A Pembrokeshire proverb which originated in 19th century Wales says, “An apple a day keeps doctor away.” It tells you right away that this amazing fruit definitely has many health benefits. If you’ll follow this statement and eat one, two, tree apples a day, you can keep your doctor away. Your doctor can really get worried. He can loose his patients to apples.

Apple has been a symbol of good health for thousands of years. Malus Domestica, apple, the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree belongs to the rose family Rosaceae. Apple is a champion in popularity. It is one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world. Every spring when apple trees start their blossom, they bring a parade of freshness and romance to the earth, and dress it with gracious, snow-white flowers. Our planet looks like the most beautiful and happiest bride in the world.

Our ancestors planted certain flowers and trees for centuries to ward off inharmonious spirits that treatened the garden safety and tranquility with their intrusion. Apple, elder and almond trees served such purposes, while flowers such as St.John’s Wort, yarrow and angelica would protect against evil.

The apple tree is one of the most pleasant creations of Mother Nature. It is planted in any garden, commercial or near your house. If you have your own garden or visit any beautiful garden, you enjoy a serenity. It is hard to describe this impression, but you have a sense of joy and peace. You feel a release from the tensions of your working day, your everyday life problems, concerns and obligations.
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This Spanish proverb in the post title reminds us that if we don’t want to do something, we just don’t do it. Of course, we can always find nice excuses with our busy schedules and a shortage of time. But we cannot keep ourselves in good shape and health if we don’t move our body every day without any exceptions. So, make it your first priority in 2010.

Exercise, walk or jog. Swim, run, and dance, dance, dance as often as you have a chance!  Do you know that dance is a pleasant physical exercise which allows us to express our emotions through movement? A popular aphorism in Europe is: Those who dance a lot live a lot. Involve yourself in one of these activities. Don’t come up with excuses and don’t miss even one day.

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by Svetlana Konnikova, MA, AN

Did you start off this year with your new resolutions for a healthier and greener 2010? After all, you think about it. Just don’t delay.  Set up your goals for good health, joyful life, success and better You. Here is my List of New Year’s Resolutions-Mottoes  that will help you keep yourself motivated to build your good life:

1. Life is a beautiful gift given to all of us. We should use it properly.
2. Be kind and try to do something good for somebody right now. Don’t delay because we will not pass the same way again.
3. Be an attentive listener and motivator if family members or your friends share their ultimater secrets, goals, and dreams with you. never put them down. The consequences can be unpredictable.
4. Be positive and constructive. Be straightforward and encouraging. As a result, something great can come out of it.
5. Look at the sunny side of everything in your life and be optimistic. Your optimism will become reality.
6. Make your life an example of health, happiness, and prosperity. This will give you an opportunity to become a knowledgeable advisor and expert.
7. Be generous. Share your rich experience with those who would like to take advantage of it.
8. Be really responsible for your life and follow your heart.
9. Our life is a gift twice: once for ourselves and once for others.
10. Our life is a mirror in which we can see good and bad. Our health is a shield–physical and mental. Our physical health has an influence on our spiritual life, but our spiritual power gives you the discipline required to maintain our health.
11. Our health and our well-being rest in our hands.
12. Think only of the best and build your long and happy life, based on the laws of Nature.
13. Chase your goals and perform good deeds.
14. Be strong and have the guts to say “No” when you feel that something is not right. The world will not change to suit your preferences.
15. Be a very good sport to your family and friends. Love, inspire, amuse, and believe in them. It is mutual. You’ll get the same treatment back.
16. Consider every day as a small life and each day as full and perfect.
17. Be confident that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Be strong against fear.
18. Be noble and mighty against jealousy and anger.
19. Help others in need of your help, and just do it!
20. To live a long, healthy, and happy life is an art–l’art de vivre.

References: Photo “Green Silhouette” by Petr Kratovchil; Mama’s Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Life and the Pleasures of Natural Living by Svetlana Konnikova, MA, AN, Aurora Publishers, 2008, pages 5-6

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Starting off the year with New Year’s Resolutions for a healthier and happier 2010? To feel and keep yourself healthier just for one year is not enough. We need more time– a whole life, which is longer, healthier and happier. It’s not so easy task, but we all want this kind of life, free of sicknesses, depression and worries. So, if you know what to do, you’ll put together your New Year’s Resolutions you can actually keep without any excuses.

I found for you one interesting video that gives information you need to know about how to live longer and healthier life. If you did not watch Dr Oz, Oprah’s health expert, on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyers. You should. Dr. Oz has the formula for you to live longer and healthier. He says Resveratrol is good for you and your heart. Now watch and listen to his explanation.

Source: www.youtube.com

Inspiration is a great motivation to dream your dreams and accomplish something big, unforgettable and of value. It can change your life to the best and make your goals and plans come true. As Henry David Thoreau said once, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”

This post is all about that, and a holiday song that became a favorite of millions of people around the world. Listen to it and read a little holiday story telling you about extraordinary ideas, persistence of vision, and tremendous creativity that can come from the most unlikely places, but bringing really amazing results.

