Contributed by Jim Johnson, DC, DACBN & Resa Johnson, DC, DACBN, Mountain Air Wellness (828) 743-9070

An astonishing 47.2 percent of Americans took prescription drugs from 2005-8, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Even more alarming is that in 2012 over 50 percent of Americans will be taking some kind of prescription drug. Asthma, allergy, infections, ADD, depression, pain relief, cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, and diuretics require patients to have doctor prescriptions but over-the-counter drug usage swamps the population as well. Annual sales of almost $300 billion in the U.S. have bolstered the drug industry to keep the trend of increasing the numbers of prescriptions for drugs and for over-the-counter usage strong

and steady.

As chiropractic physicians, it is our responsibility to promote sustainable health and wellness without reliance on the drug industry’s trends and habits. We are here to provide our patients with critical information about how most prescription drugs have serious and damaging side effects. We are committed to sharing resources for better health choices than prescription drugs. What we eat, what we should not eat, if we exercise, how we exercise, how we relieve stress, how we avoid stress, what supplements we take, and how we live a harmonious, balanced life of choices that don’t involve prescription drugs go hand in hand with our chiropractic wellness practices that serve our patients on their roads to optimal health, in partnership with us, not in partnership with prescription drugs.

Be informed. Question and seek out information about every prescription drug you are advised to take. The side effects of the most often-prescribed drugs such as cholesterol-lowering statins are serious and severe and are avoidable by not taking statins. Consult your alternative health care providers, your chiropractors, for healthful ways to lower cholesterol without bringing on more health complications and while improving your total over-all well being. Consult your chiropractic physicians about any prescription drugs you have been told to take. Why suffer from prescription drug side effects and complications? Drug-free health is possible
to achieve!

CH Ridgehaven’s On The Road Again, RN aka Willie

It is always fun to run across a celebrity but even nicer when you have a celebrity living among you.  Highlands is not Los Angeles or New York and our celebrities are few and far between, unless you happen to be at Old Edwards Inn & Spa who seemingly have quite a few grace their establishment.  I recently had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a celebrity.  Not your regular type celebrity mind you, but a four legged 75-pound Golden Retriever named CH Ridgehaven’s On The Road Again, RN

aka Willie.

Willie has quite the life, living between Hilton Head and Highlands but for the past two years he has covered quite a few miles.  When he is not jet setting the world he shares his life with the Brinsons. Judy Brinson has had Golden Retrievers since 1990 and purchased Willie from Jeannie Cahill, owner of  Goodlife Golden Retrievers Kennel who just happens to live in Cashiers.  He was named after Willie Nelson because he was such a laid back puppy and they added On The Road Again knowing that he would be a show dog.   When Willie is not at home he travels around on a big bus with his handler Rindi Goudet and is in dog heaven.  Brinson says, “He loves it, he gets on the bus with all his buddies and just loves to go!”  He loved it so much he won the lottery and was invited to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Attending the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show should be on everyone’s bucket list.  The annual show is held on Valentine’s Day at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  New York City is full of dogs for that week and everywhere you go you see dogs.  Dogs are even allowed in taxis.  My favorite hotel is The Carlton which has recently undergone a $16 million renovation and mixes old world with a modern flair.  The best thing about The Carlton Hotel is that they take pets and not only take pets but love pets.  The concierge will walk Fido and even provide an umbrella on rainy days to keep his tresses dry on walks.  A silver bowl is provided along with a dog menu which even made my mouth water.  Willie did not take up residence at The Carlton but preferred to stay with his bus buddies but I was able to meet about eight of the other lucky dogs who were enjoying the luxuries of The Carlton and  entered at The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Two thousand dogs were entered this year and these are the top dogs of each breed.  Competition is stiff and just to be one of the 2000 is a major accomplishment.  When the dogs are not in the ring you will find them either at the dog spa or the execise area, walking on treadmills to keep their muscles warmed up and their stride in shape.  There is a benching area where all the dogs entered must stay and the public is allowed to go meet all the dogs, handlers and owners.  It is a great way to get to know breeds and breeders.  Willie was the youngest of the 31 Golden Retriever entered in the show and just loved it.  He did not win his breed but he had a good time and entertained everyone. The Brinson’s decided to throw Willie a party in New York City to celebrate his accomplishment.  A Voce at Columbia Circle was their restaurant of choice and A Voce even supplied a
Willie menu.

