improve the Effectiveness of Activities

I went cycling with my Bellyminator and must have found my sweet spot because it was incredible! It helped me maintain proper posture while riding my bike so that I was using the appropriate muscles to do the activity. I’m positive the bike ride was more effective because of the Bellyminator’s reminder every time I forgot about my posture.

Although the Bellyminator has an adjustment time and takes a little commitment on the user’s behalf, I feel that this product has the potential to help both beginners and those who are already active improve their posture in a natural way. And hey, it’s only $20 so what do you have to lose in trying it out? (They’re even offering to pay for shipping right now since it’s a new product on the market!)

What are your initial thoughts on the Bellyminator? (By the way, you can check out the Bellyminator Facebook page!)

Disclaimer: I received the Bellyminator in exchange for an honest review.

How would you like to learn strategies and techniques to live a more fulfilling life? By this I mean: how to activate your best self, find passion and love, and more effective communication methods so your relationships are more enriching? Then The Art of Flourishing is your book!

Wow, wow, and more WOW! Dr. Jeffrey Rubin’s latest book, The Art of Flourishing: A New East-West Approach to Staying Sane and Finding Love in an Insane World, is a work of art in itself; and I’ll be referring to it often as I continue to pursue balance, happiness and fulfillment in my life. It’s basically a handbook for it!

About The Art of Flourishing

Dr. Rubin’s approach to finding and maintaining happiness in our crazy world is simple:

“Self-care is the foundation of intimacy, and intimacy is the culmination of self-care.”

(This is what Live Lighter is all about: “Healthy Living Will Set You Free!”)

He has integrated the best parts of:

• Psychotherapy: to find meaning in our negative reactions, transform them and discover the strength to face life’s ordeals.
• Yoga: to learn about the mind-body connection, become more present and how a change in breath can change our state of mind.
• Meditation: to train ourselves to be more engaged, better listeners, identify our destructive behaviour and become more compassionate.

Do you over-think? You know, when your mind goes nuts and runs in a cacophony of negative thoughts that inevitably leads to depression, anger, resentment and all those horrible feelings that end up with you reacting, ultimately damaging your relationships, work and inner peace?

When my world turned upside down a month ago (read about it in A Spiritual Kick-in-the-Ass: Painful Yet Positive), a good friend of mine gave me a book that helped enormously. It’s called, Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Over-thinking and Reclaim Your Life by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Ph.D.

This book was/is a life-saver! It’s packed full of real-life examples and stories of over-thinkers who employed the author’s strategies (covered thoroughly in the book) to overcome their obsessive negative thinking. She also provides strategies to enable us to effectively deal with our troubling situations in order to make clear decisions and take action to improve life.

By the way, Dr. Nolen-Hoeksema is a professor of psychology and her research on over-thinking has won awards.

Thoughts are connected in the brain

According to Dr. Nolen-Hoeksema, our thoughts are woven together in intricate networks of associations. There is a network or node that has to do with family, another with your job, a separate one for your body image, etc. While they are specific to single pieces of your life, many of these nodes are connected to one another.

One result of all these interconnections is that thoughts about one issue in our life can trigger thoughts about issues that are connected through these networks. Sometimes the connections are obvious, other times we may not be consciously aware of the connections.

Thoughts affect our moods

To make things a bit more complicated, our network of thoughts about different issues in our lives is also connected through our moods and emotions. Situations that have aroused negative moods tend to be connected in one network of memories, while situations that have aroused positive moods tend to be connected in a different network.

As a result, when you’re in a bad mood, it tends to trigger a cascade of thoughts associated with that mood. And these thoughts may have nothing to do with the incident that put us in the negative mood in the first place. These nodes of negativity communicate with each other, feed on each other and amplify that poo-poo mood to give us even more to over-think.

How do people tend to respond to their over-thinking?

Dr. Susan says that distractions free us from over-thinking and break the cycle of negativity; however, it’s unhealthy to avoid thinking about our concerns all the time by engaging in constant diversions. Some people chronically deny or avoid their negative feelings which is just as unhealthy as over-thinking because the issues never get resolved!

For those of us who spend too much time thinking about our negative feelings and concerns, we can send ourselves into a downward spiral of uncontrolled depression, anxiety and anger. These people often turn to unhealthy ways to distract themselves, like binge eating, using drugs to quiet the mind or drowning in alcohol.

