Archive for March, 2010
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Retirement Money – I Need How Much?

Monday, March 29th, 2010
I’ve often said that I’m never going to tell you how much money you need in order to retire. Everyone continues to ask until they read my retirement plan. So here is a brief explanation of why no one really knows how much it costs to retire.

Someone just told me that a baby boomer couple retiring right now needs a two million dollar nest egg in order to maintain a decent lifestyle for their remaining years. A two million dollar investment returning 6% annually, before taxes, yields $120,000 per year! For most of us, that sounds like a great income, right? So what’s the catch?

Good News, Bad News

If you are 40 years old right now or even 50, you could easily live another 50 years. With luck, money and advances in modern medicine, you might be leading an active life 60-70 years from now. What do you think that $120k income is going to look like 70 years from now? (Think of today’s prices compared to those of 1938.) So even if you only used a portion of that income in the beginning, you are going to be dirt poor in your final years.

Lifestyle

And what is a “decent” lifestyle? People used to say that you would spend less after you retire. But we are Baby Boomers; spending less is against our nature. We want to travel, buy expensive vehicles, have the latest gadgets, spoil our grandchildren and of course, pay for our outrageous healthcare costs. To me, that doesn’t translate to a spending cut. Only you can decide what kind of retirement lifestyle you would like to have but even the basic food, clothing, shelter and healthcare costs are just going to keep rising.

So How Much Already?

Luckily for us, the statisticians, mathematicians, actuaries and entrepreneurs have come up with many “calculators” to determine the amount of money we will need enjoy our second adult life. You can find many of them by doing a search for “retirement calculator”. My search listed over 750,000 sites but just try two of the top ten. Go ahead, try it.

What do you think of the figure you came up with on the calculators? Even not knowing the exact amount, I’m afraid I’d have to say, “it is not enough.” If you are satisfied with having a specific figure, great, now you have it. However, Why not just make so much money that you never have to wonder again if you can afford that trip or that car or that vacation home?

What is the Solution?

Anyone reading these words knows how to make money. More than likely, you have made a significant amount of it in the last 20-30 years. Most of that was probably trading your time for a paycheck. So no matter how good you are, there was a limit to how much money you could earn. Some people enjoy making money almost as much as spending it. Money (or lack of money) has probably caused you significant pain and suffering at some point in your life. No matter how you feel about money, it is a fact that to enjoy your second adult life, you will need money and lots of it. I think Mae West said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor; rich is better.” Having money will allow you to live a longer, healthier, happier life. “Earning” money by trading your time for a paycheck will never give you this happiness because you are losing your most precious asset, your time.

Now maybe you have made wise investments in dividend producing securities or own a production oil well or hold patents or songs or movies that pay you royalties. Now we are talking about “passive income.” This is the “smart” money that comes into your bank account whether you are on vacation, sleeping, working or playing with your grandkids. Why not just put forth the effort now to make sure you have a very comfortable life and never worry about money again? Every second of your life is precious because time is a non-renewable resource. Don’t waste it on unnecessary worry or work-hours traded for a paycheck. I think the easiest way to do this is by creating your own Internet marketing business. Once it is set up and starts bringing in a constant flow of passive income, you just monitor it and add to it as your needs change.

Conclusion

If you have a couple of million dollars in the bank and want to quit working, go ahead and take the chance. But if you are willing to work, building your own business in order to guarantee financial freedom in your retirement years, start TODAY. I think it is the smart person’s choice.

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Treating Type 2 Diabetes With Lifestyle Changes

Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Diabetes type 2 is an increasingly common problem in Western Societies.

So much so, that it is estimated that 1 in 4 people in adulthood will have diabetes or prediabetes.

This is a huge proportion of people.

Yet it’s a problem that can be modified or reversed altogether with lifestyle changes.

Even if it can’t be completely reversed, lifestyle changes can make a significant improvement and will compliment medications well.

But the fact that prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (non insulin dependent diabetes) can sometimes be reversed has spurred many people to make healthy lifestyle changes and avoid the need for medications, and the health problems associated with these conditions being out of control.

