Sign of a Healthy Lifestyle

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Adventures of a Healthy Lifestyle Start Up--Partnering with Others

Livliga Partnering with Others

I am a firm believer that saying "Yes" is far more powerful than saying "No." One of my favorite speeches I ever composed was all about the benefits of saying "Yes." This is particularly true, I have found, when nurturing and growing a start up business. One of the biggest challenges is becoming known and reaching a broader audience.

One of the best ways I have found to grow awareness about Livliga is to partner with others. There are so many ways to partner. The way Livliga got started partnering was with giveaways with other companies that had complementary missions. dLife and Lauren's Hope were two such giveaways we did early on. They have programs for their constituents where they have giveaways. They asked us to provide product for the giveaway. This is a great way to get exposure for your product to a much broader audience. Sometimes you can also get additional benefits like a listing on their website or a guest blog.

Guest blogs can be powerful. I made a big commitment early on with the Epoch Times. This was a weekly blog I committed to for more than two years. Admittedly that is a big commitment. It did allow me to hone my writing skills and provided me with a broad exposure. Some blogs even ended up in print. I used the Epoch Times content for my blog as well so I didn't end up doubling my time in writing or in creating content. Many other times I have provided guest blogs for other blogs like the one I linked to above for Children's TLC. The Livliga Live Vibrant Blog has regular guest blogs as well. I have found it is a great way to build partnerships and introduce a new audience to Livliga. The most popular guest blog recently is 5 Baking Hacks to Make Desserts Healthy by Chef Vanessa Musi.

Acting on requests sent by email can be hard but they may be worth your time. A good example are those who write asking that you link their content into one of your blogs. You have to read it and make sure it is relevant but it can be a great way to improve your blog content and get others to your site. Two recent examples was a blog I wrote about the benefits of nuts after a work out and another blog that I updated on The Health Benefits of Salmon with a link to Jen Reviews.

Partnering can even be as simple as starting conversations with others on twitter or sharing content on Facebook provided by companies that complement yours and share your values. More often than not they will start following you and retweeting or sharing your content.

Help promote other people's content and events. We often get requests from others to help promote content or an event that they are producing. At first glance this might seem counter-intuitive. It is not. Again, if their business shares your values and complements what you provide, then it can benefit you too. Someone that follows you may benefit from this shared information. And when you want to get the word out about something you are doing, you have existing friends and partners who will be willing to help you. Your Wellness Connection is a great example of a mutually supportive relationship.

Offer your expertise. This past year we have seen a shift with our gourmet retailers that have store fronts. Several now have kitchens in their stores. They explained that they have kitchens and active programming in order to entice people into their stores. Offering experiences is a counterpoint to merely buying product which is now easier and cheaper online. Recognizing this as an opportunity, Livliga has developed curriculum to teach classes both for adults and children. My husband and I are now known as the "Healthy Lifestyle Couple." The stores welcome our curriculum as part of their programming. This is a great way for us to add value and also showcase our product in action. It is a win-win-win for the store, their customers and Livliga. And, we have a lot of fun doing these classes!

Walt and Sheila teaching a class at Duck Soup

As a young start up adding more to do's to your list might seem daunting. There is always more than enough work to do! Partnering with others, I would argue, is the most cost-effective and enduring way to build awareness of your business. It takes time to nurture relationships and add relevance but that is what building a business is all about. In reality fostering relationships is core to our success. Those relationships come in many forms. And don't forget, so much of this is online and can be done at any hour. You can fit in correspondence, blogging and sharing at odd hours when the rest of your business can't be done.

We have met some wonderful people through partnering who have now become friends. It has been a great strategy for our business and for us personally.

Originally posted on Sheila's Blog in TheEpochTimes.com.

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Sign of A Healthy Lifsestyle

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Impulse Eating---Grazing While Fixing Meals

I have a lot of issues when it comes to eating. I have come to understand I am not alone in this reality. As I focus on my Year of Intention I have committed to unveiling my eating quirks to look at them, understand them better, be mindful of them and ultimately switch things up so I can continue to advance in my journey of an ever improving healthy lifestyle.

One of my most nonsensical quirks is my habit of impulse eating while I am in the midst of preparing a meal. What is this about anyway? Why in the world when I am minutes away from eating a meal am I scarfing down a wad of calories? Why can't I just wait?