These unhealthy distraction techniques only backfire in the long run, though. Overeating tends to make us feel bloated and sick, which then activates feelings of self-disgust and guilt over our lack of self-control. Alcohol and many drugs are depressants on the central nervous system which brings our mood down, and often causes us to be more self-absorbed, activating even more negative thoughts!

(Dr. Nolen-Hoeksema’s studies have found that over-thinkers are more prone to binge drinking and having social problems related to alcohol use, like a loss of a job or divorce).

Constructive, positive distraction methods

If you’re an over-thinker, then I know you could use some help immediately. So before you pick up the book (which I highly recommend), here are just a few strategies the Doc suggests:

1. Exercise. Getting out of your head and into the Now can be as easy as doing something physical. Dr. Susan recommends doing something challenging, though, that requires a lot of attention. Her research indicates that runners, for instance, often over-think because when the activity no longer takes concentration to perform, your mind tends to go off on its own.
2. Playing with children or pets. Have you ever noticed how calming it is to just even watch children or animals? It’s because they haven’t been conditioned like we have, nor have the worries that often come with being a responsible adult. They live in the Now and when you watch or engage in activities with them, you get to experience a little bit of their peace. They often also ground us in what’s really important in life, like relationships and having fun!
3. Work. When you have work that engages you mentally and increases your self-esteem, negative thoughts disappear.
4. Schedule time for thinking. I love this one because it promotes balance – what Live Lighter is all about! Rather than totally ignoring our issues, scheduling time to think gives us the freedom to live in the Now and still deal with our problems. And because we’re more relaxed from living in the Now, it’s easier to discover creative, constructive solutions!
5. Hand it over to the Universe. Another favourite of mine. Spiritual folks know that worrying has never done any good and they have the faith that a Higher Power will either take care of the issue, speak to them through their intuition or send them a sign as to how they should deal with whatever ails them. (Although, I’ve discovered that even when you’re spiritual, you sometimes need to be reminded of this and/or build a consistent practice of reminding yourself.)

Again, I cannot stress how much this book helped me during my recent life event. Yes, my spiritual kick-in-the-ass saved my life, but it could have easily destroyed me if I hadn’t employed the strategies Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema outlines in Women Who Think Too Much. So a BIG thank you to Kim for lending me the book and to the Doc for her work in this area!

Do YOU tend to over-think? Do you use some of these positive techniques for distraction? Do you have any others not listed here that work?

Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life

The Benevolent Dictator. What a title, eh? I know, my nose turned up at it at first, too. Who’d want to be a dictator of any kind and how would you, as readers interested in healthy living, benefit from reading this book? Read the rest of this post to find out!

What is a benevolent dictator? Well, check out Wikipedia for a definition of a benevolent dictatorship first. Then we have the definition outlined by author, Michael Feuer, in his autobiographical book, The Benevolent Dictator:

…the “benevolent” component means that the person always puts the entity, the employees, and, most importantly, the customer, first – way ahead of him- or herself. Somebody has to take control in a start-up, and the trick is to ensure that this somebody can also be benevolent by doing the right thing for the right reasons, for all stakeholders.

The “dictator” piece of this designation simply means that – just as it is in a fast-tracked giant corporation – somebody in a conversation, and analysis can only take an organization so far. The job of the entrepreneur, manager, or CEO is to say, “We’re taking this fork in the road, for better or worse, and it’s on my head.” He or she is the person who makes the important decisions when it counts – while others vacillate, the clock is ticking and resources are dwindling.

Ok, as you can probably tell by this quote, there’s no denying the fact that this book is about business. But it’s more than that. It’s about what it means to be a good leader, and even more importantly, a good person. One who checks their ego at the door, is über conscientious of other people’s needs and truly wishes to make others’ lives better.

Every adult I know has the opportunity to be a leader (and, of course, a better person) in their own world. Parents, for one, are leaders – whether they like it or not. Also, most people have an important cause they believe in, like saving the world from environmental damage or making people happier through the benefits of healthy living.

Mr. Feuer’s attitude, beliefs, behaviour and unconventional business philosophy can be turned into valuable guidelines for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world!

The Benevolent Dictator recounts Michael Feuer’s story in how he co-founded and grew OfficeMax, an office retail giant, with a $3 million investment into a $1.5 billion sale by thinking of other people first – customers, employees, vendors and investors.

Three years after exiting the office supply business, he saw that America needed and wanted wellness. Enter a new business and product line: Max-Wellness.

