2 Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Ban corn syrup and hydrogenated oils from your home and you will see your body slim down to it's ideal body weight.

Corn Syrup/High Fructose Corn Syrup - Corn syrup is an inexpensive and addictive sweetener that interferes with your brains ability to recognize fat, thus immobilizing your body's natural system to tell you to stop eating.  You are likely to consume larger amounts then needed of anything containing this substance, creating an end result of excess weight gain.  As you start reading labels you'll be surprised to find corn syrup in almost everything you buy.  Make a conscious decision not to eat foods with corn syrup in them and you will make healthier food choices and put your body back in control of regulating how much you eat.


Hydrogenated Oils/Partially Hydrogenated Oils - Hydrogenated oils are made by adding hydrogen to an oil, this is great for increasing the shelf life of a product, but terrible for your body.  Your body uses healthy oils such olive oil and fats founds in nuts for the health of your brain and other organs.  But when an oil is hydrogenated it loses it's "healthy" properties.  The body doesn't recognize it and is unable to use it, so it gets stored in the body as excess weight.  Eliminate consuming this unnecessary fat and watch your body weight slim down.

Everything is an Affirmation

Are you affirming a positive life or a negative life?

Every thought you think

Word you speak

Action you take

Is an affirmation of your life.

What you affirm in life creates the life you are experience.

If you want a different life - affirm the life you want.

By Carolyn Flynn

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is the key to healing your life."

-- Carolyn Flynn

Be the sunshine in your life

"Be the sunshine in your life"

-- Carolyn Flynn

Daily Affirmation: Arms

I lovingly hold and embrace my experiences with ease and with joy.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Daily Affirmation: Apathy

It is safe to feel.
I open myself to life.
I am willing to experience life.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Daily Affirmation: Anxiety

I love and approve of myself and I trust the process of life.
I am safe.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Beautiful Earth

"Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God."

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Romantic Poetry

Daily Affirmation: Alcoholism

I live in the now.
Each moment is new.
I choose to see my self-worth.
I love and approve of myself.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

The Gift of Solitude

"Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves."
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

More Self Nurturing Ideas

Daily Affirmation: Allergies

The world is safe and friendly.
I am safe.
I am at peace with life.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Challenge Yourself

"Above all, challenge yourself.
  You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish."

-Cecile M. Springer

Accomplish More

Daily Affirmation: Aging Problems

I love and accept myself at every age.
Each moment in life is perfect.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Massage to Feel Good

"There are two things that women do to feel better -- 

two quick fixes: a new hair color and eating.

A massage would be better."

-Sinikka Lasater

More Self Nurturing Ideas

Daily Affirmation: Acne

I am a Divine expression of life.
I love and accept myself where I am right now.
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

The Benefits of Water

 

Drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the human body:

2 glasses of water after waking up -  helps activate internal organs 

1 glass of water  30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

-source of information and photos unknown
(Information received by email. Facts have not been verified.)

Daily Affirmation: Addictions

"I now discover how wonderful I am.
I choose to love and enjoy myself."
- Louise Hay

More Positive Affirmations

Healthy Living: Weight Loss and Memory Improvement

photo by emdot

Recently a friend shared with me a new weight loss program he was on; but what fascinated me the most, was the core concept of variation and keeping the mind guessing were the same concepts I had heard applied to the prevention of memory loss and Alzheimer's disease. Below are the details and more ideas on keeping your body and mind healthy.

The Wende Diet:
A variation on the Weight Watchers diet created by a lady who did not lose any weight following the Weight Watchers program.

For each week have one day where you eat 10 points more, and one day where you eat 10 points less following the Weight Watchers diet point system. (The point system and other resources are listed at the end of this article.)

The concept is that by varying your calorie intake throughout the week you keep your body and mind guessing, without putting it into starvation mode, keeping your body and mind active and alert thereby keeping your body from plateauing, and helping it to find your body's natural ideal weight for you.

