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How to Recognize Women Who Make a Difference

Women are no longer settling for a backseat at the nation’s charitable and activist organizations. Today they are taking leadership roles in activism and founding their own outreach organizations, making a difference in the communities where we all live.

“Exceptional women of all ages are taking lead roles in grassroots activism,” says Carol J. Hamilton, president of L’Oreal Paris. “They are truly making a difference in their communities. By recognizing their achievements, we not only encourage their continued commitment to their causes, but we can inspire the next generation of women in their service to the community.”

L’Oréal Paris announces its third annual “Women of Worth” grassroots awards program to honor women from across the country for their inspiring volunteer work and community enrichment initiatives.

Visit www.WomenofWorth.com to nominate a woman whose volunteerism is making a beautiful difference in your world. This year, 10 “Women of Worth” honorees will receive $5,000 for their most cherished causes and a $5,000 donation will be made on their behalf to ovarian cancer research and awareness initiatives. Nominations are open from April 1st through June 16th 2008. A winner will be chosen via a public vote this fall on the Web site and that person will receive a $25,000 monetary donation to her nonprofit organization.

Visit the site to find helpful tips on how to get involved and read and share inspiring stories of worth. Here are some suggestions on how to start volunteering and helping others:

A Once in a Lifetime Visit with Monet, Picasso and More

This summer, there is only one place to be to see works from the likes of Renoir, Degas, Monet, van Gogh, Dali, Picasso and Matisse. Don’t book an airline ticket to Europe, this acclaimed exhibition will take place at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

“Monet to Picasso from the Cleveland Museum of Art” features works by the leading artists of the European modernist movements dating from 1864 to 1964. More than 70 paintings, drawings and sculptures by the luminaries of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Dadaism, Cubism and Surrealism are gathered together in a single place.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is one of only four North American venues chosen to host the marquee international touring exhibition. Art enthusiasts should plan now to attend between June 23 and September 21, 2008.

The exhibition was most recently featured in Vancouver, where over 200,000 patrons viewed these master works. Prior to that, more than a half million visitors attended shows in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul.

“The works of art that comprise the exhibition are by some of the world’s most loved artists and together, they tell the fascinating story of the development of European modernism from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century,” says Gretchen Dietrich, director of public programs and curatorial affairs for the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. “We are proud to be hosting an exhibition of this caliber and confident that all those to come to see the exhibition and participate in the public programming we’ve organized to compliment it, will have a memorable and thrilling experience.”

Ten Tips for a Great Night’s Rest

According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 70 million Americans report they have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep every night. Have we become a nation of the eternally drowsy?

With hectic schedules and a variety of life commitments, women are living more versatile lives. But this new dynamic might be one of the reasons that 67 percent of them claim they experience a sleep problem three or more times a week.

“Researchers have determined that insufficient sleep can cause serious medical problems – high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and depression, to begin with,” says Ellen Michaud, author of “Sleep to Be Sexy, Smart and Slim.” “While it is often easier to look to various medications for sleep assistance, it is in the examining and making of changes to your sleep habits where you can really make the difference.”

Michaud’s book is a collection of easy-to-implement, doctor-tested tips, tricks and strategies for women to achieve better sleep throughout their lifetime. Here are some ideas to help you start sleeping better and living healthier:

1. Don’t check your e-mail before bed.
Researchers at Stanford University have found that the light from your monitor right before bed is enough to reset your whole wake/sleep cycle — and postpone the onset of sleepiness by 3 hours.

2. Ditch the lights.
Hall nightlights and clock radios with lighted displays can be misinterpreted by your brain as a signal you should wake up. Darkness inhibits the brain’s biological clock and encourages you to sleep sounder, for longer periods of time.

3. Skip the murder thrillers.
Stephen King novels and other thriller-type books are not good to read before bed. No one sleeps when their mind is wondering at every creek and noise in the house.

4. Forget the late-night news.
Since most 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts tend to feature negative, often shocking content, it will do more to agitate you than help you to relax. After 30 or 60 minutes of watching people get hurt, it’s unlikely you are going to drift into a peaceful sleep

5. Keep a “worry” book close.
“Put a ‘worry book’ beside your bed,” suggests UCLA’s Dr. Yan-Go. When you wake and start worrying, jot down everything you’re thinking and any strategies you’ve thought of that will solve the problems. Then put the book back and rest easy knowing you will deal with those items in the morning.

