We can all use positive change in our lives when it comes to good health, so remember the Chinese Proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

1. STEP UP THE EXERCISE

If you juggle a busy life with work and kids, you may think there’s no time for exercise, but you’re wrong! Start slowly and add physical activities when and where you can. Take the stairs instead of elevators, or take the long way around in the grocery store. Regular exercise can prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and stroke. People who exercise often report feeling happier and healthier. Remember Elle’s famous line in Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.”

2. PUT OUT THAT CIGARETTE…
Immediately! Tobacco use is the most important preventable cause of death and it causes an estimated 30 percent of cancers (lip, lung, mouth, tongue, esophagus, bladder and kidney). Quitting is a difficult task because it’s an addiction. There are several options to help you quit including prescription medicines such as Zyban or Chantix.

If you’ve tried quitting before, get ready to put down the cigarettes once and for all based on the following: Appearance: smoking ages you by causing wrinkles, gray hair, yellowing teeth and nails—plus the nasty smell ingrained in your clothes and house. Cost: You may be baffled at the amount you spend. Do you have an iPhone? Download the app iQuit Stop Smoking Counter to measure smoking cessation and the length of time the person has stopped smoking, money saved and extra life gained! Or visit quitday.com to learn how much money you’ll save by quitting. It could be just the inspiration you need! Social Acceptance: Times have changed and many popular establishments are now smoke free. If you’re single, you may find it harder to find a mate accepting of this habit, as smokers now make up less than 25 percent of the population.

3. LIMIT ALCOHOL INTAKE

Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption is a major cause of liver cirrhosis, which can progress to liver cancer. Always have a designated driver. Alcohol is related in 40 to 50 percent of automobile and home accidents (i.e. drowning).

4. AVOID EXCESS SUN EXPOSURE

We all need some sun in our lives because it's our primary source of vitamin D, and that helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. But it doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need. Unprotected exposure to the sun's rays can cause skin and eye damage, immune system suppression and even cancer. But don’t be afraid of the sun—those who avoid it are at risk for developing a Vitamin D deficiency.

Remember, wide brimmed hats are always trendy; skin cancer is not.

5. I’M TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED

Learning to manage your time and get organized is an important part of life and can help keep you sane. Find what works for YOU to minimize stress in your life, whether it’s keeping a day planner or not over-committing to activities. For expert advice on organization, visit Beth at treschicdesignshouston.com. Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but it doesn’t have to be bad. Consider taking yoga, tai chi or relaxation/meditation lessons.

When all else fails, remember the words of poet Eric Geoffrey Plott: “I’m too blessed to be stressed.”

6. MORE WATER PLEASE

You’ve heard it a million times, but how many times do you actually stop and drink? For those who have a hard time downing the recommended amounts (eight 8-ounce glasses/day), try drinking a pint of water first thing when you wake up. Try it with lemons or limes to make it more enjoyable. Water helps prevent muscle cramping, lubricates joints, helps you feel full, helps boost metabolism and keeps skin looking younger. If you’re watching calories, it’s best to avoid drinking calorie-laden beverages such fruit juices and sodas.

7. SLEEPING BEAUTY

Sleeping too little or too much can increase your risk of heart problems, diabetes and obesity, so make sure you get the right amount—about seven to eight hours. Try sticking to a sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up the same time every day (including weekends). This schedule will allow your body to set its internal clock. Power naps or “cat naps” are not recommended because they take away from the time you should spend in deep sleep at night. Exercise is known to help you sleep better, but be sure to do it in the morning or afternoon. Exercising too close to bedtime stimulates your body and makes falling asleep more difficult. Take a hot shower or bath before bed to relax your muscles, and avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine at night. We are all guilty of it, but no texting, emailing, Facebooking, or watching TV in bed. Your body needs to “think sleep” while in bed, not about work or texting your BFF.

8. LIMIT YOUR CALORIE INTAKE

As a nation, we eat significantly more calories than we need, sometimes without even realizing it. One of the simplest things you can do is to start your day off by eating breakfast. If you don’t have time, make time, or eat a healthy snack during your commute to work. Eating breakfast will give you better endurance, strength and concentration throughout the day—and in today’s busy world, we all need more of that! Also, eating the right amount of food at each meal is just as important as eating the right foods.

9. AVOID RISKY BEHAVIORS

No texting while driving, and limit using your cell phone while behind the wheel. The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis reports that cell phone use contributes to an estimated 6 percent of all crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths each year. Over 81 percent of the driving population admits to texting while driving. Even the best drivers aren’t safe while on the phone. Other risky behaviors can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines: wear your seatbelt, wear a helmet while on motorcycles/bicycles, and avoid drinking and driving. Don’t give into road rage—it is estimated that as many as 1,500 people are killed or injured on American highways each year as a result of aggressive driving.

