For most of us food is more than just the nourishment needed for our survival, it’s also an emotional roller coaster (with many ups and downs). One slice of chocolate cake can take us from desire, to exhilaration, to satisfaction, and often land us right into guilt. Which is exactly why they call it a guilty pleasure. But should we really feel guilty for eating something simply for the pleasure of it? Of course not. So why do we?
I’ll be the first person to admit that sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into that (post indulging) guilt. But the truth is, the guilt can actually be the catalyst that spirals us into more emotional eating and even more guilt. The remedy is to not allow yourself to fall victim to overeating guilt from the start.
When you make a mistake, treat yourself with kindness.
As with everything in life, we need to embrace our imperfections. And regardless of how committed we are to a particular diet or healthy eating program, we always have to leave room for occasional guilty pleasures. Try to focus on the “pleasure” part a guilty pleasures. If you’re going to over indulge, at least enjoy every moment and savor every bite of your indulgence.
Here are some tips to help you avoid overeating and the guilt that often follows…
Earlier this week I was part of a conference call with Carnie Wilson, who was recently featured on the Dr. Oz Show to talk about her food and alcohol addiction.
Carnie Wilson has always struggled with her weight. She even had gastric bypass surgery in 1999. Then after going through two pregnancies, and gaining 50 pounds each time, she found herself battling the extra weight all over again.
Carnie told us that the show was “very dramatic,” and “the fact that he had labeled me morbidly obese really shocked me.” But, she also says, “Dr. Oz was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.” Carnie was confused when Dr. Oz told her that she was pre-diabetic – “I was actually in shock because I just had blood work done. All that blood work came back normal. To this day I am not pre-diabetic,” she said in the press call. “If he wants to call me that, it’s fine, but my glucose levels are at a normal range.”
After watching the show, I can understand how Carnie may have been shocked by some of the things Dr. Oz was saying to her. It’s funny to me how Dr. Oz seems to try so hard to make medical issues more understandable to the average person, but he didn’t clarify many of the comments he was making about Carnie. For instance, doctors refer to patients as “morbidly obese” strictly based on their weight and BMI. But clearly, although Carnie may fit the medical definition of morbidly obese, she is obviously in a much healthier place than she was in the past. And when Dr. Oz checks her glucose level, he does so by using a method diabetics use to keep track of their blood sugar throughout the day. Carnie’s doctor would be using a much more accurate method that involves fasting blood work, and that’s why she is so certain she is not pre-diabetic…she probably isn’t.
What is your eating style? Do you follow one of the popular diet plans?
If you’re looking to eat healthy or lose weight in the new year, there are a lot of diet plans out there to choose from. But how do you know which plan is best for you? I’m not a fan of fad diets – Even when they work, they are often an unhealthy choice and any weight lost is usually quickly gained back. But there are diet plans geared towards healthy eating and healthy weight loss. Maybe you’re already following one.
In this post I thought we could take a look at some of the diet plans that also focus on healthy eating. Because, in the long run, changing unhealthy eating habits to healthy ones is the only way to lose weight and keep it off.
Christmas. Is it the most wonderful time of the year? Or the most stressful time of the year? Would it surprise you to know that 8 out of 10 people suffer some degree of stress during the holiday season?
Many people start to feel a little melancholy around this time of year, especially right after Christmas. It’s colder, and darker, and there are much less activities to keep us busy. This early onset of night isn’t so bad when Christmas lights are everywhere you turn. But when the lights go down, so do many people’s mood. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it makes you SAD.
Seasonal Affective Disorder affects millions of people every year, and for some reason, more women than men. Are you one of them? Or do you know someone who suffers with SAD? The symptoms can be mild to severe, and understanding why this happens is the key to helping yourself or loved ones get through this seasonal depression.
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
If you’re a mom, or anyone buying toys for a child this year, here is a round-up of posts that can help you make safe toy choices.
My daughter Nicole, who is a big Miley Cyrus fan, heard about a project Miley was supporting called Get UR Good On. As soon as she heard about it, she wanted to get involved. The idea was to do something good in your community, video it, and then upload it onto the Get UR Good On website to encourage others to do the same.
Nicole loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided she wanted to cook a holiday dinner for women and children in need, so that’s what we did.
We contacted the Daytona women’s shelter and they were very excited about Nicole’s idea for a holiday dinner and toy give-away for the children. Then the work began.