This same concept can be applied to exercise and driving patterns. By creating variation in your exercise routine, and the routes that you travel to get to your usual destinations you are keeping your mind stimulated. It presents new information and stimulus for your brain to process keeping your mind active and alert. Keeping your mind active and alert by doing and learning new things is a key prevention to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

I am a strong believer that if you want to stay young and healthy observe and follow the patterns of children:

• Use your Imagination
• Have Variety in your Friends and Activities
• Balance Work and Play
• Look at the World with Fresh Eyes
• See Life as a Great Adventure

Adding variety and creativity to all areas of your life will help you achieve a happy, healthy mind and body.

RELATED LINKS:
* Please note this blog in no way endorses Weight Watchers, but provides the following links as resources that may be of benefit to my readers. There are many weight reduction programs available, please choose the lifestyle pattern that is most beneficial for you. *

Peer Trainer Overview of the Weight Watcher program and offers a variety of helpful resources and information

Peer Trainer article excerpt:
How Many Weight Watchers Points Per Day Am I Alloted?

This is just a rough guide. You'll need to attend a meeting to find an accurate daily points target that meets your own needs and profile.
less than 150 pounds 18-23 daily points
150 to 174 pounds 20-25 daily points
175 to 199 pounds 22-27 daily points
200 to 224 pounds 24-29 daily points
225 to 249 pounds 26-31 daily points
250 to 274 pounds 28-33 daily points
275 to 299 pounds 29-34 daily points
300 to 324 pounds 30-35 daily points
325 to 349 pounds 31-36 daily points
more than 350 pounds 32-37 daily points

Weight Watchers Points Calculator
Weight Watchers Food Lists Food List with Weight Watchers points
Weight Watchers
FitDay Free Diet and Weight Loss Journal
Self Free Calculators and Programs for Good Health
Shape Free Fitness Tools and Programs for Good Health

Fine Dining At Home: Tuscan Chicken

photo by Neeta Lind

Fine dining at home doesn't have to be expensive or a lot of work. A simple recipe can easily be turned into an elegant evening by adding pretty placements or a lace tablecloth. Light some candles and play some soft music and your dining room is now ready to serve it's guests. By spending a few moments beautifying yourself, your table, and your meal you will relax, savor the pleasure of your meal, and increase the enjoyment of your dining experience. Whether you are dining alone or with company spend the time to create a beautiful eating experience.

Below is a variation on Tuscan Chicken that I created.

Tuscan Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (boneless skinless)
Garlic Cloves (aprx 1 bulb per chicken breast)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (aprx 1/4 cup per chicken breast)
Italian Seasoning
Celery Salt (optional)
Ground Mustard (optional)
Spinach
Red Bell Pepper


Pasta or Potatoes
Salad
French Bread

Slice the garlic cloves in half and place cut side up in a baking dish. (Garlic powder can be substituted and added with the other seasonings, but fresh garlic is better.) Score chicken and place on top of the garlic. Liberally pour olive oil over the chicken, be generous if you are going to serve your chicken over pasta. (The excess will become your pasta sauce.) Lightly cover the chicken with your seasonings: Italian seasoning, Celery Salt, and Ground Mustard or your favorite poultry seasoning. Celery Salt and Ground Mustard are optional, but will add a rich flavor when added. Next cover the chicken with generous portions of spinach, and garnish with red bell pepper circular slices. Cover and cook.

This dish may be prepared up to 24-hours prior to baking. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to place in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for one hour. The chicken should be soft and tender. This dish may be cooked up to an hour longer, check at 20-minute intervals for tenderness.

Prepare your pasta as directed on the package. Put the cooked pasta in a serving dish or on individual platters. Artistically place the chicken breasts on top of the pasta and drizzle the excess seasoned olive oil sauce over the chicken-pasta combination. Serve with a salad and French bread and your favorite beverage.


For a variation serve the Tucson chicken next to a side of potatoes instead of over pasta.

Enjoy!!

Healthy Eating: Cool Food Facts

A friend emailed me the following food facts and they are so fascinating I wanted to share them with you. Knowing the direct relationship of how food affects our body can help with making healthy food choices.

I apologize I do not know the original source of the information or the photos.


A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.




A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.





Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.




A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3-dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.



Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.



Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.



Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).



Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.




Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycerin index of diabetics.




Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries




Grapefruits, Oranges, and Other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.



Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes


-Original Source Unknown-