10. LIFE IS WORTH LIVING…STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES

Take a minute to just breathe. Slow down, enjoy life and appreciate what you have. Take time to volunteer and spend quality time with family and friends. A great source for finding volunteer opportunities is charitychickshouston.com/events. A pet can help reduce blood pressure and give your family something to bond over. Try gardening (or any hobby you enjoy) and laugh more. Laughter is a great way to relieve stress and relax blood vessels. Visit a local comedy club to get a little laugher in your life. Practice Random Acts of Kindness by smiling at a stranger, holding the door for someone, or cleaning up a local park. Sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs (at a local karaoke joint or on Rockband), and sing with friends and family. It also helps your immune system! Think positively and always look on the bright side—you might live longer because of it. Indulge in dark chocolate, which is high in antioxidants and good for your heart. Get a massage to help with circulation and muscle tone. Try Memorial Hermann Wellness Center for $29 Intern Massages.

The tips above are a few from Dr. Deepti Mishra on how to live a healthier life. Dr. Mishra is a board certified Internal Medicine specialist practicing with Memorial Hermann Medical Group in Friendswood.  She is a resident of Friendswood and welcomes the opportunity to serve Friendswood and surrounding communities.

Whether steeped in fact or fiction, the truth about tea is that people love it

White tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, red rooibos tea, herbal tea. After water, tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world. People from many cultures take pleasure in the ritual of tea drinking—experiencing quiet contemplative moments, conversation with friends, celebrations and ceremonies. There must be something pretty special about this brew. So many teas…so little time! Find your favorite and put the kettle on to boil.

Navigating the world of tea can be a steamy voyage. The easiest route to discovering your favorite is to divide and conquer:

True teas are derived from the camellia sinensis (also called the tea tree), a species of plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce white, green, black and oolong teas.

Herbal teas, which include red rooibos, chamomile, peppermint and a nearly endless list of others, are not technically “teas” at all. They come from the flowers, roots, leaves and other parts of the plants they are typically named for.

True Teas

The only difference between true teas is in the way they are processed. The darker the tea, the more its leaves have been processed. White and green teas are the least processed and, as you might imagine, seem to have the highest health benefits—particularly green tea with the highest concentration of antioxidants.

The antioxidants contained in true teas are called polyphenols, which can protect the body against damage from free radicals. Free radicals are believed to cause a wide variety of cellular problems, including abnormal cell mutation and cell death.

Green is still the rock star of teas. Scientists have studied it far more extensively than any other type of tea and have found that it contains some of the most powerful antioxidants known. However, none of these studies are considered “solid proof,” at least not by the government. There’s still a lot of debate going on about whether or not the health claims are true, therefore, the FDA does not allow green tea producers to include health benefits on their packaging.

Regardless, green tea’s reputation for offering unlimited benefits has sent it sailing upward on popularity charts.

Tisane teas, more commonly referred to as herbal teas, are not made with the leaves of the tea plant. Instead they are made from herbs and any combination of dried leaves, flowers, bark, fruit, roots, grasses, nuts and/or seeds. Herbal teas are really botanical infusions that look like tea and are brewed in boiling water like tea. Selected ingredients give them their taste and contribute to an array of folk and researched-based benefits.

In traditional Chinese medicine, herbal teas are prescribed to address a variety of health concerns. Health benefits linked to herbal teas are widely reported, but you may be surprised to find out that very few scientific studies actually exist on the matter. There just isn’t much data supporting either side, yet they maintain almost a cult following of fans.

Whether for health benefits, or simply because a cup of hot tea soothes your soul, stick to your favorites (which for me is white tea with a squeeze of agave nectar and a splash or two of milk), try a new variety, relax, and breathe deeply to enjoy all that tea time can offer.

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The Next Health Wave is White

Move over green tea. The popularity of white tea is gathering momentum and here’s why: White tea is measured to have an antioxidant content up to three times greater than green tea. And white tea lacks the grassy green tea taste that many people find unpleasant.

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Cutting back on caffeine?

According to the American Dietetic Association, a cup of tea contains an average of 40 mg of caffeine, compared to 85 mg as found in a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

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Study found tea may protect against ovarian cancer
Researchers from Sweden followed more than 60,000 women ages 40 to 76 for more than 15 years. Analysis of their food frequency questionnaire showed that women who drank more than two cups of tea per day lowered their ovarian cancer risk by 46 percent; those who drank one cup of tea each day lowered their risk by 24 percent. On average, each additional cup of tea was associated with an 18 percent decrease in the risk for developing ovarian cancer. The results of this study were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in December 2005.

