Keep your cool

Dear Friends,

Now that the days are longer and hotter, the electric bills for many are skyrocketing. Air conditioning can be such a blessing, but using it too freely results in large electric bills. So here are some tricks for staying cool and comfortable all summer long without breaking the bank.

First, make sure your AC air filter is clean. If not, replace it so the air conditioner doesn't have to work so hard to pull air through the system. Then turn your AC up a bit. 19 degrees may feel great, but it requires a lot of electricity. To save energy, it is generally recommended to keep your summer thermostat at 26 degrees or above. One way to make 26 degrees seem cooler is to use your ceiling fans, or even floor fans, to keep the cool AC air moving through your home. Ceiling fans can shift the temperature by several degrees and may even make it possible to keep the thermostat a little higher than 26. Of course, power cuts … you can’t help.

Another way to cut costs and keep things cooler inside is to close the blinds on windows that get a lot of sun exposure. Keeping the inside shaded helps keep your home cooler. And remember, lighting your home with incandescent bulbs generates a lot of unwanted heat, so consider making the switch to energy efficient CFL bulbs or LED lighting to save money on two levels.

The summertime is our outdoor time, so get out of your house and into other cool environments during the heat of the day. Sit in a greenly garden and read under a shady tree, enjoy a movie, or visit the mall. Have a short cool shower before you go out, or better yet, go swimming. You might even pack a picnic meal and plant yourself under the shadiest tree at the park for a couple of hours. You'll save money, stay cooler and have fun.

There are also lots of great ways to keep your body cooler, whether you are inside or outside. Dress smartly for summer weather. By all means, avoid silk and synthetic, heavier cottons, and dark-colored clothing that absorb and hold heat next to your body. Investing in summer clothing made of lightweight and light-colored micro-fiber will reflect the light's rays and heat away and will keep you cooler and more comfortable.

You can also do a lot with what you choose to eat and drink. For example, eat less at mealtime, but more frequently throughout the day. Smaller meals don't need as much metabolic heat to digest. Enjoying chilled fruit is a great summertime treat that also helps lower your body temperature. And be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

If you are trying to keep the thermostat turned up this summer, give these tips a try. They work for me and I hope they will help you stay cool and comfy all summer long.

Have a great week.

Friendship to ease you

Dear Friends,

I just had a really lovely phone conversation with my friend Amutha. Amutha has been sick in recent weeks and during our conversation, she told me that she felt she had recovered faster from her illness due to the support she received from friends like me. I was and am very touched by her remark. However, I am not surprised by the idea that friendships have the power to better our well-being.

Scientific studies reveal that friendships and positive emotional connections have an influential role over our health. In fact, our relationships with good friends are apparently even more important to our psychological well-being than family relationships. Such relationships for the elderly who remain socially active boost their cognitive functions and help them to stay healthier and live longer.

However, we all can enjoy the benefits of friendships, But we have to invest time and energy into developing and maintaining them. I know that sometimes this is easier said than done, but it is well worth the effort. According to the Mind experts, having friends can help you to reduce your stress levels, boost your self-esteem, improve your personal lifestyle and leave you feeling happier and more fulfilled. Now those are some substantial benefits.

Even with a busy lifestyle, you can find ways to maintain friendships. With the internet and cell phones and the like, it is easier than ever to connect with friends, so take advantage of those opportunities to make a short phone call, instant message or share on Facebook. Another way to keep up with friends is through lunch dates. We have to eat so why not invite a friend you to enjoy a meal so that you can catch up with each other? Any activity that will put you together with a friend for some quality time can make your life and theirs much better. The possibilities are many: shop together, play bridge, exercise at the gym, go for walks.

And if you are looking to build new friendships, try things like volunteering or joining a community group such as a trainers’ club, reading group, crafting circle, or some other organization that appeals to you and will put you in close proximity to others with similar interests. Don't be afraid to accept invitations to social events, even if you don't know very many people. You'll find it easier to get to know people and create friendships if you put yourself out there.

I'm sure you have some wonderful friends, but how long has it been since you made some time for them? It's never too late to reconnect with old friends or to work on finding and building new friendships. Having good friends really can be a lifesaver!

I challenge you to connect with at least three friends this week; whether they are friends from your past or you are reaching out to someone you'd like to know better.

French food culture

Dear Friends,

How would you like to eat whatever you wanted, without having to worry about your health or gaining weight? Diet and excess weight have become a major source of preoccupation and health concern for most of us. I believe that it is possible to enjoy food in a way that benefits both your health and your waistline. Just look at the French! This week, I want to compare what we eat and how much we eat to how the French do it. I think we might learn a thing or two!

