Health and Beauty from Within

It’s seems these days that women are obsessed with health and beauty. We try just about every product imaginable. We read loads of information putting us on overload. The more information we get the more confused we seem to become.

A key factor in health and beauty is to look within. When we value ourselves more and look to the positive, we will feel a greater sense of self worth. First we need to honor and value ourselves as women – trusting in our intuition and inner strength.

We need to stop running all over the place looking for just the right health and beauty products that will change us. Instead we should focus on health and beauty products and ideas that compliment our personalities and lifestyles.

Cooking With Kasha

Do you eat the same foods that you grew up with? For about half of my life I did – eating the same foods I was used to, the same familiar recipes. Isn’t that what most of us do – stick to eating what we know?

To have a truly healthy diet you need to expand your horizons. You need to go out of your comfort zone of cooking and try some really great, really easy recipes using a variety of grains, beans, legumes, etc. By reducing the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet and replacing them with mouth-watering complex carbohydrates, you are well on your way to a healthier diet.

One of my favorite foods is Kasha—also known as buckwheat. It has a wonderful nutty flavor.

Here are some facts about buckwheat:
• Buckwheat is full of protein, vitamins and amino acids
• Buckwheat is a complex carbohydrate that will satisfy your
appetite
• It is gluten free
• It is a great source of dietary fiber
• Buckwheat is actually a plant
• It has no cholesterol
• It is almost fat free
• Buckwheat can be used as a main meal, a side dish or in soups,
salads and stuffing

One of the best things about Kasha is how easy it is to make. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Cut several onions or one large Spanish onion into thin strips. Sauté the onion in a small amount of olive oil until the onion becomes golden and caramelized.
While the onion is cooking, place one cup of Kasha in a separate saucepan. Mix in one beaten egg. Cook the mixture over medium high heat, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes. When the kasha kernels are dry and separated, it is time to add
some liquid.
Add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth to the kasha mixture and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
Mix the onions and kasha together and you have a great meal or side dish.

You can vary this easy recipe by adding some sliced sautéed mushrooms, celery or peas. Vary the vegetables by what you have available in the house.

To make life even easier, make a double batch. One night serve the Kasha using the recipe above. For another meal, cook up a pound of Bow Tie pasta and add the Kasha mixture. The sweetness of the onions and the nuttiness of the kasha make a great addition to pasta.

Learn to Meditate and Control Your State of Mind

Control your brainwaves and you control your state of mind. By raising or slowing our brainwaves, we can altar how we think, feel and act. Meditation is the process of slowing our waking beta brainwaves to the slower states of alpha and theta. By learning to control these states, we can improve our health and well-being.

Brainwaves are the electrical movements in the brain. The frequency of these brainwaves can be measured using an electroencephalograph (EEG). Electrodes placed on the scalp measure the frequency of these brainwaves. From highest to lowest frequency, these brainwaves are called beta, alpha, theta and delta.

Beta is the waking, thinking state. During beta, brainwaves range from 14 to 40 cycles per second. In beta, an individual thinks and listens, can solve analytical problems, make decisions, and intake and process information. This is our normal state of mind when working, going to school and shopping. During beta our minds are the most alert.

Alpha is a slower state more indicative of relaxing and reflecting. During alpha, brainwaves range from 9 to 14 cycles per second. In the alpha state, an individual is fully aware of his/her surroundings but in a much more relaxed state of mind than beta. Meditation is often practiced in the alpha state.

Theta is an even slower state perfect for daydreaming and intuitive thinking. During theta, brainwaves range from 5 to 8 cycles per second. It is the state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state of mind, memories, thoughts and facts that eluded a person in a wakeful state can be recalled. It is often in this state that answers to problems seem to appear. Deep meditation and prayer are practiced in the theta state.

Delta is the slowest of the four states where sleep occurs. During delta, brainwaves range from 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. At the slowest delta level, sleep is deep and dreamless.

During our waking and sleeping hours, the brain moves through all four of these stages. At any given level, there is a range in brainwaves that effect how deeply we have entered that state. By knowing how these states function, we can knowingly enter a particular state and control how our thoughts are processed.

