The following is one in an ongoing series of columns entitled Staying Healthy Tips by Elson M. Haas MD

1. Stay cool and hydrated. Drink water, at least two to four cups (16-32 ounces) upon rising, and similar amounts if you are going out for activities and exercise. Carry water with you in a hard plastic container (more stable polycarbonate rather than polyethylene that leaches plastic into the water). You may also use a traveling water filter. Most people need two to three quarts of liquid per day, and more in hot weather or with sweating and exercise.
   
2. While enjoying the sun and outdoors, protect yourself from overexposure to sunlight by wearing a hat and using natural sunscreens without excessive chemicals. Carry Aloe Vera gel for overexposure and have an aloe plant growing in your home for any kind of burn. The cooling and healing gel inside the leaves will soothe any sunburn. It works great.
3. Keep up or begin an exercise program. Aerobic activity is important for keeping the heart strong and healthy. If you only work out in a health club, take some time to do outdoor refreshing activities — hiking, biking, swimming, or tennis. Reconnecting with these activities will help keep your body and mind aligned.
4. Enjoy Nature’s bounty – fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables at their organic best. Consuming foods that are cooling and light — fresh fruits, vegetable juices, raw vital salads, and lots of water — will nourish your body for summertime activities. Include some protein with one or two meals. There are a number of light, nourishing proteins that don’t require cooking. Most of these complement fruits and vegetables nicely– nuts, seeds, sprouted beans, soy products, yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. Fish and poultry can also be eaten.
5. Take some special summer time with your family, kids, and friends who share the enjoyment of outdoors. Plan a fun trip if you’re able and motivated for a day or longer — hiking in the wild, camping, playing at the river, or a few days resting at the ocean. Rekindling our Earth connection has benefits that last beyond this season, continuing to enrich the whole of your life.
6. Relax and breathe. You’ve been working hard. This is the season to slow the pace a bit and absorb the light that stimulates your hormonal message center. Leave your cell phone at home or take a week off from TV. In many European countries, most of the population has a month off during the summer.
7. Sun teas are wonderful. Use flowers and leaves (or tea bags) in a clear half- or one-gallon glass jar filled with spring water. Hibiscus or red clover flowers, peppermint, chamomile, or lemon grass are all good choices, or use your local herbs and flowers that you learn are safe, flavorful, and even medicinal. Leave in the sun for two hours or up to a whole day. Moon teas can also be made to enhance your lunar, dreamy side by letting your herbs steep in the cooling, mystical moonlight. Add a little orange or lemon peel, or a sprig of rosemary and a few jasmine flowers.
8. Nutritional supplements can support you with a greater amount of physical energy, enhancing your summer activities. The B-complex vitamins are calming to the nervous system and helpful for cellular energy production, while vitamin C and the other antioxidants protect your body from stress, chemical pollutants, and the biochemical by-products of exercise. Helpful summer herbs are Siberian ginseng as an energy tonic and stress protector, dong quai is a tonic for women, hawthorn berry is good for the heart, and licorice root will help energy balance and digestion.
9. Use the summer months to deepen the your  spiritual awakening. Begin by checking your local bookstore or the web for ideas that interest you. Plan a vacation that incorporates these new interests and provides you time to read, relax, contemplate, and breathe.
10. Above all, give yourself the time to truly experience Nature. This can happen, even in a city park, if you relax and let in your surroundings. When traveling, take activities for the family and your first aid kit for bites, bee stings, and injuries. Check for ticks after your hikes. Watch for overexposure, take time in the shade, and drink your water.

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S.

With summer almost upon us, new stresses and stress relief options present themselves. In the interest of helping you take full advantage of what summer has to offer (and to manage what summer may throw at you), this blog brings you information you can use now to make this summer a relaxing one.

Get-In-Shape Help For the Stressed
Feeling stress about wearing less in the coming months because you find yourself eating more when stressed? Here are some tips for dealing with emotional eating, stress cravings and more. (Plus: how does stress affect the eating patterns of my other readers? Find out and weigh in here–so to speak.)

Secret Causes of Summer Stress
Yes, summer may feel like a time of fun, but there can be additional stressors lurking with the good times. Find out what they are so you can be prepared to manage them!

Rebuild Your Life
Did you know that June is “Rebuild Your Life Month”? (Well, now you do!) For more information on why and how to rebuild your life, now is the time to click the link and read more.

If you are like many Islanders, there are times when you really wonder and stress about how you are ever going to pay off all your bills and be able to live debt free. You may dream of having a savings account and a retirement fund. You may have heard advertisements from companies promising to reduce your debt by 50 – 80%  if you just call and see if you qualify for their program.

Well – it is also likely that you have heard the saying – “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

There are different types of agencies who have the goal of helping you decrease your debt.   There are credit counselling agencies and debt settlement companies.  Some agencies are classified as ‘for profit’ and some are classified as ‘not for profit’; and those who are accredited versus those who are not. Some of the agencies are operating under questionable practices in attempts to get more and more clients on Debt Repayment Plans (DRP) or to “settle their debts with creditors”.   The truth is, these options are valid and helpful for people who really need it – however, qualifying either of these options requires a thorough assessment of your current financial situation and is much more than just adding up all your debt to see if you qualify.  The hidden small print from many of the agencies that are operating under questionable terms is that while they may work with your creditors to reduce your debt and/or your interest rates, they will charge you large monthly fees; require down payments and/or set-up fees; and insist that you stay on the program for an agreed upon period of time.

How to find a credible credit counselling agency:

Find a local agency that is both not for profit and fully accredited by looking in your phone book or searching on-line. Your local agencies are accredited by Credit Counselling Canada.

When you call to make an appointment:

• ask to have a face-to-face appointment with a credit counsellor.
• Verify that the organization is accredited.
• Verify that the organization is not for profit.

When you speak to a credit counsellor:

• He/she should be helping you develop a budget so you both can fully understand your financial situation; and any lifestyle changes that you can make to help you improve your financial situation
• He/she should be asking you about all your debts; assets; liabilities; and payment history – not just those related to credit card debt.
• He/she should give you more than one option for improving your financial situation. If a DRP is an option for you, he/she should encourage you to go home and think about all options prior to signing up for anything

If you choose to pursue a Debt Repayment Plan:

• Your credit counsellor should explain the consequences for you and your credit rating
• You should be given the option to make a lump sum payment to further reduce or eliminate your debt at any given time.
• Start up fees and monthly administration costs should be minimal, with the vast majority of your money going directly to your creditors.

And last, but not least: Never sign a contract without reading and understanding all the small print

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much for visiting us at here at our website. We know we need to improve our methods of interacting with you. Stay tuned for many improvements that will come over the next few months. These will include website improvements, as well as the creation of new FaceBook and Twitter accounts to keep you fully informed about how you can develop and implement successful life strategies to improve your financial and emotional well-being.

Denise Lockhart
Executive Director

Thanks to our friends at Spectra Media, our new website is up and running. Please take a look around and drop us a line to let us know what you think!