How to Overcome Emotional Eating

Eating is a part of life.  Your body gets its nutrients from food.  Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits and it can result in gaining weight.  One issue with food is emotional eating. 

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind.  Stress takes its toll on your life.  When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit and so do your emotions. 

Everyone has good days and bad days.  How we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play.  You look for comfort for your hurts.  People who turn to food for comfort find a coping mechanism that won’t judge them, hurt them or tell them “no.” To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like exercise.  So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress.  They hide behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the problems.  This is not uncommon when the stressor is something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way?  The first sign is obvious.  You will gain weight if you eat too much.  In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of your life:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?
* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?
* Are you dealing with a problem but haven’t found a solution?

Answering “yes” to any of these questions could mean that you are an emotional eater.  You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time.  The foods that you choose are what we term “comfort foods”:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods
* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes
* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake

There is help for emotional eaters.  The first step is recognizing that you have a problem.  You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt.  The guilt is over potentially ruining your health and the helplessness lies in the fact that you don’t see a way out.

Secondly, seek counseling.  There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need.  Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits but gaining control over your emotions. 

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and family support.  Visualization helps you to see your problems in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion.  You will also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits.  They can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with you.  Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow and positive thinking.  Yoga enhances the mind/body connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress will push food out of the equation.  You’ll feel good about finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.  

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Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack.  If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations.  When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of Adrenalin that can save your life.  This is the fight or flight syndrome. 

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself.  Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late.  Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks.  You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways.  Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life.  In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops.  For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening.  More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it.  Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control. 

1. See a professional.  This is always a good first step.  Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous.  A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep.  During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself.  You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage.  Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis.  Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently.  It helps to get more oxygen to the brain.  It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them. 

4. Meditate.  Meditation is more than chanting mantras.  Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing.  Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry.  When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten.  As you count, focus on the situation.  What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation. 

6. Don’t use alcohol.  You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant.  In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities.  Stress can rob you of your energy.  On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.  

Anxiety can come into your life at any time.  It’s normal.  When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions.  If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately.  There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

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The 10 most painful places to get a tattoo

No one gets a tattoo without expecting a little pain. But there's a difference between a lil' sting and the fire of a thousand suns.

Luckily, Cincinnati-based tattoo artist Andy Eschenbach of Flying Tiger Tattoo filled Mashable in on which body parts to avoid inking if you don't want to ride the Carousel of Agony.

Want a tattoo with minimal pain? Eschenbach suggests opting for the arms, lower legs and shoulders — all popular locations. However, he also stresses that even the areas listed below are manageable. "People get tattooed in all these places all the time, and they usually do fine," he says. "The real enemy is their own fear."

 

"No one has died in my chair yet," he adds. "Well, except that one guy, but that was totally his fault."

Source : MashAble

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Dealing With Body Odour

We all have that one friend we love so much but hate to be around. I know it sounds contradictory but much as they make you laugh and are very generous, you can't stand the way they smell. Yes, today we will be talking about the topic body odour.

Also known as bromhidrosis, osmidrosis or ozochrotia, B.O as it is popularly called is quite a common phenomenon.
One of the many reasons this is an issue is the fact that many times, the sufferers are not aware and when a few gutsy people try to create awareness things most likely than not go south.Being told that one has a body odour isn't a very pleasant experience so if you do have a friend with such an issue, be as polite about it as possible. You could get them a deodorant as a 'just cos it's Tuesday' present or suggest they take refreshing evening showers. If you've been told that you have a body odour,  don't feel slighted. It happens to the best of us, just try to take steps to work on it.
Now it has been said there is a genetic component to body odour meaning that it could be inherited...pretty weird huh? True story though.

In a lot of cases though poor hygiene and a number of disease conditions are the culprits. Some people sweat excessively, a condition known as hyperhidrosis. For some this happens naturally, in other cases it might be due to a medical condition such as thyroid disease. A fishy or fruity smell might be a pointer to diabetes or kidney disease. To put it simply,body odour is caused by the action of bacteria on sweat. It goes to reason then that to reduce the risk of body odour, one needs to put measures in place to avoid that.

