Curiously Awesome

Pregnancy is very hard on a woman’s body. The demands placed on an expectant mother’s body…both physically and emotionally…can be very difficult. A wonderful way to alleviate the associated discomforts of pregnancy is a pregnancy massage. The physical benefits are many…and what’s more…nurturing the mother-to-be also nurtures the new life growing within her.

This Pregnancy Massage Video provides a step-by-step demonstration of how to provide therapeutic massage techniques focusing on the special needs of the mother-to-be during all three trimesters of her pregnancy. With this video, anyone can properly perform these techniques.

Massages can be prohibitively expensive for many moms. This is an affordable option for every mother-to-be! Nurturing Pregnancy Massage Techniques I can be ordered for $54.95, and Nurturing Pregnancy Massage Techniques II can be ordered for 49.95, plus shipping. Order by calling 1-800-414-2434 or visit their website. The complete set can be purchased for $84.00 and this saves 20%.

Pregnancy Massage Video

Massage Videos |   Pregnancy Massage

Wal-Mart has announced that all the store-brand milk sold in both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club in the US will now be from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones.

Roughly 18 percent of dairy cows in the United States are injected with rBGH.

Most cows are not treated with rBGH but the milk from many different cows is often mixed together before being packaged. This means that unless otherwise labeled, most milk sold in the US probably has rBGH in it.

Wal-Mart said that its decision came in response to rising consumer demand for hormone-free milk.  Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States.

BGH has been criticized for damaging the health of cows. Concerns have also been increasing about the health impacts of drinking milk from rBGH-treated cows.  The use of rBGH is banned in Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan.  In the US rBGH has been approved for use since 1993.

I have a neighbor who is doing her very best to stay active and independent as she becomes older. She is now 85 and still living on her own…although I sense that she is quite apprehensive about something happening that will take away her independence. I don’t blame her. One small accident could begin a spiral of interventions that might be the end of her independent lifestyle.

I watch her being so careful in her daily activities and I pray that she is able to stay living on her own in her little house. From what I have read, she is not unusual. Fear of falling and then losing their independence is a very common fear in the elderly population.

Here are some facts that illustrate why this is a very valid concern.

• 1 of every 3 adults over the age of 65 will experience a fall every year. Half will fall more than once

• A senior citizen falls every 21 seconds

• 87% of all fractures in seniors are caused by falls

• More than half of all falls happen at home

• Falls in the bathroom and stairs are responsible for most injuries

• 20% of deaths following an injury can be traced back to a fall

• 60% of falls that lead to death occur at home

Obviously, by looking at these statistics we can see that it’s important to make your environment as safe as possible. One product that can make a big difference is a walk in bathtub. These tubs are special because they fill faster and empty faster than others in the market.

Go take a look at their website. They have some great testimonials from happy customers on their “Stories” page. I’m going to make sure that my neighbor knows about this company. Although I know she’s not online, I’m sure we can figure out a way to make sure her bathtub is as safe as possible.

More than 50 percent of US residents now regularly take prescription drugs for at least one chronic health condition. Approximately 51 percent of children and adults in the United States took at least one prescription drug for a chronic health condition in 2007. Compare this to 47 percent just six years ago.

Unbelievably, 25 percent of children, 52 percent of adult men, 67 percent of women over the age of 19, and 75 percent of seniors over 65 are taking at least one drug…most daily.

A large increase was in the use of obesity and diabetes drugs among children. Our couch potato culture is catching up with us. It is thought that the drug use has probably increased due to aggressive marketing by drug companies. The most heavily marketed drugs are those for chronic conditions.

We are fortunate to have two extremely level-headed teenage boys with whom we have a very close relationship. If this were not the case, however, I do not think I would hesitate to utilize some sort of GPS Tracking device. Children are just too precious to lose to some of the negative forces that can pull at them during adolescence and technology like this could be invaluable for parents.

I was just reading about the Live Trac PT-10 GPS Tracker. This is pretty cool. You can watch what you are tracking from any computer that is connected to the internet. You can see the PT-10 move on your screen on various different map views.

The PT-10 will provide up to eight hours of operation under continuous motion. The PT-10 turns itself off when it is not moving. This is a very easy to use device that doesn’t require a learning curve at all. Just charge it and turn it on. I could think of several scenarios where this would be a useful tool – such as teen drivers, the elderly, or even keeping track of fleet vehicles for your company.

A bedtime snack that combines a concentrated source of tryptophan that is also high in carbohydrates can be a huge help in inducing sleep if you are having trouble sleeping.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that your body doesn’t make itself. You must get it from the foods that you eat. Once tryptophan your brain, it is used to make a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin acts within your body to promote feelings of sleepiness, calm, and relaxation.

