Strive to Thrive
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ESSENCE MAGAZINE’S “Ageless Beauty” JAN 2013
ESSENCE had an amazing team and I was so honored to be asked to be part of it. They paid attention to every detail and made sure I was well taken care of.
Thank You ESSENCE!
Quick Tips on How to Start Your Weight Loss Journey
Unhealthy food choices and lack of exercise further complicate the process. The average American lives a very sedentary life style and as a result carries around poor body image and low self esteem because of it.
Gaining weight is a process that happens over a gradual amount of time so it is no secret that it takes time to lose it as well. Understanding the process is important for your success. Understanding how to begin your journey is also important. Follow some of these basic guidelines to start and end up on the right track.
- Start out slowly and introduce one healthy habit into your life at a time
- Prepare sound nutrition for your body type – Seek a professional for guidance
- Participate in fun activity daily
- A reasonable approach seeks to lose a steady amount of weight over a gradual amount of time. In this way the body is able to maintain health and slowly use its stored fuel without feeling like it is being starved.
- Be kind to your body by staying proactive with health issues
- See your doctor yearly and before beginning any exercise program
- Slow steady progress is the way to permanent weight loss and health.
How to Lose Weight By Changing Your Mood
Most people these days are familiar with the importance of losing or maintaining weight. All of us know that j
unk food, over eating and late night snacking are key factors that help in either gaining or losing weight. But only a few of us know the importance of our mood and the role it plays in weight gain or loss. A typical example is if you are stressed, you might tend to not eat at all. Or if you are having a hectic day you might choose to feed your exhaustion or mood with junk food. To help you avoid those traps, let me give you a few key points that can help better your mood — which can directly lead to weight loss.
unk food, over eating and late night snacking are key factors that help in either gaining or losing weight. But only a few of us know the importance of our mood and the role it plays in weight gain or loss. A typical example is if you are stressed, you might tend to not eat at all. Or if you are having a hectic day you might choose to feed your exhaustion or mood with junk food. To help you avoid those traps, let me give you a few key points that can help better your mood — which can directly lead to weight loss.Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has proven to be of great help when it comes to soothing your mood and weight loss. Aromas that can help you in soothing your nerves are orange, peppermint, vanilla and grapefruit. So have these oils with you and pour a few drops in a handkerchief. Then whenever you’re not feeling so great, just sniff the handkerchief. It will calm your nerves and sooth your mood. Then perhaps you won’t eat out of stress.
Avoid Negative Company
Every person has an aura of energy, if you are surrounded by people who are stressed, tense or confused then you are more likely to be influenced by their energy as well. It can change your mood and quite possibly prevent you from reaching your health and fitness goals. So if these kinds of people surround you, then it is important to limit their presence and try to surround yourself with people who emit positive energy. Once you have healthier energy and your mood is better, you are more likely to stick with your goals.
Think Positive
In life, it’s your attitude that plays the biggest role in being an achiever. If you have doubts or think you may fail, then you probably will. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Somewhere along the way you sabotage your plans, goals and yourself. On the other hand if you embark on a weight loss campaign with a “Can Do” attitude you’re more likely to achieve what you set out to do. So think positive and it will soothe your mood. It will also help you to live in the moment while accomplishing each task successfully and therefore create a winning outcome.
The New “You”
To stay motivated and in good spirits envision what you would look like after you lose weight. Find an old picture of yourself that you wish to resemble once again or a current day hero you want to look like. Once you set that image in your head, imagine what you will be wearing and even how you will smell in it. You can even make or buy an outfit in a smaller size to serve as a reward when you reach your goal weight. This will help you de-stress and keep you motivated towards your goal.
So the next time you decide to set new weight loss goals try to adopt some of these tips and tricks to render you a higher success rate. While medical and genetic history can play a part in weight gain or loss there is also no doubt that mood is a proven mainstay and directly proportional to your weight loss. The more you keep calm, the more you will have control over your weight!
How to Get Kids Active
Physical activity is equally important for both grown ups and children if they want to lose or maintain their weight. A majority of kids spend more than 20 hours per week watching TV, on the web or playing video games which doesn’t leave much time for physical activity. And even though you give them a chance to do some physical activity, they often avoid it because it does not trigger their interest. So the best thing to do is include some of their favorite things in simple activities and it will sooner rather than later get your kids off the couch. For example, your kids will be exercising as well as loving the activity by just following some of these tips!
