Many of today’s workers are faced with a stressful caregiving situation as their parents become more and more dependent. Even if you don’t have an aging parent living with you, there’s a good chance you could be “on call”. Mom may fall and break her hip while she’s home alone; Dad might have a memory lapse and be found wandering the streets. As the emergency contact, you’re the one who is asked to come and sort things out.

If a health issue is ongoing, FMLA may kick in. This provides you with legally protected (but unpaid) leave to care for an ill family member if you work for a company with 50+ employees. However, when you pitch in to care for a mother or father in-law FMLA does not apply. So far, the law hasn’t caught up with the realities of elder caregiving. It’s up to employers to decide when and if emergency time off will be granted or if you will be fired for attendance violations.

Some Employers Have a Double Standard

Many employers seem to have a compassionate attitude about parents having to leave the office suddenly when a dependent child needs them. Part of this has to do with a wariness of being accused of discriminating against women. After all, it’s still usually Mom who gets the call to deal with a child-related emergency – even if both parents work.

However, employers don’t always view the elder caregiving relationship as a serious commitment. Apparently, they figure you can just get someone else to step in and take care of an emergent need. Unlike in the UK, there is currently no law protecting U.S. employees’ right to put family first in these situations. Employees can’t afford to wait for the law to catch up – they need to start negotiating for changes in the workplace now.

Start Advocating Early

Fortunately, according to statistics published by the Sloan Work and Family Research Network, over 80% of both large and small companies are willing to allow employees to take some time off for elder care. So, the chances of reaching an agreement are high. Just be aware that asking for “special treatment” on an ongoing basis isn’t the best approach unless you are also offering to give something back (e.g. take on additional responsibilities or accept a cut in pay).

Negotiate for Changes in Policy

Is your employer among those who are less inclined to grant emergency leave for workers with aging parents? You will need to make a stronger argument for why a change in policy/benefits will be good for everyone. With the aging Baby Boomer generation greatly increasing the demands on caregivers, employers can’t ignore these needs for much longer. Offering elder care related benefits, moral support, and flexible scheduling arrangements can actually increase productivity for employees with aging parents. It has also been shown to decrease absenteeism – and presenteeism (workers handling caregiving issues on the clock).

Here are some great links to research that clearly shows why companies need to revisit their stance on this issue:

Why It Makes Good Business Sense to Help Employees with Emergency Eldercare Needs

Report on the Impact of Corporate Eldercare Programs

Advice for Employees and Employers

HR’s Viewpoint on Elder Care Issues

Elder Caregiving Statistics

Hopefully, these resources will help you present a compelling case for why your employer will actually increase profitability by accommodating workers with elder caregiving responsibilities. After all, your parents were there for you growing up, you need the flexibility to be for them now.

Listen To An Amazing Live Interview With Tony About Workplace Stress – Click Here!

Mr. Tony Deblauwe

Tony Deblauwe is a Workplace Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He is an award-winning and regular contributor to career social networks sites
such as Brazen Careerist and TrackAhead. He directs the Innovation
Committee for Career Directors International.

For more information on Tony, please visit: http://www.workbabble.com

The summertime almost always presents an opportunity for people to invest.  It is a quiet period because most individuals are focused on spending money and having fun.  Businesses tend to slow down and they offer significant incentives to attract new clientele.  Most companies are focused on maintaining relevance, marketing and promotions.  It’s a great opportunity for networking and seeking out new relationships.  Investment of time and money can produce great rewards if strategically planned.

As a singer, songwriter or other creative artist, the summertime is the best time to work on your visibility and ability to earn significant money promoting your ministry and/or product.  While everyone else is vacationing, you should be working diligently making connections, attending events and yes, even selling your product out of the trunk of your car.  Going into non-traditional places for exposure will give you a chance to book your calendar for the remainder of the year.

Let’s explore this using the example of an author.  You’ve recently released a new book and you are committed to selling 150 copies each for the month of August.  Now in the literary world, that is a lofty goal for a new author.  How does one accomplish this task?  Perhaps you would consider booking a hair salon/barber shop tour.  Establishing relationships with other business owners will give you a chance to market to their clientele.  A simple flyer with multiple dates and appearances will prove to be quite successful if your presentation is correct.  The salons are full and women are looking for things to read while waiting.

