Do you find yourself constantly yawning while working, having trouble concentrating with the task at hand, or even having difficulty remembering certain things? This may be a signal to show that you are sleep deprived and it’s time to make some changes to your life.

An average person spends 1/3 of his life sleeping and this is estimated to be around 25 years in a life span of 75 years. The amount of sleep needed for humans differs at different stages of our life. For example, a newborn baby needs at least 18 hours of sleep per day, whereas an adult needs only 7-8 hours.

I am proud to say that nowadays, I sleep 7.5 hours a day; going to bed by 11pm and waking up at 630am and I tell you, this has definitely changed my life for the better. I feel younger and more energized. My days are more productive as I have more time to complete my work and I am able to focus more. And here’s the best part—I seldom fall sick! It has been such a long time since my last visit to the doctor (though I can’t say that I missed him) and being healthy and full of vigor is really a wonderful feeling.

Healthy sleep is crucial in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Many people may think that sleep is a waste of time and sleep as little as possible. But on the contrary, sleep is an important time of rest and it rejuvenates the body and our minds in many different ways. As a matter of fact, when you get less than 6-7 hours of sleep daily, you are at a higher risk of harming your body by developing diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and other damaging effects. However, sleeping too much (9 hours and more) causes harm to your body too as it will weaken your sleep system. Thus you may still feel lethargic and tired the next morning even after a long nap. What you need is healthy sleep.

Healthy sleeping means that you need to get deep restorative sleep. This is when the brain attempts to recover and restore you immune system.

Sleeping healthily has many benefits. And here’s a few of them: reduce stress, more alertness, higher memory retention, helps the body repair itself (your cells produce more proteins when you are asleep), and it can also help you lose weight! So here are some tips to help you get the rest you need!

1. Create a good sleeping environment

One of the ways to deepen your sleep is to create a suitable sleeping environment. Make your bed comfortable for sleeping and use it for sleep ONLY! Don’t use your bed to do your work or worst, have your meals there. Our bodies are used to routines, thus, if you tend to use your bed for other purposes, it takes a longer time for your body to relax and fall asleep at night. Also, make sure to keep the surrounding noise level down. Too much noise will cause distraction and make it harder to fall asleep. If you really can’t help with the noise, using ear plugs might do the job (however, don’t forget to wake up on time!)

2. Have a sleeping routine

As I said before, the body is accustomed to routines. Thus, make sure you have a consistent sleeping routine; meaning that you sleep and wake up at a consistent timings everyday. If you normally sleep and wake up at erratic timings, using this method might be a little hard getting used to, but definitely not impossible. After the first week or so, your body clock will start to adapt well to your routine and you’ll start to see amazing results after that.

3. Be conscious of what you eat

Try to avoid consuming any stimulus that keeps you awake (i.e. caffeine, nicotine) at least 6 hours before you sleep. This can interrupt your sleeping time when you go to bed at night. Instead of drinking caffeinated drinks, try drinking something warm like milk, or a chocolate drink, or even plain water will do. Also, do make an effort to minimize your food intake (especially fatty and rick food) during dinner times. This is because these kinds of food take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may again, disrupt your sleeping pattern.

4. Exercise regularly

To put it simply, exercising makes it easier to fall asleep, and what is more, you will tend to sleep better. You don’t need to exercise vigorously to get that effect, but just 20-30 minutes of the activity 3 times a week is enough to send you to la-la land, getting the right kind of sleep.

So start adjusting your sleep pattern today! There is no need to take big giant steps, but start by taking little ones such as not pressing the snooze button when the alarm rings. Just gradually make little changes to your sleeping routine and you will be surprised by how big it transforms your life for the better.

I’m sure many of you have heard your mum have said at one point of time to “Eat your breakfast!” And for all that its worth, her naggings held a very valid point—breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.

Glucose is the main source of energy for the brain and thus, it goes without saying that a continuous supply of glucose is needed to enhance the brain’s performance which includes improving one’s concentration, mental performance and memory.

As the name “breakfast” suggest—to break fast, it is vital that you should NOT skip breakfast. This is simply because the brain has been derived of ‘food’ during the time when you were asleep. Thus, if you carry out your activities without first having breakfast, you are essentially performing below your normal potential. Studies have revealed that having meals first thing in the morning helps to replenish blood glucose levels in the brain. Forgoing your breakfast often leads to poor concentration, irritability, and a high craving for food during the meals taken after that. This, more often than not, leads to overeating and weight gain.

