Banish Burnout!

5. Exercise and Diet: Just 30 minutes of walking five days a week can reduce stress, tone your muscles and rejuvenate the spirit. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer, helps slow down the aging process, helps to keep weight at optimal levels and boosts the mood.

Now that's not so hard is it? Just remember these five steps and you can change your life!

Banish Burnout!

4. Centering: Whether it's through meditation, yoga, mindfulness, tai chi, prayer or being in nature, centering restores your mind, body and soul. Anything that deflects you from the relentless, judgmental inner dialogue elicits the relaxation response, a brain state that is opposite of the body's stress response. When you realize that although you have thoughts, you are not your thoughts, you can get in touch with the peaceful center at your core and live creatively in the present moment.

Banish Burnout!

3. Gratitude: When you wake up in the morning, where does your mind go? If you immediately being to worry, you’re off to a bad start. Think of three things you're grateful for before even leaving the bed, and at the end of the day think of at least one thing that surprised or delighted you. Research shows that grateful people are more motivated, efficient, healthy and happy.

Banish Burnout!

2. Friendship: Human beings are social animals, and research shows that connection to loved ones is one of the most important keys to health and wellbeing. It's a great way to reduce stress, and even if you don't have time for extended visits, even a short, meaningful conversation can revive the spirit and remind you that at the end of the day, love is what matters most.

Banish Burnout!

1. Recognition: If you learn to monitor yourself during the day, and do something to fill yourself up when you're running on empty, you'll be a much happier and more efficient person. Take a 10-minute walk, do stretches at the computer, eat a healthy snack, pat your pooch or call a friend; you'll find yourself in the zone where inspiration flourishes and you feel content, present and ready to live at your peak.

Banish Burnout!

If you feel overwhelmed with life and like your energy reserves have bottomed out, take heart. There's hope for putting the juice back into your life.

Keep reading for five simple steps for banishing burnout and reclaiming the creativity, contentment and empowerment that are your birthright as a human being.

Morning Exercises

Get your energy flowing by doing some simple stretches, even in your pajamas, or get dressed and take a brisk walk, letting the morning air fill your lungs. You'll never feel more vibrant and alive. In no time, you'll be singing a new tune: “Here Comes the Sun.”

Wake up Sunshine!

Turn on the lights in the room immediately after waking to signal the start of the day- and be sure to jump out of bed pronto!

DON'T build in extra snooze time. Set the alarm for one time and stick to it! Go to bed 15 minutes earlier at night if you're having problems over-sleeping.

Rise and Shine!

Are you a serial snooze button slacker? Break the habit and feel more energized with these tips to help you spring into your morning.

Crack open the blinds at night so the sun's rays hit your pillow first thing in the morning, getting your body's clock in sync with the natural circadian rhythms.
Note: this is for sound sleepers only- those of you who have trouble falling asleep at night should keep the room as dark as possible.

Sun Protection from a Pill?

It's true! And according to doctors, it's a worthwhile investment for your skin.

The supplement, called Heliocare, is made with an extract derived from a type of fern, which makes skin less susceptible to sunburn, and exhibits the anti-inflammatory, free radical-fighting properties of other antioxidants. It’s pricey- around $60 for 60 capsules, but you only need to take it before long periods of time spent in the sun.

Coffee May Improve Heart Health in Women

Good news for coffee drinkers: drinking up to six cups a day won't shorten your life span, and it may even help the heart.

A long-term study found that women who drank 2-3 cups per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than non-drinkers. The same amount showed no substantial difference, good or bad, for men.

Denmark Ranked Happiest Country

Denmark, with its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world according to researchers.

Puerto Rico, Colombia, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Sweden also rank highly. And where does the United States fall? 16th- not bad when put in perspective.

So what makes a happy country? Researchers say it's the extent to which people have free choice in how to live their lives.

Why the recent outbreaks?

The FDA isn't checking farms and packing plants as regularly as they used to. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects every meatpacking plant in the country each day; in contrast, the FDA might inspect a vegetable packing facility just once a year. In 1972, the FDA inspected 50,000 farms and plants, by 2006, that number had dropped to only 10,000.

How does Salmonella Affect Tomatoes?

Manure, runoff, and wild animals. Livestock, especially when kept it large numbers in confined spaces, can contract salmonella with showing any symptoms. The bacteria is passed through waste, which is then used as fertilizer for produce.

Another possibility is contaminated water that farmer's use for irrigation.

The only tomato that's safe? Those that are still on the vine, since their skin is punctured at picking.

Continued in the next post...

Protect your Skin from Hormonal Aging

The best habit you can get into to prevent early aging, skin irritation, adult acne, and fine lines? Sunscreen, all day, every day.

• Avoid the sun during high intensity hours. Rays are most damaging from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wear protective clothing; dark colors in tightly woven fabrics are the best protection from UV rays.
• Wear an SPF of 15 or more and reapply every two hours for best protection.

If you're battling fine lines and hormonal aging, Murad Resurgence offers a great anti-aging system that'll give you results in less than 30 days.