I hate the fact that I can consume as many calories in my pre-meal grazing as I do in eating my prepared meal. I hate that I end of being full before I even start my meal. I really hate the reality that once I start to graze it is nearly impossible for me to stop. I just keep eating.

So I started asking myself-- why can't I wait until my meal is prepared to eat? There are a few answers:

• I hate the feeling of being hungry. I always have. It is a fear, really. It makes me feel anxious and insecure. The idea of waiting to eat is really uncomfortable for me. Hmm..this is interesting...
• Because it is such an ingrained habit, I unconsciously start grazing before I even realize I am doing it.
• When I see appealing foods I have the impulse to try them. It is as if I want to be the first one to try it and see if it still tastes as I remember it.
• Food keeps me company. I am usually alone in the kitchen when I am preparing a meal. It is almost as if the food and I are having a conversation as I pick and choose my nibbles.

In dissecting my grazing while preparing meals I had to ask myself, how does grazing help me with my intention to live a healthy lifestyle? It doesn't. I don't think it is possible to dismiss my real issues around hating the feeling of being hungry. Grazing isn't the answer yet there does need to be a better answer. How can I satisfy my hunger, avoid the mindless grazing and have a conversation with food without the consequences of mindless eating? This is particularly relevant when I am fixing dinner.

There has got to be a way to have a snack that satisfies and allows me to stay in control while preparing a meal. Having a snack with just a few bites doesn't appeal to me. It seems to me like it would just start the grazing, not contain it. Then I thought about making a smoothie. Something I could easily whip up before I start the preparation of dinner. It is something I could start sipping as I am assembling the ingredients of the meal I am preparing and continue sipping throughout the preparation of the meal. This is appealing to me because it can satisfy my hunger and it is not something that is bits and pieces of a meal so I am not triggering my mindless impulse to graze.

Other benefits of the smoothie idea is that they can be made in all sorts of flavors, colors and, to a degree, texture. Smoothies can be made to a specific calorie count which can be in keeping with a healthy snack @200 calories. I have found a few new yummy smoothie recipes in the recent cookbook by Rocco DiSpirito, The Pound A Day Diet. I also have some additional smoothie recipes on this blog you can try.

This smoothie tactic has been very successful. When I take the time to make the smoothie and start sipping it as I am getting the food ready for dinner I feel in control, feel I can happily stick to my smoothie and do not need to graze otherwise. With a big glass of smoothie to sip on I can last throughout the meal prep so I can avoid other temptations. I do get full but not stuffed before the meal. The fear is gone; the satisfaction is high. It fits with my desire to live with intention and live well and healthy.

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Health Fact: Sex protects aging brains

It is big news when we find validation for activities we think of as guilty pleasures or of taboo subjects. One such activity is having sex, especially as we age. I remember being mortified as a kid whenever the subject of sex was even remotely referred to in relationship to my parents. It embarrassed me to imagine my parents making love. It wasn't just because they were my parents. I think it was hard for me, like other kids, to imagine older people having sex. I think we thought that after the age of 40 you were too old to enjoy life and were supposed to give up all the fun stuff.

Now, of course, as we age ourselves and we are living longer, we are finding out our quality of life is improved the more active we remain and the more committed we are to living a healthy lifestyle. This activity includes sexual intimacy.

An active sex life as we continue to mature in life may have a protective effect on the brain, helping AARP-qualified people stay mentally sharp. In a recent study, British scientists gave more than 6,800 men and women between 50 and 89 years old a series of cognitive tests. The older men who were sexually active scored higher on number sequencing and word-recall tests. For women, an active sex life wasn’t linked to higher scores on the number test, but it was associated with a better memory for words, according to Reuters .com.

 “It is possible that our results may be related to hormones which affect the brain—and hence cognitive functions—in men and women differently,” says study author Hayley Wright, a researcher in cognitive aging at the Centre for Research in Psychology, Behavior and Achievement at Coventry University in England.. These findings don’t prove a causal relationship between sex and improved brain health, but researchers note there are other perks associated with physical intimacy, including stress relief, improved sleep quality, and a stronger immune system.

So now we know sex is an important part of a healthy lifestyle how can we feel more comfortable revving it up, especially as our body and minds continue to change? How can we successfully adapt? There are actually great resources and information available to help us find solutions and be empowered to take the next positive steps towards improved intimacy. One such great resource is from HealthGuide.org, in collaboration with Harvard Health. Check out their recent article Sex as You Age which provides tips on how to enjoy a healthy sex life as you get older.