So let’s have a look at the top tips for lifestyle changes to help with the treatment of diabetes type 2.

Here they are:

1. Having low GI instead of high GI foods.

This is helpful for preventing as well as treating type 2 diabetes.

There are studies now showing that consumption of a high GI drink (the study looked at soft drinks in particular) everyday increases the likelihod of developing diabetes.

In terms of treatment, low GI foods don’t spike the blood glucose levels as much as high GI foods,

For example, take leafy green vegetables instead of potatoes, have sourdough or multigrain bread instead of white bread, and have whole fruits instead of fruit juices.

2. Have lean sources of protein, not sources of protein that contain high fat.

Learn protein sources include natural yogurt, chicken (skin off), fish, tofu, and eggs.

Lean proteins are great as they give you the protein requirements without excess fat, and they also lower the GI values of foods as they slow absorption of carbs.

2. Regular aerobic exercise such as walking.

Before starting to exercise, check with your doctor in case you need to do tests to ensure that you’re safe to exercise.

Exercise helps to reduces blood sugar levels, inmproves sensitivity to insulin (so helps the cause of type 2 diabetes), reduces cholesterol levels, decreases blood pressure, and reduces stress.

In fact some studies show that exercise was as good or better than medications in treating prediabetes.

3. Weight loss.

By doing the above, you will achieve weight loss in a healthy way.

One more handy tip.

Rememebr to avoid having one or two big meals a day.

Many people do this to try to lose weight but it does the opposite. It slows your metabolism greatly and will stop you from losing weight.

Instead, have 3-5 small meals a day.

This will maintain an even blood sugar, as well as keeping your metabolism high, both very important when you want to lose weight and reverse diabetes type 2.

So there you have it.

Thes tips will help you with both weight control as well as treating diabetes naturally.

Because your blood glucose levels will be more even, you’ll feel better mentally as well. An added bonus so many people don’t realise until they experience it, and never want to go back!

So enjoy these tips and if you know of anyone else with diabetes and will benefit from these tips, why not let them know about this article?

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Celebrity Diets – Alicia Silverstone’s Vegan Lifestyle

Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Alicia Silverstone is a well known actress and a huge spokesperson for PETA. She’s a nature and animal lover and has been featured in many of their campaigns. She is a hardcore animal rights activist and a vegan.

She’s always had a strict diet and undertaken regular exercise and it shows (have you seen her in that PETA ad where she’s naked in the pool!) Well…shes very toned and thin and looks great!
Her old diet consisted of steak and doughnuts (not your average celeb food). When she first became famous she was still in the habit of eating whatever she wanted without considering the fat and calorie content. She found her health and lifestyle benefited immensely when she started eating vegan foods.

Nowadays, since becoming vegan, Alicia admits that she is a fitness freak! She reveals that her veggie diet has made her feel healthier than ever before. She has gained alot of self control since becoming vegan. Most people can’t even stick to a regular diet plan, let alone one that eliminates dairy, eggs, meat and all other animal byproducts.

When it comes to working out, Alicia Silverstone reveals that she loves jumping on the trampoline! She has one in the backyard of her stylish Los Angeles mansion. (She lives there with her husband Christopher Jarecki).

What does Alicia Silverstone Eat?

Soy Products such as fake cream cheese (tofutti) on multi grain bread

Vegetables

Salad

Fruit

Rice Milk

Tofu

How Does Alicia Silverstone Workout?

Mainly jumping on the trampoline but also walking and jogging.

Alicia Silverstone is a perfect example of a healthy vegan. She has a well balanced diet and has done alot of research on vegan nutrition. She gets asked alot of questions on her eating habits in interviews. People don’t understand the concept of being vegan and many who try to adopt a vegan lifestyle fail.

There are hidden animal ingredients in 85% of foods. Vegetables and fruit are usually a safe bet but sometimes the insecticides used to spray them contains crushed beetles! It is very hard to convert to a vegan diet but once you get used to it you will reap the many health benefits!

Alicia Silverstone should be commended on her commitment to being a vegan. It is an extremely hard transition to go from a meat and dairy eating person to cutting everything out.

