He’s a Hollywood actor, producer and director, but Ben Affleck will be living beneath his means in a big way.
The Oscar winner, 40, is joining Josh Groban, Debi Mazar, Sophia Bush and “The Avengers” star Tom Hiddleston and getting involved with the Live Below the Line campaign, which encourages people to live on $1.50 per day for five days, from April 29 to May 3.
“1.4 billion people live on less than $1.50/day,” Affleck tweeted. “I’m joining Live #BelowTheLine on behalf of @easterncongo. Will you?”
In 2010, Affleck founded the Eastern Congo Initiative, a U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making initiative that provides economic and social development opportunities for the people of Eastern Congo.
And while Affleck has a specific reason for participating in the Live Below the Line challenge — to call attention to Eastern Congo — the organization encourages anyone who’s interested to try it.
“We recommend that you spend your entire budget of $7.50 at the start of the week,” reads the Live Below the Line website. ”We recommend doing research and creating a shopping list, sticking to generic stables such as pasta, lentils, rice, bread, vegetables, potatoes and oats.”
Mindfulness has a way of sounding complicated. It’s anything but.
“Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” according to Marsha Lucas, Ph.D, psychologist and author of Rewire Your Brain for Love.
There are many simple ways you can be more mindful. Here are seven tips to incorporate into your daily life.
1. Practice mindfulness during routine activities. Try bringing awareness to the daily activities you usually do on autopilot, said Ed Halliwell, mindfulness teacher and co-author of the book The Mindful Manifesto.
For instance, pay more attention as you’re brushing your teeth, taking a shower, eating breakfast or walking to work, he said. Zero in on the sight, sound, smell, taste and feel of these activities. “You might find the routine activity is more interesting than you thought,” he said.
2. Practice right when you wake up. According to Lucas, “Mindfulness practice first thing in the morning helps set the ‘tone’ of your nervous system for the rest of the day, increasing the likelihood of other mindful moments.” If you find yourself dozing off, as Lucas does, just practice after having your coffee or tea. But “…don’t read the paper, turn on the TV, check your phone or email, etc. until after you’ve had your ‘sit,’” she said.
3. Let your mind wander. “Your mind and brain are natural wanderers – much like a crawling toddler or a puppy, Lucas said. And that’s a good thing. Having a “busy brain,” Lucas said, is actually an asset. “The beneficial brain changes seen in the neuroscience research on mindfulness are thought to be promoted in large part by the act of noticing that your mind has wandered, and then non-judgmentally – lovingly [and] gently— bringing it back,” she said.
4. Keep it short. Our brains respond better to bursts of mindfulness, Lucas said. So being mindful several times a day is more helpful than a lengthy session or even a weekend retreat. While 20 minutes seems to be the gold standard, starting at a few minutes a day is OK, too.
For instance, you can tune into your body, such as focusing “on how your shoes feel on your feet in that moment, or giving attention to how your jaw is doing [such as, is it] tight, loose or hanging open at the audacity of the person in front of you in the coffee line?” Lucas said.
5. Practice mindfulness while you wait. In our fast-paced lives, waiting is a big source of frustration – whether you’re waiting in line or stuck in traffic. But while it might seem like a nuisance, waiting is actually an opportunity for mindfulness, Halliwell said. When you’re waiting, he suggested bringing your attention to your breath. Focus on “the flow of the breath in and out of your body, from moment to moment and allow everything else to just be, even if what’s there is impatience or irritation.”
6. Pick a prompt to remind you to be mindful. Choose a cue that you encounter on a regular basis to shift your brain into mindful mode, Lucas said. For instance, you might pick a certain doorway or mirror or use drinking coffee or tea as a reminder, she said.
7. Learn to meditate. “The best way to cultivate mindfulness in everyday life is to formally train in meditation,” Halliwell said. He compared practicing mindfulness to learning a new language. “You can’t just decide to be fluent in Spanish – unless you already are – you have to learn the language first,” he said. “Practicing meditation is how to learn the language of mindfulness.” Meditation helps us tap into mindfulness with little effort, he said. He suggested finding a local teacher or trying out CDs.