What’s great about this book is that each chapter is in the form of a lesson. Forty of them to be exact. And most of these “business” lessons contain life knowledge and tips that are highly beneficial for the average person!

Here are just some of the lessons the author teaches through his personal story in The Benevolent Dictator:

Lesson #10: Treat an Idea Like Clay.

Have you ever planned a vacation and it’s just not working out? Mr. Feuer says, “There are always many moving pieces and changes must be made quickly… to avoid dead ends before you complete a project. Entrepreneurs often fail here because they fall in love with their plans, not the intended results or the benefits to their customers or investors. They refuse to deviate or adapt, to reshape the idea or rework the plan.”

From my experience, flexibility is your best friend whether you’re on vacation or doing renovations.

Lesson #16: Managing People Is About Achieving Objectives.

If you have a vision, whether it’s a project or a cause, and you want others to help you reach the end product, you have to first give good reasons for why others would want to help you reach your vision. Feuer talks about this and also in giving your helpers ownership in that vision by making sure they know what they do makes a difference.

And in this particular lesson, by showing them how to do it, “Teaching is an art unto itself. In most cases, you can teach by example – by showing, by pointing, and by helping people `get it.’ The issue that most people have with teaching is time. You have to invest time to train others to do it the right way. Although it can be painful at first, there is a huge payback if you persevere…” Mr. Feuer values patience!

Lesson #19: Pot Stirring 101 – The Key to Continuous Reinvention.

It’s been said that change is the only universal truth. As human beings, it’s important to our health, wellness, happiness and personal success to evolve, to constantly reinvent ourselves.

Mr. Feuer found this out starting his businesses and growing them into successes, “I personally disdain the status quo. The trite phrase, `If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ sets me off. The comment, `Same old, same old’ when applied to a business’s progress is, as far as I’m concerned, the first sign that a company is heading into modicum of success can lull an entrepreneur into a dangerous mind-set where he or she begins to relax a bit and starts `smelling the roses.’”

From my experience, when we get into ruts and stop trying new things, challenging ourselves, we end up slipping into depression. (That’s what happened to me this past last year, read My Spiritual Kick-in-the-Ass Saved My Life.)

And that’s only three lessons out of the forty, Folks! Although it is very heavy with the business content, there are gems in the form of life lessons in The Benevolent Dictator. Michael Feuer, if he runs is life like he runs his businesses, is someone I’d like to know: a wonderful human being. And since his book is interesting and well-written, a great author to boot!

If you’re not sure if the book is for you, check out this NYTimes.com book review. If you’re interested in purchasing the book, click on the image below if you’re Canadian and it’ll bring you to Amazon.ca. If you’d like to buy the book for only $15.56 from Amazon.com, click here.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of The Benevolent Dictator in exchange for an honest review.

Alright, get your mind outta the gutter. We’re talking about experiencing the slow food movement in a crazy, whole new way. Let me tell you, after eating one dinner in complete darkness at O.NOIR restaurant you’ll quickly learn to slow down and enjoy your food while having fun all at the same time!

This past Monday my family and I dined at O.NOIR restaurant where they serve you in a pitch black dining room. Can you imagine? I tried to before we got there but it came nothing close to the real deal.

(By the way, we heard of O.NOIR through my cousin’s work friend who took his blind date there. Unfortunately, she missed out BIG TIME – she left in the middle of dinner.)

Why dine in the dark? The idea is to strip away your sight so that your sense of taste and smell is enhanced. All of the servers at O.NOIR are blind as they are the most capable of serving in this type of environment.

The best part? The restaurant donates part of its proceeds to local charities and organizations for the visually impaired!

From the website:

This socially conscious concept sprang from Jorge Spielmann, a blind pastor in Zurich who used to blindfold his dinner guests at his home so they could share his eating experience. In 1999, Spielmann opened Blindekuh (German for Blind Cow); a project aimed at teaching the sighted about the sightless world, and provide jobs for blind people.

Now that you have a rundown of the basics, would you like to read about our dinner at O.NOIR in Toronto?

Located at Church and Jarvis, we walked down a set of stairs and into the cavernous, Gothic-like lobby. Along the back wall as you enter is the braille alphabet. There’s a comfortable sitting area and a wall lined with a bookshelf. On the opposite side of the room is the bar.

