Tip 4- Organize = )

Right before I left the states I had the courage to finally ask one of my leaders in the church, also someone who I admire immensely, what her tip for being happy was. She said that she was very organized. When you organize your life you put in the right place priorities and give them their appropriate time.( My interpretation) By doing this you reduce stress and know that you have time for all that comes. If I may also add to what she said, she has this admirable ability to just relax and let life take its course. I pray daily I may become more like her, and I have to say that I have found that being organized has helped me greatly in staying calm in between moving countries and going on a mission. Here is hoping for a more organized life!

Tip 5- Drugs Rock!

NOT. In this day and age it seems incredibly ignorant that people still do drugs, damaging not only their body but mind. Thats all i have to say about that.

Tip 6- Covering it!

One of the most common cancers found out there today is skin cancer. Which is one of the easiest cancers to prevent? Skin Cancer. Use sunblock every day, especially around the face and arms ( those are the areas where you get the most exposure). Give it time to soak in before exposing about 10-15mins, and try to stay out of the sun between the hours of 10-4pm. Sun spots are also not the hottest, especially around the face. Taking care of your skin will be something that will pay off, sooner than later.

Picture: www.hawaiiantropic.com/SunFacts/SunSafety.aspx

Tip 7- Positive

Surround yourself with positive people, thoughts and ideas. There is no other way.

http://safedefense.tumblr.com/page/2

Tip 8- Because Life is Too Short

If you have a sweet tooth and just can't give up the candy and pastries, there is a little secret that will help you stay thin. Eat your sweets in the morning , either for breakfast with fruits and another healthy choice or for a midmorning snack. It will give the body more time to process and use up the sugar and carbohydrates, so you don't have to feel that guilty about it ;)

M.

Tip 9- Rain on a Tin Roof.

Few words in this life bring such calmness, enjoyment and peace. Few things in this life are so hard to get the time to do. Naps are to your body, what turning your car off for 10 mins in the Sahara Desert would do to your engine. REST. However, naps are so hard to take, that you technically have to make it a priority and a habit. A 20 minute nap is what experts recommend as enough time to recover energies without interfering with your night sleep. Yesterday I took a nap with the sound of rain on a tin roof, hence the title. It reminded me of this song:




Happy Napping!

Tip 10- Ok, say what?

I have ten days left. This is why I keep posting these blogs. It's like a meditational countdown. I've learned many wonderful health tips in Costa Rica , there is no doubt why people from all over the world come here to relax, eat, do yoga, surf,receive medical attention etc. One day when I have more than ten days left I will write a book about the wonderful medicinal benefits of this beautiful country.

<3 Costa Rica!

Tip 11- My first time

Today I ran my first race. I have been a runner for about 10 years, but never once before did I compete. I have to say that it is much easier to run with others. There is a vibe that gives you energy, everyone there is for their love of running and nothing more. It was only an 8k, but I feel like I did well for my first time with a time of less than an hour. The moment that more inspired me was when we were on the 6th km and a lady in front of me said hi to a lady on the side of the road. The ladies gave each other a high five, and then I heard the lady on the sidewalk say : "This woman just had a baby and look at her running". I was amazed. It was truly an inspiration to finish strong.Hopefully one day I'll be one of them, the ladies that run before, during and after kids. If you have always wanted to run but haven't gotten around to it, I recommend it! It will change you and your life.

<3 running, <3 life!

Tip 12- SO , funny story.....

I'm pregnant. JOKE, that's Coco. Anyway, this morning I decided to go for a run , here is why:
1) I love to run
2) I had not been able to go for a run because you might get killed for your tennis shoes. True story.
3) I was sick, so I wanted to know if I could breath. If you can breath while running, then you're not really THAT sick anymore, you know?

After about 20 mins of debating , I decided to go for a run. I ask my aunt which is the safest way to run and with my phone and knife in my secret pocket I start my ascend. I'm about , I don't know, 30 seconds into my run, when I'm encountered by a ferocious dog. He was tiny, but evil. He tried to bite my leg, I jumped and tried to scare him , what resulted in me falling in a Spiderman sort of pose with the dog about a foot from my face.I'm sure that if anyone was watching I looked like a cat and the dog like... well a dog. I grabbed some rocks, which ended up being DUST, and went full ninja attack on that dog and now his best friend Mr. tiny evil dog II who had decided to join the fight. I threw some dust at them and kept running. I had always been afraid of dogs,actually I was afraid of everything that is from the animal kingdom. I've done so many things here, fight dogs, encounter frogs, walk next to drunk people,walk alone, that I was afraid of that now i'm not really afraid, just annoyed by those things.
The moral of the story is , if you don't have to go through any of those things to have a morning run, be a pal and run one for me... or not whatever.
PS: these were NOT chihuahuas.... just for the record,they were much bigger than that haha.

