A Short Menstrual Cycle is when your period comes earlier than day 25, or so. The cycle is counted from the first day of bleeding until you see it again.
Fertility can be affected if your cycle is too short. This is because it can shorten the number of days before Ovulation, when the egg is developing into a Folicle.
You can figure out when ovulation might be using a very rough formula. Ovulation typically occurs 2 weeks before the period comes.
On a 28 day cycle, a woman would ovulate on day 14. That’s 14 days before her period. She may have signs of Ovulation starting on day 12 or 13 too.
Changes like Vaginal discharge getting clear and stringy and more abundant. Feeling achy on the sides of the lower abdomen.
This is called the Folicular Phase. A Folicle is the egg you were born with a bubble of fluid around it.
Think of a chicken egg. In fact, imagine breaking open an egg. The clear runny stuff is what a woman’s vaginal discharge at the time of Ovulation looks!
Clear, Runny, Muccous-like, stringy…And Hopefully profuse.
A Super Herb I use to regulate/lengthen the cycle is (Chaste Berries)Vitex Agnus Castus. This really reliably will lengthen the average cycle from a few days to a week or more. A Tincture is best. To get solid results, take:
1/2-1 Teaspoon 3X Day
…day in and day out for 1-3 months.
It is the Best Menstrual Regulator that I have solidly used for many years in my practice. Even in cases where the period was coming every 2 weeks it really normalized the situation within 1 to 3 months.
Losing blood too often, through short periods, can be weakening and leave you blood deficient. A period that’s too heavy can do this too. Good herbs to stop excess bleeding are Shepherd’s Purse(Capsella Bursa Pastoralis), Agrimony, Yarrow, and even Hammamalis for severe Bleeding.
Aliza Adar Levine RNMH is a Nurse, Midwife, TCM Herbalist, and Medical Researcher for over 20 years. Learn how to manage your own Fertility at http://www.fertility-xpert.com and about other women’s Health Issues at at http://www.WomensHealthIssues.info
If you watch the tabloids, you know that even the stars have bad hair days. It just seems that when the professional stylists are out of the picture, it is inherently human to have a less than glamorous mane. But you can do your part to stay ahead of the battle by following these great tips for hair care.
1. Use a professional conditioner that is formulated for your specific hair type. While you can skimp a little on the shampoo, a good, professional conditioner is a must have. Look for products in salons that are customized for your hair type. For instance: If you have color or a perm, choose a conditioner that is for chemically processed hair. And stay away from those all-in-one shampoo and conditioner combos.
2. Choose a cut tailored to your face and body shape. The number one mistake that people make when choosing a new hairstyle is to pick a style based on popularity rather than how it will enhance their features. Always choose a new cut based on how it will enhance or detract from your facial features and build. If you have broad shoulders, choose a full-bodied cut over a close cropped head hugging doo.
3. Don’t forget your UV protectants. Just as your skin gets damaged by wind and sun, so does your hair. To combat this, look for finishing products such as mousses, gels and sprays that block UV rays.
4. Keep your appointments. Did you know that your hair will split faster than it will grow? You need to get a trim every 6 to 8 weeks, even if it’s just a micro trim. A good hairdresser makes them good because they know what to leave on the head, not take off.
5. Leave chemicals to the professionals. There is a reason why beauticians need to go to school to learn how to handle chemicals and hair processes. You can do irreparable damage with these products even if the package says that it’s way easy. And even if you don’t make your hair fall out, you could end up looking like a clown and paying a stylist big bucks to fix your mess. (Note: Most stylists charge double the rate for corrective color than they do for normal color processes)
6. Get color for interest and body. Every cut needs a little bit of color to make it truly breathtaking. No matter whether your taste is subtle or dramatic, you can add interest and volume to your tresses with a color process. Highlights, lowlights, all over color, gray coverage, you name it, it’s all good for your look.
7. Do weekly conditioning treatments. Even if your hair is extremely healthy, it is constantly on the attack from wind, sun, cold and heat. During the summer months, your hair is battered even more when it absorbs chlorine and other chemicals from your pool.
8. Get an ionic ceramic flat iron. Instead of frying your hair with a conventional metal plated flat iron. Straighten your tresses, add shine and infuse moisture with one of the a negative ionic flat irons. We personally use T3 irons for all our work.
9. Choose your styling products wisely. Avoid products that leave build-up on your hair. If you see white gunk, that means that your product is not water-soluble and may be coating your hair shaft. Build-up causes limpness, breakage and inability to curl not to mention the white flakes.
10. Did you know that if you use a towel after your shower to dry your hair you are causing split ends and adding static electricity to your hair. Don’t rub the towel back and forth over your hair, scrunch the towel around your hair like your would scrunch crackers in your soup.
While all of these tips won’t make you look like you’ve hired a personal hairdresser, they will help you look the very best that you can each and every day. When it comes to hair care, remember that you wear your hair everyday. Now isn’t it worth the time, effort and money that it takes to keep it looking spectacular?
