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3 Ways I Brought My Weight under Control for Good

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For full disclosure, I was never an ‘’overweight’’ person. Rather, at one point in my life, I found myself packing on the pounds and weighed much more than normal. I felt unhealthy and knew that I was making poor choices, based on lame excuses. A firm determination to turn things around started me on a road to healthier living. My weight returned to normal, I relieved myself of the guilt and other negative emotions that came along with my little health hiccup, and I made a renewed commitment to living well. Here are three helpful tips that worked for me, and I am confident they will work for you too.

Making Little Changes Motivated Me to Make Bigger Ones

One of the hardest things about losing weight is shifting our deeply ingrained habits and becoming more aware of our eating behaviors. Our desire to want everything ‘’yesterday’’ often inspires drastic changes which will inevitably lead to failure. In theory, sure, we can turn this around in an instant. But, if we possessed that level of will power and that strong a mind, we probably would not be facing weight problems in the first place.

So, we need to approach the situation with a strategy that will increase chances of long-term success and change. I found that making little changes showed me what I was capable of, and it motivated me to keep going and stepping up my health game as I went along. Maybe I would forgo the bread that came at the beginning of the meal, or actually stop eating when I felt full rather than feeling compelled to finish every bite. Instead of buying that candy bar on a whim, I told myself I would eat the fruit at home for dessert instead. These seemingly small choices send a strong message—a message that says you are capable of taking control of your health.

Realizing It Was Okay to Still Eat for Pleasure

I eat a pretty healthy diet, I must say. But, I still enjoy plenty of foods that that are considered ‘’unhealthy.’’ I sometimes like to have a piece of cake for dessert that is undoubtedly loaded with sugar and saturated fat; I will get a craving for Reeses’ peanut butter cups and I simply cannot resist. Italian food is a weakness, and I love me some ravioli with a nice, creamy sauce. Eating is not just about survival. It can be a pleasurable activity and there is nothing wrong with that. I know there are people who have sworn off sugar and processed carbohydrates forever, and I deeply admire them. I am not sure this is absolutely necessary, and by releasing guilt over liking to eat these foods sometimes, I stopped depriving myself of things I felt like I should never eat. Not a fan of absolutes. When we allow ourselves to enjoy food, we develop a healthier relationship with it. When we get too strict, we are setting ourselves up for emotional eating binges.

Worked Physical Activity into My Daily Routine

When we think of exercise, we think of carving out formal sessions, like hitting the treadmill at the gym, or attending that Zumba class. When we experience a time-crunch, these activities fall by the wayside. It happens sometimes and that is okay. When I was my thinnest, I had not seen the inside of a gym in two years. Besides my shift in eating habits, simply being active in every day life helped me shed those pounds. I was traveling long-term at the time and I simply walked more. Instead of taking a taxi or subway, I walked. If the place was too far to walk the whole way, I walked part of the way before flagging down a taxi or hopping on the bus. During short visits home, I was without a car, so instead of waiting around to borrow someone’s, I walked to the supermarket or to the hair salon to get a trim. Even short bouts of a few minutes at a time add up. Take the 10 minute walk back and forth to the sandwich place you frequent every day—20 minutes right there. Instead of driving to the convenience store right down the street, walk. It does not seem like a lot but it adds up.

About the Author:Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys blogging about all things health; if you are interested in experimenting with specific diet systems in the area, she recommends learning more about this Los Angeles HCG diet provider.

Helpful Tips for Using Herbal Medicines

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For thousands of years, people all over the world have been using herbs to treat a variety of ills. Western medicine still remains largely skeptical of the ability of herbs to effectively treat illness, but acceptance of, interest in, and research regarding this mode of treatment has greatly expanded in recent years. While most practitioners would stop short of fully endorsing a natural therapy as being equal or superior to prescription medications, regardless of the research available, many are becoming more open to exploring these options with patients. As more and more prescription medications are found to be ineffective and/or dangerous, people are interested in improving their health through more natural means. If you are interested in using herbal medicine, here are some important considerations.

Natural Does not Always Equal Safe

While by and large, herbal medicines enjoy a much stronger safety profile than prescription drugs, natural does not automatically translate to safe. Like drugs, herbs contain a variety of substances that affect the body in different ways. In certain circumstances, these actions can be harmful. Herbs can interact with other drugs, causing problems such as reducing effectiveness or increasing negative side effects. For example, St. John’s wort, which has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms in mild to moderate depression, is known to interfere with the metabolism of a large number of medications.

