Thank You For Visiting Our Blog, FEEL BETTER AND LIVE LONGER!

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.)

What is Alternative Medicine?

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Alternative medicine is about exploring other methods of medicine other than swallowing pills. The main reason for using alternative medicine is to avoid dependence to allopathic drugs, that can indirectly do more harm for your body than good.

Much of “alternative medicine” or “alternative healing” comes from ancient medical wisdom. Some cultures use needles to cure pain from body, some believe that herbs can provide great relief, while some people will use a paste of mud on their body to cool down, or use an ice pack, hot water bottle, or simple massaging. A

All these methods are a form of medicine as it relieves pain and other ailments. However, these methods aren’t well known to the public as they are against the organized advertisement movements of traditional pharmaceutical products and hence fall under the category of alternative medicine.

DEFINING ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

It’s difficult to establish a single definition for alternative medicine because there are so many techniques and methods being explored. Holistic medicine, natural medicine, complementary medicine, integrated medicine…they are all aspects of alternative medicine. Common alternative therapies include aromatherapy, acupressure, yoga, message, music therapy, hypnosis, relaxation, meditation, ayurveda, naturopathy, nutritional therapy, and homeopathy. 

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE’S  POINT OF VIEW

Alternative medicine systems say that health isn’t a mere absence of disease. Life ought to be lived with enthusiasm, and absence of enthusiasm is a sign of ill health.  Every individual is different and has a unique purpose in life. Alternative medicine tries to ensure that this purpose of life is maintained, as a person without a purpose in life cannot function to the fullest of his abilities. One needs to be inspired and motivated to be able to live life fully.

An illness, in fact, might not be a cause of great worry. It isn’t just infections that cause sickness. A new thought process in one’s mind is capable of changing the entire personality. Similarly, illness may present itself as an opportunity to change us into different, better human beings.  Therefore alternative medicine tries to have an integral view of the person’s personality and various factors and emotions guiding his behavior.

So the next time you feel a headache coming on, resist the temptation to swallow a pill.  Sit back, relax and switch on your favorite music, go back in time, evoke sweet memories, analyze your path, redefine your goals, have a purpose to live for and you will feel your strength returning and realize that life is indeed beautiful – and worth living for!

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