By Darla Di Grandi-Aguilera, Founder of Hi-Lites Aveda Palm Springs Salon & Spa www.HLspa.com
* Spending a lot of energy wondering what’s next for you?
* Oscillating from being sure you’re in transition to worrying
that you’re being neurotic to declaring firmly that life is fine
and you better not even think of rocking the proverbial boat?
* Find yourself muttering, “I don’t know” (and wishing you did)
about your work, creative passion, or life purpose?
* Sense a deep, rumbling change brewing beneath the surface–a
new stage of being trying to be birthed?
* Worried that if you don’t keep pushing you’ll never know,
never move forward, or never get on with your life?
You just may be surfing the edge of the known, otherwise known
as being in transition, metamorphosis (the cocoon stage), the
I-have-no-idea-who-I-am or what-I-want stage. Why think of it as
surfing the edge of the known? Because what you have known, in
at least one area of your life, is no longer sufficient to get
you where you want to go next, even though you may have no idea
where that is. You are being called to mindfully and skillfully
surf your edge and ride the waves into the unknown for the sake
of answering the call of your longing.
Sounds romantic and exciting — and it can be. It can also be
hell on the ego, wildly disorienting, grindingly long, and
stunningly lonely. Why me? You may find yourself crying.
Everybody else seems satisfied and sure of their life’s
direction or intimate relationship or creative calling. The hard
truth is you are being called and the price of consciousness is
not cheap. Are you willing to pay? To play? If you say no, and
we all do, at least the first time, be aware: you will be asked
again. And again. And then again.
It can seem like you are always in a transition. Technology has
increased the frequency of transitions in our lives. Western
educated adults are expected to have three careers in their
lifetime. Few find it odd, at least in the United States, to go
back to school when you’re 35 or 52 or 81, sell a business and
start a new one, or take up an new artistic discipline. The
divorce rate hovers at 50%. People move an average of every 5
years. It appears transitions are here to stay, and it would
behoove us all to learn how to negotiate them with dignity,
skill, and even a smidgen of grace.
Here are the ideas that have worked for me and my teaching
partner Master Coach Molly Gordon, and hundreds of our clients
and retreat participants.
1. Acknowledge the passage.
How many of us keep pretending everything is the same when
something in us shouts, “This no longer works. Something is
changing!” If we hang on to the familiar, we are living the
definition of insanity: keep doing the same thing and expect
something different. If your car stops moving and you keep
insisting nothing is the matter, I’ll warrant you aren’t going
anywhere until you acknowledge the breakdown. Nothing can change
until you recognize something more, something new, wants to come
into being and thus something that has been is no longer
sufficient.
2. Forget knowing.
The very nature of a transition is YOU DON’T KNOW. Often, you
don’t know what you don’t know. Confusion is actually a good
sign (keep repeating that to yourself). Trying to know too soon
can be a spiritual and learning dead-end. Not to mention
paralyzing, misleading, and a great way to feed perfectionism
and procrastination.
Instead, train your mind to be more comfortable with not
knowing. Practicing acknowledging you don’t know — directions,
how to finish a project at work, what the capital of Uzbekistan
is. Say out loud at least once a day, “I don’t know.” Even
things you think you do know, try saying, “I don’t know if I’m
successful” or “I don’t know if I’m smart.”
Gratefully acknowledge “I don’t know” as a mood of ripe
possibility, the mood of learning. Learning is why transitions
exist!
3. Cultivate authentic trust.
Ask: What criteria can I use to create authentic trust in myself
during this time of not knowing?
“Authentic trust exists when you are aware that the possibility
for betrayal exists. You choose to trust knowing that when a
promise is broken or a commitment is unfulfilled, you can take
appropriate and effective action. Authentic trust is a dynamic
and evolving part of a relationship that needs constant
nurturing,” is how Master Coach Julio Olalla defines trust.When
you are stumbling through a personal fog bank of confusion,
acknowledge that the possibility for self-betrayal exists. Don’t
turn away from this because when you do, you fall into blind
trust — trust without parameters, without conditions for
satisfaction — and from here it is so tempting to spin into
faulty assumptions, ungrounded assessments, magical thinking:
the true crater of gloom (which can last for years).
Create conditions for authentic trust for yourself. If I ask my
daughter to pluck the tent caterpillars off the blueberry bushes
each day but I don’t check in with her, I’m blindly trusting
her. Which is not to say I don’t trust her intentions, it’s just
she may need help executing her intentions. Same for you. If you
decide you are going to spend a half an hour every morning
asking for guidance about your future, how will you support
yourself? Where have you been fuzzy or blind in your commitments
to listen before? What or who will waylay you? Where do you need
to stretch or strengthen yourself to follow through?
Or if you declare you will take a graphic design course and in
the past, you have signed up but then became scared and quit,
what will help you to trust the process this time? What needs to
be different? Who can support you? Be very specific!