If you are a singer, be willing to sing for a significant discount or even free at outdoor concerts and events.  If the crowd is large enough, several things will happen.  One, you can sell CDs right on site immediately after you perform and/or minister.  Secondly, a new audience will become exposed to your ministry so you can network in hopes of getting book at events in the future.  The final benefit is that you can promote, promote, promote!

There is a saying that while the cat is away, the mouse will play.  Everyone desires to relax and enjoy life during the summer season.  I would encourage you to maintain disciple and move on purpose to achieve the goals you set for yourself.  You will find that several of the closed doors in the beginning of the year have been opened because other businesses are more readily available.  The only way you will find out if the door is open is to test it again.  Contact people you desire to establish relationships with again, even if you were rejected previously.

You will be pleasantly surprised.

The primary key is to keep pursuing your goals!  Work while everyone else is on vacation and you will find yourself ahead of the competition when the fall arrives.  Therefore, when others are getting back to work, you’ve already moved up the ladder of your personal success.

Click Here To Listen To An Amazing Live Interview With Nicole B. Simpson!

Nicole B. Simpson – A Certified Public Account – She was there! And she survived!

Do you have what it takes to look certain death in the face and fight back? Our newest guest blogger here at StopStressingNow.Com did just that. In what is quite possibly the most famous terrorist attack in history, this inspiring lady dug deep within and found the sheer will to survive.

Her story has touched me personally, so I asked her to share with us some of what she has learned since the day the world stood still. She was there inside tower two on the 44th floor when the second plane hit just above her at the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001.

I want to introduce you to our newest guest blogger. Dr. Eboni J. Baugh, Ph.D., CFLE She is an assistant professor of family life at the University of Florida. With both a masters degree and a PhD in marriage and family therapy,  she has thousands of contact hours with individuals, couples, and families on various relationship issues. As a certified family life educator, she has conducted research and trainings, created programs, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses on topics that relate to dating, marriage, parenting, and other aspects of family life.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you Dr. Eboni J. Baugh.

By Guest Blogger: Dr. Eboni J. Baugh.

It is common practice in all societies to refer to those who have passed on in symbolic ways.  In the U.S., the most recognizable representation is the date of someone’s life.  For example, my recently deceased cousin lived from 3/16/1957-12/20/2009.  At age 52 she died after living a life full of caring for others, being a great wife and mother, volunteering in the community, and operating her own business.  She left a mark on all those who came in contact with her and is missed by many.
When you die the entirety of your life is reduced to a dash between two numbers, your birth date and the date on which you die.  A simple dash will represent all of your life’s experiences, accomplishments, pitfalls, and lessons which occurred between those two dates.  Those people who did not know you will see the dash, but will be unaware of exactly who you were as a person.  Therefore, it is important to focus on what your dash will mean to you and those around you.
Have you ever wondered what your dash will symbolize?  What will people remember about you when looking at the line between your dates of birth and death?  I agree this is not the most pleasant topic to discuss, but it is important to consider what you would like to complete by the time your dash is written. Using this example, it is important to enhance your dash while you are living.  After asking yourself questions such as, “What mark will I leave?” and “How will my dash represent my life and the lives of others?” focus on things you can do now to affect the future.