Publix donated $50.00 and helped us get good deals on the food. Even so, that didn’t nearly cover the cost of the food, but a few friends and family pitched in to help with the rest. Then Nicole decided to use her own money (that she received for getting straight A’s in school) to buy the children toys. She bought — dolls, puppets, stuffed bears, coloring books, crayons, toy trucks and cars, pom-poms, magic tricks, books, play-dough, and more.
Today the blogging community is praying for Anissa Mayhew, a loving mother of three, who blogs at Free Anissa and Hope 4 Peyton. Anissa suffered a stroke yesterday afternoon, and we are all hoping and praying that she will make a full recovery.
The Great American Smokeout happens every year on the third Thursday in November, and it has been going on each year since 1977. This is a day that smokers all across the country are encouraged to not smoke, or at least cut back on their smoking for one day. Each year millions of smokers participate in the smokeout in the hope that this one step will be the catalyst to their quitting permanently.
When I first saw this, I honestly thought it was a joke.
(CBS) Kellogg, the nation’s largest cereal maker, is making new, controversial claims that its Krispies cereals can help boost kids’ immune systems.
Does fortifying junk food with a couple of vitamins make it healthy? No, of course not. Processed foods and foods high in sugar are not healthy. Period.
So why would Kellogg’s think that by adding a few vitamins to its kid cereals, that they could then call them healthy? Let me take a guess – $$$$$$$$$$. Isn’t it interesting how they are making these claims about “boosting your families immunity” at a time when most mothers are fearful of the H1N1 virus? Coincidence? Or just super good marketing strategy?
The truth is…Sugar (and many of the other ingredients in these cereals) actually weaken the immune system, so claims of boosting immunity are totally bogus. Shame on you Kellogg’s – You are clearly taking advantage of this swine flu crisis to increase your bottom line.
What do you think about this? Let me know in comments.
This is a re-write from something I wrote back in January 2007…
Finding Empowerment Through Adversity
When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it is there. We will get through it. And in time, our wounds really will be healed.
Can something good come out of adversity? Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain. The only thing we can think about are questions. Why is this happening to me? How will I go on? How will I survive?
Although we may want to, we should not turn away from our pain. It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache. Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way. In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles. But if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on…we will triumph.
We may sometimes feel like we are losing the battle; but when we push through the battle, we come out on the other side the winner of the war. That’s because we are empowered when we conquer life’s toughest battles. Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be. Think about that for a minute. Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?
For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few. But I also know that I would not be the woman I am today, had I not. My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today. And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships. It is because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people often take for granted.
I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life. And although I don’t look forward to future adversity, I do know it will come. And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strengths to help me overcome, and once again triumph.
My hope for everyone, is that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.
This is my response to seeing so many bloggers and commenters turning the “choice” to vaccinate for H1N1, into a free for all hate fest against moms who are “choosing” not to vaccinate.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question many moms are facing when it comes to Swine Flu and the H1N1 vaccine (including me). As far as I’m concerned, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. There is plenty of information available for parents to educate themselves on both the H1N1 virus as well as the vaccine, and I believe every mother has the right to make the decision she believes is best for her children. But not everyone thinks so, there are many moms on the internet freely venting their disdain for anyone who doesn’t vaccinate their child for H1N1.
Diet and exercise are important for good health, but did you know laughter is too? If you want to be as healthy as you can be, than laughter needs to be part of your healthy living regimen. Is it?
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.
Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Here is a Humor Survey by the University of Maryland Medical Center…
Anti-depressants have been in the news a lot recently. There are new questions about anti-depressant use and the risk of suicide. Questions about why anti-depressant use seems to be on the rise. Questions about the risks of using anti-depressants during pregnancy. And questions about the safety of using anti-depressants in adolescence. Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers.
For me, these types of questions boil down to…Do the benefits outweigh the risks? And there is no right or wrong answer, I believe these questions need to be addressed on a case by case basis.
As with everything in life – Knowledge is power. So in this post we will take a look at the latest news surrounding anti-depressant use, as well as links to information on diagnosis and treatment of depression.
The latest research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has it linked to a cancer-causing retrovirus…
Last week I was reading a lot about the latest research linking Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to the XMRV Retrovirus. Some of the articles even implied that people suffering with CFS (like myself) should be excited at the possibility that this news could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of CFS. But, it’s not exactly good news for CFS patients, especially for patients hoping for a cure. Here’s why…
October is National Chiropractic Month, and the American Chiropractic Association is encouraging families to consider trying chiropractic care as a treatment for several types of headaches.
