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Do You Know These 9 Natural Tooth Care Tips?

white smile healthy teeth woman

A few years ago, a dentist told me I’d need dentures by the time I was 50 – that’s how bad my teeth and gums were. Granted, they didn’t look bad – my teeth are strong, straight and pearly white – but my gums were already declining. I was brushing twice a day, but I wasn’t flossing and I was eating plenty of sweets.

After two root canals (and I’m only 30!), I take much better care. I still don’t floss as often …

ESC

7 (Free!) Ways to Lift Your Mood

Can’t stop checking the CNN ticker? Stressing out about bills and bad news? Take five minutes for a little fun and try these free, simple mood lifters.

Make time to watch the sunset. Leave work early, hike up a hill and enjoy the view. If you’re really brave, get up early and watch the sunrise. Spectacular.

Learn some basic acupressure. Once you’ve perfected your technique, share your skills with friends.

Stop and smell the roses. Seriously! It would be a shame for …

ESC

Carpooling Helps the Wallet and the Environment

Not everyone is going to find the idea of biking to work practical or appealing. The distance might be too far. Or it might be that you’re physically unable to bike. Not to worry. There is another way to get to work in an environmentally and financially friendly way – carpooling.

Just as we’re challenging you to give up the bottle in 2009, we’re also asking you to consider another simple step to easing your pocketbook and helping the planet.

Joining with others who are traveling the …

ESC

Avoid 'Stuff' Overload: Give Your Time Instead

I love my friends and family, but I don’t like giving them gifts. Wait, that didn’t come out right. What I mean is that I don’t like feeling obligated to give them something simply because it’s their birthday or a holiday. It puts me in a stressful situation, wondering what I can possibly give them that they’ll truly like and that fits my budget. Besides, we all have too much “stuff.”

Here’s a better idea: give the gift of time. Everybody needs extra help cleaning out their garage. And work …

ESC

Habits and the Holidays

Here we are, in the holidays again! This time brings many celebrations. I acknowledge December as a month of gatherings, sharing warmth and connecting to the winter season. It is a time that crosses over from the social glow to the inner warmth of reflection – the deep stillness that rests just beneath the buzz of parties and gifts.

And tipping us into January is New Year’s and our flurry of resolutions. May I recommend you give yourself plenty of time and start on something now? Choose a habit that …

ESC

Lessons from Our Grandparents: Proven Habits of Personal Sustainability

It seems like yesterday that the SUV was a coveted status symbol and the sight of a compost bucket could elicit a raised eyebrow. As for drying clothes on the line in the backyard? Now that’s just…frugal.

That was then. This is now. With green issues at the fore (both economic and environmental), “going granny” isn’t such a bad idea. We can learn a lot from our older, wiser relatives. They had to make do when there was little to make of anything. Many of our elders – whether grandparents or …

ESC

6 Tips for Staying Centered During the Holidays

December is a month of many celebrations. The one celebration that holds a special place in my heart is Winter Solstice. It is this celebration that has, year after year, deepened my connection to the Earth as a glorious planet that is enveloped in a beautiful and mysterious sea of space and stars. Out beyond the immediate sea of stars is the universe in full.

The fact that my mind simply can’t comprehend it all is in itself a reason to celebrate! When I begin to feel that slight sense of overwhelm in the crowds …

ESC

Green Home Detective: Identifying 10 Reusable Household Items

I remember my mother telling me that when my older siblings were little ones, she’d gift them their own toys or clothes for Christmas. “I’d just wrap them up as presents and they didn’t even know the difference,” she recalled. “They were delighted to open something new.”

It may be challening to get away with that sort of deceptive frugality these days: kids are sharper. But we can still find a treasure chest of reusable everyday objects in our cabinets and drawers. If the goal is to recondition society’s throw-away behavior, then it’s a …

ESC

Positive Psychology: What's It All About?

If you have noticed new ways to be happy or are one of the cheeky tricksters out there contributing to nurturing talent and improving normal life, you might be unwittingly participating in the growing field of something called Positive Psychology.

In 1998, Martin Seligman chose this theme for his tenure as the president of the American Psychological Association. Whose inspiration gave us the term? Maslow coined the term in 1954 in his book, Motivation and Personality.

Positive psychology might have gone against the grain, since prior to Seligman, “the previous 50 years had been primarily dedicated to …

ESC
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