Follow these steps to enhance the quality of your life’s dash:
Create a bucket list – Most people have heard of a list of things to do before you die and many of you may already have one.  If not, take time to write down those things you would like to do if you had the chance.  Be it travel, learn a new skill, or jump out of an airplane, create your list and make a consorted effort to cross things off on a regular basis.
Practice honesty – Vowing to be truthful is difficult, but well worth the effort.  The people around you may have to adjust to the “new you” and may be offended by your honesty.  But in the end, being honest to yourself and others relieves a ton of guilt, anxiety, and stress from your life.
Strengthen your relationships – Value those people who bring something positive to your life and distance yourself from those who don’t.  Take the time to let those around you know how you feel.  Cherish the friends and family members who are genuine and have your best interest at heart by spending time working on those relationships.
Live each day like it was your last – Using the above steps, celebrate life.  Appreciate life’s experiences both good and bad.  Make time for yourself to work on your bucket list, decrease levels of stress and anxiety, and focus on your own needs.  Enjoy who you are and who you will become.
Simplify your life – In the hustle and bustle of everyday life most of us are over-worked, over-scheduled, and over-stressed.  We have more commitments than we have time, money, energy, or desire.  Take inventory of your life and rid yourself of unnecessary clutter and stress.  Learning to say no and putting your needs first will help with this step.

For more information on Dr. Eboni J. Baugh – http://theauthenticrelationship.blogspot.com/

By Guest Blogger: Shawn Anderson

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

I’ve said it in my life. A lot.

“I’m tired…it can wait.”

Yeah…I’ve liked that one a few times, too.

“Oh…what’s one more day?”

That’s a good one, too, isn’t it?

Excuses.

They make us feel better for a moment, but get too used to using them and they can wage war on our goals and success. Excuses chain us to the world of mediocrity and eliminate our chance to experience uncommon results.

Forever.

Tell me, have you ever heard that little voice in your head sound like this?

“Why should I go after a big goal? I’m not going to achieve it anyway, so why start? It’s not that important. Besides, I’m really interested right now in watching Entertainment Tonight and seeing the evolution of Kate Hudson’s hairstyles over the last seven years.”

Embarrassing to admit, huh?

Why is it our inclination to take the easy road? Why is it so easy to submit to doing the less challenging or demanding task?

Here are THREE possible reasons:

1. Taking the easy road requires less thinking.
2. Taking the easy road demands less energy.
3. Taking the easy road requires less willpower.

Often, taking the HIGH road (the more productive, positive, and valuable road) isn’t as appealing as watching Entertainment Tonight. But that’s just our brain trying to convince us that the Kate Hudson interview has more value than doing something to positively move us forward. We let ourselves become convinced that it is okay to let our goals slide.

But is it really?

What do we truly gain by taking the easy way out at any moment? The answers are ugly, but let me tell you:

1. Take the easy road once… and we make it easier every time that follows to take that same path. Follow that route too many times and our lives end up being filled talking about others’ success rather than living our own success.

2. Take the easy road again…and we begin to get comfortable setting a low bar for ourselves in life. We stay in first grade forever.

3. Take the easy road too many times…and we begin to lose faith in our own ability to take on really big life goals. And that’s a discouraging shame.

So I ask us all this final question:

“Don’t we really…truly…unhesitatingly…deserve the very best?”

Funny thing is, when I ask myself that question, I see everything more clearly. And that’s good; that’s self-awareness; that’s bringing my thinking into the moment…the “NOW.”

And when that happens…I do make better decisions about what to do with my NOW; I do understand that the NOW affects the TOMORROW. And when I get to this point in my awareness, it makes moving past current tiredness or distractions much, much easier.

You can read all of Shawn’s Blog Posts by Clicking Here!

Click Here To Listen To The Live Broadcast <—– Amazing Interview With Shawn!

For more info about Shawn, visit www.ShawnAnderson.com.
For more info about his Extra Mile America Tour, visit: wwwExtraMileAmerica.com

Studies show that individuals with a positive outlook on life tend to have effective coping skills, which help them make the best out of unfortunate and unexpected situations.  This ability to see the ‘silver lining’ may be the key to protecting your heart in stressful situations.

Glass Half Empty

A study of patients with heart disease followed for six to 10 years found that those with pessimistic beliefs about their recovery were twice as likely to die during that time frame as those who felt more optimistic.

Duke University Medical Center conducted psychological assessments on 2,825 patients hospitalized for heart disease.

During the study, patients were asked to describe their expectations about their ability to recover from their illness and regain a normal life. After follow up five to 10 years later, 978 of the patients died, with 66% dying of heart disease.