Alicia has never admitted to suffering from any form of eating disorder. Her skin glows and her smile is radiant, I believe this is due to her healthy lifestyle!

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South Beach Diet and Diabetes – Switching Lifestyles

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Is there a connection between the South Beach diet and diabetes?

This medical condition is a chronic disorder where the level of sugar or glucose in the blood becomes increasingly high or elevated. Glucose in the blood is an important source of energy for the body in order to perform bodily functions.

At a healthy level of body sugar, our bodies are able to function well. When this level consistently elevates or depreciates, metabolic processes are affected resulting in complications that affect the kidneys, the heart, blood vessels and nerves, and even the eyes.

A Matter Of Lifestyle

Until today, there is no known cure to diabetes, and most medical treatment of this condition depends on lifestyle modifications such as dietary support, exercise and insulin injection. Because of this, diabetes is said to be a “lifestyle” disease. The latest news however is that the South Beach diet may just be the right approach to take in countering the deleterious effects of the “Western” lifestyle.

It was cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston of Miami, Florida who started the so-called South Beach diet. It is a diet plan that emphasizes the consumption of “good carbohydrates” and “good fats.” It was first developed for cardiac patients based on the scientific dieting research of Dr. Agatston.

The basic principle surrounding the South Beach diet involves the excess consumption of the so-called bad carbohydrates found in carbohydrates with high glycemic index, which creates an insulin resistance syndrome, resulting in the insulin’s inability to properly process fat or sugar.

Bad Fats Versus Good Fats

Dr. Agatston also believed that consumption of “bad fats” such as saturated and trans-fats increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In order to avoid these possible conditions, the South Beach diet reduces consumption of both bad fats and carbohydrates and encourages eating of good fats and carbohydrates.

Recent statistics show that incidence of diabetes is significantly higher in developed countries where people live a fast-paced life. This shows the connection between a lifestyle indicated by stress, consumption of processed food and the lack of healthy food, and the concentration of cases of diabetes.

While at the moment a direct cure to diabetes have yet to be discovered, treating diabetes would involve changing lifestyle patterns that aggravate the metabolic disorder. This most importantly involves altering food habits and eating patterns. Global Products,Global Manufacturers,Global suppliers,Global Exporters,Global Importers

A healthy diet is an important ally in the fight against diabetes. Altering lifestyle patterns can significantly contribute towards the prevention of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. An example of such a healthy eating pattern is the South Beach diet. By reducing consumption of both bad fats and carbohydrates and encouraging intake of good fats and carbohydrates, one can lose weight and also maintain a healthy level of body glucose.

Bad Carbohydrates Too?

Like most diabetic diet plans, the South Beach diet differentiates food products into good and bad carbohydrates based on the glycemic index or the pattern, which identifies the rate when and where digested food can increase levels of glucose in the blood.

Consuming bad carbohydrates, according to the South Beach diet, causes an increase release of insulin and makes one feel hungrier, resulting in overeating and gain in body weight. Increased body weight makes a person susceptible to diabetes. From this perspective, a South Beach diet is a good way to maintain a healthy diabetic diet meal plan.

Some people, however, remain skeptical about the South Beach diet’s ability to help persons with diabetes. A number of diabetic specialists believe that the glycemic index does not indicate a significant role in controlling weight. It is rather the quantity of carbohydrate intake that affects weight.

A Shift In Perspective

Like a healthy diabetic diet plan, the South Beach diet emphasizes a permanent shift in one’s eating attitude, choosing from a wide range of health food and creating a meal plan with ease and flexibility. It encourages eating whole grains and vegetables together with ample amount of mono and polyunsaturated fats like omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in fish. Consumption of processed food products, meat with high fat content, and saturated fats is strongly discouraged.

John Kenneth Galbraith, a contemporary writer and author of the book The Affluent Society, wrote, “More die in the United States of too much food than of too little.” Clearly, whether or not the South Beach diet significantly or directly reduces the effects of diabetes and helps control glucose within moderate levels, it evidently shows that what kind, how much, and at what time do we eat can greatly affect the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. By embracing a healthy eating pattern, such as the South Beach diet, the occurrence of diabetes may just be controlled.

