Need to Get Back To They Gym

The last couple of months have flown by and it doesn't look like it will slow down for a while. I have been trying to squeeze in to many things into a day and none of the things is going to the gym or any other kind of exercise.

The stress of the last couple of months finally got to me last night. I need to find a good outlet and that means getting back to exercise and reading. Exercise and reading for me accomplishes a lot. One it give my body an outlet to release stress and frustration. Two, reading give my mind a break and I get to escape into another world for a while.

All the advise I give and read about how exercise helps with stress as well as keeps you healthy. And I just sent the email to my sister about ways for her to keep her stress level down. Now I need to follow my own advise.

Yes, I have a lot to do these days, but it does me no good to skip the exercise. Tonight I am going to have a glass of wine and sit an read for 30 minutes before I go to bed. Tomorrow morning I will get up and get on the elliptical for at least 30 minutes before I do anything else.

Maybe I can get these last 10 pounds off before the end of summer and keep my sanity.

19 Bizarre Home Cures

I came across this article from Prevention.com "19 Bizarre Home Cures that Really Work". I was curious and read the article.

It does have some interesting remedies like using Vodka to kill foot odor. The Vodka kills the fungus that causes the odor and dries the feet.

If you have tension headaches and clench your teeth, put a pencil between your teeth but don't bite down. Just let your jaw muscles relax.

This one I knew, eat Yogurt to cure bad breath. The bacteria in yogurt creates an environment that stinky bacteria cannot stay in.

Use Listerine on blisters. It dries the blister so that it no longer hurts. Dab Listerine on the blister 3 times a day until the blister dries.

Lemon balm tea helps cold sores. Brew 2 to 4 tablespoons per cup of boiling water. Let cool and dab the tea on the cold sore with a cotton ball several times a day. (You can find the tea at The Green Pharmacy).

Licorice can soften calluses and corns. Grind a few licorice sticks and mix them with 1/2 teaspoon of petroleum jelly. Rub the mixture on the rough areas. This will smooth out all your rough spots.

I need to remember to tell Alan to try this. For achy feet, get a tennis ball and roll it with your foot. You can use a soup can or golf ball.

If you have dry skin especially during winter months, Olive Oil. Rub 1 teaspoon per square inch of skin. This creates a seal that prevents the skin from drying out.

Swallow a teaspoon of sugar dry to stop hiccups.

Here is one for my sister. Listen to your IPod or in my case Zune for 30 minutes a day can help lower blood pressure. Of course you need to listen to relaxing music and breath slowly. During the study in Italy, they found it lowered blood pressure down 4.4 points.

If you get motion sickness eat some olives or a lemon.

"Motion sickness causes you to produce excess saliva, which can make you nauseated, some doctors say. Compounds in olives called tannins dry out your mouth and can help soothe the queasies. Pop a couple at the first hint of nausea; sucking on a lemon can also do the trick."

For brittle nails apply vegetable oil to your hands and then put on vinyl gloves or wrap your hands in plastic wrap to keep the oil off bedding. This helps prevent your hands and nails from getting dry.

If you burn your mouth eat a spoon full of ice cream. Ice cubes can stay in the mouth a little long and cause more pain. Ice cream tastes better anyway.

Chew peppermint or cinnamon gum while driving to and from work.

"In a NASA-funded study, scientists from Wheeling Jesuit University monitored the responses of 25 college students during simulated driving scenarios. The volunteers reported that peppermint lowered their feelings of fatigue or anxiety by 20%. Peppermint and cinnamon each decreased frustration by 25%, increased alertness by 30%, and made the ride seem 30% shorter. Not a gum or candy person? Buy peppermint or cinnamon aromatherapy diffusers for the car."

I guess I need to get my diffuser out and put it in the car.

Instead of getting that expensive whitening treatment at the dentist or buying the kits at the drug store, eat an apple.

"Crunchy fruits and vegetables act as little toothbrushes when you chew them; they have a natural cleansing action that works on tooth enamel to remove stains. In particular, “apples have a gentle malic acid that also helps dissolve stains,” says Jennifer Jabow, DDS, of Park 56 Dental in New York City."

Drink a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 8 ounces of water to help Urinary tract infections. The baking soda makes the bladder more alkaline and reduces Bactria's ability to multiply. Then go to the doctor and get antibiotics.

