dibya’s blogosphere

If you want to live long and happy, invest in people and what better way to do it than through charity work. You have a great responsibility of volunteering, which unfortunately many think is a choice. The reason why volunteers are not paid is because they are priceless. There is no better investment than in kindness and love. Money and other assets are set to rot or lose value with time. In any case, what you store up for yourself is shared with rodents.

The best exercise for your heart is in reaching down and lifting others up through charity work. Acts of charity gives you pleasure and contentment in the fact that you are able to help someone. One has not lived until he/she does something to somebody worth remembering. The best investment is where you expect no returns. That is the essence of love, it is selfless and unconditional. There are two things that man must have in order to find living worthwhile; and these are attitude and love.

No matter what situations might be, man must always remain calm humble and positive. He should be aggressive in a calm and loving way. One who does not appreciate the events of life finds no joy at all and is thus unable to offer charity works to others; for how can you offer love if you do not have any? Joy begins within a person as a result of high esteem and optimism. One may expect to receive no affection and kindness from others but if he is happy by himself, his affection will surely be contagious.

Life satisfaction does not come from how much your bank account reads but by how many lives you have touched. Those simple acts of charity work that may seem insignificant can be what just another person needs to have hope in life. Therefore, go out there are touch someone who is in need of help.

To move in the crowd of people, to spend time with family and friends and all other forms of lifestyle are very important for one to lead a happy life. One can move in a crowd, run with the world but for emotional and mental balance and for the perfect state of mind one needs to spend time with himself. Human mind appears balanced but actually it is not so and on seeing particular stimuli the wave of thoughts bounces to and fro. To attain peace of mind, spiritual awareness and internal balance one needs to spend time with him. One of the best possible ways to do so is to meditate. How many of you are aware of meditation and how many of you can actually meditate? Some people consider their prayer as meditation but in real terms it is not so. Meditation in simple words means concentration and awareness of feeling things. The term “the god meditation” not only helps to connect with god but also balances the inner state of mind thus providing one with awareness regarding spiritual power.

The process of meditation covers three stages. First stage is the stage of concentrating which brings serenity, second stage is to get connected to the peace of mind which provides clarity and the final stage is to be blessed by the virtue of connection you had to the god and your inner self. At various instances of time we get instantaneous thoughts regarding the stimuli which may or may not be balanced. If I were to prove the above statement I would consider the example of a dog. Firstly on seeing a dog we may get the feeling of having a pet, on seeing it for another time we may think that it is planning to bite us etc. this proves how our mind bounces over various thoughts and stays unbalanced. To take charge of it the first step is concentration which enables a human being to gain control over the mind. Before we undergo the god meditation it is very important to have a point of focus.

There are various techniques and traditions opted by the people who meditate. If we think of the western side then Buddhist trend of meditation has been favored significantly. Since the position opted by the Buddhists for meditation is a very balanced one. Majority of the people are easily able to adjust with this very position because it is highly comfortable and they can meditate longer than the usual. Extending from our forefathers something that has come to us is the use of music for meditation. Some people prefer instrumental music whereas many others prefer old age music. Close your eyes and go is one such music production which levies its main focus on generating meditation music. As per the words of the artist the design is so creative that it forces the nervous system to soothe down and come under one’s control. One just needs to enter the empire of our productions and choose from the wide choices of meditation music. We have huge collection based on all sort of meditation styles.

It is a fact of life that people age. Our once young and strong bodies break down and we become frail and weak, only to find ourselves living in a nursing home, unable to care for our most basic needs. The frail and weak nursing home stage is one option for your future, but it does not have to be your end result. You do not have to take the aging process in stride and just accept it. There is something that you can do so that you won’t wind up like the majority of the elderly in our country.

You can protect and strengthen your body by fueling with proper nutrition. Sure, the ideal situation would be to eat healthy your entire life so that by the time you hit 70 years old, you still feel young and vigorous. Just because you have not lived that path your entire life does not mean it is too late to start now. There are plenty of benefits of consuming proper foods as you age, including increased strength, strong bones, memory retention and healthy hair and skin. The ability to function in life should be motivation enough to consume a healthy diet. So many elderly people are unable to take care of their basic needs. They cannot complete even the simplest of tasks, such as carrying in a gallon of milk, because they do not have enough strength to do so.

Elderly people are at risk for fracturing their bones because they are not dense or strong enough. If you truly want to enjoy your golden years and live life on your own accord, then you need to be eating a well-balanced diet and incorporating both strength and cardiovascular exercises into your daily life.

