Archive for the ‘Health and Wellness’ Category
Hello friends and welcome to Wellness Wednesday.
As the daylight hours get shorter and the temps a little chillier your mood may begin to mellow. Gone are the long sunny days spent outdoors and you may feel like hibernating at home.
Now is the perfect time to indulge the senses with affordable yet comfortable items that will enhance our mood and not break the bank.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links provided by Postpresso.
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Hello friends,
If you recall, last year my GYN diagnosed me with being Vitamin D Deficient, so I started taking Vitamin D pills. If you are anything like me, you don’t like taking hard-to-swallow pills and may take softgels instead.
I had seen Gummy Vitamins on the shelves at our local drug stores but always felt they were a bit juvenile for a woman of my age!
Thanks to @Smiley360, I was able to receive ten sample packs to review. Included with the samples was a $2.00 off coupon and a Pedometer, which I wear at the office as a reminder to get up and walk, I definitely don’t want a “blogger’s butt”.
These Caltrate Gummy Bites are Calcium & Vitamin D3 Supplements which supports strong bones, another health concern for aging women. The Gummy Bites are not those stick-to-your-teeth bites which I though they would be, you know something similar to candy gummy worms.
They come in three flavors, Black Cherry, Orange and Strawberry and have now become part of my daily vitamin regiment.
Anyone over the age of 13 can take these supplements 2x per day with or without food but make sure to first check with your physician before taking any new medication or supplement.
Caltrate Gummy Bites can be purchased online @Amazon.com or at your local Walgreens, Walmart, Target or CVS. Click here to receive your $2.00 off coupon.
I received this product for free for the purpose of my review. Opinions are 100% my own. I am not a health care professional so please check with your physician before taking any over-the-counter products.
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Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.
Today, I am not featuring a recipe for food, instead an easy and inexpensive recipe to cleanse our kidneys.
The kidneys filters the blood by removing salt, poison and any unwanted toxins that have entered our body. However, over time, the salt and toxins build up and we need a colon cleansing treatment.
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Cut a bunch of cilantro into smaller pieces.
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Boil the cilantro in a pot of water for 10 minutes.
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Let it cool down and then sieve/strain and discard the cilantro.
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Pour the filtered water into bottles or any container and keep in fridge.
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Drink one glass of this water daily and you will notice the changes to your urine. Parsley may also be used.
Check back next week for this Duncan Hines cupcake feature!
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
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Hello Friends and Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Today you may be tempted to overindulge with the Mexican foods at lunch or dinner, but if you can, please keep these Super Foods in mind.
This list of Super Foods are those that help to “keep us regular” and being regular is having timely and trouble free bowel movements. When we become irregular or have diarrhea and constipation it can cause additional health concerns.
Stress, bacteria, reactions to food or medicines can cause irregularity and there are nutrients other than fiber that can help keep our digestive tracts on track.
- Bananas – fight diarrhea with bananas which is also the first part of BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) to replace lost minerals
- Chocolate – cocoa in dark chocolate limits the development of fluids that cause diarrhea
- Rhubarb – the root extract relieves diarrhea and also keeps you regular
- Pineapple – cure for constipation
- Apples – fixes both diarrhea and constipation and an unpeeled apple contains 5 grams of fiber to keep the bowels working
- Cereal – whole-grain cereals with fiber softens and bulks up your stools to keep them moving
- Prunes – dried plums are the best natural laxatives
- Beans – eating foods high in fiber such as beans helps avoid diverticulitis
- Cauliflower – prevent constipation with high fiber veggies such as cauliflower, eaten raw or cooked
- Blueberries – high in fiber that is a sure-fire remedy for constipation
- Water – helps fiber soften your stools and helps to move them through the digestive tract
- Artichoke – eases irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – contains fiber, vitamin C and phytochemicals that stimulate bile production
- Papaya – rich in fiber and antioxidants to help soothe IBS
- Yogurt – live bacteria in yogurt helps to digest food and protects from harmful germs
- Chicory – prebiotics is good bacteria for the digestive tract
- Asparagus – vegetable that contains plenty of fiber and helps to keep away constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis
- Almond Milk – regular milk may cause IBS and almond milk is a good alternative
Fiber or roughage refers to the parts of fruits, vegetables and grains that your body can’t digest. There are two types of fiber: Soluable Fiber which helps to whisk away bad cholesterol and absorb carbohydrates. Insoluable fiber passes through your digestive system and keeps your bowels moving smoothly.
Many high fiber foods are low in calories so you can actually eat more to lose weight and stay healthy and they may prevent conditions like constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer.
So enjoy the day, eat responsibly and I’ll see ya tomorrow.
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
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For far too many years, we have had several relatives affected by cancer, mostly breast but lung and colon cancer has also reared their ugly heads. We watched them go through treatment, recovery, get worse, become survivors or die. Cancer don’t care who you are, where you live, or even how you live.
Lung cancer has taken the lives of smokers as well as non-smokers and breast cancer invades the bodies of men as well as women and for far too long.
