7 Things You Don't Know About Green Tea

Today’s Re-Powering Information – Speaking of tea . . .

7 Things You Don't Know About Green Tea

By Rona Tison,

By now, we know that drinking green tea is undoubtedly good for our bodies. The antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties of green tea have made it a must-have for the health conscious and numerous studies highlight the potential benefits of green tea including cancer prevention and weight loss.

But green tea isn’t just a delicious and healthful drink; it can also be used as an at-home health and beauty remedy. Read on to find out 7 surprising things you didn’t know about green tea

*1. It can reduce puffy peepers*: Stayed out too late last night? Soaking a cotton pad in green tea and placing it over eyes for 10 minutes can reduce the puffiness of tired eyes, making you look revitalized and refreshed.

*2. It can soothe skin*: Spent a little too much time in the sun? Use the naturally calming properties of green tea to soothe sunburned skin. Place green tea in a spray bottle and mist on sunburned areas for all-natural relief. Because it has anti-bacterial qualities, green tea can also be used as an antiseptic to spray on skin blemishes or irritations.

*3. It’s great for teeth*: Green tea has fluoride in it, making it a superstar for keeping gums and teeth healthy. Green tea can even be used as a mouthwash to maintain breath.

*4. It can soothe sore throats*: The anti-viral effects of green tea make it an excellent remedy to help prevent the effects of a cold or flu. In fact, you can gargle with green tea to soothe a sore throat.

*5. It’s good for the bones*: Naturally high in minerals, green tea aids in strong bone density, which is important for maintaining good posture.

*6. It’s a room deodorizer*: Green tea leaves have traditionally been used to naturally absorb odors in a room. Place tea leaves in a bowl to help absorb unpleasant odors or leave some in the fridge in place of baking soda.

*7. It’s good for the feet*: Soaking tired feet in green tea can prevent unpleasant fungal infections.

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Enjoy a cool glass of fruity tea today.

Have a thankful day,

Words of Wisdom From a 97-Year-Old Physician

Today’s Daily Directive – Yesterday was earth day. Do your part to Go Green. We have become a nation of hyperconsumers where convenience and consumption rule. Last night I was riding my bike in the neighborhood and noticed the number of trash receptacles at the end of each driveway. There were a minimum of two up to a maximum of 9, yes 9 huge oversized trash bins for every home.



Today, make a stand to do something to conserve. Conserve electricity, make less waste, recycle, re-use or simply resist impulse buying. If one of us does one of these, that’s 53 women and it’s a start. Then pass it on to your family and it will grow exponentially. Can you use less cleaning products, cut down on your driving, shut off lights. Would it be possible for you to buy nothing for 24 hours? I know those of you who own businesses are not happy to hear me say that, but it’s all part of change. I’ve gotten away from using the word discipline and have replaced it with devotion. It’s good training when you are working on making changes to you habits to think about your new habit as your devotion rather than something you need to be disciplined to do. You can stimulate the economy tomorrow. Try it for 24 hours. Buy nothing today and identify one earth friendly thing you are committed to do. It will help you appreciate what you have more rather than always looking for more, more, more!! Write these things down. There is power in writing.





Today’s Re-Powering Information – With age comes wisdom. Read on to hear advice from the worlds oldest practicing physician. Check out what he eats for lunch!!! He provides some timeless advice for living long and healthy years!





Words of Wisdom From a 97-Year-Old Physician



hinohara,wisdom, ageing, longevityAt the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. He has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing since 1941.

He has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one Living Long, Living Good that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself:

Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. Hinohara says we all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. He believes that we can keep that attitude as adults, too, and that it's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

All people who live long -- regardless of nationality, race or gender -- share one thing in common: None are overweight. For breakfast Hinohara drinks coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. His lunch is milk and a few cookies. His dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.

Always plan ahead. His schedule book is already full until 2014. In 2016 he plans to attend the Tokyo Olympics!

There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was much lower.

Share what you know. Hinohara gives 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people.

When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone -- so why cause unnecessary pain with surgery? Hinohara thinks that music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.

To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. He take two stairs at a time, to get his muscles moving.

Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients, and we all want to have fun.

Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.

Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. Hinohara helped design St. Luke's so that it was possible to operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought he was crazy, but on March 20, 1995, he was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. St. Luke’s accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly they lost one person, but they saved 739 lives.