Sprinkle powdered cloves on a cut to keep it from getting infected. It also helps with the pain.

"Grind 2 tablespoons of washed and peeled papaya in a food processor and add 1 tablespoon of dry oatmeal. Pat this mixture onto clean skin and let it set for 10 minutes before wiping off with a wet washcloth. The enzymes in papaya are gentle, which is why this is an ideal treatment for those with sensitive skin. However, to be safe, do a test spot behind your ear the first time you try it."

Another use for Duct Tape (does it ever end). Cover warts with duct tape to eliminate them better than freezing them. According to studies Duct Tape works 85% better than freezing method.

"To use duct tape safely, clean the area. Then cut a piece of duct tape to a size slightly bigger than the wart. Apply the duct tape to the site and rub into place. Every 3 days, remove the tape and file down dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. Repeat until the wart disappears. Chemicals in the tape suffocate and kill the wart."

Here is your shopping list next time you go to the grocery store:

Olives
Lemons
Apples
Baking Soda
Cinnamon
Peppermint
Sugar
clove
Vodka
Vegetable Oil
Oatmeal
Listerine
Licorice
Duct Tape
Pencil
Ice Cream

You can cure just about anything with those items in your pantry.

Back in Control

Last weekend I participated in the Susan G. Koamen race for the Cure. I didn't run, but I did walk 5K . It was hot and humid and I was having a lot of problems. I realized that I have let myself go and have not exercised in over a month. The walk showed me how much I have let my health go.

I have been so busy doing only the minimum around the house and trying to keep up so many things that I am not doing a very good job on anything. I am thankful that activities that were scheduled for the next couple of weeks have been canceled. This will give me time to get caught up on yard work, house cleaning, and getting my finances back on track. I can also get my health back on track.

I have been eating at McDonald's almost every night. I have been lucky that I have not gained any weight, but this lifestyle is not good. It isn't good on the pocketbook either. I have been very tired from little sleep, eating junk, and very little movement.

Starting today, I am getting back on track. I have a lot of running to do after work, but I will not be eating at McDonald's. Yes, I will be eating leftovers from last weeks restaurant outings, but at least they are more nutritious than McDonald's and I will not be wasting money or food.

I am putting sleep and exercise back into my schedule. I will also be doing more cooking at home. Yep, I will still be busy as usual, but I will be saving money again as well as eating better and getting exercise. Hopefully I will be loosing the last 15 pounds I still need to lose.

I am putting my health and finances back to the top of the list. I also need to schedule an eye exam as well as a mammogram (both of which are more than a year overdue).

Don't forget that this Thursday is Shop-N-Save $10.00 off day.

Will you keep off the weight you lost?

In just about every study you see, they all say that most people gain back all the weight they have lost and add a few pounds. MSNBC and Women's Health article is saying the same thing. So, why go on a diet at all?

Well, what I have discovered not only from watching the Biggest Loser, reading the article from Women's Health, and from reading "Women, Food, and God" is that it is not about the weight, but about the food addiction. Like many people in my family, I use comfort food so that I don't have to deal with emotions. If the food doesn't work, then I fill my schedule, buy books, buy the newest gadget or all the above.

"A study of 200 overweight and obese people, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, supports the importance of a behavior-change approach. Along with other weight-loss techniques, one group received an additional hour of therapy, in which they learned to change their behavior; the other group did an extra hour of low-intensity exercise. After a year, those in the therapy group had maintained their weight loss, while the other group's members hadn't."

Yo-Yo dieting takes a tole on your body and immune system as well.

"But perhaps most startling is the dangerous and lasting effect weight cycling has on the immune system. According to the first study of the long-term impacts of yo-yo dieting, women who repeatedly lost and gained weight had lower immune function, particularly lower counts of natural killer cells. "These cells are important for fending off infections and are also vital in fighting the early stages of cancer," says Cornelia Ulrich, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Low killer-cell activity is associated with higher rates of cancer. In her study of more than a hundred overweight but otherwise healthy women, those who had yo-yoed most frequently — five times or more — decreased their natural killer-cell activity by a third."

In order to keep your health and your sanity, you need to deal with the emotional issues as well as the physical to keep the pounds off.