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Lifestyle Changes – A Conscious Choice!

Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Are you ready for a change? Is it time for those plans that
you’ve been thinking about for so long? Now is a good time
for making plans, for lifestyle changes, starting over, finding
new directions and developing as a human being. Now is a very
good time for creating your own personal lifestyle and a life
that you have chosen to live.

Let there always be cross-roads!

Let me tell you what I think about cross-roads. There will
always be new cross-roads. And I really hope they will be many.
How boring life would be if there weren’t any new directions
to choose. We would just be walking straight ahead and never
find out what else there is to know. We would never discover
the narrow paths that lead into something new and unexplored.
If we always choose the straight long road we will not develop
as human beings. We will not realize all the qualities and
possibilities that we all possess.

Some cross-roads can be tough on us. We can be forced to
change directions. Something happens unexpectedly and we
move into a crisis. This will happen to us all sooner or
later. The changes that we choose consciously are “better”
than the ones that hurt, of course. But we develop and grow
as a result of both.

I have experienced both kinds of cross-roads. I have lost
near and dear ones, and I had no choice but to see it
happen. I have also made choices of my own – choices that
have changed my life in many ways.

By making conscious choices we are able to make positive
lifestyle changes. Instead of letting things happen we can
take control. We have the power to make changes.

I would like to encourage you in your decision to build
something new, something better! I want to inspire you to
see the possibilities, and I am convinced that you have the
power to make positive changes in your life. It’s a choice.
You can build a better life! You have the possibilities and
the power to make positive lifestyle changes. No one else
can make the right choices for your life. But you can.

It’s time to start feeling better! You deserve it! Reduce
stress, start exercising, change career, or learn something
new and different for your own personal development. Start
today by taking that first step to a more fulfilling
lifestyle!

Remember: The only ones that never fail are the ones that
never try.

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High Protein Vegetarian Lifestyle?

Friday, March 19th, 2010
Forty years ago, when I was a kid (and a vegetarian newbie), vegetarianism was not common. The statement “I am a vegetarian” was met with a simple “Oh”. Then came the 1980s when it became fashionable to be vegetarian for health reasons. With this fashion came confusion…

If you are a long term vegetarian like me, you will no doubt have been asked “do you eat chicken and fish?” Answer: polite yet emphatic “No, I am a vegetarian”. This question is usually followed by “how do you get enough protein?” Answer: polite yet emphatic “Easy!”

For those that are confused, here’s a brief description of the types of vegetarianism. Basically, there are those who either eat dairy (lacto vegetarian), eggs (ovo vegetarian) or both (ovo-lacto vegetarian). Vegans are vegetarians that consume no animal products at all. Among us vegetarians, if we say we are vegetarian it is taken to mean we eat dairy and or eggs. Vegans usually use the word vegan, which sounds to me like terminology invented by the producers of the original Star Trek episodes ?. A feeble attempt at humor, I know.

This article is about vegetarian and vegan eating, either as a lifestyle or the occasional meal. This article is about eating for muscle development. Is it possible to do both? Yes it is… with simple foods and a bit of knowledge about the composition of proteins.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. To build or maintain muscle (and most other body functions), the human body requires some amino acids that it must take from food. These are called the Essential Amino Acids. There are other amino acids that the body manufactures on its own ‘ called Non-essential Amino Acids. However, it requires the essential ones to manufacture the non-essential ones.

A protein is referred to as “complete” or “useable” when it contains all of the essential amino acids. Animal protein is complete. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds all contain protein, but they usually are not complete and therefore need to be “complemented” with foods that have the missing amino acids. The exception to this is soybeans. The protein in soybeans is complete and needs no complement.

In a nutshell: for vegetarians, getting enough protein is simple as eggs, dairy products and soybean products (except soy sauce) are good sources of high quality “useable” protein. For vegans, dried beans and soy are the main source of protein. Dried beans need to be complemented with nuts, grains, corn, eggs, dairy or soy (except eggs and dairy for vegans). For Non-vegetarians, a small amount of meat, fish or chicken in a meal will also complete the protein in beans or nuts for an extra protein punch that’s also packed with phytochemicals and anti-oxidants!