After all this fame, Willie has decided to come home and just enjoy his time with the Brinsons.  Be on the lookout for Willie, I am told he loves Kilwin’s and frequents there quite often partaking in their
dog sundaes.

Cashiers and Atlanta resident Elizabeth Fletcher makes event planning and public relations seem as effortless and anxiety-free as a day at the spa. Part of that is predicated on her years of experience as the publisher of four regional bridal magazines, bridal events spokesperson for Federated and Belk department stores, and guiding force behind media campaigns for exclusive inns. Equally important are her boundless energy, effortless imagination and fanatical attention to detail.    elizabeth@idoeventsatlanta.com

Contributed by Jim Johnson, DC, DACBN & Resa Johnson, DC, DACBN, Mountain Air Wellness (828) 743-9070

Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, its benefit to your overall health is miraculous. Numerous studies prove that coconut oil helps improve the overall health and continued improvement of people with candida (yeast infection), and fungal infection.

How does coconut oil work for our health’s benefit? Organic coconut oil provides us with instant energy when ingested, without the insulin spikes of sugar and carbohydrates. Coconut oil benefits us by controlling bacteria and pathogens in our bodies. Its lauric acid and metabolites act as potent antimicrobial lipids and a powerful immune system booster.  Studies show that coconut oil may help balance thyroid levels, control weight gain, aid with diabetes and reduce the aging of our skin. Some people rub coconut oil on wounds, lesions, and areas where fungus grows and get amazing recovery results. Coconut oil is a soothing, moisturizing and restoring ingredient in skin and beauty products

Why choose to cook with coconut oil? Coconut trees have not been genetically modified so the oil is GMO free. Canola, peanut, and other vegetable oils contain excess Omega-6’s that in greater quantities have been found to result in adverse symptoms.  Although studies as to the health benefits of olive oil without question demonstrate that olive oil is the best choice of oils, especially for cold food preparation, when olive oil is heated too much, it degrades and can produce toxic byproducts. Coconut oil when heated does not give off toxic byproducts.

In our quest for healthful diets and optimal good health, moderation is definitely the key. With coconut oil, ingesting moderate quantities, no more than a tablespoon a day, supports our diets, immune systems, and healthful lifestyles. Used as a topical choice for skin care, apply coconut oil generously.

Consult your physician for guidance, support and counseling about beginning to use coconut oil in your healthful diet. Verify you are getting knowledgeable information from a diplomat of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. (DACBN) Enjoy the benefits of coconut oil and support of your experienced health coach as your partner on your ongoing path to optimal good health.

Contributed by Bryan & Tricia Cox - CruiseOne Independent Vacation Specialists (828) 356-7920 TheCruiseFinders.com

“I need a vacation!”  Do you know anyone who has not uttered that phrase?  While most of us truly do need a vacation, many of us choose not to take one, believe we cannot afford one, or feel like our job simply cannot survive without us.  However, the fact remains that vacations are more than deserved; they actually contribute to our overall well being by reducing stress, improving our moods and (here’s the kicker) increasing our quality of work when we return to the job.  In fact, some studies have shown that work performance increases by as much as 40 percent after a vacation.  More importantly, however, it has been shown that annual vacations cut the risk of heart attacks in men by 30 percent and by 50 percent in women!

In the name of your health, we have established that the question you should be asking yourself is not “Can I take a vacation?” but rather “Where should I go on vacation?”  For those of us fortunate enough to call Highlands our home, we live in an area that many people would consider the perfect vacation destination.  However, a vacation is only a vacation when we can escape our ordinary lives and experience something extraordinary, if only for a week or two.

When it comes to deciding where to spend your escape, the options are endless.  The beauty of a vacation is that it can be anything you want it to be.  Whether your idea of getting away includes lounging on a pristine white beach with stunning blue waters as your backdrop, soaking up some history while exploring Europe’s many cultures, or playing 18 holes at some of the most famous golf courses in the world, the vacation experience of a lifetime awaits you.

Your vacation can cost as much or as little as you can afford and your inbox will still be full when you return.  The difference is that you will come back with a little spring in your step and a bit less stress in your life.   So, what are you waiting for?  Go on, escape the ordinary!

