Organic Bananas are Fresher

Do you know why organic bananas taste so much better?  It's not necessarily because they were grown any differently.  It's because they're FRESHER!  They are simply not treated after the fact with stuff to preserve them and make them keep in storage for a long icky time like "regular" ones (They are irradiated to kill pests).  So, organics have to be shipped and sold FASTER!

I KNEW they tasted better for some reason......!  Something I learned from an Herbalist last week.  ;-)

PS, this also ensures you're actually getting the nutrients from fresh fruits that you seek.  If they're old, they're not really doing you much good.

They say that.....

Bananas, along with avocados, mangos, papayas, and pineapples have been found to have the lowest pesticide residue. However, apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries have very high pesticide residues so you might want to splurge on organic. 

However I must not be so luck to live in a place where the non-organic bananas come in fresh.  I HAVE to buy organic ones if I want them to taste like anything worth eating. I am considering apples too, if I can find the tasty varieties in an organic pretty easily.  I won't eat the skin due to all the gunky crap that's all over it.  If you slice it up and put it in a bowl for a few hours, it looks like sticky white glue all over the apple surface.  Who wants to injest that!!!

Self Defense

I attended a session offered for free at work to listen to some self defense training tips.  Here are my notes.
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Develop your MINDSET to help prevent and deal with attacks.

First, you must value yourself.  Feel that you are someone worth saving. Don't just give in.  Fight for your worth.
Decide to survive.  This is emotional protection.  If you put your mind to it, you can persist and fight your way through a great deal and overcome your obstacles.
Have the will to resist and fight back.  If you don't do everything you can at the moment of attack, later on you'll wish you did more up front.  Fight with all you've got.
Be aware and alert.  Heighten your instinct of danger.  You can even protect yourself from the stupidity of others.

Practice good HABITS to help prevent attacks.  Have environmental awareness.
Avoid obviously poor habits/behaviors.  In general: don't be stupid!  Pay attention to habits that volunteer you to be a victim/target.
When walking in pairs or in a group, walking 5 to 10 feet apart is better than being grouped together.  It makes it harder for an attacker.  This gives them less control over a situation.  Make it your goal for them to pick someone else.

- If possible avoid walking alone.
- Always attempt to be in a group, or at least in public areas where there are many other people.
- Avoid walking at night where there are no streetlights.
- Be aware of potential hiding places for dangerous strangers, behind bushes, in alleys, behind large trash dumpsters.
- As you approach these potential hazardous areas extend your circle of safety by distancing yourself from these obstacles.

Use your Circle of Safety.
This is your Level of Awareness Zone.  Use distance to your advantage.  Use this process against a potential attacker:

 
In a 25 feet wide circle around you: the Casual Awareness Zone,
Be aware of all potential danger surrounding you.
Be always thinking about what you could do to protect yourself
An attacker can get armed and into your zone more rapidly than you may realize!  So have casual awareness of what's going on from 20 to 25 feet around you.

In a 10-15 feet wide circle around you: the Active Awareness Zone,
Pay attention to the actions and behaviors of other people in this range.  Pay attention to things like what are they there for?  Is anyone lurking suspiciously out of place? 

In a 3-6 feet wide circle around you: the Obvious Awareness Zone,
Let them know you're there, and not an easy target.
Don't be afraid; don't display fear. 
Increase your distance to suspicious targets that have approached this range in order to lessen the potential danger to yourself.  Make yourself a less easy target.

From 3 feet around you and closer: your Personal Space,
From this range you can retaliate if attacked, but you can't stop an attacker from touching you.  Pay attention to everything, especially if it doesn't fit.  Make barriers. Make or take control of what you can around you.  Don't ask someone, TELL them - be demanding - "Back away", don't use "Please."  Be forceful and use your strong voice, not frightful to let them that this won't be easy for them, and they should pick some other target.

Use maneuvers if they continue and persist, to defend your personal space, if you feel uncomfortable.
Increase the space between you and an attacker.

Maintain your resolve and sense of what's going on, and how to respond; remember, don't give in to fear.  This makes you even more vulnerable to an attack.  If an attacker realizes you are an easy target who will not provide resistance, you are even more likely to be attacked.

Also don't put yourself into a position that would make you easy to grab or be attacked. 

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Identify them.

How to know who is a Bad Guy.

Criminal behavior is predatorial, just like animals!  When confronted, go into overdrive t protect your personal space from one.  A criminal needs a hunting ground.  Recognize when you're on one.  They can be unexpected - it may not always be so obvious that you're on one.  Sometimes this could even be your known routes. 
A criminal needs:
- a  place to watch the "herd" for what he wants, screening for his victim. 
- to follow their potential victim.  So be aware of being followed.
- a place to victimize, such as concealed dark places where others cannot see.  In places like these the predator will close the distance, entering you Personal Space.

NOW it is time to "Live on the X."  Make it hard for them. 

