Curiously Awesome

My family is huge into biking. My husband is an avid biker, all of my kids have bikes and learned to ride at very young ages. In fact…I have to brag on my dad a bit here. He is in his mid-sixties and in the past ten years he has biked from the western-most coast of the US to our home city in the midwest. Then the next year he did the eastern half of the US. So…he has effectively biked across the entire country…mountain passes and everything!

One thing I would like to do is try beach cruiser bicycles and see how we would like these. They sure do have a lot of character. I think this would be fun!

If you feel powerless to overcome overeating I want to encourage you! Believe it or not…admitting this problem is a huge step. From this point, it’s just a matter of devising a plan to deal with these feelings of helplessness and put yourself back in control.

Need a little more help? Here’s a plan for you!

1. Find a friend who can be a source of encouragement and support.  This will be a person that you can call when you are feeling tempted to binge or overeat.
2. Start practicing some form of meditation or yoga to help you deal with negativity and depression.  Set a goal of doing at least some physical activity every day.  Not only does exercise burn calories, but it also releases endorphins (natural mood enhancers).
3. Replace food with a hobby or activity that you enjoy or even take up a new hobby.  Eating is often a replacement for emotional fulfillment so if you make an effort to fill these spaces with activities unrelated to eating you will be making important progress.
4. Stop buying junk and replace the junk you used to buy with healthy fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.  When these foods aren’t accessible your temptation should decrease.
5. Try eating smaller meals instead of two or three large meals.  Spreading out the eating helps regulate blood sugar and this will help with cravings.
6. Drink a full glass of water between meals and snacks to help fill you up.
7. Supplement to make sure that you are getting adequate vitamins and minerals. Often the body feels like it wants to keep eating when we are not getting the vitamins and minerals it needs.
8. Chew more slowly.  Experts say that the optimum number of chews for each bite of food is 50.
9. Avoid all artificial sweeteners except Stevia.
10. Avoid MSG.  This leads to food cravings.  Also avoid trans fats, soy products, and canola oil.

What to eat:

1. Omega three fats are important for mental health.
2. Almonds help increase dopamine levels.
3. Avacados provide healthy vegetable fats, increase dopamine levels, and increase endorphin levels.
4. Turkey increases endorphin levels.
5. Oatmeal increases serotonin levels.
6. Whole grains, brown rice, fruit, high fiber cereal, potatoes…all increase serotonin levels.
7. Vegetable fats increase endorphin levels.  Include olive oil, almonds, and avacados in your diet.
8. Protein helps increase dopamine and epinephrine levels.

When the going gets tough, drink a big glass of water, call your friend, take a walk, do anything to avoid giving in and the craving will pass and soon be forgotten about. Try these things and rejoice in the positive steps you take.  Most people who have addictions usually plan their slip-ups in advance and have an excuse waiting to be used to justify their slip-ups. Instead of dwelling on eating develop a lifestyle that revolves around activities and interests other than eating.

You will find that while there may be some ups and downs you will slowly but surely be on the path for success.

Okay people. Are you ready to bust through that plateau that has been dragging you down and destroying your motivation?

Get ready…the solution is here!

• No more boredom!

• No more endless workouts!

• No more plateaus!

Eric Paskel is a trainer who has an amazing amount of hot bodies to his credit. He now presents the XFLOWSION PLATEAU BLAST. Get ready to experience a blast-off right past that frustrating plateau that’s been slowing you down. This is a fun, exciting exercise program that provides three workouts in one. Learn and use the best moves from martial arts, power yoga, and dance.

Not only is this an unbelievably effective workout (amazing results in 1/3 the typical time), but you will actually love it! The moves are designed for exceptional fat burning and muscle toning. You will meet new goals and love every minute of it because this is fun!

I don’t know of anyone who has made a commitment to exercise that doesn’t deal with lack of motivation or frustration with results. I am someone who exercises six days a week regularly. I never miss my work-outs…but I won’t say that I don’t have problems motivating from time to time. Exercise can get stale and that takes the fun right out of it. If you’re not extremely motivated this can be dangerous. This could easily lead to a trend where you are not exercising the way you should be…the way you promised yourself you would.

XFLOWSION is a great solution to boredom. Work your body…transformation your body. If you have committed to an active lifestyle in which exercise is an important part, then Xflowsion will put the fun back into this commitment!