Cheers!

Tip 13- UGH!

My mom had this phrase: "There has to be opposition in ALL things". She mostly said it when I complained about something without importance and she didn't want to hear about it anymore. Today, I'm sick. 360 days of the year I'm healthy, but today I'm sick. So let's hope this opposition can hurry up because I need my nose back. OK? Thanks! <3

Tip 14- Mt Everestshizzle my nizzle.

I was feeling a little under the weather with a cold today, and came across this story of Jeff Gottfurcht. He was diagnosed with JRA ( Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) when he was 28. He had always loved to climb mountains, and so decided to climb Mt Everest. He did so last year. Google him, he is truly an inspiration! Needless to say, im up and running. We need to not look for the storm and enjoy the sunlight!

Skip it !

So I had a miscalculation of the days I have left. It turns out instead of 19 of the last post, I have 14 days left tomorrow. I will not be posting the other five and will skip from 19 to 14 with the other post .

Loves!

M.

Tip 19- You Swirl, I Swirl

Lactose intolerance is an annoying disease. Mostly because you just can't eat ice cream, and there goes your social life. In a more serious note, lactose intolerance affects about 30 million Americans. The solution is not drinking milk, but this in its own can cause Vitamin D and calcium deficiencies which results in other more serious problems like osteoporosis.

How do you know if you are lactose intolerant? Intolerance usually comes accompanied by a stomach ache 30 mins- 2 hrs after the consumption of milk.

What is there to do, you ask? Try delactosed milk or try other products like yogurt, buttermilk and cheeses (they have less lactose than milk),Goat's milk (but drink it with meals, and make sure it is supplemented with essential amino acids and vitamins if you give it to children), or just formula for children ( not recommended for adults, gross).

I have found that CR has the most delicious delactosed milk on planet Earth. Lucky for me , right?

Tip 20- Lesson from a Greek lady

"Stop fooling around and take my card" were the words of the patient who had just left the dental chair. I looked at her in disbelief, and then burst out laughing. She had called me a fool!

When I think of why people have an amazing ability to capture and understand things that other can't , her words come to my mind. In a world where there are so many distractions, we need to find our alone time. A time to figure out what we love, what we are good at and just do it.We all have the ability to be amazing at something. Don't be afraid of your own potential, be very afraid of never finding it.

M.

Tip 21- What's inside your bag?

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To know what you need to be happy ,you need to know who you are and what you stand for.

M.

Tip 22- Double Dos and David Guetta

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
(Nelson Mandela)


Learning a foreign language not only helps you with traveling, work, learning, to understand others and their culture, know where the best restaurants are ;) , but also keeps your mind healthy. It has been found that learning and speaking a foreign language delays the onset of dementia. In other words it keeps your mind healthy so you don't go a little crazier.

I love this song, wave ya flag!

Tip 23- Don't Hide

One of my recent adventures took me to a care home. I was going to visit my uncle, a man who in his best years had been one of the most intelligent, hard-working people I had ever met. Him and I had never had much of an exchange of words, however our respect was mutual. After much thinking about his illness and how he never showed when he was happy or sad, I came to a conclusion that maybe repressing your feelings is bad for your health. It is something not only that takes away years of your life but takes life away from your years. A quote by Paulo Coehlo came to mind:

Don't hide your sadness,It's bad for your health and you have the right to be sad.

It is not my intention to tell you to go around yelling when you're angry or fainting when happy ( see picture above). However we have feelings for a reason and the proper use of them makes us healthy and balanced.

Tip 24-Batman of the Mouth?

Number one reason why people don't, will not, die if, drink water? Because it taste like nothing! We all like whatever we put in our mouth to taste like it deserves to be there right? I have discovered the super hero of our health. Lemons.

Lemons are accessible, have vitamin C, liver cleansing properties, increase body alkalinity and most importantly they make water taste NOT like water. It is a marvelous thing.

If you hate water, add lemons. If you want to cheat, you can add a little sugar I will not tell anyone. Just don't dump 4 spoons in a cup...

nanananananananan LEMONS!

M.

Tip 25- Not Just for the Cat Lady...

