Take a stance,
Each day is another chance
To shine, to make a different beginning,,
Even if your soul is struggling.
Sometimes in our most vulnerable states
We can, a difference make.
Life can be good
Even if sometimes we do not do what we should.
Despite all the sett backs and frustrations
Life is a rewarding and full of jubilation.
Often in defeat,
We can see when it is time to retreat,
Life has a way of instructing us, too
Humbling some, often with another chance or two.
Look at something from another way
Another perspective will often display
Things are there,
Make yourself aware
Reach for that higher “bar”
Surely, you will go far.
Make a list of your top sources of stress in your life.
It could be your job, a toxic relationship, your schedule, where you live etc. Then make a plan to make a change.
Completely remove the source of stress OR redefine and restructure the source so it no longer causes you stress OR try to find peace with it.
How you show up for your day is how your day will go.
If you start the day dreading your job, if you’re running late and rushing, or if you’re unhappy at home – you’ll show up stressed and unhappy at work.
You’ll be reactive, you’ll be irritated and you will return home at the end of the day stressed, unfulfilled and unhappy.
Alternatively, if you…
….you’ll show up to work calm, balanced and in a good mood.
You’ll be ready to take on the day and everyone in it. You will be more likely to have a positive day and show strength even during stressful times.
If you can control the breath, you can control the mind.
Taking a deep breath is one of the most simple and powerful things you can do to combat daily stress.
When you encounter an obstacle and feel your body going into fight or flight (when you get agitated), close your eyes, take a DEEP SLOW breath.
Breathe in through your nose and release it out through your mouth with a sigh. Do at least 3 rounds of this, bringing your focus inward, focusing on your breath.
Intentional deep breathing will calm the body and the mind and can prevent the activation of your sympathetic nervous system.
In order to reduce stress and have balance in our lives, it’s so important that we find time to wind down and RELAX!
For me, this is where yoga practice comes in. I practice a very mellow, traditional yoga style that helps calm my mind and my body.
For some of you, this might be laying on the couch and watching a movie, taking a bath or cooking. So whatever helps you to relax, wind down and take a break from the grind, DO IT weekly!
Some people get headaches, body aches or pain, diarrhea, acne, anxiety, ulcers, hernias or inflammation.
It’s easy to see that the consistent push into fight or flight mode can have a detrimental effect on our bodies over time. All of this can even lead to things like heart disease and cancer.
What is MCT oil?
All fats are constructed with chains of carbon atoms, and different types of fat have varying numbers of these atoms. For instance, most fats in the average diet, including coconut oil are long-chain fatty acids which are made up of 13 to 21 carbon atoms. On the other end of the spectrum are short-chain fatty acids consisting of only 6 or fewer.
Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCT, are right in the middle and contain 6-12 carbon atoms.
MCT oil is a dietary supplement made up of fats extracted from various sources including coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and dairy products. These fats are combined to form the shorter carbon chains that are easier for the body to digest.
MCTs are also different from long-chain fatty acids in that they take a more direct route as they are digested in the body. They go straight from the gut to the liver which means that they can immediately be used as energy.
This supplement can also be converted in the liver into ketones which are substances that are produced when the body begins breaking down large amounts of fat. They are helpful because they can be used by the brain for energy instead of typical sources like glucose or sugar. This process, where calories are used as energy right away is why many people support the ketogenic diet as an effective weight-loss tool.
To put it simply, medium-chain triglycerides are a particular type of fat found in various products such as coconut oil and palm kernel oil. MCT oil is a flavorless, odorless, clear liquid supplement made from these pure fats without any added ingredients.
Why eat MCT Oil?
Though the science regarding the benefits of MCT oil is still in its early stages, there are studies available that show its potential as a weight loss toll and metabolism booster. Obviously, nothing can cause instantaneous weight loss, and it will certainly have no effect if you continue in a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. However, when combined with a whole foods diet and regular exercise, MCT oil can give your metabolism the boost that it needs to start burning off those extra pounds.
This is perhaps due to the higher burn rate of medium-chain triglycerides, meaning your body can metabolize the fat quickly and use it as energy immediately instead of storing it. This study compared MCT oil and olive oil in a long term weight-loss program and determined, “MCT oil as part of a weight-loss plan improves weight loss compared with olive oil and can thus be successfully included in a weight-loss diet.”
