Welcome to this month's edition of LifeBalance eAction! the monthly email newsletter of the LifeBalance Program.

You are a member of the LifeBalance Program. Each month, LifeBalance eAction! is delivered to provide program updates, encourage members to make active lifestyle choices, and to offer members savings with the top recreational, cultural and wellness businesses. Within this monthly newsletter you will read about businesses participating in your area, upcoming LifeBalance Member Events, special promotions from LifeBalance Providers, useful wellness tips and the chance to win LifeBalance prizes.

Want to learn more about using the LifeBalance Program? Read the LifeBalance Website Features section of this newsletter.

LifeBalance and Basketball – A Slam Dunk: LifeBalance members have access to all things basketball, including tickets to professional and college games, equipment, court time and more. Look to the LifeBalance Program to bring you all the hoops related action!

For information on how to order tickets and for a complete listing of basketball related providers, please visit the LifeBalance Basketball page.

Break Out Your Dancing Shoes: The LifeBalance Program partners with a wide variety of businesses offering dance instruction and live performances. Whether it's ballet, ballroom, hip-hop or hula, LifeBalance can get you connected to the best resources around.

For a complete listing of LifeBalance Providers that will get you moving, visit the LifeBalance Dance page.  

How to Find a Pilates Instructor: The Pilates Method of body conditioning, which strengthens both the body and mind, has been around since the 1920s. Developed by German-born Joseph and Clara Pilates, the Pilates Method is an exercise system that focuses on precise, controlled movements and breathing, using a special spring-driven apparatus. Pilates training improves strength, balance, posture and flexibility. In the past couple of years, interest in the method has grown by leaps and bounds. To help you choose the safest Pilates alternative, the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) recommends the following guidelines for evaluation of Pilates instructors: 1) Make sure the Pilates studio, gym or health club you choose has comprehensively trained Pilates teachers on staff. 2) It’s best to start Pilates with private lessons and you should receive a comprehensive physical assessment and initial training session prior to starting. The assessment should include your personal fitness goals and medical/injury history, plus a clear, measurable assessment of your muscular strengths, weaknesses and imbalances. 3) If you choose a group class with Pilates equipment, the PMA recommends there be no more than six participants per comprehensively trained instructor. 4) The PMA also recommends that all programs teaching the Pilates Method of exercise provide the following information to clients: the appropriate sequencing of the exercises, repetitions, resistance, the appropriate set-up of the Pilates apparatus for each exercise, the objectives of each exercise, the design of the client’s specific program, why a particular apparatus is used for a particular exercise, and how to effectively modify, break down and/or adapt an exercise for your personal Pilates regimen. The PMA’s mission is to protect the public by establishing certification and continuing education standards for Pilates professionals. (ARA)

For a complete listing of LifeBalance Providers that offer Pilates, visit the LifeBalance Yoga / Pilates page.

Foods That Boost Immunity: It takes more than an apple a day to keep viruses at bay. You can ensure your body and immunity run smoothly by getting your seven servings of fruits and veggies and 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, at the very least. The following ingredients can add extra flu-fighting punch to your winter meal plan. Fish - Selenium, plentiful in shellfish such as oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams, helps white blood cells produce cytokines proteins that help clear flu viruses out of the body. Salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation, increasing airflow and protecting lungs from colds and respiratory infections. Oats and Barley - These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant. It boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better. Garlic - Contains the active ingredient allicin, which fights infection and bacteria. Yogurt - Probiotics, or the "live active cultures" found in yogurt, are healthy bacteria that keep the stomach and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. Chicken Soup - Blocks the migration of inflammatory white cells as cold symptoms are a response to the cells' accumulation in the bronchial tubes. The amino acid cysteine, released from chicken during cooking, chemically resembles the bronchitis drug acetylcysteine, which may explain the results. The soup's salty broth keeps mucus thin the same way cough medicines do. Added spices, such as garlic and onions, can increase soup's immune-boosting power. Tea - The amino acid that's responsible for this immune boost, L-theanine, is abundant in both black and green tea and decaf versions have it, too.  (Prevention.com)

Find your Body Mass Index (BMI): Estimate if you are at the ideal weight for your height. The body mass index (BMI) is a measure of the weight of a person scaled according to height. It is used as a simple means of classifying individuals according to their body fat content. To calculate your BMI visit the LifeBalance BMI Calculator.

The LifeBalance Wellness Window offers members streamlined access to all things wellness related, including fitness and health club listings, personal coaches, massage practitioners, yoga and Pilates classes and more. The Wellness Window also offers members health and wellness related articles and content, including daily fitness tips, healthy recipes, motivational insight, fitness tools, health and wellness calculators and more.

The randomly drawn correct answer to this trivia question wins a LifeBalance Member Event gift certificate to an upcoming event.

Last month's trivia question, which asked members to identify a photograph of a LifeBalance provider was correctly answered by Michael Wilde. The correct answer was H2Oasis in Anchorage. Congratulations!