In actual fact, if you are trying to shed some pounds, you should never skip breakfast. Control your diet by eating smaller meals and healthy snacks rather than having to resort to skipping meals. Ironically, if you are trying to diet, you can start off by having a healthy breakfast everyday as this will decrease the tendency to overeat for subsequent meals.

Also, if you have kids at home, make sure that they have their breakfast before heading off to school as research has shown that children who eat a good breakfast do better than those who do not.

Excuses like ‘not enough time’ and ‘too complicated to make’ are not good enough reasons for skipping the most important meal. Making a healthy breakfast is as simply as having a glass of milk, fruits (which you could have prepared the night before), and cereal (which simply comes out from the box!).

Here are some breakfast tips:

1. A healthy breakfast consists of a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats, and fiber. Protein can come from meat, eggs, beans or soy products, whereas fiber can be found in whole grain cereals, or in fruits. So mix and match these food groups when having your meal.

2. Prepare your breakfast the night before. You could always pack your fruits in a ready-to-go container the night before or even prepare a mini breakfast box to bring to work the next day if you do not have time to do so in the morning.

3. Eat last night’s leftovers. Another easy solution to not having enough time to prepare for your breakfast.

4. Eat mindfully. Be it just 5 minutes or more, try and enjoy your breakfast. If you rush to have your breakfast, you won’t really feel like you had a meal. You don’t have to sit still and just focus on eating, but rather, just relax while having your breakfast instead of just wolfing it down.

So start eating your breakfast today! As someone once said, “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.” Never discount the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So have a blast while you’re eating it!

The ADD diet has sprung from a diagnostic label given to people on treatment for significant problem in mainly four areas of their lives which are Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity and Boredom. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADD comes in numerous forms. It is a medical condition reached due to genetic disorder that results in certain neurological differences affecting one or more parts of the brain which creates different profiles of people. It’s a condition which normally grips children although adults don’t escape its clutches.

The child in state of ADD behaves and deciphers differently from those not in this state as he has problems at school regarding attention, learning, temper control etc. Such kids go through hell controlling and analyzing their own behavior and trying to work it out, when what they actually suffer from are structural brain injuries provided by their mother’s past behaviors. Hence, use of drugs or alcohol by a pregnant lady is immensely dangerous to the developing baby. It cannot be attributed to bad parenting or willful disobedience of the child.

There are a few characteristics of this disease which make it easy to identify ADD victims.

If a kid is showing over- activity or high levels of restlessness or he gets easily bored and much too often at that, then it may signal ADD.

If these signs start coming up before the age of seven.

There have been a lot of psychological as well as other treatments for ADD. One of them is having the right diet. How? You wonder…well, for one thing that your diet reflects your mood. Sounds fair? It is!! To make sure try eating something which you completely dislike for breakfast, what follows is you being all groggy and grumpy for the rest of the day. But imagine what wonders it would do if you happen to eat your favorite stuff first in the morning! To keep ADD victims happy is what this diet aims at. This diet plan starts with instructions of what not to eat for the first two weeks.

No dairy products. (especially cow’s milk)

No yellow foods. (corn, squash etc)

No junk foods.

No fruit juices.

Cut sugar intake by 90%.

Cut chocolate by 90%.

No nutrasweet.

No processed meats.

Cut fried foods by 90%.

Avoid food colorings.

After two weeks add these foods back into your diet, till you see some kind of a “reaction” within four days. The reaction may vary from huge red splotches to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If this happens stop eating that food if no enjoy!! The diet plan recommends:

For breakfast serve high protein, low carbohydrate meals.

Protein supplements

Mineral supplements

Flax seed or primrose oil.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Eat healthy avoiding aluminum exposure and reduce ADD symptoms to lead a joyous life!

Am I missing something here? If I am, someone please email me and tell me. But, the shape of you and every person in America tells me I am not missing the boat at all. However, sometimes like today I sure feel someone in my industry and in the medical industry is really off the real issue, and not intending on getting back any time soon.

The big question I have is this, “With all the articles on the internet now, with all the
equipment, diets and gimmicks out there, why are you and America getting fatter,
more depressed and suffer from preventable diseases every day?”

Diabetes and Obesity are going to weigh down America until it breaks, not including
what the health care costs will be.

All the fitness people, doctor’s and so called experts (my peers) want and think they
should tell you how to count calories, what piece of equipment is better than the
other, and what diet plan is best. While these all are necessities, THEY ARE MISSING
THE BIGGER PROBLEM! God knows there are enough of programs out there.

Harder road, dodging a bullet, denial, pride, lazy maybe all the above are the
reasons, but the best way to help you is not with numbers charts, how much weight
or which exercise works best. THIS IS NOT WORKING PEOPLE, CAN’T YOU SEE?