One study showed that MCT oil was more helpful in promoting feelings of fullness than coconut oil. This leads to smaller portion sizes and better control regarding snacking and unhealthy food choices.
There are also limited studies linking the use of MCT oil to energy boosts and increased endurance in recreational athletes and lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and Altzheimers. More research is needed to better understand the effects of MCT oil on the body; however, initial studies are promising and indicate MCT oil could be the newest superfood to keep an eye on.
How to get more MCT oil in your diet
Because MCT oil is more of a liquid than an actual oil, it has an extremely low smoke point and should not be used for cooking. Consume MCT without heating in various dishes such as salad dressings, bulletproof coffee, smoothies, or other drinks. Since is it tasteless and odorless, it is easy to slip into a number of dishes without changing the flavor. Start with only ½ a tablespoon per day to give your digestive system time to adjust and slowly increase the dosage. Most recommended serving sizes are 1-3 tablespoons per day.
It may seem strange to cultivate a list of flowers you should avoid planting in your garden, however it is vital to be aware of some eye-catching beauties that are more trouble than they’re worth. These plants are either toxic, invasive or could potentially cause damage to your other healthy flowers. It is best to avoid growing these 9 plants in your garden, no matter how enticing they may be.
Bamboo
Though the thought of a living privacy fence between you and your neighbor and the feel of a tropical paradise in your backyard may be appealing, bamboo can often become an unexpected source of frustration when it begins to take over. Once established, this plant roots very deeply and grows incredibly quickly, meaning that when you’ve committed to bamboo, there’s no escaping it.
If you still want to enjoy this hardy (and lovely) plant, it is a good idea to grow it in large raised planters that can prevent spread.
Tansy
Another invasive species that quickly becomes the only plant in your garden by overtaking the rest of your flowers, tansy is also toxic when ingested. Avoid this plant if you have pets or small children that could find their way into the garden.
Mimosa tree
Though these trees add an exciting exotic flair to your garden, with their delicate leaves and captivating blooms, mimosas won’t exactly win you any favor in the neighborhood popularity contest. When the wind picks up, this tree spreads seedlings wide and far, where they take root in the most inconvenient locations and are almost impossible to eradicate completely.
Mint
Okay, so saying that you should NEVER plant mint in your garden may be a little extreme. When contained properly, mint is an amazing herb with hundreds of uses. However, it is one of the most invasive herb plants and can quickly become nothing more than a fragrant weed that you have to cut back or pull out each year. If you still want to grow mint, dedicate an entire garden area to various varieties or grow it in a container. You could even dig a hole in the ground large enough for the entire pot of mint and contain the roots that way.
English Ivy
Though you may be dreaming of an idyllic ivy-covered wall, this plant is far more trouble than it’s worth. It tends to work its way into any crack available, forcing apart fences, bricks, and even the foundation of your home. There’s a reason that you see many dilapidated houses with a thick layer of ivy; it needs little care and it incredibly difficult to keep under control.
Wisteria
Unless you plan to dedicate hours to pruning your wisteria every couple of months, it is best to avoid this fairy-like purple plant. The roots spread throughout your entire garden, causing shoots to pop up and destroy your other plants. Even if you are an expert pruner and keep your wisteria on a tight leash, you are still likely to miss a runner and will quickly begin to regret the day you planted this invasive species.
Deadly nightshade
Deadly nightshade (or belladonna) carries that name for a reason. Every single part of this plant is incredibly poisonous. In fact, just two berries could kill a small child. Belladonna should have no place in your garden due to its extreme toxicity. Place this plant on the “no exceptions” list.
Female Ginko Bilboa trees
Unlike the male version of these trees, the female ginko produces nasty, unuseable fruit that leaves a mess on the ground and has been noted to smell like vomit. Doesn’t exactly sound like something you want near your front door, does it?
The male plant can make a wonderful addition to your yard, but it is is a good idea to avoid the female, unless of course, you want to deter unsolicited visitors with its toxic fruit.
Water hyacinth
Often a popular choice for backyard ponds or other water features due to its water purification abilities, the water hyacinth may seem sweet at first but will quickly take over any other water plants. Instead of a pond or pretty fountain, you may simply have a bed of purple flowers that can often be a hassle to get rid of. Opt for less invasive water plants such as waterlilies.