This month's question is in the form of a photograph. What New LifeBalance Provider is Featured in this Photo? (Hint, it's in Washington).

To answer this month's trivia question, simply fill in the form below.

The correct answer to this month's question will be revealed in the next edition of eAction!

Supplements For Better Health: CNCA offers all LifeBalance members special reduced pricing (up to 10%) on CNCA’s premium line of vitamins, herbs, and minerals designed to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.

Doctor-developed CNCA supplements are made from the finest raw materials and manufactured to the highest (most exacting) standards. CNCA natural supplements supply optimum levels of ultra-pure nutrients essential for good health, made from superior quality ingredients that are safe and science-based. To support the fight against cancer, CNCA donates a portion of each purchase to cancer research.

For more information visit the LifeBalance / CNCA Page. 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Anchorage, AK. Great Seats and Savings for the Thursday, December 14 Broadway performance.

Club Sport Oregon Tigard, OR. 50% Savings on membership initiation fee and much more!

BODIES...The Exhibition Seattle, WA. Save 20% on tickets!

“Character is like a tree and reputation is its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is; the tree is the real thing.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Play the Yes Game: My 3 year-old daughter is one of my best teachers. The other day she looked me in the eye and asked if I was playing “Being a Yes Today”? Not knowing quite how to answer, I listened as my wife explained how easy it is to automatically be a “No” and that she and my daughter had invented a game where they were a “Yes” to every request. Within an hour I had my first chance to “play”. My daughter asked me if I wanted to color with her. Now I had about 15 things to get done and my automatic response was to say “No”. But, I remembered the game. “YES”, I said, “I have 2 whole minutes to color with you”. Five minutes later I had colored an entire page and had fresh energy to complete my other tasks. Where in your life do you automatically say “No”? See if you can be a “Yes” to life this month. (Brought to you by Jason Stein Coaching)

You've just hiccupped for what seems like the tenth time since you finished your big dinner. Blame your diaphragm where all hiccups start. The diaphragm almost always works perfectly as it pulls down when you inhale, and it pushes up when you exhale. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated, and when this happens, it pushes up in a jerky way that makes your breath come out differently from how it normally does. When this irregular breath hits your voice box, you're left with a big hiccup. Irritations can occur from eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual, and it's usually a sign of another problem. You've probably heard lots of suggestions for how to get rid of hiccups, and maybe you've even tried a few. Breathing into a paper bag, drinking from the wrong side of a glass of water, putting sugar under your tongue, and maybe the most famous treatment, having someone jump out and scare you when you're not expecting it, help some to become hiccup free.

Beyond Disappointment: Disappointment can be a gift that tells you much about yourself. Choose to benefit from it. Disappointment is definitely painful, and yet that pain is there to get your attention and to make you aware of certain truths. Take the opportunity to understand those truths. Disappointment stirs up feelings deep within you. You can use the energy of those feelings to push you forward, to motivate you, to recharge your spirit. Disappointment is able to occur only because there are positive possibilities in your life. Use the occasion to explore, connect to and express the best of those possibilities. There is a reason why certain events and certain outcomes cause you to be disappointed. Seek to understand that reason, and you will discover a valuable and abiding truth about yourself. For every disappointment, there is a positive energy within you that makes the disappointment meaningful. Connect with that positive energy and you will move successfully beyond any temporary setback. (Global Fitness)

Well in the Workplace: Health experts and researchers agree: if you are sick, stay home. Contribute to the general health and well being of your office by not spreading your germs around to co-workers. Stay home, rest and feel better before coming back to work. Your workplace will appreciate it! (Brought to you by Xenium Resources)

For a complete overview of the LifeBalance Program website, visit the About LifeBalance section of the site and take a guided tour.

Find exclusive LifeBalance savings at over 2,000 recreational & cultural businesses throughout Alaska, Oregon and Washington. The LifeBalance Program Provider Network gives members the opportunity to quickly search for specific recreational and cultural providers by geographic region and category, or by business name, through the LifeBalance Search for Savings.

You can use our secure server to make payments online for many LifeBalance Member Events and Tickets. LifeBalance offers members over 1,000 special events at reduced rates with the top vendors, instructors, and venues. LifeBalance also has your ticket to the arts, including theater, dance, musical performances and more. Visit the LifeBalance Events Calendar and the LifeBalance Ticket Window for a complete listing and select the event that interests you and then complete your registration.

You can also easily print the LifeBalance Program materials and this newsletter by visiting the Printable Materials section of the site.

The LifeBalance Program always welcomes your feedback! Complete the LifeBalance Survey and let us know about new recreational and cultural businesses that you would like to see added to our existing network of benefit providers, new member events, suggestions for the LifeBalance website or even suggestions for this online newsletter.  If you would like to speak to a member of the LifeBalance Customer Service Team, please call 503.234.1375 or 888.754.5433.

The LifeBalance Program
Absolute Recreation Management, Inc.
503.234.1375 / 888.754.5433
www.LifeBalanceProgram.com / info@LifeBalanceProgram.com

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