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23 OCT

Cures for the Cold

Well, I think Fall has finally arrived! For most of the country we have been experiencing unseasonably warm weather which I guess has its perks. However, if you’re like me, the changing seasons are welcomed. I love Fall. However, it has its unpleasant side too. The beginning of Fall marks the beginning of cold/flu season. You and your family members may, in fact, experience the nasty side of this time of year and perhaps be wishing for summer all over again.

The impending season change was apparent to me this week. Fall has made its mark on me with my first cold of the season. I really hate being sick. It’s just not fun, just all of a sudden, out of nowhere came a horrible sore throat. I mean, it was awful. I thought I would cry each time I had to swallow, let alone eat. Then after about 48-hours my sore throat was gone, and I was left with nasal congestion and a slight cough, which I’m tolerating.

Superhuman Superbug

Wow! Have any of you been following the news lately? If you have this will sound familiar, a superhuman “superbug” is out to get us! No, I’m not talking alien invasion, but what I am talking about is a bacteria that lives on you. It’s called Staph. If you watch T.V. or surf the net, […]

10 OCT

Dealing with the Stress of a Newborn

I’m going to be honest with you; this week I’m at a loss for words. And if you knew me you would know that never happens. I usually always have something to say; just ask my husband! I think I’ve just been a little stressed-out taking care of the baby, the toddler, the husband, the house . . . you get the point, right? Then to add to it, I started back to my part-time job working at the pediatricians’ office last week. I thought it would be a stress reliever to get out amongst the living, but it’s actually more stressful because I leave my set of screaming kids to deal with other peoples screaming kids.

03 OCT

Bare Your Chest, Examine Your Breast

Cancer, no one ever wants to hear that word! It’s one of the most frightening words a person can ever hear. In fact I think most people would agree with me that when they hear the word cancer they immediately think death. And let’s face it: all of us probably know someone with cancer. Maybe it’s your friend, family member, or it could even be you.

October is breast cancer awareness month, which I think is such a wonderful thing. It’s so important for us as a society to come together and continue to educate our fellow brothers and sisters on cancer. Knowledge is power. The more we know and can learn about cancer the more empowered we can be to fight the disease and to offer support to those that are in the battle. And that’s really what cancer is; it’s a battle in every true sense of the word.

24 SEP

Happy Healthy Heart

“Heart disease and stroke is the world’s largest killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year,” according to the World Heart Federation. They state: “That’s why World Heart Day was created, to create public awareness of risk factors for heart disease and stroke and to promote preventive measures.” And this year World Heart Day is celebrated on Sunday September 30 with a theme entitled “Team Up for Healthy Hearts.” What a great cause!

You know we’re all affected by disease and I bet if you thought long and hard enough you could think of someone you know who suffers from heart disease. It certainly hits home for me. In fact, it recently affected my father in a major way. Let me explain. My dad is truly amazing. He’s seventy-four years young and is one of the most active men I’ve ever known. All his life he’s worked hard and been physically active. Maybe he’s never gone to the gym to pump iron, but after an entire day’s work of farming and landscaping I don’t think he really needed to clock time in at the gym! Even now he hasn’t slowed down. He still works three jobs! Isn’t that incredible? He puts me to shame and I’m over forty years younger than he. He’s the picture of health concerning his diet and lifestyle. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He’s a vegan and all of his meals include lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. If we all took such good care of ourselves the world would be a healthier place.

Tummy Delight

I’m officially done with my sugar and junk-food binge! I’m so desperate to get out of my maternity clothes and back into “regular” clothes that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. So, since last week I’ve taken up walking like I said I was going to do. But instead of going to the gym to do my workout, I bought an at-home walking DVD called Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, Walk Slim. I figured since there was no way I was going to make it to the gym with the current circumstances I would bring the gym home to me. Good idea, don’t you think?

Fat Walk

Well, it’s the beginning of another week, and it doesn’t look anymore promising than last week. I’ve finally made a game plan on how I’m going to get back into shape after the birth of my son. However, because of extreme fatigue from dealing with my children, I haven’t been able to start it. And it’s not the exhaustion from the baby, because the baby is doing great! In fact, he is sleeping 4-5 hours at night already. Instead, it’s my almost- two-year-old daughter who’s giving me a run for my money. She is the one who has been getting up every two hours at night. Last night she woke up at 2 a.m. and never went back to sleep; she just screamed all night. Lucky me! This vicious cycle with her has been going on for the past seven days. My husband and I have been getting roughly about two hours of sleep a night between her and the baby. Doesn’t that make you feel bad for me?
Read more about Fat Walk …

05 SEP

Controlled by Caffeine

Well, this week I’m going to be perfectly honest with you; I’m absolutely unmotivated and uninspired! I’m so sleep deprived that I’m literally like a walking zombie. My mind is so out of sorts that I’ve actually put the milk away in the pantry cabinet. How sad is that?

So, in light of the situation I’ve made a new best friend. . . . Caffeine. It’s sad, but true. And I’m not going to take the blame for it. Instead, I’m going to point the finger at my loving husband. It’s really his fault in the first place for introducing me to caffeine. I can’t tell you a time when I was ever so addicted to caffeine that I felt I had to have it to survive my day. But today I’m telling you just that.

01 SEP

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 med. onion (diced fine)
2 c. Yves Ground Round (or other vege-burger)
1 c. brown rice (quick)
1 c. barley (quick)
2 t. salt
6 yellow or red bell peppers
4 c. tomatoes (canned)
water (to cover peppers)

Are You Really Hungry?

When we eat while actually hungry, food tastes much better and we’re physiologically primed for proper digestion. Hunger, in the true sense of the word, indicates to us that it’s time to stop what we’re doing and nourish our bodies.

Consider that real hunger is not often experienced in our modern, overfed population. Most people no longer remember or are aware of what hunger feels like. Most are surprised to learn that it’s a sensation felt in the throat, not in the head or stomach.

Instead of true hunger, what people are experiencing are detoxification or withdrawal symptoms. They feel shaky, headachy, weak, or suffer from abdominal cramps or spasms. They conclude that these are hunger symptoms because eating relieves them. I call this persistent imposter “stress hunger.”

Stress hunger is created by the symptoms a person experiences that are due to toxic wastes being mobilized for elimination. It occurs after a meal is digested and the digestive track is empty. It can make us feel very uncomfortable.