Meditation allows our minds to move through these states leading us to a healthy lifestyle. When we control our brainwaves, we control how we think, feel, reason and react. Relaxation, creativity and self-awareness flow naturally. As we mediate, our physical health improves as we move closer and closer to a healthy lifestyle. Consciously controlling our brainwaves is a step towards healthy living.

Finding the Right Weight Loss Diet

It seems that women are always looking for a weight loss diet. Maybe you need to lose just a couple of pounds or maybe you need to lose 100 pounds or more. The common ground for any weight loss diet no matter how much you want to lose is eating healthy and exercising.

We all want that quick fix. We decide to go on a weight loss diet and expect miracles. The problem with waiting for a miracle is that it keeps us from reaching our goals. Quick fixes just don’t work. Even if you do lose weight, the weight will just come right back. To truly lose weight and keep it off you need a weight loss diet and an exercise program that suits your lifestyle.

Thinking long term and keeping your focus is really important. Think about the end result you are looking for and then design a program to suit your own personal needs. It is important to remember that you need to develop a plan that you can stick to for a lifetime.

Meditate Your Way to Self-Actualization

Meditation is so easy to do that you will benefit from your very first session. The more you meditate the easier it will become. And as you start noticing changes in your life, you will want to continue the practice of meditating on a daily basis.

The more you meditate, the easier it is to reach an Alpha or Theta state. It is in these states that you will experience tranquility, serenity, inner peace, a clear mind, feel a sense of belonging, and find your purpose in life. It is here that you will feel connected to God and the universe.

As you start your journey of self-realization, you only need to spend 5 to 10 minutes a day practicing meditation. After a while, you will want to increase the amount of time you meditate to 20 or 30 minute sessions. You may even want to meditate more than once a day.

You may think that you don’t have the time. I used to feel that way too. But here’s what happened to me. I have always, absolutely positively needed 8 hours of sleep a night. Without 8 hours of sleep, I couldn’t function the next day.

I started meditating once a day for 20 minutes. Within a short period of time, I increased that to twice a day. I now meditate three times a day, 20 minutes each session. Since I began this practice, I only need 7 hours of sleep a night (one full hour less!) – and I feel more relaxed and peaceful than I did when I was getting 8 hours of sleep a night. So meditating did not take up any of my time – in fact, it made me feel more energetic and sleep better than ever before.

Meditating is so easy to do yet so rewarding. It won’t be long before you start to see some amazing results.

Healthy Eating without Pesticides

Eating a healthy diet is so important for feeling and looking great. Without a healthy diet our bodies just deteriorate since they have nothing of substance to fuel them. For a healthy diet, eating organic foods is vital. Organic foods are healthier and more nutritious, and they are grown without harmful toxins.

One example is eating organic fruits and vegetables instead of traditionally grown fruits and vegetables. When you eat organic fruits and vegetables, you are eating wholesome, nutritious food grown without harmful toxins. When you eat traditionally grown fruits and vegetables, you ingest the toxins that are sprayed on the food. It is really no different than spraying bug repellent on your food before you eat.

When you wash off traditionally grown fruit and vegetables just prior to use, the toxins remain. They have already penetrated the outer layer and are now imbedded in the substance of the fruit or vegetable. The same is not true for organic fruits and vegetables. When you wash them prior to eating, you are simply washing away dirt from the normal growing process.

Always remember to wash off all fruits and vegetables especially since they were handled by so many people prior to getting them to market.

For a healthy diet, choose organic fruits and vegetables.

One Forkful at a Time

One of the many problems with diets is that we expect them to work quickly -- actually we hope for instantaneous rewards -- without thought to how long it took to gain the weight in the first place. If you’re overweight, a problem I have struggled with for most of my life, it is important to remember that your weight problem was achieved one forkful at a time. Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight and neither does losing weight. The same rule applies – one forkful at a time. Eating right and living a healthy lifestyle are the way to lasting success – one step at a time.

Healthy Lifestyle vs. Dieting

Have you ever thought about the difference between dieting and living a healthy lifestyle? One is a difficult way of living and the other sets you free. One looks for perfection and the other at choices.

Truthfully, I have to tell you that most of my life I have been obsessed with dieting – but all in the wrong way. Think of it – if you’re on a diet, you have to get it right, you have to be perfect. And if you go off of your diet, you’re a failure – not a good way to live.