Patient expectations about their disease course were highly related to survival, with patients who had the most pessimistic views dying at twice the rate of those who were most optimistic. Results showed the death rate among the most pessimistic patients was still 30% higher than the most optimistic.

One possible explanation for these findings is that “positive thoughts” may lessen the damaging effects of stress on the body.

A separate study at Duke found that people with a more positive outlook were found to have significantly lower increases in blood pressure during stress than people who were negative. They also found that the more optimistic people had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol within 30 minutes of waking — a time in which levels tend to be high.

Positive Energy is Contagious

In his book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman writes of how we attract ‘like’ energy and our attitudes whether good or bad directly affect those around us.  Cynics and pessimists for example tend to associate with those with similar demeanors.  Conversely, those with positive attitudes tend to gravitate to more positive people.  And this energy is contagious! A great example of contagious energy occurs when I work in the operating room.  On many occasion I’ve noticed how the energy in the operating room is dictated and set by the tone and demeanor of the primary surgeon.  When calm, cool and collected the entire team works together synergistically, like a smoothly oiled machine.  I’ve seen first hand how this almost palpable contagious energy helps achieve optimal outcomes.

Glass Half Full

A new study suggests that optimists’ glass-half-full approach to life may actually offer some health benefits.  Women 50 or older who are optimistic are less likely to get heart disease and die of any cause in a given time period compared to women their age who are more pessimistic, according to a study published this week in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The study included 97,253 postmenopausal women ages 50-79 who were enrolled in the government-funded Women’s Health Initiative; they were all healthy and free of cancer and cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.

It seems although stress affects pessimists and optimists equally, when faced with problems, optimists tend to assess the situation, cope with the problem head-on, and mobilize support to solve issues, more so than pessimists.

It turns out optimists are better equipped with coping strategies that help them manage stress. They’re more likely to exercise, meditate and participate in heart healthy activities such as yoga and tai chi. In my book The 15 Minute Heart Cure I describe one such tool designed to help manage life’s difficult and unexpected challenges. I show how the B-R-E-A-T-H-E technique can help you relax, concentrate, and focus in difficult situations and ultimately help protect your heart.  It’s a simple exercise that combines two proven forms of relaxation therapy—breath work and guided imagery. B-R-E-A-T-H-E is an acronym where each letter represents a separate step of the relaxation technique. When practiced regularly this tool helps us find calm and successfully navigate life’s most stressful storms.

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Even for those with deeply ingrained negative attitudes, don’t lose faith because studies show you can definitely teach old dogs new tricks.  Research in neuroscience shows how our brains are more malleable and “plastic” than once thought.  In fact, we now know that even those with negative emotions can change their thoughts, attitudes and behavior by learning ways to relax and manage stress.

Summing it Up

So, it’s pretty simple.  Positive energy helps protect our heart and negative emotions have been found to be harmful. Moreover, our energy, good or bad is contagious and directly affects the attitudes and emotions of those around us.

One thing is for sure. Life is unpredictable and full of unexpected challenges. And learning effective coping skills like the BREATHE technique can help you manage stress and keep your tank full of heart healthy, positive energy!

LISTEN TO AN AMAZING INTERVIEW WITH DR. KENNEDY BY CLICKING HERE!

Author:

John M. Kennedy, MD, medical director of preventive cardiology and wellness at Marina Del Rey Hospital, California. He is a clinical associate professor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and is on the board of directors for the American Heart Association. He is author, with Jason Jennings, of The 15 Minute Heart Cure: The Natural Way to Release Stress and Heal Your Heart in Just Minutes a Day (Wiley). www.the15MinuteHeartCure.com

Many therapists are seeing growing numbers of people struggling with anxiety about how America’s (and the world’s), problems are affecting them.

Floods. Hurricanes. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Volcanoes (both with pronounceable and unpronounceable names). Drought. Violence. Crime. Terrorism. Suicide Bombers. War. Child  Soldiers. Oil Spills. Global Warming. Global Cooling. Disease. Epidemics. Autism. Learning Disabilities. Physical Disabilities. Poverty. Hunger.  Economic Downturn. Unemployment. Job Instability. Debt. Bills. Abuse. Infidelity. Arguments. Divorce. Bullying. Traffic. (And the Loneliness. Sadness. Depression. Worry. Fear. Anxiety associated with them).

