Five Auto Maintenance Myths

Hit the brakes! You may be spending unnecessarily on car maintenance. Here’s how you can save money: For starters...make sure you read your owner’s manual! Most newer cars require a lot less maintenance than your family’s first car. Here are 6 more tips… 1. Oil Change. Some newer cars call for oil changes every 10,000 miles; the industry recommends every 7,500 miles. If you follow the factory schedule, your car will be in good shape well past the warranty period. 2. Lubricating The Chassis. Cars built in the past 10 years don’t require lubrication. Adding grease may end up costing you $$$. 3. Standard Tune-up. New cars have computer-controlled engines making the standard tune-up unnecessary. (No points and rotors...and some don’t have the standard distributor caps). 4. Flushing The Automatic Transmission System. Check your owner’s manual, but most manufacturers say it’s not needed until 60,000 miles. 5. Draining The Radiator. Most cars have closed systems and no longer need the radiator flushed twice a year. A new car’s coolant can last up to two years before it needs changing. 6. Changing Filters. Filters need replacing, but not at every oil change. Check your owner’s manual for recommended replacement intervals

Secrets To Feel Young

The process of getting older is unavoidable, but feeling old is optional. Here’s what you can do to feel young and alive. Appreciate your age: Whatever you regret from the past is over. Let it go. Literally re-program the way you think about the past and the concept of growing older. Setting new goals can give you more life now and help you live longer. According to a Yale study, people who had a positive mindset about growing older lived about seven years longer than those who grumbled about their age. Don’t retire from being useful: Sure, you may have earned the right to slow down and work less, but feeling that you still make a difference is invigorating. Keep both the mind and body moving by getting involved in volunteer activities and exercise clubs.

Can Optimism Make You Healthy?

In a study of first year law students at the University of California at Los Angeles, psychologists discovered students with positive attitudes and expectations had stronger immune systems and overall good health. Researchers drew blood from “declared optimists” and a control group. They then measured levels of key immune cells at the beginning of the semester. At that time there was no difference, but well into the stress-filled semester the optimists showed significantly higher levels of key immune cell activity than their less-than-positive counterparts. Keep smiling—you’ll live longer!

De-cluttering Tips…

Save money by cleaning out your storage unit, 1 in 10 Americans pay for storage. Don’t keep stuff “in case you need it.” You might as well make extra money by selling some of those items on eBay or Craigslist. If you don’t have time to clean it out yourself, hire a professional organizer. It’ll cost you less in the long run. If you must rent a unit, make sure it’s temporary. Many companies offer the first month’s rent free because they know you may stay indefinitely. Know what you’re storing and make sure you only keep the unit for a few months at most.

7 Secrets for Conquering Stress

Are you a harried mom? Overworked dad? Stressed out professional? Stress is considered one of the top three contributors to heart disease and other serious illnesses. Don’t let daily stress get the best of you. Here are seven steps you can take right now to reduce your stress level, and get back to feeling more balanced and energized in your daily life... 1. Master Your Thoughts. Stress and anxiety are actually a choice. You have the power to choose how you feel at any given moment. When you are feeling stressed out, take a moment to pause and close your eyes. Ask yourself, “Is there another choice I can make that will make me feel more at peace with myself or this situation?” 2. Breathe. It sounds so simple, but breathing has a tremendous affect on your mind, body, and your mood. Focus on your breathing when you find yourself feeling stress. If you put your finger on your belly button, you’ll begin to breathe from your belly and relax. 3. Exercise. Regular exercise can release stress and make you feel more in control of your life. Try a 30-minute brisk walk, bike ride, or play a game of tennis or racquetball. 4. Take Up A Hobby. Hobbies give our body and mind a place to relax. Whether it’s painting, woodworking, gardening, or playing a musical instrument, hobbies can give us that feeling of a vacation without having to go anywhere to get away. 5. Pace Yourself. Many of us have a tendency to over schedule ourselves or our family, and then become stressed when we can’t meet the demands. Prioritize your workload and concentrate on one task at a time. 6. Lighten Up And Take The Long View. If you’re feeling anxious and tense...take a moment and ask yourself, “will this really matter tomorrow, next week, or even five years from now?” 7. Strive For Peace of Mind. You can get more out of your life by actually doing less. Happiness comes not from the number of activities things we collect, but from the opportunity to enjoy our experiences. Doing less may actually make you happier...it’s your choice.

Don’t Read This Sitting Down

Do you sit at a desk all day and become a couch potato on the weekends? Recent studies have shown that those who sit most of the day have an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart problems and other diseases. That’s because the enzymes that burn fat shut down, slowing your metabolism and possibly lowering your beneficial cholesterol. Even if you do exercise regularly, you need to move your muscles frequently (called non-exercise activity) throughout the day. Follow these tips: Try to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. When you’re not exercising, don’t remain sedentary for long. Get up and move, whether that means walking to someone’s office (instead of sending an e-mail) or going to the copy machine. Even standing burns calories since you tense your leg muscles and shift your weight from one leg to the other. Turn off the TV. You’ll burn more calories doing almost anything else, such as playing games with the kids, cleaning the house or walking the dog. When you do watch TV, change your seating. Watch it in a rocking chair (yes, it burns energy!), sitting on a therapy ball or riding an exercise bike. Move around during commercials, which can take up 20 minutes each hour.

Natural Health Remedies

Minor aches and pains can be an annoyance, but they’re usually not serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. You can treat most minor health problems yourself: minor cough, heartburn, swimmer’s ear, muscle strain, headache, and sinusitis. Here are six useful home remedies: • Strained Muscle – Right after the injury, put ice on the injury for 20 minutes; elevate the area. Repeat every few hours. • Tension Headache – Put a drop of lavender on your index fingers; rub the oil on your temples and the back of your neck. • Heartburn – Mix ½-teaspoon baking soda and 1-cup warm water, and drink it to relieve the discomfort. • Swimmer’s Ear – Warm ½ onion in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Hold it close to your ear (but not touching) for one minute. • Cough – Make hot tea from wild cherry bark, steep. Drink 1 cup. • Sinusitis – ½-teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. Gently breathe into your nostrils. (If any symptoms are unusual, or don’t go away after a few days, or come on suddenly, call your physician.)