Some tips that may help include;
1) Bathing regularly.
A bath at least once a day is recommended but on days when you work really hard and sweat a lot, a second bath might be indicated cos the more sweat accumulates, the higher the tendecy for bacteria to act on it.
 2) Shave your armpits!
The hair in your armpits tend to trap sweat allowing bacteria to have a good time creating that unwanted odour.
3) Wash your clothes regularly. Sometimes we wear clothes once and feel like they don't seem dirty and could be worn a second time.
What we don't know is that sometimes we sweat on these clothes and when sweat gets onto clothes, bacteria can also
grow there, making the clothes smelly too.
4) Use an anti-deodorant/anti-perspirant.These work by making the environment acidic and making it difficult for bacteria to thrive.
5)You are what you eat.
Excessive consumption of certain things such as garlic, onion,curry and alcohol and the use of certain medications also increase the risk for body odour.
6) In extreme cases where lifestyle changes do not work, there are certain medications that may be used.
They work by reducing the rate at which the sweat glands work (eg oxybutinin). Side effects include dry mouth, dry eyes and the fact that the body might not be able to cool itself by sweating.
7) A chemical known as botox may also be injected into the skin. It works by blocking a substance necessary to stimulate the sweat glands to produce sweat.
8)Finally, surgical options exist for extreme cases. They include laser surgery,  excision and sympathectomy where some nerves sending signals to the body to produce sweat will be cut. Most people will do well with lifestyle changes and treatment of underlying disease conditions so these should always be the first line of treatment.
Remember that when you smell good, it automatically makes you more attractive so stay looking and smelling good

Dami Daniel is a Medical Doctor who considers herself a health missionary-educating people on health issues far and wide. Spunky & witty, there's always something up her sleeves including dodo, if she can help it. Twitter: @drdamidaniel

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Stomach Flu in Children

Stomach flu or gastroenteritis is a kind of infection in the digestive system, especially the stomach and intestines. Causes for this condition are parasite, bacteria, or virus infection spread through contaminated food and fluids. It can also be caused by certain toxins present in some plants & seafood, usage of powerful laxatives in order to cure constipation or because of intake of poisonous heavy metal or food.

The problem starts with stomach upset and cramps. The child shows disinterest in eating and feels week. Symptoms of stomach flu are diarrhea and vomiting, which take nearly five days to go away. Sometimes, even fever can accompany along with dehydration. The child must be given fluids regularly as this will suppress other symptoms from emerging because of loss of water from the body. Loss of water and salt from the body is the biggest risk in stomach flu.

Dehydration can not only worsen the condition, but can threaten the life of the child, if it isn’t taken care of in the early stages. Since there is loss of salts along with the loss of water from the body, plain water won’t do much. Oral rehydration solutions which are available at the local grocery or drug store, is a good idea because it has the correct combination of salts, sugar and water which can hydrate the body. These fluids come in different flavor, so that kids can have their favorite flavor and is easy to consume.

The solution shouldn’t be added with anything else such as sugar or water. If a child is vomiting, solution can be administered to him using a teaspoon every two minutes. The quantity can be increased gradually. If the vomiting is more frequent, the child can be made to suck ice chips in order to supply constant fluid to the body. The solution should be given till diarrhea comes to a halt, but it is not advisable to continue it for more than twenty four hours. Some of the fluids such as soft drinks, sports drink, apple juice, tea, or chicken broth contain wrong amounts of salt, sugar & water and can make matter worse.

Besides fluids, the parent shouldn’t give any type of medicine without consulting a pediatrician. Fried, spicy and sugary foods aren’t good in this condition. If the child isn’t receiving sufficient amount of fluids he/she will show signs such as sunken eyes, dry mouth, intense thirst, unusual sleep patterns, and decrease in urine. The more the bed rest taken by the child the better it is.

The child should take complete bed rest for at least twenty four hours or till the diarrhea and vomiting stops. If the child has fever, the temperature should be checked and noted in a log, every four hours. If the temperature is very high and doesn’t stop climbing, the doctor should be contacted immediately. The person who is preparing and serving food to the child should wash his or her hands very carefully before doing so.

Also, if the diarrhea and vomiting doesn’t stop after twenty four hours, it is a must to get a doctor’s appointment. The child should be rushed into emergency if the vomiting contains blood or green color substance.

The doctor, after doing stool and blood test, prescribes antibiotics if infection is suspected. Along with it, anti nausea medicines are also given to stop the throwing up and control fluid loss. If there is considerable loss of fluids from the child’s body, the child might be admitted into the hospital and will be administered with fluids such as glucose or IV, through a tube connected to the child’s veins. If the child has fever, temperature is checked and the doctor would ask about information about the temperature pattern, for which the parent should be ready. If the illness is stretched for days, a log about the information about the daily weight should also be given to the doctor. Sometimes, the blood oxygen levels would also have to be checked with the help of a pulse oximeter.