These are some of the topics many therapists are hearing about lately.

If you think about it, our minds are simply not big enough to comprehend the meaning of life and what appears to be a lot of life’s negativity.  So, we’d personally rather think about what is positive and reach out and act to fix what isn’t. Of course, this prescriptive focus does not preclude proper treatment for emotional issues.

However, when we participate in creating the solutions suddenly we see solutions everywhere.

Rescue Teams. Volunteers. Helping Hands. Thriving Wilderness and Parks. Neighborhood Watches. Doctors and Nurses. Teachers. Physical Therapy. Mental Health and Addiction Therapy. Food Programs. Interest-free Loan Funds. Clothing Deliveries. Investing in Children. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Fiftieth Anniversaries. Taking care of others and ourselves. Corporate and Individual Charitable Donations. Religious Meeting Places. Families. Friends. Communities. Neighborhoods.

(Not watching or limiting television helps, by the way. So does creating healthy boundaries for what we read online and in print).

This article is a revised version of an article that appeared on the authors’ Therapy Soup blog at PsychCentral.com.

By Guest Blogger: Noah St. John

It’s Not What You’ve Been Told

Why, with all this time, money and energy being spent on “self-help”, are so few people actually living the life they really want?

Another way to ask this is:

Why are millions of people who’ve spent so much time and money trying to improve themselves STILL going down the road of life with one foot on the brake?

There actually IS an answer to this seemingly unanswerable question. But like most vexing problems, to answer this question, we must first ask a deeper question. The deeper question we need to ask is:

What Causes Human Behavior?

While there may be many ways to answer that question, here’s what I’ve found to be, at once, the simplest and most accurate answer to that question. It’s a simple answer, because I’ve found (and I’m sure you have, too) that the simplest solutions tend to create the best results.

The Scales of Success

Picture a balance, like the scales of Justice you’ve seen in one of those courtroom TV shows. It’s an instrument for determining weight that has a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a plate.

On one plate, imagine that we have something called Your Why-To’s. These are your internal motives or Reasons Why to do something. On the other plate, we have Your Why-Not-To’s – your internal Reasons Why Not to do something.

Let me give you an example from your own life. Why are you reading this article right now? The answer is very simple. You’re reading this article because you perceive that there are more Benefits of reading this (another word for Why-To’s is Benefit) than Costs of doing so (another word for Why-Not-To’s is Cost).

Your perceived Why-To’s or Benefits of reading this article might include:

- I want to learn what the world’s most successful people do, so I can do that in my own life

- So I can stop sabotaging myself

- So I can make more money

- And finally get my foot off the brake

- And this will make me happier, because I can live the life I’ve always wanted

- And quit this job I hate

- And take more vacations

- And have better relationships

- And lose weight

- And find the love of my life

- And buy a new car

- And a new house

- And get out of debt

- Did I mention I’ll finally get my foot off the brake?

What about your Why-Not-To’s or Cost? Those might include:

- I have a million other things I could be doing right now.

- Who is this guy, anyway, and why should I listen to him?

- What if I get to the end and still haven’t learned how to get my foot off the brake?

- What if it works for everyone else, but not for me?

- What’s he trying to sell me? I’ve been burned before and I don’t want it to happen again.

- Did I mention all the other things I could be doing right now?

Your mind is like an infinite weighing machine — every moment, your mind is weighing your perceived Benefit against your perceived Cost of doing any behavior or activity you can think of.

Can you see that every decision we make is built upon our Why-To’s and Why-Not-To’s?

- Where you live

- What you wear

- What you eat (and how often you eat it)

- What kind of car you drive

- What you do for work

- Who you decide to marry — or not marry!

