On Healthy Living

Have you tried those DVD workouts advertised on TV? Those that are usually sold in home tv shopping? Well, I tried 2 actually. But unfortunately, it did not work for me.

Yes, those beautiful abs that they have on TV are kind of enticing. But it takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of time too, to get the kind of abs that those people you see on TV have. When I got my first DVD (I got the pilates one), I was so excited that I even bought a band and a ball (these are used in some exercises). First 3 days, I was able to keep up with the instructor until the end of the easy level. However, I found it hard to move already after 3 days. My muscles were aching so bad, and so I stopped. I bought another disc, the hip-hop thingie this time. And the results were the same for me.

I don’t mean to give negative feedback on any of these self-instructional materials. It’s just that maybe, it will still be better if we consult someone with knowledge, if not expertise, on the matter before we do something especially if it’s regarding our bodies and our health.

Have you tried those DVD workouts advertised on TV? Those that are usually sold in home tv shopping? Well, I tried 2 actually. But unfortunately, it did not work for me.

Yes, those beautiful abs that they have on TV are kind of enticing. But it takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of time too, to get the kind of abs that those people you see on TV have. When I got my first DVD (I got the pilates one), I was so excited that I even bought a band and a ball (these are used in some exercises). First 3 days, I was able to keep up with the instructor until the end of the easy level. However, I found it hard to move already after 3 days. My muscles were aching so bad, and so I stopped. I bought another disc, the hip-hop thingie this time. And the results were the same for me.

I don’t mean to give negative feedback on any of these self-instructional materials. It’s just that maybe, it will still be better if we consult someone with knowledge, if not expertise, on the matter before we do something especially if it’s regarding our bodies and our health.

Most of us do not visit the doctor regularly. Some think that an Annual Physical Examination is enough. While there are people who just visit the doctor when it is absolutely the only thing to do. Sometimes this applies if the illness is quite serious or a person is experiencing too much pain. Only then one would agree that a trip to the hospital or clinic is inevitable.

Sad to say, I am one of those people. I just find it intimidating to visit a doctor and most of the time I am nervous for the procedures. Even the simple collecting of blood for CBC is a frightening ordeal. It does not really hurt me but just the thought of getting pricked freaks me out. Well, I don’t know how it happened but that’s just me.

For me, this is not a good practice to continue. It is best to have regular trips to the hospital for check-ups and if there’s something that doesn’t feel right, go straight to a doctor to have it checked. These times, it’s getting expensive to get sick especially those that do not have health insurance or health card. It is better to nip it in the bud than to suffer in the end.

Ouch! Got a sunburn?  Try some of these tips to help get some relief:

Try an Old Home made recipe of cool milk compresses.  It really is supposed to help, though I have not tried this myself.  Use cool not cold milk to soak some cloths, and apply to your skin.  The proteins in the milk are said to give skin a protective coa that helps prevent water evaporation, which is important as your skin needs moisture to heal properly. The cool milk compresses should help soothe sunburned skin and take the sting away.

Drink green tea or pomegranate extract or juice. Both have soothing anti-inflammatory benefits, and  they both have strong antioxidants, to help lessen some of the unseen damage that UV exposure is doing to your sunburned skin.
Aloe is a true and tried anti-inflammatory product that will soothe and cool sunburned skin. It is best to use Aloe the first day of a sunburn.

When your skin begins to peel, moisturize and moisturize again,  Do not pick at the peeling skin, though you may be tempted to.  Just moisturize as often as you can.

Taking  ibuprofen (400 mg every four hours) until the redness goes away is also said to help.  Just as this anti-inflammatory can minimize the swelling of a sprained ankle, it can reduce the inflammation of burned skin.

And remember next time you spend some outdoor fun in the sun–slather on the sunscreen.  And repeat the slathering if you are in the sun and/or water for an extended period of time. Use a good broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s one that blocks both UVA and UVB, the two types of ultraviolet light that can damage skin.