Healthy Sleep Routine Sets the Tone for the Next Day

Sleep helps our body recover from stressful daytime activities. It is also the healthy habit we most often neglect. Better sleep should be a priority along with healthy evening practices to set the tone for a good day to come.

It is usually easy for people to establish and maintain morning routines: bathing; packing a briefcase, purse or gym bag; and preparing snacks or a meal for the workday. However, evenings can be a time when we seek a release from scheduled duties. But it is vital to create thoughtful nighttime routines, starting with rituals that promote healthy sleep. To turn crucial evening hours into healthful days, consider the following tips:

“Recent studies link sleep deprivation to increased levels of a chemical that stimulates appetite,” says medical reporter and national health magazine contributing editor, Lisa Drayer, M.A., R.D. “People who sleep too little probably lack energy for exercise and this, combined with an overactive appetite, can be problematic for your health.” Thus, a regular snooze schedule - even on weekends - along with moderate daily exercise can help promote a healthy body weight.

Additionally, Drayer advises against dinners with a high fat content, as heavy meals can cause the digestive system to continue “working” hard when the rest of the body prepares for sleep. Although she recommends avoiding caffeine and large meals at least two hours before turning out the lights, Drayer permits the following sleep- and figure-friendly snacks: an apple, a small serving of pretzels or hot oatmeal, 1/2 cup frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream, as well as berries with fat-free whipped topping.

What to Expect From Your First Massage

With warm weather drawing more Americans out of their easy chairs and into the sunshine, there’s no reason to let stress or muscle stiffness get in the way of feeling your best. Whether participating in weddings, hiking, playing sports or getting earthy in the garden, busy and active Americans are increasingly turning to massage for celebrating special occasions, relieving muscle stiffness or just plain relaxing. Massage is a valuable ally in feeling healthy and staying in the game.

Many kinds of massage have blossomed in recent decades and a glossary at www.massagetherapy.com helps consumers find just the right treatment as well as a qualified massage therapist. According to national consumer research by Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), most people try their first massage on the recommendation of a medical professional; another third do so because they received a massage as a gift. Consumers report overwhelmingly positive experiences with their first massage, making a gift certificate a winning choice.

The following are some things to know about trying massage or giving it as a gift.

Spa Specials

More than ever, spas are offering bonding experiences for those celebrating special events like proms, graduations, wedding showers and wedding days. These promote fun for family and friends, and ensure everyone from flower girls to mothers-of-the-bride will look smashing and feel great on the big day. Massage is a key part of the package for smoothing jittery bridal nerves or as part of a wedding shower or spa party. Don’t forget couples’ massage — ABMP reports more than ever, men are trying massage and this can be a wonderful gift for when the hectic wedding day is over.

Prepare Now To Look And Feel Your Best All Summer Long

The most anticipated season of the year is just around the corner. Will you be basking in the sunshine this summer or hiding in the shade? If you prepare now, you’ll be ready in time for the warmer weather.

“When summer looms and bulky winter clothing begins to come off, many people want to exercise and eat better to get ready for swimsuit season, but often need a little motivation,” says Cindy Ayers, vice president of Campbell’s Kitchen, the Campbell Soup Company’s internal test kitchen and recipe development center. “For everyone who hears that summertime clock ticking, we’ve created a newsletter called Campbell’s Kitchen 6 Weeks to Summer to encourage you to achieve your goals in a healthy, satisfying and delicious way.”

The newsletter is designed to help people stay on track with their own healthy-eating and living plan or to inspire them to start one. Sign up at www.campbellswellness.com to receive weekly recipes, activity tips and encouragement that will have you ready to hit the pool. “Sign up anytime and you’ll get all six-weeks worth of information,” says Ayers.

In one newsletter, Ayers shares her tips on the best ways to stretch before exercising. “Stretching should become an important part of every workout because it prepares your muscles, increases flexibility and helps reduce your risk for injury and soreness,” she says.