Live long and prosper.

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Smoke Odor Removal – A Better Lifestyle

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
All over the planet, millions of folks have been forced to face a smoky smell. Houses built in close proximity to forests often deal with a smoky smell because of fires in the woods. Untold billions are expended by governments to cope with fires and keep them form destroying homes and even lives. And if fires don’t result in physical damage, they do result in the noxious issue of smoky odors.

Do you want to find a solution to persistent smoke odors? Removing smoke odors is important to businesses that are concerned with appearances, and to business and home owners concerned about the possible health risks of lingering smoky odors. Fortunately, there are numerous products on the market today that help you eliminate smoke odors.

When we talk of smoke odor, we not only refer to smoke due to wildfires, but also refer to tobacco smoke. Imagine sitting with your family in your living room on a cold winter night (when all the windows and doors are closed to make the room warm) and one of your family members smoking continuously. This can result in the accumulation of smoke in your home. Also, the problem of smoke odor arises.

There is scientific evidence to the fact that passive smoking not only aggravates respiratory problems, but also gives birth to other ailments. People suffering from asthma suffer a lot due to passive smoking. Tobacco smoke also causes allergic reactions. Difficulty in breathing is one of the side-effects of passive smoking. There are some effective ways of “smoke odor removal”. Let us discuss some of them.

For removing smoke odor from tough surfaces like walls, you should use ammonia-based cleaners. Moreover, it is also important to get your walls and ceilings treated with a primer which is resistant to stains. This would act as a shield by not letting the fine nicotine particles pass through. Apart from this, there are several types of “ozone generators” available in the shops which are effective in “smoke odor removal”.

In no more than a few hours, an ozone generator can remove the smoke smell from your home, cheaply and effectively. Many web sites sell ozone generators for smoke odor removal, and many households now use them for smoke removal when necessary.

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Lifestyle Book Review – Living Happy is a Choice and a Lifestyle

Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Have you ever noticed how many people seem have it all together and make lemon aid out of almost any situation. Have you ever considered that this attitude is a choice, and by thinking this way it will have you perceiving a completely different existence? Perhaps, you have noticed that some folks choose to live their life a different way. And have mean spirit, also a decision, and whereas it may be unconscious it is a decision and they have made that choice either way.

To help you understand all this, so you can choose how to live your life, I recommend the following book:

“Happier Living – Make it a Lifestyle Through Beautitude” - By Clifton W. King and Russell T. Williams; DSFI Publishing, Denver CO, copyright 1977.

What is beautitude the reader will ask when they pick up this book on the lifestyle of happier living? It turns out that it is quite simple as the authors will duly explain throughout the book. You see the common them running through this work is that having a “beautiful attitude” is not just an attitude or beautitude, but rather it a life style and requires a different way at looking at life, living your life and seeing things.

This book is broken into 8 sections, each chapter talks about challenges and situations in society and our personal lives and how to change the way you perceive things and in the process change your lifestyle to a happier you. By Celebrating your life-experience as you go and looking, seeking out the beauty, you can modify your habits and in the process live a totally carefree and stressless existence.

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Tennessee – Low Cost Yet Classy Lifestyle

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Living in Tennessee presents a varied lifestyle for many. Residents enjoy an alternative lifestyle, community lifestyle, family lifestyle, opportunity lifestyle, parenting lifestyle; relationship lifestyle to teen’s lifestyle. And the best part of living in the wonderful state of Tennessee is that you can choose your lifestyle in accordance with your taste and preference.

Here are important focal points about the classic lifestyle of the state:

1) An alternative lifestyle in Tennessee includes the Venus project that is meant to maintain the dynamic equilibrium in human beings. The lifestyles that are counted as the alternative lifestyle in Tennessee are categorized at omplace, science connection, green matters, angel coin, love and pride, urban outings, tipi tarot, Wendi and other websites.

