mariaconte2015

Old Ship Meeting House, Hingham, MA (1681).

This is the best preserved building of the seventeenth-century we can find in New England; although there have been some renovations in the interior.

Old Ship served two purposes:

1. A meeting location where political and religious issues were discussed;
2. A place of Puritan worship on Sundays.

The structure austere and sturdy shows no decorations. The architectural style reflects the nature of a culture focused on ethics and the moral values of the society. Clothing and food were drained of tactile and visual pleasure. Only the necessity of food and clothing were accepted. The Puritans extended their attitudes to art. The simplicity of the building was a didactic tool to educate people to form a strong character.

Language Classes

Foglie gialle, Trilussa

Ma dove ve ne andate,
povere foglie gialle,
come tante farfalle
spensierate?
Venite da lontano
o da vicino?
Da un bosco
o da un giardino?
E non sentite la malinconia
del vento stesso
che vi porta via?

Language Classes

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone.” It is a steroid hormone produced and released by the adrenal glands, which are part of the endocrine system. They are triangle-shaped and sit on top of our kidneys.

Hormones are chemicals that help various functions in our body. They travel through the blood to carry messages to other organs. The signals received tell our body how to react.

Cortisol is considered an essential hormone as it plays an important rule in our body. It affects almost every organ and tissue, and mostly it helps regulate the body response to stress.

Our body releases cortisol when we experience any type of stress. Higher or lower cortisol levels can be dangerous to our health. Through body receptors it reaches the entire body such as the Immune, the Nervous, the Respiratory, the Cardiovascular and the Reproductive systems. Of course, it is not limited to these as it controls the sleep-wake cycles, metabolism in our muscles, the liver, fats and sugars. If the level of cortisol is not normal in our body we can become very sick. Some unwanted side effects are wrinkles, dark circles and weight gain. Therefore, it is very important to learn techniques to prevent or reduce stress daily. We all deserve to be healthy, happy and beautiful!

*Take Health and Wellness coaching classes with Maria!

*¡Toma clases de coaching de Salud y Bienestar con María!

*Segui i corsi di coaching per la Salute e il Benessere con Maria!

Health and Wellness

There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path. – Buddha

Non esiste una strada per la felicità; la felicità è la strada. – Budda

No hay camino hacia la felicidad; la felicidad es el camino. – Buda

Good morning: Have a Wonderful Day!

Health and Wellness

La speranza è il pilastro che regge il mondo. La speranza è il sogno di un uomo sveglio. – Plinio il Vecchio

Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man. – Pliny, the Elder

La esperanza es el pilar que sostiene el mundo. La esperanza es el sueño de un hombre despierto. – Plinio, el Viejo

Health and Wellness

The way to develop self-confidence is to do the things you fear, and get a record of successful experiences behind you. – William Jennings Bryan

La forma de desarrollar la confianza en uno mismo es hacer las cosas que temes y conseguir un historial de experiencias exitosas a tus espaldas. – William Jennings Bryan

Il modo per sviluppare la fiducia in se stessi è fare le cose che si temono e avere alle spalle una serie di esperienze di successo. – William Jennings Bryan

Health and Wellness

Estudios recientes han descubierto numerosos beneficios de caminar a diario. Si una persona no está acostumbrada a caminar y recorrer cierta distancia, es aconsejable empezar con poco, 5-10 minutos al día y luego aumentar gradualmente la distancia y el ritmo. 

Los beneficios de este sencillo ejercicio son numerosos. A continuación se enumeran algunos de ellos:  

*Reduce el estrés y la tensión.

*Refuerza el sistema inmunitario.

*Favorece el equilibrio y la coordinación.

*Mejora el estado de ánimo, la cognición, la memoria y el sueño.

*Ayuda a mantener un peso saludable.

*Es beneficioso para los huesos, los músculos y el corazón.

Health and Wellness

“Il grande atto di coraggio che tutti noi dobbiamo compiere è quello di avere il coraggio di uscire dalla nostra storia e dal nostro passato per poter vivere i nostri sogni”. – Oprah Winfrey

“The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey

“El gran acto de valentía que todos debemos hacer es tener el coraje de salir de nuestra historia y nuestro pasado para poder vivir nuestros sueños”. – Oprah Winfrey

Health and Wellness

L’acqua è vita. La formula chimica dell’acqua è H₂O, ciò significa che la molecola dell’acqua è costituita da due atomi di idrogeno H e da un atomo di ossigeno O.

Il corpo umano è costituito per il 60% da acqua. È quindi molto importante bere acqua ogni giorno, senza aspettare che arrivi la sete. La sete è un sintomo di disidratazione. 

La quantità di acqua quotidiana da consumare dipende da vari fattori: età, stato di salute, peso, sesso, livello di attività che svolgiamo, e stagione in cui ci troviamo.  Per sentirci bene durante la stagione calda, è indispensabile bere abbastanza acqua sia semplice che gassata.

L’acqua offre molti benefici per la salute del nostro corpo; di seguito ne evidenzio alcuni:

*Disseta

*Prima, durante, e dopo i pasti aiuta l’apparato digerente

*Previene la stitichezza

*Previene le rughe

*Aiuta a rimuovere le tossine dal corpo

*Migliora l’umore e la salute mentale

*Riduce lo stress

*Rafforza il sistema immunitario

*Riduce l’emicrania

*Conferisce energia

*Fa bene al cervello

*Lubrifica i muscoli e le articolazioni

*Regola la temperatura corporea

*Trasporta i sali minerali e le vitamine nel corpo

*Attraverso il sangue trasporta l’ossigeno nell’organismo

*Previene l’alito cattivo

*Aiuta la formazione della saliva, il muco del naso, e il fluido degli occhi

Health and Wellness

Sunshine is a precious gift of nature that helps us feel good, both for physical and mental health. All living things on the planet, both plants and animals need light and warmth to develop and live well.

The benefits of the sun are many, so I will just list a few of them: 

*Sunshine promotes the production of serotonin, the so-called “feel-good hormone.”

*It promotes mental health, helps improve our mood, reduces stress and depression. 

*Sunlight regulates our wake-sleep cycle.

*Exposure to the sun helps us improve sleep.

*The sun’s rays stimulate the production of vitamin D, which is necessary for the metabolism of our bones as well as calcium production.

*The sun warms us up on cold days, promoting health and well-being.

*It is good for our muscles, joints and skin.

*It promotes tanning and makes us look better.

*It helps improve some dermatological conditions, such as psoriasis, some forms of dermatitis, eczema, acne and other skin conditions.

*It prevents ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

***To avoid sunburn and the negative effects of ultraviolet rays, it is necessary not to expose oneself to the sun during the hottest hours.  It is recommended to protect our head with a hat; our skin with sunscreen, and our eyes with good sunglasses. 

Health and Wellness