This is where a sighted host presents you with a menu so you may choose your appetizer, main meal and dessert – including your choice of a `surprise’ in every category. (The surprise is like their daily specials, you just don’t know what they are!) All of the choices sounded delectable but I went with the grilled calamari, surprise main and fruit sorbet.

When our table was ready, we were lead to the entrance of one of the dining rooms where we met our lovely yet direct and highly communicative server, Diane. She instructed us to line up and put our left hand on the person in front of us. She then opened the door to the dining room where immediately the smells hit me like a brick wall and kicked my taste buds into high gear!

She led us to our table and individual chairs, all the while being friendly yet assertive, and laying down some ground rules. We were served warm, delicious ciabatta buns to start with while we waited for our drinks.

It was so unusual! We had to feel around the table to get our bearings and also to find our bread plates and butter. Have you tried buttering bread in the dark? It’s no small feat! Some bites had no butter while others had a little too much…

When Diane brought our drinks, we all agreed to place them at 1 o’clock so we wouldn’t knock them over. Not only did our taste and smells increase, so did our communication skills!

It was quite challenging and there were many times each of us brought empty forks up to our mouths. I admit, I was hungry and frustration got the better of me; I ate a slice of potato and a green bean with my fingers. Then I told myself if the visually-impaired use cutlery, and I know they do, so will I. Another challenge was determining whether we cleaned our plates!

I’ll resist going into any more detail – I really feel it’s an experience one should try themselves. However, I WILL tell you the food was absolutely amazing and it was incredibly fun! We even fed each other so we could try each others meals… yes, you read that right. We found a way and only one of us left the restaurant with the smallest spot of dessert sauce on their shirt!

I highly recommend O.NOIR in Toronto – have you been? There are other dine in the dark restaurants all over the world, too, in Montreal, New York, L.A., Australia and Europe.

How would you like the power to convince your kids to eat veggies? Or learn how to sell your skills and value to a potential employer? Maybe you’d like to influence others in taking personal responsibility for saving our planet? “Small Message, Big Impact” may be the book you need!

Honestly, it took me a bit to get into Terri L. Sjodin’s new work, “Small Message, Big Impact: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work for You” but it was mainly because of the subtitle. While it is a business book and geared towards entrepreneurs, sales people, public presenters and writers/bloggers, I found that between Terri’s engaging storytelling and important information, anyone with a message will benefit from this workbook on persuasive communication.

About the Book

This compact, 189-page book is packed full of interesting anecdotes, analogies, and examples from movies and TV shows – which is exactly what she teaches in the book about how to be an effective, influential communicator! Being creative and relating to the audience is a BIG lesson in “Small Message, Big Impact.”

Ms. Sjodin believes in the power of an effective elevator speech (a short message that produces intended results). She builds a rock solid case for how a well-crafted and beautifully delivered three-minute elevator speech leaves an impact and initiates a ripple effect much like the chaos theory, butterfly effect.

And yes, while Terri does teach us how to create and deliver a 3-minute elevator speech (as promised) by the end of the book, complete with worksheets and homework, there’s way more to this book. She also demonstrates how we can all use a little attitude and perspective in order to be successful.

Ultimately, she asks us to grow as individuals. Terri encourages us to be authentic and step out of our comfort zone, asks us to go beyond our ego to investigate the listener’s needs and take responsibility for creating our destiny. All of which are necessary life skills, if you ask me!

Here’s a little from the book’s description:

“An entertaining, straightforward, and practical how-to guide on effectively communicating a critical message in a short period of time… Whatever their purpose – be it professional, academic, political, philanthropic, or personal – readers can learn to craft a fresh, brief, and persuasive message that generates tangible results!”

About the Author

Terri L. Sjodin is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm. For over twenty years, Terri has served as a speaker and consultant to an impressive list of companies, industry associations, academic conferences, CEOs, and members of the United States Congress. She is the author of New Sales Speak: The 9 Biggest Sales Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (Wiley). Terri lives in Newport Beach, CA.

How topical is the book?

In today’s changing economy where there’s no such thing as a `secure job’ anymore, this book is a valuable tool for everyone. Whether you’re job hunting, switching careers or deciding to become an entrepreneur, knowing how to create and deliver a winning elevator speech is a critical asset.

And let’s not forget that the rate of climate change has spurred more people to become green. Many of these people take on a mission to spread the good word about how to properly care for the planet. Imagine if all these people, as well as others on world improvement campaigns, applied the knowledge in Terri’s book?