How do you feel about chiropractic health care? Is it something you would consider for yourself and family? Did you realize that seeing a chiropractor could be helpful for people who suffer with migraines and other types of headaches?
Where do you stand on healthcare reform? It’s a hot-button political issue that has strong opinions on both sides. And with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it seems appropriate to address how healthcare reform could affect the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Are you only concerned with adding days to your life, and forgetting to add life to your days? If so, you are not alone. This is a problem many of us have, and the reason we should all try to make a conscious effort, to live in the present moment.
When we are living in the moment, we are totally immersed in what we are doing. I’m not suggesting in any way, that we should attempt to live in the moment 100% of the time, as much as it would be great if we could, it’s just not practical. To do that, we would be setting ourselves up for failure. What I want you to do, is just make an “attempt” at living in the present moment, this is a positive start, and in the right direction. So, how can you start? Well, you start with “awareness”.
This is a post in honor of breast cancer survivors. They are women sharing their stories of hope, struggle, determination, and survival. Some are in words and some are in video.
Let’s talk about fear. Are You Afraid of Breast Cancer? If so, you’re not alone. Cancer is a scary thing…And all the pink in the world can’t change that. Sure, pink ribbons may be pretty, but breast cancer is ugly and scary. Here are some facts about breast cancer…
An estimated 182,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2000.
Approximately 42,200 deaths will occur in women from breast cancer in 2000.
One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
Many women are blogging about their breast cancer fears. From little fears to big fears. They have fears of mammograms, fears of treatments, fears or recurrences, fears of dying…and on and on. What are your breast cancer fears?
Can you imagine being in high school or college and suddenly learning you have cancer? You thought you had a lifetime ahead of you and the whole world at your feet, but suddenly you’re told… maybe not. How would you cope?
That’s the question the twenty young people in this book had to answer when they were diagnosed with childhood cancer. Perseverance shares life lessons learned through their stories and educates the reader on how to incorporate them into his/her life. It tells of their trials and tribulations, of their triumphs, and of the unique challenges that day-to-day life brings them. Perseverance also provides an intimate look at the lives and journeys of these young people and how their courage and strength have affected the lives of others.
I’m honored to be a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, a small group of volunteers that advises the Society on its social media strategy. Part of our mission is to help spread the word that we have power in the fight against cancer. And our first step is to build awareness and encourage women to get involved. Because…Visibility equals power! So we have started a blog “chain” to spread the word among women bloggers. We call it Bloggers for More Birthdays.
You can help…Join Bloggers for More Birthdays by dedicating a blog post to someone you love who’s been affected by cancer. It’s a simple way to celebrate those you love. Just write a post (like I’ve done here), host our badge, and know that whatever you write, you are helping to raise awareness and inspiring others to join American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer.
My contribution to this effort is about an angel named Becky…
Becky was my best friend. A wonderful mother. And a great mom-mom. Even though she’s been gone for over seven years, a day rarely goes by that I don’t think of her and wish she were here. Time has helped to replace some of my grief with many lovely memories, but it hasn’t healed my anger towards the disease that took her from us. Cancer.
I hate cancer, and I hate that my friend didn’t get a chance to be a survivor. Why her? She deserved to be a survivor, she deserved to have more birthdays. She fought this disease with every ounce of strength she had, but in the end cancer took away every ounce of strength she had.
Although I’m angry, I’m also grateful for the time I did have Becky in my life. She was there for me during some very tough times. I know I’m who I am today, partly because of her influence in my life. I only wish I was able to thank her for that.
No matter how much time goes by, I will never forget the angel she was…and still is.
If you’ve posted, let The American Cancer Society know so they can feature it! Just put a link to your post in the comments section here, or email your post to bloggersubmit@officialbirthdayblog.com. You’ll be showing your support for More Birthdays and bring visibility to your blog.
We all know that nothing stays the same. And we know that life is constantly changing. However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways. What I mean is…When things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great. And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy. In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.
I think this is important because if we take some time to reflect on the bad days, on days that are going well for us, we can get a better perspective on our lives. Seeing a bad day from the perspective of a good day, allows us to become “aware” of the notion that time heals. Something that on our bad days, we may not be able to fully appreciate.