Coffee drinkers often are concern that their delicious java is too much of a good thing that it must be bad for you. After all it tastes great and really peps you up .Well,it certainly is surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits.Sure,caffeine is bad but when taken “in moderation”,there is a lot of good news that coffee brings…

• Diabetes.Heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as light drinkers or nondrinkers. Coffee may contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. A coffee habit may also increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help keep diabetes at bay. The coffee anti-oxidants that are believed to be responsible are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Coffee is also thought to help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. When this happens efficiently the insulin resistance is less likely, which is a major risk factor for diabetes.
• Gallstones.Certain compounds in coffee appear to help prevent bile from crystallizing which causes gallstones.
• Parkinson’s Disease.Caffeine may cut the risk of Parkinson’s disease by increasing the supplies of the brain chemical dopamine in men.However,research says,coffee seems to protect men, but not women, against Parkinson’s disease. One possible explanation for the sex difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.
• Cancer. Coffee might have anti-cancer properties. Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers.
• Blood pressure. Results from long-term studies are showing that coffee may not increase the risk for high blood pressure over time, as previously thought. Study findings for other cardiovascular effects are a mixed bag.

As a java-lover,you can take a cup of comfort by knowing that moderate coffee drinking does seem to have more benefits than drawbacks.

I was browsing through FAD DIETS when I encountered this and it made me laugh.I’d say most dieters would be able to relate.

CHEATERS TIPS:
1.1.If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

2.If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are cancelled out by the diet soda.

3.When you eat with someone else, calories don’t count if you don’t eat more than they do.

4.Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.

5.If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.

6.Movie related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one’s personal fuel.

7.Cookie pieces contain no fat– the process of breaking causes fat leakage.

8.Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae.

9.Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate. NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.

10.Foods that are frozen have no calories because calories are units of heat. Examples are ice cream, frozen pies, and Popsicles.

11. Foods eaten while watching a major event on television do not count. Major events include: Superbowl, Hockey Finals, Indy 500, Jerry Springer show.

12. Powerbars and other type energy bars make you thinner. In all my years of exercising (at least three times a year) I have only seen thin people eating energy bars. Ergo (therefore) they must make you thin.

13. Snickers is the same as an energy bar (see #12)

14. Tasting other people’s food does not add to your calorie count.

15. Containers of food that list the number of servings as greater one are lying. Every container includes one serving. Half gallon of ice cream, box of cereal, bottle of soda, bag of chips are all one serving.

C’mon, laugh.It burns calories..*wink*

Every parent wants what’s best for their child. Same goes when it comes to food intake and nutrition. I bet, those people who come from the poorest of the poor will buy the best food that their meager income can buy for their little ones. However, it really is a hard time for most moms out there, like me, to make our kids eat veggies.

Fruits are out of the question for me. My child loves to eat fruits, and even asks me to buy some if he notices that we don’t have them in the fridge anymore. But veggies… even if he just takes one bite of veggies will make me happy. So, I’m trying to discover a way of sneaking in veggies in the food that he loves.

Sometimes, I steam or boil cauliflower, or chayote, and i mix it in cheese spread before putting it on bread. (My son by the way, likes to inspect how I prepare his food, that’s why it’s hard to fool him with big chunks of vegetables) I grate carrots and mix it in the sauce, before I pour it over his spaghetti noodles. Steam some squash, mash it well, and mix it with sweetened yam for dessert.

So far, those are the only tricks I’ve tried. But it worked for me.

Every parent wants what’s best for their child. Same goes when it comes to food intake and nutrition. I bet, those people who come from the poorest of the poor will buy the best food that their meager income can buy for their little ones. However, it really is a hard time for most moms out there, like me, to make our kids eat veggies.

Fruits are out of the question for me. My child loves to eat fruits, and even asks me to buy some if he notices that we don’t have them in the fridge anymore. But veggies… even if he just takes one bite of veggies will make me happy. So, I’m trying to discover a way of sneaking in veggies in the food that he loves.

Sometimes, I steam or boil cauliflower, or chayote, and i mix it in cheese spread before putting it on bread. (My son by the way, likes to inspect how I prepare his food, that’s why it’s hard to fool him with big chunks of vegetables) I grate carrots and mix it in the sauce, before I pour it over his spaghetti noodles. Steam some squash, mash it well, and mix it with sweetened yam for dessert.

So far, those are the only tricks I’ve tried. But it worked for me.

Ginger tea has a spicy, invigorating taste. It’s used as a home remedy for indigestion, nausea, and to ward off colds, flu, and sore throats.