According to the United States Census Bureau, by the time we reach the year 2050, the percent of elderly people that are in our country will be 20.4 percent. This means that we will need more services for aging Americans such as physicians, nutritionists, nursing homes and other assisted living services. Government data shows that approximately 4 million people require assistance each day with some aspect of living.

With these staggering numbers, it is imperative that we as a country take greater action in trying to combat this problem so that it does not become a greater financial strain than it already is. People do not want to give the government credit for when it does something good; however, when it comes to this problem, they have taken some action. People do not have to sit back and wonder what they can do about a healthy diet for the elderly.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Library has a complete section devoted to Lifecycle Nutrition. This site has a wealth of information from some of the most respected institutions in the country, including the National Institute of Aging, National Library of Medicine and United States National Institute of Health, as well as many respected colleges and universities.

Requirements for the Elderly are Different

As you progress through the human lifecycle, you will discover that your nutritional needs differ as time goes on. While the need for quality whole foods does not change, our needs in terms of macro- and micronutrients will start to differ. Such examples would include elderly people needing to consume more vitamin D and less iron in their diet.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that can either be obtained by sun exposure or from certain foods, such as dairy products. It plays an important part in calcium absorption, is necessary for bone growth and prevents bones from becoming thin, brittle or misshapen. This vitamin is important to the elderly because they are at risk for diseases such as osteoporosis and are more prone to falling and breaking their bones.

Not only are there differences in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for the elderly, there are also differences in macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) as well. A few years back, the United States Food and Drug Administration released their new version of the food guide pyramid, called My Pyramid.

More recently, scientists at Tufts University have released a modified version of this pyramid that takes into account the dietary needs of the elderly population. For the most part, elderly people need to consume the same things that younger people do. The elderly need to focus on a balanced diet that contains quality sources of protein, whole unaltered fruits and vegetables, plenty of whole grains and, especially, lots of fluids. This new pyramid is designed so that older adults can have a visual representation of their needs. Foods that they should be eating are depicted by large identifiable pictures.

One thing that the modified pyramid suggests is for older people to consume frozen and canned foods as well. The reasoning behind this is that frozen and canned sources can be pulled out for a single serving meal and have a longer shelf life. If the elderly person does not have a chance to get out or has someone replenishing their stores of food for them, then it is good to have frozen and canned food on hand. Another great way to make sure that the elderly get their dietary requirements that falls in line with this theme is by using liquid protein.

Elderly people need to be consuming quality protein on a regular basis so that their bodies will function at optimal levels. Liquid protein shots, such as those available from Protica, give the elderly the same advantage as other packaged foods (like their canned fruits and vegetables.) These vials of liquid protein can be incorporated into their daily meals and should they not consume the entire thing, they can reseal it and save it for later. Not only will they be getting what they need, but they will also have the convenience that fits into their lifestyle. Should the elderly consume liquid protein in conjunction with proper exercise, they will continue to keep up their muscle mass, which is very important so that they can complete basic living tasks unassisted.

As we age, it is important to remember that we need to continue on the path of a healthy lifestyle. Our aging bodies need certain requirements so that we will keep functioning and living life to the fullest. Diets that are rich in vitamin D, calcium and protein are what we need to keep healthy. If we incorporate these things into our lifestyle along with exercise, then we will be able to maintain a higher quality of life for a longer duration of time.

A BIT OF NEWS has just come out that is encouraging to those of us who are cranks on the subjects of dirt, disease, and germs.

There is at least one thing that doesn’t need a sign “HANDLE WITH CARE.” In fact we are urged to treat it with the utmost familiarity as it carries no dangers, expressed or implied. Common it may be, but not unclean. It differs from the towel and the drinking cup in that it exposes a new, fresh surface to every user. Our old acquaintance, the cake of soap, turns out to be a friend indeed.

Sanitation and Sense

A great deal of evidence goes to show that the common cake of soap is safe to use in the ordinary process of washing. Of course, it is much “nicer” to have one’s own individual cake or, in a public washroom, to find the liquid or the powdered kind. But to be so fastidious as to prefer to go away with dirty hands rather than to use the common soap is not the best of sanitation or judgment.

It has been found in many experiments that soap has a deadly action on most disease germs and thus is a real factor in preventing their spread. No matter how dirty the soap may be the germs will suffer one of three fates : die a natural death; be killed by the soap; be washed off in the rinsing. Real protection lies, not in avoiding common wash room facilities, but in using them intelligently ; washing in running water with such Soap as is available, and then drying by some means other than the common towel.