Name in writing what action you can take to reestablish trust if
you betray yourself. How will you regroup? How will you deal
honestly and compassionately with yourself? Look the monster
squarely in the face.
4. Design generative stories.
We all live in stories — it is how our brains make sense of our
world by constructing linear narratives. We all love stories.
The only problemis when we believe our stories are THE TRUTH or
when our stories make our world smaller, dingier, and stingier.
You have the right to play with your interpretation that fear,
uncertainty or confusion is a sign that you are on the wrong
track or that you are completely screwed. Instead, you can
design a story that you are moving to a new level of
development, discovering another layer of aliveness, engaging in
creating a more complex consciousness and a more satisfying
life. You could ask yourself, “How am I developing new
capacities to express my gifts in the world?” and “What
practices would support me in finding and taking my next step?”
Or you can keep believing the ungrounded story that you are an
idiot who better put her head in the sand and keep doing the
same old thing or the sky will fall. Your choice.
Surely Christopher Columbus was nervous when he set out to
perhaps fall off the edge of the known world. Why shouldn’t we
be scared when we set out to do something new, especially when
we don’t know what this new thing is or if we can do it? Being
afraid and ready to jump out of your skin is a normal reaction
to change. Acknowledge it as such. Be curious about your
stories, interpretations, and assessments about why being
uncomfortable is bad or wrong. Why? What’s the difference
between fear and excitement? The sensations in our bodies are
very similar.
5. Consider what you need to learn.
Several years ago, Toni posted this on
http://www.comfortqueen.com message boards: “I think I’ve
finally figured out why I’ve been so horribly blocked about
photography. I’ve been processing my classic money excuses for
not taking photographs: they don’t hold water. The reason I’m
hesitant to take out my camera is plain, old-fashioned lack of
technical proficiency! I’m never certain whether the way I’m
setting the camera is correct. I know this sounds really
fundamental and like a big ol’ DUH, but it honestly hadn’t
occurred to me until yesterday.
“I progressed from having a “good eye” right into the darkroom,
produced some good prints, and I just assumed I knew all I
needed to. In fact, I had skipped over a very fundamental part
of the learning process. So what happens now is when I pick up
my camera, I’m totally paralyzed. My lack of training is what’s
been holding me back!”
Notice how many new possibilities open for Toni when she asks,
“What do I need to learn to move forward?” versus the story “I
should already know how to do this. Look how long I’ve been
doing it.” Notice too how something that was closed or
frustrating to Toni became a ripe new path. How often do we
prolong our transitions by refusing to learn, by shoulding on
ourselves?
6. Stop Pushing the River.
Lest this article give you the idea you must immediately rush
out and make your transition happen, please remember that these
changes do have a rhythm of their own. Listen for that rhythm.
If everything in you is screaming for time to slow down, then
slow down. You may think this will slow down knowing what is
next but you are wrong. The fastest way through the foggy lost
time is always to slow down and feel, to listen, to be with
whatever arises, moment by moment. Only then can you discern
what is being asked of you and how best to surf off the edge of
the world.
7. Be Kind to Yourself.
Please. You are not bad or broken or thick. You are human and
wondrous and being called to evolve to something more satisfying
and complex. Find others you can talk to about this. Join us for
a retreat or tele-class. Find a friend or an on-line community
to help you feel less alone. Trust your inner knowing — it is
there, truly reliable and loving. All you have to do is quiet
down enough to listen.
To repeat an old, overused cliché, America is facing an epidemic. This epidemic has been rising steadily through the 1980s and 1990s and now has reached an alarmingly high rate. At least, that’s the impression one would get from the popular media over the past twenty years or so. Browsing the bookshelves, one can find a range of titles including What to Expect When You’re Experiencing Infertility, 50 Essential Things to Do When the Doctor Says It’s Infertility and I Got Pregnant, You Can Too: How Healing Yourself Physically, Mentally and Spiritually Leads to Fertility. All seem to suggest the same thing: you can overcome infertility if you follow the right advice.
For women and couples facing the stressful decision of which treatments to try, these books and magazine articles can be confusing and misleading. How do couples decide what to believe and what to dismiss as media scaremongering? How important are those magazines on the supermarket shelf? What about the advice of doctors? Family? Friends?
Despite media reports, the overall prevalence of infertility in the US has remained stable for nearly a century. In the popular press however, journalists talk about it as an epidemic racing out of control. Popular magazines present it as the price women have paid for their liberation, for establishing careers and seeking sexual pleasure. They refer to endometriosis as “the career woman’s disease” because it occurs in women aged 25-40 who have not had children.
