An Apple A Day And You Will Be Saying Hooray! The Almighty Apple For Weight Loss And Health!

An Apple A Day........HOORAY!

I previously wrote an article on apples and all the benefits they provide to our bodies. Recently while flipping through my winter 2010 Oxygen fatloss magazine I saw an article titled. "Your #1 Fat Loss Secret" and you know I turned to that page immediately and lo and behold it was the almighty apple!

Apple, Apple, You Are The One For Me!

 

-A recent study published in Appetite found that people who got their calories from three apples a day versus three pears or oat cookies lost about two pounds after 10 weeks.

-A medium apple will fill you up as apples have approximately 80 calories and four grams of fiber. People currently enrolled in a large long-term weight-loss trial known as the calerie study, which is investigating whether calorie restriction can extend life span, have been getting thinner throughout the study. Their slimming strategy is to simply have an apple every day.

-Reduce your cholesterol with an apple-The soluble fiber found in apples can help to reduce your cholesterol!

-Less belly fat-Those who eat apples regularly are 21 percent less likely to have excess belly fat!

-Apple energy-Apples score low on the glycemic index at 39! The glycemic index is a measure of fast insulin is released after eating carbs. A result above 70 is high so at 39 the apple is a great choice!

I love apples but I just found even more reasons to love them!!! Think I will go grab one now!!

ref: Oxygen winter 2010 fat loss issue

Costa Rica Good For Your Health! Just Got Back To The Cold. Sigh

Just a quick catch up to say that I just returned from my beautiful Costa Rica two days ago and cannot wait to share pictures of my trip and to start writing lots of articles again.  For now I will share this amazing picture of me kissing a wild parrot that was sitting on a horse.  All in a normal day in Costa Rica:)

Adios!
Heidi

Chocolate, Wine And Cheetos Are Very Fine But Now It's A New Year So Time To Get In Line... Sigh

Here We Go Again....... New Year A New Me And Will I Really For Once Stay Healthy????

Every year I start out with such goals to eat healthy, exercise, get motivated, change this, change that but I have to be honest when it comes to New Year's resolutions I am a brat.  I love my wine, my dear sweet chocolate and all things carbs so I have learned to be honest with myself and boy do I hate that.  I am going to have my wine, my beloved chocolate and carbs but this year I swear I really do that I am going to do it in moderation ( I say this half heartedly because I know myself).  Now having said all this I do have a plan and I will share and do it as well as I can.

Today I am starting with boiled eggs and then scrambled eggs and I woke up thinking why oh why do I have to do this it makes me want to cry. I hate eggs and love pie but I suppose I can do this I am not going to die. The drama will be there and woe is me that I have to live a day or two eating healthily.  But alas I must because my jeans are to tight just this morning my favorite pair of pants and I got in fight.  So join me my on my journey to geriatric swimsuit woman galore and to finally be able to put on all those clothes I bought when I swore I will lose the weight and I will make it not a total bore.  I am getting back into the below swimsuit from the year before ! Let's do this!

After A While.............

One of my all time favorites since as long as I can remember.  When I make a mistake in trusting or believing someone these words come back to me and I am comforted. Hope they comfort you too!





After A While


©1971 Veronica A. Shoffstall



After a while you learn

the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn

that love doesn't mean leaning

and company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn

that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises

and you begin to accept your defeats

with your head up and your eyes ahead

with the grace of woman,

not the grief of a child

and you learn

to build all your roads on today

because tomorrow's ground is

too uncertain for plans

and futures have a way of falling down

in mid-flight.

After a while you learn

that even sunshine burns

if you get too much

so you plant your own garden

and decorate your own soul

instead of waiting for someone

to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure

you really are strong

you really do have worth

and you learn

and you learn

with every goodbye, you learn...

Facebook-Which Type Are You? Funny!

Ok so this isn't really health related but maybe it is because it is funny and creates laughter and laughter promotes good health so enjoy!!!!!

Source: urlybits.com via Julie on Pinterest

Nuts For Coconuts!! My New Favorite Conditioner-Coconut Oil! Dry hair, Skin or FlakyScalp-The Coconut Soothes It All!

