The opportunity to enjoy life and to be financially free is for everyone to experience at every age. But how do you begin to excel at something you don’t understand? Do it in the same way you do now--learn, take action and keep the momentum going.

How do you prepare for your financial future? The answer is easy: it’s done the same way in which you began your college career and how you will find your dream job: by becoming informed and taking action. Begin with assembling helpful resources, leverage your network and then invest in your future. This month we’ll focus on what perspective you must have in order to craft a financially successful life.

First, why are you in college? Most students attend school in order to prepare for a life doing something they love. And why do we work? To leave a legacy, to enjoy ourselves and to earn money. Money allows us to afford opportunity.

With finances, it’s easy to rob ourselves of opportunity by making the wrong decisions, delaying action and not leveraging our resources. There’s something very critical that’s coming down the pipeline: two thirds of Baby Boomers don’t have enough time left to be able to save up enough to retire. That’s two out of three of your or your friend’s grandparents! Why is that? The high numbers almost don’t make any sense. They had the same tools available to them as you do today.

One answer to this issue is that many Baby Boomers didn’t start contributing to their retirement early enough to allow compounded interest to work in their favor. But it can for you. You’ve got the benefit of many years ahead of you to create financial sustainability for your future self. The sooner you start, the more time the compounded interest has to accrue. Though retirement might seem as far away as the moon, it's closer than you think. We need to shift the paradigm about when is the right time to start saving for the future. It’s easy to think that retiring is for elders and since you’re not “old” it’s not for you to consider at this time in your life...except it is. Start early and leverage your time to your advantage.

Retirement is for everyone. We all face it and we all should be planning for it as soon as we start working.

Whichever life path you choose, I guarantee you, your career ends best when you are financially free and empowered!

By Onna Young

Almost all of my patients regularly drink coffee when they first come to see me. And you know what they hate to give up as much as sugar?  That’s right, coffee.  If you’re a coffee drinker, you’re not going to like what you’re about to read.  But this information is vital. Many think it’s good for you.  At least decaf isn’t bad for you, right? Sorry!  You want to know why I encourage them to give it up?  Keep reading!

Toxicity

Caffeine combines with the stomach’s hydrochloric acid to form a potent toxin, caffeine hydrochloride. When it’s absorbed, bile is released in an attempt to flush the toxin from your system. This accounts for increased bowel regularity, of which many coffee drinkers boast. If you only have a bowel movement after your morning coffee, most likely your body has become dependent on the laxative side effect.

Decaffeinated coffee is no better, because it contains a large concentration of the chemical Trichloroethylene. It is used mostly as a de-greasing agent in the metal industry and as a dry cleaning agent and is linked to liver cancer.

Because the liver is overworked to detoxify chemical residues in coffee, long-term coffee drinkers often have a toxic, congested liver and impure blood. The function of the liver is to filter the blood so it can nourish your cells. When the liver is congested, the blood doesn’t get filtered and it deposits impure blood into the cells.  Then your cells can’t regenerate and grow healthy tissue, which can lead to degenerative diseases. A congested liver can manifest as dark spots/liver spots on the skin as people age.  Most people think those spots are a normal=healthy part of aging. Think again!

Adrenal Exhaustion
Coffee stimulates your adrenal glands to secrete adrenalin, which activate your fight or flight response. This stimulates insulin secretion and leads to secondary hypoglycemia, which result in a mild rise in blood pressure, 2-3 hours later a craving for sweets, low energy and mood, and overworking the adrenals.

Weight gain is another result of adrenal exhaustion.  Cortisol (a stress hormone) is released when you drink any coffee.  This triggers your body produce more fat.  Many coffee drinkers have a hard time losing belly fat as a result.

Also- when your adrenal glands are stimulated too often, they eventually burn out.
This burn out will lead to your body searching for a replacement hormone -progesterone. Progesterone helps keep your body’s estrogen in balance. As your progesterone is used up compensating for your exhausted adrenals, you can become estrogen dominant, which eventually leads to osteoporosis.
Coffee also raises the acidity levels of your blood, causing calcium to be pulled from your bones and teeth to use as a buffering agent. The combination of estrogen dominance and high blood acidity puts you at an even greater risk for osteoporosis and kidney stones.

