Of all the things I hate about getting older, losing my ability to focus on something I'm reading to comprehend what it says has to be the most difficult and frustrating of all.  I'm not looking forward to this problem getting worse, let me tell you.  I hate the fact that right now at the age of 50 (something) I'm already becoming more and more forgetful. So I'm going to be researching a few natural solutions to this problem.  This is one that I've found recently that I am very thankful for.

One thing I've found that helps me is this product called Focus Up.  Before I started taking this product I researched the ingredients and was surprised and relieved that the ingredients were well received in the medical and scientific community.  So let's just take a look at the key ingredients of Focus Up one by one.  While there are many health benefits for each of these nutrients, I'm only going to provide the benefits as it relates to helping with brain function. I will also post my sources at the bottom of the article.

Acetylcarnitine (or Acetyl-L-carnitine, or ALCAR): This is a naturally occurring substance found in plants and animals.  ALCAR has the ability to enter the brain, where it becomes powerful antioxidant and helps in prevention of the brain cells' deterioration.

It has been shown protective in the brains of rats and may be useful in treating peripheral nerve injury as well as spinal cord injury. Although more testing is needed, it is this ingredient is proving to have some neuro-protective benefit in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE): Studies have shown that DMAE will increase alertness and improve the mood of those who take it.  It is given to patients along with other nutritional supplements to patients who suffer from borderline emotional problems, including those with ADHD.

Rhodiola rosea: (commonly known as golden root, rose root, roseroot, Aaron's rod, arctic root, king's crown, lignum rhodium, orpin rose) This is a common root used in herbal medicine.  It has been shown to be effective for improving the mood and helping to  and relieve the affects of depression. Other studies on human subjects showed it improves physical and mental performance, and may reduce fatigue.  Studies done in 2007 show significant benefit to those suffering from depression when administered certain doses of Rhodiola, with no side affects at all.  It has been shown to reduce the senility in rats. It has been shown that in healthy subjects, Rhodiola rosea extract helps to alleviate fatigue and increases mental performance, with greater ability to concentrate. Rhodiola significantly reduced symptoms of fatigue and improved attention after four weeks of repeated administration.

Huperzine A: In the US, huperzine A is sold as a dietary supplement for memory support. The botanical has been used in China for centuries for the treatment of swelling, fever and blood disorders. Clinical trials in China have shown it to be effective in improving cognitive performance in patients with Alzheimer's disease and enhancing memory in students.

Huperzine A, a natural occurring compound found in plants and animals, is also an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which functions similar to the compounds donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine used today in the treatment of Alzheimers.  Current research is being done to develop huperzine A as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Green Tea: Known to have many health benefits including helping to combat against depression. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, practitioners used green tea as a stimulant. Among other traditional uses of green tea it is also used for improving mental processes. Without going into this further Green Tea has been shown to help in the fight against all kinds of cancer; for a more in depth study of Green Tea you can review the link shown in my source area at the bottom of this article

Vitamin B12: This vitaimin is found in animal products such as meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. If you are a vegetarian there are vegan sources of this as well, but you will more than likely have to supplement.  B-12 is so vital in the conversion of food into energy and apparently there is a very high percentage of people (myself included - apparently) who are deficient in this vitamin. What this means is that many people - especially later in life will develop problems with memory and focus. Vitamin B12 helps to slow the progression of brain atrophy Alzheimer's sufferers.

With all these wonderful ingredients that are together in one formula what doesn't Focus Up have?  Focus Up does not have artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, preservatives, there's no acidic carbonation, no wheat, no gluten, no HFCS, no dairy, no eggs, no nuts, shell fish or other allergens.

So while there are obviously other products out there that may have some of these ingredients, so far I haven't found one which has all of these together, however I may do some further research on this particular subject since it seems to be an increasing concern for today, not only in my own life and that of my husband (we're both 50 +), but also in the lives of younger adults I know and love so well.  I've already written a few articles on this subject of the over 50+ brain and how to keep it active.  If you'd like to read those articles you can here:

10 Tips to Boost Brain Function
6 Simple Memory Tricks to Increase Your Brain Function

Oh my, I'm so excited!  Blackberries are in season and today we went to pick some.  This is a big thing for us since we live in the desert where fresh home grown stuff like this is hard to come by.  Oh and as a super extra bonus - Did I hear you say "Organic"???

