Ah, Christmas, my favorite time of year. Tis the season for parties, great food, meeting up with family and friends that I haven’t seen in a long time and yes, don’t remind me; a season for getting the cold or flu.
As lovable as Santa is, I am gonna think twice about letting my child anywhere him, let alone kissing him.
You never know, Santa might be bearing gifts other than toys for children. Him living all the way in the North Pole he just might be having the sniffles or worse.
Last Christmas, I used my radiator heater heavily because I hate living in a cold house.
Despite the heating and wearing multiple layers of clothing outside, I came down with the flu once and had the sniffles a couple of times.
Maybe a ‘couple sniffles” is not bad but when I got the electricity bill, it wasn’t the sniffles I was worried about, it was my heart. Man was it high!
Any how, maybe I can use a little less heating this season and include extra practices that will help me from falling prey to the flu.
So here is what I am gonna do
1. Get more sleep. Not sleeping enough can make your body more susceptible to sickness by decreasing the amount of cells dedicated to fighting bacteria.
2. Practice good hygiene. Isn’t this something our parents drilled in us from a young age so as not to spread germs.
When you sneeze, do so in a tissue and not in your hands. If you are using a public bathroom, wash your hands and then wipe them in your own tissue.
Before and after meals wash your hands.
Getting some of those antiseptic hand wipes is also a good idea for wiping hands. My grandmother always said “a clean wash and a dirty wipe makes no sense”
3. Drink clean water, filtered preferably. Keeping the body properly hydrated helps keeps the tissues of the respiratory system moist which helps prevent bacteria from settling and making us ill.
4. Take It Easy. A body that is under stress is more susceptible to catching a cold. People that are under stress often have low energy, a sure sign that their immune system is feeling the pressure.
Get a message, meditate, do yoga, see a movie, listen to music etc. Such activities will do wonders for you.
5. Air Out The Place. Perhaps last year I used my heating too often and didn’t open the windows enough. By opening the windows, you’ll be letting out potentially harmful pollutants that could attack your immune system.
6. Take supplements. Dietary supplements give you the vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients that you might not be getting from food. These nutrients promote immune system health and give you more energy.
Even if you think you are eating a balanced diet and that you don’t need a good multivitamin, think again. The soil our food is grown in is so nutrient-deficient that by the time you cook it, whatever little nutrient it had might be totally gone.
So do yourself and your children a favor right now. Take a quality multi vitamin and antioxidant supplement today and boost your immune system. And please, say hi to Santa for me.
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If you’re hoping to get your Christmas shopping done in style this year, the chances are that you may be thinking about heading to London to scoop up the best Christmas gifts that all your friends and family will adore. Better yet if you’re a London resident – a quick tube or bus ride will take you exactly where you need to go and the world of Christmas commerce is at your fingertips. <BR><BR> For many of us, Christmas is a bittersweet season. We all love the sense of family and friendship that the festive season brings on, but it can get difficult not to resent the pains and stress of Christmas shopping that we must toil through during the build up. Even if you get your presents for your partner sussed out, there’s still your parents. Or, if you’ve managed to get your mum and dad’s gifts out of the way, there’s now your brother, sister-in-law and nieces to think about! It just never seems to end – which is why so many people end up feeling stressed out, run down and in sore need of a break by the time they’re through with shopping. <BR><BR> However, just as Christmas is a time for giving to others, it can also be a time for giving to yourself. If you’ve had a hard day’s Christmas shopping in London and are in need of a relaxing break, why not treat yourself? No matter what you like to do to rejuvenate your senses, there’s one thing that’s definitely at the top of many people’s Christmas lists – a trip to the spa. Whether you love having your nails buffed and polished, ache for a workout in a well-equipped gym followed by a dip in the pool and relaxing seat in the sauna or you just love being pampered in full with a relaxing back massage, a night’s rest in the spa after your day of shopping is certain to not go amiss. You can then spend some time focussing on building your energy back up and forgetting your troubles before tomorrow comes and you have to do it all over again. <BR><BR> Of course, even if you do need to spend a few days shopping, it may not turn out to be such a bad thing – the <a target=”_blank” href=” in London</a> await to provide you with all the festive-themed relaxation you need, ensuring a very merry Christmas after all. <BR><BR>
Matthew Pressman writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
We all know how difficult it can be to think up new and unique gift ideas for our partners at Christmas (or any occasion for that matter). We all imagine what it would be like to give our partners the “perfect gift”, But most of the time are minds run a blank. Or we search everywhere for that ONE extraordinary gift of a lifetime, but still appear to come up little.