I love escaping to California and always return with new ideas, the latest fashion in clothing and new experiences.

This trip was no different.

My mother turned 80 this year and I decided to throw her an 80th surprise birthday at the Montage in Laguna Nigel.

Her birthday dinner was at the Studio Restaurant at Montage where the famed Chef Craig Strong resides at the edge of the Pacific. The restaurant at this luxe resort perched on the Pacific has a view to die for and an elegant interior that screams “relax.” With panoramic views of the pacific and over 2,500 boutique wines to choose from, dinner was one of the best.

To top the whole experience was a perch for my purse. This was a new experience for me, I have seen the hooks for your purse at other restaurants but this was similar to a foot stool but smaller. Nice to have that “aha!” moment when I usually have to lay my purse down on the floor. Purses on the floor? Not anymore!

The next day we decided to spend the day in the spa at Pelican Hill — Forbes Five Star Rating for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Upon entering the spa you’re greeted with simple, sacred acts. The serving of a custom pre-treatment tea, a soothing foot wash in a hand-hammered copper bowl. These rituals are beyond pampering.

I chose to partake in the Amber Gold Signature Massage, which begins with dry brushing exfoliation and enhanced oils. Once again I was blown away by the little details, a warmed cloth under my neck, and the dry brushing exfoliation to remove dead skin cells, stimulate the skin and promote detoxification.

After a spa lunch with slow food menu choices and a seminar on gratitude, we were ready to go out and attack Fashion Island, Orange County’s premier open-air shopping center.

After our week in California, I came back to the East Coast a much happier, relaxed and poorer being. It was worth it all and I can’t wait to find another excuse to go west.

By Elizabeth Fletcher

I wish the soil would boil up its last burp of oil and that would be that.

There, I said it.

It will happen, you know. As long as I can remember scientists have said, “We have peaked and, at the rate we are going, the planet has about three decades of oil left.” That was five or six decades ago. But the gas-powered clock is running low and one of these days it will happen.

There is good news, however. If the Middle East lost its importance, we wouldn’t be pouring gigabucks into war. And if we weren’t poking our noses and our hoses into Middle Eastern soil maybe they wouldn’t be making nuclear weapons or terrorizing us. Just a thought.

Getting used to no oil would be a huge adjustment. No doubt about it. We’d be forced to walk and bicycle more. Hmmm… an overweight America exercising. There’s a concept.

China, our current nemesis, wouldn’t be propelling a polluted atmosphere into a polar meltdown. Without oil to run their machinery they wouldn’t need to force slave laborers into working 15 hour days.

We’d be forced to conserve instead of waste. That would make our great grandparents proud. Gosh, we’d have to think and problem-solve and maybe do without a few things, thus raising our level of appreciation for what we do have.

Gardening would re-emerge and we would reconnect to the land.  We’d begin to barter, discover what talents our neighbors have. Heck, we’d have to actually meet our neighbors.

And when we are petroleumed-out, good old American ingenuity, the stuff that has made us great, will be forced out of hiding.  We already have solar, wind, geo-thermal, and water alternatives. And while nuclear power is still a bit iffy, once we are forced to stare into the eye of the beast, we will come up with a way of taming it.

We have tons of options. Let’s look at what we have a lot of and see how we can turn it into fuel. Scientists could collect all the snarkiness in the air, faction fighting faction, candidate disemboweling candidate, and compress that into a new element. We’ll call it snarkonium. Hot air works just fine in steam engines, and politics never seems to run out of blowhards. See there! We’re good for another three decades.

And that’s just political garbage. We’ve got dumpsters full of the real thing. Remember the Back to the Future DeLorean fueled by garbage? BAM! Waste and fuel problems solved.

I’m telling you. We may run out of gas, but America will never run out of energy. So prepare yourselves for the inevitable. In three decades BP will be Bygone Petroleum and our Gulf waters and beaches will be clean and safe. And you can still visit them if you are a marathon cyclist.

by Donna Rhodes

Do you wonder if detoxification would benefit you? The answer is yes!  Aside from the toxins we ingest willingly, such as alcohol, processed foods and chemicals, there are so many toxins in our everyday environment that no matter how hard we try to stay clean, we just can’t.  Pollution in the air, water and food supply has powerful effects on the body and the mind, weakening our body’s defenses and making us more susceptible to disease and stress. When these external sources of toxicity overpower the body’s internal defenses, the liver’s ability to cleanse the blood slows down due to the overwhelming accumulation of toxins. These excess toxins now build up in other parts of the body, slowing the natural cleansing process to a crawl.  The result can be experienced as fatigue, pain, brain fog, confusion, loss of memory and even disease.