The Mothers Act is a bill that would require all pregnant women to be “screened” for depression and then placed on antidepressant drugs. The bill is being reintroduced by Senator Harry Reid. He is attempting to include it in a legislative package called the “Coburn Omnibus Bill.”

Antidepressants are linked to violent thoughts and suicidal behavior in expectant mothers and new moms. Instead of treating the root cause of maternal depression (nutritional deficiencies) the medical industry would rather put expectant mothers on dangerous drugs that may have devastating impacts the health of their newborns.

Amy Philo is a woman who was forced onto antidepressant drugs and then began to hallucinate about murdering her newborn. She went to her local hospital and they doubled her dose and had her arrested and held against her will. Later she realized the drugs were what was causing her violent thoughts and she was able to stop taking the drugs. Her violent hallucinations disappeared within days.

I found this form letter online and would ask any readers who feel strongly about this to consider printing and signing the following letter and then faxing or mailing it to your Senator:

Letter of opposition to the Mothers Act

DON’T LET THE 110th CONGRESS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INCREASING ANTIDEPRESSANT-RELATED BIRTH DEFECTS AND INFANT DEATHS.

DO NOT PASS THE MOTHERS ACT AS PART OF AN OMNIBUS PACKAGE.

The MOTHERS Act is a highly controversial bill, considering the growing public awareness that antidepressants have serious and even deadly side effects. This bill, if passed, will assuredly increase the number of pregnant women and new mothers being put on antidepressant drugs. There are already too many pregnant women being put on antidepressants evidenced by the FDA’s adverse reaction reports (MedWatch) listed below. This bill will assuredly increase the number of pregnant women and new mothers being prescribed antidepressants documented by the U.S. FDA to cause suicidal ideation, mania, worsening depression and birth defects. FDA’s MedWatch System (Adverse Drug Reactions) Already Has Overwhelming Evidence of Spontaneous Abortions, Premature Babies and Birth Defects from SSRI Antidepressants:

Doctors, other health care providers, pharmacists, lawyers and consumers filed the following adverse drug reaction reports with the FDA’s MedWatch system during 2004-2007 concerning pregnant women taking antidepressants (the most common and recommended treatment for women diagnosed with postpartum depression). In all the reports below, antidepressants were cited as the primary suspected drug to have caused the adverse reaction in pregnant women:

145 spontaneous abortions
150 premature babies
208 babies born with heart disease
218 babies born with defects

The FDA states that only 1-10% of side effects are even reported to their MedWatch database. Using a median range of 5% being reported, the actual number of pregnant women experiencing adverse reactions to antidepressant drugs is estimated as follows:

2,900 spontaneous abortions
3,000 premature births
4,160 babies born with heart disease
4,360 babies born with birth defects

The “Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act,” also known as “The MOTHERS Act” was named after Melanie Stokes, a new mother who was subjected to a cocktail of psychiatric drugs and electroshock after being diagnosed with post-partum depression. It was only after she had been administered drugs documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cause suicidal ideation that she committed suicide. There is too much controversy over antidepressants to pass any legislation that could increase the administration of these drugs to pregnant women and new mothers. Do not allow the pharmaceutical interests to put new mothers and their unborn children at risk. Do not pass the MOTHERS Act.

Signed

___________________________

Printed Name:

___________________________

Address & Phone Number

___________________________

Wishwrap is a very cool way to enhance your gift giving and make it more meaningful. I really love this idea. When I have gone to the effort of finding a perfect gift for someone special, the opportunity to make it even nicer is something I would love to do.

Each gift is custom-wrapped with a wish that you choose and then and each comes with a special card that’s made especially for your gift! All gifts come in reusable, beautiful silk bags and boxes, too.

I love this attention to detail!

Ten tips for women to stay fit and healthy:

1. Eat a balanced diet. Maintain a healthy weight for your age. If you are trying to lose weight, focus on a healthy diet instead of a crash diet. Unprocessed foods with high fiber and low fat should be included in your grocery list instead of red meat, sugars and fats.

2. Drink enough water. We need to drink at least eight glasses of water everyday. This cleanses the body from impurities.

3. Take Vitamins and Supplements including a Calcium supplement. Calcium intake is beneficial for women of all ages. Pre-Menstrual Symptoms can be improved with calcium intake. Sufficient calcium also prevents Osteoporosis – especially for menopausal women. Vitamin E will boost a strong immune system. If you are menopausal consider taking Vitamin E-400. This will help with night sweats and hot flashes.