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Most 5 Nutritious Superfoods For Better Health

If you’re looking to improve overall health, here are 5 superfoods you probably never eat. Each of these are packed with nutritious, and offer numerous health improving benefits.

1. Bamboo Shoots – Bamboo shoots are high fiber, low-calorie and packed with anti-oxidants. They are an easy addition to salads.
2. Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds are not only high protein, but they have also been shown to reduce LDL, which are your harmful cholesterol levels. Like bamboo shoots, pumpkin seeds can easily be added to salads.
3. Swiss Chard – Loaded with potassium, Swiss chard helps to restore a better potassium/sodium balance. Maintaining a proper potassium/sodium balance is an essential when trying to battle high blood pressure.
4. Kiwi – If you are looking to increase your vitamin C intake, make sure to grab a few kiwis from the grocery store. Kiwis have more vitamin C than oranges or grapefruits.
5. Beets – Beet consumption has been linked to lower levels of homocysteine, and as a result, lower incidences of heart disease.

Do you eat any of these foods? If so, share you favorite recipes or uses below…

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A Daily Nap Tip To Improve Your Energy

How many days per week are you able to get 8 plus hours of solid sleep? If you’re like most of us, a perfect night’s sleep is the exception rather than the norm.

One of the best ways to revitalize your energy is through a daily 20-30 minutes nap. NASA performed a study and found that a 40 minute nap improved alertness by 100%. Another study on airplane pilots revealed that when tired, those who took a 25 minute nap ended up dozing off only 20% as much as if they remained sleep-deprived.

Here are some other “napping” benefits:

• Improves memory and learning
• Works to prevent burnout
• Heightens creativity
• Puts you in a better mood

How often do you takes naps and do they help? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Focus Your Goals By Knowing Your Ideal Body Fat Percentage

Have you had your body fat percentage measured? Do you know how you stack up? The number of obese adults is growing every year, yet many adults have no idea if they are considered fit or fat.

The following body fat chart is from ACE, the American Council on Exercise. The essential fat level is the minimum level required for basic physiological functioning.

Men:

• Essentially Fat – 2 to 5%
• Athletes – 6 to 13%
• Fitness – 14 to 17%
• Average – 18 to 24%
• Obese – 25%+

Women:

• Essentially Fat – 10 to 13%
• Athletes – 14 to 20%
• Fitness – 21 to 24%
• Average – 25 to 31%
• Obese – 32%

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Natural Weight Loss: When you do not have to Go Over

Eat right, keep moving.

You just have read all that you need to know about how to prevent being overweight. That simple set of instructions should be easy to follow, but not for 35% of Americans who are unable to prevent being overweight.

Of course, once we are overweight, we usually want to trim down for a whole lot of reasons, some related to health, others having to do with looks.

In addition, it is never too late to lose weight. But the fact is, it is a whole lot easier to prevent putting on pounds than to try losing them later on. And if there is one thing we all know, it is that weight gain is likely to happen if we do not take forward-looking steps to stop it.

Health experts say that most people who are into losing weight usually stray. They tend to go back to their old eating habits even after they learn to enjoy low-fat eating. They tend to return to sedentary ways even though they enjoy exercising.

But despite the momentum toward weight gain, you can stop it from happening, experts say. And there are plenty of good reasons to avoid excess pounds, reasons that go beyond vanity or social acceptance.

In fact, some health experts contend that the significance of excess weight is more than cosmetic. They say that it takes a huge toll on people’s physical health.

The Way to Losing Weight…Naturally

The nuts and bolts of eating right maintaining a healthy weight is not all that complicated. In fact, it is a good bet that most people know pretty well what is best. Hence, losing weight the natural way should not be a problem at all.

Consequently, a reasonable approach for losing weight naturally is to stick to a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates, high in fiber, moderate in protein, and low in fat.

A complex carbohydrate is a baked potato. Fat is the sour cream and butter you should not put on it. Fiber is vegetables. Fat is the oil you should not fry them in. Protein is a lean cut of meat. Fat is the gravy you should not pour over it.

Moreover, health experts say that dietary fat promotes weight gain because it is a very dense source of calories. Also, when you consume excess calories from dietary fat, you store those calories as body fat more efficiently than excess calories from other sources.