I could not discuss how women choose ‘treatments’ and whether to have them, unless I first mention what these ‘treatments’ are. I am often hesitant to use the word ‘treatment’ since there is nothing that treats infertility in the sense of curing it. What fertility-related technologies do offer is the hope of temporary or short-term relief, hopefully long enough to achieve conception. The treatments couples may choose range from Clomid, a fertility drug, often the first treatment tried and the least expensive, sometimes called the “Valium of Infertility”; to Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) and more expensive techniques such as In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). As treatments become more expensive (a single live birth using IVF can cost between $40,000 - 70,000), they also become more time consuming, carrying with them higher risks of adverse side effects. Possible side effects include a higher chance of miscarriage and hyperstimulation of the ovaries, which can lead to multiple births. Treatments also disrupt one’s regular routine; many women quit work to avoid prying questions from co-workers. Since it places such a major psychological strain on daily life, the decision to try a treatment is not one to be taken lightly by a couple.
Choosing between fertility treatments or where to receive treatment is even harder when one considers the range of information available and the conflicting statistics about success rates for each. Figures range from a less than 20% to as much as 50% chance of achieving a pregnancy, depending on which treatment or combination of treatments you try. Searching on the Internet, one finds statistics from a live delivery rate with IVF that can go from 5.3% to 25%. The rates given in the glossy brochures or made available on the Internet are often very different to the figures used in everyday communication with the patients. Doctors give the impression that one’s chances increase after multiple attempts. They seem to be quite happy to let the patients go on to the next treatment, happily believing the odds will be greater this time.
With such a variety of ’success rates’ available, it is not surprising that studies of fertility treatments have repeatedly used the gambling metaphor to refer to chances of a live birth. Some couples seek alternatives such as adoption early in the treatment process. To opt out at such an early stage may be relatively unusual: it is hard to tell since it is quite difficult to locate women who have opted out. Many women and couples regard adoption as the end of the road when all else has failed. For most, it remains the back-up measure. Adoption also forces the would-be parents to consider whether it would be better to have a child that is related to them genetically at least 50% or not at all.
Many of these other couples find themselves caught in the “Jackpot syndrome”. Like the slot-machine addict who believes the next quarter will win a fortune, they convince themselves that the next attempt will be the one. One such couple finally gave up after 26 inseminations because they were drained, emotionally and financially. Other couples have tried as many as two hundred fertility drug injections, all of which have failed, yet they cling to a fading belief that the next one has to work.
Often the woman will blame herself for an attempt’s failure. She will convince herself it failed because of something she ate or did; that long run, the party where she drank two glasses of wine. It is easy for doctors to say that infertility is “a couple problem” and that no one is to blame. That is of little comfort to the one person in the couple who does blame themselves and who feels extreme guilt, often the woman reacting to a number of factors around her that appear to make infertility the woman’s problem. Each monthly period brings with it another mourning period for another failed attempt and the child that never was, but still they refuse to give up.
Financial constraints are an important influence in the decision-making process, along with time, psychological and physical considerations, but the question here seems not to be, “How much can we afford, still leaving enough to provide for the baby when it is born?” Rather, some couples are asking, “What is the absolute maximum we can borrow?” This becomes a vicious ongoing cycle of “just one more try.” (Most couples believe their chances will improve with each consecutive attempt). They tell themselves they have nothing to lose and many misunderstand the chances of success, likening the odds to tossing a coin. Doctors apparently do little to discourage this naivete despite the fact that patients can only take losing out so many times.
Financial costs can often help to decide even whether to begin treatment, particularly for lower-working class and non-white women. Women may find that even if a physician accepts them as “suitable potential parents”, they are still unable to receive treatment because they cannot afford to meet the exorbitant costs. Buying a baby or the chance to have one does not come at a price readily available to all and insurance companies can be very reluctant to help, a source of great frustration for doctors and couples alike.
Adoption may be considered parallel to or separately from other treatments. If IVF or AI fails, there is the reassurance of the adoption process. There is also the small risk that you may finalize adoption plans and simultaneously discover that you have conceived. Some women consider adoption as an alternative to the pain and heartache of repeated failed treatments.
Some say that they just know when it is time to move on, either to another treatment, to adoption or to turn their back on any dreams of a child. Most women need to feel a sense of closure, to know that one period of their lives is definitely over and that they are free to move ahead. A woman eventually reaches the stage where she says “enough is enough” and puts an end to treatments for a variety of reasons: financial difficulties, problems at work, being tired of repeated medical consultations that intrude into and take over her personal life. The time comes to decide what the woman or the couple really wants. Do you want to be fertile or be a parent? Modern western society continues to look upon women who opt not to have children as somehow deviant, or in denial. A woman who decides at the age of twenty-three that she wants children is not challenged; she is “normal” and there is no question that she knows her own mind. A woman of the same age who decides the opposite can not know what she is saying.
Choosing infertility treatments is often much harder than choosing any other form of medical treatment. Trial results remain vague and inconclusive, as do details of side effects. Meanwhile, financial and psychological costs are usually much higher than most women could anticipate. Cultural, religious and family values are also important considerations to be borne in mind. If the media works more closely with the medical professions, they can represent infertility more accurately. This would help break down some of the cultural barriers and stigmas. The language of infertility is a language in itself. All women must have equal opportunities to comprehend this language. Poorer women and women of color in particular need easier access to the knowledge that will help them to make more informed decisions about treatments available to them.