The best way to achieve a successful detoxification is to have proper guidance from a healthcare professional and to make a strong commitment to healthy lifestyle changes that will provide the best internal environment for all of this to take place. A good detoxification program should last for no less than four weeks and can continue longer than that if necessary. Preparing the body for a detox is essential for successful and lasting results. After the body releases the toxins being stored in cells (mostly fat cells), the toxins must then be taken out of the body through conjugation, a specific process that occurs in the liver. Try to not challenge the body any more than you have been with chemicals, alcohol, processed foods, and artificial flavors and sweeteners.  Keeping your diet clean of these toxins in the detox preparation stage will make the detox stage itself that much easier.  Eat foods that come from local sources, preferably organic, drink only purified water, limit your use of alcohol, sugar, gluten, dairy and caffeine. You will put yourself on the best healthy track if you follow a good, guided detox program.  You can look forward to better sleep, more energy, clarity, less pain, better circulation and improved overall health.

Contributed by Dr. Sue Aery, Aery Chiropractic  & Acupuncture (828) 526-1022

Cashiers and Atlanta resident Elizabeth Fletcher makes event planning and public relations seem as effortless and anxiety-free as a day at the spa. Part of that is predicated on her years of experience as the publisher of four regional bridal magazines, bridal events spokesperson for Federated and Belk department stores, and guiding force behind media campaigns for exclusive inns. Equally important are her boundless energy, effortless imagination and fanatical attention to detail. elizabeth@idoeventsatlanta.com

When I was younger, every New Year’s Eve I made a New Year’s Resolution and before the end of January I had already broken it.

As I got older I quit making resolutions because I knew that I couldn’t keep them.  After watching the movie “Food, Inc.,” I decided that it was time to get serious about my eating habits.  So my New Year’s resolution in 2011 was to only drink Organic Milk and I’m proud to say that I have kept my resolution.

“ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” launched a new series, “Made in America,” focusing on American manufacturing and our economy.  For Christmas 2011 they launched the “Made in America” Holiday Shopping Challenge, a pledge to buy American-made gifts this holiday season. The challenge was an experiment to see if people like you and me can use the power of our purchasing choices to make a difference in our communities by creating jobs.

Diane Sawyer was citing some amazing statistics like this: if each American spends just $3.33 on American-made goods this year it would generate 10,000 jobs.

After hearing these statistics and watching the program, I decided to take the challenge.

Well, I hate to admit this but I couldn’t follow through with the challenge, but under the tree I did have three made in America presents and I hope I was able to generate jobs.  The series “Made in America” had quite an impact on me and I can proudly say that I have started looking at where things are made and trying to buy products that are made in America.

On a trip to the grocery store I was amazed to see salmon from China.  How did that fish stay fresh?  What about Alaska salmon – it’s nearer and better.

In November 2011 the FDA released a recall on pet treats that were made in China and that had killed 60 dogs. I immediately went to my dog treats to make sure none were made in China.  One of the bags had proudly written that it was an American company, but in fine print I found that the treats were made in China.

I wonder what would happen to our economy and our country if we all diligently tried to buy American products.

I didn’t make a 2012 New Year’s Eve Resolution to buy only products made in America, but I did make a resolution to take the time to look at where the products I buy are made and to make every effort to buy American.

We can make a difference and I hope that you too take the challenge buy American.

The Bob Zahner Wilderness Proposed Boundary

The North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984 established the Overflow Wilderness Study Area (WSA), a 3,200 acre area that lies adjacent to NC 106 in Macon County, just southwest of Highlands. Located next to the popular Glen Falls area, with a segment of the Bartram Trail running through it, Overflow WSA is a popular destination for hunting, fishing, hiking and backpacking due to its primitive nature. The primitive nature stems directly from the U.S. Forest Service Management Area 5 plan, a plan that emphasizes semi-primitive, non-motorized recreation. Although its current designation as a wilderness study area protects it from timber harvesting activities, a newly proposed Congressional bill, HR 1581, could eliminate the protective status of 58 million acres of national forest land, including all study areas. Consequently, Overflow WSA and many other national forest lands could face logging in the near future.