The swine flu vaccine will be available very soon, but there is still skepticism surrounding its safety. Generally, I have a strong opinion about these types of things, but my feelings about this vaccine are still uncertain.
One thing I am sure about though…This vaccine should not be made mandatory for anyone (including health care workers). I do believe health care workers should be among the first to have access this vaccine, since they will be the ones treating the sick. However, making it mandatory and threatening peoples jobs (especially in this economy) is totally unacceptable. But that is exactly what is happening in some states.
It is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. But why do we need to have more awareness of gynecologic cancers? Well, there are many reasons, here are three.
1. We need to be reminded of the early warning signs of these types of cancers. Not just for ourselves, but for all the women in our lives.
You could someday be the one who tells a friend she needs to see a doctor for a particular symptom she is having. You could be the one who contributes to saving her life because she caught her cancer early.
2. We need to understand that even as we go about our days untouched by cancer, there are many other women who are not as fortunate…And we need to have compassion and empathy for those women.
3. Knowledge is power…And we do not have to be powerless in the face of gynecologic cancers.
I hope that this post will address each of these aspects of awareness.
Do you want to lose weight, feel healthier, or just start eating better? Jumping off the junk food band-wagon isn’t easy. Making the decision to give it a try is a great first step. But quitting cold-turkey is generally a bad idea. Sometimes making small changes, and working up to more, is a better way to do it.
Make one change in your diet today, and keep it up for a week. Then in a week, make another change. Keep adding to your healthy eating changes week after week, until eating healthy is just what you do.
Here are a few places you can start.
1. Eliminate or limit your intake of refined sugars, (ie: cookies, cakes, candy, soda, etc.), nature sugar from fruits are o.k.
Is stress wearing you down? Are you worried about the bad economy? Your job? The mortgage? Your health? Your family? If so, you are not alone.
Life is always changing, and that can feel very stressful. But often, seemingly bad things will happen in our lives, that will actually turn out to be the catalysts to something positive. It’s very true that when one door closes another will open. Although it never feels so great when that one door closes. Recently I’ve had several doors close on me. But as hard as it’s been, I can already see that these things needed to happen to bring me closer to where I am meant to be.
There are three things we can do to help relieve the stress in our lives…
Today is my birthday. Should I be stressed because I’m getting (and looking) older? Or should I be grateful for the opportunity to have another year of life?
I know the politically correct answer is – be grateful. But truthfully, it’s more of a mixed bag for me. I admit that I like it when people tell me that I don’t look my age (even when I know they are probably lying). But at the same time, I really am thankful for every day of my life. And overall, I’m more grateful for turning 233343 than stressed about getting older.
To most people, birthdays are just a reminder that they’re getting older. But at the American Cancer Society, “Happy Birthday” is a victory song, because a world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays. And that’s definitely something to celebrate.
More than 11 million Americans who have survived cancer—and countless others who have avoided it—will celebrate a birthday this year, thanks to the progress we’re making together to help people stay well and get well, to find cures, and fight back.
Here are three easy tips that can help anyone become a healthier version of themselves.
1.You are what you eat, and it is never too late to start eating healthy. Every day, try your very best to put healthy foods and plenty of water into your body. When you have a choice between something healthy and something not healthy, go with the healthy choice. But, don’t be too hard on yourself on the days you fall back into old habits. There is no rule that says, to be healthy you have to be perfect. Even if you are eating healthy 50% of the time, that is still better than none of the time.
If you are one to never go for the healthy choice, then start today with a commitment to eat one thing that is good for you (just one thing that you would normally not eat), and do that for a week. After a week, start eating two things that are good for you, and so on, and so on. Before you know it, you’ll be eating healthy half the time…And that’s a great start.
You can start today, loving yourself and your family enough to stop poisoning your body with unhealthy foods. Heart disease is the number one killer in our country. And 80% of heart disease is due to eating an unhealthy diet that leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Start today, and take a bite in the right direction…Your heart will thank you.
My name is Catherine Morgan, and I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. Above are links to my blogs, that also list many of the posts and articles that I've written for them.
I'm also at BlogHer Health & Wellness.
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
Can you imagine being in high school or college and suddenly learning you have cancer? You thought you had a lifetime ahead of you and the whole world at your feet, but suddenly you’re told… maybe not. How would you cope?