Bye, Bye Frizzy and Dry-To Coconut Oil say Hi!!

I am always looking for more natural ways to do things whether it is cleaning the house, getting rid of weeds or something to do with me. I recently read somewhere that a great natural hair conditioner is……. Coconut oil. Awhile back I saw where the Victorias Secret model Miranda Kerr was using coconut oil to help her from the inside out and claimed that it helped with her have great skin, soft hair and maintaining her weight so of course I thought that I would try it. I did and like most things (except my diet Coke) I got lazy and stopped taking the tablespoon a day (but I do think I noticed a difference in my skin but not weight so oh well).

After reading about coconut oil as a conditioner and looking in the mirror at my frizzy, dried out, bleached hair that had me putting it up in ponytails as to not look like I had put my finger in an electrical socket I decided to try it and I LOVED it! Coconut oil has long been heralded as one of the healthiest oils and is packed with fatty acids that can moisturize your hair. There are a variety of ways you can go about using the coconut oil in your hair but what I did was put it on dry hair starting at the bottom almost to the top but NOT on the roots (unless you have a dry flaky scalp then coconut oil works great for this) and left it on about half an hour. After washing the oil out and drying it I was very impressed that a little jar of coconut oil could do what so many expensive conditioners and treatments could not and that was to give me smooth, soft hair that actually looked decent. When doing this conditioner I would recommend to put too little rather than too much and find what amount best suits your hair. I also saw where some people mixed the coconut oil with other things such as mayonnaise and different oils or used a shower cap or dampened their hair. I think it just takes a little experimenting to find out what you like. I did read that the best type of oil is the organic extra virgin coconut oil which I used and purchased at a local health food store. I have also started cooking with coconut oil because I don’t see how it can hurt and I love using it on scaly dry skin too!!!! Who knew the coconut could do so much? We even had a local man in the Bahamas cut them open and make drinks and used the coconut as a glass!!! I guess what it comes down to is that I am nuts for coconuts!!!

Sore Eyes, Water Weight, Stinky or Blotchy-Simple Natural Cures That Make It Easy!

Alright it is time for me to get back to what I really like to do which is write about all the things health and foodwise that I obsess on. It seems my day to day life is a constant fight trying to find a balance between Cheetos and chocolate and fruits and vegetables. Recently my friend Ashleigh and I decided to invent the , “duck and run diet” as we liked to call it. We would eat salads, fruits, vegetables and drink lots of water so that we could gorge on the chocolate candy bowls at work creating some kind of balance (no this didn’t work bc neither of us lost a pound-lol). So, I am going to make a commitment to write weekly tips that can keep us healthy, fit and happy enjoying the good, the bad and the ugly foods . I know people will fall on the floor when I say this but it is what it is-I will not live without my wine, chocolate and Cheetos but having said that I also want to be healthy and happy and so there must be a balance which is what I endeavor to find for all of us that like me want it all. We deserve it don’t we! So, below are some EASY natural remedies to some annoying health issues:


Sore Eyes???- Try chamomile-Grab some cooled chamomile tea , soak a washcloth in it and cover your eyes with it for 5 minutes. Chamomile’s antioxidants relieve symptoms in just 5 minutes..

Water Weight got you down??-Most of us in the summer especially hold on to too much water and end up bloated like a balloon. To flush up to 5 pounds of water in three weeks, sip 2 cups of fennel tea daily.

Poison Ivy has you itching-According to UCLA researchers , immersing skin in Dawn, Joy or Palmolive detergent instantly stops poison Ivy pain and reduces outbreaks by 56 %. I had poision Ivy last summer and it was so awful and ugly and itchy! Wish I had known this then!

Stinky phew-Banish that funk!-Taking 30 mg of zinc daily stalls the growth of body odor inducing skin bacteria according to British researchers. Simple solution to the smellies!

Feeling blotchy?? Mix some honey and lemon to slough off damaged skin cells and start lightening dark spots. Mix 2 Tbs of honey and 1 Tbs of lemon juice with enough sugar to make a paste. Scrub gently then rinse.

Heidi