The problem of the health of America lies in your approach. You are not exercising
for some reason. You lose your motivation two months into a workout plan, why?
This is behavioral not charts. Yes, it is the harder road, but the only road for you to
be successful. Until you realize this, until my peers realize this, you and everyone
else will continue down a path of depression, destruction and delusion.

Here are the five steps for a successful weight loss plan:

Determine HOW you are motivated

Determine the REASONS behind the unwanted behaviors

Develop a great support system

Eat for fuel not for taste

Keep being active

Quote:

While exercise and eating guidelines are based on good scientific principles, they do
not necessarily agree with human nature or common sense. Recent history tells us
that we are better off encouraging the mediocre people who are willing to include
exercise in their daily lives, rather than cramming guidelines down the majority of
those who want to fight the inevitable. In the end, keeping things simple and in a
supportive situation will keep everyone happy.

“Just Move It!”

Grocery shopping is something we all have to do, even
though choosing the right foods can be very hard
indeed. To assist you with your healthy grocery
shopping, the tips below can indeed help make things
easier than ever before:

1. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

2. Select canned fruits and tuna that are packed in
water, not oil or syrup.

3. Look at the labels for the words “hydrogenated”
or “partially hydrogenated”. The earlier you see
them appear on the list, the higher the amount of
unhealthy trans fatty acids the food will contain.

4. Don’t buy turkey with the skin on it, and if
you plan to buy chicken – buy a chicken breast
meal.

5. When you select frozen dinners, select those
that are not only low in fat, but low in sodium
and cholesterol as well.

6. If you aren’t consuming enough dairy products,
go with calcium fortified orange juice instead.

7. Go for whole grain breads, cereals, and rolls.

8. Give cantaloupe a try. With just 95 calories,
half of the melon will provide more than a day’s
supply of Vitamin C and beta carotene.

9. Don’t be tricked into buying yogurt covered
by nuts or raisins, as the coating is normally
made of sugar and partially hydrogenated oils.

10. Get some of the low fat treats, such as
pretzels, ginger snaps, and angel food cake.

By following the above tips when grocery shopping,
you’ll avoid the bad foods and get those that you
need. There are many different healthy foods at
the grocery store, all it takes is the will power
to go past the bad foods and on to the good ones.

A lot of studies and research has shown that kids
who eat breakfast perform better in school and
have a healthier diet. Eating breakfast will help
promote the proper growth and maximize school
performance as well.

Breakfast is often times a victim of the morning
time crunch. Even though you may be tempted to
skip breakfast, you can simplify your morning
routine by following these 8 tips:

1. Finish homework and pack school bags
at night.
2. Decide on what your children will
wear to school before you go to bed and locate
lost shoes for the following day.
3. In the morning, get up 15 minutes
earlier.
4. Give up computer games and morning
television.
5. Have healthy foods on hand. You
should also shop for breakfast foods with your kids
and take into account their personal preferences.
6. Set the cereal out the night before.
For younger children, fill a zippered plastic bag
with her portion, then add the milk in the
morning.
7. Allow your children to use the
microwave often, as most breakfast foods can be
prepared in under 5 minutes.
8. Allow your kids to eat in the car or
on the way to school.

There are several foods that you can eat for
breakfast, even leftovers from supper if they
are sufficient. You can eat bagels, pizza with
fruit juice, pretzels, or the normal bacon and
eggs that breakfast is known for. Most foods are
a snap to prepare, and won’t take you but a
few minutes.

The next time you are in a hurry in the morning,
remember that you are probably about to skip the
most important meal of the day. If you follow the
tips above, you’ll find that you have plenty of
time for breakfast.

Health is wealth. By being physically fit, it can make a person look lean both inside and out.

There is a lot a person can do such jogging or walking in the morning, playing basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, the best thing to do will be to sign up and workout in a gym.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Physical exercise is beneficial because it helps maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death. It also makes a person feel happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety. It has also shown to make a person with an active lifestyle live longer than a person who doesn’t.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and make one either gain or lose weight.

A person who has never worked out before should do it gradually. Doing it too much for the first time can make one pull a muscle or have an injury making it worse. Endurance will never be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be good to the person.

Focusing on certain portion in the body can help make it improve. A good example is going to the gym and doing a workout more often in a specific area such as the abs can give one a chest pack.

But beauty is not only about having muscles which is what people can see. It is also about enhancing the beauty within.