What else I loved about “Small Message, Big Impact”

Terri’s instructions are easy-to-follow and easy-to-apply. She teaches us how to organize our message (based on psychology) to avoid confusing the listener, suggests some simple non-verbal cues and how to respect others’ time with tips on timing.

Another mega lesson is how to balance logic and creativity while at the same time attending to delivery. She writes about how to `earn the right to be heard’ which rings true to me – everyone is so busy these days and with all the clutter on the internet and in social media, the best messages most likely go unheard.

And she doesn’t kid us, she says it’s hard work to craft an effective message but she’s convinced me that it’s worth it!

What I didn’t like about the book

The only aspect I wasn’t so hot on was the business focus. And I’m an entrepreneur!

In the book Ms. Sjodin comes across as the exact opposite of the typical, sleazy salesperson; yet words like `pitch’, `selling’ and `prospects’ litter the pages and they turned me off. Perhaps it’s the negative connotations that need reworking but readers who are not as stubborn as I nor in business may miss out on the author’s core message because they can’t see themselves as salespeople.

Conclusion

For the most part, I enjoyed reading “Small Message, Big Impact” because of the author’s writing style and the highly valuable information she shares. I learned a lot about effective communication, and I’m looking forward to going back through the book to work the exercises when I have more time.

I love Terri’s message, inspiration and encouragement for all of us to share our own messages with the world.

If this book sounds like it’ll help you, get the book on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com (click the link below next to the image).

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of “Small Message, Big Impact” in exchange for an honest review.

Small Message, Big Impact: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work for You

If you’ve ever struggled with your finances like me, you probably have some conflicted feelings about money. Today we discuss how important financial health is to healthy living, and I share with you a clip of a great TV show that’s been teaching me how to manage money better!

Ever since I came to Toronto for university I’ve been in debt. I accepted it as part and parcel of getting an education but borrowing that money made it seem ok to be in debt. So when the banks gave me credit… well, let’s just say I’ve been living more for the moment rather than considering my future.

Food is like money in so many ways. When we pack on the pounds, it’s not the food’s fault. It’s how we view food and what we use it for that gets us into trouble. For health nuts, food is fuel that builds a strong body so quality is important and they tend to choose nutrient-rich foods. People who eat for pure pleasure, either for taste and instant gratification or to control their emotions, tend to be overweight or skinny-fat.

Although some people believe money is the root to all evil, I’ve come to believe it’s how you view it and how you manage it that makes all the difference. Smart money managers respect and value money, and choose to make wise investments. They are willing to sacrifice some pleasure today in order to reap even greater benefits later.

Did you know that money is the #1 reason most couples break up? Til Debt Do Us Part is a Canadian TV show on the Slice network starring financial wiz, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who’s been helping couples overcome their financial (and marital) issues for at least 8 seasons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iUQKs9GESI

I love Gail – she gives real tough love when it comes to managing money and even better, she teaches couples about money and forms a plan of action so they can get out of debt and build hefty retirement funds.

Watch full episodes here and check out the “where are they now” follow up episodes.

As a viewer, I’ve watched enough episodes of Til Debt Do Us Part that I’ve learned a ton about money management, debt repayment and what it means to be in a strong, healthy life partnership. For the first time in my life I am confident that I can finally clean up and take control of my finances!

Do you believe healthy finances are a part of healthy living? Why? And what do you think of Til Debt Do Us Part?

If you follow Live Lighter, you know how much I love my “Natural Health Bible” (a.k.a. Prescription for Nutritional Healing). It was my lucky day when the publishers offered me a copy of the newest edition in exchange for an honest book review!

Within its 856 pages, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 5th edition, unites the best of age-old remedies, twenty-first century science and today’s emerging health news. With cutting-edge findings in alternative and preventative therapies, this book is a must for health-conscious individuals wishing to achieve and maintain optimum health through natural means.

Along with natural treatment recommendations for a large collection of health conditions, it also teaches readers how to properly care for the body and contains advice in how to strengthen your immune system and increase your energy levels.

About the Authors

Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, was the leading nutritional counsellor and advocate for natural therapies for more than two decades and spent more than twenty-five years researching natural approaches to health and healing.

Stacey Bell, D.Sc., is a registered dietitian and has worked as a nutritional researcher while on the faculty at Harvard Medical School where she also counselled patients on how to eat in the face of disease. She has worked with Tony Robbins and Dr. Andrew Weil and is currently a nutritional consultant in Boston, MA.

