Healthy Lifestyle

  • Switching to Natural Spectrum Lighting Makes a Difference You Can See & Feel

    They say memory is the second thing to go, as you get older … but I forget the first.

    100901 Verilux CFS 23W Bulb However, based on how hard it is getting for me to see at night  (and the fact that I now have little flashlights stashed all over the place), my guess is that eyesight is the first thing to go.

    It turns out that my vision wasn't as bad as I thought it was; but my choice of lighting was worse than I realized.

    In an attempt to be environmentally conscious and have light bulbs that supposedly last longer, I started purchasing these strange curly fluorescent bulbs. My mind told me that they were fine, but my experience proved otherwise.

    Recently, I switched to the natural spectrum bulbs from Verilux, and it's like somebody finally turned the light on. Externally, they may look the same, but they make a big difference. I can read again, my eyes don't hurt at the end of the day, and that strange tint on photos or web-cam videos is replaced with a much more natural palette of colors.

    100901 Natural Spectrum Light is Better
    Apparently, there's a lot of science behind this; but it only took flipping the switch for me to know that it makes a big difference.

    100901-NaturalSpectrum-vs-Conventional
    Coincidentally, I'm reading a book by Temple Grandin, an autistic woman with insights into how natural surroundings either calm or disturb animals and humans. According to her book, it turns out that one of the primary anxiety triggers is fluorescent lighting and its incessant flickering.

    100901 Verilux_Logo We spend so much time thinking about what we put in our bodies (like organic foods or vitamins), but to feel healthy we also should think about what we surround our body with … and a full natural spectrum of light is a good start.

    Here's a link to the website where I found natural lighting. Hope that helps.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Switching to Natural Spectrum Lighting Makes a Difference You Can See & Feel

    They say memory is the second thing to go, as you get older … but I forget the first.

    100901 Verilux CFS 23W Bulb However, based on how hard it is getting for me to see at night  (and the fact that I now have little flashlights stashed all over the place), my guess is that eyesight is the first thing to go.

    It turns out that my vision wasn't as bad as I thought it was; but my choice of lighting was worse than I realized.

    In an attempt to be environmentally conscious and have light bulbs that supposedly last longer, I started purchasing these strange curly fluorescent bulbs. My mind told me that they were fine, but my experience proved otherwise.

    Recently, I switched to the natural spectrum bulbs from Verilux, and it's like somebody finally turned the light on. Externally, they may look the same, but they make a big difference. I can read again, my eyes don't hurt at the end of the day, and that strange tint on photos or web-cam videos is replaced with a much more natural palette of colors.

    100901 Natural Spectrum Light is Better
    Apparently, there's a lot of science behind this; but it only took flipping the switch for me to know that it makes a big difference.

    100901-NaturalSpectrum-vs-Conventional
    Coincidentally, I'm reading a book by Temple Grandin, an autistic woman with insights into how natural surroundings either calm or disturb animals and humans. According to her book, it turns out that one of the primary anxiety triggers is fluorescent lighting and its incessant flickering.

    100901 Verilux_Logo We spend so much time thinking about what we put in our bodies (like organic foods or vitamins), but to feel healthy we also should think about what we surround our body with … and a full natural spectrum of light is a good start.

    Here's a link to the website where I found natural lighting. Hope that helps.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Inspirational Video from Facing the Giants

    "If you think you can do a thing … or think you can't do a thing; you're right."

    -    Henry Ford

    I love football season, and I'm a sucker for plot devices like this.

    Here is a clip from the movie "Facing the Giants".

     

     

    There are times in life when it is hard to imagine finding a path to victory.

    Facing the Giants DVD CoverSo often the answer is as simple as committing to the outcome desired, showing-up, playing full-out, and giving your best until there is absolutely nothing left.

    Related Articles:

     

    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Inspirational Video from Facing the Giants

    "If you think you can do a thing … or think you can't do a thing; you're right."

    -    Henry Ford

    I love football season, and I'm a sucker for plot devices like this.

    Here is a clip from the movie "Facing the Giants".

     

     

    There are times in life when it is hard to imagine finding a path to victory.

