Natural Ways To Lower Blood Pressure

Natural Ways

To Lower Blood Pressure

Meditate

Meditation can help maintain a calm and focused mind, but one side benefit of that relaxation could also help with blood pressure. When relaxed, the body produces more nitric oxide, which in turn helps blood vessels to open up, reducing the pressure of the blood flowing through.

Adopt A Pet

Research shows that pet owners have lower blood pressure (also: lower cholesterol and heart disease risk), thanks to the anxiety-reducing qualities of an animal companion.

 

Work On Your Marriage

In one 2008 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, researchers found that happily married adults had better blood pressure than happily single and unhappily married adults. 

Get Moving

This one's a no-brainer, but exercise is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure. There are many ways that the simple act of moderate exercise can improve your blood pressure (and overall health). First, it helps with other risk factors for hypertension, like extra weight and stress. But exercise also improves the strength of your heart so that it can more effectively and efficiently pump blood, which lowers the pressure on the arteries.

Stick To One Or Two Drinks

Moderate drinking -- one drink for women and men over 65 and two drinks for younger men -- can actually help reduce blood pressure. But more than that has the opposite effect, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Monitor Your Caffeine

There is some evidence that caffeine can temporarily increase blood pressure, though it's unclear if there is a long-term effect.

The Mayo Clinic recommends checking blood pressure 30 minutes after a cup of coffee or caffeinated soda to see if the effect remains.

Quit Smoking -- And Smokers

Of course, for this and many other reasons, you should quit smoking. But even second-hand smoke can have a damaging effect on your blood pressure because it damages arteries.

Choose Pressure-Lowering Foods

Several foods have been found to naturally lower blood pressure. Things like chili peppers, chocolate, beans and bananas have all been proven to lower blood pressure in humans or in trials with rats. Read on for more here.

 

Keep Weight Under Control

Eating well is essential to maintaining healthy blood pressure, but even if you live on beans and bananas, extra pounds could harm you. In fact, one Italian study found that hypertension in overweight patients was a secondary condition, caused by the excess weight. In other words, once the weight was lost, the high blood pressure went with it.

Stay Away From Salt

Perhaps the best known advice for healthy blood pressure is maintaining a low sodium diet. Follow the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans: a max of 2,300 mg of sodium for healthy, young adults -- or 1,500 mg a day or fewer for those who are over 50, African-American or suffering from diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

Life Lessons We Learned From the Internet

Life Lessons We Learned
From the Internet

Ryann Rasmussen

Fridays are wonderful days for reflection on the week behind us. Looking back at some of the best gifs on the Internet this week, we think we might be able to learn some valuable lessons to carry with us into next week.

Let’s take a look at nine of the best gifs from this week that taught us valuable life lessons.

1)      Stay focused on your goals.

It’s obvious the man in this gif let his guard down and paid the price. Whether you’re riding your bike or finishing a project at work, stay focused on your goals and never get distracted. Otherwise you might end up on the side of the road like this guy.

2)      Don’t trust everything you see.

These frogs were easily tricked into thinking they found a feast of worms. Once one frog was fooled, others followed and fell for the same trick. Don’t trust everything you see; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

3)      Follow your dreams.

Every once in a while we need a reminder that we can do anything, no matter our age. The man in this gif, who we can only assume is the father, didn’t let his son’s age stop him from shredding on his skateboard. Whether you’re still in diapers or about to retire, don’t be afraid to pursue your passions.

4)      Don’t wear yourself out.

Obviously this kitten is trying a bit too hard to get comfortable. If something isn’t working for you, try looking at it from another angle or take a break from the problem and come back to it. No use working yourself to death on a problem that can’t be fixed.

5)      Be a friend to everyone.

You never know where you’ll find your next best friend. This guy was brave enough to befriend a lion and it looks like it worked out for him. We’re not suggesting you make friends with predatory animals, but don’t be afraid to branch out and meet people you otherwise wouldn’t.

6)      Stay positive.

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things don’t seem to go our way. Life will often knock us off our feet or throw us to the ground. Learn a lesson from this mascot and keep a smile on your face no matter how many times life gets you down.

7)      Share kindness.

The next time you want to shout at a co-worker or send a flaming email to your boss, remember this sheep who turned his anger into a touching moment. Take a deep breath and turn your anger into kindness and you might just make a new friend..

Engineer Accidentally Gets Sent Here By Mistake

An Engineer Accidentally

Gets Sent To Hell By Mistake

An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. 
St. Peter checks his dossier and says, 

"Ah, you're an engineer - you're in the wrong place."

So, the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in.  Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After awhile, they've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and the engineer is a pretty popular guy.

One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and says with a sneer,
"So, how's it going down there in hell?"

Satan replies,
"Hey, things are going great. We've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next."

God replies,
"What???  You've got an engineer?   That's a mistake - he should never have gotten down there; send him up here."

Satan says,
"No way. I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm keeping him."
 
God says,
"Send him back up here or I'll sue."