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Study found that green tea reduces death rates from heart disease

Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan investigated data of more than 400,000 participants aged 40 to 79 years. These individuals were followed for 11 years, and the death rates from heart disease, cancer and other causes were analyzed. Researchers found that the heart disease death rate from participants who drank more than five cups of green tea daily is 26 percent lower in the first seven years of study. In addition, researchers found that the benefits of green tea appeared to be stronger in women than men. The results of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association in September 2006.

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More Terrific News About Tea

A report in Archives of Internal Medicine looked at about 500 Chinese men and women who regularly drank green tea for more than 10 years. Compared with nonhabitual tea drinkers, green tea regulars had higher bone mineral densities, even after exercise and calcium were taken into account.

Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, asked test subjects to eat low-fat, low-calorie prepared meals and drink five cups of caffeinated green tea or caffeinated and non-caffeinated placebos that mimicked the look of tea. Levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol dropped 10 percent among the test subjects who drank tea.

Dr. Kenneth Mukamal of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported that out of 1,900 heart-attack patients, those who drank two or more cups of green tea a day reduced their risks of dying over th

More than money, true prosperity is a combination of beliefs

By Kathleen Jaap, CPA, MA, Prosperity Coach

Many people believe that prosperity is simply the accumulation of money and material possessions. But your true prosperity consists of those people, places and things that make you happy. While that may include money, it is much more than just your cash flow or financial net worth. Everyone has their own unique prosperity blueprint. And in today’s economy, it can often feel challenging to accept that your prosperity is available to you any time you choose, just for the asking.  In order to do this you must first know how your mind works, what prosperity means to you and actions you can take to enjoy the daily blessings that are all around you.

Prosperity begins in your mind—your subconscious mind—this is where all the action is. You are constantly attracting into your life according to what you believe and where you place your attention and energy. Your deeply held beliefs and what you vividly imagine and feel are what you bring into your life each and every day. You manifest from where you place your time, energy and attention—both wanted and unwanted. Your subconscious mind does not know if what you think and believe is real or not real. Every moment your mind is going about its normal business of looking for evidence in the external world to support what you think and believe.  When you want something and it is not manifesting, it is most likely because of limiting beliefs. Remaining stuck in old thoughts of lack and need only produce more of the same. If you are stuck in chronic thoughts of wishing and hoping, then you will always be wishing and hoping. Both of these states of mind imply the possibility of failure to achieve your goals.

We do not eliminate our problems by denying their existence. Resistance towards your problems and challenges stops the energy of abundance and attracts more of what you do not want. However, you can deny their power over your mental and spiritual peace of mind. Become aware of the beliefs and patterns you have around money and prosperity. When you make peace with where you are currently, this allows you to shift in the direction you want to be. While releasing thoughts of lack will certainly help you out of this rut, the real key is to plant thoughts of abundance and prosperity. You can learn to activate and amplify your own conscious awareness of prosperity and abundance.

There are some things you can begin doing now that will help you shift your mental energy. One of the simplest ways you can begin to tap into the energy of your personal prosperity is by noticing the everyday good things that occur in and around you. It is easy for us to see the things in life that we don’t like, and it is just as easy to begin noticing the things in life that really matter.

Buy a pack of index cards or a small notepad that you can keep with you. Throughout the day, simply begin to notice anything that you like or appreciate. You will soon notice that lots of good things are happening all around you every day! This exercise is a bit different from a gratitude journal. While a gratitude journal is normally posted to at the beginning or end of the day, this exercise records prosperity within moments and allows the process to build on itself. As you continue this daily practice and gain momentum, you will be amazed at how many good things are happening right now. You will begin to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

At first you may need to make the effort to notice and experience your prosperity.  So much of our prosperity comes from things that we tend to take for granted or overlook. Start with your five senses. Yes, stop and smell the roses, admire their beauty. Slow down your eating and really take the time to smell and taste a delicious meal. You will actually eat less and feel much more satisfied. Take a time out and feel the softness of your pet’s fur. Enjoy feeling the gentle breezes that are coming our way as the season changes. It truly is all of the little things that add up to create a rich and abundant life of enjoyment and peace of mind.

Get clear on your goals and desires. Having a clear vision for your future combined with desire and setting goals to create that reality are powerful catalysts for success. Clear out clutter to make room for new energy and ideas. Holding on to people, situations, stories and things you no longer need creates a stagnation of energy. Surround yourself only with those people and ideas that support you and your success.

Smile. Yes, smile.  This tried and true strategy brings instant change within yourself and to those around you. Smiles are contagious!

Say, “Thank you.” Gratitude is a powerful feeling that energizes you towards your prosperity. When you are thankful and saying YES to abundance, more good things come your way.