About Prescription for Nutritional Healing

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 5th edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements (Avery, $30 US & $34.50 Cdn) is America’s #1 Guide to Natural Health. Since the first edition published in 1983, it’s sold over 8 million copies!

Written by a certified nutritionist, this book blends the latest scientific research with traditional treatments. It provides all the information you need to design your own personal nutritional program. In addition, the author offers traditional and up-to-date home remedies, and suggests healthful modifications in diet and lifestyle.

For easy reference, the book is divided into 3 parts:

1. Part I discusses the basic principals of nutrition and health, and lists and explains the various types of nutrients, food supplements, enzymes, antioxidants and herbs found in healthfood shops and drugstores.
2. Part II is divided into sections on 250 common disorders, from acne to cancer to yeast infection, arranged in alphabetical order. Each section discusses how to identify the symptoms and suggests ways to correct or treat the disorder through dietary guidelines and supplementation program.
3. Part III offers descriptions and explanations of traditional therapies and conventional treatments that can be used in conjunction with a nutritional program. A number of alternative therapy approaches are also discussed, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine and many more.

In addition, the book includes self-diagnostic tests and boxed insets throughout, which offer in-depth information on a wide variety of important topics. The ramifications of different drug therapies are covered and the latest medical updates are provided.

The Appendix is robust as well, and includes information on how to find some of the products recommended, along with a recommended reading list and a directory of health organizations.

5th Edition Changes

If you’ve got an earlier edition of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, you’re probably wondering why you’d invest in another copy.

One of the most confusing topics in the world today is health. We’re told not to eat this one day and then the next, it’s suddenly good again! The whiplashing rate of scientific discovery is hard to keep up with these days, plus we have to sort between bogus and legitimate claims. This is the value of a recent edition.

The 5th edition includes a line-by-line update on everything from disease studies to additional resource material. It adds the latest terminology and unveils new science on vitamins, supplements, herbs, drugs, nutrients, and even beverage intake.

Here are some of the 5th edition updates:

• Dosage recommendations for vitamins, herbs and supplements
• Omega-3s and exercise to alleviate Alzheimer’s
• Current guidelines on managing Diabetes
• Effects of nutrition on Autism
• Vitamin D and Breast Cancer
• Supplements and Crohn’s Disease
• Updated diet and exercise information for Fibromyalgia
• Latest research on Menopause and Bio-Identical Hormones
• Vitamins for fighting Osteoporosis
• Nutritional information for combating Prostate Cancer
• Risk of beta-carotene in Smokers

The updated science includes: supplements and diseases; drugs; vitamins (B12, D, E); calcium and weight-loss; creatine & strength-building; melatonin & sleep; herbs such as turmeric, valerian, saw palmetto, St. John’s wort, licorice and kava; essential oils; preparing for surgery; beverage in-take; dietary thinking; and GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices).

New disease information (including treatment, demographics, nutrition and supplements): aging, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, asthma, autism, breast cancer, heart disease, chronic fatigue, crohn’s disease, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, high blood pressure, influenza, insomnia, kidney stones, MS, obesity, PMS, prostate cancer, radiation exposure, skin cancer, smoking, tooth decay, tumor, ulcerative colitis and more.

The Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 5th edition, is an impressive (in my opinion, the definitive) natural health resource on bookshelves today. It’s thorough scientific references make it an authoritative resource for any smart, health-conscious consumer.

Think this book would be well used in your home or office? Grab it on Amazon.com for only $18!

Prescription For Nutritional Healing 4e

Guns ‘n Roses had a great analogy for life and business: Welcome to the jungle, Baby. For author, Stefan Swanepoel, the challenges life presents are more like the African safari! In today’s review post, we share with you a short fable of self-discovery and 7 essential skills to master business and life.

Before we go any further, please take a few moments with this fun quiz, What Animal Am I? Go ahead, I’ll wait here.

Did you find out something about yourself that you didn’t know before? The quiz you just took was developed to help you discover what animal you are based on the book we’re reviewing today. It’s a taste of what you’ll find in Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life.

Who will like this book?

If you yearn to learn the life and business skills needed to be successful in today’s world, this book is written for you. It’s short and sweet, so for all you time-strapped readers, you can easily read Surviving Your Serengeti in three hours. And for all you non-readers, the lessons are taught in story format, so it’s easily digestible.