Satan laughs uproariously and answers,
"Yeah, right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"

The concept of Heaven and Hell has been an age old discussion, one that has sent millions to religious houses to escape the blaze down under. 

This ensures that they are on the safe side and enjoy the comforts of paradise in their afterlife. 

While this is a serious topic for many, it also turns into a satiric subject matter for others. 

Here, an argument between God and Satan over a soul will make you laugh out loud. 

It starts with an engineer who has reached the gates of Heaven only to be sent to Hell by St. Peter for being a misfit. 

Like on earth, the man goes about his business in doing what he does best. There comes a time when the outcome twists our imaginations of these two legendary places to the point of irony. 

A conversation between God and Satan follows and by the end, it brims with comical originality.

Places to Eat for Free in NYC

20 (Legit) Places to Eat

for Free in NYC

by Austin Bradley

February 2, 2015

After releasing our list of 16 Places to Get Drunk for Free in NYC, we realized that all of you thirsty birds are going to get hungry after that drinking. What is better than free food? Literally, nothing.

1. Terri – 60 West 23rd Street

When: Anytime

How: Check in for the first time on Foursquare and get any sandwich on the menu for free.

2. Georgio’s Pizzeria – 20 Beaver Street

When: Anytime

How: Check in on Foursquare for the first time and get a free slice.

3. Crocodile Lounge – 325 East 14th Street

When: Anytime

How: Buy any drink and get a free personal pizza.

4. The Thirsty Scholar – 155 2nd Avenue

When: Weekdays 5-8PM

How: Weekday drink happy hour is accompanied by free bar food.

5. Anfora – 34 Eighth Avenue

When: Anytime

How: Check in on Foursquare and get a crostini covered in ricotta cheese, sea salt, and honey.

6. Rudy’s Bar and Grill – 627 9th Avenue

When: Anytime

How: Get a free hot dog for every drink you buy.

7. Blind Tiger Ale House – 281 Bleecker Street

When: Wednesdays at 6PM

How: Buy a beer and get a free small cheese plate.

8. The Watering Hole – 106 East 19th Street

When: Weekdays 5:30-6:30PM

How: Free hot buffet for bar customers.

9. Standings – 43 East 7th Street

When: Mondays during football season; Fridays at 8PM

How: Free atomic wings during football and free pizza on Fridays.

10. Burp Castle – 41 East 7th Street

When: Monday and Wednesdays from 5-8PM; Sunday all day

How: Free fries and Pommes Frites during happy hours.

11. El Rio Grande – 160 East 38th Street

When: Anytime

How: Chips and salsa are already complimentary, but if you show a picture of the Rio Grande River and check in on Foursquare, you will nab yourself a free dessert as well.

12. Spain Restaurant – 113 West 13th Street

When: Anytime

How: Free tapas with sangria order.

13. Rodeo Bar – 375 Third Avenue

When: Weekdays from 4-7PM

How: Order a margarita and they will bring you chips and salsa.

14. Bierkraft – 191 5th Avenue

When: Tuesdays at 7PM

How: Showing up to a Tuesday tasting will get you free beer, cheese, and charcuterie.

15. Curry and Tandoor Corner – 369 Broome Street

When: Anytime

How: Check in on Foursquare and get a free appetizer.

16. Mexicue – 345 Seventh Avenue

When: Anytime

How: Check in on Foursquare and get free chips and salsa.

17. Subway – Everywhere

When: Anytime

How: Check in on Foursquare and get a free cookie.

18. The Mark Bar – 1025 Manhattan Avenue

When: Weekdays starting at noon

How: Free bagel brunch and pitchers of discounted Bloody Marys.

19. Cucina di Pesce – 87 East 4th Street

When: Weekdays from 4-8PM

How: Order a drink at the bar and get free steamy mussels marinara.

20. Pangea – 178 Second Avenue

When: Anytime

How: Check in with Foursquare and receive your free hummus and pita appetizer.

http://blog.suitey.com/20-legit-places-to-eat-for-free-in-nyc/

About Austin Bradley

Austin went to school at Northwest Florida State for an extremely useful degree in Musical Theatre. After briefly putting it to use at a karaoke bar in Queens, he decided to pursue a more fulfilling career path. Austin recently celebrated his anniversary as the Marketing Manager of Suitey and looks forward to several more. His karaoke repertoire includes "3am" by Matchbox 20, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something, and "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons. 

x

http://ilovefreeconcerts.com/free-food-nyc/

Gong Xi Fa Cai - 2015 = 4712th Chinese year - Gong Hey Fat Choy

The first day of the 2015 Chinese New Year is on February 19, 2015 in China's time zone. This day is a new moon day, and is the first day of the first Chinese lunar month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar system. The exact new moon time is at 07:48 a.m. on 19-Feb-2015 in China's time zone.

The Year 2015
is the 4712th Chinese year

The Chinese believe that the first king of China was the Yellow King (he was not the first emperor of China). The Yellow King became king in 2697 B.C., therefore China will enter the 4712th year on February 19, 2015. Also, the Chinese Year uses the cycle of 60 Stem-Branch counting systems and the Green Wood Sheep is the 32nd Stem-Branch in the cycle. Since (60 *78) + 32 = 4712, therefore 2015 is the Wooden Sheep year, which is the 4712th Chinese Year.

