Social Media – Page 2

September 21, 2012

Top 6 things to prepare your body for surgery (and heal after)

As a wellness guru, I’m not a big fan of surgery especially when it comes to removing body parts that God placed in our body for a reason. However, unexpected situations occur that prevent us from avoiding surgeries. When this happens and you have a few weeks to prepare, here are a few things that I would do to ensure my body will bounce back quickly to the trauma incurred by surgery.

Eat as many fresh, fruits, vegetables and dark leafy greens as possible. Organically grown and local, natural are your best bets. These foods are loaded with antioxidants that can build your immune system and facilitate the repair process after surgery.

Eat 50% or more of your fruits, veggies and dark leafy greens raw. Raw foods contain enzymes which are the key to life and healing. Make a fruit or green smoothie which is a great way to receive large amounts of nutrients that are ready for your body to use.

Drink plenty of purified (reverse osmosis or distilled) water. To determine how much divide your body weight by two and this is the number of ounces you need per day. Avoid coffee, sodas and black teas. These beverages will dehydrate the body and even block or deplete necessary nutrients in the body.

Participate in a gentle, beginners yoga class to learn deep breathing techniques (reduces stress) and increase your strength and flexibility. Even one class per week will be of benefit.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol stresses your liver, kidneys and suppresses your immune system.

Avoid white sugar, artificial sugars and, white flour products which suppress the immune system and increase inflammation.

Well meaning friends and family may supply you with “comfort” foods or sweets as a sign of their love and concern. These foods are fine for your family but you should avoid them. Plan ahead by supplying your home with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and dark leafy greens. Make some soup or meals that you can freeze prior to your event. Or hire a personal chef to prepare a week’s worth of meals for you and your family.

Remember, always check with your doctor about restrictions or foods to avoid for your specific health needs.

August 24, 2012

Endorphins & Feeling Better

About a year ago I had my second child. Parenting and a new baby can sure increase stress and put you in a self neglect rut. I am the proof! I’m just now coming up for air and taking stock of things, 11 months later.

Stress and overexertion has been the name of the game for me since my first child was born. I’ve hardly left my children to do solo things and I’m finally beginning to feel the wear and tear on my wellbeing. I’m stressed way too often and one thing that is missing for me (big time!) is endorphins. I know anyone experiencing lots of stress is in the same boat where endorphins are concerned.

Endorphins combat stress

It is common knowledge that excercise and physical activity helps manage stress, this is because of endorphins. Going to the gym, jogging around the block or doing a yoga class can have a major positive impact on lowering stress levels which in turn impact overall health.

However, if you are like me the effort and planning it takes to secure time and energy for exercise time just doen’t seem all that appealing and isn’t a high priority. Sometimes it even adds to the stress factor, which is counter intuitive.

Sometimes committing to fitness time with a buddy can help motivate you to follow though. Also, making financial commitments to fitness time may also help you follow through if that is the direction you’d like to go.

The point is, exercise isn’t the sticking point here, it is endorphins!

Making “personal time” a priority is important for overall mental & physical health but increasing endorphins doesn’t necessarily have to translate as hard core exercise.

If you can’t carve out some outside the home, endorphin increasing time that doesn’t mean you have to suffer the burdens of stress. Plenty of other things generate endorphins that you can do right at home.

Belt a tune and shake that rump!

Singing is a perfect, stationary way to release endorphins. My many years of music education classes and years of professional performance really showed me how good singing a tune can make you feel. Think you are a terrible singer and that you shouldn’t sing?

Singing isn’t just reserved for those that can do it well! You can sing even if you’re a poor singer. If you are shy, do it privately in the shower or in the car. If you aren’t that shy, you can own your less-than-stellar singing skills and make a funny situation out of singing time. Better yet combine some “just for fun” singing with some silly body shaking for a seriously fun physical activity (give this silly song a try complete with the “Ugh!” part, you’ll be laughing in no time).

Laughter is another wonderful stress combatant that can be done anytime, anywhere. You can sing, laugh and shake your booty while cleaning house, cooking dinner or taking a shower. You can even do it to commercials while watching TV… or while waiting at a stoplight in your car (not while driving!).

Once, while cruising along with a few buddies in the car, we cranked up the stereo at a stoplight and set out to make the people around us laugh.

We rolled the windows down, started swinging our hands, dancing around in our seats, making silly faces and singing VERY badly (and loudly) to the song on the radio. We looked like lunatics but it worked, others were looking at us and giggling and that made us crack up and sing even louder. We felt great, it was a great time and a fun memory.

