LIFE gets crazy sometimes.  Everyone needs a little R & R… but when & how?!?!?  Well, we have come up with a few tips that can help you relax even when LIFE is crazy! 

1.        Meditate – Take a break for 5 minutes and just clear you mind.  You might have to go into a quiet room and lock the door for that time. (Make sure the house won’t burn down and/or the kids won’t kill each other first)    It usually helps me if I set a timer so I know when to get up, I don’t have to keep on looking over at the clock to see if I am finished.  Now that the door is locked, the timer is set, try to clear your mind.   I mean really clear your mind.  Think about nothing.  I have to tell you that this was REALLY hard for me at first.  My mind is always racing, but if you stick with it you will be able to relax and that relaxation will come quicker each time you do this.   

2.       Breathe Deeply - Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to count to 10 when you were throwing a tantrum?  Well this is kind of like that.  When you are stressed your body is throwing a tantrum.  Try breathing deeply in order to relieve some of that stress and see/think clearly.

3.       Focus on what you are doing – A lot of times in life we just go onto autopilot and don’t really focus on what we are doing.  One day you can de-stress is stop disengaging from life and be a part of it.  Focus on what you are doing so you can actually enjoy it. 

4.       Find a friend – We all need friends and one of the best ways to de-stress is to talk to a good friend.  Even if that friend is your dog… talk to them. 

5.       Laugh out loud – Just laugh.  Even if there is nothing to laugh about, try it and you will feel better.

6.       Turn on some soft music – Our bodies oftentimes follow or mimic the music that we listen to.  If we are listening to fast paced music then our bodies will work fast and we will move faster.  If we listen to soft relaxing music our bodies will move and work at that pace as well.  Pay attention to what kind of music you are listening to and make sure it the kind of music that will bring you peace.

7.       Exercise – When we are stressed we oftentimes need to release that stress.  Exercise is a perfect tool to accomplish that. 

8.       Be grateful – Create a gratitude journal.  Write down what you are grateful for and keep adding to the list.  You will be amazed at all of the good things in your life.




About this Author: De Kinsey is the co-owner/manager of LIFE 1010™.  She worked as a licensed residential and commercial escrow officer for over 5 years.  This experience helped her learn how to analyze and understand legal documents and translate them in a way the general public could understand.   De Graduated from Utah Valley University in Psychology and in Community Health Science.  She understands how a person’s psyche and personal health can have positive and/or negative impact on their LIFE and financial well being.  She brings this knowledge into the LIFE 1010™ program. 

Ok, so maybe this is a bit outlandish and overstates the capabilities of this diet plan, but the truth is, these three diet principles are ones you can live for life.  Diet itself actually comes from a latin root word, diaeta, meaning “way of living”.  If you think any quick fix diet will work for you long term you are wrong.  I am so sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but it’s the truth.  A cleanse is quick and fairly easy, and a great way to kickstart a weight loss effort but the results won’t last.  A no carb diet is great for those of us with extreme discipline, so not most of us ;).  If you have time to exercise 4 hours a day, basically any diet will lean you up and have you bikini ready.  I don’t have that kind of time or discipline, and I really like food, so a permanent cleanse or 90 day water fast(yes, I’ve seen people do those) doesn’t work for me.  Instead, here are three simple adjustments you can make to your lifestyle to drop some excess body fat and be a healthier you.

1.     Permanent detox- The first thing you need to do is go on a permanent detox.  Often our bodies hold onto excess fat because those fat cells are storing toxic waste the body couldn’t eliminate by other means.  As these store up, you hold onto the fat.  No amount of “dieting” will fix that.  What you need to do is cleanse or detoxify.  This isn’t a one-time event.  This needs to become a “diaeta” or way of living.  There are some easy tricks to help your body regularly get rid of these toxins.  First, eat more salads, sprouts, and greens in general.  Green drinks and juices are a great little addition, though they may take some getting used to.  Apple cider vinegar is another great trick.  We make homemade Italian dressing for our salads with apple cider vinegar.  Have some fun and read up on the benefits of lemon juice.  A powerlifting friend of mine drinks water with lemon juice and a bit of honey every day and claims that is what’s kept him in the game so long(He’s also the only person in Utah to ever squat 1000 pounds.  He’s never touched steroids either!)