Fiona Young-Brown is a Life Coach. Although she specializes in helping executive women lessen stress and reprioritize their lives, she has also worked extensively in the field of infertility reasearch. Find out more at http://www.fionayoungbrown.com/
On May 23, 2002, U.S. Customs Service and the Arizona Department of Public Safety served a search warrent at the Scottsdale offices of C. P. Direct, manufacterers of a penis enhancement pill called “Longitude.” Before the bust, C. P. Direct had sold more than $74 million worth of pills that it claimed would enlarge penises.
What prompeted the authorities to focus on the company was fueled in part by the company’s refusal to provide promised refunds to unhappy customers and fraudulent credit card billing practices.
Most customers who called the company’s toll-free line seeking to stop automatic monthly delivery of the product or to demand their money back, were unable to get through, and those who did were promised refunds that were never sent.
What is significant about the case of C. P. Direct is that they are the first of the big penis enlargement pill to be put out of business.
Although some say that C. P. Direct would still be in business had they not engaged in fraudulent credit card billing, their demise is a clear warning to the penis pill companies that authorities will no longer tolerate the fraud and deception that is so previlant with many of them.
Good riddance!
Van Whitsett is the author of numerous articles, both online and in the print media. Natural Male Enhancement is one of his websites.
Some people have specific color preferences while some people
also like only specific stones, and are energized by being
around them. Gemstone earrings exist so that people may be able
to select their jewelry based on their own preferences, and
customize their accessories according to their desires.
Experts in psychic phenomena believe that each gemstone stands
for something. Certain stones perform certain functions, or
encourage a specific aspect of one’s personality. For example,
wearing garnet is said to help ease the pain of a bad breakup,
or cause jealousy between lovers. Amethyst is said to protect
its wearer against the ill effects of alcohol, slow down
intoxication and prevent hangovers. Turquoise is said to give
emotional strength. Jade has always had enormous importance in
Asian civilization; it is said to have the mystical power to
protect its wearer against nightmares and other psychic attacks.
Diamond — currently the hardest mineral known to man — is said
to stand for strength and purity, which is why it is in demand
in gemstone earrings among both men and women. Emeralds are said
to stand for harmony, strength of heart, and luck with love.
Emeralds themselves are rare, and the extremely rare red emerald
is said to be even more valuable than diamonds. Sapphires stand
for wisdom, calm and faith. Finally, rubies stand for passion,
excitement, loyalty and sexual pleasure.
Gemstone earrings may also stand for birth months, as some
precious and semi-precious stones are also birthstones. The
different birthstones per month are listed thus:
* January - Garnet * February - Amethyst * March - Aquamarine
or Bloodstone * April - Diamond * May - Emerald * June - Pearl,
Moonstone or Alexandrite * July - Ruby * August - Peridot or
Sardonyx * September - Sapphire * October - Opal or Tourmaline *
November - Topaz * December - Turquoise, Zircon or Blue Topaz
Different gemstone earrings may lend strength to different
aspects of an individual’s personality. Whether or not a person
believes in the mythical and supernatural characteristics and
powers associated with these stones, wearing gemstone earrings
nevertheless may feel like the wearer has on a tangible part of
his or her personality that looks good, as well.
Here’s a question that I’ve addressed many times.
Why is it that some people can eat what they want and still not gain an ounce yet I just think about certain foods and gain weight? I have a close friend that eats all he wants and always looks trim and fit and it just drives me crazy.
That’s an excellent question and requires a lot for me to say so here goes. First of all join the club as I’m in the category of gaining weight/body fat just by thinking about crispy cream doughnuts. I also have a buddy around 37 years old that has always eaten what ever he wants and still looks fit and trim.
This issue raises questions on what looks good and is actually healthy, genetics, and so on: I’ll tackle the genetics first because I’m no expert in the science of genetics. But plain and simple some people gain weight or lose weight easier than others. No different than how some people can run 100 meters in less than 11 seconds, dunk a basketball or hit a baseball 500 feet. Some people have it and some people don’t. So with that in mind are you doomed for failure? Absolutely not! As I said before I’m in your category of gaining body fat just by thinking about junk food but that hasn’t stopped me from reaching my goals and the many people I’ve worked with. The key is not making excuses for yourself and finding what works best for you. If your buddy can eat what ever he wants then good for him but you have to live by different rules. Yes you will have to work a little harder but that is life. You may also find (as I have) that as you get older those people that had it easy (eating whatever they want and not exercising) find it much harder as they get older.