When stress runs our lives we seldom have time to laugh-until-we-cry or to act silly and let loose. This lack of an outlet for stress relief just snowballs the stress levels. Stress breeds stress.

However, with a bit of intent you can stop the stress snowball cycle and get to feeling better.

Some endorphin releasing activities include:

Letting loose (laughter, silliness, charades, etc)

Deep relaxation (yoga, massage, meditation, etc)

Self expression (journaling, singing, heart-to-heart conversations, art, painting, etc)

Physical activity (exercise, sex, gardening, sports, etc)

They types of endorphin increasing activity you do will of course depend on your nature and interests but don’t limit yourself too much.

For me, my plan of action included some intervention of fate. My husband has been hounding me for a few months about getting out for some “me time” which I’ve not been particulary motivated to do. Frankly, I’d just rather lounge around in my bed for my “me time” but being home hardly removes me from my stress.

Anyway, I saw some yoga classes online one day and I knew they were a sign for me… so I consulted my husband, then I made the commitment to 20 yoga classes between now and the new year. Can you believe I am just now breaking away from 24/7 mommyhood with a solo yoga class? I just completed my first class and it was so nice and relaxing. So relaxing I leaked breastmilk all over myself at the end!

If you aren’t already making some “me time” for endorphins & happiness you simply MUST! Seriously, your mental health and your body’s wellness depends on it.

Chime in & discuss:

What new ways will you to combat stress? How will you work happiness building endorphin activities in your day? Tell us in the comments below or use the social media share icons below to share your favorite ways with your own followers!

August 24, 2012

Endorphins & Feeling Better

Endorphins combat stress

The point is, exercise isn’t the sticking point here, it is endorphins!

Making “personal time” a priority is important for overall mental & physical health but increasing endorphins doesn’t necessarily have to translate as hard core exercise.

Belt a tune and shake that rump!

Once, while cruising along with a few buddies in the car, we cranked up the stereo at a stoplight and set out to make the people around us laugh.

We rolled the windows down, started swinging our hands, dancing around in our seats, making silly faces and singing VERY badly (and loudly) to the song on the radio. We looked like lunatics but it worked, others were looking at us and giggling and that made us crack up and sing even louder. We felt great, it was a great time and a fun memory.

However, with a bit of intent you can stop the stress snowball cycle and get to feeling better.

Some endorphin releasing activities include:

Letting loose (laughter, silliness, charades, etc)

Deep relaxation (yoga, massage, meditation, etc)

Self expression (journaling, singing, heart-to-heart conversations, art, painting, etc)

Physical activity (exercise, sex, gardening, sports, etc)

They types of endorphin increasing activity you do will of course depend on your nature and interests but don’t limit yourself too much.

If you aren’t already making some “me time” for endorphins & happiness you simply MUST! Seriously, your mental health and your body’s wellness depends on it.

Chime in & discuss:

August 18, 2012

Living in the Moment

I’m Late! I’m Late! I’m Late for a very important date!
No Time to say Hello! Good-bye!
I’m Late! I’m Late! I’m Late! ~The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland

Do you ever feel like that? Before we know it, our day is over. We wake up, think about the day ahead, exercise (hopefully), and out the door we go. Turn on the radio on the way to work, and our day is movin’ and groovin’.

This continues for weeks, months, and even years. One day you wake up, and wonder where your life went? How much have you loved and laughed? How many lives have you touched? Soon, your children are grown, off to college and you are standing at the door attempting to answer these important questions.

My question to you, “Why wait? If not now, when?”

For me, yoga was a way to settle my mind. People often think they wake up one day enlightened like Buddha. Really, becoming in tune with yourself, your body and quieting your mind is a skill that can be built like lego blocks….one block at a time.

Why?

Living in the moment makes our life more fulfilling. We experience more moments of joy, pleasure and happiness versus striving for something that is in the distant future.
Spending more time cultivating self-care will equal more time cultivating the things and people in your life that matter the most.
Taking the time to build of quieting your mind will help you to be more present in your daily life.

What is your thing? What can you do today or this week to support your personal self-care regime?

Develop a morning ritual that supports how you want your day to roll.
Schedule into your planner time for self-care. Schedule it like an important client apt that cannot be rescheduled. Put that sense of urgency into your mind.
Explore ways to quiet your mind like meditation, silence, wordless walks, or schedule a retreat of self-care.