By Jill Knapp · April 4, 2019
We would love to all take a look in the mirror and see a flat stomach with abs that pop. All though for many, this is the goal it’s more important to lose the fat around your midsection AKA “belly fat” for health reasons as well. If you did not know already, “belly fat” has very big health risks. Visceral fat is wrapped around organs, kidneys, liver and pancreas.
If you happen to have a protruding belly, this sign can be that you have dangerous visceral fat. This can happen to anyone but not everyone knows about this dangerous fat. I always say knowledge is power so when I started studying what exactly visceral fat was in school, I was fascinated about all I came to find out.
Carrying around this type of fat can increase the risk of many health problems. I am just going to name a few:
Get out there and get moving. If you’re really serious like I was, doing 30 to 60 minutes a day of exercise will make a big difference. You need to push yourself to a sweat but you can do an activity you enjoy. I enjoy zumba so I really broke out a sweat and moved in a group zumba class. I also love to bike during the warmer months. You can also use fast-paced walking as a exercise, rowing, running, or swimming to elevate your heart rate and break out into a sweat. Visceral fat responds great to endurance exercise. You just need to be consistent.
Yoga is a great stress reliever. If yoga is not for you then you can find a quiet spot when feeling stressed and do deep relaxing breathing. This did wonders for me and my state of mind. Just a few times a day taking the time to relax and clear the mind is something I was not used to doing when I was younger.
A myth that has been around forever is you can burn off your belly fat. Sure exercise will help, in fact it is a great help in the fight to rid of visceral fat but you also need to change what you eat, if you eat sugar and refined carbohydrates. I talk about this in many of my articles but I know from experience of my own and others that a lifestyle change can change so much. Eat leaner protein and less refined carbs. Eat small portions. Eat healthy fats which are found in nuts and seeds. Eat fruit but not in excess. Eat lots of vegetables. Sure a piece of birthday cake now and then is fine just really try to decrease the sugar because this of all things started my midline to shrink. The less sugar I ate the less fat around my stomach.
7 to 8 hours of sleep is great for body recovery. You really need to shut off artificial light. Put down that cell phone or tablet or any electronics an hour before bedtime. This will help relax the mind and get rid of stimuli to the brain so you can get the good sleep you need. Sleep deprivation can actually cause depression, weight gain and many other health issues so get in your zzzz’s.
| Matthew Arnold Although remembered now for his elegantly argued critical essays, Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) began his career as a poet, winning early recognition as a student at the Rugby School where his father, Thomas Arnold, had earned national acclaim as a strict and innovative headmaster. Arnold also studied at Balliol College, Oxford University. In 1844, after completing his undergraduate degree at Oxford, he returned to Rugby as a teacher of classics. After marrying in 1851, Arnold began work as a government school inspector, a grueling position which nonetheless afforded him the opportunity to travel throughout England and the Continent. Throughout his thirty-five years in this position, Arnold developed an interest in education, an interest which fed into both his critical works and his poetry. Empedocles on Etna (1852) and Poems (1853) established Arnold’s reputation as a poet and in 1857 he was offered a position, which he accepted and held until 1867, as Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Arnold became the first professor to lecture in English rather than Latin. During this time Arnold wrote the bulk of his most famous critical works, Essays in Criticism (1865) and Culture and Anarchy (1869), in which he sets forth ideas that greatly reflect the predominant values of the Victorian era. Meditative and rhetorical, Arnold’s poetry often wrestles with problems of psychological isolation. In “To Marguerite—Continued,” for example, Arnold revises Donne’s assertion that “No man is an island,” suggesting that we “mortals” are indeed “in the sea of life enisled.” Other well-known poems, such as “Dover Beach,” link the problem of isolation with what Arnold saw as the dwindling faith of his time. Despite his own religious doubts, a source of great anxiety for him, in several essays Arnold sought to establish the essential truth of Christianity. His most influential essays, however, were those on literary topics. In “The Function of Criticism” (1865) and “The Study of Poetry” (1880) Arnold called for new epic poetry: a poetry that would address the moral needs of his readers, “to animate and ennoble them.” Arnold’s arguments, for a renewed religious faith and adoption of classical aesthetics and morals, are particularly representative of mainstream Victorian intellectual concerns. His approach—his gentlemanly and subtle style—to these issues, however, established criticism as an art form and has influenced almost every major English critic since, including T. S. Eliot, Lionel Trilling, and Harold Bloom. Though perhaps less obvious, the tremendous influence of his poetry, which addresses the poet’s most innermost feelings with complete transparency, can easily be seen in writers as different from each other as W. B. Yeats, James Wright, Sylvia Plath, and Sharon Olds. Late in life, in 1883 and 1886, Arnold made two lecturing tours of the United States. Matthew Arnold died in Liverpool in 1888. |
They do too much damage to our house, tree house and swing set each year for me to be on good terms with them. I’ve read article after article that says they only go after non-treated, rotting wood, but that hasn’t been my experience at all.