What makes it even harder for them is the bad habits they developed from not having to do the right things their whole life. Here are a few examples of this:
I trained a 38 year old woman who never exercised and ate whatever she wanted up until age 34 or 35. She looked amazing and always had an amazing figure. Her life drastically changed when she was hit by a car. From the injuries and depression after the accident she gained lots of weight and was now in a position that she couldn’t do what ever she wanted. In working with her I found that her biggest obstacle was just changing her habits from eating whatever she wanted and not exercising to being disciplined with diet and exercise. She would talk to me about the days when she could fit into a two piece while never worrying about what she ate and whether she exercised or not. She told me her favorite exercise was walking to get her favorite chocolate. It wasn’t until she became disciplined that she began to make progress but it was very difficult as being slim and trim always came easy to her.
Another example is my buddy who has always eaten what he’s wanted and never exercised but still managed to be an amazing athlete and always looked slim and trim. Although he’s still trim he’s starting to develop a little pot belly and his health and conditioning isn’t what it used to be. Because he’s so gifted I like to challenge him to 400 meter races every now and then sort of as a measuring stick for myself. The last race we had he won again but after he was curled up on the floor and felt like throwing up. And although he looks healthy his conditioning is terrible and his cholesterol and triglycerides are very high. I always talk to him about what an amazing specimen he’d be if he followed a sound diet and exercised. I can almost guarantee he’d not have high cholesterol and triglycerides and certainly wouldn’t have that pot belly.
My last example is of a friend I grew up with that played professional baseball for the Twins, Mariners and Reds. He did love to exercise growing up but kept a terrible diet even when he became a pro baseball player. One day I get a call from him wanting to hire me as a personal trainer. When I meet with him he’d put on over 30 pounds and it wasn’t all muscle. He explained that he couldn’t drop the weight because he didn’t know where to start and was just so use to eating fast foods his whole life. Thankfully we got him set up with a good nutritionist and he was able to drop those unwanted pounds. The hardest part was breaking those old habits though.
So the moral of this story is that just because it looks good doesn’t mean its so. There is a big list of people out there that look good yet are not healthy. Just take a look at many professional bodybuilders. Yeah they have all those bulging muscles and low body fat levels but if you look at some of their lab results there is cancer, heart attacks, liver disease and much more just waiting to happen from all the abuse of steroids.
Sad thing is that we live in a society where many times looks are all that’s important.
World famous personal training expert, Juan Carlos Santana of IHPFIT.com said it best: “95% of people I work with just want to look good in that red dress or bathing suit. They would even take feeling like crap if it meant that they looked good.” Sad but true man… Sad but true.
I challenge you to aim for more man. Aim for health because the best wealth is health. So let your buddy follow his own path and you continue on the path of health and wellness which by the way will help you look good too.
For over 12 years Virgil has helped numerous people from all walks of life reach their strength & health related goals. His career highlights include working as a strength & conditioning/baseball coach for the New York Mets Instructional Baseball Academy, serving as an assistant with the WNBA New York Liberty’s strength & conditioning staff and creating the Ultimate Stair Exercises DVD set & Book http://www.StairExercises.com which has sold in 6 countries. Currently Virgil continues to teach, train clients and is releasing a new DVD series entitled GetFit Anywhere http://www.GetFitAnywhere.net. Subscribe to his free health & fitness journal at: http://www.GivStrength.com.
One of my least desirable feelings is being hung over. I’ve been there so many times as a partying teenager and young adult that by the time I turned 21 I was sick of alcohol. I was sick of waking up and reaching for the Advil and making sure I had the right amount of water by my bedside every weekend. I had the perfect remedy and routine down for relieving the morning after aches and pains. That’s when I knew things could be much better.
I remember when my friend Lisa took me out for my 21st birthday to celebrate. By this time, I had been hitting the bars for years as a clever under-age drinker with a busy night-life. Nothing out of the ordinary, as most people my age were into partying. I looked older, my friends were older and I could get into whatever bar I wanted to.
On my birthday I ordered an obnoxiously large and strong cocktail. A long Island Iced Tea to be exact. This is a potent blend of ALL the white liquors with a splash of coca-cola and sour mix. I got so sick I spent the rest of the afternoon in the car while my friend continued to enjoy our shopping plans.
The point is, I didn’t really want the drink. I just thought that’s what you did on your 21st birthday to celebrate. Sound familiar?
Our ways of experiencing fun, pleasure and letting ourselves be “bad” are so limited. They usually including drinking too much, eating in excess and putting our body through stress. There’s got to be a better way.
Training Your Inner Bad Girl
You have an inner bad girl and she is chomping at the bit. In fact, she can’t wait to party with you. You know, there’s nothing like a special occasion to give us an excuse to pull up a chair to the buffet.
Let’s get one thing clear. You do have an inner bad girl. If you don’t train her she will school you. This can be fun at times, right? You get to relax and let it all hang out and let someone else run the show. In this day-and-age of doing so much, it can be a relief.
