Mood changes reflect 'growing pains' of changing your life

One topic that I think is important to cover when talking about stopping tobacco use is mood. Most people find mood changes occur frequently when first quitting and sometimes even severely enough to cause problems.

In fact, many remark that when they quit they "just don't feel like themselves." Some people believe that they become a "mean person" when they quit, or that their whole personality is altered. In many cases, this is symptomatic of the change process itself.

Before you ever started using tobacco, it felt "normal" not to smoke. Once you started to smoke on a regular basis, you began to identify with being a smoker. Over time, you got used to the behaviors and attitudes that surround it — both your own and those of the world around you.

After using tobacco for an extended period of time, it may now feel like it is a part of who you are. So it is not uncommon when quitting to not "feel like yourself" for a while. But with time you will gradually begin to feel "normal" again as a non-smoker.

Changes in mood can be a symptom of withdrawal. These symptoms may include irritability, anxiousness, frustration, nervousness, anger and depression. Some of these symptoms can be offset by proper use of medications to help you quit.

However, there is still the emotional attachment to the cigarette that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. You may experience feelings of fear, resentment, anger, and even grief from the loss. These are normal responses to making a change of this magnitude, to giving up that "old friend."

I want to emphasize that these mood fluctuations are temporary and are a result of your changing life. They are not personality characteristics or in any way a permanent condition. It is important to be aware of the potential for these ups and downs and realize that they are transitional — this is just a part of the "growing pains" of change.

It is also important to prepare ways to manage this emotional ebb and flow when interacting with others. One approach is to let people know in advance that you are quitting and how they can support you. It can also help to structure time alone during the first phase of quitting or plan to be away from typical stressors that could exacerbate a bad mood. Getting a few days or weeks of quitting "under your belt" before taking on tasks or situations you know could negatively impact your temper can be effective in avoiding relapse.

What are some of the feelings you have when quitting or even just thinking about giving up tobacco? When you've gone through other challenging periods in your life, how have you managed the mood changes? How do you get "re-centered" and put yourself into a better frame of mind when you are riding an emotional roller coaster? If this is something you haven't developed yet, consider seeking help in finding effective strategies to manage your mood during tough times. Think about ways that you can apply new strategies or helpful skills from the past to quitting smoking now.

Here is some tips to help you stop smoking [click here]

I'm Stuck in a Yo-Yo Nightmare! What Can I Do?

I'm sick of struggling to lose weight – and then gaining it right back and starting all over again. How do I lose weight permanently?

First of all, learn to find JOY in the process of becoming and staying healthy. While nothing in this life is truly perfect or permanent, there is a way to manage and maintain your weight. That’s what you want to aim for, a stable and healthy weight.

How? BALANCE! Aim to eat only as many calories as you use up in living. Learn to eat just the right amount of food (moderation is the key), from all six food groups every day. Learn and practice being physically active every day. In other words: eat for nourishment, mainly, and get your pleasure from life in all of its vast variety.

This is all accomplished slowly, over time, with HELP! Help from others who have done it, who care about you and will cheer you on, and most importantly, divine help from God (or whatever you call your Higher Power).

Know your back pain.

Ooouuucchhh!!! Back pain is like a bad dream: the longer it persist, the worse it get. So, first goal in pain management is to determine where you are on the pain cycle. And then to 'wake up' and stop the cycle as soon as possible.

1. Inactivity and stress
Being unfit and under stress sets the stage for back pain. Weak, stiff muscles can't bounce back when they're hit with stress: Instead they go into a spasm. Constant, unrelieved stress will take its toll somewhere in the body-usually your back

2. Muscle spasm
One day, 'for no reason at all', you feel a jabbing pain in the back-this is a muscles spasm. Your bcak muscles contract suddenly - and painfully- like a Charley horse. A spasm is your body's natural splinting reaction to prevent more damage to your back.

