Blog for cause: A world without breast cancer

I am sure you know someone who has or has had cancer. Maybe that person was a family member, maybe a friend. Maybe that person is no longer with us, or maybe that person is fighting a daily, difficult battle.

I've had my share of such people. Most of them are gone now. Thinking about them keeps them alive. Doing something to support the search for a cure gives their death a purpose.

The Susan G. Komen foundation is the leading breast cancer movement in the world, working together with people from all reaches of the world, in search of a cure.

Today, you have the opportunity to help support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

Lance from Jungle of Life and Joanna Sutter from Fitness and Spice have teamed up to create an e-book.

This is the collective effort of over 150 writers from throughout the world. Writers uniting together in a race for the cure.

Every one of these writers has contributed a favorite article to this e-book, creating a wonderful collection of stories. Stories of inspiration, personal growth, fitness, food, humor, and more.

I am proud to be one of them.

Please visit the Susan G. Komen Blog-4-Cause website to learn how you can support the mission to end breast cancer. In addition, you'll find information on how to recieve this Blog-4-Cause E-book, our gift to you. A bonus e-book, from author and life coach Tim Brownson, is included as well.

There is much hope in a future filled with possibility. Together, we all can make a difference!

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The energy of the mind is the essence of life - Aristotle

Although the days are getting longer again, the winter blues is still looming.

Here are some energy booster tips to get your body through winter. For a healthy body speaks of a healthy mind.

1. Dream body:
   Looking for a way to empty your head, get back into shape and trim your body? Start to run. After some weeks of training you will have no problem running 5 kms.
   


2. Little by little:
   Paying bills, cleaning, ironing... Don't leave those chores until the weekend when they will take up your free (family) time and get you frustrated. A half hour every day is the solution. It gives the work structure, keeps your closets organised and gives you a good feeling.
   


3. An apple a day...:
   Each occasion is good to set your teeth into a healthy apple full of vitamines. Get your company to have a basket full at reception for employees every morning.
   


4. Talk positive:
   Avoid negative sentences. You will realise that people not only listen to you better but that your message comes across as well. Say 'If you agree with this.' instead of 'If you don't mind'. 'Could you stay on the line please.' instead of 'Do not hang up please.'
   


5. Energy wash:
   After a busy day take the time for a relaxing bath or revitalising shower. Concentrate on the water, the feel on our skin, the sounds of it splashing. Close your eyes. Really be there and enjoy.
   


6. Green energy:
   Green tea has many advantages for your health. The drink prevents tiredness, improves concentration and simulates our brain. After you make your cup of tea, let the teabags cool off and use them on your eyes.
   


7. Massage minute:
   Place your index and middle finger in the middle of your forehead and rub slowly towards the outside. Repeat as often as possible.
   


8. Feel lighter:
   Winter depression often happens in autumn or winter when days become shorter. You can prevent light forms of depression if you try to benefit as much as possible from the (day)light. So go outside for a walk.
   


9. Omega here and omega there:
   Did you know that our brains consist of 60% of fats, of which 20% essential fatty acids? That explains why the famous omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids improve brain function and fight depression. You find them in flaxseed oil, nut oils, soja oil and products that contain these oils (such as bread for example).
   


10. Wondrous water:
    A beauty product that prevents aging. A drink that quietens our hungry feeling and cleans the body. Water not only quenches your thirst. Drink before you feel thirsty. Add bubbles if you find still water bland.
    
    
11. Umbrella breathing:
    Whenever you feel stressed try a few moments of umbrella breathing: close your eyes, arms loose along your body. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and let your lungs expand and your arms lift slightly. Imagine an umbrella opening. Hold for a few seconds. Breathe out through your mouth, empty your lungs, lower your arms. Close the umbrella. Hold for a few seconds and repeat a few times until you feel fresh and calm again.
    

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We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking. ~Steve Elbert

Not convinced about the benefits of organic food? Watch this funny Grocery Store Wars video.




Check out these sites:

• Organic food info: you are what you eat.
• Organic Consumers Association who also have a good video about The Organic Debate
• How organic food works
• 10 reasons to go organic

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To laugh often and much... - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Anticipating A Laugh Reduces Stress Hormones

By seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh we can do a lot on our own to stay well

Even though they have been well documented, the beneficial effects of laughter have not finished astonishing us: we have now discovered that laughter does us good before it even happens. In 2006, the team of Dr Lee Berk of Loma Linda University, had already shown that the simple perspective of seeing a funny movie increased the secretion of beta-endorphins (hormones which relieve depression) and the growth hormone (active all our life in the immune system). According to the newest studies, anticipation of a good laugh is enough to considerably reduce the production of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline).

Source: Communication of the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society.