I have no Time and Tons of Stress

by Axel Meierhoefer

Does this sound familiar to you? In many of my consultations and coaching sessions, I hear people say this exact thing. Some claim that they don’t have any time to change or add any more tasks to their already overflowing list. Others say they are so stressed out as it is that they don’t see how they can afford to pause without running the risk to miss a step, make a big mistake, or a project running into trouble.

Are you one of these individuals or a leader of a team in this situation? Are you maybe even a person who suffers from both, no time and loads of stress?

If so, let me thank you right away for taking some of your precious time to read this article.

In case you are not one of these people, but you know some or feel you could be pretty soon, I hope you will gain some perspective and motivation to reflect and maybe change what you are doing.

First of all, there is really no secret to time. It is something we all have the same amount of. Each day has 24 hours, a week has 7 days, an hour has 60 minutes (please don’t argue about other systems of measurement). We all work in a global system of time. What we can do is decide what to do with the time available to us. We can determine how much we want to use for sleep, knowing that that keeps us healthy and allows us to continue for prolonged periods of time.

The other thing we can do is determine what we do with the time we don’t sleep, play, or use for things other than what we consider work. You might say that most of this time is planned out by the organization you work for, and that is probably true. Question is: Does this have to be this way and is the process really optimized towards the goals you and your organization want to achieve?

The core question here is: Are you ‘Downloading’ or are you ‘Seeing’?

Natural Relief from Menopause Symptoms

Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue and sheer frustration — do these sound familiar? Menopause is a natural transition that is unique for each woman, but for many it comes with a lot of unpleasant symptoms that can disrupt the normal flow of daily life.

Menopause is the point at which a woman stops ovulating and menstruation ceases, indicating the end of fertility. As a normal event, menopause is usually confirmed when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. Most women experience menopause between the ages of 40 and 58, with the average at about age 51. Symptoms can start occurring several years prior actually entering menopause. This stage is called peri-menopause.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), and prescription drugs can be effective in treating symptoms of menopause, but many can have negative side effects.

More women are choosing to use natural alternatives that can be as effective as other prescription treatments. Here are some natural options to help reduce the symptoms of menopause:

What are antioxidants? How to add antioxidants to your diet!

by Ron Godlewski

When our bodies use oxygen, the cells produce free radicals that cause damage to the body’s cellular make-up. Antioxidants are attracted to free radicals and basically will neutralize them.

Many of today’s health problems such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, macular degeneration and others, can be directly attributed to oxidative damage caused by free radicals ravaging the body. This is not only a theory, the role the antioxidants plays in neutralizing free radicals is well documented in medical journals as far back as the 1950s.

When we are young, the body seems to be blessed and can generally maintain at peek efficiency. By the time we reach the age of twenty five, the disease of aging begins. As the aging process slowly progresses, our bodies begin to need more assistance to stay in shape. We don’t feel this aging process actually happening because this actually begins happening at the cellular level of our bodies. In time, the muscle tissue gets less substantial, the bones start becoming more brittle and our immune system is compromised.

When our immune system becomes compromised, we are more prone to infection and disease. Why do our bodies begin breaking down at the cellular level? The main culprit is free radicals. Without enough antioxidants in our bodies to counter the free radicals, they slowly create the oxidative damage that leaves us open to the opportunistic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and many others.

A little more than fifty years ago, scientists found that heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis and many neuro-degenerative diseases were linked to the destruction caused by free radicals.

Keep That Natural Beauty Look Forever!

by John Russell

Sophia Loren is a great example of an aging star who still would be considered as one the most beautiful women in the world.  You too can keep that natural beauty look forever.

A lot has been written about natural beauty and most articles talk about natural beauty being related to drinking water, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, taking vitamins, exercising, and so on.  It is commonly said that natural beauty look starts from within.  While mature natural beauty is a complicated and detailed subject, an in depth review of the literature really boils it down to the following items.

1. Not drinking coffee, and certainly not to an excess, is a major contributor to long-lasting natural beauty.  Drink tea instead, which actually promotes healthy collagen and a youthful look.

2. Using all-natural cosmetics and enhancers.

3. If you want to have natural beauty and have the look last forever, avoid, avoid, avoid direct sun on your skin.  Always wear a hat or other skin covering to protect the skin’s collagen.  Never leave the house without at least SPF 8-15 that protects from all of the sun’s harmful rays.

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