Of course, you heard and enjoyed it many times. This smooth tune puts you right away in a holiday mood. But do you know the inspiring story behind this song, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and its creator? From a depressed widower father, to a millionaire… How did Rudolph change the life of Robert “Bob” May?

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Are you a dreamer? Whether you call yorself a dreamer or not, experts say that everyone has several dreams every night. Only those dreams that occur right when you wake up, you are likely to recall. Many are just forgotten. Do you know that how you remember your dreams depends upon your health, your personality, your motivation,new skills, and the part of the world you live in.

I know some people that learned to use their dreams to solve problems, stimulate creativity and desire to be better, and improve their relationships. Other people often ignore and forget about their dreams. Either way, the dreams will come every night for a couple of hours to help you store your memories, sort your feelings, new skills you acquired during day, and to rest your brain.

“Dreams are illustrations from the book you soul is writing about you,” said Marsha Norman, an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist, who received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Night, Mother. The dreams have sparked many genius ideas of the world’s most famous and talented people that later were transferred into the timeless books, music, art masterpieces, brilliant innovations, scientific discoveries and positive actions.

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Remember a common saying, “It’s music to my ears?” You say it when you want to make a point about some pleasant news or music that you just listened to and you feel good about it.

Great music shines in all its facets: emotional, physical, social, mental, aesthetic and spiritual. Music helps us to improve and maintain our health and deal with our emotions, stress and mood. Music therapy experts say that music can treat aging, communication and psychiatric disorders, and many other medical conditions. It also improves learning abilities, reduces stress, gives relaxation, builds self-esteem, supports exercise, and motivates other health-related activities.

Do you know that music therapy was mentioned in the “Meanings of the Intellect” by Alpharabius (al-Farabi, 872-950), Persian scientist, philosopher, psycologist and musician? Many centuries ago, the ancients already understood an excellent power to expel many diseases and improve health.

Now relax and listen to a beautiful music in the beauty of nature.

References: “David with the harp” (circa 950), Paris Psalter (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, MS, gr.139) from Byzantine illuminated manuscript;
Julian Johnson (202) Who Needs Classical Music?: Cultural Choice and Musical Value, Oxford University Press;
http://www.youtube.com Relaxing Musica. Relax. Sanidos del Bosane Monasterio de Piedra

Do you feel any regrets sometimes? Probably you don’t like an action that has been commited by you the past week, or you regret that you did not act when you should. Many people wish that they had done something in a past situation. “Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back,” said once British author, Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923). “Regret is an appaling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only for wallowing in.”

Make it one of the rules of your life: never regret. If it’s good, it can turn into something wonderful. You never know. If it’s bad, consider it as your experience and learning, and be positive and optimistic. 

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see which has opened to us.” Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), American inventor and educator, said this wise truth long ago.

Open a new door in your life and forget about any regrets. Go ahead with your life and hope for the best. Now just relax and enjoy a timeless song “Non, Je ne regrette de rien”( I don’t regret about anything) singing by a legendary French singer Edith Piaf. She definitely never had any regrets.

This year we decided to change some celebrated traditions in menu on Thanksgiving Day, which  usually consists of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffings, pumpkin pie, and other ‘heavyweight’ traditional holiday meals. Do you know that just one traditional Thanksgiving dinner can expand your waist significantly, if you permit yourself to indulge in all these  foods at once?

We came up with our green, healthy and delicious recipes that provided joy to our family and guests. Well, it was really something different, but a pumpkin was  a centerpiece of our dinner table.

In the fall Mother Nature brings to us a rich variety of pumpkins, 27 species, native to tropical and subtropical America. The most popular and well  known is pumpkin, winter squash (Cucurbita maxima), a fleshy fruit that may be green, yellow, orange, or red when ripe, and filled with white seeds. It was first grown in Peru and reached Europe in 1532 after the Spanish conquest.

There is another pumpkin or squash, known as Cucurbita moschata. It was known in South and North America for 5,000 years, and may have originated in Mexico. However, the oldest is definitely Mexican by origin, and has been grown by farmers in southern North America for over 8,000 years. Pumpkins and their cousins, marrows, winter and summer squashes have the same nutritious and medicinal properties even with their interchangeable common names.    

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Today we (in the U.S and Canada) celebrate Thanksgiving, which is really a big harvest festival. We give our thanks for the harvest and express our gratitude to everything good we have in our lives, and at first, to our famillies and good food on our tables.

Due to heavy rains this year and almost impossible conditions for picking pumpkins we did not see too many of these symbols of Thanksgiving in all their natural beauty in grocery stores. No matter what, we did manage to keep the tradition. We even went further. We changed our holiday menu a little bit, perfected it and came up with several new, great meals with tasteful, healthy and nutritional benefits. About these new recipes read in our next post.

Want to have fun? Watch these three parts of Thanksgiving cartoon about Arnold and Helga who were sick of the Thanksgiving traditions established by their families. So they decided to go to Mr. Simmons’ house to celebrate the holiday. This was a disappointment, and in the same time a good lesson for both. They learned that nowhere in the world can feel better to celebrate the holiday of thanks than with your family gathered together around the dinner table full with lovingly prepared homemade delights.

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