Check out these sites:

• Laughter is medicine
  
• Norman Cousin’s seminal book ”Anatomy of an Illness” details his healing journey overcoming ankylosing spondylitis (a degenerative disease causing the breakdown of collagen). Given up to die within a few months in 1965, almost completely paralyzed, Cousins checked out of the hospital, moved into a hotel room and began taking extremely high doses of vitamin C while exposing himself to a continuous stream of humorous films and similar ”laughing matter”. His condition steadily improved and Cousins regained the use of his limbs until he was able to return to his full-time job at the Saturday Review.
  
• Crazy Sexy Cancer
  
• The Humor Collection
  

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Ask European leaders to dedicate funds to African agriculture.

Have you ever heard of ONE.ORG?

If you are a U2 fan, I'm sure you have as Bono is its co-founder. Watch Bono's appearance on CNN.

I just signed a petition to support an innovative plan to use extra money from the EU budget to support African farmers. I hope that you'll join me in taking action here.

We've seen aid achieve some amazing things in recent years - like over 29 million more children in school for the first time, and over 2 million more Africans with access to AIDS medications. But we must recognize the ongoing hunger crisis for the obstacle that it is and work to overcome it if we hope to continue our success. Europe can lead the way right now by giving African agriculture the support it needs.

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Every day you have to test yourself. If you don't, it's a wasted day - Terry Butts

So I did my 10K fun run last Saturday.

It was TOUGH! :-)

Why?

• It was 28°C.
• It was a 5K track which you had to run twice (and it's never good to pass the finish line because you just want to stop... instead of run all that AGAIN!)
• I wasn't in the best of shapes and I am not used to running at 6pm.

The run started uphill and I am crap at uphill running. This was my first 'race' and my mind had to deal with all that was going on: the stress of being at a starting line, seeing the fast runners effortlessly disappear in the distance, thinking about who is behind me...

The first half of the first loop was mainly uphill, more or less steep. In the beginning I was still ok, but after a while I was being overtaken by the 'powerwalkers' who looked to be about 50. And my mind took a hit. Which is never good. So I not only had to continue to run in the heat, but also try to quiet down my mind that kept saying 'you're crap, even a 50 year old walks right past you'. Beating your own deamons is not easy and it was the first time I was struggling not only physically but mentally.

When the first loop was going downhill again I passed the powerwalkers again :-) but I started to feel a bit tense in the stomach area. That was when I decided to stop after the first loop (about 5K). That made me feel happy.

Arriving at the finish line, people were applauding. Wow, that was a first - and felt really good. I shortly stopped for a drink of water and saw my hubby and son standing a bit further to take pictures and fire me on. And somehow I just had to continue...

So up the hill I struggled again, the powerwalkers passed me again, my heart and mind raced again... And then I thought 'what the heck - I don't care if I end last, it's for myself that I do this, it should be fun'. And that changed the rest of the run. I started to notice the fields around me, the sun and the blue sky and running became a lot easier.

Running down the hill I did not overtake the powerwalkers again. And I didn't care. When I finally arrived at the finish line, the only ones clapping were my hubby and son, people were already starting to clean up. I didn't mind.

I was proud of myself. I felt good. And that's what you do it for after all, isn't it? :-)

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Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean - David Searls

Kris Carr found out she had cancer at age 31. She set out on a mission to conquer this disease highlighting the personal, crazy, sexy side of cancer.
She appeared on Oprah (see details here) and seemed such a wise, smart and full of life woman to me.
What a way to approach cancer. Check out the Crazy Sexy Cancer video:


The book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips
Crazy Sexy Life forum site
Crazy Sexy Cancer
Kris Carr's blog
Kris Carr Photography
Interview with Kris on We Like it Raw

After Kris, Oprah had Randy Pausch on (see details here)who gave a sort of lecture which made me cry. He is dying of pancreatic cancer and only has a few months to live.
Here is his last lecture:


Randy Pausch's website.

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Life is short... running makes it seem longer / Baron Hansen

This morning I went running.

There was a continuous but very light rain, the kind of drizzle you can hardly see, only feel. It made the world look hazy and gray, but in a pretty way. I concentrated on my body and breathing and five minutes of running take me on a path in the middle of woods and fields.

The green everywhere looked fresh, bright and clean. The birds were chirping away and I am not sure whether they were complaining about the rain or just enjoying the sprinkle as much as I did. The back road was brimming with slugs deciding to cross and my trying to avoid stepping on them made my jog look more like a dance.

Running is one of the best solutions to a clear mind

Sasha Azevedo

A bit ahead, on a dead tree trunk just beside the road, I saw a buzzard scanning the horizon, probably looking for an incautious mouse. As I approached, I was sure it would fly away. It kept looking at me as if evaluating the need to flee and the risk of staying put.