If you don’t have adequate levels of serotonin in your system, you likely won’t feel sleepy enough to rest soundly. Without adequate levels of tryptophan within your brain you will not be able to produce significant amounts of serotonin.

Here’s the challenge. Tryptophan has to compete with other amino acids for access to the limited number of channels that line your blood-brain barrier. Tryptophan is usually outnumbered by other amino acids in natural foods.

The key is to combine a tryptophan-rich food with a carbohydrate-rich food before bedtime. Ingesting a carbohydrate-rich food causes your body to release insulin and this diverts many of your other amino acids away from your brain. This leaves tryptophan with easier access to the blood-brain barrier to gain access to your brain.

Healthy foods that are naturally rich in tryptophan:

• Beans

• Whole grains, including rice

• Lentils

• Chickpeas

• Hazelnuts

• Peanuts

• Eggs

• Sunflower seeds

• Sesame seeds

• Miso

• Raw dairy products

How about a golf adventure at Reflection Bay Golf Club?

If you are looking to golf Las Vegas then here is what you need to know. Reflection Bay Golf Club is the oldest public golf course at the Lake Las Vegas Resort. It sounds beautiful – situated along Lake Las Vegas with 5 holes that play along the shoreline. They have incorporated water as both an enhancement and a hazard so this is a challenging and pleasant course to golf.

Check it out – there’s a package for everyone. Whether you are planning a short or longer say you’ll find exactly what you want at Las Vegas Golf Adventures.  If I had the opportunity, I would choose the 4 day, 3 night Silver Package that includes 3 rounds of golf at different courses.  This sounds like it would be a great get-away…not too short and not too long.  Just right!  Go and see what is right for you!

There is a new study that has just been released that suggests that the pleasure of smelling coffee might provide as powerful an antioxidant as actually consuming coffee.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate influences of roasted coffee aroma on rat brain functions and evaluate the impact. The impact was conclusive – roasted coffee bean aroma changes the mRNA and protein levels of the rat brain.

One of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine today is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a holistic option that uses botanical oils that are inhaled or massaged into your skin. These oils work on the brain and nervous system by stimulating the olfactory nerves.

The sense of smell is the most complex and unique of our five senses. The effect of scents on the human brain have not been fully researched yet. This much is known, however. A pleasant aroma evokes deep emotions.

Scents are powerful tools for bringing back memories or eliciting emotional responses. These responses affect our overall health. Experts now know that when a scent is combined with a learning task, recall can be 50% improved.

Think about the implications of this for children with learning difficulties or brain trauma victims!

Cinnamon and peppermint scents have been found to improve attention, recognition, memory, visual-motor response speed, mood and energy.

There is more to be learned, obviously, about how aromas impact our physiological and emotional responses…but in the meantime…try using aromas to boost your performance and well-being!

I think I just figured out what I want to do when I grow up! Yes…me a stay at home mom, full time wife and mother of many, homeschool educator, and many other things…has also decided that I want to pursue a career in personal training. This means that I need to figure out how to earn my fitness certification, and I think I just figured out how I am going to do that!

I found a great website that will enable me to earn my personal trainer certification in as little as three to four months and at a cost of about $600. And the best part is that I can earn my certification through home study.

I am so excited! If I get started right away, in a few short months I will be on my way to not only improving my own and my family’s health, but on my way to helping others improve their health as well!

Shea butter is an incredible ingredient as long as you are getting the real thing.

Shea butter comes from the Karite Shea tree in Africa. It bears fruit and it is the nut inside the fruit that contains the shea butter.

There is raw or unrefined shea butter and there is refined shea butter. There is a big difference between the two types. Raw shea butter is the most natural and least processed. The raw form is the purest and most effective. Refined shea butter is processed using chemicals and this strips the shea butter of its many healing properties.

When chemically processed it is refined, bleached, deodorized, and degummed, which destroys the shea butter.

Raw, unrefined shea butter is good for dry skin, skin rashes, skin peeling after tanning, sunburn, blemishes, cracked heels and skin, itchy skin, frost bite, stretch marks, scars, chapped lips, eczema, small wounds or scrapes, diaper rash, hair moisturizer, burns, athlete’s foot, insect bites and stings, arthritis, muscle fatigue, pets’ dry skin, sunburn, scrapes, and as a natural mechanics lubricant.

Once you have used true raw shea butter you will quickly see the difference between refined and unrefined shea butter and you will never go back!