So what’s the difference? When you are on a diet you try so hard to be perfect, to do absolutely everything right; then one day, you’re eating out with your friends and you really want to have a piece of chocolate cake. So you go ahead and order it. After all, your friends are having dessert, why shouldn’t you. The entire time you’re eating it, you’re not really enjoying or tasting it – just shoving it down and already feeling awful about how weak you are.

By the time you get home, you know you have screwed up. You feel absolutely terrible, like a complete failure. You can’t stick to anything. You’ll never be at your goal weight. What’s the point anyway, you might as well eat anything you want now since you’ll never lose weight. Your self-esteem just dropped through the floor. Sound familiar? That’s what dieting is all about – getting it right or failing.

Now, let’s say, you’ve chosen to have a healthy lifestyle. You’re not just making short term changes; you have made a lifetime commitment to healthy eating. So same scenario you’re out with your friends and you have that piece of chocolate cake. Here’s the big difference – so what? So what if you choose to have that piece of cake. It’s no big deal. Now you are free to really taste and enjoy it. In fact, next month you may decide to have another slice.

With your healthy lifestyle, you make the choices. You’re not looking for perfection; you’re focused on eating right and living right most of the time. Not all of the time, most of the time. Indulging yourself every once in a while is really no big deal. Since you are eating right most of the time, choosing the right foods and sticking to a life plan of healthy choices, an occasional indulgence is really no big deal.

So forget dieting – choose a healthy lifestyle. You’ll be glad you did!

Add Stretching to Your Fitness Program

Stretching both before and after exercise is key to any fitness program. Stretching prior to exercise warms up your body making it less prone to accidents and injuries. Stretching exercises increase joint and muscle flexibility making for a better workout. During the warm-up period, stretches should be held between 15 and 30 seconds.

Stretching following exercise relieves muscle tightness, improves flexibility and cools down the body. After a workout, your body will be able to stretch even further than it did prior to your exercise program. During the cool-down period, stretches should be held between 30 seconds and one minute. It is during these longer stretches that flexibility increases the most.

It is important to breathe normally as you stretch and avoid holding your breath. Concentrate on the stretch itself and on your breathing, relaxing the rest of your body. A mild tension should be felt but no discomfort. Avoid bouncing.

When standing during a stretching exercise, you can hold onto a steady object such as a chair to maintain balance and proper posture. If you prefer not to hold onto anything, keeping your eyes focused on a point of interest such as a painting will help to maintain the proper balance and posture.

One of the great things about stretching is that it can be done anywhere and anytime. Stretching exercises are not limited to exercising alone. They can be done in any environment whether working, shopping or going about your daily routine.

Here are some of the benefits of stretching exercises:

· They are calming and relaxing
· Provides a sense of peace and well-being
· Lengthens your muscles
· Helps to prevent accidents and injuries
· Improves tissue flexibility and elasticity
· Increases blood flow
· Makes muscles more supple
· Helps with balance and coordination
· Improves range of motion
· Improves circulation
· Improves posture
· Reduces stress

Stretching both before and after your fitness program is important in maintaining a healthy body. Stretching at other times of the day is a great way to limber up, relax and reduce stress. For peak fitness, be sure to include stretching in your daily routine.

Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates for a Healthy Diet

You’ve chosen to eat a healthy diet but you’re still not quite sure about your choices. You know you need to eliminate sugars and simple carbohydrates from your diet and replace them with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. But what’s the difference between these types of carbohydrates?

There are three forms of carbohydrates – simple, complex and dietary fiber. The difference between these three is the amount of sugar units and how these sugars are combined.

Simple carbohydrates have a either one or two units of sugar. An example of a simple sugar, one with a single unit of sugar (called a saccharide), is fructose. An example of a double sugar, one made with two units of sugar (called a disaccharide), is sucrose. If you look at the ingredients on the labels of ordinary foods you buy at the supermarket, you will find these sugars in many of the every day items you buy. Some of these foods are table sugar, candy, soda, fruit juices, syrup and jellies. Simple sugars are broken down quickly into the blood stream giving you a sugar rush. Although these foods may taste great, they have no nutritional value and are empty calories. These are the foods to avoid.

Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) have a string of simple sugars linked together. A starch is a complex carbohydrate that comes from plants such as seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables and grains. Whole grain breads are included in this category if they contain no refined flour. Complex carbohydrates fill you up, increase your energy and make you more resistant to illnesses. They take longer to be broken down so take longer to enter the blood stream. This gives you energy over a longer period of time, not a sugar rush. So when you eat complex carbohydrates, you help to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Dietary fiber is a polysaccharide like complex carbohydrates but unlike complex carbohydrates it does not get broken down by digestive enzymes. Dietary fiber comes from plants but is not digestible. Eating dietary fiber is important because it helps to maintain proper blood sugar levels. Some examples of dietary fiber are oatmeal, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, grapefruits and oranges.

For healthy eating, eliminate those simple carbohydrates and fill up on complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber instead! A great way to do this is to have a salad with lunch and dinner. Try some different types of lettuces and vegetables to give variety to your diet.

So the next time you’re tempted to reach for that piece of candy, go for a piece of fruit instead. Your blood sugar will thank you for it.

Ten Reasons to Meditate

Meditation is the practice of lowering one’s brain frequency from a waking Beta state to a slower Alpha state. Just as a heart beats a certain number of beats per minute, the brain pulses a certain amount of brainwaves per second. In the Beta waking state, brainwaves vary from 15 to 40 cycles per second. In the Alpha state, brainwaves vary from 9 to 14 cycles per second.

Beta is the normal state for waking thoughts and daily activities including talking, working, and shopping. Beta is the state most people are in when in a working mode. Alpha is the slower state where an individual can reflect, meditate or ponder thoughts.

The following are 10 key benefits to daily meditation:

· Oneness with God and creation
· Stress reduction and decreased anxiety
· Reduces the noise and chatter of our waking minds
· Pain reduction and management
· Supports the immune system
· Reduces blood pressure
· Improved memory and ability to learn
· Feelings of peace, calmness and an awareness of self
· Improves moodiness and irritability
· Feelings of rejuvenation

In his book Getting in the Gap, Dr Wayne Dyer discusses how daily meditation brings us into a closer, more personal relationship with God. By knowing God, our source of being, we can find true meaning for our lives. Dr. Dyer writes, “The paramount reason for making meditation a part of our daily life is to join forces with our sacred energy and regain the power of our Source (God). Through meditation, we can tap in to an abundance of creative energy that resides within us, and a more meaningful experience of life, which enriches us permanently. By meditating, we come to know God rather than knowing about God”.

This deeper, richer, calming experience has a profound effect on body, mind and spirit. Our minds become clearer; the noise and chatter in our minds fades away. In its place come feelings of peace, calmness and a sense of awareness. We feel lighter, younger and rejuvenated. Moods brighten and irritability is eliminated paving the way for clearer thoughts, improved memory, insightfulness and creativity.

The ability to relax and calm our minds has its physical benefits as well. As our minds our soothed, physical pain and tension are reduced or eliminated. Chronic pain including severe headaches can be completely negated. Our circulatory, cardiovascular and immune systems operate more efficiently.

The benefits of meditation are vast. In a world of daily stress and anxiety, meditation paves the way for a healthy mind, body and spirit. For healthy living, practice meditation daily.

Eggplant for a Healthy Diet

Eggplant is quite a versatile vegetable perfect for a healthy diet. When choosing eggplant make sure the skin has a good deep color and that the eggplant is firm to the touch.

One of the problems that arises when cooking eggplant is that it tends to get soggy or mushy due to its high moisture content. An easy way to remove excess moisture from eggplant is by salting it. Kosher salt works well since the crystals are large and can be wiped off when the eggplant has dried. Table salt because of its small crystals sinks into the eggplant leaving it with a very salty taste.

Although eggplant can be fried, it is best to broil, sauté, grill or stir-fry it. Frying is less healthy and adds lots of needless calories. For a healthy diet broiling, sautéing, grilling and stir-frying are best. Cut or slice the eggplant depending on how you will cook it. For broiling or grilling slice the eggplant into approximately ½ inch round slices. For sautéing or stir-frying, large diced pieces work well.

