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The purpose of our blog is to share what we have learned about nutrition, weight loss, fitness, and health, in order to help you find ways to feel better and live longer. It is amazing how much our diet and lifestyle affect our health and well-being.

Did you know that you can reduce your risk and even prevent many diseases and health conditions simply by making some changes to your diet? Check back often for valuable tips and information.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF:

For the first time in my life I have found weight loss success. During my adult life I have tried dozens and dozens of so-called "diets" and none of them worked over the long-haul. Oh, I was able to lose weight with some of them, but once I went off of the "diet" I quickly gained back all of my weight (plus some).

I have finally learned that losing weight has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Crash diets and all the other crazy diets will not only cause you to fail, they are harmful to your health. To lose weight and keep it off you must NOT go on a "diet." What? Why? Because we all consider a "diet" a temporary thing. For example, how many times have you said, "Oh, I will go on this low-fat diet until I lose 20 pounds." Okay, what happens after you lose the 20 pounds? Or you simply give up? You go back to your old habits and gain that 20 pounds back.

The only way you will ever be successful at losing weight, with the added benefit of improving your health, is to make healthy changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. Period. Not for a week, a month or 3 months, but for life. For me, my initial goal was to lower my cholesterol level. I had to have a blood test for my insurance coverage and my cholesterol level had to be lower than the previous year's levels or I would have to pay a much higher premium. Well, that was a pretty good incentive for me make some positive changes.

I sat down and figured out what I needed to do. I knew I had to change the way I ate and I knew I had to exercise in some form or other every day. So, I made a list and I stuck to it. It was difficult at first. To make matters worse, I am a compulsive eater. However, as the days went by, it became much easier because my body stopped craving sweets and processed foods. For the first time in my life, I was never tempted to binge because I never felt deprived.

Use the list below and make whatever changes you need to make in order for it to work for you. FYI, my cholesterol level dropped 65 points after 7 weeks, and my triglycerides dropped 70 points! Another benefit that I hadn't planned on was that after being an insomniac since my teen-age years, I now sleep like a baby every night!

MY LIST FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCESS:

1. Avoid "white" Foods & Processed Foods. These foods have no nutritional value and are "empty" calories. Sweets, anything made with white flour,and anything that comes in a package with a long list of ingredients. Always read the food labels. Stay away from those long lists of ingredients. The longer the list, the more chemicals and additives are present. These are extremely toxic to your body.

2. Drink Lots of Water. Water keeps your body's organs hydrated and flushes out unhealthy toxins. It helps to fill you up and reduces your urge to over-eat.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. Instead of coffee and donuts, try fruit, yogurt, grains like oatmeal or whole grain toast, and lean protein. NEVER skip breakfast. By eating a large, healthy meal when you get up in the morning, your metabolism will "rev up" and you will not be hungry by mid-morning. If you skip breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and store calories in your body as FAT, yes FAT! So do yourself a big favor and eat breakfast.

4. Reduce Your Stress Level. So many of us live with too much stress. Stress lowers your immune system, making it easier to get sick. It also makes us lethargic, tired, and depressed. There are a lot of simple things you can do and a lot of ways to feel better about yourself and your life. Take a long, hot bath, read a book, listen to music, get a massage. Do something nice for yourself. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a tremendous mental incentive.

5. Move! Oh my gosh! There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day, even at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up every hour and walk around your floor, your hallway or your desk. Park your car in the farthest space from where you need to be. Walk or bike to work. Skate, dance, golf, jump rope, clean house, play tag. The best exercise you can do is to walk. Try to take a walk every day! The more you move, the more your metabolism will be your friend. (I walk 3 miles every day whether it is raining, snowing or freezing.)

Snoring Cures

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People who snore can be funny but when you have to sleep with someone who snores loudly every night, it can be very frustrating and annoying. Whether you are the one who snores or the one who has to listen to it, consider the following possible snoring cures.
  
Methods that can cure snoring

Breathing exercise – Snoring happens when there is a blockage happening in the breathing passage, particularly at the throat area. This blockage might be because of a tensed throat, wrong positioned jaw, or stuffed nose. Take several deep breaths in order to relax the throat and make breathing normal again.

Decongestants – There are instances where the cause of snoring is nasal congestion. Here, the person tends to breathe through his mouth that may trigger snoring. Taking decongestants will free any blockage and relieve the person from snoring.

Anti-allergy medications – There are some allergies that result in the enlargement of adenoids. Once the allergy is cured, the snoring usually stops.

Exercise and proper diet – If a person is obese, he probably snores. This is because there is fat concentration on the airways that limits the air to go in and out freely. Also, fat formation on the stomach restricts the diaphragm to perform properly. Thus, snoring occurs. Getting regular exercise and following a healthy diet can reduce the weight and stop snoring, not to mention other health risks associated with obesity.

Change of bed position – There are occasions where snoring is the result of a wrong sleeping position. Sometimes, sleeping with too many pillows can stretch and narrow the air passage. Use only one pillow.  Also, lying on the back can cause snoring so you may need to change your sleeping position. 

Change of lifestyle – Smoking and alcohol can contribute to the onset of snoring. Snoring may be a result of other medical conditions caused by these two. To maintain a good and healthy life and stop snoring, stop smoking and reduce alcohol intake.

Regular sleeping habits – There are two periods of sleep: the REM sleep where the person experiences frequent dreaming and deep sleep, and Stage 1 sleep that should only be experienced during the falling asleep period but can also be experienced several times if the person is sleeping poorly. Both can trigger the development of unstable breathing that can cause snoring. Irregular sleeping can also cause respiratory instability that results in unstable breathing during sleep.

Saltwater nasal drops – Nasal congestion caused by mucus can disrupt sleep and can cause snoring. To prevent this, saltwater nasal drops can be used to flush out the mucus. There are over the counter saltwater nasal drops available in drugstores. However, you can also make it on your own. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of sterilized water. Let the water cool down to body temperature and place it in a nose dropper.

Anti Snoring Devices

 Anti snoring pillow - One of the reasons why people snore is because they have an improper sleeping position. This causes the air passage to stretch and tighten making it more difficult for air to come in and out. To solve this, there are anti snoring pillows that relax your airways and maintain the right sleeping position to prevent a person from snoring throughout the night.

Throat spray - One natural remedy to stop snoring is the snoring spray. Formulated with natural ingredients, snoring spray contains essential oils that when sprayed on the throat, provide a lubrication that reduces that amount of vibration, hence effectively reduce snoring. However, when throat spray is used frequently, it can lead to more snoring.

Nasal dilators - Usually made of stainless steel coil or plastic, nasal dilators help keep the air passage open to cut down the throat's vibration that leads to snoring. Nasal dilators are used by inserting it into the nostrils.

Nasal strips - Like nasal dilators, nasal strips are used to open the airways on the nose and keep the right amount of airflow during sleep. Nasal strips are often made of plastic. This is one of the more popular anti snoring devices since it is cheap, safe, and effective.

Sleep Position Monitor - This device emits a beeping noise to alert the snorer when he shifts to a position where snoring usually occurs (sleeping on their back). Once the snorer starts to sleep on his side, the sleep position monitor can be removed.

All these anti snoring devices can prevent a person from snoring, however, snoring can be caused by sleep disorders or other medical condition that may need medical attention. To be safe, have your relative or family member be checked by a doctor to know exactly what treatment does he need. 

If snoring is caused by other serious conditions such as sleep apnea and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils, some surgical procedures like Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) and radio frequency tissue ablation (RFTA) or somnoplasty can be applied. It is important, therefore, to know the exact cause of snoring before taking any action.

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