Chi” in Chinese is an energy, or life force, that animates all things.  Chi flows through the mind, body and spirit.  Chi Walking is a kind of exercise where you workout your body, and also gain balance and alignment in your life.  It’s about using a good form so that chi flows freely through the body.  In this way, you walk more efficiently, with less wear and tear on the body.  Chi Walking teaches us to align the spine and engage our core muscles and relax everything else.  Walking becomes fluid and easy.  We choose to walk regularly, and choose to create health.  With Chi Walking, walking is a practice, a regular, mindful activity that enhances the quality of life.  It’s more than physical exercise, it’s a way to focus your energy and channel your thoughts.

  Chi Walking: The Five Mindful Steps for Lifelong Health and Energy – on amazon

In the stock market, there
are two different ways of choosing what, and when to buy or sell.  The first is technical analysis.  With technical analysis you look at the
charts, the patterns and trends of the movement in price, keeping emotions
entirely out of the equation. So much so that there is even software that you
can set to automate your buy and sell points.

The second way is
fundamental analysis – where we look at the businesses, how they are run, and
what they do.  Socially Responsible
Investing has become an important topic of conversation.  We are interested in investing in
companies that promote positive change in the world.  In this way we are being smart with our money, and making a
difference, too.  But how do we find
these companies?  There’s a new
book called “Investing for Change: Profit from Responsible Investment” that
helps us to sort it all out and make better decisions.

Best Chart Software

It’s Valentine’s week. Do you know what you’re getting your honey?  Sometimes these holidays can be stressful – we want to do something special, and we’d like it to be a surprise, but we don’t want to waste our time and money on something that is going to fall flat.  This is where something I like to call “practical romance” comes in.  My sister had this idea years ago.  She created two books, one for him, and one for her, that answers all kinds of questions that help to solve the gift-giving dilemma.  It’s also a great way to get to know each other!  Besides listing sizes and colors, it also lists favorites in dozens of categories, friends, wishes, and dreams.  There are places to write about memories, emotions, and how best to handle various moods.  This is a nice reference to go back to whenever you need it – and it’s fun to go back in and update your own books as time goes on.  In many ways, these questions help you to know yourself, too.

All About Him

All About Her

Those “empty nest” feelings begin when your teenagers start driving, and are more independent.   They are spending less time at home, and more time at school, or working, or with their friends.  They’re making decisions on their own, and planning for life at college.  Before the kids move out, this is the time to prepare for what this new phase of life is going to be like.  Remember that being a parent is just one of the roles you play, it’s not your entire identity.  The empty nest years don’t have to feel empty, they can actually be really fun!  You’ll have lower grocery bills, plenty of hot water, less laundry to do, a cleaner house, and a lot more privacy.  This is a great time to re-connect with your spouse.  Here are some tips:

-Plan a trip.  You have the freedom now to travel!

-Adopt a pet.  If you miss care-taking, there are plenty of animals at the shelter who could use your tlc.  It will be like having a new baby.

-Start an exercise program together.  Join a gym, or invest in some home gym equipment.

-Take classes together.  Check out your local community college or community recreation department.

-Socialize.  Connect with other couples and hold dinner parties.

Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children

Valentine’s day is approaching – a day to celebrate love and romance!  Love makes the heart sing.  But for some, finding that certain special someone can be elusive.  Not anymore. My friend Arielle Ford, who met her soulmate at the age of 44, has found the formula, and put it all in her new book: “The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction.”  Arielle talks about how she found her happily-ever-after in her husband Brian and reveals that finding true love is possible at any age if you’re willing to prepare yourself – spiritually, mentally, and physically – to become a magnet for love.  Arielle uses a series of processes that have to be felt in every cell of your being to create the outcome you desire.  This practical guide also includes prayers and techniques to help clear out emotional baggage from the past and make room for true love to manifest itself. The person you are looking for is also looking for you!  If you’re ready to be loved, cherished and adored, this may be the most important book you read all year. 