About Surviving Your Serengeti

Why is a jungle, or African Serengeti (one of the 10 natural wonders of the world), such an apt analogy for life and business? Because the wild can be tough. It continually offers challenges that often threaten our very survival.

In today’s society, despite all the convenience and creature comforts we enjoy, it ain’t getting any easier. In fact, they may be getting more complicated. Most of us are still reeling from an unstable economy; some of the strongest companies crumbled and many people lost their jobs.

Stefan Swanepoel wrote Surviving Your Serengeti in response to these troubling times. Through a riveting tale of life in Africa’s Serengeti, he illustrates seven lessons to help us overcome our challenges.

From the book description:

Every year, more than two million animals make a thousand-mile journey across the harsh, beautiful Serengeti, a journey full of danger. In this dramatic fable, a band of anxious travelers witness the migration, meet a mysterious stranger, and learn seven skills from the animals that thrive in the extreme, constantly changing conditions.

Just as animals on the Serengeti possess a unique skill that helps them survive, your strengths drive you on when life becomes difficult. Are you an enduring wildebeest, who understands that any goal worth achieving requires pressing on despite the hardships? Or are you a strategic lion, who knows how to execute a sound strategy with a stealthy, unified team? Do you take brave gambles like the risk-taking mongoose? Do you have the elegance of the gracious giraffe or the remarkable skills of the communicating elephant? Do you spot opportunities in adversity like the enterprising crocodile or are you as effective with your resources as the efficient cheetah?

The travelers on safari in this fable discover in the Serengeti the essence of life itself, and find in the animals, a road map for mastering the difficulties and struggles we all experience.

About the Author

Stefan Swanepoel was born in the Serengeti and spent the first 35 years of his life in Kenya, Hong Kong and South Africa. He is a successful businessman, a best-selling author and widely traveled public speaker, having presented more than 750 talks to audiences of over 500,000 people.

Swanepoel’s academic accomplishments include a bachelor’s degree in science, a master’s degree in business economics and diplomas in arbitration, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, computer science and marketing. He has served as CEO of seven companies and two non-profits.

Stefan has spent his career identifying trends and changes in the real estate industry and is widely recognized as the leading visionary in this field. He has authored 19 books and reports on business trends, real estate and social media.

Surviving Your Serengeti is his first fable.

Live Lighter Book Review

When I first started reading Surviving Your Serengeti, I thought it was a bit too simple and the descriptive passages too forced. Although Stefan Swanepoel is no Stephen King, I couldn’t help but get sucked into the story! Plus, I learned to appreciate the incredible wisdom in its simplicity.

To help facilitate the learning process, Swanepoel adds a section after each chapter that illustrates a skill. It summarizes the skill for that animal, reiterates how it’s relevant to us in both life and business, and tells us how we can apply the knowledge and maximize the skill.

I’ve already started applying Stefan’s lessons to both my life and career. And I plan on rereading the book for extra absorption – why not, it’s only a 3-hour read and it’s fun!

Whether you own a business, work for an employer or lead a family, anyone who loves an entertaining story with wisdom spun throughout (such as comparable books, like The Celestine Prophesy and The Alchemist), I promise you’ll enjoy Surviving Your Serengeti.

I’m the gracious giraffe. What animal are you?

Buy Your Own Copy

Visit the author’s store to see purchase options, including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. The list price is $21.95 but lucky us, we can get it for only $15!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of Surviving Your Serengeti in exchange for an honest review.

After a short break to announce the winners of our latest contest, we continue Live Lighter’s Holistic Spring Cleaning Series with a review on a book about healing. We covered some practical tips and info for cleansing our bodies with food, now let’s look at cleansing our minds, hearts and spirits.

Leigh Fortson was “doing everything right” when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. For decades she learned about and practiced healthy lifestyle habits but even so, by 2008, Leigh was given her third cancer diagnosis. She set out to discover the missing elements of conventional medicine – and found them.

Embrace, Release, Heal illustrates the value and significance of holistic healing and cleansing. It highlights the effectiveness of recognizing humans as multidimensional beings and treating (at it’s basic, this means cleansing) all of our human aspects: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Who will benefit from Embrace, Release, Heal?

As the sub-title suggests, An Empowering Guide to Talking About, Thinking About, and Treating Cancer, this book was written for those whose life has been impacted by cancer. As you’ll find out later in the review, it successfully fulfills this promise through real-life stories, information, practical tools and a litany of resources.

