Taking a Vacation

"It's time to take a vacation!" After the holidays are over -- don't you sometimes feel as though you need a vacation -- just to recover?

Recreation and renewal are extremely important to maintaining a balanced and happy life. I sometimes feel as though we get caught up in the "rat race" too much. I returned from a trip to Hawaii in mid-December -- and it became extremely clear that our society is out of balance. After stepping off the plane, I was just about run over by 10-15 people rushing this way and that with their luggage -- pushing and shoving. No one looking at each other or smiling. No happiness. No friendliness.

It felt very sad to me. Coming from the warmth and openness of the Hawaiian Islands -- back to the rush. What a contrast.

Anyway, I'm very easily caught up in the "thick of thin things" myself -- and have to remind myself to quit working at 10-12 hours per day rather than the 16-18 hours I typically work. So, for New Years -- I've set goals to have mini-vacations throughout the year -- to take breaks and have more fun. Otherwise, life just passes us by.

So, if you feel as I do -- you can change it -- take a vacation, take a step back, look at your life and really ENJOY!

Benefits of Vacations

Taking a vacation should be required for everyone at least twice a year. There are many benefits of taking vacations. It gives us opportunities to review our lives, take a break from our daily routine, get re-centered, and re-create. Europeans have the right idea -- they take summer vacations -- 6-8 weeks each year. I wonder what has happened in American society -- we work longer hours, take less time off, are more stressed out, have more health problems, and seem less relaxed than other cultures. Do we think we're going to get behind if we take a break? Probably. I've been there myself.

But the benefits of vacations are so great not only in mental and physical health, but also in emotional health and productivity.

So, take a break -- go on a vacation -- and relax. It will pay off in the long run!

Dieting Tips

Here is a great weight loss website with dieting, nutrition, fitness, and weight loss news feeds. Read the latest articles and get the most updated information about various diets. Great resources.

5 Reasons to Get a Massage

I had a great massage today and then came home and read an article about why it's good to get a massage. There are many health benefits, as well as the emotional sense of well-being you can get after getting a massage.

The massage I had today was a deep tissue massage from an injury - so it was painful -- the good kind of hurt, but I did feel better afterwards.

In March of 2007, CNN reported the following 5 benefits of massage:

* Relieve pain (from migraines, labor, fibromyalgia and even cancer)
* Boost your level of alertness and attention
* Increase your body's natural killer cells, which help your immune system to defend against illness
* Reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and ease insomnia
* Decrease symptoms of PMS

All I know is that whenever I take the time to get a massage, I always think to myself -- I should get a massage at least once a week. It's so nice to be able to just relax and know that you're doing something good for yourself.