This is a special treat for us.  We don't get the opportunity to pick fresh fruit like this so we're taking advantage. 

Why are blackberries superfoods? Because there is a whole bunch of phytonutrients in blackberries - so they are packed full of goodness!  Just one cup (144 grams) of FRESH blackberries has only about 62 calories but a full 2 grams of protein and 5.3 grams of dietary fiber.  This is important for healthy digestion and weight loss.  Blackberries are a great source of Ellagic Acid, an antioxidant shown to protect the skin from damage from ultraviolet light. Anthocyanins give blackberries their dark color and are antioxidants which have been shown to reduce inflammation by helping combat free radicals in the body that destroy cells and lead to heart disease and types of cancer. 

Good source of vitamin K which means they are good for the bones and for the eyes. Since blackberries are a good source of fiber, they are wonderful to help promote healthy digestive system which we know contributes to healthy weight management. 

Since this is a special time for us we're taking advantage and going to add these to our smoothie challenge.  You can learn more about our 30 Day Smoothie Challenge here.  http://www.24monthmiracle.com/30-day-smoothie-challenge.html . Look for some great smoothie recipes with our fresh blackberries coming soon!

We had a lovely time. I can't wait to go to get some apricots and peaches! The farm is small but the people have big hearts. They grow and you can pick other produce as well, including tangelos, grapefruit, apples, peaches and apricots. They are not certified organic but the fruit is not treated with pesticides which is pretty awesome. For anyone who is local to Yuma, Arizona, here's the address. 3392 W County 16 1/2 St, Somerton, AZ 85350http://silvasfarms.com/blackberries/

With the cost and availability of quality fruits and vegetables becoming a serious issue the idea of shopping local is becoming more and more popular.  

A farmers' market (also farmers market) is a physical retail market featuring foods sold directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers Markets have been around for as long as people have been farming. It is a vital direct link between the farm to the table.  

I believe as more and more people turn to organic foods products we will see an increasing demand for more and more good organic only farmers markets as well.  But for now, I would encourage you whenever possible to frequent and support your favorite farmers market because when we can make our requests known to the farmers themselves and cut out the middle man the farmer makes more money, it is possible they will begin to listen to the consumers; then - we the consumers get better produce.

If you are in a rural area and not familiar with where or how to locate your local farmers markets to make it easy I've compiled a list of resources that seem to provide some fairly reliable information.

How to find a local farmers market in your area.

This should not be very hard for people living in a large metropolis size cities, like New York, San Francisco or San Diego, but what about those of us who are in a smaller more isolated rural community? 

This can be a little more difficult, but with a little asking around you should be able to find out about stuff you didn't even know was right around you. You may be surprised to find out that right down the street you have a neighbor who is keeping some "organic" chickens and sells the organic eggs for less than what the supermarkets charge. Or that a member of your church has a bunch of pecan trees that are over run with squirrels, he just needs some help to manage the trees (and the squirrels). Do you realize how hard it is to come by pecans in the supermarket?  Come on now, it's time to get creative ~~~ (desperation can spark creativity, lol!) 

For myself I looked up my city government bodies on the web and tried to find the information there; well sadly I couldn't find what I was looking for. I looked up my state government body website and was not able to find the answer there either, which is odd.  It seems to me this information should be on at least one of these pages!  I finally found a Face Book page for my local Civic Center. I posted my question there and to my amazement I actually got an email response!  Hurray for the civic center! I would think that any Chamber of Commerce should have this information as well.  So I guess the civic center in your local community will be a good place to start or even check out Face Book.  Try plugging in your city and state into the Face Book search engine and see what you come up with.