Here are some things one can do everyday to stay beautiful and healthy;

· Reading books and other reading material more often keeps the mind sharp just like working out keeps the body in shape.

· Work no matter what kind it is produces stress. One can reduce this by taking the time out to do something special like lying in a hot tub, shopping or watching a movie. Studies have shown it is reliever and helps one from looking haggardly.

· Pollution is something people cannot control given the size of the problem. When one goes out, it is best to put some form of protection such as beauty products that contain antioxidants that protect the skin from damage. There are also other beauty products available and choosing the right one with the help of a dermatologist can help the person.

· Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

· For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

· Lastly, it is best to always start the day with a positive outlook. Just as studies have shown that exercise makes a person feel happier, smiling produces the same effect. A smile can do a lot and it is contagious in a positive sense. It brightens the day of not only one but others as well.

Everyone out there at some point in time, will experience the pain of a toothache. Toothaches are very excruciating, some of the worst pain you will ever feel in your life. Even though you may have had dental work in the past and follow proper hygiene, toothaches can happen at anytime. Although it can be very painful, there are ways to get relief through natural herbal remedies or pharmaceuticals.

If you plan to use herbs, you should use them in tincture form, as the alcohol content will disinfect the area, and help to reduce the inflammation and kill the infection. Once you have the tincture, you should use roughly a teaspoon of it and gently rinse your mouth out. Once you have help it in your mouth a minute or so, you should either swallow it or spit it out. Tinctures are natural remedies that use herbs and alcohol to massage the affected area and stop the pain by numbing the nerves of the tooth that is causing you so much pain.

The best way to deal with toothache is to put out the fire. If you manage to put the fire out, the pain will follow. Even though the pain may go away, the problem will still be there until you go to the dentist and get it treated. Although the dentist is the preferred way to go, you may have to wait on an appointment, or the toothache may occur on a weekend or a time when the dentist isn’t available.

Your best advice is to seek dental care ASAP, as the infection can always return at any given time. If you don’t get problems fixed as soon as you can, they can spread and cause you more problems with your teeth. Cavities will need to be filled, while the rotten or dying teeth will need to be extracted. If caught in time, the dentist can normally save the tooth via root canal.

The most common way to stop the pain of a toothache is by using a pharmaceutical such as Ambesol. With these types of toothache relief products, you simply rub the ointment on the affected area and it will kill the pain. These products work quickly, although they may not be able to help if the infection has spread or has gotten so bad that the tooth is literally dying.

Another way to stop the pain is to use Tylenol or aspirin. If you are going this route, you should use tablets that dissolve. Simply take the tablet and put it in your mouth, then use your tongue to hold it against your tooth. The aspirin or Tylenol will start to dissolve, and work it’s way into your nerve and stop the pain. This is a very effective way to stop the pain, although once the pill dissolves it can leave a terrible taste in your mouth.

The best way to stop the pain is to visit the dentist and have it treated once and for all. Keep in mind that if the problem is an infection, you’ll need to use antibiotics until the infection is gone. Once the infection is gone, the dentist will be able to proceed with treatment. Most toothaches are the result of a cavity, which will need to be filled. Anytime you start to experience a toothache you should get it treated. If you aren’t able to make it to the dentist, simply get some Ambesol or other product that will give you relief from the pain until you can get to the dentist and get the problem taken care of.

Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of it that works, but the basic principle of any good eating program, no matter how sugarcoated, centers around calories IN— calories OUT. Most diets are just too unrealistic for a person’s lifestyle. Plus they don’t supply enough basic nutritional needs for people to stay with them. Balance is the key! Attitude is the key to keeping balance!!

Here are five mindsets to take when dealing with weight and food.

Perspectives toward food

Ask yourself, “Why do I eat?” Most will say, “I eat because I have to.” Well, think about it. Do you? If you eat just because you have to, then your choices will be more for taste. If you ate with the attitude that food was fuel, then how would you eat? You may be more likely to make a quality choice. Your attitude toward food is very important!

Pattern of eating

Do you drive the same way to work every day? Do you go to the same grocery store? Do you hang out with the same people most of the time? The same thing is true with your food.

Chances are you eat at the same time, gobble up the same food types and in most cases, you take in roughly the same amount of food on a weekly basis? Your body gets used to eating the same types and same amounts. As in exercise, it is really important to incorporate a variety of foods in our daily eating to keep it off guard, so to speak.

Pushing your buttons

Why do you think advertisements are so powerful? They spark something inside of you and immediately you find yourself on autopilot going to the refrigerator or the next fast food joint to get something you don’t need. Recognize this so you can make better choices.