2.     Reduce your stress- So many of us try to squeeze in too much.  Life is so demanding in our age of technology and the Jones’s.  Instead, make 2014 the year you downsize your life.  Eliminate debt and things you don’t need, plant a garden, resolve old emotional issues, do some visualization and meditation,  say your sorry, quit hanging around people that drag you down.  All of these things cause negative stress on your body and mind, which in turn causes your body to release negative hormones into your body.  These hormones cause you to not only hang onto the fat you have, but to store even more.  So clean out the closet and slow down your life a bit for a great boost to your physical, as well as your mental health.

3.     Feed and Heal your body- This year instead of starving your body, feed it!  I discovered that I was chronically deficient of magnesium and that’s why I had headaches and migraines.  Maybe it’s your omega-3’s, a little more sunshine or some sleep, some iron, or whatever.  Find out what your body needs and give it that.  You’ll find that by feeding your body you’ll eat better, not worse.  You may need to go so far as to heal your digestive system so your body can absorb those nutrients that it’s missing.  Probiotics and digestive enzymes have been a great trick to help me stay healthy.  They’ve also helped my body to reduce inflammation in my digestive system, which reduces those inflammatory hormone responses that trigger fat storage. 

While I’m not a doctor and I can’t guarantee to fix all that stands in the way of your dream body, I can guarantee that each of these tips will improve your health and your life in 2014.  What do you have to lose… besides fat ?  

About this Author: Ed Kinsey has been in the financial services industry since 2003. He has experience in Real Estate, Mortgages, Commercial Finance, Annuities, and Life and Health Insurance.  His goal is to benefit the lives of one million people. He want companies to start providing better benefits at lower costs through our services. He wants to enlighten people to the retirement benefits available through life insurance, the only tax free retirement option. We have secure solutions.  Ed is also a world ranked powerlifter and fitness enthusiast.

 If you currently have individual or family insurance, or are a small business owner, it is time to take notice and get serious about healthcare reform.  Obviously there is a lot of confusion and controversy regarding this subject and much uncertainty in terms of what it will mean in the future.  However, the good news is that many families and small business owners could benefit significantly with the new options. 

For example, a couple in their 30’s with 2 children and a $50,000 adjustable gross income will qualify for an estimated premium tax credit of $294/month..  This means that a health plan with  a low copay for doctor visits, no deductible for accidents, and full preventive coverage would cost approximately $280/month!   For the same family with an adjusted gross income of $40,000, the estimated tax credit is $410/month.  The same health plan for this family would cost about $160/month!  This family may be paying over $500/month for a similar plan currently or their employer may be paying close to $1000/month for a similar plan, splitting the costs with the employee.  Either way, taking a look at the options available on the marketplace is definitely a worthwhile endeavor for both the business owner and the family.

Especially for a family with a tight budget and limited expendable income, this could free up significant funds for paying down debts, savings, vacations, or retirement planning.  Please contact LIFE1010 to obtain plan options or get additional information on what the new healthcare marketplace will mean for you and your family.  We are certified with the new healthcare marketplace as well as the exchange.  Please contact us at Deanna@life1010.info or call  Marc at 801-898-5604 or Ed at 801-698-8003 for additional information!


About the Author: Marc Roethel has over 7 years experience in the life and health insurance and retirement planning industries.  He is CEO and co-founder of the LIFE1010™ program, which is designed to help individuals through a step-by-step process of getting their lives and businesses in order.  The program focuses on emergency preparedness, creating an effective spending plan, health and wellness, and retirement planning.  He is also co-author of the book "Not Yo Mama's Retirement Plan", which takes a fun and easy to understand approach to a risk-free and tax-free solution to retirement that is proven and mostly unknown by the majority of the population.