2015 is the year of Sheep.

Some people say 2015 is a Green Sheep or Wooden Sheep year. This is because the Stem-Branch Calendar is connected to the Five Element theory. Chinese calendars used the Stem-Branch system to count the days, months and years. There are 10 Stems and 12 Branches in this system. Stems are named by the Yin-Yang and Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth).

Gong Hey Fat Choy !!
!!!  恭喜发财  !!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai !!
 

 

Lunar New Year 2015
Year of the
羊
羊  Sheep

New Year  新年 




Meaning a burning flame or sun, sign of plants at their end.

Those born under the sign of the Horse are a flexible group of people. They tend to be stubborn when it comes their ideas, but they are also incredibly patient when it comes to hearing out what other people have to say. They favor straight forward, occasionally blunt conversation. And yet they generally avoid starting up any unnecessary trouble. This combination then makes those under the Horse sign a bit of a puzzle to the people around them. Though this certainly does not stop people from trying to figure them out.

In spite of some of their misgivings, Horses are also incredibly loyal friends and partners. Perhaps it is because first impressions have a lasting effect, or simply that they are inclined to do well by others. Whatever the case for an individual, however, they are consistently there when friends need a person to turn to or a shoulder to lean on. They are also quite capable of resolving conflicts, both their own and other people's. Altogether then, those born under the sign of the Horse are some of the most favored members of society; and though they don't often aspire to greatness they tend to achieve a manner of it through the compliments and adoration of their friends.

 

 The color red is used because it is considered a color that wards off evil and symbolizes Good Luck.

It is said that odd number of bills, coins or the total of the money given must not add up to an odd number (like 3,5,7,9, etc.), but either must be an even number or end with an “8″ in the ones column (like $88.00, $168.00, etc.) as they are considered auspicious or “good” numbers. Any money must not total the numbers, 4, 40,44,444, etc., as the pronunciation of the word “four” in Chinese dialects resembles the word for death, a bad omen.

    
Red envelopes are also given to newlyweds in China.

You can activate Good Luck on this day by burning red candles anointed with “Fast Luck” oil to activate the goodness of the New Year and the first New Moon.

History of Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year Festival is the most significant holiday for Chinese people around the world, regardless of the origin of their ancestors. It is also known as the Lunar New Year Festival because it is based on the lunar calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar. The holiday is a very jubilant occasion mainly because it is the time when people take a break from work to get together with family and friends.

The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is that of Nien, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast, which the Chinese believe, eats people on New Year’s Eve. To keep Nien away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nien is said to fear the color of red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nien away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is kung-hsi, or “congratulations.”

Even though Chinese New Year celebrations generally only last for several days, starting on New Year’s Eve, the festival itself is actually about three weeks long. It begins on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day, it is believed, when various gods ascend to heaven to pay their respects and report on household affairs to the Jade Emperor, the supreme Taoist deity. According to tradition, households busily honor these gods by burning ritualistic paper money to provide for their traveling expenses. Another ritual is to smear malt sugar on the lips of the Kitchen God, one of the traveling deities, to ensure that he either submits a favorable report to the Jade Emperor or keeps silent.

Next, “spring couplets” are hung up around the house. Spring couplets are paper scrolls and squares inscribed with blessings and auspicious words, such as “good fortune,” “wealth,” “longevity,” and “springtime.” The paper squares are usually pasted upside down, because the Mandarin Chinese word for “upside down,” Tao, is a homonym of the word “arrival.” Thus, the paper squares represent the “arrival” of spring and the “coming” of prosperous times.

On lunar New Year’s Eve, family members who are no longer living at home make a special effort to return home for reunion and share in a sumptuous meal. At that time, family members hand out “lucky money” in red envelopes to elders and children and stay up all night to welcome the New Year. Chinese people have long believed that staying awake all night on New Year’s Eve would help their parents to live a longer life. Thus, lights are kept on the entire night–not just to drive away Nien, as in ancient times, but also as an excuse to make the most of the family get-together. Some families even hold religious ceremonies after midnight to welcome the God of the New Year into their homes, a ritual that is often concluded with a huge barrage of firecrackers.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

!!!  恭喜发财  !!!

 

 

 

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4713 begins on Feb. 19, 2015.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.


A Charming New Year
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in sheep years are often artistic, charming, sensitive, and sweet. It is known as the most creative sign in the Chinese zodiac. Jane Austen,  Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Rudolph Valentino, Barbara Walters and Orville Wright were born in the year of the sheep.

Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.
In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

Read more: Chinese New Year: 2015 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html#ixzz3QE8Q3iHB

Happy Lunar New Year!

新年快樂!

Whether you call it year of the sheep, goat, or ram
 (they’re all fluffy 羊 you can knit sweaters with)
may it be prosperous.