Over the past two years, the Wilderness Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of America’s wild landscape, has fought to acquire a more permanent and definitive protection for the Overflow WSA through an official wilderness designation and a change in name to the Bob Zahner Wilderness Area. The name change would honor the late Dr. Robert Zahner, who was a fervent conservationist, ecologist, and Highlands local. An official wilderness designation would not change the management or recreational practices of the area because WSAs and wilderness are maintained in the same way. This includes the maintenance of Forest Service Road 79 that runs into the center of Overflow WSA, which would stay open to all users. An official designation would, however, ensure lasting protection through a Congressional designation. The effort has been spearheaded by the Wilderness Society’s Southern Appalachian Director, Brent Martin, who first met with Congressman Heath Shuler of NC’s 11th District in the spring of 2010 to discuss the proposed designation. At that time, Congressman Shuler, who is a proclaimed protector of National Parks and Forests, said he would support the area for official designation but only with a signed resolution from the Macon County commissioners.

Since that time, the Wilderness Society has attempted to gain the support of the commissioners who, in February 2011, voted against the designation. The opposition of the commissioners comes despite signed resolutions in support of the Bob Zahner Wilderness from the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, Highlands Plateau Greenway, the Town of Highlands, Highlands Area Chamber of Commerce, the N.C. Bartram Trail Society, Highlands Biological Station, the Western North Carolina Alliance and the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Some opponents of the designation claim the area is too small to be an official wilderness area, but according to a joint U.S. Forest Service and University of Montana program a fifth of the wilderness areas designated in the past two years have been less than 4,000 total acres, and there are 27 wilderness areas smaller than 1,000 acres. Although the Overflow WSA was logged in the past, today it appears relatively untouched, with extensive areas of upland oak forest, cove hardwoods, and white pines that are 60 to 80 years old.  These forest strands provide beautiful and relatively untouched scenery, and offer recreational users a chance to distance themselves from everyday human constructs.

I am a student at the Highlands Biological Station researching wilderness designations and the Overflow WSA, and after speaking with many of the involved parties, it becomes clear to me that misinformation is the biggest challenge facing the proposed Bob Zahner Wilderness Area. Many think recreational opportunities in the Overflow WSA will be prevented, but the change from study area to wilderness would not limit users and would only ensure the use of such a beautiful area in the future. I would encourage locals to learn more about the issue, and even speak to their commissioners about the designation.

For more information about wilderness visit: www.wilderness.org or www.wilderness.net.

To learn more about the Overflow Wilderness Study Area contact  Brent Martin at brent_martin@tws.org or Ryan Evans at rcevans@email.unc.edu.

Contributed by Ryan Evans

The holidays are here and that means office parties, dinner parlkjlkjties, cocktail parties and many events that call for a gift to the hostess.

Gift bags are a nice way to spread the happiness and cheer that surrounds the holiday.

The most popular last-minute hostess gift by far is the bottle of wine. The majority of recipients enjoy it and it’s easy to pick up on your way to the party or even out of your own wine rack at home.

If you’re going to go this route, remember to remove the price tags. There’s nothing more annoying than investing your careful efforts into a gift only to realize you forgot to take the price sticker off. If you can’t remove the sticker, get a black pen and black out the price. You can also use a piece of tape — if you put one end on the tag and pull it off, the price sticker will usually come with it.

The venerable technique of wrapping gifts in traditional paper can be a tedious chore and you run the risk of developing a backache from bending over, cutting and shaping. And let’s face it, there are far greater demands on your time during this busy holiday season.

The use of a gift bag is so much easier, neater and makes it easy to carry your present.  It’s also a marvelous opportunity to show off your innate creativity. Here are a few easy steps to ensure that the gift bag gets almost as much attention as the gift itself:

Lay the bag on its side on a table and scrunch tissue paper in the bottom of the bag.

Wrap the gift in tissue paper. I like to use brown bags with colored tissue paper. To add interest use more than one color of tissue paper.