4. Quit smoking. Recent studies have shown that women smokers are more prone to diseases than men. Women who smoke have a high risk of getting breast cancer. Limit your alcohol intake as well.

5. Exercise daily. Exercise helps in limiting the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

6. Avoid stress. Stress has been known as cause many different illnesses. Make sure you get adequate sleep.

7. Avoid sunburn but allow limited exposure to the sun daily. 15 minutes is considered adequate exposure.

8. Visit the dentist regularly and keep current with necessary dental work.

9. Visit your Gynecologist. Women over age eighteen should have a yearly exam.

10. Lead a non-promiscuous lifestyle.

My family takes an annual road trip each fall. We travel from one end of the country to the other and it is a much-anticipated trip for all of us. I think we all enjoy it in our own ways…however it is difficult at times. Just the sheer drudgery of the miles we put on gets tiresome after a while.

One year I would like to try our annual road trip in an RV instead of our van. There are so many ways that this would make traveling easier and more pleasant.

If I were outfitting an RV for a road trip, I would be very selective about the RV appliances I choose. I would want something that would stand up under vigorous use because that is what I would be giving it.

A good place to look for RV accessories and other items like this is Tweety’s RV, Truck and SUV Accessories. Tweety’s specializes in parts and accessories for RV and heavy duty business vehicles. One of these years I’m going to need to shop here!

In spite of mounting evidence of serious and even fatal reactions to the human papillomavirus ( HPV) vaccine, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that immigrants to the US are required to have the HPV vaccination to protect against cervical cancer.

The new rule separates “age-appropriate” groups (girls and young adult women) and requires they show proof of the vaccinations or they will not be granted legal permanent resident status in the U.S.

This is an enormous marketing success for the drug giant Merck & Co…the maker of the HPV vaccine. Merck has lobbied for virtual universal vaccination of females with the vaccine. Gadisil is currently licensed in for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26 and many health and school officials are pushing to make the vaccine mandatory for all girls by the age of 11 or 12.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, 11,070 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in this country. With early detection cervical cancer is highly curable. The HPV vaccine has only been on the market since 2006 and has already been responsible for thousands of documented severe side effects, including many deaths.

In addition, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes only about 10% of actual side effects end up being reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

There is mounting evidence Gardasil isn’t even particularly effective. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and nearly 90 percent of all people who have sex get HPV at some point in their lives. The more sexual partners you have, the more likely you will contract a form of HPV. Six million Americans are infected with HPV every year but only a small number actually develop serious problems.

Here’s the bottom line – if you live a non-promiscuous lifestyle and have a healthy immune system you should feel quite secure and safe from HPV and HPV-caused cancer.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading about Magnetic Therapy lately because I think the possibilities for natural healing that are possible with this form of therapy are very exciting. I am typically the person who avoids conventional medicine if at all possible and seeks more natural forms of healing. Magnetic Therapy is one such form of therapy.

Magnetic Therapy involves the application of a powerful directed magnetic field to the body. Small, powerful magnetic devices work in harmony with your body. There are so many ailments and maladies that may be improved with Magnetic Therapy. For example, there have been documented improvements in circulation, a calming of nerves, and even a change in behavior of some cells involved in the healing process.

I am particularly interested in menopause symptom relief and varicose vein relief. I am not menopausal yet, but when I do get to the age when my hormones begin to be affected by advancing age I definitely want to deal with that naturally. As far as my interest in varicose veins goes, my husband has a very bad leg that he refuses to get treated by conventional measures and we really need to find a natural way to heal his circulation problems.

Anyone who is interested in natural healing really should look at this site. This therapy is very promising!

Ninety percent of the 11,000 athletes in attendance at the recent Olympics used dietary supplements of some kind. Also, there was not one supplement contamination case.

The high level of scrutiny attached to the bodily inputs of athletes sometimes reveals contaminated products that result in athletes being sent home and banned from their sports.

Beijing marks a turning point for the industry. The supplements industry been given a boost by its clean Olympics performance.

Before the Games some Greek weightlifters and a US athlete (Jessica Hardy) blamed contaminated supplements for doping offenses.  They were all banned. During the actual Games some athletes were sent home for doping offenses but these were not related to supplements.