Disney Fun Day & Shingle Creek Resort

Well, my Disney Fun Day finally arrived on Friday, July 18. My girlfriend, Terra, and I had this day excursion scheduled for quite sometime. We have been anticipating only fun on our agenda. Little did we know that each of us would have marathon-busy schedules leading up to our magical Disney escape.  

We finally arrived at Disney at 11:00 a.m. Friday and had 7 hours of fun and laughs. Thanks to Terra's amazing organizational strategies, we hit all the key attractions we wanted in a timely, geographical order.  This saved the lifespan of my aching feet by the end of the day.  I think my favorites of the day were the interactive Buzz Lightyear ride, Mickey's Philharmonic and the Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. I liked the traditional exhibits of Peter Pan too. 

Terra also managed to pull off an awesome surprise stay at Shingle Creek Resorts.  Through Hotwire.com, she landed the ultimate rates 24 hours prior to check-in.  After a long day of fun and sun at the Magic Kindgom, those fancy-resort sheets gently soothed our fatigue and we had a great stay overnight. 

This Disney excursion was a blast and just what I needed to enjoy summer just a bit more. Thanks Terra for all the fun and surprises!

Stress & Foods

For those that know me, also know that I can be a bit high strung!  Yes, I confess that it is true. 

Part of my summer goals has been to become healthier.  Here is an article from Dr. Oz's RealAge website on healthy, stress-reducing foods:

Berries, any Berries - Eat them one by one instead of M&M's (which is my drug-food of choice). The carbs in the berries transfer into sugar at a slower pace than processed sugary items, which prevent a blood-sugar crash. This also gives you a great source of vitamin C, which helps to prevent the spike in stress hormones (cortisol).

Guacamole - Avocados are filled with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs in order to maintain nerves and brain cells. Scoop up Guacamole onto whole-grain baked chips for a healthier choice.

Mixed nuts - Just an ounce will do. Walnuts help replace those stress-depleted B vitamins, Brazil nuts give you a whooping amount of zinc (which is also drained by high anxiety), and almonds boost your E, which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. 

Oranges - People who take 1,000 milligrams of C before giving a speech have lower levels of stress hormones and lower blood pressure than those who don't. So peel an orange and enjoy while reducing stress.

Asparagus - Each tender stalk is a source of folic acid, a natural mood lightener. Dip the spears in fat-free yogurt or sour cream for a hit of calcium with each bite.

Chai tea - a warm drink is a supersoother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chia tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole hectic day simmer down.

Dark chocolate - If you must reach for chocolate - the dark chocolate's antioxidant flavonoids are the better choice.