Enjoy! And Live vibrant!

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Product Review: USA Pan Bakeware

I recently became aware of USA Pan Bakeware. I am amazed that I have been completely unaware of this company and wonderful product all these years. It is hard for me to understand why all of us don't already have this product in our kitchens as one of our must haves right along with our Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Espresso maker and set of good knives.

How did I happen to discover this incredible product? Let me tell you the story. My husband and I attend a lot of events to promote our own product, Livliga, to people who are interested in healthy cooking, baking, eating and living an overall healthy lifestyle. Recently we were at our local Ace Hardware store that carries our product and was having an event for its customers. They asked us to participate and come demonstrate our own product. We jumped at the opportunity.

Anytime we attend an event we have the opportunity to meet other vendors. At the Ace Hardware event we happen to talk to the rep for USA Pan. It is then we learned about the way the product is made and how it is truly a nonstick product. We were skeptical. The reality is I am always looking for better products that actually do what they promise. I have decades old muffin pans. Everything sticks to them. It is hard to get all the muffins out without damaging some of them.

And then there is the growing concern in using aerosol cooking sprays like PAM. I have decided to wean myself from cooking with them. If I don't like chemicals added to food, why would I like using a cooking spray that has nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas, in it? So finding nonstick baking products that work is key to my continued evolution in healthy cooking. We decided it was worth the investment to try out one of the USA Pan muffin tins. (BTW: USA Pan doesn't know I exist. I bought the product with my own money. This endorsement is made without any strings attached and merely because of my personal experience with the product.)

OMG! The first batch of muffins I made was my healthy perfect cornbread muffins. Nothing stuck. I didn't even need to use a knife to pry the sides loose. I just used my fingers to pull them out. I no longer need to use paper muffin cups unless I want them for a decorative effect. The muffin pans (I went back and bought an additional pan) have now been used a number of times. Each batch comes out the same. And for once I have two muffin pans that are the same so the shape and size of my muffins are uniform for the first time in my life!

How does USA Pan create a truly nonstick muffin pan? According to them-- "The coating used on USA Pan bakeware is Americoat Plus©, our proprietary silicone release coating, which is the most advanced industrial coating available and is used on almost every commercial pan in North America. It is a natural non-stick and non-toxic silicone that is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free." Nothing toxic about it and so easy to use. It has other benefits as well like its waffle design that adds to uniform heat distribution and superior heat transfer. The heavy gauge aluminized steel provides strength, corrosion resistance, and durability too.

Simply put, this has been a transformative product for me. It makes baking a pleasure and clean up no longer requires a lot of elbow grease. It is now on my must have list for everyone's kitchen!

The coating used on most USA Pan bakeware is Americoat Plus©, our proprietary silicone release coating, which is the most advanced industrial coating available and is used on almost every commercial pan in North America. It is a natural non-stick and non-toxic silicone that is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free. Americoat Plus© is clear in appearance and lets baked goods release quickly and effortlessly. Simply wipe the surface or wash with warm soapy water, and your USA Pan bakeware will be a lifetime companion for your kitchen. - See more at: https://www.usapan.com/faq-use-and-care#sthash.itrNy7kc.dpuf

The coating used on most USA Pan bakeware is Americoat Plus©, our proprietary silicone release coating, which is the most advanced industrial coating available and is used on almost every commercial pan in North America. It is a natural non-stick and non-toxic silicone that is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free. Americoat Plus© is clear in appearance and lets baked goods release quickly and effortlessly. Simply wipe the surface or wash with warm soapy water, and your USA Pan bakeware will be a lifetime companion for your kitchen. - See more at: https://www.usapan.com/faq-use-and-care#sthash.itrNy7kc.dpuf

The coating used on most USA Pan bakeware is Americoat Plus©, our proprietary silicone release coating, which is the most advanced industrial coating available and is used on almost every commercial pan in North America. It is a natural non-stick and non-toxic silicone that is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free. Americoat Plus© is clear in appearance and lets baked goods release quickly and effortlessly. Simply wipe the surface or wash with warm soapy water, and your USA Pan bakeware will be a lifetime companion for your kitchen. - See more at: https://www.usapan.com/faq-use-and-care#sthash.itrNy7kc.dpuf

 Livliga is committed to helping people live healthier lives.

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