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Feeding the body good nutritious foods is vital to enjoying good health, energy, good weight management, and being free of sickness and disease. However, what we feed our minds also has a huge effect on our health, energy, and level of sickness. The mind is a powerful thing!

In Today's Feature Article: Stress is such an issue in our world today. However, stress is a choice! We can not only eliminate it, we can actually be empowered by the daily pressures of life. My friend and associate, Michael Licenblat, Australian Resilience Expert, will be featured in this newsletter, who has such great information in the area of stress and what you Feed Your Mind!

To a Healthier Lifestyle,
Erleen

1. Feed your mind positive thoughts
According to medical research, being in a negative state of mind (or emotionally depressed) can reduce the strength of your immune system,(ii) making you more susceptible to illness. Persistent bad moods can also lead to poor health.(iii) Worry and frustration create tension in your body making you more prone to fatigue, muscle pain and illness.

Focus your mind on the solutions you need, and take consistent action that moves you towards resolving the situation, instead of worrying about the problems you encounter. People who are optimistic about their challenges has found to have healthier immune systems, are not as adversely affected by stress, and suffer half the number of infections as pessimists.(iv)

2. Feed your mind a sense of purpose
In the 1940's, Viktor Frankl was one of many prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. In 1945, when he found freedom, he compiled a book called 'Man's search for meaning'. One of the strategies he attributes to his survival was to have something to look forward to. In his book he writes, "He who has a 'why' can bear almost any 'how'. To survive anything requires a sense of meaning. If we can identify what brings us meaning then we can identify a motivation that can lead or take us through anything."

Viktor Frankl tells of a story how one night one of the prisoners had a dream that the war would be over by the 13th of March 1945. That person became full of hope that this nightmare would soon be over. However, that date came and went. On March 29th the man suddenly became ill and ran a high temperature, and by the 30th of March he was dead. It appeared that he had died of typhus, however what really killed him, according to Mr. Frankl, was losing his dream and purpose to live.

Spend time thinking about what you really want from your life. What do you want to be able to have, experience, or do in your life? If you were to die tomorrow, what specific regrets would you have about your life? Stay mindful of what you really want from your life - your sense of purpose.

3. Feed your mind a sense of empowerment
In 1976, Psychologists Maier & Seligman discovered a behaviour known as learnt helplessness. When a person believes that their efforts cannot change or influence their destiny they develop a sense of helplessness where they feel powerless to be able to change their destiny. Feeling helpless reduces the amount of effort and perseverance one puts into pursuing their goals, which reduces their working capacity and creates stress.

Always back yourself. Always put trust in your abilities. Always allow yourself to try. Avoid putting yourself down and doubting your abilities. If you fail, make sure you learn - but do not stop believing in yourself.

Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience Expert who helps people become resilient to pressure in work and life. To download a free report on the 'Seven ways to prevent yourself becoming Over-Worked, Stressed-Out, and Run-Down', visit: http://www.StressManagementSuccess.com

(i) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010119080203.htm
(ii) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010119080203.htm
(iii) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/05/020510074638.htm
(iv) Seligman, M., Learned Optimism, Random house, Sydney, 1994, Pg 175.

Avocados are highly nutritious! They are high in Vitamin A & C and other vitamins and minerals. They make one of the best first baby's foods. We do need some fat and even though avocados may be higher in fat that some foods, it is a good fat. Remember, it is the nourishment that is most important. Here are several great ways to eat avocados:

• slice and place on sandwiches, in burrito wraps, or pita pockets
• dice and add to all kinds of green salads
• dice and add to fresh Mexican salsa
• mash and season with salt, garlic powder, hot pepper sauce for a vegetable or cracker dip
• make into guacamole to dip with corn chips, top enchiladas, and add to other Mexican dishes

Enjoy avocados! They are good for you!

Hint: To prepare an avocado, cut a ripe one in half and open. With a sharp knife, whack the pit to penetrate; turn and remove it. To slice or dice, do so right inside skin shell, then spoon it out. This is so much easier than trying to peal it before dicing or slicing.

Erleen loves teaching people down-to-earth principles of nutrition as she sees the positive changes in others lives as they live the principles of good health and eating. She has a passion for wholesome foods and their life giving qualities. Her many personal experiences and years of study and research qualify her as an expert in health education, speaking, and consulting. Contact her now for your next conference, for health consultations, or for an upcoming event!

"The Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle!" is a TEN CD series with all the information you need to begin your journey towards a Healthier Lifestyle! Erleen serves as your guide, distilling over twenty-five years of health education and research into easy to listen to lessons on how to begin, where to begin and more! Check out this CD series today!

Sprouting is great indoor gardening. Learn to sprout easily with the Sprout Master, the best sprouter on the market. And it is a super simple process. Just soak the seeds overnight, drain and pour into the Sprout Master, now just rinse and drain 3 times daily (at every meal). It's that simple! If you want to start out right with some seeds, we also have alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, clover, radish and sunflower. These are all organic too! Check out The Sprout Master and seeds here!

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