    Facing the Giants DVD CoverSo often the answer is as simple as committing to the outcome desired, showing-up, playing full-out, and giving your best until there is absolutely nothing left.

    Related Articles:

     

    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Interesting TedTalk with Nicholas Christakis About Our Modern, Connected Lives

    100719 Connected Book We're all embedded in vast social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a wide variety of traits — from happiness to obesity — can spread from person to person, showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even know.

    His work shows how phenomena as diverse as obesity, smoking, emotions, ideas, germs, and altruism can spread through our social ties, and how genes can partially underlie our creation of social ties to begin with. His work also sheds light on how we might take advantage of an understanding of social networks to make the world a better place.

    Christakis explains that he and James Fowler (co-author of
    Connected) have become obsessed
    with trying to figure out how and why we form networks and how and why
    they affect us.

    Once you start mapping these networks — they’re so intricate and so beautiful and so interesting — you just can’t help but wonder why we humans make them. Why does a spider weave its web? Why does the web have a particular kind of shape? It’s not a coincidence. You look at these webs and you think, “My God, what purpose do they serve? And, how do they affect us?”

    Watch his TedTalk presentation, "The Hidden Influence of Social Networks".

    Here is the web site for their book Connected.  And here is a link to another interview.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Are You Happy?

    A simple flow chart caught my eye this week.

    Are You Happy - Flowchart

    There is a bit of truth in that; isn't there?

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Are You Happy?

    A simple flow chart caught my eye this week.

    Are You Happy - Flowchart

    There is a bit of truth in that; isn't there?

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • A Father’s Day Investment Guaranteed to Pay Dividends.

    My kids are getting older.  So Father's Day looks a little different than it used to.

    Fathers Day Cartoon

    But as I look back, there is an investment I made that paid-off in a big way, and I want to share it with you.

    Like many parents, I wanted to teach my children that, to a large extent, they control what happens to them. One of the first ways I did that was to set up a "compensation system" for them to earn video games.

    Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different.  Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books.  Here is a photo from way back then.

    BZandH_edited

    Paid With Play.

    Here's how it worked. When they were younger, 10 books was enough to earn a small game. When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished the requisite number of books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.

    When they finished hundred books, they got a bonus of earning the next game system. That meant if they had a Nintendo, they could now also get a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

    How Can You Encourage a Jump to the Next Level?

    There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortable reading a certain type of book, and didn't want to read the kind of books that I read.  So, I created a bonus system that counted a particular book as three books.  I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.

    It Is a Great Way to Learn About Your Kids.

    I also used the bookstore visits to get a sense of how the boys were doing. For example, I might say "I notice that you read five books in that series, maybe you'd like this book".  Or, "That sure is a lot of science fiction; what was the last biography you read?"  For the most part, though, I didn't care what they read.  The key was to get them to want to choose certain books for their own reasons.  Ultimately, their preference meant they were learning to love reading.

    It Puts Them In Control of Their Destiny and Rewards.

    My younger son likes competition. He also broke or misplaced many things. So, in order to earn back the Game Boy unit that he lost, I challenged him to read five books in five days. These weren't easy books either. It was designed to stretch him, and also to teach him that he could read a book a night. The bet was that he either finished all the books in the allocated time, or none of them counted towards games or Game Boys. On the other hand, if he read a book a night for two weeks, not only would he get to have his Game Boy back, the books would count towards a game too. It worked like a charm, and we were both happy.

    So, Who Got the Better Bargain?

    As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in, and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.

    I got what I wanted, though; both my boys love reading, and know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to … one step at a time.

    100109-Boys-at-the-Cowboys-

    That's an investment that will pay dividends for a long time.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • A Father’s Day Investment Guaranteed to Pay Dividends.

    My kids are getting older.  So Father's Day looks a little different than it used to.

    Fathers Day Cartoon

    But as I look back, there is an investment I made that paid-off in a big way, and I want to share it with you.

    Like many parents, I wanted to teach my children that, to a large extent, they control what happens to them. One of the first ways I did that was to set up a "compensation system" for them to earn video games.

    Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different.  Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books.  Here is a photo from way back then.