Slide gift into bag and turn bag upright. Place two small sheets of paper inside the bag between bag opening and gift on each side, making sure the tissue paper extends above the top of the bag.

Tie the handles together with a small piece of scissor curled ribbon if the gift is small enough to accept this. With almost no effort, you can make a great looking gift with wired fabric ribbon. Otherwise, just allow the handles to be separate. It’s easier to carry it this way.

Stick a card in the side of the bag. It’s an easier way to make the present look more personal.

Now the fun begins! I like to brighten up the gift bag. Attach little fun things to your present. Whether it is a piece of costume jewelry or a trinket you found at the craft store, it adds dimension to your gift. And even a casual walk through the yard can provide interesting items — pinecones, leaves, flowers or berries.

Once you get into the spirit of making your gift bags a cheerful, unmistakable reflection of yourself, you‘ll discover an additional way to add excitement to the holiday preparations.

Contributed by Elizabeth Fletcher

We chose our own trail names for hiking the Appalachian Trail since going southbound, you don’t see as many others to earn a name. My friend and I were known as Cheesemeyer and Twisted Hair. When we climbed Mt. Katahdin in Maine we both hurt our knees and thought our hike was over before it even started, but we overcame this and kept taking the next step. It rained that first night, so our second morning was spent going through our wet things while still at Baxter State Park, trying to figure out what to throw out because we really didn’t need it. The comforts of home were gone, and so when we headed for Abol Bridge, we were ready for our adventure.
On the third day, I came around a bend not being able to see my friend, and then I spotted his backpack beside Rainbow Lake. It was August 3rd, and there he was, swimming in the cool, refreshing water. I saw him, and immediately started to take off my boots to join him. As I started to take off the second one, the first slid down the embankment and fell in the water. “Oh no! My boot is wet!” I yelled. How little did I know in those first few days, how wet my boots would eventually get. When we slopped through the swampy mud or forded rivers and streams, or sloshed along in rain and snowstorms, our boots were never dry! I recall reading the journal at the Moxie Bald Lean-to in Maine that one north bounder had recorded there was mud a foot deep on top of the bald. We thought to ourselves, “Now, she must be exaggerating!” But as we ascended to the top of the bald, and arrived at a narrow place where there was a huge boulder on one side and hardly any roots to step on on the other side, I heard my friend yell, “Watch out for that foot deep mud,” for he did indeed find his leg in the mud up to his calf.
While still in Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness, we stopped at White House Landing about forty miles in. When we blew the foghorn signaling the owners that we were there, and saw that boat zoom across the lake to pick us up, we were delighted. We were going to have a good time on this hike and just have fun! Making miles was important but not at the expense of having a good time. The next morning found us still at the lake taking a canoe ride that the owners provided and even going for another swim. When we turned the canoe around to head back to the lodge, and could see Katahdin, in all its majestic beauty, it made for a special moment in our hike.
We made life-long friends on the trail. Two in particular were GrayBeard Beaver and his brother, Muncher. We met them while in Monson and continued to see them off and on throughout Maine. They caught up to us while we were sunbathing on top of Goose Eye Mountain. Actually, we were taking a break, having lunch while lounging on our sleeping pads, enjoying the beautiful day, and the wondrous views from up on top of this peak, when we spotted two hikers down below coming across the bald. I was ready with my camera, as I knew they looked like our two new friends. I captured each one of them as they crested the mountain. Stopping to take off our boots, powder our feet, eat something, and just enjoy the beauty became a pattern for us. And when we finally arrived at the top of Springer Mountain in Georgia, months later, we felt sad, and were almost ready to turn around to start again. But a northbound hiker was there, full of energy for heading to Katahdin. We handed the trail back to him, forever remembering all the wondrous places and experiences that now it was his turn to have.

The prevalence of diabetes and the rise of diabetes 2 throughout the United States are serious problems of the twenty-first century. Maintaining an ideal, healthy range of weight for one’s height is the principal way to avoid diabetes.

A study in 2005 at Yale put eight obese people with diabetes on a low-calorie diet for seven weeks.  Their fasting blood sugar levels returned to normal and eighty-four percent of their liver fat disappeared. A study at University of California in 2009 had thirty-two overweight or obese people in their fifties, ingest twenty-five percent of their calories as either fructose or glucose-sweetened beverages for ten weeks. The study resulted in the fact that although both groups of people gained about three pounds, the group of people who drank fructose drinks gained more visceral fat, became more insulin resistant, and their livers’ fat amounts increased radically.