Nutritional Deficiencies
Most heavy coffee drinkers have a B-1 (Thiamine) deficiency with symptoms of fatigue, nervousness, aches and pains, and headaches. Drinking coffee and tea reduces iron absorption by 40 to 60%, thereby increasing the risk of anemia.

Regular coffee drinking prevents some nutrients from being absorbed in your small intestines, which leads to further vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The results- gray hair, a distended belly, constipation, spastic colon or irritable bowel, an enlarged gall bladder, and high cholesterol and triglycerides.

Other Side Effects
Some adverse effects of drinking coffee include: insomnia, tremors, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, headaches, temporary increase in the stiffening of arterial walls, elevated blood pressure and/or cholesterol levels, irregular heartbeats and palpitations, increased risk of a heart attack, PMS symptoms, increased risk of bladder and rectal cancer, and higher risk of the birth of a low-birth-weight child.

Because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high consumption over time can lead to peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis and acid reflux/GERD.

Caffeine is a very strong diuretic (makes you pee).  Most coffee drinkers are dehydrated, resulting in electrolyte imbalances, hypotension, kidney failure and confusion (even coma) due to decreased blood flow to organs and brain.

I know the thought of giving up your morning coffee sounds almost impossible. The caffeine in the coffee belongs to the same alkaloid group as morphine, cocaine, and strychnine, making it really hard to give it up.  But think of how much better you’ll feel once you’ve quit.  The initial withdrawal symptoms and crankiness will subside. If you’re worried about being tired at work, then slowly make the switch to green tea or kombucha (a healthier drink for energy and health).  It will be worth it.

Live natural.  Live well.
Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac.

Check out Heather's Web site at www.getnaturalgetwell.com

I attend lots of meetings: some formal, some casual, a few impromptu. Most of the time I am paying attention, listening, and taking notes, but sometimes the conversation unexpectedly swings back towards me. The most important thing to do in situations like that is to be prepared!

Here are a few things that will help keep you looking great in the spotlight (and not like a deer in the headlights):

1. Have your business card ready. Keep it in an easily accessible place and pull it out of its case or sleeve gracefully. Always request one in return.
2. Have your elevator pitch ready. You'll need to be able to rattle it off whenever someone starts asking you about you. It'll be disguised in requests like, "Tell me about yourself," "What's your background?" or "What do you do for (insert your company name here)?" Nothing's worse than being caught off-guard. The ability to deliver your elevator pitch with conviction will help you exude confidence, even if you're a little shaky on the inside.
3. Learn some dining and/or business etiquette. I highly suggest attending a workshop with Lisa, our etiquette expert over at Beverly Hills Manners. Chances are, you will all be starting at the entry or intern level. I highly suggest that you defer to those around you. For example, allow more experienced associates to lead the conversation and dining. This is a sign of your respect for them and for the situation.
   

I learned most of those lessons the hard way. Hopefully I can save you a little bit of time and embarrassment!

Empowering Africa Through Gaming

Urgent Evoke: It's a brand new online game that is revolutionizing how and why we play. Created by a designer who sees gamers as "superheroes with untapped potential," Jane McGonigal is harnessing their legendary dedication and commitment to the game for a greater good.

Read more about Urgent Evoke:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/01/evoke.game.africa.poverty/index.html


Penn State Students Help Haiti

It's called Project Haiti. Each year since 1997, a group of Penn State students have traveled to Haiti on their Spring Break and donated clothing and toys to children at the Maison Fortune orphanage near Hinche. This year, as always, Penn students are bringing bags bursting with supplies- but they're also arriving with a sense of urgency. Project Haiti's leader, Senior Alain Bonny, is from the nation. He lost three family members to the quake. Despite his loss, Bonny is determined to lead his fellow students on their mission to Maison Fortune and to help as many people as they can. Bonny will return later in the summer to help his own family recover.

Although Project Haiti is a huge Spring Break trip, there are many ways to donate your time to the community. What do you plan on doing for Spring Break- and how will you lead your summer?

Read more about Project Haiti:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/16/haiti.spring.break/index.html?hpt=Sbin