We at Boomer411 are constantly looking for ways to bring you more better, more valuable content. Towards this goal, we are constantly adding new columnists to write on our blog. Today, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you our newest guest columnist, Rachel Clark. Rachel is a ‘Holistic Health Couselor’ and runs her own business called ‘RenewForANewYou‘. Some of you probably recognize her name as we had recently published our interview with her in these same pages. Also, Rachel is a very active Boomer411 Trustee, regularly providing article recommendations on our site Boomer411.com. So we are delighted to present Rachel to our blog readers. Without much ado, let me present Rachel’s first article for our readers on the evergreen topic of ‘Fountain of Youth’. Rachel brings in freshness and simplicity to this discussion.

Fountain of Youth

 By Rachel Venokur-Clark, CHC, AADP-renewforanewyou.com

We are bombarded everyday with images of what we are supposed to think is beautiful. A young, super skinny, airbrushed model is what many of us compare ourselves to on a regular basis. In a world where youth is idolized and aging is seen as something, well, less favorable, we are all searching for that magical fountain of youth. How about writing off the plastic surgeon for a while and starting from the inside out. According to the “Real Age” website, maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your Real Age as much as 6 years younger. What you put in your body can not only help to maintain a healthy weight, but can slow down the aging process and even reverse the damage that has already been done. Based on that, I’d say Nutrition is the real fountain of youth.

The general guidelines for looking and feeling younger include

• Keeping your calorie intake down
• Limiting the number of saturated fats you eat
• Eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein (especially fish) and
• Lowering your salt and sugar intake

There are numerous foods, which can help keep that botox shot far away from you, and here are the top Ten to include in your daily diet.

Avocado: A good source of healthy monounsaturated fat that may help to reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the body. Avocado is a good source of Vitamin E and can help to maintain healthy skin and prevent skin aging (vitamin E may also help alleviate menopausal hot flashes). It is rich in potassium which helps prevent fluid retention and high blood pressure.

Berries: All black and blue berries such as blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and black grapes contain phytochemicals known as flavonoids-powerful antioxidants which help to protect the body against damage caused by free radicals and aging.

Cruciferous Vegetables: The family of Cruciferous vegetables includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnip, brussels sprouts, radish and watercress. Cruciferous vegetables assist the body in its fight against toxins and cancer. If possible, eat them raw or very lightly cooked so that the important enzymes remain intact. Include as many dark leafy green veggies as possible on a daily basis.

Garlic: Eating a clove of garlic a day (raw or cooked) helps protect the body against cancer and heart disease. The cardioprotective effects of garlic are well recorded. One 1994 study in Iowa, USA, of 41,837 women between the age of 55 and 69 suggested that women who ate a clove of garlic at least once a week were 50 percent less likely to develop colon cancer.

Ginger: This spicy root can boost the digestive and circulatory systems, which can be useful for older people. Ginger may also help alleviate rheumatic aches and pains.

Nuts: Most varieties of nuts are good sources of minerals, particularly walnuts and brazil nuts. Walnuts, although high in calories, are rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium. Adding nuts to your diet (sprinkle them on salads and desserts) can enhance the functioning of your digestive and immune systems, improve your skin, help control and/or prevent cancer. Nuts may also help control cholesterol levels.

Soy: Menopausal women might find that soy helps to maintain estrogen levels. Soy may alleviate menopausal hot flashes and protect against Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Look out for fermented soy products, like Tempeh, which are more easily digested, therefore more nutritional, and do not generally cause food intolerances.

Whole Grains: Complex carbohydrates provide a consistent supply of energy throughout the day and should be a part of your diet. Whole-wheat pasta, for example, is an excellent complex carbohydrate. It is high in fiber and contains twice the amount of iron as normal pasta. Brown rice is another recommended complex carbohydrate, which is high in fiber and B vitamins.

Watermelon: Both the flesh and seeds of the watermelon are nutritious. The flesh contains vitamins A, B and C; the seeds contain selenium, essential fats, zinc and vitamin E, all of which help against free radical damage and aging.

Water: Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day in order to remain healthy. Water helps us to get rid of the toxins and unwanted waste materials from your body. Don’t rely on thirst; this sensation diminishes with age. You can also get fluids from foods with a high water content like, watermelon, pickles, oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers etc.

Although an anti-aging diet may not be able to promise to make you look and feel like you’re a kid again, it is certainly a great place to start. Eating smart, keeping your weight down, getting enough exercise and supplementing the diet with vitamins and minerals, when necessary, are all ways to get you to start feeling and looking younger. And if you are young, why not hold off old Father Time a little bit longer.

Stay tuned for more such articles on the topic of nutrition and health from Rachel. If you liked this article, or have different thoughts on the subject, please do remember to post your feedback in the comments section.