Portion Control

Being aware of how much you eat at one time is very important. Take spaghetti for example—fifteen years ago the doctors came out and endorsed pasta as a healthy food.

While this is true, physicians didn’t explain portion control. Even though pasta may be a good food type, an extra hundred or two calories a few times a week adds up. Learn to push the plate away.

Pre-Planning

This may sound like common sense, but with our busy lifestyles, pre-planning meals in advance is far from simple. However, pre-planning is essential.

For most of us all we can do to just keep up with the day’s activities, much less cook in advance. It really boils down to time management. If you have good choices in the refrigerator, you will be more likely to eat that food. When healthy foods are unavailable, you will go out of your way to the pantry, pizza parlor, or fast food restaurant for immediate gratification.

In a nut shell:

In some instances what we eat, when we eat it and how much we eat is due to a physiological reaction. However, it could be both emotional and physiological. Eating right has a lot to do with how you look at food, how much you eat and what you eat. Recognize if you have eating patterns. The patterns may be lifestyle, emotional, physically related or all the above. Pre-planning meals and shopping ahead solves a lot of the poor decision making. Learn to push yourself away from the table. YOU WILL EAT TOMORROW!

Here are my suggestions:

1. If you have excessive eating habits, they may be emotionally related. Figure out your bad habits and counteract them.

2. Pre-plan the week, if possible. You’ll make better choices if you have better choices from which to choose.

3. Food journal twice a month with times, types and amounts of food eaten.

4. Snacking throughout the day helps overeating.

5. Eat until comfortable – you will eat tomorrow.

6. Eat with your opposite hand.

7. Sit while you are eating.

Great skin is something that nearly everyone can cultivate. Our skin is affected by our:

. Genes

. Inner nutrition – what we eat and drink

. Exercise

. General health and well-being

. Emotional health, and

. Outer nutrition – how we take care of our skin

While we can’t alter our genes, we can improve our skin by making the necessary adjustments in the areas we can influence. Read on to discover the basic components of a healthy outer nutritional plan for your skin.

If you seriously want great skin the very first thing to do and wear a hat and good quality sunscreen when out in the sunshine. Having said that, let’s move on to understand the next three basic foundations to great skin.

If you want your skin to look and feel great, careful cleansing is very important. This should be done first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remove pore-clogging dirt. Don’t cleanse enough and you could find yourself prone to spots. Cleanse to often and you could be stripping away essential oils and be susceptible to dry skin or even eczema. Understanding your skin type (normal, dry or oily) and using a cleanser to match is the best foundation for great looking skin. Remember to rinse your face with warm water after using a cleanser, as any residue will continue to work on the skin if not completely removed.

Our grandmother’s used soap and water…isn’t that good enough? Soap is not very good at removing makeup because it does not contain enough oils to dissolve the staying power that most cosmetics have today. Remember the ‘tight’ feeling after your have washed your fact with soap? Soap can be very drying on your skin and may wash away essential oils. Another reason not to use soap is that it is not matched to the natural balance of our skin. Soap is generally alkaline, whilst skin is naturally acidic.

The second step to great outer nutrition for your skin is to tone. Toners are designed to remove any last traces of cleanser, while also helping to tighten and refine pores and prevent the build-up of dead skin cells. After toning your skin should fee and look revitalised and refreshed, and ready to be moisturised. Again you will need to apply a toner that matches your skin type.

The third foundation step is to apply moisturiser to help restore the moisture loss caused by the drying effects of sunlight, central heating, wind, cold and pollution. A good daytime moisturiser would contain a sunscreen and will be easily absorbed into the skin. At night you should use a richer, more nourishing cream, as this is when your skin more readily absorbs moisture.

Despite the plethora of products on the market and the myriad of additives…. the most important ingredient of any moisturiser is water! If water is just splashed on the skin it will not say there. Moisturisers are basically oil and water emulsions which contain a humectant (a substance added to another to make it moist), which attracts water and helps ‘fix’ it in the upper layers of the skin.

Moisture that is lost firm the skin needs to be replaced quickly so that the surface of the skin is kept both soft and smooth. The living cells in the layers need water so that they will not shrivel up and die. A moisturiser can protect the skin by providing a varier between the skin and the external environment. It also prevents the loss of moisture from the deeper layers of the skin.

Should people who have oily skin use a moisturiser? Moisturisers are particularly recommended for people with dry skin but everyone can benefit from using a moisturiser. You simply need to ensure that you choose the correct moisturiser for your skin type. People with oily skin should choose a moisturiser that hydrates their skin whilst helping absorb any excess oil.