We have watched the deterioration of some and dealt with the sudden death of others. We have grieved as a family and attended the funerals and memorial services. Cancer don’t care about any of this.
My mother-in-law battled colon cancer, she put up a good fight, in and out of Hospice Care for over a year until her small frame, weighing less than 100 lbs could no longer take it…she died on Saturday August 31, 2013.
“You have cancer” is a phrase that no one ever wants to hear, especially a healthy, active, non smoking, non drinking man who is entering his next phase of life. Retirement papers signed after 32 years with the State of Delaware…now onward to that 2nd half of life and getting a start on the “honey-do” list.
Cancer Don’t Care!
Colonoscopy began at the age of 45, he ate little to no red meat, exercised daily, had a happy life with a happy wife and kids in slow suburban Middletown, DE.
Cancer Don’t Care!
Years of pain and an irritable bowel, yet, no detection of cancer, until one specialist working in God’s favor does an endoscopy and there is was hidden in the small intestines.
Cancer Don’t Care!
Diagnosed on the 21st…surgery on the 26th with no signs it has spread, and guess who’s home today!
God is Good and
I AM THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!
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Hello Friends and Happy Thankful Thursday
Did you know that heart disease is the biggest killer of women, more than breast, ovarian and cervical cancer combined. The scariest thing about heart disease for women is that over 64% of them who die suddenly of a heart attack had no previous symptoms.
Heart disease is caused by plaque in the blood vessels which was once very hard to detect. This plaque clogs the arteries and makes the heart a ticking time bomb. Now a new breakthrough discovered by a cardiologists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has made detection easier.
In women not all heart attacks look like that of a man clutching his chest in pain. For women the warning signs are more subtle and may be confused as being menopausal symptoms, but they should not be ignored:
- Sweating – excessively drenched in perspiration
- Nausea or Dizziness – you may vomit or feel like you want to pass out
- Breathlessness – 58% of women report panting or inability to carry on a conversation
- Sleeplessness – in the month before a heart attack, 50% report having trouble sleeping
- Anxiety – a sense of doom or fear, your body is telling you something, trust those instincts
Paying attention to these signs and getting proper medical care can be the difference between life and death, so please make an appointment to see your physician.
“Go Red for Women” and protect your heart by living healthy:
- Quit Smoking
- Consistent Exercise
- Manage Stress
- Eat Healthy
- Take the heart healthy checkup (here) to stay healthy for yourself and for your loved ones!
Stay Heart Healthy!
I am truly thankful for being an ex-smoker, for my wonderful family, friends and of course my faith.
I am also over-the-top thrilled and thankful for having my post published on the Parade Magazine website. If you didn’t get a chance to read it (click here).
Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
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10 Ways to Go Red This February
Know your Risks ~ Live Healthy ~ Get Involved ~ Share Your Story
Wear Your Red and Post Your Pictures (here)
Use the hashtag #GoRedChallenge on Twitter or Instagram
As an ex-smoker since 2009, I would appreciate if you would VOTE on my submission (click here) – Thank you!
#GoRedChallenge
Stay Blessed – No Stress in 2014!
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Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday
Now that we are halfway through the first month of 2014, you are either continuing your resolution to get healthy or have ditched it all together and have a freezer full of Talenti Gelato!
So let’s just say for the sake of argument that you are maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating right, exercising and starting each day with a delicious and nutritious green smoothie.
You have a new Ninja Bullet and have stocked up on your healthy greens, kale and spinach, your fiber, Chia and Flaxseeds and fresh fruits, apples, mangos, berries, kiwi, pineapples and bananas.
One morning, still a little groggy you grab a banana from the bowl and begin to peel it only to notice a small white blotch. Upon closer inspection you realize that spot is a cocoon, a cocoon filled with baby spiders! Your first reaction…”what the what?… eeeew… gross…” and then fear takes your breath away!
The fear that you might have eaten one previously not noticing the white blotch that are now infested with spiders…ok I’ll stop.
No, that couldn’t happen in the US could it? We have the FDA regulating our imports right…oh, forget about that pesky little government shutdown thingy, that wouldn’t have affected my local produce – right?
Probably not, but unfortunately it did occur in the UK and it was reported by the Huffington Post (here). What should you do to ensure the fruits and veggies you are buying to keep healthy won’t make you sick?
WASH IT BEFORE YOU EAT IT!
Sounds simple right, but there are a lot of people including my husband who doesn’t wash fruit before he eats it. Fortunately for him that’s the first thing I do after we unpack the grocery bags. Sure there are products on the market made specifically for washing fruits but I wonder if they too could leave a contaminant on the fruit.
You could use a spray bottle or submerge the fruit in a mixture of water and white vinegar. Your best bet is to simply wash them under cold running water using a vegetable brush or rubbing briskly with your hands then blotting them dry with a fresh paper towel.
I know there’s nothing like biting into a freshly picked apple or peach at the Orchard or a few fresh berries from the field. Just remember to bring along a bottle of water to rinse them before you eat them, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Do you wash ALL your fresh fruits and veggies before eating them?
Stay Blessed – No Stress in the New Year!
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