If you have certain health conditions, particular herbs may be inappropriate. For example, kava, commonly used to treat anxiety, may increase the risk of liver damage in people who suffer from conditions affecting this organ. Some herbs are very potent and using them is similar to using a prescription drug. Red yeast rice is one good example. This popular Chinese remedy naturally contains statins, a substance found in a commonly prescribed class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, and it is prudent to use it under the supervision of a doctor.

If you suffer from any sort of health condition, or you are taking prescription drugs, it is important to educate yourself about any herbs you are thinking about taking to ensure they do not pose a risk to you. Never hide the use of herbs from your health care provider.

Natural Medicine Requires Patience and Consistency

We tend to be impatient when it comes to improving our health. We want results as quickly as possible, and when we do not see them right away, we conclude our strategies are not working and we give up. Herbal remedies operate differently than prescription medications, which can affect changes in your body very quickly. Depending on the condition, and the herb you are using, it can take several weeks, sometimes up to two months or longer, before you begin to notice any difference in your condition. Do not start taking herbal medicines with the expectation that your health will improve in a couple of days. Chasteberry, or vitex, is a great example. Used to treat a variety of female problems from irregular periods to infertility, it may require up to six months of use before your hormone levels normalize and your condition improves. Read up on the herbal treatment and its proposed use for your condition, and you can get an idea of how long it may take before you can tell if it is working for you or not. Be consistent with use—take it exactly as you are instructed at the recommended dose.

Tips for Buying Herbal Supplements

First and foremost, be cautious about buying herbs that were made in other countries. Safety and manufacturing requirements can differ greatly from countries like the United States or Canada. Many foreign supplements have been found to contain harmful additives, toxins or prescription medications not listed on the label. In these instances, it may be safer to order the herbs in their whole form and make your own formulations. Look for herbal supplements that carry the ‘’Good Manufacturing Practices’’ stamp.

Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys blogging about natural medicine; if you are interested in purchasing medicinal herbs, she recommends visiting the The Growers Exchange.

 

Meditation and Mental Health: Perfect Together

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The simple practice of meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, and many can personally attest to its health benefits. Along with other Eastern practices, it has been gaining popularity in the West and with good reason. The medical community is also starting to take notice, and studies examining the effects of meditation on a variety of mental and physical ailments are validating what others have known for a very long time. As a health writer, and someone who personally has practiced meditation on a regular basis for the last several years, I am familiar with all the positive effects. If you are looking to improve your mental well-being, this is one weapon you should be sure to put in your arsenal.

Observing without Judgment

It has been said that we think tens of thousands of thoughts a day; while I have never personally counted, it seems feasible given what I experience running through my head during my waking hours. We cannot stop ourselves from thinking, nor do we need to. What we can do, however, is learn to observe what is going on in our mind without judging it or getting all caught up in the raging river that is rushing through our minds. There is no better way to accomplish this goal than through meditation. When we learn to observe with greater detachment, we begin to see something wonderful—that we are not our thoughts, that they are separate from us.

Responding and Not Reacting

On the surface, responding and reacting may seem like two sides of the same coin, but they are completely different actions. Reaction does not involve any sort of thought or reflection—it is just an automatic response to some outside stimuli. While this can serve us well sometimes, like pulling our hand away from a hot surface, it often leads us to doing things we would be better off not doing, things that we may come to regret, even just a few minutes down the line. Meditation helps us respond, rather than react. It strengthens that space between our thoughts and feelings and that pure consciousness that is our essence. When a negative feeling starts to arise, we can think about what is happening and choose how we will respond. This does all sorts of wonderful things for us, from reducing anxiety to improving how we interact with others.

Realizing the Impermanence of Everything

So much of our mental suffering comes from getting all caught up in a moment, and feeling the need to do something in that instant to make that feeling go away. We know that feelings come and go constantly throughout the day, but on an experiential level, this knowledge gets lost and we are acting on pure feeling in the moment. Meditation helps us tune into the never-ending shift, and when something unpleasant arises, we are able to sit with it better, knowing this too shall pass. Truly grasping this impermanence can keep us from doing things that are not good for us, like eating a whole cake to quell anxiety or writing rambling emails to ex-boyfriends in a moment of overpowering desperation. You can move through the discomfort of life with greater ease.

About the Author:Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about all things health and wellness; if you are in the Anaheim, CA area and in need of a skilled physician, she highly recommends Ronald Glousman.

Natural Approaches to Treating Insomnia

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Everyone has trouble sleeping now and again, but when the problem becomes frequent, your quality of life can be severely impacted. You may become irritable, anxious, depressed and have trouble concentrating; your body will suffer too, and you will just feel badly all around. Conventional treatments, like sleeping pills, have mixed results, and the risk of dependency is high. There are several natural approaches which may help. When using holistic approaches to wellness, it is important to be patient and diligent since results may take a bit longer to manifest.