Mindfulness isn’t a luxury, Lucas said, “it’s a practice that trains your brain to be more efficient and better integrated, with less distractibility and improved focus. It minimizes stress and even helps you become your best self.”
Lucas cited Richard Davidson’s research at the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, which shows that all of us have an emotional “set point.” “Some of us have more of a tendency toward withdrawal, avoidance, negative thinking and other depressive symptoms, [whereas] others have a greater tendency toward positive moods [such as, being] curious, tending to approach new things and positive thinking,” she said. Davidson has found that through mindfulness, we may be able to train our brains and shift our set points.
“Mindfulness practice now has an abundance of neuroscience research to support that it helps our brains be more integrated, so your everyday activities, thoughts, attitudes [and] perceptions…are more balanced [or] well-rounded,” Lucas said.
Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog,
Oh, my gosh, what a glorious, light-filled day! It was 76 degrees, took my dog, Eagle for a hike up Drinking Horses Trail, which I do a few times a year to clear out my lungs with clear, mountain air and working the heart.
It takes about and hour and 15 minutes, and this time I said, “I think I’ll go up the hard way.” So I finally gazed at the trailhead map, after not looking at it for several years, and saw I’d been going the hard way all this time!
So today I took the easier ascent, but went to the top of the mountain, and it was glorious! Gathered some pine needles and juniper berries for tea, and ate dandelions on the way. The air was laden with the scent of pine. My gosh.Took a pic feeling grateful and oh, so happy.
The first pic is the dwelling/shading someone made at the summit.
The last is Eagle drinking his fill.
Thanks for all the Mother’s Day presents! The kind words, Junga Juice, the movies, flowers, books, ice cream scoops and music and mandalas and healing elixirs. I’m the
luckiest mom IN THE WORLD!
I thought I’d share this particular effect of the 6 Day Oxygen Deep Colon Cleanse and the first of the Liver Gallbladder Cleanses. I’ve noticed that I’ve been rubbing my arms and legs in amazement, feeling the very noticeable smoother, silkier and softer texture of my skin. I now realize that this improvement is one of the benefits that comes from the cleansing. My skin has quite definitely improved since doing these cleanses. Also, my energy level is up and my brain chemistry is great! I am now in the middle of my 2nd Liver Gallbladder Cleanse in conjunction with the Harmful Organism Cleanse. Yesterday was the 2nd day that I took the capsules of herbs that kill the parasites and their eggs. Upon taking my first dose yesterday, I broke out in hives. I think the organisms/parasites/worms were fighting to survive or wildly irritated while the herbs were doing their work in making their environment inhospitable. The great thing was that I didn’t have to resort to taking Benadryl tablets or use the cream, yay!! As the great experiment for wellness with my body continues, I’ve decided to keep doing the Liver Gallbladder flushes/cleanses till there are no stones showing up in the bowl. Matt Monarch’s article today on cleansing sure did confirm for me as to where my guides have once again led me, which is the right thing for me at this time. Also, his promoting and now carrying on his site, the Global Healing Center cleanse products I am now using for the cleansing is one more confirmation!! The Ancestors never cease to amaze me! Mahalo nui loa Na Kupuna!!
I recently spoke to my land lord who is using the anti-aging serum I made for her and is now interested in doing some cleansing and changing her diet and lifestyle. Yay!! She’s 62 and said her body is telling her that she needs to make some changes. Thank you for letting me share some of what I learn everyday!
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Raw Living Foods Lifestyle<editor@rawfriends.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 7:30 AM
Subject: A great video to start your day
Witness 20,000 people acting together, just to surprise one person at her party.
I found it quite moving, and have been starting my day at the office with this video for weeks!
As a working model and raw food enthusiast, one of the most frequent questions I receive by far is — What does your daily diet look like?