Popularity: 9% [?]

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

If you have a choice of which airport you should fly in or out of, what ones should you select?

In the article “America’s Best and Worse Airports 2008,” on Travel + Leisure, airports throughout the country are rated according to the percentage of flights delayed.

About 23 percent of domestic flights arrived at least 15 minutes late from January through August of 2008; that’s only slightly better than 2007′s worst-ever on-time performance of 24 percent of flights delayed, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Travel + Leisure gathered figures from FlightStats for airlines with 20 or more weekly flights out of major domestic airports from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008.

The figures below indicate the percentage of all flights that departed more than 15 minutes behind schedule from January 1, 2008, to August 31, 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Best airports

• Salt Lake City – 14 percent

• Portland, Ore. – 16 percent

• San Diego – 19 percent

• Oakland, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis/St. Paul – 19 percent

• Seattle, Phoenix, and Tampa – 20 percent

• LAX – 21 percent

Worse airports

• Chicago Midway and Atlanta – 25 percent

• New York John F. Kennedy and San Francisco – 26 percent

• Washington Dulles – 27 percent

• New York LaGuardia — 28 percent

• Dallas Ft. Worth – 30 percent

• Miami – 31 percent

• Newark – 33 percent

• Chicago O’Hare – 35 percent

See the article for details on which airports improved and worsened over the last year.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Be Fearless!

Yes, I know that we are living during difficult times. I hear the same news you do. But I want to let you know that you have a choice – choices.
It may not seem like you have choices – but you do.

You may ask, “Do I control the rise in cost in rent, gasoline, food?” “Can I give myself a salary, find a job that pays what I am worth?” “Can I control the news?”

No, of course you can’t. What you can do though is decide how to respond to all the negativity surrounding you. You can choose to respond without fear.

It may seem a strange thing to suggest, but one thing you can do is start giving and sharing. Here are some ideas:

1. Go through your closet and drawers and decide what you really do not need and give it away. Give it to Goodwill or a local charity. There are so many in need that perhaps those shoes you never wear could be just what someone is looking for. It will feel good to clean out and share with others.

2. Give your time. Yes, you may be out of work or working 2 jobs. But trust me when I suggest giving of your time. Find something that you truly believe in – maybe going to an animal shelter or a senior center or a food bank – and volunteer your time. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time – maybe just an hour a week. Giving the gift of yourself is something that will bring joy to you and those you share with. And when you are busy giving your time by volunteering, I almost guarantee you will not be in fear thinking.

3. Share pleasant talk rather than negative. It is so easy to focus on the negative, which only reinforces the feeling of doom and gloom. Rather, when you get together with a friend, co-worker, family member, and talking about all the negative news, switch the talk to something positive. Before your meeting start searching for fun things to share. This will have you looking around for the lighter/humorous things in life. Believe me, when you start looking for fun things to share, they will start popping out at you. Maybe even set up in advance of your meeting that you are doing this and challenge your meeting partner to also look for fun things to share.
This may sound dumb, but where laughter is healing – negative talk breeds illness. It’s a choice – it always a choice. When we focus on negativity we are focusing on fear.

In light of this, I highly suggest the book, Fearless Living by Rhonda Britten. I am a facilitator of this book and will be starting a phone group in the spring. The cost will be $25 for 10 weeks. All you will need is the book and a telephone – which means it does not matter what part of the world you live in. If you are interested in this amazing process of learning to live life without fear just email me at judith@wiseheartcoaching.com and I will let you know when the class will begin and how to register. You will be amazed at how wonderful life can be when it is lived fearlessly.

Blessings, Judith Auslander

Popularity: 8% [?]

What’s new with pennies?

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Guest Blogger

Four new pennies are being issued to mark the 200^th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln as well as the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln penny.

I thought I’d write about it because pennies are one of the topics that I’ve blogged about that drew the most comments from readers. See “Do You Pick Up Pennies From the Sidewalk?”

The U.S. Mint is releasing the four new pennies at three-month intervals throughout the year. The first one went into circulation Feb. 12.

Each scene shows portrays something memorable from Lincoln’s life on the reverse side of the penny. The head’s side of the penny, with Lincoln’s bust, will remain the same.

The first penny shows his childhood in Kentucky.

The second is Lincoln’s school-age years in Indiana.

The third, his professional life in the Senate in Illinois.

And the fourth, Lincoln’s presidency in D.C.

A Lincoln commemorative silver dollar also will be released in 2009.

In unveiling the designs this fall, U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy said:

This is a momentous occasion in the history of our nation’s coinage because these designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century. These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest Presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country. He believed all men were created equal, and his life was a model for accomplishing the American dream through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education.