For details on how to make the family lifestyle more lovable in the Tennessee, it’s advisable to use lifestyle themed online resources such as family tree magazine, Venus project; we are family foundation, Alateen, American family safety, concerned united birth parents, centre for successful fathering, OneGreatFamily, sittercity and family on board.

2) The exotic region of Tennessee is famous for the variety of lifestyles that are found there such as the traditional and modern lifestyles. One can find any and every kind of happenings there; for example, the nightlife in Tennessee is categorized as the most chic and happening for party goers; pubs, bars and other places of adult entertainment abound.

3) Tennessee is among the best places available for retirees, as the cost of living is low here. Retired people can afford buy homes at reasonable rates.

4) Tennessee is also the perfect destination for those looking for a rural lifestyle. Residents can also get a taste of world class city life in major cities like Memphis and Knoxville.

5) Tennessee offers world class health services and affordable housing to residents. And one of the best parts of enjoying a Tennessee lifestyle is assisted living: a non- institutional setting promoting individual liberty and dignity for the residents and also encouraging community and family involvement.

6) Another popular benefit in the state is the low cost property that is available here in good numbers. Quality living at a reasonable cost means a sought after place among those looking for a reasonable yet quality lifestyle with the average expenditure on housing, transportation, food and groceries, health care, utilities, clothing and entertainment at about ten percent lower than the national average.

7) Another excellent aspect of living in Tennessee is that the residents are free from a state property tax burden. Their property taxes are usually determined and collected on the basis of the locality. Other beneficial features of living in Tennessee are its low sales tax of about six percents on food ingredients and zero tax on prescription drugs.

8) Tennessee is also famous for its cowboy lifestyle and western way of life. There are dude ranches and guest ranches spread all over Tennessee promoting cowboy lifestyle. You can still see cowboys in their cowboy boots with western gun holster, riding on their horse, herding the cattle and performing other tasks. You can also get a taste of this cowboy lifestyle by visiting these ranches as a tourist or working their as a help during your visit.

With so many tax benefits and low cost of living, Tennessee for sure offers an affordable yet classy lifestyle. Check it out for yourself!

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Diabetes Lifestyle – Changing Your Lifestyle Now That You’re Diabetic

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
What does a lifestyle change mean to a diabetic? Well, usually the first response is, “You want me to do what!” Which is closely followed by, “What’s that?” Next usually comes, “Well, if I can’t have everything I like to eat anymore, have to start exercising everyday and begin taking medication all the time, what’s the point of living?”

Well, guess what! It’s a sure bet that if you don’t start making all those changes in your life NOW, you won’t be living a quality life for much longer plus you’ll be taking a chance on letting a whole lot of other really bad things go wrong with your body!

Ask any diabetes specialist whether people can begin to control their diabetes through diet and exercise and the answer will be a resounding YES! It has been proven in studies all over the world time and time again.

The key to making this change is having the patient make a conscious committed decision to change all their old habits. They must then begin implementing the new changes in small steps into their daily lives until they have replaced the bad habits with the new habits, which in turn equals a new lifestyle.

A new lifestyle just means changing habits-natural eating habits, a habit of getting up and moving for at least 30 minutes each day, stopping a smoking habit, reducing an alcohol consumption habit. All of this has to be done not for just a few months but for a lifetime in order to get this silent killer under control.

Another added benefit of changing your lifestyle is lowering your blood pressure and the risk of a stroke or heart attack, less sleep apnea and more vim and vigor for a better life overall. This change must become a way of life for you, for your whole life, not just for a few months or a year.

Your life literally depends on it.

Sure, there will be slip-ups now and then but you just have to shake it off and get started again. Don’t beat yourself up over it. It will be easier to begin again the next time because you’ve been there before and know what went wrong and how you can regain control. Just think about feeling and looking better and avoiding all the possible diabetic complications in store for you if you don’t change.

But the best outcome of your new lifestyle will be the plus of being with your loved ones as a healthy person years longer.

If you need more help making those changes in your life a reality, check out the help available on these pages.

Ruth Walby

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