- What you had for breakfast this morning…

All of these were determined by your Why-To’s and your Why-Not-To’s. In fact, every decision you’ve ever made in your life was based on your internal Why-To’s and Why-Not-To’s: your reasons why you thought you should do the thing vs. the reasons not to do that thing.

Click Here and Listen To An Amazing Interview With Noah St. John!

About Noah St. John

Noah St. John is the #1 bestselling author of The Secret Code of Success: 7 Hidden Steps to More Wealth and Happiness
(published by HarperCollins).

Jack Canfield says, “Noah’s work represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in the study of success in decades.”

Are you familiar with The Fat Flush Plan? This innovative approach to weight loss seems to be taking the diet world by storm… and with good reason. Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman takes many positive aspects of high-protein diets and combines them with the benefits of detoxing. This may eliminate some of the negative side effects common to other detox programs that eliminate protein, but does The Fat Flush Plan go far enough to promote total health?

Dr. Gittleman is off to a great start. Especially if you incorporate complete plant protein in the Fat Flush Plan. According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people who filled up on plant protein shed substantially more weight than those who do not. Related research in the journal Nutrition Reviews also suggests that following a plant-protein detox can help women reduce their levels of body fat by an additional three to fifteen percent.

Many of Gittleman’s clients say they lose twenty pounds in just two weeks by drinking two plant-protein smoothies each day followed by a dinner consisting of lean protein paired with steamed green vegetables and salad. But, what happens when the two weeks are over? In order to maintain optimal weight for the long term, a person needs to adopt a lifestyle based on Super Health. Remember that Super Health should be your ultimate goal, not just weight loss. Fortunately, some of the many positive byproducts of Super Health are fitness and optimized weight.

In order to achieve Super Health, it is absolutely imperative to follow the Four Corners of Super food Nutrition.

These are as follows:

1.) eating fewer calories while increasing nutrient density,

2.) minimizing sugar intake and high glycemic response foods,

3.) increasing antioxidants, and

4.) getting the right fats and avoiding the wrong ones.

For more information about the Four Corners of Super food Nutrition, please visit LivingFuel.com/Four-Corners-Of_Superfood_Nutrition.aspx.

If achieving Super Health is your ultimate goal, you’ll need to adopt a style of eating that uses the Four Corners as a foundation. That’s why I suggest you graduate from the Fat Flush to the LivingFuel Fast!

First of all, you won’t have to run all over town to buy ingredients for your smoothies. You’ll be amazed at how nutrient dense our LivingFuel smoothies are for a relatively small number of calories. Not to mention the fact that our LivingFuel LivingProtein powder was recently rated as best of the best plant-based  protein powders on the market by First For Women magazine.

There are many physical, mental, and even spiritual benefits to fasting. Of course, when I refer to fasting, I am not speaking of a total food fast, but rather a juice-type fast that solves the limitations of juicing (including hunger and inadequate amounts of protein, healthy fats, and other vital nutrients).

Extraordinary things can happen to your health when you eliminate the things that you typically eat and drink and exchange them for ideal amounts of foundational nutrients. Such nutrients include: nutrient-dense superfoods, complete plant proteins, non-grain low-glycemic carbohydrates, amino acids, essential fatty acids, pre and probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, therapeutic herbs and other healthy nutrients.

When I created LivingFuel Foundational Superfoods, my objective was to provide my family with exceptional nutrition made easy. In the process, I found that I had created a product perfectly suited for short or long-term juice fasting.

I know that for many of you, a daunting part of juice fasting is obtaining all the fresh fruits and vegetables and preparing the juice – it tends to be inconvenient and time-consuming. Most people who juice make mostly fruit or sweet vegetable juices, which contain loads of sugars and are not nearly as healthy as the deep dark greens and colorful vegetables.

That’s why I recommend that you upgrade to the LivingFuel Fast. Preparation is a breeze when you are following the LivingFuel Fast, and the plan is far more nutritious than juicing. You can simply mix LivingFuel SuperGreens and/or SuperBerry with 12-20 ounces of pure spring water in a blender or shaker bottle.