No Admittance to Germs

After all, there are relatively few germs that are dangerous and they must get inside the body to do any harm. For this reason the greatest care should be taken of cuts and scratches to prevent infection. Keeping fingers, pencils, and other such things out of mouths and noses is a healthy habit that children can be taught at an early age.

Only clean food, dean utensils, and dean hands should be allowed at any meal.

I have learned over the many years that I’ve worked in the financial world, people are generous by nature. If given the opportunity and an accountable, reliable source, instinctively human beings desire to help one another given the right avenues to do so. That is one of the premises that Club Asteria was born of. Interestingly, the same drive, appeal, and yearning compelled me to enter the world of micro financing and all its intricate realms of opportunity. It all begins with the education of those who want to give and those who want to receive.

At Club-Asteria we know the importance of teaching entrepreneurial skills from the very basic philosophies of growth and development to the more complex details of financial stability and strategic business planning. To fund someone financially and then depart is wasting an opportunity to teach them to expand and develop at a level that not only affects them but their community, their children, and the lives of future generations.

Recently, I worked with a single mother of three, Rogelia, in the Philippines. Rogelia’s husband had died several years prior to our meeting her. She and her three sons lived in one of the poorest areas of the Philippines, scraping by on what little money she could make sewing. As a girl, Rogelia worked with her father in the fishing business and she believed that she could teach her sons all that she had learned from her father. With the current government’s encouragement of growth in the fishing industry and the duty-free shipping of equipment into the area, Rogelia dreamed of recreating the life she knew with her father but she did not have the educational confidence or the financial ability to move forward and start a business.

Club-Asteria strives to empower individuals and communities through entrepreneurial education by focusing on their talents and capabilities. We utilize our own income and enlist the aide of donor contributions to launch and sustain their entrepreneurial businesses. We understand the depth of need globally and the dire predicaments people find themselves living daily. We encounter the seemingly hopeless and endless fate of poverty every day; however, when Club-Asteria can contribute to benefit a family then the cycle of poverty is broken and change is put into action. It is all about transforming one individual’s and one family’s future at a time.

Rogelia attended our entrepreneurial educational workshop in her village. Today, she and her three sons own two fishing vessels and employ four other men in the community. Rogelia manages the home office assuring distribution and care of the fish caught daily. For her it is not just about the dream or a return to a childhood memory, for Rogelia, it is about teaching her sons a trade and the discipline it takes to earn a respectful living. When I asked her how her father might feel about what she is doing, she smiled shyly and whispered, “Honor… I have brought him honor.”

Learning good financial habits and gaining the confidence to create opportunities to build businesses that work is one of many missions of Club-Asteria. If we can support one person in a business successfully, the trickle-down effect is enormous in the present day community and the future. I have seen first-hand the impact of change through entrepreneurial education and the hope it brings to families throughout the world. Rogelia and her sons live it daily.

Aerobic exercises are great for your cardiovascular and lung health, for losing weight, and for burning fat. When combined with a strength training regime and healthy eating habits, you will be on your way to optimum health and longevity. There are numerous aerobic exercises from which to use, so you don’t have to stagnate with the same mundane exercise every day. You can also purchase great CDs to listen to while you do your exercises, or to guide you through a specific routine. We are going to present to you five of the most effective and entertaining aerobic exercises available.

Cross-country skiing uses an incredible amount of calories and helps with quick weight loss. This is a great exercise for exercising both your upper and lower body. You can do this in a health/fitness club on their ski machine, or out in nature, enjoying the brisk air and great scenery. Your heart rate will become rapidly elevated, and you can easily utilize 350 calories in thirty minutes.

Elliptical training at your local gym or health club. Elliptical machines are available in almost every gym or health club. This is a great way to get into shape and increase your endurance without high impact on your joints. People who are accustomed to running enjoy this machine, and it does not harm your joints like running can. Most people can use approximately four hundred calories in thirty minutes with this exercise.

Step aerobics for rapid weight loss. Step aerobics are a lot of fun and the only equipment you need is a step pad about 6″ high. It can be a strenuous workout and it uses a lot of calories. It’s great for toning your legs and buttocks, and you will generally utilize about four hundred calories in thirty minutes. The easiest way to do stepping is to start with your right foot, step up on the step, step up with your left foot, then step down with your right foot, followed by your left foot. About halfway through you can change to starting with your left foot. Once you get used to it, an intense workout should be about twenty five steps per minute.