    BZandH_edited

    Paid With Play.

    Here's how it worked. When they were younger, 10 books was enough to earn a small game. When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished the requisite number of books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.

    When they finished hundred books, they got a bonus of earning the next game system. That meant if they had a Nintendo, they could now also get a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

    How Can You Encourage a Jump to the Next Level?

    There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortable reading a certain type of book, and didn't want to read the kind of books that I read.  So, I created a bonus system that counted a particular book as three books.  I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.

    It Is a Great Way to Learn About Your Kids.

    I also used the bookstore visits to get a sense of how the boys were doing. For example, I might say "I notice that you read five books in that series, maybe you'd like this book".  Or, "That sure is a lot of science fiction; what was the last biography you read?"  For the most part, though, I didn't care what they read.  The key was to get them to want to choose certain books for their own reasons.  Ultimately, their preference meant they were learning to love reading.

    It Puts Them In Control of Their Destiny and Rewards.

    My younger son likes competition. He also broke or misplaced many things. So, in order to earn back the Game Boy unit that he lost, I challenged him to read five books in five days. These weren't easy books either. It was designed to stretch him, and also to teach him that he could read a book a night. The bet was that he either finished all the books in the allocated time, or none of them counted towards games or Game Boys. On the other hand, if he read a book a night for two weeks, not only would he get to have his Game Boy back, the books would count towards a game too. It worked like a charm, and we were both happy.

    So, Who Got the Better Bargain?

    As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in, and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.

    I got what I wanted, though; both my boys love reading, and know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to … one step at a time.

    100109-Boys-at-the-Cowboys-

    That's an investment that will pay dividends for a long time.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • KFC’s Double Down Sandwich – The New Health Food?

    100427-Z-Excited-About-the-KFC's new Double Down sandwich has been getting tons of press since its ingredients were revealed. Some blogs are calling the sandwich "disgusting", while others
    gleefully talk about their eating experience.

    The Double Down is essentially a sandwich with two chicken fillets taking the place of bread slices. In between are two pieces of bacon, melted slices of Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheeses, and a "zesty" sauce (you know, things your cardiologist is secretly happy you're putting into
    your system).

    How Bad For You is Eating Something Like This?

    While it certainly doesn't qualify as health food … it also doesn't
    have bread.  Further, according to KFC, it weighs
    in at a reasonable 540 calories, 32 grams of fat, and (a less
    reasonable) 1,380 milligrams of sodium,  Other sources argue that the

    calorie count is much higher.

    Regardless, there are lots of fast foods worse for you than this
    sandwich (click

    here to see the rankings).  Some even claim the Double Down is
    healthier for you than a salad (see

    why).

    It Might Not Be Great Food, But the Marketing Is Working.

    The marketing has been pretty effective driving demand and generating buzz in the media.  Here is one of their commercials.

    After seeing it, my teenage son begged me to get him one. Okay, it didn't
    take much
    persuading.

    Nonetheless, I've been counting calories, recently, and
    logging what I eat
    in an attempt to eat healthier and lose weight. Like my wife, my skinny
    pants (still patiently waiting in an under-used corner of the closet) hoped I

    would put up more of a fight than I did.

    In advertising, attention is good (even if some of it is controversial). It looks like the folks at this Pepsi spin-off, Yum Brands, have a hit. Not only are people who wouldn't normally eat at a KFC, now eating at KFC … There's a bunch of folks fighting about whether this is a good or bad thing.

    When Wendy's came out with the Clara Peller commercials, with the
    tag-line: "Where's the beef?" … it changed their business. Kentucky Fried
    Chicken needs a tag-line (or brand promise) that will capture more than the
    disgust of the American public, if they want this to last.

    Now that KFC is getting buzz, the bigger questing is whether it will have a lasting impact on their sales?

    KFC Corporation

    Other Links.

    • ZeitGeist: KFC's shocking new sandwich (YouTube)
    • KFC's Double Down: A cheesy, sodium-filled sandwich — will you be
      buying? (LATimes)
    • Here is KFC's Press Release about the sandwich. (KFC)
    Related articles by Zemanta
    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]