You get an all-natural, nutrient-dense, low-glycemic, high-antioxidant, low-calorie smoothie – everything the body needs! Your smoothie contains more calcium and Vitamin D than milk, more potassium than bananas, more resveratrol than wine, more fiber than oatmeal, more protein than half a dozen egg whites, more friendly bacteria than yogurt, and more phytonutrients and antioxidants than a basket of fruits and vegetables! It is also important to take LivingFuel SuperEssentials Omega 3 EDA daily.

During your LivingFuel Fast, you will most likely be getting the very best nutrition of your life. In fact, you will be receiving more than adequate amounts of nutrition to handle your hunger and cravings. You should also be able to carry on your daily routine, including exercise and athletic activities.

You can continue your LivingFuel Fast for as long as you feel comfortable. Some people fast for a weekend, some for 4-7 days, and others go up to a month and beyond. (In cases of serious health conditions, always conduct fasts under the supervision of your health care practitioner.) We’ve seen people achieve such phenomenal results after completing a LivingFuel Fast that many decide to permanently replace one or two meals a day with LivingFuel. For optimal results, I recommend you do a LivingFuel Fast for 4-7 days at least twice every year.

Easy When You Go Fast

I suggest that you build up slowly to your LivingFuel Fast. Start out by replacing one meal per day with a LivingFuel SuperGreens and/or SuperBerry smoothie, then two meals, and so on. When you have the experience and confidence that you will not be hungry or tired, it’s time to begin your fast. For more information about the LivingFuel Fast, visit LivingFuel.com/Getting-Started_The-Living-Fuel-Fast.aspx.

Take the 7-Day Challenge

If you have never tried LivingFuel before, I encourage you to take our 7-Day Challenge! Just give me seven days, and I guarantee you won’t feel weak! In fact, if you accept the LivingFuel 7 Day Challenge, you’ll find yourself on the threshold of vibrant health and incredible energy. In one week, LivingFuel will put you on a course of optimal nutrition that could change the rest of your life!

Our challenge begins with taking positive action to control your health and achieve a quality of life many only dream about. The 7 Day Challenge is designed to benefit anyone who wants to create a nutritional foundation based on super foods. In just seven days, you will experience many noticeable benefits, including increased energy, strength, endurance, and weight optimization. You will discover the ability to achieve your health goals and to overcome cravings and addictions to sugar, caffeine, and other unhealthy foods and beverages.

Regardless of where you have been, how old you are, or how busy the season, this is a perfect time to begin your personal journey towards Super Health and a renewed sense of vitality. Start today! For more information about the Living Fuel 7-Day Challenge, visit LivingFuel.com/Seven_Day_Challenge.aspx.

Here’s to your Super Health!

KC Craichy

Founder & CEO

Living Fuel, Inc.

Our friend Rachel called the other day to vent. She had been stuck in a line in the DMV for nearly two hours only to find out when she got to the head of the line that she had to go home and bring in some documents. We sympathized. We’d been there.

One of the greatest sources of stress is what we call the PDF, or Power Differential Factor. It works like this:

In general, a person who has less relative power is under greater stress –
especially in personal and societal relationships—than someone who has greater relative power. Someone with greater relative power (depending on personality, cultural upbringing, the present situation), will generally have less reason to fear fallout from negative interactions than someone one with less power.

If you are in a position of power (or even if you aren’t), and have trouble imagining how those with less power feel, think of your last trip to the DMV or the Post Office (or any dealings you may have had with the IRS).

Now do you remember what it feels like to have less relative power? Think about the long lines and the unintelligible forms you have to fill in that seemed designed to trip you up! Think about the sheer amount of time you have to spend attending to these bureaucratic requirements. In these and other taxpayer-funded agencies the citizen has almost no power relative to the public employees whose salaries they pay.

In these situations, people you have had no previous relationship with, i.e. government bureaucrats, have been granted an incredible amount of control over your ability to travel or communicate with others or simply control over your time and the money you’ve earned! They are in power, you are not.

