Blog Posts by Intent.com

When I moved to Colorado years ago to be with the man that I eventually married, I found a new way of looking at exercise and being fit. I moved from Texas where often times it was too hot to exercise outside. The popular thing to do was to "go to lunch" or "go to dinner." In other words, socializing was centered around eating. People would go to the gym or run outdoors but that was usually separate from social interaction.

Moving to the mountains in Colorado was different where all socializing is centered around exercise. It took some time to get used to. instead of going out to lunch, we hike up a mountain. I wasn't in shape physically in the beginning but what I learned first was that I liked to exercise even more because it revolved around talking and being with friends. A positive emotional experience became associated with exercise. In a sense, I became emotionally fit even before I became physically fit.

I also learned to try new things. The day my car rolled into

With our human-powered conscious generation today, a new group cycling workout can now make a real difference generating renewable energy. A group spinning class generates about 300 kWh, according to Jay Whelan, founder and president of the Green Revolution, www.egreenrevolution.com. Green Revolution helped set up the new system that captures and stores energy at Ridgefield Fitness Club in Hartford, Connecticut, using Schwinn stationary bikes, which are connected to a cabinet that functions as an inverter connected to the club's grid. On average each class member generates between 50-100 watts when exercising at a moderate pace for about an hour.

CONTINUE READING "Group Cycling Class Generates and Captures Clean, Renewable Energy" ON INTENT.COM

By Linda LaRue on Intent.com
Linda LaRue is a Registered Nurse and Athletic Trainer with a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia. She has a company, reZeneration, Inc.,

In the last weeks several media moments pose the same question or seek to fully answer it for today's generation of Ready-to-Eat food purchasers and eaters.

Michael Pollan tackled the issue in the New York Times. The movie Julia & Julie teaches us that the pioneer cooking efforts of Julia Child were inspired by a desire to "do something" matches it with the same desire in a young woman today. My mother delving through her vast cookbook catalog to aid me in a recipe request for a seafood paella passes along to me "The Seasonal Kitchen" by Perla Myers…and I read about a chef in 1973 touting the benefits of locally grown and seasonal and the "return to fresh foods" for taste benefits (not health ones).

CONTINUE READING "Why Cook?" ON INTENT.COM

By Ashley Koff, R.D. on Intent.com
Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian (R.D.) who strives to make better nutrition a way of life for all. Koff has the proven ability to demystify the science of nutrition and communicate the

One of my favorite passages from the Tao Te Ching is the one discussing flexibility:

When alive, the body is supple, yielding.
In death, the body becomes hard, unyielding.

Living plants are flexible,
In death, they become dry and brittle.

Therefore, stubborn people are disciples of death, but
Flexible people are disciples of life.

I think this passage applies to many areas of our lives, including
maintaining our health (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health). Here are some examples:

• Your doctor tells you that you need to quit smoking, start an exercise regimen, or change your eating habits. Are you flexible enough to change?
• Your efforts to reach a goal (e.g., losing weight, publishing a book, or making a profit with a new business) have been unsuccessful. Are you flexible enough to try a different strategy without sinking into despair or turning to unhealthy coping strategies?

CONTINUE READING "Flexibility is a Key to

Heather Cariou is the author of Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir, which recounts her family's story of love, loss, and survival. Learn more on her website. Heather shares some of her favorite music--ten feel-good songs that have helped get her through tough times. Listen to them whenever you need a boost!

I've created my own CD of "feel-good music" that I listen to whenever I need a boost. Here's a small sample: Download them from iTunes or buy the CD's and put them on your iPod!

1. Healing by Indie Arie Healing begins with the lyric "I release all disappointment..." We all tend to hold on to our disappointments, large and small, and they settle in the crevices of our being. When I listen to this song I let go of them, and free up my energy to tackle life afresh.

2. Before the Parade Passes By by Victoria Clark Before the Parade Passes By reminds me I'm not finished yet, there's still so much more in me!

3. Something's Coming (Album Version) by Barbra Streisand

Transforming your own living space into your own personal sanctuary does not mean you have to go through an expensive Ikea shopping spree. Instead of changing everything in your space, just changing one aspect of the room can completely alter the entire energy of the space. Consider how much different a room feels when you move the position of the bed, or even paint the walls an entirely different color.

Want to jazz up your home environment a bit without spending too much money? Start making these simple transformations below for a more inspiring and healing living space.

1. Add a vase of freshly cut flowers to your living room. This is the simplest and most effective change you can make to any living space. The presence of breathing, living plants in your room will help circulate clean air in your space, not to mention brighten your mood. Plus, the weekly ritual of choosing new flowers for your space will be a joyful change of pace from your usual household chores.

2. Dull

There's an old expression: You are as happy as your unhappiest child and if this still holds true - no wonder we have been referred to as "Prozac Nation!" Perhaps, in a simpler time period this truism was less of an issue. Children's innocent problems, which were popular in sitcoms, like who to go to the dance with or how to get along with a sibling's teasing pale by comparison to today's menacing issues of fierce academic competition, drugs and cyber bullying. Nowadays children are more sedentary, obese and stressed. Since medical diagnosis is more pinpointed, more problems have arisen ranging from the autism spectrum, AD/HD, social anxiety, etc. which might have been softened with, "He'll grow out of it." All this makes for unhappy, anxious parents. By the way bad moods are contagious.

During the birth process, no matter how intensely difficult, the moment arrives when the umbilical cord is cut and the newborn must breathe on his own. This symbolizes our delicate relationship

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but ever wonder what a mango, peach or plum can do for your love life? These sticky, sweet fruits of summer may have taken a back seat to blueberries in recent years but they are all natural foods that offer more than the usual long-term better health benefits. If you don't believe us, we suggest you keep reading!

Mangos: These vitamin powerhouses are an affordable sweet treat, no matter how you slice, serve or whip them up. Considered to be the symbol for love in India, these rain-drop shaped fruits are packed with potassium, making them an ideal pre-date energy booster. The best part is that the Vitamin E present in mangos helps hormonal systems function more efficiently, which can go a long way in sprucing up your sex life.

Peaches: These fuzzy fruits are good for your looks and navel! Low in calories-one cup of sliced peaches has only 60 calories-and composed of 80 percent water, peaches are a great weapon for waist-watching