Simply-Romantic-Ideas.com is here to assist. They have rolled up a list of incomparable ideas and impractical gifts from individual antithetic websites. Their list includes everything from personalised romantic gifts, to romantic do-it-yourself gift ideas, to little things you can do for your partner to make giving your gift additive additiveordinary.
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As an appended bonus, if you visit the “Coupons” page on their website, you have access to their Free Romantic Printable Coupons. Print these off for loose, and give them to your partner as an out of the blue surprise.
For anyone who has ever been overpowered by the lack of options out there, this site is for you. To see the list go to http://www.simply-romantic-ideas.com/creative-romantic-gift-ideas.html or go to http://www.simply-romantic-ideas.com for more accommodating impractical tips and ideas.
Don’t bury. Valentine’s day is just around the corner.
ABOUT SIMPLY-ROMANTIC-IDEAS.COM: Located in Alberta, Canada, Simply-Romantic-Ideas.com (www.simply-romantic-ideas.com) was created with the goal of assisting couples append romance to their relationships. It offers loose impractical tips and ideas for an array of areas, much as gifts, , songs, movies, ways to purport, travel destinations, valentines day gift ideas, gracing tips, date ideas and more
Are you looking for a romantic gift for your beloved on this Christmas? The best way to find a gift that carries the theme of romance on this Christmas is by considering the romantic Christmas gifts. The collection of Christmas romantic gifts are exquisite, splendid and imaginative.
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President Obama Releases New Health Care Proposal in Time for Health Summit: On Monday February 22, 2010, White House officials unveiled a new reform overhaul that builds on the Senate version passed last Christmas Eve, with some changes aimed at pleasing House Democrats who had concerns with the Senate bill. The President’s proposal does not include the public option, despite the hopes of Senate Democrats, due to White House concerns that the provision will hinder passage in the Senate. President Obama ignored requests by Republicans to scratch the Democratic plan and start over. As such, Republican leaders questioned Democratic motives and labeled the bill as a massive government takeover of America’s health care system.
Republicans Insist House Democrats Don’t Have the Votes to Pass Legislation: Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced on Wednesday that Democrats don’t have the necessary votes to pass the President’s proposal in the House because of three new House vacancies and lagging support among some moderate Democrats. At issue for some Democrats are weaker abortion provisions in the President’s proposal as well as the ongoing controversy over passing a bill by a simple majority, a process known as reconciliation.
Health Care Summit Preview
On Thursday, the President’s Health Care Summit began at 10:00 a.m. with opening comments from the President, followed by remarks from both Republicans and Democrats. The discussion centered on four themes: controlling health care costs, overhauling the insurance market, reducing the deficit and expanding insurance coverage. Prior to Thursday, several top Republicans and some Democrats stated that expectations were extremely low for the Summit’s success.
House Republicans arrived armed with their own version of a health care bill that encourages small businesses to join together to buy insurance, gives federal money to states to run high-risk pools for those unable to obtain private insurance and limits damages in medical malpractice lawsuits. The Republican plan would cost $61 billion and cover three million people over ten years. In contrast, President Obama contends his plan would cost $950 billion and cover 30 million people over the same time period. However, officials at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicated they would not be able to officially score the President’s proposal with just a summary – that legislative language is needed.
Note: A full summary of the results from the Health Care Summit will be included in next week’s newsletter
Additional Activities
WellPoint Executives Defend Premium Increases: On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to examine the proposed health insurance premium increases by Anthem Blue Cross in California. Anthem, a WellPoint subsidiary, recently informed subscribers in California that premiums for individual insurance policies would be raised an average of 25 percent, with some rates going up as much as 39 percent. Angela Braly, president of WellPoint , said the premium increases were justified by soaring medical costs, and that pending legislation could make the problem worse, driving up costs further for young, healthy people.
“Raising our premiums was not something we wanted to do,” Ms. Braly said . “But we believe this was the most prudent choice, given the rising cost of care and the problems caused by many younger and healthier policyholders dropping or reducing their coverage during tough economic times. By law, premiums must be reasonable in relationship to benefits provided, which means they need to reflect the known and anticipated costs they will cover.”
In Sacramento , Leslie Margolin, president of Anthem Blue Cross in California, also testified before lawmakers, joined by vice president and general manager James Oatman. The focus of that hearing was also the proposed premium increase for California members in the individual market, with company executives pointing to the current economic climate and rising health care costs as reasons for the rate hikes.