Power can be about control over others, but true power, the kind of power that gives us the deepest and longest lasting rewards, is the kind of power we have over ourselves. When we learn that we are able to control our desires, our thoughts, and even our reactions to the world, we have a gift that transforms and mitigates the stress caused by PDF and some cases, even nullifies it.

There are several ingredients necessary to upping our PDF quotient. In the West, and especially the United States, where authority and hierarchies are relatively fluid, two of the most important of these ingredients are:

Information and Education
(there are more ingredients, but we will only explore these, here due to space limitations).

Information, as we use it here, refers to current, relevant data (news, scientific discoveries, formulas, statistics, and so on), that gives us the facts we need to know to make intelligent, and powerful, decisions.

Education refers to the techniques and methods with which we make the information we have access to, useful.

Information and the education that helps us utilize it, are arguably the most important playing-field levelers in any democracy. If we look at totalitarian regimes, such as the former U.S.S.R., or the current regime in Iran, the powerful control not only access to information but also the content itself, thereby creating misinformation. Information and education becomes tools for the creation of and maintenance of power and control over others.

Though some argue that information overload produces stress, our opinion is that even massive amounts of information helps us maintain our power as citizens of the state as well as autonomous individuals. When access to information is combined with the necessary education that helps us discern what data is important and how to use the information once acquired, we gain power.

This helps us reduce stress due to the PDF.

Listen To A Live Interview With Dr. Zwolinski By Clicking Here!

For More Information Please Visit:  www.richardzwolinski.com.

By Guest Blogger: Nurse Nancy Beck

“I don’t want expensive gifts; I don’t want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure.”– Princess Diana

Not many of us get to feel the safety of living in a guarded palace. What could be safer than living with a hundred guards at your disposal? Even with the guards or money for them, it does not guarantee that you will feel safe. This is indicated by the above quote by Princess Diana.

Living in fear, whether real or imaginary, can introduce incredible stress in one’s life and affect every aspect of it. As an adult you can change your surroundings and environment. You can change job, move or seek out therapy to resolve issues with fear and insecurity. I mean really think about it. We live in a country that allows us to change almost every aspect of our life no matter who we are or how much money we have, if we choose to do it.

Our children on the other hand, do not have it so lucky. Our children live in our world and revolve around what we as parents do and say. They are completely reliant on us for their perception of how to feel safe and secure. We, as parents are responsible for a lot of our children’s fear and anxiety. How’s that for a big responsibility?

If you’re a believer in positive parenting, this big responsibility has an easy solution with just a little parenting advice. I found my parenting advice in a class called “Conscious Discipline” by Dr Becky A. Bailey. It was being taught at the local adult education center. In a nutshell I learned was that it is the parent’s job to keep their children safe or to be more exact, it is our job to make our children understand that it is our job to keep them safe and that is a key, or should I say incredible parenting tip.

The beauty of this parenting job description is that I can allow my children to grow and explore their environment. I can be their friend and companion yet, when the time is necessary, set boundaries and limitations to keep them safe. My children respect and feel safe that these boundaries’s are in place for their protection instead of thinking I am just stopping them from having fun. We get compliance and support from our children instead of rebellion. This leads to a lot less stress and anxiety for both children and parents alike.

In addition, I have developed special Pillow Talks to give to my children at night to solidify the family connection of love and protection. Taking on my new job duties and mixing them with Pillow Talks has worked wonderfully for my family and I share this so you can experience it too.

It is important that we have our children in a safe environment. It is probably the second most important thing that we can offer our children, with the first being love. Taking the parenting class on “Conscious Discipline” helped my family understand what it means to keep our children feeling safe, including setting consistent boundaries and limitations. If our children live in fear or anxiety, they cannot function at their highest ability. If our children feel safe and secure, they can achieve anything.

Learn more ways to reduce child stress, child fear, child worries or just gain a few parenting tips to encourage and guide your kids by visiting me at http://www.NurseNancyBeck.com.  Find my book “Pillow Talk: Loving Affirmations to Encourage and Guide your Children” on my website or on Amazon.com. Please leave comments, ask questions or write subject idea’s for future articles.

Blessings of happiness,

Nurse Nancy Beck