3. Muscle can't breathe
A spasm chokes off circulation to your knotted muscles and cuts off the supply of oxygen-rich blood. Pain increases because the muscle can't take in oxygen to work smoothly, and because lactic acid and other waste products build up in the muscle.

4. Stiff muscle
Weeks of pain and inactivity lead to stiff, shortened muscles. Your spine is locked in place and can no longer move freely- and neither can you. When your back muscles can no longer protect the joints in your spine, the joints may degenerate quickly.

5.Bone and disk disease
Ignoring pain and stiffness set the stage for permanent back damage. If you have a degenerative disease of the vertebrae (the bones of your spine) and disks (the cushions between the bones), your doctor may recommend surgery. Always consult a doctor if you have back pain.

6. Bed rest and worry
Inactivity only prongs the pain cycle, whether you're resting in bed after back surgery or relying on pain medications for relief. If you're flat on your back, your muscles get weaker and stiffer, worry and stress increase, and the cycle repeats itself.

Beauties sleep

You know how important good nutrition and exercise are for your health and beauty, but sleep is also crucial too. Here are some tips from the Sleep Disorder Institute at New York's St. Luke's Roosevelt hospital to help you get the sleep you need:

*Exercise every day. Even 20 minutes of walking can help keep stress hormones from interfering with your sleep

*Avoid large meals just before bedtime. An inactive digestive system can disrupt sleep.

*Minimize light, noise and temperature extremes. Your bedroom should be comfortably cool, about 69 degrees.

*Don't read, watch television or work in bed. Use the bed only to sleep. This helps you prevent from developing sleep disorders.

*Avoid caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants within four hour of bedtime.

Eating While At Work?

Eating at your desk encourages mindless eating, and overeating. But if you have to, these are some of the tips that may help you eat healthier :

*Watch what you eat.
For lunch, you want to pick a meal that's moderate in size but doesn't fill you up.

*Bring your lunch.
Avoid takeout lunches, which tend to be expensive, oversize, heavy in fat and calories and lacking in nutrients.

*Walk when you can.
Walk to the water cooler, from the farthest spot in the parking lot, to the copy machine -anyhting you can do to move your muscles.

*Don't make it a habit.
If you can, try as much to keep yourself away from your desk during lunch hours.

Wake up muscles

Stretching in the morning is a great way to "waken" up your muscles, and get them ready for the day. Stretching loosens up your body while increasing blood flow to your muscles. Incorporating morning stretches into your daily routine is a positive way to begin each day. A side body stretch helps to evelate your heart rate by expanding your lungs in order to help you breathe more efficiently throughout the day.

How much you spend?

You don't have to blow your budget to live healthily. Just concentrate your diet on most whole, fresh vegetables, fruits, buts and seeds. Avoid processed foods. You get healthier by giving your body the natural nutrients it craves and avoid clogging your system up with processed foods. Also purchase your organic food from your fresh market or night market instead of from the supermarket. Because locally grown produce is much cheaper. The primary saving is the transportation costs, as fuel prices are soaring high these day. :-)

Stay focus

Many people give up on their diet program after facing hard time to reduce their weight. It's true diet is one of the hardest thing to do. We cannot eat all food that we want, we can't even eat as much as we can to satisfied ourselves.To get what we want in our life (in this situation, we want a good health or to reduce our weight), we have to stay focus doing what we have to do to achieve our goal. Here are 7 tips to keep you focused:

1.) Remember all the hard work you have put in to achieve your weight loss goal.
2.) Do not keep any of your fat clothes - you will never need them again.
3.) Make a list of all the positive change in your life since you loss the weight -i.e more energy to play with the children, shopping is no longer chore, more self-confidence.
4.) If need be, ask other (family, friend, children) what positive changes they have notified in you.
5.) Your new healthy habit benefit your family.
6.) Don't live like a monk. Enjoy yourself but aware of what you are eating and do it in moderation.
7. Exercise isn't just about losing weight, it has a number of all-round health benefits.
8.) Joining group activities like netball or football will keep you motivated and enable you to meet new people.
9.) By having a higher muscle content, your body will burn more calories even at rest. Remember you don't have to join gym -shopping, housework, gardening, dancing and walking are all forms of exercise.