Unexpectedly, it seemed as if we both landed in a time warp and I appeared to be moving in slow motion, passing the big bird in the tree. Our eyes were hooked and we looked at each other until I was passed it. It was eerie and majestic at the same time.

Those seconds made me suddenly very aware of my surroundings. I seemed to hear everything clearer, see the colors much brighther, perceive my breathing much stronger, feel my feet touching the ground. And something shifted. My running changed. I became suddenly part of the whole picture and not just someone who runs through or past it. It was one of those magic moments that happen sometimes and make us feel 'connected'.

The freedom of Cross Country is so primitive.

It's woman vs. nature

Lynn Jennings

I smiled broadly and looked back. The vulture was still sitting there, scanning the field. The moment had passed. I became a normal runner again. I tried to flick myself back into that moment, that feeling, that freedom, but couldn't shift.

Then I remembered something I had read yesterday about the Alexander Technique and Running. Run tall, the external direction is forward, the internal direction is up. And plop, my running became easier and faster, smoother. I let myself slump back into my normal running and noticed that I run with my upper body leaned slightly forward instead of up. Just changing my posture a little, shifting slightly made my running feel much easier.

I am happy for this discovery.

LINKS:

The Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique and Running

Master the Art of Running

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Mind-set matters -- Why thinking you got a work out may actually make you healthier

As the commitment to our New Year's resolutions wanes and the trips to the gym become more infrequent, new findings appearing in the February issue of Psychological Science may offer us one more chance to reap the benefits of exercise through our daily routine.

Harvard University psychologist Ellen Langer and her student Alia Crum found that many of the beneficial results of exercise are due to the placebo effect.

The surgeon general recommends 30 minutes of daily exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. While this may be harder for those who are required to sit behind a desk for eight hours, other jobs are inherently physical, like a hotel housekeeper. 

On average, they clean 15 rooms per day, each taking 20 to 30 minutes to complete. According to the study, the housekeepers might not perceive their job as exercise, but if their mind-set is shifted so that they become aware of the exercise they are getting, then health improvements would be expected to follow.

The researchers studied 84 female housekeepers from seven hotels. Women in 4 hotels were told that their regular work was enough exercise to meet the requirements for a healthy, active lifestyle, whereas the women in the other three hotels were told nothing. 

To determine if the placebo effect plays a role in the benefits of exercise, the researchers investigated whether subjects' mind-set (in this case, their perceived levels of exercise) could inhibit or enhance the health benefits of exercise independent of any actual exercise.

Four weeks later, the researchers returned to assess any changes in the women's health. They found that the women in the informed group had lost an average of 2 pounds, lowered their blood pressure by almost 10 percent, and were significantly healthier as measured by body-fat percentage, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. These changes were significantly higher than those reported in the control group and were especially remarkable given the time period of only four weeks.

Langer writes, "Whether the change in physiological health was brought about directly or indirectly, it is clear that health is significantly affected by mind-set." This research shows the moderating role of mind-set and its ability to enhance health, which may have particular relevance for treating diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

###

Psychological Science, published by the Association for Psychological Science, is ranked among the top 10 general psychology journals for impact by the Institute for Scientific Information. For a copy of the article "Mind-Set Matters Exercise and the Placebo Effect" and access to other Psychological Science research findings please contact Catherine West at (202) 783-2077 or cwest@psychologicalscience.org.

Contact: Ellen Langer langer@wjh.harvard.edu

Association for Psychological Science

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Why you should walk barefoot more often

Feet should be free and unfettered for at least 10 hours a day - Tourles


When was the last time you walked barefoot? Probably this morning from your bedroom to the bathroom.

When was the last time you walked barefoot in the sand? Probably on your last summer vacation at the beach.

When was the last time you walked barefoot on grass? You might have a garde, but do you walk barefoot on your lawn?

When was the last time you walked barefoot on stones, in mud, in the woods, on the street? Some of us have probably never done this.

Well we should!

I surfed through a few sites and just kicked off my shoes, went into the garden with my kids and walked on the grass :-) Lovely.










Have a look at these:

Society for barefoot living


Barefoot hikers


Parents for barefoot children


Natural and healthy barefoot activities - The German version of this site lists barefoot paths and trails in Europe


Reflexology Paths of Europe


You walk wrong - NYmag


Get your socks off - Guardian


Running Barefoot

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9 ways to stay healthy and happy

• Eat your fruit and vegetables.
I admit that the recommended 5 a day are not always easy to attain. But you can be creative and turn the fruit into a smoothie or the vegetable into a puree which makes them easier to eat. Especially rich in all sorts of vitamins and other good stuff are Kiwi's, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, . Mix a kiwi with a banana and eat it on a sandwich or bagel. Eat the fresh spinach leaves as a salad with cherry tomatoes, nuts and raisins. It doesn't always have to come the original boring way. Have meals devoid of meat and replace it with tofu. Eat like an Okinawan as they seem to be the healthiest and longest living people on our planet. Check out the Okinawa program.

