brand new you

While most people prefer life to remain the same, it is very rare that life simply “goes on as usual.” Change can be a very scary word. In our hearts, we know that making positive changes could possibly lead us down the road to a more fulfilling life, but most are frightened to take the plunge. Here are some positive changes that can help you grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially in this ever-changing world.

STOP FACEBOOKING AND START FACE-TO-FACING

For 18-year-old Lauren Zika, social media was integrated into almost every aspect of her life. Each morning and every night, she would spend nearly twenty minutes sending text messages and checking her Instagram and Twitter accounts. When in class at Lake-Sumter State College, she would sometimes play on her phone. And while hanging around friends, it was imperative to capture a great photograph to post on Instagram.

“One day, one of my professors stopped me and said that he would make me leave class if he caught me using my phone again,” Lauren says. “As far as social outings, when you are worried about taking photographs to post on the Internet, you are less focused on having a good time and socializing with your friends.”

Out in Leesburg. “Take away the body language and the meaning of your message is not clear. People have become discouraged, angry, hurt, alienated, and frustrated by messages conveyed via social media. Business dealings have gone wrong because neither party picked up the telephone. I suggest stepping away from the keyboard, engaging your people skills, and talking. Communication is the giving and receiving of information with understanding.”

Juice Up Your Diet

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For these reasons, Lauren recently deleted all her social media accounts.

“Even if you are not physically looking at one of your social media sites, you are always talking about what someone said on Facebook or what someone posted on Twitter.” additi are much more a online owner of Imag

There is nothing wrong with using Facebook to locate a long-lost friend. But wouldn’t your time be better spent strengthening relationships with close friends in person ? Moreover, you may have 600 “friends” on Facebook, but how many of them are true friends — friends who provide a listening ear, a hug, or a shoulder to lean on during difficult times?

Personal interaction helps build strong communication skills and healthy self-esteem. In addition, conversations in person are much more powerful and meaningful than those online.

“Typed black words cannot properly convey the meaning of your message,” says Betsy Barbieux, a professional development coach and owner of Image Inside and

Rod Erb’s health was deteriorating. The 42-year-old Clermont resident’s weight ballooned to 227 pounds, and he suffered from chronic back pain. His wife, Susan, was also out of shape. “We were eating junk food and never worked out,” Rod said. “Eventually, we became sick of feeling tired and sluggish all the time.”

In January 2013, the couple began a lifestyle change. In addition to daily workouts and attending yoga classes, they stopped eating fast food and replaced it with healthier options. To complement their newfound healthy eating habits, the Erbs started juicing. Essentially, juicing is using a blender to extract juice from fruits and vegetables. All the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients from fruit and vegetables end up in the juice and enter your bloodstream immediately.

“Juicing is an acquired taste but really grows on you,” Rod says. “It tastes clean and nutritious and feels like it really cleanses your body.”

In two months, Rod dropped twenty-four pounds and his back pain has subsided considerably.

Juicing is a healthy alternative that does not require endless hours of laboring in the kitchen. The release of the award-winning 2010 documentary film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which features two obese, unhealthy men who use juicing to achieve better health, helped skyrocket the popularity of this health craze.

“I’ve been juicing on and off for twenty-five years, and to me, this is the best way to ensure I consume three green vegetables and two to four fruits on a daily basis,” says Jeff Wittman, a licensed nutritionist and owner of Jeff’s Health and Nutrition in Leesburg. “When we juice, we absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. The shape and chemical composition of the nutrients are not altered like they are in cooked or processed food.”

Digitize Your Wallet

For Mandy Stewart, one of the most frustrating aspects about going on vacation was having limited options to find out if she was staying on budget.

“When I took a vacation I would never bring my laptop computer,” she says. “Also, some of the places I would go did not offer Wi-Fi. And when you are on vacation with a group of friends, the last thing you want to do is call your bank and spend fifteen or twenty minutes fooling around with an automated voice system.”

Fortunately, the 30-year-old account manager of Pinnacle Creative Group in Leesburg no longer deals with that problem. She recently downloaded an app from her financial institution on her iPhone. Now, in a matter of seconds, she can view her checking account, track her recent expenditures, pay bills, and transfer funds from her savings to checking account or vice versa.

“I feel that having quick and easy access to my checking and savings accounts helps me be more responsible with money,” she says.

Today, most people are quite proficient with cell phones. This means they can also easily learn to use their phone to make payments and manage their finances. Thanks to digital wallets, you may no longer need to carry around cash, credit cards, and debit cards.

The popularity of digital wallets is growing. In August 2012, Starbucks teamed up with Square, a San Franciscobased company, and created a way for people to pay their bill with a smartphone. And large companies such as Google and small companies such as GoPago are also becoming prominent in the mobile payment industry.

You can also use your smartphone to manage finances, which is good news for those who dislike keeping track of receipts. For better money management, consider the following apps: Ace Budget 2, Mint, Debt Snowball, DebtTracker Pro, and Pageonce.

Of course, those who manage every aspect of their finances with smartphones and apps should proceed with common sense and caution, according to Ellen Wilcox, president and CEO of Wilcox Wealth Management in Lady Lake. “Swiping your phone for a latte is one thing, but buying the latest hot stock for your portfolio or tracking your 401(k) via smartphone may open your financial door to identity theft,” she says. “I advise that access to all account information be password-protected and the mobile device does not use a ‘remember me’ instruction. Remember also that there are simple devices available for monitoring smartphone use from afar, so even ‘secure’ apps may not be foolproof to a determined intruder.”

Meditate

With his mother struggling from emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Don Ledbetter moved from Texas to Eustis so he could help share caregiver duties with his sister. He quickly discovered that being a caregiver is extremely challenging, both physically and mentally.

When his mother passed away, Don was overcome with depression. He needed a way to effectively cope with his problems. At the urging of a friend, the 52-year-old remotely ding to Ellen Wilcox, friend, , the e 52-yyear-old

SOURCES: Smartphone Apps to Help Manage Your Finances; http://www.kwkt.com/articles/smartphone-apps-help-manage-your-fi nances: Keys and phone, forget the wallet; http://www.techadvisory.org/2012/10/keys-and-phone-forget-the-wallet: The Campaign to Digiti ze Your Wallet is Intensifying; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/technology/the-campaign-to-digitize-your-wallet-is-intensifying. html: 7 Health Benefi ts of Meditation; http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/7-health-benefi ts-of-meditation; What is Meditation?; h ttp://www. project-meditation.org/what_is_meditation.html: Juicing vs. Blending Never Mind the Bus Pass; http://www.nevermindthebuspass.co m/health/juicing-and-blending/: (Accessed March 7, 2013)