Know what to look for  -
Attack indicators:

Targetting.  Places where they can make their move.  They are watching your position, stance, and location.  Keep an eye out for unusual, unexplainable movement.
They will eliminate escape routes, trying to separate you from the herd.
Physical/emotional preparation.  Clenched jaw muscles; breathing harder; etc.

If you are escaping from an attacker, use mace in choke points like doorways where they have to pass through.

If you're already in their control, go limp as a tactic.  (Only if they already have hold of you!  Fight not to be in this position first, of course.)  It is a lot harder to drag "dead" weight!

Screaming draws attention.

Act like you're aiming for the groin and they will move to protect.  This gives you an opportunity to create distance.

If they trap you in a situation where you're being followed in your car, keep going, to a safe place.  Stay in you car - it is a weapon!

2010 Handbook

HANDBOOK 2010 Health: 1.       Drink plenty of water. 2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants... 4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy 5.       Make time to pray. 6.       Play more games 7.       Read more books than you did in 2009 . 8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day 9.       Sleep for 7 hours. 10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile. Personality: 11.    Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 13.    Don't over do. Keep your limits. 14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. 16.    Dream more while you are awake 17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.. 18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. 21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 23.    Smile and laugh more. 24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree... Society: 25.    Call your family often. 26.    Each day give something good to others. 27.    Forgive everyone for everything.. 28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6. 29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day. 30.    What other people think of you is none of your business. 31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. Life: 32.    Do the right thing! 33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 34.    GOD heals everything. 35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.. 36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 37.    The best is yet to come.. 38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it. 39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. Last but not the least: 40.    Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.

Cool Weather Tips

This time of year is upon us again.  Do what you can to keep you and yours healthy!  Here are some tips from me and the web. Just remember that stress and/or lack of happy things, not eating right, and not taking care of yourself will catch up to you worse during the Winter when the cold air makes us even more susceptible. 
Do things that are relaxing, and don't be so stressed out so much.  Make a conscious effort to MAKE yourself RELAX more.  It will really make a difference.  Do something to pamper yourself, or to de-stress yourself, or whatever it may take for you personally.  Just do it. "Prevention isn't just about avoiding germs. What you eat, how you handle stress, and what you do in your downtime are all factors in keeping you healthy. You'll not only have a stronger immune system but feel healthier and happier, too."

Tips from the web: Get a flu shot. Eat right. Exercise. Take a multi-vitamin. Sleep well.

Strengthen your immune system: Laugh, Love, Listen.
- Music for the masses.  You can listen to any genre, be it bluegrass or hip-hop; as long as you like it, your health will benefit.  Music raises IgA levels, especially during times of stress.
- Laughter may enhance immune function!  Don't be stressed out, take time to spend with friends.
- "Avoid a distinctly unsexy stuffy nose by carving out time for lovemaking."

Don't breathe through your mouth when you're out in the cold.  Your nose not only filters out germs and particles, it also warms up the air a bit before it hits your lungs.

Hands are a primary courier of cold and flu viruses, which can live on door knobs, keyboards, steering wheels and other frequently touched surfaces for up to a day. Try to avoid touching potentially contaminated surfaces, and wash often (and properly).


4 FOODS THAT HELP YOU FIGHT GERMS:
garlic When crushed or sliced, fresh garlic releases a substance called allicin, which is thought to have both antiviral and antibacterial properties.
mushrooms Certain varieties, including shitake, reishi, and maitake, contain potent poly-saccharides, sugar compounds that can increase white blood cell levels and prevent infection.
red bell peppers One cup provides 190 mg of vitamin C--more than twice the amount you'd find in an orange--which raises levels of immune-protecting natural killer cells.
brazil nuts Just one has more than the recommended daily allowance for selenium, a mineral that reduces cold symptoms.

Tips for kids
Hypothermia occurs when a child's temperature falls below normal due to exposure to cold. It often happens when a child is playing outdoors in extremely cold weather without wearing proper clothing.
Frostbite occurs when skin and outer tissues become frozen—most often the extremities including ears, fingers, nose, and toes.  In case of frostbite, move the child indoors and place the frostbitten parts of the body in warm (not hot) water. Warm washcloths can be applied to frostbitten ears, lips, and nose. Do not rub frostbitten areas.
Nosebleeds occur in the winter due to dry air. The AAP recommends using a cold air humidifier in a child's room at night to help keep the inner tissues of the nose moist.
Dry skin—Many pediatricians believe that bathing two or three times each week is sufficient for an infant's first year. More frequent bathing can dry out the skin, especially throughout the winter months.
Keeping warm while outdoors in winter weather is all about layering. The AAP recommends dressing infants and children warmly for outdoor activities and notes a rule of thumb as dressing them in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same weather conditions.
The head is like a chimney when it comes to losing body heat. Approximately 50% of your body heat is lost from our heads so it recommends that a child should wear a hat while outdoors. The hat should cover the ears.