Long before winter comes, black bears in the forest spend all their time eating everything they can sink their teeth into.

During the summer, bears eat and eat and eat, trying to get as fat as they possibly can, and when the weather turns cold, they look for a place to curl up and then they sleep the winter away.

Now, the habits of bears might not seem like something you should try to follow. After all, doctors are always warning us humans that we shouldn’t overeat, and that we shouldn’t spend all of our time lying around, doing nothing.

But there is one part of the black bear’s habits that you should actually try to imitate, because it would be good for your health.

Black bears eat a lot of berries, of many different varieties, such as raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

Berries contain natural sugars and wonderful flavors. Unlike many other foods that are really good for you, but which don’t taste good, berries taste great.

And unlike many foods that taste great but which aren’t good for you, berries are among the most health friendly foods you can eat.

It’s only been within the last decade that scientists have started to pay a lot of attention to the health benefits of berries. And what researchers are learning about the health benefits of berries has a lot of exciting potential for human diets.

One of the first major experiments on the health benefits of berries took place at Tufts University about ten years ago.

Researchers were working with a group of aging rats. They fed them diets of various foods to see what the effects would be. Among the foods they tested were strawberries, blueberries, and spinach.

Now these rats were fairly old in terms of “rat years”. In fact, their age was equivalent to humans about 70 years old.

The foods the scientists tested were all very high in beneficial antioxidants, so the scientists wanted to see if any of these foods would boost the physical and mental capabilities of these aging rats.

The researchers found that while several of these foods seemed to offer some antioxidant protection, the rats that had been fed blueberries were the only ones that actually improved in their abilities.

In fact, the rats which had been fed blueberries were able to perform like much younger rats!

This was a very exciting find, and the scientists then wanted to find what it was in the blueberries that produced this very beneficial effect.

It turns out that the chemicals responsible for making these aging rats act mentally younger and perkier were the pigments in the skin of the blueberries.

The compounds that give ripe berries their beautiful colors are the very substances that have such strong anti-oxidant powers. And antioxidants are compounds that help repair some of the damage that happens to our body cells every day.

Scientists have discovered that the darker the berry, the more health benefits it has! Eating two thirds of a cup of blueberries will give you as much anti-oxidant protection as five servings of apples or squash.

The dark pigments in these berries seem to offer protection against cardiovascular disease, degenerative eye disease such as cataracts, and may offer some help in preventing some cancers, and bladder infections.

If the exciting results of the rat studies turn out to also hold true for humans, it may mean that compounds in these dark berries may help protect brain cells from the degenerative diseases of aging.

You can get this fantastic antioxidant protection whether you eat your berries fresh, frozen, or dried.

You can eat berries raw, add them to your favorite cereals, or make a smoothie drink with various berries, fruits, milk and yoghurt. Get creative and find ways to mix berries into your favorite recipes.

In North America, blueberries are available fresh or frozen year round. If you can’t get fresh berries, dried berries are also filled with very concentrated levels of the valuable antioxidants.

If you live in a place where blueberries are not easily available, look for other fruits and berries that have very dark red or dark purple colors.

Foods such as pomegranates, bilberries, cherries, black raspberries, saskatoons or serviceberries also have high levels of these very beneficial dark pigments. These foods offer benefits similar to the benefits of blueberries.

So, think about incorporating at least one habit of bears into your lifestyle - and make berries a frequent part of your diet!

This article is written by self help author Royane Real. If you would like to learn more about what foods are good for your brain as well as many other brain boosting ideas, get her book “How You Can Be Smarter” at http://www.royanereal.com

Tags: berry, berries, black berries, blue berries, antioxidants, health benefits of berries, anti-aging,

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Is it the great physical body that you are seeking or how your beautiful body will help you connect to your mind and spirit? What if I told you that you might just find so much more than your beautiful body when you start exercising and getting your body in great physical shape? What if you looked at exercise in a little different way that would help you find that beautiful person and spirit that has been hiding inside your physical body? As we Americans and people throughout the world see more and more beautiful bodies on both televisions and in magazines we tend to want to have these bodies. If I told you that by just focusing on getting this beautiful body you may become discouraged and this may lead to not attaining the goal you set out to attain, what would you think?

What I am trying to illustrate here is through focusing your intentions on something more that just the process of working out, to shifting your attitude to freeing your body and soul to a higher consciousness level. By allowing the physical process of exercise to open the doors to a more purposeful life one may find that the joy of living is a much higher reward than the beautiful body.