- Take the Dog for a walk: Kids love pets! A good way to turn this love for pets into a physical activity is to get them a dog. Prior to getting them the dog, make a deal with them that it’s their responsibility to take it on walks. You can add more fun to this activity by getting them a Frisbee, which will keep them involved in training the dog and meanwhile they’re burning calories.
- Leverage their Allowance: If your kids are into earning their allowance. Then it’s your best bet to convert this allowance earning into a physical activity. Give them allowance for performing chores that require physical work, such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or even a car wash! What persuades kids is the outcome of the activity, and when the outcome is monetary or something tangible, then they are sure to love the activity and perform it every now and then.
- Lead by Example: Kids usually learn from their elders, and try to relate to their older family members. So if you are a parent and are into fitness chances are that your kid will also turn out to be a fitness conscious person. What you could do is to indulge them in your activities. Like when you go for a walk in the evening take your kid with you, and on the way you can both chat about school stories or what happened in the day. It will make your parent-child bond grow, and the kids will enjoy the walk.
- Theme parks: If you have an amusement park or even regular parks in your neighborhood then take your kids daily in the evening to play and mingle with kids of their own age. This will give them a chance to be both socially and physically active. Also, frequent trips to the zoo will definitely keep the kids moving!
- Shake a tail feather: Turn on the music and shake your body! Dancing is one of the most enjoyable and fascinating ways to burn calories. Get your kids to join you and make it a family dance, it does not need to be any specific kind of dance. Just let the kids enjoy it! As long as they keep moving your mission is being accomplished.
Children have very active minds, and this is the phase of life where you can turn them into a couch potato or a fitness fanatic. Parents can make all the difference in how they can be. Remember there are tons of other ways to get your child active that ride the line of fitness and leisure. So be creative, and most of all, have fun!
What Happens When You Overeat
the relationship between overeating and health disorders. It’s easy to look around during your day and find evidence of the nation’s growing obesity epidemic to understand what happens when you over consume in general. On a smaller scale we wonder about the over consumption of just certain kinds of foods? What happens when you overdo it with sweets?
- Sugar: There are all kinds of health issues related to over consumption of sugar. Diabetes would be the number one health concern. But, diabetes is not the only ill effect from over consumption of sugar. Obesity, thyroid dysfunction, kidney malfunction, and intestinal problems can all be directly associated with too much sugar consumption.
- Alcohol: What about too much alcohol? The ravaging effects of alcoholism are a continual struggle and medical expense to many companies and citizens in this country, and indeed the whole world. Lost youth, liver problems, brain deterioration, the speeding of other age-related diseases are all side affects of too much alcohol consumption.
- Malnutrition: Then, we can talk about the effects of eating too little. What happens when we do not consume what we need to maintain our health? Gum disease, heart disease, muscle deterioration, vision loss, and anorexia occur when we do not get the necessary food our body needs.
One Solution
To remedy the imbalances in our nutrition, you can take supplements. Even when we can’t consume enough actual food, we can supplement the vitamins and minerals our bodies need in order to maintain some healthy functioning. You have only to walk down the aisle at your local supermarket or pharmacy to discover that there has been a vitamin revolution. Every possible vitamin and mineral needed by the body is available in capsule, pill, tablet, or powder form.
Once your body has reached the point of unhealthy function, or you have placed such a strain on your body from over consumption that one of the related diseases has taken hold, it’s almost impossible to correct one problem without creating another. Once you have become a diabetic, there are so many complications, that simply choosing to diet and exercise is no longer an option. The health concerns you now have far outweigh the easy solution of diet and exercise. Can you begin to see how important maintaining your health is to your quality of life and how important it is to the lives of your loved ones? Your choices directly affect their quality of life too. Make every effort to maintain your health. You owe it to your children and other family and especially yourself.