The French manage to stay trim, even while eating many of the things we are advised to avoid, like butter, eggs, and cheese. Moreover, even though they enjoy rich foods denied to most dieters, they still manage to have lower cholesterol levels and less heart disease than we do. And the number of overweight Frenchmen and women is far below that of Americans. Eleven percent of French adults are said to be obese, while three times as many Americans suffer from that condition.

So what do the French do that makes a difference? First, let's consider what they eat. The typical French diet includes more fresh food, such as bread, fruit and vegetables, than the typical American diet. That means that they consume less processed foods, which tend to contain high carbohydrates and preservatives.

Next, they give priority to mealtimes, making them a social and family experience. This is an important point, because in the end, they eat less, feel satisfied with their meals, and also get to enjoy the rich food and drink that we often tend to feel guilty about. They embrace the joy of eating, rather than wolfing down food on the run, while running from one place to the next. Studies have shown that when we make time for meals and eat at a more relaxed pace, we end up being more satisfied with what we have consumed, even though we actually have eaten less food.

If you want to eat more like the French, you might choose to break up your meals in courses with smaller portions, take smaller bites, and let your taste buds experience all the flavor that each bite has to offer. Choosing foods that are natural rather than processed when you cook will go a long way towards improving your health, your waistline, and your satisfaction level with eating.

So, why not give eating like the French a try?

Work Life Balance

Dear Friends

I have recently noticed that a good number of friends are concerned about their health. I constantly hear complaints about feeling sick, exhausted and depressed. When I interact with them, I almost always discover that they spend the majority of their day working and very little or no time for true rest or relaxation. In the end, they become stressed, stop sleeping well, even though they are tired, and eventually begin developing other physical problems.

These aren't just my own observations. A number of scientific studies have shown that that all work and no play aren’t good for your mental, physical or emotional wellbeing. But that said, trying to balance work and fun can be one of the toughest things to do. It's not surprising when you think about it. From the time we are young, we are taught that doing a good job is important and that working hard will help us get ahead in life. As a result, many of us put too much time into work and too little into play. The good news is that you can actually train yourself to spend more time on having fun, which in the end greatly benefits your health.

Creating a balance between work and play usually involves an increase in leisure time, a process that may be easier than you think. I can show you very easily. Just take out a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle to divide it in half. On one side of the page list all the work and chores you do each day. On the other side of the page, list the things you currently do just for fun. My clients who do this are always surprised to see how hard they work and how little time they spend on healthy, fun and leisurely activities.

The next goal is to balance every work item or chore with something enjoyable. These activities don't have to be a minute-by-minute exchange. They can be small things like a few minutes of stretching, 15 minutes of meditation, a short walk around the block, working on a favorite hobby, or participating in some group activity. The idea is to get away from the grind so that you'll have more space to breathe and enjoy the day. If you keep working toward balancing your list, over time you will find it much easier to create the leisure time that is so vital to your mind, body and spirit.

Creating a better balance between work and play times will do wonders for your health and you'll actually enjoy life more. After all, our main reason for working is to create a better and more pleasant life!

Hope you'll try to my exercise. Make the most of it.

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Mood managing

Dear Friends,

I think it is a fact of life that every once in a while we find ourselves in a bad mood. Sometimes we know why we are in a bad mood and sometimes the reason may not be an evident reason at all. Even though we can all certain experience times like this, it doesn't mean we have to be stuck in them. Bad moods are often an indication that we need to check in with our feelings and do something about them or take action to shift our energy in a more positive direction.

If you are not sure why you are in a bad mood, imagine what you would say if you were allowed a very secret few minutes to complain about anything that is going on in your life. Chances are the things that come up may be tied to how you are feeling. The good part is that once you pinpoint why you are in a bad mood you are in a better position to do something positive about it.

Sometimes when we are in a bad mood, the energy we give off simply attracts more negative things our way. That's why some “bad mood” days can spiral even further downhill with problems and annoyances that appear to validate our discontent and frustration. When this happens, consider doing something nice for yourself. Enjoy your favorite beverage or snack, find a funny movie or sit calm to watch on the tele, or just go for a walk in the park. Allowing yourself the time and opportunity to do something pleasurable is a positive step that could help to break the negative energy and hopefully shift your mood.

Another way to break a bad mood is to go somewhere else. Even if all you do is to get up and make a quick trip to another part of the office or you switch rooms at home, this plan of action can really make a difference. Or better yet, get some exercise. Exercise doesn't just build and tones your body, my friend. It also causes the brain to release chemicals called endorphins that help improve your mood.

And when you're in a bad mood, don't forget about the people around you. If someone reaches out to you, make sure to let him or her know that you are just having a tough day and your mood isn't about them. It's possible that simply telling someone else that you are in a bad mood can shift your energy.

Friends, sometimes we just have a day that isn't so great, but if you find yourself in a bad mood, don't beat yourself up over it. Give these tips a try, and you could be feeling better before you know it! Have a good day. With best wishes.