In using the body and the physical exercise to open yourself to a more fulfilled life you can transform your life and really become alive again. Stating the intention of your workout to connect the mind, body and spiritual aspects of your life would allow you to use your time exercising at the gym or in a yoga class not only to get healthy but also to connect with your soul and higher self.

Many of us may be aware of how physical activity can release the negative energy, such as stress, from our bodies. Exercise can free the body and mind to feel more vibrant, more joy for life and help to open yourself up to receiving the higher vibrations of creativity and purpose in your life. Physical fitness can be the starting place to open a pathway to harmonious living.

One of the ways you can really open yourself to more fulfillment is to focus your intention on what you want to get out of your exercise and physical activity. Keep in mind that you are using this activity to also open pathways to your mind, body and spirit. Other thoughts or intentions you can hold in your minds eyes is how you want to feel inside, such as a feeling of well being and being whole and complete just as you are in this moment.

You should not be too hard on yourself by setting unrealistic goals and definitely do not criticize yourself. You want to connect to yourself and pay attention to how you are feeling, both emotionally and physically. Criticizing yourself will only defeat the purpose of your exercise. The purpose of your exercise program should be to feel better about yourself and the connection to your mind, body and spirit.

Also pay attention to how certain parts of your body may be communicating to you. Pay attention to how your legs are feeling, your abs, your arms and other parts of your body both internally and externally. See if there is any negative or emotional energy that is being released as you are working out. Make sure you are breathing deeply, relaxing and releasing stress, so that you are more open to releasing any blocks to your connection to your mind, body and spirit.

Mostly have fun, for that’s a big part of our experience here on this planet. Pay attention to how you and your body are feeling and look to see if you are connecting to something more than just your physical body but a connecting to this amazing universe you are a part of.

This is Douglas Alp exploring how we can live better and more complete lives of happiness and abundance. Please check out my Free 17 page report on Optimal Health and Anti Aging. Click away!
http://mycompletelife.com/index.html

Tags: exercise, health, anti-aging, meditation, spirituality, mind body connection, relaxation, breathing

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Strappy sandals with colorful toe nails, tan limbs, easy-breezy haircuts, aromatic suntan lotions and wild-patterned beachwear. Ahhhh, summer!

There’s a lot of preparation that goes into getting ready for summer. Many people begin working out months in advance with a vengeance so they can sport toned, washboard abs, tighter thighs and hips and shapely arms. They carefully shop for the perfect outfits, shoes, bathing suits and revealing togs to compliment the newly sleek physique.

Getting ready for fun in the sun basically encompasses the region from the neck down to the toes and most people forget to include their faces in the regimen. Sure, they remember to slather on sun block, wear a hat and sunglasses, and are careful not to overexpose their bodies with too much sun but the fact remains that unattended faces can make one look older than their years.

An unattended face is droopy because skin care is not enough; there are jowls and pouches, thin unexpressive lips and usually a double chin or tired, lined eyes. Most people are unaware that exercise can work for the face just as it works for the body. Just like your body, your face has muscles under the skin and these facial muscles require exercise to keep the skin from dragging downward. When the skin loses its resiliency the facial muscles no longer support the cheeks, lower mouth or forehead and a misshapen face develops over time. Even lips will lose fullness as the face loses volume.

How does one recapture a youthful visage? Will creams, lotions and potions reverse sagging muscles and make the skin tighter? Only if they would; we could all have toned tightened skin on every area of our body. Just think about itsagging underarms - no problem, let’s just slap on a little cream or rear-end looking a little droopy - where’s that magic potion? Alas, that’s not possible.

Surgery for the face and lips has become epidemic yet there are many men and women who would rather count on natural methods to help them look their best. Nothing beats exercise. It forces oxygenated blood to the tissue, helps you look healthier and feel more alive. Imagine a younger looking face to match that new “ready for summer” body using an exercise routine that can be completed in just minutes a day. Not all exercise programs are created equal so for optimum results, choose one that offers isometric and resistance type movements.

In the face, the muscles are attached to bone on only one end; the other end inserts into another muscle or the skin. To achieve resistance the muscle and skin must be anchored. Only when the muscle is anchored can a contraction occur and when this happens, the muscle responds by tightening and repositioning; the face looks younger because the muscles, just below the skin, are in much better physical condition.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.

Cynthia Rowland, Anti-aging Expert
I Save Faces
http://www.Facialmagic.com

Tags: face lift, looking younger, facial exercise, anti-aging, sagging, plastic surgery

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