First off — I have come to the point in my life where I will only eat living plant food. I have always been a fan of common sense, and when I stepped back and looked at the whole picture, being a raw vegan was the only option. It is ethically the cleanest diet, it has the most nutrition, and it is the diet of every other wild animal on the planet. It consumes the least energy to produce and prepare, and its the diet that we have eaten for millions of years up until very recently. And after I actually tried it for two weeks, I felt so amazing that I could never go back again.
I have to maintain a healthy physique, so I do work out often. Despite many vegetarian viewpoints that would suggest otherwise, I feel that protein is critical for rebuilding muscle and I aim for a decent amount every day. I simply know that I don’t have to eat dead animals or drink the bodily fluids of cows and goats to get it. In fact, studies have shown that when protein is cooked, it becomes denatured and can only be absorbed at half the rate as a raw protein. Remember that fellas.
Ready to see the daily diet? Here we go….
I start the day off with massive hydration. 24oz of spring water with the juice of 2 lemons, cayenne pepper, and a wonderful food-based supplement known as MSM (Methylsufonylmenthane…big word, but trust me, its natural and organic). Usually I’ll put in about 2 tbls of MSM in my drink, but you might prefer far less. Add in a little honey or agave nectar if you like it a bit sweeter. This is basically a spicy lemonade, similar to the “master cleanse” drink that so many have read about.
This is fast and easy, and gets my cells hydrated and ready for the day. What I also like is the feeling of being full, and not having to have a heavy breakfast that will just slow me down.
When I start to actually get hungry, I’ve been out of bed for usually 2-3 hours.
Enter: The Green Smoothie.
In my opinion, it is the best thing you can consume daily. For you newcomers out there, let me give you the scoop. The green smoothie is simply a blend of leafy greens and fruit. Think of the endless varieties here. A great one to start out with is Spinach (40%) and Mango-Banana (60%). I promise that you won’t taste the spinach, and you would have consumed more greens than your mother could have ever hoped for. What is really ideal here is that the greens are blended, so its as if you chewed them to a smooth, silky consistency, so the body can absorb them without much trouble.
I love salads, but you have to do a lot of chewing to get close to what a blender can do. By having a green smoothie everyday, you are getting in your daily dose of leafy greens before you leave the house in the morning, and guess what, it tasted like mangoes and bananas.
Another version I like is spinach and ripe pears. Sounds easy, right? It is. And again, its like drinking a pear puree, that just happens to be green. If you can get over that, you’re golden.
I get so filled up by the green smoothie that I usually don’t eat for another 4-5 hours afterwards.
When my late lunch time arrives, Ill have something savory. If I’m going to have something heavy, this is the time to eat it, so that way I can digest it throughout the afternoon and evening.
Lately I’ve been making a wonderful zucchini pasta with a sundried tomato sauce with olives and mushrooms. I love this for lunch. Its still relatively light, but so full of flavor.
If I don’t have time to make the pasta, I’ll make a superfood smoothie. I try to have 3-4 of these every week. This is where I get some really extraordinary nutrition, and can keep my diet exciting by experimenting with new combinations.
What I had yesterday was a mix of 12 oz spring water, Cacao (raw chocolate) powder, Goji Berries (from the Tibetan Himalayas), Hemp protein, Bee Pollen, Mesquite (A desert tree) Powder, Maca (a radish from the Andes mountains in Peru) Powder, and cinnamon. The taste is amazing, and I get so much protein and all the essential amino acids in this one supercharged beverage. I like to make it thick though, so I eat it slowly with a spoon. Again, the combinations are endless. Do some superfood research and see what might work best for you.
For dinner I like to ride it light. Maybe I’ll have an apple filled with almond butter with a dash of cinnamon.
Or I’ll have some salad with my favorite seaweed, dulse.
I’ve found that my energy is far stronger when I eat light at night time. My digestion isn’t drawing energy away from my brain, so I wake up more alert and ready for action. Eating a big dinner is a hard habit to break, but it is really worth it. Trust me on this one.