On the other hand, it can also help you lose weight naturally if you will not fall into the so-called “fat-free” trap. Manufacturers keep coming out with low-fat or fat-free versions of their best-selling foods, but Americans keep getting fatter anyway.

One of the greatest delusions of the 1990s is that “no fat” means “non-fattening.” The truth is, you are often getting just as many calories from the no-fat version, even if the calories are not coming from fat.

The term fat-free can be a trap if you start to believe that you can eat any amount of the foods that are advertised that way.

What’s more, it is best to respond to hunger with healthful snacks. Health experts say it would be better to try eating every three to four hours, which may mean a nutritious low-fat snack between lunch and dinner.

When you feel the urge for food coming on, snacking on something healthy such as a slice of whole-grain toasted bread is a better alternative. Never skip a meal and eat snacks instead because that is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to control your eating habits and weight.

Remember, if you want to lose weight naturally, you have to keep track of every food you eat and of every activity that you do. When you say natural weight loss means that you do not have to use some accessories or helpful aids just to lose weight.

Losing weight naturally is a process and not a fad. Hence, it would take a lot of dogged determination, self-control, and discipline just to achieve your ideal weight.

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How to Burn Fat

Every man or woman desiring weight loss wants to get the sought after toned body – and preferably get it fast! However, the results are often frustratingly slow – regardless of hours of exercise and your best intentions to eat a healthy diets. So how come you still don't have the waistline and body tone you deserve?

1. Kick-start fat loss with the essential calorie deficit

Regardless of what food you choose to eat – the law of 'thermodynamics' means that to lose weight you must create a calorie deficit. In simple terms – eat less calories than your body burns each day. If you calculate your calorie needs, you can then start to shed those pounds. While it's important to be good on a daily basis, you can also zigzag calories – such as a calorie deficit of 400 on Monday but eating at a maintenance level on Tuesday (and so on through the week).

2. Learn how to graze for weight loss

Many people find they get the best results by grazing on 5-6 small meals and snacks per day. This is actually an easy goal if you are using protein shakes, for example;

Meal 1 Bowl of healthy cereal
Meal 2 Protein Shake with apple
Meal 3 Jacket potato with tuna salad
Meal 4 Protein Shake
Meal 5 Chicken breast with basmati rice and roast veg
Meal 6 Protein meal bar

See how easy it is to split your calories and stay in control? Eating protein with your meals also helps to satisfy cravings for junk and excess eating later in the day.

3. Use quality sports nutrition products for easier and faster results

One big reason to use high quality protein shakes or meal replacements containing whey protein is they're proven to help you maintain muscle tone/mass when dieting (great for guys AND girls!), in addition to reducing the cravings which can plague sustained diet plans and attempts to eat nutritiously.

In addition to shakes like Promax Diet, Promax Diet bars offer the same benefits, but are also a great motivator because they offer the satisfaction of a classic chocolate bar (minus the sugar, fat and calories!). Once you're eating for effective weight loss by combining shakes with healthy meals, a proven fat burner like Thermobol will start to give you faster results (particularly when combined with exercise, because it contains nutrients proven to release and burn fat effectively).

4. Make exercise a regular part of your life

The saying goes 'use it or lose it' and it's very true when it comes to muscle tone and dieting. When you exercise vigorously you stimulate muscle, which in turn boosts your metabolism. Naturally, if you don't exercise, your body will literally burn-up your muscle for energy and you metabolism will slow down too – making fat loss progressively harder!

So, always exercise with a form of resistance for 45 minutes, three times per week when dieting (weights, resistance machines, even toning DVDs can all count – just make sure those muscles are working hard!). Ideally, perform three weights sessions plus three cardio sessions of 30 minutes each. You'll burn calories while maintaining muscle tone – a win, win situation!

5. Drink yourself leaner

Most experts suggest that water is essential to lose weight. Water is vital for many body processes including fat metabolism, so drink 2-3 litres spaced throughout the day. During exercise, drink 500ml-1000ml per hour. Here's a tip – experts have found that cold water boosts metabolic rate so chilled drinks could be a bonus!

6. Recover fast – then exercise again!

When you reduce your calorie intake and exercise intensely, it's easily to feel fatigued and aching – hardly great for intense workouts! However, by eating nutritiously and drinking quality nutrition shakes after training (within 15-20 minutes ideally) you'll dramatically boost recovery and repair, helping you get better toning results in addition to getting you back to the gym sooner. Opt for Promax or Promax Diet shakes immediately before and after-exercise.

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