#Inspirational – Stop and Smell the Roses – Stay Healthy and Stress Free

By Rosalinda R. Morgan, Author of “The Zigzag Road”

When it comes to your heart, it’s never too soon to start taking care of your health. Making small changes and smarter choices can have a big impact, helping you to feel better, healthier, and happier every day.

Stay agile at every age – You don’t have to be super fit to maintain mobility as you age. A new study shows that the more light activity you engage in now (think gardening, walking, or even shopping), the less likely you are to be sidelined by immobility in your later years, regardless of how much high-intensity exercise you do. Try to hit a goal of 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week to strengthen your heart and keep it healthier.

Get your ZZZs – Sleep gives your body the rest it needs to recharge and destress. Set a bedtime and a nightly routine to unwind so you enjoy at least 7 hours of healthy sleep.

Book an annual physical – Don’t skip out on your annual check-up. One of the best ways to prevent heart disease is by monitoring your cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, and blood glucose levels and discussing your risk level with your doctor.

You are what you eat. Fill your kitchen with mostly nutritious foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats) but leave a little room for in moderation. Stay away from salty food which can contribute to kidney disease and heart problems.

Calm your mind. Listening to a favorite song can lift your spirit, studies say and they’ll be raised higher if you sing along. Singing has been shown to increase oxytocin which helps regulate anxiety and decrease cortisol, the stress hormone.

Do a quick declutter. Messy environments have been linked to anxiety and stress.

Smile, even when you don’t feel like it. It seems to affect positive change in your mood.

Lighten up. Enjoy life. Smile more. Laugh more. Don’t get so worked up about things.

Stop and smell the roses. Here is a Sedona Rose for you today!

Knock Out® Roses, the easy-care roses hybridized by Wisconsin-born William J. (Bill) Radler, won the All-American Rose Selection (AARS) award in 2000. The Knock Out^® Rose, Radler’s first commercial success, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today, the Knock Out^® Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

The Knock Out^® Family of Roses is highly disease-resistant roses, easy to grow and bloom repeatedly and profusely from spring until frost with healthy foliage that does not need the chemical spray program. Blooms are fire engine red in cool weather and cherry red in the summer months. The foliage is dark green and leathery with a burgundy hue. They are low-maintenance roses with a bloom cycle of about every 5-6 weeks and continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out^® Roses are self-cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. If unpruned, The Knock Out^® Family of Roses can easily grow more than 3-4’ wide x 3-4’ tall in two years. A once-a-year pruning (to about 12” above the ground) in early spring (after the last hard frost) is also recommended for maximum performance. The Knock Out^® Family of Roses is winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant throughout the entire U.S. They thrive in almost every area of the country.

The Knock Out^® Family of Roses can fit into any landscape. Plant them individually among shrubs, annuals, and perennials in mixed beds and borders, in large groups to create a colorful hedge or along a foundation to provide a bright border.

The Conard-Pyle Co./Star^® Roses is the proud distributor of all members of The Knock Out^® Family of Roses. Bill Radler was the 2008 recipient of the Great Rosarians Award for hybridizing disease-resistant roses, particularly the Knock Out® family of roses. He has been leading the way to develop new disease-resistant roses for American gardeners. Bill Radler has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out^® Rose, many say he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.

Tip of the day: Focus your mind and find joy in the present. Our life is made up of moments. Moments that, if you fail to appreciate, will simply pass you by. You’ll miss the beauty of living in the here and now. And once gone, you can’t live them again. Create the most pleasing experiences by immersing yourself in each moment, and you will, in time, create some incredibly epic memories!