Why Your Body Needs Detoxification
recommend everyone engage in. There are plenty of unknown ingredients that we come in contact with, on a daily basis, that work to destroy our bodies. Whether we know it or not, we are all victims and offenders of this harm to our bodies. On the flip side, though, there are several ways one can overcome these negative effects. Below, I offer insight to the objectives of detoxification, and the key rewards it delivers.
Objectives of Detoxification: Our body’s main detoxification organs and systems are the liver, colon, kidneys, gallbladder, lungs, skin, lymph, and blood. They help rid the body of waste and toxins. However, our systems were designed when the world was a less polluted place. Nowadays, with a much more toxic and polluted world, our bodies are forced to work a lot harder to rid the exponentially increased waste and toxins. Once upon a time, most toxins were still from a natural source. Unfortunately, there are many man made substances that shock our systems even further.
Here’s a scenario: Imagine overworked employers who are not provided with enough food to sustain their energy and focus. This would definitely tire them out and their efficient and effective work performance will drop. This leads to work not completed on schedule or even worse – undone. We are treating our organs the same way when we don’t offer them the break they need or provide them with the proper nutrition to function at their best. This is where detoxification comes in.
Benefits of Detoxification:
- Cleaner Organs: Another major effect of a detoxification process is that our organs will be cleaner. Not many people think about the fact that our colon, kidneys, liver, as well as many of the other organs we have, do rigorous work day in and day out.
- Clears The Mind: Once our physical bodies become detoxified then our mind becomes clear and we can think and engage in mental activity better than we could before. All of these things will help us do whatever work we need to engage in throughout the week.
- Overcome Body Odor: Many people don’t realize that body odor can indicate the need for cleansing and detoxification is able to overcome it. Certain fragrances and deodorants can mask the problem but through cleansing, you can remove the problem from the inside out.
Besides the above mentioned key benefits, there are several other benefits of detoxification. Here are a few:
- Reform your lifestyle addictions to sugar, salt, high glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol, junk foods, nicotine, etc
- You purify your blood
- It improves your Immune function
- Cleansing scavenges free radicals and eliminates toxins. It strengthens your body’s fight against cancer cells and generates healthy cells in your body
- You cleanse mucous, congestion, fermentation and inflammation in your digestive tract
All these benefits are yours for the taking. Just remember, every now and then, just like cars, humans need a tune up to run efficiently. There are several detox methods out there. It’s usually a great idea to consult a physician before any intense change in your diet or routine. Also, if you experience pain or nausea during a cleanse, discontinue it immediately and consult your doctor. Whatever you do, or however you do it, cleansing your system is a must.
Exercise No-No’s for Pregnant Women
women tend to become even more conscious when they experience their body change. Not wanting to gain weight, they start working out — and sometimes without even consulting their doctor. Not consulting your physician and exercising during pregnancy can do more harm than good. So if you or someone you care about is thinking of implementing a work out routine during pregnancy, it is highly advised to consult your doctor to avoid any complications during pregnancy. Below are a few activities a woman should avoid during pregnancy.
- Exercises that involve lying or standing for a long time: After the first trimester, exercises such as sit-ups which involve lying on the back for a longtime should cease. Also activities that involve standing motionless should be discontinued until after the pregnancy. These activities decrease the flow of blood to uterus and also drop your heart rate.
- Exercises that impact breathing: Women, who are used to lifting light weights previously, can continue during pregnancy. But heavy lifting is prohibited. This type of strain disrupts breathing and irregularity in breathing directly affects the oxygen supply to your baby. Similarly, scuba diving is probably not a good idea either.
- Exercise with a risk of falling: Women who have been working out regularly before pregnancy, should re-consider their exercise routine. All activities that have a risk of falling down should be avoided. For instance, biking, skiing and horseback riding should be strictly avoided because of the high risk.
- Activities which can cause Trauma: Activities with flying objects or sports with the possibility of blunt contact are not for pregnant women. It is definitely better to be a distant and shielded spectator during these events. One can never be too cautious in situations that risk accidental impact on the abdominal area. So ladies let me say this loud and clear – “No more roller derby for you for a while!”
- Avoid exercise in hot climate: Heat and humidity can cause Mommy to overheat. Your rising body temperature is dangerous for the baby. Ask your doctor but he/she should tell you the limits on your heart rate range during pregnancy. Each woman is different.