Happiness is often called psychological wealth.  But what does it take to achieve this?  There is a definite connection between material wealth, spiritual wealth, and psychological wealth, and it’s well worth exploring, as Ed Diener, and his son Robert Diswas-Diener (called the “Indiana Jones of psychology” because of his research adventures around the world) do in their book: Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth.  The book is filled with practical advice, and backed up by solid research.  It explains how we are not necessarily “born” happy, but that we can and do change our levels of happiness.  It also says that happiness alone is not enough, we need to be happy for the right reasons, which extends beyond material riches, emotional intelligence and social capital.  And the authors also provide a model for a happy approach to life, based on Attention, Interpretation, and Memory (AIM).  Happiness is indeed the journey more than the destination, and how we react to the world.

There’s a new trend in birthday parties.  And especially significant parties like Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah’s where lots of gifts are given.  Kids are now choosing to forego presents for themselves in lieu of contributions to their favorite charity.  Young children and teenagers across the world are getting involved in philanthropy more than ever.  New technologies are often credited with the rise of the trend, as young people are much more exposed to and connected with the problems of the world via the internet and television.  Parents are also finding new ways to instill in their children the value of giving.  Websites like Club Penguin have made it easy for children to give.  Another site, ECHOage.com, manages to pool gifts of money so that half goes to a single charitable cause of the birthday child’s choice, and half goes towards one special gift for the birthday child.  Invitations to the party are sent via e-mail, and guests may make a secure online donation.  No shopping, wrapping, or returning gifts – so the gift is environmentally sound, educational, and cause-oriented.

Physiologically, our body reacts to a kiss.  It takes 34 muscles in the face to get the lips going just so.  Blood rushes, the body warms, saliva is stimulated, testosterone levels rise, and those feel-good chemicals like endorphins and oxytocin are released in the brain.  At the same time, blood pressure goes up, and the heart beats faster, we burn more calories per minute than just sitting around.  Anthropologists speculate that kissing could have evolved from sniffing, rubbing noses together to get a scent in greeting each other as animals often do.  Others think that kissing evolved from a kind of feeding behavior, as with the birds.  In ancient Egypt, eating was referred to as “kissing one’s food.”  A German researcher found that 65% of people who kiss tilt their heads to the right.  The record for the longest-held kiss in the United States is almost 31 hours.  And the record for the “biggest kiss” was set at a music festival in England in 2007 where about 30,000 people kissed at the same time.

The Beloved

A “Blue Zone” is an area where there are a high percentage of people happily, and healthfully, living past 100 years of age.  Dan Buettner, who is a National Geographic Explorer, traveled the world and identified these areas, and also researched the strategies that the people living in these areas utilize to live long lives.  Okinawa, Sardinia, Costa Rica, and one town in California all made the list!  And for the most part, the healthy habits are what make difference in the centenarians lives.  Here are some of the examples that we can follow:

– Have a strong and supportive social structure.  It is important to have friends and family around you, to be active in the community, and to participate in group activities.

-Exercise regularly.  Most people in these blue zones are engaged in physical labor daily, so exercise comes as a matter of course.  Look at physical activity as something to be enjoyed, rather than as a chore.

-Cut down drastically on your intake of meat.  Consider meat to be a condiment, or a small side dish, rather than the main part of a meal.

-See the big picture.  Have a purpose in life.  Wake up with something to do.

Last day of the “old” year.  Tomorrow will you wake up and make resolutions, set goals for the coming year?  It’s a tradition with me.  Sometimes the old resolution ends up carrying over into the new year, so I have to adjust, and figure out just where I can make changes so that I can actually reach my goal.  But usually I can look back and say – pretty good!  Having these goals helps to keep me on track.  Having goals helps us to prioritize, and to be more aware of how we are spending our time and energy.  So what’s it going to be for 2009?  I’ve decided to learn Spanish.  Yep, I’m really going to do it!  And I’m taking a rather novel approach.  First of all, fearlessness.  I’m not going to worry about being perfect, I’m going to just dive in and do it.  I’ll practice at every opportunity and not worry about how others perceive my attempts.  Second, fun.  This is something I want to do, not something I have to do.  So I’m not putting any pressure on myself, and I’m just going to enjoy the process.  Learning is best when it is effortless.  And third, persistence.  I’m going to do a little bit every day.  What are your goals for the new year?  Whatever they are, approach them with fearlessness, fun, and persistence.