Rock climbing is quite strenuous and consumes a ton of calories. Of course this exercise requires a lot of training and specialized equipment to avoid disaster. It uses the strength and power in your legs and arms and burns almost 400 calories in half an hour. Receive good training, use caution, and go climb the cliffs at Mohonk Mountain Preserve in New Paltz, New York, which has the best rock climbing on the east coast!

Handball and racquet ball give you a great workout, and they are both quite entertaining. Your heart rate and legs will get a great workout with the sprinting you’ll be doing with one of these sports. Go to a health club and use a personal trainer if you are a beginner, it helps to get you started. An average sized person can burn more than 400 calories in just half an hour!

If you want your body to look young a supple, you spend time at the gym, working everything into shape. As we age, the strength and tone of our face also requires some exercise to keep wrinkles at bay and maintain a younger appearance.

You will find different ways you can develop your facial muscles. One advice is to utilize electronic toning tools specifically fashioned for the face. These instruments generate small electric currents that, when applied to the face, stimulate the collagen production and overall tone sagging muscles. Collagen is the system’s natural source for elasticity, which becomes much less evident as we age. Boosting the collagen creation makes it tougher for wrinkles to form, and lessens existing creases and laugh traces.

Sculpting your face will improve circulation, giving it more colour. It also promotes and highlights structure of cheek bones and brow, giving you a more sculpted and renewed look. If electronic tools are not for you, then try some manual facial toning workouts.

There are several simple exercises you can try at home that will stimulate and revitalize your aging skin.

For the forehead, put a finger above each eyebrow and gently pull down with your fingers while arching your brows. Repeat this process in series of twenty to thirty a minimum of two times each day to reduce the wrinkled fury of the forehead.

For defined cheeks, hold your mouth in the shape of an O while allowing the corners pull up, like you would if you were smiling. This is a great physical exercise for your cheeks that also functions all the way up to the eyes.

Like any workout regime, in order for it to be successful, it must be consistent. Consequently, some diligence is needed on your part to carry out your facial toning exercises each day. Unlike a workout at the fitness center, nonetheless, you can exercise your face anyplace and at anytime. In the tub, while watching television or even while you are sitting at work.

Whether you use an electronic toner or manual exercises, keeping your face fit keeps you looking young, fresh and ready for the world.

Money is certainly something which is often discussed in today’s world. Hardly a day goes by without the subject of money being raised in most people’s lives. However, it is highly debatable whether it is more important than other considerations, such as health and happiness, which some people consider to be of greater significance.

To begin with, it is often argued that having money enables people to exert influence over others. Wealthy businessmen, for example, are often the most highly respected members of society, and business tycoons are often consulted by world leaders, who then make policies which affect the whole population. As a consequence, money can be seen as the single most important factor of daily life.

If you know your home is powered the most efficient way possible then you would feel powered as a person! Just knowing you are doing more for the environment than probably 90 percent of the people you know. The world is changing and if we don’t do something about it now and about the way that we live our lives every single day then the natural disasters are only going to get worse. What we need to do is be careful about what we do and use every day of our lives.

The biggest thing that we use is energy. You may be thinking gas for our cars is important or vital to us, but think about the amount of energy we use powering out homes. This does so many things in our lives. We use the energy to make food, to light up our house to see at night. Just think about how you would connect to the internet if you didn’t have a power plug for your computer.

This is the biggest thing we could improve to help the world or truly “go green” So the best source for alternative energy is the sun. Solar panels have been around for over 25 years but why don’t we see them more? This is because the big energy companies keep them from being produced and put into your homes. I mean why would they want you to have free energy, they want you and the other millions of people they provide energy for to keep paying their monthly bill. I’ve heard a lot of alternative energy conspiracies but I’ll save that for another time. For right now I strongly believe the best thing for America or any country, community, even neighborhood should be working with solar panels as a source of alternative energy.

The sun is every were you look and I doubt we will ever go war over the sun. Learning how to build your own solar panels could be one of the best things in your life. I can’t wait to see an entire neighborhood or even city all equipped with solar panel roof tops for a source of self-sufficient alternative energy!

A list of 20 things you can do to in your life to keep good karma. This is what The Dalai Lama has to say for 2006 for instructions to improve you life drastically and create more peace, love and happiness in your life.