Aging is a factor that increases the risk for diabetes. But, a half hour a day of aerobic exercise combined with strength training sessions with eight to twelve repetitions of eight to ten exercises three times a week, lowers the risk for diabetes when combined conscientiously with a diet of moderate quantities of whole foods, good beverage choices including total avoidance of “sweetened” drinks and moderate drinking of alcohol. Limiting alcoholic beverages is also beneficial in avoiding weight gain and the build up of toxins and fat in the liver. Basically, moderation is a sure-fire good choice and perspective on exercise, diet, beverage choice, and life-style in general.

Break up long periods of sitting at the computer, reading or watching TV with ten to fifteen minutes of walking several times a day. Committed exercise, combined with a lifestyle of good food and beverage choices create quality of life and good health! Decide to take control of your optimal good health and commit to a plan of exercises and correct nutrition! Make sure to get support and counseling from an experienced and credentialed source such as our physicians who have the Diplomat American Clinical Board of Nutrition (DACBN) licensing.

Contributed by Elizabeth Fletcher

Sometimes you just want to put on your flannel gown, slippers and stay in…even on a Saturday night.

At other times you may want to enjoy all the luxuries of staying in, but in the company of friends. That is when you need to pull out the PJ’s and have an adult girlfriend’s celebration, a Leopard PJ party. Where women come together and support each other and perhaps return (temporarily) to the days of their adolescence. Attendees spend the night and enjoy a bathrobe brunch the next morning.

Rules are that everyone must wear something leopard, leopard slippers, leopard belt, leopard hat, you have the picture. Don’t be afraid to decorate the table in leopard by bringing in ferns or other greenery to create your playground for your leopard. Michael’s even sells leopard duct tape. Leopard is everywhere, in clothing, linens and paper products. Eat, drink, play cards, bring in someone to perform manicures and pedicures.

Have everyone bring a dish and of course with leopard involved, Leopard Tea (Long Island Ice Tea), Leopard Pie (butterscotch with an Oreo crust, hence colors of the leopard). With gourmet treats and martinis, it definitely is not your tween’s slumber party. It makes you feel like you are 13 but you are really 45 – well, maybe a little older.

Ask around, and you might be surprised at the number of women having pajama parties. Think of it as girls’ night out, only in.

Sleepovers are great because you can stay up all night. No one’s in a hurry. It brings you closer, because it’s a reminder that these people are there for you, like they always have been.

What happens at a pajama party for grown-up girls? Maybe the same thing that happened 20 years ago.

Or not.

What do real estate and life coaching have in common?

Three little questions: 1.    Who are you? ; 2. Where do you want to live?; 3. What direction is your life headed?

I’m blending two passions: helping people find a great place to live and life coaching. It just fits! Time to put my doctorate back to work. It’s important to be comfortable where you live physically and to be at home with yourself! Finding the “right” place is significant because we invest in our community.

Positioning your life includes where you live and how you live. Our surroundings in the mountains are serene and peaceful. Are you taking advantage of those moments?

I am asking questions in this article. This is what coaching and living is all about.  I just read an article entitled “What Questions to NEVER stop asking.”  I have come up with two of my own so far…

When I talk about being home in your life, I focus on continuing to move forward in spite of the difficulties you may have encountered over the last several years. At times we can get stuck. The temptation is to stay in a place where we were previously comfortable, making it difficult to move to the frontier that we’re actually on now!

Are you re-investing and reinventing yourself? Coaching can provide support and direction.

Living is a process of constantly paring down until we carry only what is essential.  It’s my belief that everything you own should have value, either because it’s functional or beautiful or you just love it!  Every item needs a place where it “lives!”  And so do you.

Interested in knowing more about life coaching? Go to www.maryellenlipinski.com OR attend the Literacy’s Red Carpet Premiere on August 17th at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center.

I’m donating two hours life coaching and my books: Life Under Construction… a work in progress & Random Thoughts and Mine Always Are! Literacy is important. After all who will read my books? Ah, those of you CAN read!