After practicing yoga for over 10 years, I have learned so much about myself, my fears, my triumphs and joys. My gift to you as a guest on Dana’s blog is to support you in any way that I can. Here are some tools that may help you. Check them out:

April 19, 2012

Almost There…An Invitation…

If you have had me in class or follow me on social networks you know that I am a huge believer in Wayne Elsey, former CEO & founder

of Soles4Souls, & author of the highly acclaimed book, “Almost Isn’t Good Enough.” This book has been such an inspiration to so many hard working, dedicated professionals, including myself, I would love to share what I’ve learned with you. In his book, Wayne stresses the fact that It’s all about the people. It’s about making a difference. Yes it is written and geared toward NPO’s but the same principles apply in the business realm as well.

You deal with people. People are your life and your passion. You live to serve, & to make a difference, but the restraints of money, time and your board of directors are draining your passion.

If this is remotely how you feel, I invite you to join us for “Almost There”… a book discussion group where we will read thru “Almost isn’t Good Enough” by Wayne Elsey. It will be well worth your time, & refresh & inspire your mission as a servant leader.

The details are not all set. We need to know how many people are intersted, and what their schedules will allow for a meeting time.

Here is what we do know:

We will discuss the book and how it applies to YOUR situation.
10 people will get a free hard cover book.
5 people will get a free digital book.
Everyone will get a free study guide.
At the end we will have a live Google + hangout with Wayne.
Will be held in the greater Evansville area*
6 weeks long with one 1.5 hour meeting per week
It’s free to attend.

If you are interested, please fill out this quick form and you will be contacted with more information soon.

*If you are NOT in the greater Evansville area and would like to attend or host an Almost There book disscussion in your area please fill out this quick form. We are working on some exciting resources, and will get them to you just as soon as they are available.

December 5, 2011

Putting it to the test

For me, testing a device on the road is critical. Seeing how it reacts in various mobile networks and testing coverage in a larger geographical space are key. But testing on the road also forces me to test it when I’m least forgiving.

So I was off to a weeklong business travel excursion hitting over 5 cities in 7 days, balancing work and fun events. I went taking 4 devices to test: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, The Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11 hotspot, the Droid Bionic and its Lapdock.

As a seasoned traveler who is addicted to technology, I was happy to have such great tools at my disposal.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

I love that when interacting with facebook and twitter from this tablet I never get “Unable to view” message. It just works. When I reviewed the Xoom, another android tablet, I was smitten with the android tablet’s ability to work no matter the website I was trying to view. This tablet is much slimmer than the Xoom and has a sleek, stylish look and feel. The textured gray backing is just begging to be held. Camera specs, 4G, and ease of access to Google products made this a hit for me.

To be fair, I was also packing an iPad. For a head to head comparison, they each had their own qualities that made me want them for professional use.

Bionic

No comparison! People who know me know that have been completely smitten with the Thunderbolt. I am always keeping it in hand while testing the other phones that have been sent my way. This phone was tested to the fullest, while my Thunderbolt took a vacation. The Droid Bionic is sleek and has a very pleasing feel when using it as a phone. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but when you’re not zipping through the social scene, or keeping up to date with your work on the go, and actually using it as a phone, it matters. The sound quality, both outgoing and incoming, are superb.

Favorite things:

Sound quality
4G and processing speed
Screen clarity and touch screen reaction
Camera quality

Cons:

Camera speed: This was the most disappointing feature. Click and wait. This seems to be one of the hottest topics on the droid forums regarding this phone with no resolution as of this post.

Lapdock:

I was so excited to get my hands on this little slice of geek pie! The ability to interact with your phone, with the ease of a full keyboard, mouse, and screen, seemed very appealing.

Day one with any new phone always starts the same. I hop onto the Android store, and send all my apps to the new phone. Then I usually spend the better part of a day logging into the various accounts that I have: facebook, twitter, lightbox, dropbox, evernote. For even the seasoned touch screen typist, this is a tedious process. With the lapdock, this was a breeze!

The honeymoon was over quickly. After a few trails of texting and answering e-mail with the same ease of a laptop, I drifted to web browsing and trying out some of the featured web apps.

Error: Low Memory

This device runs on the processors of the phone, but at the end of the day, it is a phone. It is not strong enough to run complex websites and apps.