Sometimes I’ll just have a raw vegan ice cream made of coconut butter, cashews, and agave nectar. A dash of cacao powder on top…there is simply no sacrifice here.
The key is to learn to make your food taste good, but still get those greens in. The more active you are, the more sugar you can have. Surprisingly though, the more green smoothies I have, the less I crave much else. Get a good raw food “uncook” book and learn to make tasty treats so you won’t be heading to the freezer for Ben and Jerry’s.
Keep it light at night, and blend those greens. Everything else will fall into place.
This lifestyle got me lean, toned, and made my skin glow…it takes a little time, but if you make good food, you will enjoy every second.
Salad with greens, sprouts and tomatoes with pesto dressing
Snacks of strawberries, mango, blackberries and raspberries
Blueberry and banana smoothie
Zucchini pasta with Perfect Pesto
Day 2 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
1 shot wheatgrass
4 oz. kombucha with lemon, twice a day
green shake – mixed greens with chickweed, pear, banana, plus flaxseed and bee pollen
Cauliflower chips
Mixed berry and banana salad
Slaw with apples, cabbage, carrots, raisins, walnuts and No-Peanut Sauce
Fruit smoothie – peaches and bananas
Chocolate Hemp Seed Bark (same as Goji Bark, but with Hemp seed)
Day 3 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
1 shot wheatgrass
4 oz. apple kombucha twice a day
green shake – pineapple, banana, peach, flax, bee pollen and rejuvelac
snacks of dried kiwi
celery with almond butter and blueberry jam
coconut carob cookies
Almost Tuna in 1/2 an avocado
Banana Bark – (Instead of Goji Bark)
Day 4 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
4 ou. apple Kombucha twice a day
Green peach, banana, pineapple shake with mixed greens
handful trail mix, cherries
Almost Tuna on half an avocado
Cole Slaw
Peanut Cacao Bark (goji bark with peanuts)
Day 5 -
2 qts. water, plus throughout the day
1 oz. wheatgrass
4 oz. apple kombucha, twice a day
This week’s smoothies:
Fill the blender to the brim before blending.
1 banana
1 cucumber
a lot of celery
a lot of kale
rejuvelac
Amazing Grass Powder
Bee Pollen
Goji Berries
Strip of Dulse
My usual ones also have a pear (when I just have one a day). These might not be sweet enough for some people.
Fruit salad – apples, cherries and bananas
Organic Raw Food Bar
Trail Mix
Salad with Almost Tuna and avocado with Pesto Dressing
Day 6-
2 qts. water
4 oz. apple kombucha
1 shot wheatgrass
sprouted granola with fruit and sesame milk
chocolate covered bananas
trail mix
Raw Food Feast at the 3rd Bozeman Potluck: Rhubarb Crumble, Cherries, Kombucha, Kale Salad, Beet Salad, Raw Cheesecake, Peppermint tea, Hibiscus tea, Papaya Melange, Kimchee, Date Prune Truffles, Veges with Avocado Dip, Spiraled Turnips
Day 7 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
kombucha with lemon
wheatgrass shot
green shake: greens, banana and pineapple with flax seed and bee pollen and rejuvelac
green salad with beets, kale chips and orange tahini dressing
prune-date truffle with almond butter
tomato-avocado salad with orange tahini dressing
banana-cacao pudding: (mashed banana with agave, cacao powder, mesquite and lucuma)
Day 8 -
2 qts. water throughtout the day
4 oz. kombucha with lemon twice a day
1 shot wheatgrass
green shake – greens, bananas, orange, strawberries, plus flax and bee pollen
chocolate covered bananas and cherries
salad with alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers smeared with almond butter, olives and tahini orange dressing
cantaloupe
almond-flax bread with avocado
Day 9 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
shot wheatgrass
4 oz. cherry kombucha
green shake with apple juice, banana, strawberries, ginger and bee pollen
flax bread with avocado and alfalfa sprouts
chocolate covered dried bananas
cucumber corn salad
cantaloupe
Day 1o -