Science alone can't cure or help people. Illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, there is a need for liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.

Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when Hinohara was 59 years old, he boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. He spent the next four days handcuffed to his seat. As a doctor, he looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how his body slowed down in a crisis.

Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. Hinohara’s role model was his father, who went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University, in North Carolina.

It's wonderful to live long. Since the age of 65, Hinohara has worked as a volunteer. He still puts in 18 hours, seven days a week, and loves every minute of it.

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Feed Your Skin

Today’s Re-Powering information – I don’t mention the skin too much, however it’s our largest organ. If you are taking care of your body from the inside, the outside will take care of yourself (unless exposed to things from the external environment like too much sun). If you are having challenges with your skin, breakouts, moles, rashes, etc, more times than not, its from something going on in the inside that surfaces on the skin. The good news is that many skin conditions can be reversed with great nutrition. Not only that, but with exercise and good nutrition. You can appear up to 10 or more years younger. I’m 70 and don’t look too bad!!! (that was a joke). Read the article below for some skin saving and soothing foods that you can both consume for younger looking and feeling skin. You can even use real foods to make your own scrubs and masks..



Feed Your Skin

By Helen Hawkes
Forget plastic surgery. All you have to do is eat your way to great-looking skin.
Can you look younger by stuffing your face? Absolutely! The healthier the foods you consume are, the better your skin looks. No vitamin C and you'll have no collagen.

Too little vitamin A or essential fats and you'll have dry, rough skin, and too little zinc is a recipe for greasy skin and stretch marks.

So forget plastic surgery. For glowing, gorgeous, youthful skin, it makes sense to eat your way to fewer wrinkles, pimples, age spots and other beauty plagues.

Resurfacing your skin

It's no accident that vitamin A is the number one vitamin used topically to improve the texture and appearance of ageing skin.

Vitamin A is a powerful agent for increasing cell turnover, so that skin looks more youthful.

This skin vitamin comes in two forms: retinol, the animal form found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; and beta-carotene, found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.

Apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are all good sources of beta-carotene.

Sydney-based naturopath Penelope Sach, author of Natural Woman (Penguin), advises: "Include a raw carrot juice daily for the natural vitamin A content, which helps to regenerate skin cells. "

Foods to tighten and tone

Thanks to New York Times bestselling author Dr Nicholas Perricone, we now know that good skin is a very fishy business.

Fish is not only a good source of the antioxidant co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but an outstanding source of high-quality protein that helps with cellular repair and essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are responsible for healthy cell membranes, he says.

EFAs hold water, so the stronger they are, the plumper and younger your skin looks.

Fish also contains a powerful antioxidant compound called dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE.

"This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin," says Dr Perricone in The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins).

"It is a magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured."

Sach says: "For radiant skin, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, three times a week."

Other good face firmers are walnuts and flaxseed oil, soya oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

Flaxseed oil may also be useful in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.

Natural wrinkle fighters

Perhaps your skin's biggest enemies are free radicals, produced by UV rays as well as pollution, stress and even breathing.

These nasties lead to skin inflammation, as well as the degradation of collagen, the support structure for your skin, according to Leslie Baumann, of the dermatology department at the University of Miami in Florida.

But nature has designed some pretty clever foods that, if eaten regularly, act as natural wrinkle fighters.

Start with apricots and tomatoes, rich in lycopene, nature's sunscreen.

For maximum anti-ageing, add a daily bowlful of berries, a glass of red wine or a freshly brewed pot of tea.

In a 2004 study by the veterinary science faculty at the University of Sydney, a potent free-radical scavenger called pycnogenol was found to reduce the amount of inflammatory sunburn in mice.

Pycnogenol can be found in grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, blackcurrant, green tea, black tea, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, red wine and red cabbage.

Still want a stronger defense against free radicals and the surgeon's knife?

Here's a potent free radical-busting combination: vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and CoQ10.

A 2002 German study published in the Journal Of Pharmacological And Biophysiological Research found that, together, these antioxidants could reduce inflammation caused by UV rays.

You'll find vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, and vitamin C in leafy citrus fruit, berries and green leafy vegetables.

Asparagus is high in glutathione and CoQ10 is found in seafood, spinach and nuts.

