Financial Stress Making You Sick?

Get Rich Slowly has an article about how financial problems can cause physical illness. It reminded me how far I have come in the last 12 years.

In 1996 I married a man that could not save a penny if his life depended on it. He maxed out every credit card he could get and bought a car every year until our credit was so bad we could not get a loan.

I worked 3 jobs to try to make enough money to pay the bills. He on the other hand had problems keeping a job.

I became so stressed out about all aspects of my life that I would have migraines so bad that I could not get out of bed for three days. My hands and arms would swell from the tension in my shoulders and neck that I could not make a fist and could barley bend my arms. After many test, my doctor could not give me an answer and just said that I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. I would have such severe panic attacks that I would almost pass out.

After my divorce all my physical problems went away. I had a migraine a couple of months ago, but only a mild one and I have not had issues with my hands or arms. Not because I have not had any stress in my life, but because I found better ways to deal with stress.

The biggest thing that I did to reduce my stress was to make a plan to reduce or get rid of my debt. I read as many books as I could get my hands on and did all the exercises to figure out the best strategy for me to reduce my debt.

I found that exercise, meditation, sitting outside and watching nature, and reading are the best stress reducer for me. I love to take walks at a nearby park. My new house has a great screened in back patio that I can sit and read or just chill out and relax. I don't mind working in the yard at the new house because it is out in the country and it is so nice. Well, until I find a copperhead snake. I use to buy the cheep flowers at the grocery store to give myself something nice. They would make my house smell so good. I also take the dogs for a walk or play with them in the back yard.

All of these things are free, but the flowers. I go to the gym at work which is free. Walking in the local park, free. Going to the local library and checking out books, free. Playing with the dogs that we rescued, free. Meditating, free. Buying flowers at the grocery store, Priceless. Just kidding, cost is only $3.00 max.

I know that when I paid off my debt, was able to put money in savings and stopped receiving phone calls from debt collectors, my life became so much better. I enjoy life.

Yes, the stress level has increased in the last six months for me, but I have developed ways to deal with that stress so that I am not making myself physically ill. I have increase my debt because we bought a new home and still paying for the old one until it is sold. But we have a plan to reduce our debt and increase our income. I also have this blog and Margaret living next door to keep me on track.

Make a plan to reduce your debt and find what works best for you to reduce your stress level. You will be amazed how much you enjoy life after that.

What Dr. Oz Knows For Sure

I was going through O Magazine today and found an article from Dr. Oz about what he knows for sure. I thought there was some solid information that I would share.

1. The latest thing is not always the best. Dr. Oz still believes that some of the more holistic procedures are still the best, like using leaches to help heal wounds. I feel the same way.

2. If you believe in change, then change is possible. Just because someone in your family had a health issue, doesn't mean that you will get the disease. A lot of people in my family are obese, have lung issues, are diabetic, and have heart problems. That doesn't mean I will develop any of these issues if I take care of myself by eating healthy and exercising.

3. We regret the actions not taken than the actions taken. If you were dying, what would you do? Would you finally take that trip you always said you were going to take? Why not plan that trip now.

4. Hosting a TV show is not much different than performing open heart surgery. Dr. Oz feels that surrounding yourself with people who know what they are doing, helps you do your best as well.

5. To achieve your goal, make the right thing to do the easy thing to do. Dr. Oz took out his couch and put a stationary bike in front of his TV. Now when he watches TV he rides his bike.

6. Knowledge does not lead to change - understanding does. Every day you hear that such and such will cause cancer. So you really don't think about it until you get cancer. Dr. Oz feels that if he shows you what your body looks like with cancer you are more likely to change your ways to prevent disease.

7. Going to bed 30 minutes earlier will change your life. Getting enough sleep with make you more productive, give you more energy, and help you stay at your ideal weight.

8. If you want a healthier community, fight for it. A lot of people ride bikes to work in New Jersey except in the winter because there were stairs to the bridge. They worked to get a bike path that went around the stairs.

9. Better patients make better doctors. If you have questions and your doctor is to busy to answer them so that you can understand, it is time to find a new doctor. You need to work with your doctor to stay healthy.

10. It's not about living longer - it's about living better. Dr. Oz told a patient if he didn't change his ways he would have a heart attack and die. The patient changed his ways and at the next check up Dr. Oz congratulated him on adding years to his life. The patient said that is not why he made changes. He did it to feel better.

I know that since I have been working outside the last couple of weeks, I am feeling much better and lost 5 pounds. It actually feels good to get off my butt and move. So are you going to exchange your couch for a stationary bike?

Eating Healthy on a $68.88 per week budget

MSNBC has an article where they challenged 3 chefs to cook a weeks worth of meals for a family of 4 and only spend $68.88.

3 chefs did pretty good and there are a couple of tips that everyone can use in the article. The only grip I have is that they don't supply the recipes. Or if they did, I could not find them.

But one thing was clear, all of the chefs' bought unprocessed healthy food that can be used in multiple recipes. See how far you can stretch the meat, which is usually the most expensive item in any meal.

This does prove that you can eat healthy on a food stamp budget. See how many meals you can make with leftovers.

Women Should NOT Eat White Bread!

According to a new study in London, women who eat a lot of high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates, like white bread, increase the risk of heart disease.

"In a study of almost 48,000 adults, the scientists found that the 25 percent of women who ate the most carbohydrates overall had around double the risk of heart disease of the 25 percent who ate the least.

A high consumption of carbohydrates from high glycemic index foods, rather than the overall quantity of carbohydrates consumed, appears to influence the risk of developing coronary heart disease," the scientists wrote in a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal Monday."

High GI foods do not seem to be an issue for men. According to the study, there seems to be no link between high GI foods and heart disease with men.

Eating foods like beans, lentils and nuts will decrease heart disease while white bread, doughnuts, and ice-cream increase the risks.

I have decreased my intake of charbs, but I still have a big craving for ice-cream especially this time of year. I keep it to a minim of having a small portion once or twice a week. I have also switched to whole wheat pasta and bread. The study doesn't say much about that.

I have, for some reason, developed a taste for sweat tea. It has become a downfall to my diet. I will have to work on this.

Cut Risk of Alzheimer's

I have some downtime at work so I thought I would catch up on the news. I found an article that can cut the risk of Alzheimer's through diet.

The MSNBC article states that a diet high in olive oil, nuts, poultry, and some fruits can help decrease the risk of Alzheimer's.

"Those least likely to develop the disease ate more olive oil-based salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables and ate less red meat, organ meat or high-fat dairy products."

The above diet gives a 40 percent reduction in developing Alzheimer's. It looks like I really need to get started on that Mediterranean Diet.

Again we go back to fresh foods and not processed food that help you stay healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

Don't forget that Shop-N-Save is having a $10.00 off coupon day. Last week I save over $50.00 using my $10.00 off and coupons. An yes, most of the food was healthy foods.