Read the timeless works written by the giants of prosperity consciousness: Catherine Ponder, Florence Scovill Shinn, Ernest Holmes, Goddard Neville, Eric Butterworth, Napoleon Hill and Wallace Wattles. I highly recommend reading The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Dr. Joseph Murphy.

So what is prosperity for you? What are the day to day things that bring you joy and happiness? What puts a smile on your face or warms your heart? These are what make up your unique prosperity blueprint. There is a wonderland of joy waiting for you every day. When you take the time to notice, you will be surprised how much prosperity and abundance is surrounding you for your enjoyment right now!

Taking Time to Talk with Your Daughter about the Changes Ahead

By Jayme Lamm

Girls start to experience puberty between the ages of 9 and 16, but the timing is different for every girl.  This is a time of many changes including body size and shape, development of breasts and pubic hair, and the start of periods. Puberty is not only a time for physical changes, but emotional changes as well. Even though bodily changes are the most obvious signs, it’s important to talk to your children about the emotional and sexual changes that also come with puberty.

“Mothers are often the ideal go-to person for girls to talk about their changing bodies – mom went through it too!  But if girls are uncomfortable talking to their moms, an aunt or teacher may be willing to assume this role. I have many moms and daughters that come in together to talk about these bodily changes, and it proves to be educational for both,” says Friendswood gynecologist Jeanmarie Salinas., MD.

Many mothers wait until their daughters start to ask questions about puberty, but if she is shy or embarrassed, she may not come to you. It’s important to talk to her before the changes happen so they don’t come as a big surprise. Open communication is the key to making her feel comfortable asking questions about what’s going on with her body. Young girls need to be reassured that what is going on with their body is normal. The more girls understand what a period is and what to expect, the more comfortable they are.

Cramps

Just as periods are different for everyone, so are cramps.  Some girls are lucky enough to not experience cramps while others can barely get out of bed because of pain. There are a number of things that can help with cramps such as heating pads, taking a pain reliever or anti-inflammatory, getting regular exercise and rest, drinking plenty of water and avoiding salty foods. If your daughter is suffering from major cramps and it’s keeping her out of school or other activities, visit a doctor to see what else can be done.

Responsibilities

When your daughter hits puberty, it’s more than just her period. She is experiencing hormones and hair growth and many other bodily changes. Explain the importance of showering daily and implementing a daily facial cleansing routine to battle acne and body odors. Keep a calendar to chart menstrual cycles. Get at least eight hours of sleep at bedtime. Remember, puberty is a time when your little girl turns into a woman.  There are many responsibilities that come with being a woman and safe sex or abstinence talks are very important.

When to See a Doctor

Most girls going through puberty or starting their periods do not need to see a doctor.  All girls develop at different rates, and there is a large range of normal ages between which puberty occurs. “If the first changes or signs of puberty occur before eight, it may be precocious puberty (simply meaning the changes happen earlier than normal) and needs to be evaluated. If your child is 15 or older and has not shown any signs of puberty, she may be experiencing delayed puberty and should visit with a doctor,” Salinas adds.

Dr. Salinas is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has been practicing medicine in the Friendswood community since 1984.

1650-B East Winding Way, Friendswood, TX 77546

P. 281.996.7788

Five Stages of Puberty

1. Between ages 8 – 12:  No visible signs of physical development, but the ovaries are enlarging and hormone production is beginning.
2. May begin anywhere from ages 8 – 14:  Height and weight increase rapidly. Fine hair growth begins close to the pubic area and underarms. Breast buds appear; nipples become raised and their area may be tender. Sweat and oil glands become more active, which can result in acne.
3. May begin anywhere from ages 9 – 15:  Breasts become rounder and fuller. Hips may start to widen in relation to waist. Vagina begins secreting a clear or whitish fluid. Pubic hair becomes darker, thicker and curlier. Height and weight continue to increase. For some girls, ovulation and menstruation (periods) begin, but may be irregular.
4. May begin anywhere from ages 10 – 16:  Underarm hair becomes darker. Pubic hair starts to form a triangular patch in front and around sides of genital area. The nipple and the dark area around the breast (areola) may stick out from the rest of the breast. For many girls, ovulation and menstruation begin, but may be irregular.
5. May begin anywhere from ages 12 – 19:  Adult height is probably reached. Breast development is complete. Pubic hair forms a thick, curly, triangular patch. Ovulation and menstruation usually occur regularly. The overall look is that of a young adult woman.

Track Your Cycle

Visit http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates and enter “Menstrual Calendar” in the search box to download a free calendar to help your daughter track spotting, heavy days, cramping, etc.

THROUGHOUT HISTORy MUCH IS DESCRIBED OF THE VITAL role the sun plays in our existence and ongoing survival. From spiritual, psychological and physical perspectives, the sun is portrayed as a life source without which the world as we know it would cease to exist. In Plato’s,