In today's world of uncertainty and change I would like to encourage you to focus on yourself, in fact to be very specific and focus on your wellness. So what is wellness? The dictionary defines wellness as the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal of lifestyles that promote wellness.

The purpose of this article is to ask you to pay attention to yourself and ask the questions as to what are you doing to create wellness in your life? For many this might mean, regular visits to the doctor, chiropractor or some other health provider.

For others they might be a member of the gym, do yoga or aerobics or some other form of exercise. And still there are those who watch what they eat and take the right supplements. These are all great options. But what if wellness was much more than that, or much less? What if wellness was simply your ability to balance the needs of your body with the concerns of your mind?

Stress is considered one of the primary situations that affect our wellness. Stress is defined as an organism's total response to an environmental condition or stimulus, also known as a stressor. Stress typically describes a negative condition that can have an impact on an organism's mental and physical well-being.

Stress affects us primarily in two ways, physical or mental. Physical stress as the term implies occurs when our body internally or externally has to deal with pressures and situations that cause the body to be overworked.

Mental stress, as challenging as it might be to accept, is all based on the meanings that we give certain experiences. Mental stress is primarily as a result of our expectations or our need to meet the expectations of others. Just think about it for a minute, if you accepted everything that happened to just be something happening then how could you ever be stressed?

We know that a virus is the smallest living thing on earth and that it is a parasite. It can be dormant for years to become active once in contact with living tissue. It can replicate quickly and mutate into other strains creating multiple illnesses such as colds, flu, measles, warts, smallpox herpes and AIDS or SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Antibiotics are ineffective for viral illnesses.
Suggestions to avoid common viral infections such as cold or flu:

1. Avoid close contact with infected people

2. Wash hands often

3. Carry disposable tissues to wipe or blow your nose

4. Cover nose and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing

5. Since many viruses require a slightly acidic environment to infect cells, try and maintain an alkaline body. Use litmus paper to test urine and saliva or use ph paper and digital ph meters.

6. Daily consumption of carrots, lettuce and celery will help to prevent contagious infections forces through maintaining body alkalinity. Eat fresh vegetable salads daily with lettuce, carrots and celery as the main ingredients.

There is a national epidemic going on in this country. Its called obesity. One of the causes of obesity is sugar. We all consume too much sugar. A lot of people think of sugar as what you put in your coffee or tea, and will think that they don't use much sugar, as they only used four teaspoons for their beverages. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sugar is in everything.

Almost all processed foods, most condiments and beverages, especially sodas, all have some form of sugar. I remember buying my kids Ovaltine when they were younger, thinking it was healthier than chocolate syrups. The first ingredient in Ovaltine is sugar. Then you also have the carbohydrates from your pasta, bread and white rice. Well, when these carbohydrates break down, they turn into sugar. I'm not recommending giving up carbs (in fact, your body uses them to make glucose which is the fuel that gives you energy and helps keep everything going) I just want to help you make better choices about the carbs and foods that you eat. Healthier foods higher in carbohydrates include ones that provide dietary fiber and whole grains as well as those without added sugars.

So, how do you know if you're eating something with added sugar? Start by looking at food labels. You can find added sugar disguised as any of these: corn sweetener, corn syrup, any word ending in "ose" (glucose, dextrose, lactose, etc.), high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, molasses, honey, syrup, agave, and last but not least, plain old sugar.

Miami Commission passes resolution to stop gun violence

The Miami City Commission unanimously passed a resolution that would encourage the federal government to pass gun control legislation including the Fix Gun Checks Act as well as measures that would regulate military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The resolution was requested by Mayor Tomas Regalado, a member of the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" organization, which is a bipartisan coalition of over 800 mayors across the country of both big cities and small towns.
The resolution calls for passage of legislation that would eliminate military-style weapons and high capacity magazines as well as make gun trafficking a federal crime.
The resolution also asks that mental health and other relevant records be added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System as well as a measure that would ensure a background check for every gun sale.
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City of Miami launches new community service at Jose Marti Park

The City of Miami is once again joining forces with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and its partners to assist residents with their 2012 income tax preparation.
Over 20 city-partnered locations are offering free tax preparation services and for other important resources such as FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) using the Benefit Bank (TBB) as part of this year's campaign, with services provided through April 15. Residents wishing to file their tax returns at these sites can learn if they qualify to receive a federal income tax refund of up to $5,891 via the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and up to an additional $1000 per child via the Child Tax Credit (CTC). In addition to free tax preparation, all City of Miami sites are able to provide electronic filing for both taxes and other benefits to provide a quicker turn around. Partner sites using the Benefit Bank can handle tax returns whose household incomes do not exceed $60,000. The IRS partnered sites are appropriate for household incomes that do not exceed $49,078.