Here's another alternative that may prove helpful. This is a list of organizations that provide listings for many, many farmers markets. There's a search box so you can plug a number in and find a farmers market by zip code.  Be careful, your listings may be out of date. It is good to do some calling around too, just in case the information is old.  

http://farmersmarketcoalition.org/
http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/default.aspx
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://myfarmhands.com/search/zipmarkets
http://nfmd.org/
http://www.farmersmarket.com/
http://www.wallacecenter.org/

Just for California
http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/index.cfm

Farmers Market Information - Just for Yuma, Arizona

http://www.yumafarmersmarket.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SunriseFarmersMarketYuma
http://www.local-farmers-markets.com/market/205/yuma/downtown-farmers-market
http://www.visityuma.com/events.html
http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ 



Until next time., 

My hubby and I are becoming more and more forgetful so we're trying out some new stuff to help us become less "foggy brained" and help us remember better.  In researching this subject I've come across some information on how we can stimulate our brain function with brain exercises. Here's what we are learning.

You have to start somewhere. There are a lot of things you could do to increase your brain function but until you get your brain "off the couch" so to speak you're not really going to increase your brain function, are you?  I can just seen that brain sitting there "vegging" out now in front of "Friends" reruns or "NYPD" or are you the "Monk" lazy brain type person and please tell me it's not "Golden Girls"? Whatever it is, it's time to turn off the TV and begin to get that brain working - NOW!

So if you didn't read my last post about the 10 Incredible Tips to Boost Brain Function, you can click this link to go there now so you can see where we're going with this current post. 

To get you started did you know that the word "vegging" is an actual word now?  Go ahead and Google it, you may find this definition:

I'm sure there are a ton of other brain exercises or tricks out there in internet land but I've actually spent a great deal of my own brain cells to try to come up with a way to help remember these little tricks. So instead of getting depressed (which I was for a few days because it just didn't seem to be coming together fast enough), about all the other "better" sites out there that may have similar or better tips and tricks I've determined to just go ahead and post my own - regardless, so you can have these at your disposal and if you do find these tips and tricks helpful please be sure to freely share them. I've also created a PDF copy of them so that you can print out and share with friends or family who may not have access to the internet. The PDF version can be found on the "Free Health Info Downloads" page of my website.

TO READ MORE...... click the link to the right >>>>> 

Okay so yesterday I was upset because I keep finding myself more and more walking around in a fog and have trouble focusing.  My husband who is 7 years older than I is also having trouble remembering things.  I'm really tired of this so I did some research and have found some fantastic and wonderful ways to help exercise my brain (and his) so we can maintain what we got and hopefully make it better!

First of all let's clear that brain fog by taking some deep breathes.  How often do you ever do this? You're probably so busy you probably just take for granted you're breathing.  Did you know that as you get older your oxygen level is drops?  If you live a sedentary lifestyle this will also reduce your blood oxygen level which will in turn cause that brain fog.  So first of all learn to breathe. Take a few minutes each day - 10 minutes minimum (if possible) to just sit and breathe - deep breathe.  Yoga or Thai Chi both are very good to learn how to breathe.  Exercising will also increase your brain oxygen levels so of course getting that blood pumping, and breathing heavy is a great way to get more oxygen and in turn clearing your brain!  It will also help your mood and put a smile on your face!

TO READ MORE...... click the link to the right >>>>> 

Why are you still suffering with your body chemistry?  Isn't it time to tell your body who's in charge?  The following information is taken from the book "The Hormone Cure" by Dr. Sara Gottfried Estrogen and progesterone are two most important hormones in women’s body. Here are the symptoms of  hormonal imbalance: 

Some of the most commonly symptoms include: 

• Fatigue
• Skin problems or acne
• Mood swings
• Weight problems
• Lack of focus and/or foggy memory
• Hot Flashes & Night Sweats
• Insomnia
• Low Libido
• Depression
• Vaginal Dryness(women)
• PMS (women)
• Facial hair (women)

TO READ MORE...... click the link to the right >>>>>