Nutrition

Good nutrition is always a cornerstone of any natural approaches to our health problems; we often underestimate the power of eating right because it just seems too simple; we cannot fully realize the therapeutic value of making sure our body gets the nutrients it needs to function properly. First and foremost, if you are having trouble sleeping, make your best effort to cut caffeine from your diet Some people are more sensitive to it than others; my boyfriend, for example, will not be able to sleep all night if he drinks coffee at any time of day, no matter how early in the morning. Magnesium is important for promoting sleep and particularly good sources include halibut, almonds and cashews. Vitamin B is also important, and you will find it in foods such as leafy greens, nuts and legumes. Lean turkey, and other foods high in tryptophan, are great to eat closer to bedtime.

Lifestyle Modifications

Your lifestyle is comprised of a wide range of activities, habits and behaviors, and there are several modifications that may help you beat insomnia. One of the most helpful in my own battles with sleep problems was going to bed and getting up the same time every day, and, therefore it’s not surprising to me that this is one of the most frequently recommended techniques. Avoid television, the computer and other stimulating activities within an hour of going to sleep—you want to use this time to wind down. Read a good book instead. Adopt some relaxing routines before sleep, such as taking a steaming hot shower, meditating or mantram, which involves repeating a sound, word or phrase over and over again to instill a sense of calm. Exercising more during the day is associated with better sleep.

Natural Supplements

A host of natural supplements may help ease sleep troubles. Valerian is one of the most popular, followed by melatonin, the hormone that is involved in regulating our body clock. The latter is best used as a sublingual supplement that dissolves under the tongue. L-theanine, which is naturally found in green tea may also help fight insomnia, according to researchers in Japan. It appears to work by helping calm the mind, rather than inducing sleep in any way. A combination of taurine and tryptophan may also help; besides taking it before sleep, you can also use this combo if you wake up in the middle of the night and are having trouble getting back to bed.

About the Author:Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about a variety of natural health topics.A comfortable bed is an important part of the sleeping well equation, and she recommends learning more about the Sleep Number m9 bed.

Caregiver Tips: Dealing with Depression in the Elderly

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Being a caregiver is one of the most demanding roles you will ever take on—you have a lot to contend with. Not only are you battling with your own mental health challenges brought on by such a consuming responsibility, but often times, that of your loved ones. Depression in the elderly is common and understandable – they are dealing with increasing health problems, loss of independence, a shrinking social network and a host of other issues that can be extremely upsetting. As a caregiver, you naturally want to do what you can to ease these feelings not only to make life easier for your loved one, but for you as well. If you think your loved one may be suffering from depression, here are some important things to consider.

Approach the Subject Carefully

This can be a sensitive subject for the elderly for a variety of reasons; one of the main ones being they were raised in a time where mental illness carried a greater stigma or was seen as a sign of weakness. Many may not be willing to admit there is a problem. It is important to approach the subject carefully. Instead of ‘’accusing’’ the person of depression and going right into treatment options, probe a bit by asking some questions to get them to open up, and keep them from going on the defensive. Maybe you can bring up how he has not been sleeping well lately, or how she has not seemed like herself for the last couple of months.

Overcoming Resistance to Treatment

There is a good chance your loved one will be resistant to treatment. There are a few different strategies you can use to help overcome this barrier. First and foremost, stress to your loved one that there is nothing abnormal about their feelings and they are not ‘’crazy.’’ No one is going to suggest a nursing home because he is suffering from depression. Sometimes people are more likely to listen to a health care professional. Instead of insisting on making an appointment with a therapist, bring your loved one to his regular doctor, who can talk to him at greater length about the issue. Get involved in the treatment—offer to sit in on the session or accompany him to appointments.

What You Can Do

When dealing with depression in the elderly, the caregiver can take an active role in recovery. But, it is important to know what you can do and what you can’t. Do not underestimate the benefit of a healthy diet in promoting optimal mental health—poor eating habits can make your loved one feel worse. Commit to preparing healthier foods. Be more insistent on your loved one getting involved in more social activities and going out more—arrange for time at a senior center or plan a day out doing something that she once enjoyed. Make sure he is taking medications properly.

It is important to remember that, as a caregiver, you can only do so much. You cannot force him to get better. Recovery is his responsibility. You should not feel guilty about his condition, it is not your fault. No one in this world is responsible for anyone else’s happiness or lack thereof. It is important for you not to get sucked into the vortex along with your loved one. You may need to set more boundaries as far as what you are willing to do and not do. Her depression should not consume your life; you are not responsible for bending to every whim because of his inability to function.

Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about a variety of elder care topics; she is a big fan of Lift Caregiving, which provides a wealth of information for caregivers.

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