Here are common ways she likes to make herself known:
- Just when you’re feeling really great, she tries to sabotage your health efforts with large amounts of chocolate eating
- When you feel bored she likes to raid the fridge and look for something. And no matter what you eat or drink, you never feel satisfied
- When it comes to fun, the things she immediately goes for is cocktails, sugar, recreational drugs and anything that relieves the inner pressure
- She likes for you to stay out too late and eat/drink too much when you’ve got big plans the next day / in the coming week
- She’s the one that say’s “what the hell, I’m already off track, might as well…
You know what I’m talking about. She likes to party, she likes to stir things up and her actions generally results in some sort of imbalance. Guess what? That’s okay. I believe it’s ALWAYS better to consciously binge than unconsciously binge. So let’s acknowledge her. (By the way, she loves to be acknowledged.) My point is to raise your awareness and give you some new options to experiment with.
So why do we look to food and drink as medicine and entertainment? Here’s my two cents as to why we let our inner bad girl have her way with us:
1.) It’s usually way more fun than whatever is going on in your life
2.) You’re life could be a bit juicier and for the moment, your binge looks more exciting than your reality
3.) Something’s bothering you and you may not want to feel it fully
4.) There’s an unmet need in your primary food. (Primary food is anything that feeds you, but doesn’t come on a plate. Things like kisses, hugs, movement, hobbies, great conversation, intimacy, feeling connected, fulfilling sex, work you enjoy, a spiritual life, feeling accepted, etc…)
5.) Lack of awareness around your options to party, have fun, feel connected, blow off steam without messing with your body
6.) You have waited too long to do something nice for yourself. You’ve reached a point of exhaustion / overload / over-stimulation / over-stressed / burned out / etc… In this place it is nearly impossible to think clearly and come up with new ideas.
7.) We all have a natural desire for expansion, lightness and bliss. You get to choose how you get yourself to feel that way.
NOTE THIS: You need to anticipate your inner desires to be bad instead of waiting for them to bite you in the bum.
It’s like being at a good restaurant and they know what you’ll need before you ask for it. You might be thirsty with your spicy meal and the refreshing glass of water arrives before you think of it. You’ll crave a sweet flavor after a meal so the dessert menus arrive before you have time to ponder if you want it. This feels so great when your server is anticipating your desires. You can relax and trust in the flow of the evening.
In my life, I’m all about balance. I’m a libra (the sign of balance), in Ayurvedic Medicine my body type is a Pitta (the body type of balance, moderation and keeping our fire in check), as a little girl I had a keen eye for what was fair and what wasn’t and I’ve even been known to take extreme measures to regain my balance. Generally, I’m really into balance and it’s no wonder I help others achieve their version of balance for a living. That being said, please don’t get me wrong, I am far from perfect.
In fact, my inner bad girl likes to show up too! I actually get bored when things are too balanced. My relationship is going well, then I’ll stir it up and cause some friction. I get bored doing only one type of exercise, so I’ll quit all together unless I mix it up and try new things. Basically, what I have to watch for is trying to find a problem to sink my teeth into where there really isn’t one. I’ve got a fiery woman in me and my inner bad girl always wants to play.
Solution: I give her something to do and she leaves me alone. After all, it can be oh so good to be bad.
It’s Good to Be Bad
Giving your inner bad girl something to do and anticipating her desires is key to really enjoying getting healthy. Otherwise, how will your inner health goddess ever stand a chance against Miss Baddy Bad-ass who likes to be a little naughty and mess with your health efforts. There’s only one way. Throw your inner bad girl some attention and give her something to chomp on.
When struggling to exercise, spice it up and invite your inner bad girl. She can be really inspiring and can make the un-fun, a really good time. For example:
Can’t seem to get off your couch to exercise? Find your movement edge.
- Been thinking about yoga? Get a yoga for couples video and do it naked with your partner
- Bored with exercise? Sign up for a class that feels like an edge to you: latin dancing, rock climbing, Argentine tango lessons, hire a hunky personal trainer, African dance classes, etc…
Don’t get rid of your favorite party foods, upgrade!
- Love your chocolate? Get yourself the best you can buy, melt it and paint your breasts and ask your partner to help you with your chocolate cravings
- Serve aphrodisiac fruit smoothies at your next party by adding damiana herbal extract and chocolate syrup.
Work stressing you out? Build reserves of self-care.
- I’ve started taking Monday’s off and every week I get to feel like I’m being bad. Everyone else is working and I’m off pretending it’s Sunday.
- Go ahead, take a day off from work when you feel GOOD vs. only when you feel like you absolutely need it.
- Delete some emails for the hell of it.
We purchase reserves of computer paper, paper towels and toilet paper. Why not build a reserve of self-care? It’s like credit in the Bank of You. When stressful times hit, you are far less reactive if you’ve been taking care of yourself. This stops the cycle of only taking great care of yourself when you’re sick and run down. And that is an expensive way to live.
Feeling the pressure? Squeeze some life back into your Primary Food.
