Chocolate and Cocoa -- A Heavenly Delight or Not?

Recently there has been a surge of claims by various companies regarding the health benefits of chocolate and cocoa. If this is true, I am very happy. Chocolate sure tastes good and I haven't had more than a very small sampling in probably 12 years.

This claim deserves attention. In order not to just gloss over the facts I am going to devote a few blogs to this subject. As usual, I will pull no punches. Stay tuned, it will be interesting.

I have had great results using MigraDefense for headaches. If you suffer from frequent headaches I strongly recommend trying MigraDefense.

Have a great week!
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com

What a Difference a Pillow Makes!

There are some things that we all do almost every day. One of them is sleep. With the multitude of activities society demands on us today plus the fact that most of us have to work 8 or more hours we only have a limited amount of time for sleep. I think we all agree that we need to make the best of that time! In this article I want to discuss a technique used by many that has provided them with better quality sleep.

It seems that I have gone through a lot of pillows in my days. Often, after I have bought a new pillow and slept on it for a couple of months the characteristics of the pillow change drastically. In fact some pillows gets so bumpy that it feels like I'm sleeping on a pile or rocks. This has happened many times and I call such a pillow "the rocky mountains pillow." Other pillows are so big that you wake up with a sore neck. Chiropractors tout the cervical pillow very highly. I have had 3 cervical pillows over the years. The cervical pillow never was especially comfortable for me and I cannot say that it led to pleasant dreams.

This past summer my lovely wife Amy surprised me with a gift. Actually, she bought one for herself too. It was the Tony Little micropedic pillow. Having tried as many different pillows as I have, naturally I was very skeptical. As I took it out of the box I looked at it and told her that it looked very strange. Reluctantly, I laid my head down on it and my frown quickly morphed into a smile. The pillow was oh, so nice, it was just remarkable. I can honestly say that my wife and two daughters will admit that the Tony Little micropedic pillow is the most comfortable pillow we have ever slept on.

Construction
The Tony Little pillow has a quad chamber design that supports your back and spine in proper alignment while being soft enough to give great comfort. It is filled with air infused microbeads that make it always "self fluffing". Two spandex pillow cases came along with the pillows to help keep it cool and comfortable. You don't have to turn the pillow over to find the cool side.

In my next blog I will tell what I especially like about the pillow.

Have a great Christmas,
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Significant Improvement in Wellness Formula

My family has used the Source Naturals Wellness Formula product for years to help fight winter time diseases such as the cold and the flu. Durng this time of year I normally take 1 tablet per day. When I start to feel a cold or something wierd coming on I step it up right away. Often this stragegy has prevented illness from getting started.

The biggest complaints that people had about Wellness Formula was that the tablets were large, they did not go down your throat easily, and they had a bad odor to them. I am happy to say that now Wellness Formula comes in medium size gel capsules that go down much easier than the former large pills. The odor is gone also, they do not have a bad odor at all. Another step forward for what was already the leading winter time supplement.

Here's to a healthy winter!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Two of my Favorite Bands

Every year the small town of Denver, NC has a community Festival they call 'Denver Days' in the fall. For entertainment this year the Marshall Tucker Band graced our presence. Coming to a small town like Denver where the band was probably lucky to break even financially was a real treat.

The entire band came, there were no studio musicians in their place. They were outstanding. They can jam right along with the Allman Brothers. Yes, Toy Caldwell is gone. But you know what? Chris Hicks is their new lead guitarist. Playing guitar right along side him is Clay Cook, both were great. Doug Gray, one of the finest country-rock vocalists ever to set foot on a stage has lost a bit but his presence alone made up for it. I counted 14 songs and the band played for a total of 2:20. Like I said, they were really jamming! It looked like they were having as much fun as we were. I stood right next to the stage for the entire concert.

As I was driving home from Thanksgiving dinner Thursday evening I was priviledged to hear another one of my old favorites on the radio, Billy Joel. This was a live recording from New York earlier in the year. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard one of my Top 10 of all time, played live once again, 'Piano Man'. To hear the audience singing every word of the song right along with with the piano man was quite touching. Billy, like Doug can't quite sing as he used to but I don't know if I have ever heard Piano Man played as well. The piano was mesmerizing. I sat in the 4th row in Chicago watching Bill Joel in 1977. That song brought back a lot of memories, good memories. Memories of a time when thing weren't so hectic.

It just goes to show what I have been saying. We can keep up our energy, stamina and mental alertness for a long time. The best way to do so is to keep up our exercise program, our good diet, get proper rest and our nutritional supplements.

For more information about herbal and homeopathic remedies visit http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/. Or if you want to trade concert or band stories with a long time rock-n-r0ll fan, I'm all for that too!

Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Money, Confidence, Backing and Your Health

There was an article in the Charlotte Observer today explaining how many "do-it-yourselfers" are cutting back. Not doing as many home repair projects now or making their projects smaller than in the past. This only makes sense with the economic uncertainty that prevails today.

Let's think about the economy at a 50,000 foot level for a second. Consider these two words: confidence and backing. What backing does the U.S. dollar have today? Money used to be (many years ago) backed by gold. What backing does money have today besides the confidence of the American people. And what causes confidence? The President, the congress, the goverment, Iraq, Iran, Afghantistan, Russia? What cause loss of confidence? Certainly the media has a great deal to do with it. How much influence does the media have on our confidence, and therefore the economy?

These are all thoughts that I have pondered over the weekend and if you have any comments please share them. I would love to hear other considerations on this matter.

In my opinion a person's health has a great amount to do with his confidence. A year ago I was in such a quagmire with daily headaches that I was just about to give up. After trying some different herbal and homeopathic remedies I can honestly say that my life has taken on an entire new dimension. If your health is not as it should be check out the Feeling Outstanding webpage. There are many nutritional supplements that can do and do help.

Have a great week,
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

8 Benefts of Whey Protein (Part II)

Here is the second group of 4 of the Major Benefits to Whey Protein (and it doesn't taste bad either!)

4. Cancer - Cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy often have difficulty in meeting their daily nutritional requirements due to nausea and just not being hungry. Whey protein is an excellent protein choice for cancer patients as it is very easy to digest and gentle to the system. Numerous studies have shown that whey protein which is rich in the amino acid cysteine, provides an extra boost to the immune system.

5. Diabetes - Type 2 diabetes is a growing health problem, largely in part to the continued rise in obesity. This is a serious health issue right here in the United States. Healthy nutrition practices have been shown to play a role in helping to manage and possibly prevent diabetes. Whey protein, which is a high biological value (BP) protein is a good choice of protein for diabetics who need to carefully manage food intake.

6. Another of the benefits of whey protein for seniors is the ability to help prevent bone loss. A nutritious diet including whey protein may help keep bones and muscles healthy and young. A recent study conducted at Boston University showed that elderly individuals who consumed low levels of protein had a significant loss of bone density four tears after the start of the study.

7. Healthy Aging - As we age, muscle loss and its detrimental health implications are a growing concern. Good nutrition and adequate amounts of whey protein may help maintain strong muscles during aging.

8. Infant Nutrition - Whey protein contains many of the same components found in human breast milk. Infant formulas containing whey protein are the next best thing to breast-feeding.

The benefits of whey protein are many, and should not be overlooked. FeelingOutstanding.com offers a fine selection of whey protein products. I tend to prefer the chocolate flavor.

Have a great day, stay strong

Tom Thorne

www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Management and Your Health

Do you ever feel this way?

I would imagine that a large percentage of college students have aspirations of management sometime in the professional careers. These desires often become stronger as students graduate and enter the workforce. Management, a leader of people, being able to form and shape peoples lives, having a direct role in the success of a company; what more noble of a calling could there be? Is being a leader or manager in some fashion going to make everything better? Is management fun and thoroughly rewording? Is it "all that it's cracked up to be?"

Competition today places tremendous stress on corporations. The dazzling advances in technology and telecommunications make the development of new products and ideas better, faster and cheaper. Of course, the company with the new products or ideas first has the distinct advantage of gaining new customers and building a reputation as an innovator. Acquiring new customers before the competition does. Truly, these are huge advantages.

Considering the importance that is placed on new products and processes, getting there first is a critical item to companies. Consider if a bank is the first with a new and innovative offering. They have the chance of drawing customers away from other banks over to their side. Couple this with the emphasis placed on 'six sigma' and 'zero defects' and there is a tremendous amount of stress placed of management today. Management all the way down from the C.E.O. to the V.P. the team leader. Company managers are facing more stress and pressure from above then ever before. Pressure to perform fast with high quality and high productivity.

The amount of hours and weekends that many managers work today is just about criminal. When I take a look at some of the managers I see, there is no way I would want the stress and pressure they are faced with, often daily. Some have turned into such grouches that no one wants to talk to them, even on a social level. I am aware of several people who were formerly managers and are glad to be out of the spotlight.

If you deal very well with stress and working long hours, management might not be such a shock and a good fit. If you have a second life apart from your job, you may want to sit tight in your job for a while before you push for a management position. What is important to you? What are your priorities? If offered a management position, consider these questions before you jump into it.

With the stress that management and non-management face in Corporate America today it is essential that we take care of ourselves. For our sanity as well as our physical condition. Visit the Feeling Outstanding Nutritional Supplements page for an excellent selection of nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. An alternative approach for health.

Tom Thorne

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/