- High Altitudes: Exercising at high altitudes above 6000ft during pregnancy is not advised because it reduces the oxygen flow to your baby.
- High impact Movement: Activities that involve bouncing, jerking and twisting should be avoided. A pregnant woman’s joints naturally loosen up as her body prepares for child birth. These activities could cause the joints to strain, making them more prone to injury.
Once again, it is strictly advised that you consult your physician before committing to any kind of exercise during your pregnancy. The effects vary from female to female, an exercise which one could do with ease, can prove to be harmful for another. You and your baby’s reactions are connected to factors such as physique, genetics, and medical history of the female. So relax ladies! Your doctor will let you know what type of gain is normal and tell you some exercises that are healthy for you during this process. Congratulations to all the New Mommies and babies!
How Social Networks Make You Lose or Gain Weight
Research in many prestigious institutions has shown that our friends, family and social network have a direct influence on whether we lose or gain weight. Have you heard the sayings, “A man is known by the company he keeps” or “If you lay with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas”? Friends and family are a crucial part of your life and they directly influence the choices you make in life. As portrayed in the movie, “Social Network“, this phenomenon helped, Mark Zuckerberg birth Facebook — paving the way for other similar online platforms. The same applies when it comes to your body size and physical appearance.
Friends keep an eye on each other: The physical presence of a friend is not necessary to influence your weight gain or loss. Even if a friend lives far away from you, they can still influence your size. Connections are often made by email, phone or social media. When browsing on Facebook, seeing a friend looking much thinner in a profile photo, can definitely inspire you to action. By phone and email, I personally have supported a family member 3000 miles away, shed 30lbs. In turn, several of her Facebook friends, noticed a difference in her new photographs and have contacted her to find out what they might do to create the same results in their life.
Birds of a feather… : There’s another saying that I’ve heard that says, “Misery loves company.” I’d rather view things from a more positive standpoint though. This concept also works in reverse. When people are happy about something, generally, they’d like others to join in the joy. Studies have proven that people who have overweight members in their circle are most likely to become overweight or already are. This is because people find comfort in company. If you see that your best friend has gained 50lb then there is a strong probability you will also gain weight. And an excuse might be, “my friend has gained 50lbs, so no biggie if I’ve gained 20lbs”. This is how relativity tends to work within social networks. It works both ways, if your closest buds are fit or are losing pounds, then you will most definitely follow suit. You’ll possibly join the same gym or share diet plans with each other.
Friends and hobbies: Friends directly influence your activity involvement. You are most likely to adopt their hobbies. You know how groups of friends come together for poker or movie nights? Well, if you’re looking to make a difference in your physical well being, how great would it be if your group of friends are much more active. Perhaps a new sports activity could keep everyone’s blood pumping. There are many options, like: bowling, paintball or a simple, brisk, scenic walk. Try to surround yourself with people that inspire you. And don’t forget that YOU can inspire others too.
Humans are social creatures and tend to follow each other seeking social acceptance. The main reason why some of the weight loss programs are very successful is because they create interactive social environments for people. Remember how much friends matter. They influence your physical condition as dominantly as junk food, overeating or genetics. My question for you: Is your social network leading you to FAB or FLAB?
New Year’s Resolutions: A Set-up or Sabotage?
attractive as this sounds, the fact is that most New Year’s resolutions are most often dropped by the end of January. While it might seem like a good idea to set a new goal for yourself in the coming year, there are some basic reasons behind why New Year’s resolutions don’t work. If you want to create real change in your life, then it’s important to understand why many never follow through with their proclamations.
One of the reasons why New Year’s resolutions don’t work is that they’re often based on things that you think you’re supposed to do, and not necessarily on things that you want to do. You think you should exercise more, you think you should lose weight, you think you should stop smoking, you think you should start keeping a journal. These are all good things, but if you don’t really want to do them, then there’s nothing there to motivate you to keep it up. These types of resolutions can stress you out. It’s important to be authentically passionate about your self vision, in order to achieve it.