Double your crunch

Strong abdominal muscles help support your body's core or trunk, from which all movement originates. So, if you're strong there, you'll able to transfer this potential to both your upper (shoulder and arms) and lower (hips and legs) extremities. Most importantly, if you have strong abdominals, you'll reduce your risk of back injuries, most of which occur everyday activities. Think of the abdominal muscles as the glue that holds your upper and lower body together.

The double crunch -so-called because you're lifting your upper body at the same time as you hold your hips in an unsupported position - is an exercise you can do to gain and maintain a firm and powerful core. Here's how

1. Lie on your back with your knee and feet flat on the floor. Tilt your pelvis until lower back is close to the floor, lift one foot at a time until both knees are bent at 90 degree and positioned directly above your hips. You should feel your abs holding your hips stable in this position.

2. Lift your head and shoulders and bring your rib cage towards your hips. Visualize pulling your navel in towards your spine as you exhale.

3. Breath in as you lower your head and shoulders and release the abdominals below the navel. Perform one set of ten to 15 repetition slowly, emphasising the correct breath in pattern. Let your breathing set the pace. You can do work on your abs daily because they make up a fairly large muscle group and are a tough area to train

Ten tips for eating well without having to diet

1. Eat for pleasure and good health, not for weight loss.

2. Start the day with oats and you won't be hungry for hours.

3. Eat more fish, chicken, vegetables and salads, and less red meat, pork, pasta, pastry and potatoes.

4. Use a plastic squeeze bottle for olive oil and sauces- it helps you use less.

5. Use yogurt instead of cream.

6. Snack on fruit and nuts instead of chocolate and crisps.

7. Steam instead of grill, grill instead of roast, roast instead of fry, shallow-fry instead of deep-fry.

8. Eat crabs like pasta and potatoes for lunch instead of in the evening.

9. Drink better, drink less, and drink only with the evening meal.

10. If you really want something, enjoy it without guilty, then lighten up the next day.

What do you think?

Prevention is better than cure

Fast fact

Smelling lemon balm oil could help people relax in stressful situation without impairing mental sharpness.

Fighting Fatigue

Do you seem to run out of energy by mid-afternoon? Here are some things that could help you feel refreshed, alert and focused:

Get some fresh air: Go outside for a few minutes
Take a walk: , or get some other form of activity during your lunch break.
Drink water: Dehydration can leave you feeling sluggish.
Choose lunch wisely: High-fat or high-crab meals, or simply too much food, may leave you feeling sleepy afterwards.
Have a snack: Low blood sugar can contribute to a lack of energy and difficulty concentrating.

Source: News Canada

For skin like a peach

If you're keen to look after your face but blanch at the cost of skincare product, you can make cleanser, toners and nourishers form fuit, vegetables and other foodstuffs, say herbalist Pierre Jean Cousin, author of Natural Recipes for Perfect Skin. Many fruits have nourishing, revitalising and astringent action. Some vegetables fight inflammation and contain vitamin A. Here are some recipes to try:

Cucumber cleanser
Peel, seed, puree and sieve one-quarter of a small cucumber. Stir two tablespoons of honey into two table-spoons of the juice and add a tablespoon of full-fat milk. Apply to face and neck for 20 minutes, then wash off with bottled water.

Banana anti-ageing face mask
Mash a small banana and stir in teo table spoons of fresh double cream, one tablespoon of honey and one table-spoon of patato flour. Apply for 30 minutes and then rinse off.

Lemon toning mask
Beat one egg white until stiff, then fold in the juice of half a lemon. Apply to the face for 20 minutes, then wash off.