- Take a relationship course with your partner because things are going well
- Throw a get together for no reason and have everyone bring food and drinks and create activities or theme that doesn’t revolve around boozing it up. Sure have some cocktails! Also use your creative thinking to create connection without (or less) alcohol. If you need an idea, check out the book “The Bad Girl’s Guide to the Party Life.” It makes me laugh out loud at the party themes she comes up with.
- Get sexy with it and remember you are a woman. Listen to music that puts you in your feminine, create a spa evening, take yourself on a date, do something! Go on a pleasure diet for the love of Goddess!
- Have a fun and silly date with your partner or girlfriends — that is truly nourishing!
For me, I’ll create fun stuff to bypass Ms. Baddy Bad-Ass’s attempts to get some attention from me. And it is a discipline. Pleasure, joy, fun and living a juicy life is a discipline. Women are sp used to suffering, struggling and giving ourselves a hard time! Ugh! Let’s give it up and find joy in our self-care, eating well and moving our bodies!
The more zany, fun and exciting you can make your health pursuits be, the more likely you’ll want to stick with it and the less likely you’ll look to food and drink as entertainment and medication. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?
Karin Witzig of Wild Woman Wellness Health Coaching has been in a private practice and a Speaker in the New York metropolitan area for nearly five years and has a national clientele of courageous women breaking out of their food ruts and energy-lulls. She specializes in making getting healthy highly pleasurable, practical and fun. She can be reached via http://www.wildwomanwellness.com
Today’s bra is not only designed to make you feel pretty and
sexy, they are designed for comfort and practicality.
You can choose from an underwire bra for support or a bra
without underwire. Need some help with adding a little extra to
your bustline? Then choose a padded bra or a push up bra. Maybe
you’re lucky enough to have a little extra natural padding
already. You could then choose from a minimizer bra.
Not shy and would like to show off your bustline? Try a bra that
will show a little cleavage. You could even try an adhesive bra
which can be adjusted so it won’t show under any neckline.
Today’s new fashions sometimes call for a bra with special
straps. You could try an adjustable bra with straps which can be
worn far out on the shoulders or removed to be used as a
strapless bra. Maybe you like to wear halter tops. So, try a
halter bra.
Of course sometimes you just want a bra to make you feel pretty.
There are a wide variety of colors to choose: pink, lavender,
white, black, red, etc. Also, why not try a bra with lace trim
or ones made of silk or satin?
Most importantly, wear the bra that makes you feel most
comfortable.
Developing menopause symptoms before the age of forty are early signs of menopause. Such early menopause could be due to surgical removal of ovaries, chemotherapy treatment for cancer, or due to early failure of ovaries. You therefore experience early signs of menopause much before other women experience normal menopause symptoms.
Menopause symptoms remain the same in cases of early menopause or normal menopause. The most common and early signs of menopause is hot flushes with excessive sweating in the middle of the night. Few other early signs of menopause include:
- Disturbed sleep, irritability and associated tiredness
- Headaches and body aches
- Memory loss and depression
- Vaginal dryness and infections in urinary tract
- Lack of sexual urge and arousal
These early signs of menopause occur due to hormonal imbalances. Although you cannot fight against such early signs of menopause, you can minimize the inherent risks due to such hormonal imbalances. Common fall out of lack of hormones is decreased bone density leading to thinning of bones or osteoporosis. You are therefore at a greater risk of fractures due to early signs of menopause. Sometimes it also increases chances of heart attacks.
How to combat Early Signs of Menopause
You can reduce or sometimes nullify early signs of menopause by adopting a healthier life style. Include many whole grains, fresh vegetables like leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, etc., variety of fruits like citrus fruits, apples, berries, plums, etc. in your daily diet. Consume low fat diary products with high calcium content to compensate for the loss of calcium due to onset of the early signs of menopause.
Phytoestrogens are the estrogens available in plant food. Include more of soybeans, tofu, linseed bread, and legumes as these phytoestrogen rich foods can replenish your depleting estrogen levels due to early signs of menopause. Drink around eight glasses of water every day and reduce intake of caffeine products like coffee, tea, etc. to negate the effects of early signs of menopause. Limited consumption of alcohol, less than a glass each day, proves very helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Eating small portions of lean meat, fish, or chicken many times in a week supplies more iron to your body, as early signs of menopause are often the result of lack of sufficient iron levels in your body. Vegetarians can substitute these with increased consumption of leafy vegetables and fruits to keep early signs of menopause at bay.
Another major factor helping in the smooth transition through your early signs of menopause is daily physical exercises for a minimum of half an hour. Brisk walking, dancing, and other simple exercises keep your bones healthy, prevent bone loss, reduce weight gain, improve your heart condition, and develop your overall health. A positive and optimistic approach towards life also helps maintain your balance.
Jodie Phillips is the owner of several Women’s Health-related websites at http://cosmetic-dentistry.gaodr.com and she shares her knowledge and research on Women’s Health in a series of articles.