Glorified Charging Station

For me, at the end of the day, all this accessory was good for was a glorified charging statin. But, it did that really well! Yo’ve been there. You’re at a conference or an all-day meeting. You’re tweeting, taking notes, and answering urgent e-mails. Then, your battery is dead before lunch. You have to move to sit near an outlet or do without while it charges. Not me, not this trip. I slapped the phone on the dock and kept on notetaking. After a short while, the phone is charged and the battery on lapdock is still close to full.

A more practical application

While this is not my next purchase, it has potential for a large number of people. For the aging population, for the non texting generation with texting teens, and people with impaired eyesight, this tool is worth the money. Being able to use the full keyboard to keep up with the lighting speed of the texting teen, and utilizing the full screen size will be a big help to many.

Hotspot: Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11

Staying connected while traveling is really important to me. Many airports and hotels have WiFi, but at a not-so-convenient price. Enter the hotspot. I had my laptop, iPad, and phone, as well as a second laptop connected to this one device and still had normal web surfing speed. I connected to the hotel’s paid wireless and found the speed of the hotspot to be almost double. This is definitely something that needs to be in my stocking this Christmas. Well worth the money.

If you have a can’t live with out tech device you travel with, please share it in the comments!

These devices were sent to me to demo free of charge by Verizon. I was not paid, nor did get to keep any of the items, so feel free to add a few of them to your Christmas list for me. ;0

October 19, 2011

10 Apps for Business

This article appeared in the Print version of the Evansville Business Journal – October issue.

More and more people are turning to smart phones for work and for personal reasons. This month let’s review some useful apps for the business world. Next moth we’ll highlight some of your favorite apps for personal use.

Most of these aren’t new, but for the new smartphone user, having a guide is helpful. E

ven seasoned users might get an idea or two on some ways to make working on the go more streamlined, more productive, and more efficient.

1. Square – By far the favorite app of the business person who processes credit cards. The app is free, the device that allows you to scan credit cards using your smartphone is free, fast and easy to set up. There’s a 2.75% per swipe fee, next day payout. (For a comparison, Paypal, which at this time only allows for web payments, costs 2.9% +$0.30 per transaction.)

2. Dropbox – Have your files anywhere you might need them. Store any type of file safely and securely. For the tech geeks, it uses Sec

ure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption. It comes with 2GB of space to start with. You can pay for extra space, or get additional people to sign up. When they do, you get more space for free. You can share files with co-workers down the hall or halfway around the globe.

3. Evernote – Similar to Dropbox in that you can have your files when you want them. Evernote, however, has the added benefit of tags, searching, voice and video notes, and photo to text recognition. This means that if you snap a quick picture after the conference of the white board, you can later search your Evernote and items written in the photo will show up on search.

4. Stitcher – News is important in the business world. Stitcher allows you to have your favorite news radio, on demand with no tethering or syncing. It’s for most any type of radio so you can get your sports fix too.

5. TextExpander Touch – this great iphone only app allows you to type short phrases and it expands to pre set messages. “SMS5” would enter “Running late. Be there in 5.” This can be set up to run in any iphone apps that include TextExpander touch integration.

6. PasteBot– This is simply a clipboard manager that allows you to save and org

7. Hashable – Many business owners are relying more and more on relationships built online. When asked what apps you use for business, many said Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Hashable is a simple and easy to use tool to remember relationships. It allows you to save contacts, follow up, search relationships and more.anize all types of clips to be utilized in other applications.

8. Tripit– Smart, easy to use, and a must for the business traveler. Track all your travel information in one place.

9. Hootsuite – With social networks being a more frequent way to stay in touch with co-workers, employers, venders, customers, and potential clients, an app that can manage multiple accounts on multiple platforms is a great time saver. Access and post to your Twitter, your business twitter, FourSquare, Linkedin, facebook personal and professional pages, WordPress, even your MySpace.

10. G+ – Google plus, with it’s easy of separation, is perfect for the business user. The app for this was not available for iphone until late July, but both android and iphone users love the key features that bring G+ to life on your smart phone.

Do you have apps you LOVE? Join us for the first ever Tri-State App Party. This event will be held October 27th at 5PM. It is free to attend. Come get ideas on apps to use with any of your devices, share your favorite app, and enjoy some yummy appetizers and prizes provided by our sponsors Wireless Zone and ChickFilaEvansville.com. For more info please visit www.EvansvilleGirlGeekDinners.com (Please note that this event is not gender specific. The Girl Geeks are assisting with the set up, but all are welcome.)