See those holes? They were made by carpenter bees. That’s pressure treated lumber, and they started boring holes in it as soon as we finished building our tree house. They continue to bore new holes in it every spring.
When we built a new roof overhang over the basement a couple years ago, they bored holes through the new cedar supports, before we had a chance to finish them, and they continued to bore holes through them even after we stained them. They’re destructive creatures, I tell you.
So, several years back, my husband and I decided to build some carpenter bee traps to combat the problem. After a ton of research, we came up with our own design, and when we tested them, we couldn’t believe how well they worked.
Circular saw (or a hand saw)
Drill
1/2″ wood bit
7/8″ wood bit
1/2″ metal bit
Square
Punch
Hammer
Tape measure
Screw driver
Pencil
4×4 post (A scrap of one is fine. You just need seven inches.)
(1)Mason jar (half pint or a regular mouth pint)
(1)Screw eye
Wood screws
Step 1: Measure seven inches up from the end of your 4×4. Then, draw a 45-degree angle that radiates down from this point.
Step 2: Use a circular saw or a hand saw to cut the angle that you just marked.
This will leave you with a block of wood that is seven-inches tall in the back and four-inches tall in the front.
Step 3: Flip your 4×4 piece over, so that the flat bottom is facing up, and mark its center. Then, drill a 7/8-inch hole at the center point that is approximately 4-inches deep. Take care to keep your hole straight.
Step 4: Now, mark the location of your entry holes on the four sides of your block. Each hole should be two inches from the bottom and one and three-quarter inches from each side. Use your 1/2-inch wood bit to make your holes at an upward 45-degree angle. Continue drilling until your hole connects with the hole that you drilled from the bottom. Then, repeat with the remaining holes.
Here’s what your block should look like at this point.
Step 5: Unscrew the lid from your jar, and lay it on a piece of scrap lumber or a heavy metal plate. Find the center of your lid and mark it. Then, divide the distance between the center hole and the lip to find and mark the spots that you’ll use to screw the jar to the trap. Use a punch to make your holes.
Step 6: Use a 1/2-inch metal bit to make the center hole larger. Leave the other holes as is.
Step 7: Stick the lid back inside its ring, and screw the lid onto the bottom of your trap, taking care to make sure the 1/2-inch hole on your lid lines up with the 7/8-inch hole at the base of your trap.
Step 8: Add a screw eye to the top of your trap and hang.
Carpenter bees discover one of the outer holes and crawl inside it to lay eggs. Once inside, the 45-degree tunnel casts their entry point in the shadows. They see light coming up from the hole at the base of the trap, and move towards it, assuming it’s the exit. Instead of finding their way out, they find themselves in the jar, and can’t figure out how to get back out. Victory!
We hang our traps where we’re seeing carpenter bee activity. Then, we treat the holes they’ve bored with Spectracide Termite Killing Foam (it’s formulated for carpenter bees, too). Afterwards, we fill the holes in with caulk or wooden dowels. If we’re short on time, we just cram a stick up the holes until we have time to make a more permanent fix. But it’s definitely important to block the holes right away because it forces the bees, who weren’t in their nests when you sprayed, to go in search of new nesting sites, and it also kills the larvae they’ve laid, so you don’t have more bees hatching out next year. Carpenter bees will build their nests in existing holes, if they can find them, so if you have a trap full of carpenter bee-sized holes hanging near by, they’re likely to crawl inside to check it out, and when they do, you’ll have them trapped.
Note: Spectracide now also sells Carpenter Bee and Ground Nesting Yellow Jacket Killer Foam. It has the same active ingredients as the termite foam, so use whichever one you’re able to find.
Mws R Writings 