U.S. House of Representatives Repeals Antitrust Exemption from Health Insurance Companies: On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 406-19 in favor of repealing a 65-year-old antitrust exemption from health insurance companies. Democrats said the repeal would lead to increased scrutiny of the industry. Yet, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said last year that repealing the exemption would not significantly reduce premiums because states already investigate health insurance companies.
In addition, industry executives pointed out that legislation could further hinder competition and the ability to share information to improve health care quality. “Health insurance is one of the most regulated industries in America at both the federal and the state levels,” said Karen Ignani, president and chief executive of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). “The real focus should be on addressing the rising cost of medical care, which is putting an unsustainable burden on families, employers and the federal budget,” she said.
Public Opinion
Polling Suggest Health Care Reform is Still Key to Economic Recovery: Recent polling on health care reform shows mixed reaction among the public over the proposed legislation. According to a recent CNN poll, 48 percent of those questioned said lawmakers should work on an entirely new bill and 25 percent felt that Congress should stop work on health care reform altogether.
According to the monthly poll from the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 75 percent of Americans still think it’s important that Obama include health care reform in addressing the nation’s economic crisis, while many still harbor doubts about the legislation.
When asked how health care legislation relates to their economic situation:
* Nearly 31 percent said they thought the Democratic bills would make their personal financial situation worse, compared with 10 percent who said it would improve their family budgets. * Forty-two percent said the nation’s fiscal condition would suffer because of the legislation, compared with 26 percent who said it would get better. * Americans were divided on whether the Democrats’ approach would improve overall access to health care around the country, with 35 percent saying it would and nearly that many disagreeing.
Health Insurance Coverage Varies Widely Based on Age: Coming just before the President’s Summit on Health Care Reform, a newly released Gallup Poll reinforces the wide degree of variability in health insurance coverage across U.S. population segments, especially when it comes to age. Eighty-four percent of 18-year-olds have health insurance, most likely because they are still covered under their parents’ policies. By age 22, health insurance coverage reaches its lowest point, with just 66 percent maintaining coverage. From age 22 on, the percentage of Americans with health insurance begins to climb, albeit slowly, reaching the 95 percent level at age 65 when Medicare becomes an option.
Looking Ahead
Legislators need to determine next steps for health care legislation coming out of the President’s Health Care Reform Summit. On Wednesday, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius invited executives from the top five insurance companies to meet at HHS to discuss their companies’ insurance premiums.
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We all like to go a little wild at Christmas. The thought of exercise and healthy foods just go out the window. So baring in mind that you won’t have your health and fitness head on this Christmas, here are 7 tips for reducing the damage to your body.
1. Eat Fat. That’s right, if you a planning on raiding the drinks cabinet and polishing off Grandpa’s bottles of brandy. Make sure you each some good fat along with your Christmas alcohol. Unpasteurized Cheese, Raw Nuts, or fatty fish like Salmon are good choices. The good fat and proteins helps to protect your gut wall and slows down blood sugar fluctuations.
2. Compromise. You’re going to have a good time with all that food and drink, right? Try to make a compromise somewhere else. A great idea would be to give up caffeine. Sugars like alcohol will put your blood sugars into a spin. Your adrenal glands will be working overtime. Adding caffeine on top of this will really test their function. Giving up caffeine will save you from adrenal fatigue, and keep fat inducing insulin fluctuations at bay.
3. Start drinking. Not just anything you can get your hands on. You are going to need water to repair your body. Buy a 2 litre bottle of water and ensure you finish one each day. That’s not too much to ask is it?
4. Get Moving. I know it’s Christmas and you just want to chill out and watch TV. Start your day with a nice brisk walk. Even better get in a good strength workout. You can then relax for the rest of the day knowing you have done something positive for yourself.
5. Get in the Rhythm. Moon walking across the living room floor is good but I’m talking about our body’s natural rhythm. We are designed to follow the sun. Be active in the mornings. Calm down and reduce lighting in the afternoon / evening. Take a nap in the afternoon if necessary and get to bed on time.
6. Get Natural. Eating is big part of Christmas but making natural choices can make a radical difference. If it didn’t grow out of the ground, can be pulled from a tree or can be chased down and killed. Then you are not designed to eat it. I know there will be slip ups but remember to go natural as much as possible this Christmas.
7. Balance. We are designed to eat carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the correct proportions. If you are going to be eating lots of sweet foods or drinking alcohol make sure you balance this out with your other macronutrients. So if you are drinking alcohol (carbohydrate) with your meal, cut down on potatoes (carbohydrate). Try to keep a healthy equilibrium.
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