Another reason why New Year’s resolutions don’t work is that people often take on too much when writing out their list. They write a novel-length list that basically says, “I want to change the entirety of who I am in one year.” This is a recipe for disaster; no one can keep that many resolutions. And it can also serve as a reminder of all the things you don’t like about yourself, which is more likely to send you running for the ice cream in your freezer than it is to send you running to the gym.
There are many reasons why New Year’s resolutions don’t work, but here’s an effective way to affect genuine change in your life. Pick one area of your life in which you’d like to improve, and focus on making a little progress at a time in that area. By taking things step by step, you’re far more likely to follow through and take things day by day. And who says that you have to wait for the New Year? The rest of your life is starting now; you don’t have to wait a month in order to get your rump in gear.
Tips to Keep Your Body on Track During the Holidays
most importantly a lot of eating and shopping. And if you are a person who regularly works out, then this time of year surely disturbs your whole fitness routine. With all the parties, traveling and shopping, these interruptions make it difficult to maintain your work out and diet plan. The only thing that could be done to counter not working out is to burn calories within the time you have. Below, I’ll tell you a few easy ways to burn calories and at the same time enjoy your holiday season.
- Workout with family:Tis’ the season for family. So try to make best use of it and turn this opportunity into a workout session. Like during vacation, take your kids and partners for a walk in the neighborhood to see all the lights and decorations. It will give you and your family a chance to spend time amusing your aesthetic sense AND you will be burning calories.
- Workout at home:Finding time to leave home for the gym can seem impossible at this time of year. Take charge of your domain by utilizing your surroundings both inside and outside of the home. Run up and down the stairs, perform household chores that involve walking, or in warmer climates take the lawn mower and trim your lawn. All these activities will keep you involved in the preparation for the holiday and at the same time burn calories.
- Mall tour:While shopping, don’t just go directly to the outlets you usually buy from. Instead take a detour and window shop the entire mall, before reaching your desired outlet. It will burn calories in the form of a long walk and additionally you might discover an excellent sale.
- Winter Sports:Participate in winter sports. This is the reason they were invented. If you don’t know how to ski or ice skate, it could be quite fun learning. It will add to your social life — plus burn calories, strengthen your knees and improve your reflexes.
- Park further away:Don’t park your car at the closest possible space available in the lot. Instead park it in some far corner, which will give you a chance to take a walk. If you are in a hurry, you can still park it at a distance and walk briskly or jog, instead of meandering towards your objective. The faster you walk the more calories you burn.
All in all, the point is, don’t use the holidays as a lame excuse to skip your workout. Instead, try to utilize the holidays in a way that they both bring you pleasure and satisfy your workout routine.
The Power of Meditation
loved one, lovesick from a breakup or someone returning from jail, the worries and woes that plague your mind and cause stress in your life can cause premature aging, disease and even death. In order to perform and survive the normal activities in today’s world it is necessary to go to another level and find a vessel where you can find inner peace and tranquility of mind. One of the best ways to achieve this today is through meditation. Although it’s been around for ages, more and more people are catching on and realizing its powerful benefits.
Stress Reduction
If you meditate for 10 to 15 minutes a day in a quiet environment it will lower your blood pressure, relax restricted veins and bring you a peace of mind that you never knew before. As a result you will become a better decision maker.
Control
Man has stepped on the moon, conquered Mount Everest and gone deep into the core of the earth, but what man has not been able to do is to control his own mind. The mind is key to everything. If controlled rightly it gives birth to positive thoughts and if let loose it produces negative thoughts. Meditation promotes a positive thought process and helps to control your mind over what really matters.
Patience and Perspective
Some things in life irritate us on a regular basis and make us desperate. It happens to all of us. You get annoyed when you have to stand in line, or you have little patience behind the wheel of your car at the signal. Meditation allows you to see a different perspective and creates a balance within you.
Clarity and Concentration
You cannot achieve success in life without concentration. Until you have your mind and heart focused on where you’re headed, you cannot perform at your optimum level. Meditation gives you clarity and concentration to see things through.
It is quite difficult to explain the power of meditation, because it involves a certain level of consciousness, which can’t be put in the form of words. The above-mentioned benefits of meditation are real. Nevertheless, the key factor that predicts the outcome of meditation is perseverance. The more consistent you are in your meditation, the more you will achieve inner peace and control which will help you discover new horizons.