I’m looking forward to the new pennies. And, yes, I’ll be picking them up off the street, because I think they’re lucky and you can spend them.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Continuing our series on interviews, today we present to you our interview with Rachel Clark. Rachel Clark is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and practices in the New York City under the business name RenewForANewYou. She is trained in both eastern and western nutrition and various diet theories. We are proud to also let you know that Rachel has been a very active Boomer411 trustee, (by the user name RenewForANewYou) recommending great resources/articles on Boomer411.com that you have come to rely on. So we want to take this opportunity to present to you our interview with Rachel, so that you can get to know her better…

Boomer411: What is a Health counselor?

RC: As a Health Counselor, I am your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. Whatever your concerns are, my job is to help you find which food and lifestyle choices will work best for you and the life you desire. WHEN DIET CHANGES, EVERYTHING CHANGES.

A true holistic approach to life incorporates things that nourish you other than food, including honest and open relationships, a meaningful spiritual practice, a career that inspires you, and physical activity that you enjoy. I work with clients to help them find long lasting balance in both diet and lifestyle.

Boomer411: Why diets don’t work, but Health Counseling does?

RC: Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results. Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone?

Health counseling programs are designed to radically improve your life, resolve concerns specific to you and your body, help you look and feel younger, and to provide you with tools for a lifetime of balance and wellness. With the help of a Health Counselor, you can feed yourself wisely, purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.

Boomer411: Why should I invest in my health during these tough economic times?

RC: We are being bombarded every day with stress and worry wondering what will happen to our futures, our money, and our investments. Constant stress will cause physical and emotional deterioration. Start to take personal control today. During times like these, the most important thing you can choose to invest in is you. You have control over one thing. What you do, and what you eat. Your health and wellness is the one thing you CAN CONTROL. Get ready-to-use, day-to-day guidance on how to eat and live better in these turbulent times.

Boomer411: How can I control my snacking and cravings?

RC: The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave; to deconstruct your craving. Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you need more protein, more exercise, more water, or more love in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.

Foods like refined sugar and processed foods can throw your body off balance and leave you with strong cravings. A diet rich in whole foods will help your body remain in balance and provide you with a healthier and happier life.

Boomer411: How can one slow down the aging process?

RC: What you put in your body, can not only help to maintain a healthy weight, but can slow down the aging process and even reverse the damage that has already been done. Nutrition is the real fountain of youth. The general guidelines for looking and feeling younger include keeping your calorie intake down, limiting the number of saturated fats you eat, eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein (especially fish) and lowering your salt and sugar intake. Make sure to include some anti-aging super foods like beans, berries, nuts and whole grains.

Boomer411: Why should I eat organic?

RC: When we eat, food goes into our mouth, into our stomach and as it gets digested, our blood absorbs it; and our blood is what creates our cells, our tissues, our organs and some even believe OUR THOUGHTS. So what you eat can not only affect how you feel physically; but it can also affect your thoughts, behavior and even feelings. Originally, all food was organic; grown and prepared without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, or irradiation. Much of our food today, be it meat or vegetable is not only grown in nutrient deficient soil, therefore providing us less nutrients, but also contains many pollutants, farming chemicals, hormones and antibiotics. Buying organic meat, dairy, fruits and veggies assures you that you are keeping chemicals off your plate, giving your body more nourishment, saving energy, supporting local farmers and eating more ethically.

Boomer411: Are there simple ways for me to control my portion sizes?

RC: We are a society being weighed down (literally) by the bigger is better motto. Bigger portions mean we typically eat 30-50% more than we would have with smaller portions, hungry or not. In the last 2 decades, portion size has dramatically increased. Here are a few suggestions to help you start downsizing today.

• At the beginning of a meal out, ask for a to-go box and pack up half your meal for lunch tomorrow. Not only will you save yourself from being super full tonight, but also you’ll be really happy not having to think about what is for lunch tomorrow.
• I am a big fan of the cook once; eat 2-3 times idea, just not all in one sitting. When eating in and cooking extra, be sure to dole out 1 or 2 extra portions into Tupperware and put them in the fridge before you even sit to eat. You may not be so inclined to reach for a second serving then.
• Try not to snack straight from the container or package and certainly not standing over the kitchen sink. Putting a snack portion into a small bowl or on a plate will help you eat less; taking the time to sit and eat helps the body register that it is being fed and avoids mindless eating.
• Want to know just how out of proportion your portion sizes are? Measure out a serving of pasta or rice, typically a ½ cup cooked, or look at the size of your lean protein at dinner tonight, which should be the size of a deck of cards. What size do you see? Start to look at labels to get a better idea of what exactly a portion size should look like.

And remember, when it comes to food and size of our backsides, bigger is not always better.

To learn more about Rachel…

Visit her website packed with lots of good information

         OR

Find her on FaceBook

You can also check her recent webcast interview by New York Mother

Popularity: 19% [?]