• Drink
Drink lots of water. Drink before you get thirsty. Drink a lot after you wake up in the morning to cleanse your body. If you find still water bland, drink sparkling. Drink (green) tea. Put some fruit through the juicer and add sparkling water or buy fresh fruit juices. Avoid sodas at all cost.

• Work out
Walk. At least 30 minutes a day. Walking or running is the cheapest sport in the world as you don't need to buy any equipment. Don't take the elevator - see the stairs as free exercise for which you would have to pay in a gym. If you are heavy or have leg problems, go swimming instead. Advantage: no weight on your knees and ankles and you don't sweat :-)
Believe me, after a while this becomes a drug. You can also clean the house (washing windows, vacuuming energetically etc) orwork in the garden. Alternate cardio days (running, swimming etc) with muscle training (arms, legs, abs, butt) to reinforce your stature and help avoid back pain.

• Reconnect with nature
Go outside, walk through the fields and the woods. Don't come back until your cheeks are red (in winter) or your skin feels warmed by the sun (in summer). Human beings need daylight - it lifts your spirit and gets you in a good mood. A walk during a cold or windy day can do wonders for a headache. Breathe in all the smells of nature, hug a tree, feel the mossy ground beneath your feet. Find out if you are nature-deprived.

• Pamper your body
Schedule a full body massage, get a pedicure or a foot reflexology treatment, get a chiropractor to check your back, get a new haircut, take a bath, do some stretching or yoga. Your body needs time to relax and refill its batteries and your mind will benefit from it at the same time.

• Sleep
If you feel tired in the afternoon, you probably did not get enough sleep during the night. For some a good night's sleep may be 8 hours, for others 6 are enough. Listen to your body and make it easier by eating light and preferably 3 hours before going to bed. Make sure the room is dark enough.
If you tend to wake up a lot at night try changing the orientation of the bed. Put a glass of water on the bedside table (you loose a whole lot of fluids during the night). Calm your mind before going to sleep (by reading etc).. If you can and feel like it, take an afternoon nap. 20-30 minutes are enough. Have a light lunch to avoid the afternoon dip.

• Stimulate your brain
Memorize a poem, song or quote every other day. Ask a childlike question and look it up to learn a new fact every day (why is the sky blue? What sound does a giraffe make etc).. Do calculations such as 53 + 98 without using a calculator. Do some exercises on optical illusions. Don't watch television at least one evening per week and come up with something else to do (play monopoly with your kids, read a book, call your mom).

• Be creative
Paint, sing, write. Create a creative journal. Start scrapbooking.
Take a course to learn how to draw with the right side of your brain.
Get inspiration from SARK.
26 tried-and-true tips for being truly creative

• Smile and laugh
Smile. A lot. Use those muscles that pull up the corners of your mouth.
Smile when you answer the phone: it can be heard in your voice. Smile at the person you dislike (not a smile from between clenched teeth, but an honest one). Smile at everyone at work and let them think what they want.
The more you smile the better your mood becomes.
Laugh. A lot. Watch a lot of funny shows or films. Read funny stories or jokes. Laughing can cure the worst diseases.

More links:
Be Happy Be Healthy tips
Do the wellness inventory
Scientific study on how happiness affects our health
Play your stress away and enoy peace of mind with these games
The Creative Journal

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Anorexia is just another word for nothing left to lose - Joy Behar

Today I saw a shocking newsflash (in French) which brings the sadness and desperation of anorexia to the frontline.
A controversial ad compaign was launched during the Milan Fashion Week. The ads are aimed at raising awareness about eating disorders and show Isabelle Caro a 27 year old woman weighing only 31 kilos.
The ads were shot for clothing breand NO.l.ita by photographer Oliviero Toscani (known for his controversial photos taken for Benetton) who wanted "to use that naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion."

I think this campaign is very brave and find it difficult to look at. The woman reminds me of pictures of starving kids in Africa. If it can raise awareness about the seriousness of this illness, fine. Will it cure it? I doubt it. I do believe though that today's fashion, media and showbusiness have all contributed to the fact that today's girls want to be skinny. Although it is true that even people who take no notice of fashion get anorexia, it is the overall image of what a woman should look like that is given to young girls that is the cause here.

What do you think? Would such a campaign be allowed in the USA?

I much prefer campaigns that are less shocking but still very much to the point such as the Dove Evolution film. I admit that this is (also) a smart and sneaky way to do marketing, but at least it's telling the truth as it is and showing us real women.

Interesting read on the subject:
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

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