It’s these very aspects which make it just as relevant and powerful to anyone who holds an interest in health and healing. Specifically for people who wish to deal with the real roots of illness to provide potent healing – not just band-aid solutions.

Also just as fascinating are the revelations of modern medicine insufficiencies and a money-hungry, ineffective, multi-billion dollar cancer industry. Thankfully Leigh’s research also indicates positive change is already happening!

About Embrace, Release, Heal

From the book description:

…her doctor offered few treatment options and little hope. Unwilling to believe there was nothing left to do, Fortson set out to learn all she could about how diet impacts cancer, treatment alternatives, and the power of the mind-body relationship. Now cancer free, Fortson shares with us Embrace, Release, Heal, the fruits of her research and spiritual awakening distilled into one empowering book. With insights gleaned from a dozen experts, remarkable stories from people who have lived through cancer, and practical tools, this guide will help anyone whose life has been impacted by a cancer diagnosis. Covering the physical, emotional, and spiritual layers of the journey, this in-depth resource explores:

• The pioneering science on how our mind and emotions can contribute to both the cause and healing of a disease, as understood by Dr. Larry Dossey, Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, and more
• Snapshots of what Fortson considers the most progressive traditional, holistic, or integrative cancer treatment techniques
• How nutrition and supplements can yield surprising results
• Way to access the healing power of your subconscious mind and effectively use your intuition

Whether you’re trying to uncover what it means to have cancer or how to make sense of it, here is an uplifting and informative book to help you reclaim your authority and make empowered choices that are right for your health and well-being.

Any interesting questions raised in the book or debates discussed?

As I alluded to above, this book is chock full of them!

For instance, Leigh reveals the impact that negative thought and emotion have on physical health. Many people resist this idea because it requires taking personal responsibility in creating the illness – triggering negative emotions about oneself. Leigh supplies empowering proof that embracing this belief is actually instrumental in the healing process.

Besides some very interesting and controversial opinions (like there is no such thing as `cancer’), the author also includes research from ground-breaking discoveries (which mainstream medicine ignores) that suggest alternative medicine can be more effective and less harmful than conventional medicine.

Though, I love how the author and her sources never really bash contemporary medicine, and give kudos where it’s due.

Embrace, Release, Heal also contains some disturbing information about the current healthcare system and the powerful, dysfunctional cancer industry. It’s convoluted and far-reaching, beginning with how med students are taught in school to the power of the FDA, insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Here’s a snippet from just one interview, this one is with Dr. Birdsall of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America:

Most of the large facilities that deal with cancer are academic medical centers. They focus on educating students, and they engage in medical research, but patient care often comes last. Even in the community setting, virtually all hospitals are referral driven. So for example, the doctor admits the patient into the hospital, so the doctor is really the hospital’s client, not the patient. Then the insurance companies pay the bills, so they’re also the client rather than the patient. In fact, the patient frequently isn’t even in the dialogue.”

How topical or important is the book?

Considering the World Health Organization predicts cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million by 2020, I’d say this book is very timely. For the millions of people who are and will experience cancer, complete with all its terrifying and horrific facets, this guide book will certainly dispense various levels of relief.

Personally, I also believe it’s an essential resource for everyone `fighting the war on cancer.’ Why? Because of it’s approach. Embrace, Release, Heal focuses on working with the illness to accomplish real, thorough healing rather than disregarding the lessons and growth opportunities that cancer provides.

It’s also topical because more people are recognizing the short-comings of mainstream medicine, the corruptness of the cancer industry and are seeking answers in alternative healing solutions. More people are taking responsibility for their health and discovering their own innate healing abilities.

Any new ideas presented in the book?

As you may have guessed from the review already, yes in spades! For myself, I was well aware of the placebo effect (where a patient heals through the positive suggestion by the doctor) but I had no idea about the nocebo effect which is the exact opposite. There are many cases where the negative opinion of doctors actually contribute to death!

Ok, that might not be new to everyone but what about the idea that cancer is actually a fungus?

In summary, Embrace, Release, Heal is a marvelous, enlightening and inspiring book for all those interested in natural, holistic healing. Although it’s packed with relevant and intriguing information, it’s got an empowering message and many real-life happy endings.

Purchasing info

Embrace, Release, Heal is due to come out May 1, 2011, and will be sold for $16.95 US. (Fill out this form to be notified when it’s available for purchase.)

Disclaimer

The publishers, Sounds True, sent me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.