2 qts. water throughout the day
4 oz. cherry kombucha with lemon, twice a day
wheatgrass shot
green juice – greens, apple and peach with bee pollen
a tangerine
salad with bell peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, black olive
raw corn chips, guacamole and salsa with berry-pear green salad
Day 11 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
shot of wheatgrass
4 oz. of kombucha twice a day with lemon
green juice with juiced apple and ginger
Green Soup – see recipe, with flax/almond bread
a tangerine
“Tacos” with raw corn chips, avocado, salsa, alfalfa sprouts and cashew sour creme
Calmyrna figs with almond butter
Day 12 -
2 qts. water throughout the day
4 oz. of apple ginger kombucha twice a day with lemon
green juice with juiced apple, ginger, bee pollen and Amazing Grass Green Powder
Diced cucumber and marinated beet salad with Cashew Sour Cream Dressing
Almond Dream Truffles
a Tangerine
Salad with guacomole and peppers, chipotle vinaigrette
Chocolate Almond Dreams
Day 13 -M’s menu
4:45 am: 2 cups of white tea
8:00 am: 2 bananas
10:00 am: Several cups of watermelon and herb tea
12:30 pm: Green smoothie: Rejuvelac, banana, pear, piece of dulse, bee pollen, goji berries, hemp seeds, 1 1/2 scoops raw organic supplement powder, celery, kale and one cucumber
Did you know that August the 15th is International Green Smoothie Day? Yes, those green goddesses over at RawDivas.com would love to see you raise your green glasses and help raise awareness this Saturday through spreading the tasty green message…there are also an AMAZING array of prizes up for grabs for all who participate in this FREE event – from a new Blendtec Blender, to books from Mr. M and I, goodies from Manitoba Harvest, Simply Raw, Raw Family, Larabar and many more yumsters…you can check out all the details and get on board HERE – enjoy
This site is to share recipes and articles on living, vegan
raw food. Articles and videos can be found on the net.
The contents and opinions found on this site are in no way intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any medical and/or health issues. This site is intended to share ideas and opinions, and we encourage you to make decisions and choices related to your health responsibly. This website is not to take the place of the advice of your M.D. or N.D.
Contact Me
dorothydelaney@gmail.com
Click here to get 10% off your vitacost order
http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=1977460
Vitacost. com is still the primary source for all my essential oils, supplements, raw food bars, etc....Use this link to get 10% off your order.Only $5 shipping no matter how big the order!
Ecstatic Raw Recipes – E-book now available!
D's Ecstatic Raw Recipes, now available on E-book.
Over 100 recipes, for a donation of your choice.
Just hit the donate to this site button, pay any amount through paypal, and I will send you the link for your download of Dorothy's best recipes, including the great and secret, "Cheesy Cheez," "Peanut-Orange Kale Chips" and "Three Flower Face Wash."
Free Kombucha Mushrooms
Send an email to this site and the author will send you two free kombucha mushrooms - All you pay is $2.95 shipping.
NO SCOBIES AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW! SHOULD BE MORE READY BY Jan. 1, 2013
Raw Recipes
Articles
Videos
D’s Bio/About Dorothy
Hints for Staying Raw
Links to Raw Food
Skin/Hair
Greenwood Nursery
http://www.greenwoodnursery.com
Title: Greenwood Nursery
Description: Greenwood Nursery is your one stop shopping for Fast Growing Trees, Flowering Shrubs, Evergreen Groundcovers, Perennials, Organic Lawn Care Products, African Market Baskets.
phone: 1-800-426-0958
email: cheryl@greenwoodnursery.com
HypnicJerkDesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HypnicJerkDesigns
Buy your vintage earrings and artwork here. OMG - they're so beautiful!
Yes, those green goddesses over at 