One of our goals at LIFE 1010 is to teach people to be healthy.  Rarely am I asked “How can I be more healthy?”  “How do I get skinny?”, “ How do I get rid of my tool shed I’m packing around?” or “ How does this train lose it’s caboose?” are more common questions. 

I am going to go ahead and answer all four questions at once but keep in mind the most important question is the first.  It should be all about health.  Fitness models are typically not healthy at the time of the photo shoot (or at the time of Photoshop) and you can watch documentary after documentary on the health hazards of all of these little waifs on the runway.  Pro bodybuilders are jacked and lean because of their extreme diets and exercise routines, not to mention their "extreme" supplementation (read “performance enhancing drugs” here).  So first, get real.  Your body is your body and the state it is in took a long time to get it there.  Unless you want to be extremely unhealthy, it’ll take a while to get it where you want it.  But, with a few tweaks to diet and exercise, you should be able to drop a few pounds in the next 30 days.  Here’s how:

1 Eat breakfast.  Make it a good one.  That means natural healthy food.  No McGriddles (love me some McGriddles!).  No arguing!  Just do it.

2- If you’re thinking about eating something  that you know is a poor food choice, don’t!  A whole pizza to yourself isn’t healthy.  Neither are most appetizers.

3- Quit eating out so much!  Cut the amount of times you eat out in a week in half.  Cooking your own food is going to be healthier than most restaurants anyway.  If you want to go the extra mile, turn on the Foot Loose soundtrack and dance the whole time your cooking your food.  It’ll burn calories!

4- Cut out carbs from every meal.  No, don’t go no-carb on me now!  Just cut out a few carbs.  Don’t eat that extra roll or leave the last few bites on the plate.  Don’t worry, I’ll apologize to the starving kids in that country whose name you can’t pronounce.  It’s ok to waste a couple bites to get healthy.  Or buy a goat.  Really!  We have one.  He eats most of our scraps, along with anything else he can reach.  Darn goat!

5- Exercise.  5 days a week for 30 minutes.  Again, don’t argue.  I don’t care what you do, just exercise.  Yoga, sprints, walking, weightlifting, swimming, biking, hiking,  flag football, soccer, rollerblading (do they still do that?),  4 square, hopscotch, rock climbing, jujitsu, slack lining, rock hauling, cross-fit ( a mix of all of these), or whatever else you want to do.  Just exercise.  Make time and do it.

If you do this for 30 days, I guarantee you’ll lose 5 pounds.  If after two weeks you’re  not getting anywhere, here’s two more tips to assure victory- Drink more water and  less of everything else and get rid of any refined sugar in your diet.  If you do these things you’ll drop the weight, guaranteed!  If you try to tell me you did these things and you didn’t lose weight you’re either lying or you didn’t need to lose weight or you’ve been doing these exact things for long enough and it’s time to ramp it up and get serious!

If you can’t do this for 30 consecutive days, start over and do it!  Until you can do this for 30 days straight, you don’t have what it takes to stick with anything more, so don’t waste your time and money on a personal trainer yet.  They’ll be getting rich and you’ll still be too lazy or too busy to care about yourself.

One final note.  Don’t overdo it.  Don’t go all fanatical.  You don’t need to, so why waste the effort now when it’s easy to do these things.  Save that effort for when it actually gets hard.  Your body will adjust to these things pretty quickly and you’ll have to step it up to a higher intensity to make further progress, but if you do too much too fast you’ll mess the whole process up and start flirting with the unhealthy side of life.

About this Author: Ed Kinsey has been in the financial services industry since 2003. He has experience in Real Estate, Mortgages, Commercial Finance, Annuities, and Life and Health Insurance.  His goal is to benefit the lives of one million people. He want companies to start providing better benefits at lower costs through our services. He wants to enlighten people to the retirement benefits available through life insurance, the only tax free retirement option. We have secure solutions.  Ed is also a world ranked powerlifter and fitness enthusiast.