After aloe vera comes chamomile, the cat lady's preferred choice of drink.
If you are searching for a solution for your eye bags , you may just find it in what you're drinking! Chamomile tea bags are a solution for swollen eyes, stomach aches and even acne problems.
Use the chamomile tea bags wet and warm and place them in your eyes until your eye bags go down, because chamomile is free of other substances you can use it as often as you want and need.Now you know why cat ladies look like they get a lot of sleep!
Use the same tea bags and add them to boiling water to use as part of the vaporizing part of a facial. 5 cups of water, 2 tea bags, 10 minutes that's all you need.
Last but not least, chamomile is AMAZING when you have indigestion.
Its soothing qualities will have you buying it couple of boxes at a time. If you happen to know how to grow it even better, the more natural the more benefits you get.



M.

Tip 26- Call me the Andrew Zimmerman of Health

In my recent travels I have focused my interests in two things: food and health.I will try anything at least once. One of my newest discoveries is rose water. In Costa Rica and other Latin American countries it is used to treat the skin.
Rose water is rich in antioxidants, it helps regenerate skin cells, moisturizes dry skin and traps the natural skin oils. It is used in many face creams and toners in the general market. However, using it on its own has much better benefits.
Traveling can be stressful, and stress always brings out the worst in my skin. My aunt recommended that I use rose water as a toner every night to help reduce redness and wrinkles. I have never been much of a "anti-wrinkle" girl but I'm all in with the anti-redness.I have to say my skin feels great, tighter and it has a delicious aroma.
You can buy rose water in drugstores in Costa Rica.In the United States try health food stores, small pharmacies and arabic or other ethnic supermarkets. Also, burt's bees just came out with a rose water toner , if you rather try something from a brand you already know.

M.

Tip 27- You gotta LOVE!

These are some of the things I love:


My beautiful family




That's my back... I love it haha jk and U of course. I love you!!


My friends!!! <3

Hoover Wilderness


Fact: If you love something you are healthier.

Tip 28- Japanese Onsen

Check this article out:

Tip 29- Patience

The arteries are dilated, the veins work hard, your breathing quickens and your heart beats faster. Even though our body is design to support this kind of work , being impatient and stressed all the time can cause serious problems to all your body systems and ultimately your health. The things that matter in life always work out if you try , why stress about it? Best council I've received : Organized people are happy people. Get yourself going in your projects and take it on the easy side. You only have one life and need it to finish what you came here to do.

M.

Tip 30- Believe in something.

This video has over 10m views! It's incredible. I'm not saying I support this cause or that I don't, however I have always been a firm believer that in order to achieve something in life you have to believe in a good cause. Fight for it, be it , study it so that it becomes who you are. Have a good reason to live. Watch it, it is the story of many people, many causes. Truly inspiring.

Tip 31- Check it out!

This girl is wearing glasses now. There is a difference between feeling well and being well. If you have not had an eye and doctor routine exam in more than a year this would be a great time to do it.

M.

Tip 33 and 32- Escape!

Leaving the day to day routine is healthy for your mind. Find something that you are very passionate about and give sometime to loose yourself in it! I'm a beach fanatic, my vacations always include the ocean. Where is your perfect spot?

M.

Tip 34- Sweetness!

There is no need to cut all sweets from your life. Remember that everything in moderation is good for you. Eat something sweet once a week, and enjoy it! You work hard to be healthy and you deserve it.

M.

Tip 35- Eat 5 times a day.

The following comes from the bodyrock.tv website:
The problem…

Most people eat 3 times per day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. As part of our new 5 week diet challenge we are shifting over to eating 5 times per day, adding 2 more meals to your daily schedule. These 2 new meals are the “in-between” meals – what you will eat between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. The challenge with these 2 meals is that for most people they land smack in the middle of work or during some other highly inconvenient time when you are extremely busy. To make this work so that you can keep your metabolism burning at peak levels will require some forethought, but it is more than possible if we plan ahead.

The case for eating 5 meals a day…

Most people eat 3 meals a day and will snack on anything that comes across their path between meals. If someone brings in a box of donuts to the office to share – it’s yum yum time. This is not the best way to feed the body, and studies have shown that eating every 2-4 hours is a key strategy for improving body composition. Eating at consistent intervals helps to fire the metabolism, balance blood sugar levels and helps conserve lean muscle while giving the body a reason to burn off extra fat. This is a key strategy for getting lean and something that you need to think seriously about adopting.



I've done this with great results. Smaller meals more often are the key to feeling satisfied and looking good. Try it!