Other antioxidant-rich foods are prunes, plums, capsicum, beetroot, parsley, figs, raisins and legumes such as red kidney beans.

And don't forget herbs and spices, an often neglected way to boost antioxidants in the body.

"Herbs and spices contain several natural water-soluble phenolic acids and flavonoids that can protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation," says Dr Michael Fenech, principal research scientist on the CSIRO's Genome Health and Nutrigenomics Project in Adelaide.

Add cinnamon to your cappuccino, drink tea made of fresh mint or ginger, roast lamb with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, and indulge in turmeric-rich curries.

Try Gourmet Garden's herb tubes if you can't buy fresh.

Out, darn spot
There are two types of spots that detract from youthful skin: age spots and pimples.

And Australasian soils are notoriously short of a trace element called selenium.

This deficiency, along with sun exposure and sugar in the diet, is believed to be a factor in age spots, says Erica Angyal, an Australian nutritionist now based in Tokyo and author of Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books).

To stop spots, you should not only wear an SPF15+, but eat selenium-rich foods, including garlic, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.

A study published in 2003 in the British Journal Of Dermatology also showed that skin was less likely to suffer oxidative damage when selenium levels were high.

Eating garlic, which also contains vitamin C and sulfur, can help banish blemishes.

Zinc is another natural substance that is necessary for good skin. Rich sources of zinc are oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts and brazil nuts.

Softening up

Extra-virgin olive oil has a high concentration of a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in existence, says Dr Perricone.

"Oleic acid is a member of the omega 9 family," he says. "It can make the difference between a complexion that resembles a piece of old shoe leather and one that looks and feels like a rose petal."

For younger-looking skin, aim to eat about 20g - or two tablespoons - of good fats a day, including olive oil.

Avocados contain oleic acid, as well as the antioxidants vitamin C and E.

Try having some on toast with lycopene-rich tomatoes, accompanied by a cup of green tea, for a super skin-boosting meal.

For baby-soft skin, avoid dehydrating drinks too, like alcohol and caffeine.

"Try Campari and soda during summer, as this is less dehydrating than wine and champagne," says Sach. Of course, cool, filtered water is great too.

Debloat and depuff

Your capillaries are the pipelines for your skin cells, says Angyal.

"When they are weak, or not working efficiently, your skin cells don't receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need."

This leads to poor elimination and sallow, puffy, prematurely aged or dull skin.

Bioflavonoids in citrus fruits can help to protect your capillaries, as well as support collagen production. So, next time you're at a juice bar, mix pink grapefruit, orange or lemon into your fruit or vegie blend.



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If you are following the 30 Day Detox Fat Burning Meal Plan, yesterday was your first detox day. Fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon and a regular dinner from the list of foods provided. Continue following the plan for the best results. Below is a recipe I make, but I eat it without the tortilla’s (I do eat them occasionally)

Feel Younger

Today’s re-powering information – Lets finish up today and the week on a positive note. Here’s a fact. Regular exercise can make your real age 9 years younger than your biological age. I’m not tooting my own horn, but I recently started using face book and have connected with some friends from high school. From what I can see of their head shots, many have round faces, the guys have full heads of gray hair and maybe I am kidding myself, but they look much older than me (I’ll be 40 this December – Yikes, I think that’s the first time I said that!). Exercise is your fountain of youth. When I was on the beach 2 weeks ago, I could clearly see the fit bodies confidently and briskly striding along the beach. You can tell that they are older, but they look younger and burst with energy. You have seen these people on the beach and can quickly identify the fit ones who exercise. In comparison it’s also easy to identify the unfit bodies who are meandering or sitting in lounge chairs with snacks in their mouths and supersized beverages in their hands. I’m not judging, but it’s clear the differences in lifestyle.



When exercise is an important part of your life it is the one thing that has the most far reaching effects on the rest of what you do here on earth. When you are fit, you make more conscious nutrition choices, you sleep better, you manage stress, have better mental clarity, more patience for relationships, are more concerned about your environment and much more. There is research to prove all of this which is in addition to the health benefits. People who exercise make more money, they live longer, they are happier, have higher self esteem, recover faster, have better immune systems and more and more and more! I know I am preaching to the choir, but I wanted to reinforce the importance of keeping exercise a priority in your life in hopes that you don’t take it for granted, but also being to positively influence those in your circle by your example.



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