Place the cut eggplant on a cookie sheet that has been lined with paper towels. Salt the cut eggplant on both sides for the slices and all around on the diced pieces with kosher salt and cover it with additional paper towels. Change the paper towels if they become very wet. When the eggplant has lost most of its moisture, gently rub off any excess kosher salt. This normally takes 30 to 60 minutes.

For broiling, lightly brush the slices with olive oil and broil, turning once, until slightly browned on both sides.

For sautéing, lightly coat the diced pieces with olive oil and cook over a medium high heat, stirring occasionally until browned, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.

For grilling, lightly coat the slices with olive oil and grill, turning once, until slightly browned on both sides.

For stir-frying, lightly coat the diced pieces with olive oil and cook with other vegetables and a sauce of your own choice over medium high heat.

Adding garlic to any of these methods adds a great taste.

Eggplant is a great addition to soups, salads and many, many vegetarian recipes. For healthy cooking, add eggplant and other vegetables to your diet.

Reasons to Meditate

When you think of meditation do you picture in your mind some monk in long robes, incense burning and chimes? Do you wonder if there is some kind of mind control attached to meditating? Do you worry that you will lose control of your thoughts?

Well, stop worrying! Meditation is a wonderful, relaxing experience that once you start, you won’t want to stop. When you meditate, you are in complete control of your mental faculties.

Meditation is the practice of lowering your brain frequency from a waking, thinking mind (Beta brain waves) to a more relaxed stage of Alpha or Theta. It is in the Alpha stage that you can find answers to questions, commune with God, visualize what you’d like to create and relax. While in the Theta stage, biological changes can be made – including reducing and eliminating pain.

Have you ever had a problem that you just couldn’t solve when you were awake, but the answer “just came to you” in your sleep? Did you ever try so hard to remember something when you were awake and then it suddenly pops into your mind when you are sleeping? In your waking Beta state, the answers eluded you. But in your more relaxed Alpha state, your brain easily found the answers you were looking for.

Here are some facts on meditating:
• Gives you a clear mind
• Calms the chatter in your mind
• Reduces stress
• Very relaxing
• Helps you to sleep better
• Relaxes muscles and relieves pain
• Makes you more mild mannered and patient
• Recommended by many doctors
• Scientists have proven its benefits
• Athletes use meditation to improve their performance
• Students use meditation to improve their study skills
• Improves breathing
• Can lower blood pressure
• Eliminates fears
• Can lower cholesterol levels
• Improves heart functions
• Slows cell damage
• Slows the aging process
• Increases levels of melatonin
• Strengthens your mind
• Helps you make better decisions
• Stops negative feelings and emotions

Meditation is easy to learn and easy to do. It is simply a matter of calming your mind. And the more you meditate, the easier it becomes to enter an Alpha or Theta state.

Flax Seed for a Healthy Diet

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to a woman’s health. The most beneficial of these fatty acids are Flax Seed and Flax Seed Oil. Both contain large amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, also known as ALA. Alpha-linolenic acid is deemed an essential fatty acid. Although it is essential in women’s health, ALA is not manufactured in the body so it must be obtained from an outside source. Certain plants, most particularly, flax seed, provide this much needed nutrients.

Flax seed has been called a near perfect food. It is abundant in fiber, essential fatty acids, also known as EFAs, as well as other nutrients including vitamins and minerals.

Flax seed is important for a healthy diet because of its many benefits. These benefits include more radiant skin, aids in digestion, helps to control moods and depression, supports the bodies cardiovascular and other systems, improves PMS and menopausal symptoms, reduces stress plus many, many other benefits.

Tired Shoulders From Overload

It's amazing how heavy my handbag gets as the week goes by. It seems I just keep adding to what I carry as the days go by. Whenever my family and I go out, someone always has something 'small' to add to my increasing collection. With the added weight comes additional strain on my shoulder. Sometimes I feel as if I am walking slanted to the side.

I found that emptying my bag each week is really helpful -- especially since I love being neat and orderly. But more important is carrying a pocketbook with a wide comfortable strap that fits more comfortably over my shoulder.

We recently came back from vacation. I used a new bag while we were away that had a wide comfy strap -- and had no shoulder strain at all.