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Have You Tried…
We’ve all heard it. You don’t even have to have a chronic illness to have been asked this question in regards to all your problems. “Have you tried…” Have you tried losing weight? Have you tried this diet? Have you tried yoga? Have you tried essential oils? It didn’t take me long to realize how tiresome this question can be. For many who do suffer with a chronic illness, this question can almost seem like an insult. Because in truth, they have likely tried everything you can name. Personally, this question has never bothered me because I look at it as a way to research more into both what works…
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Eight Survival Tips for the Isolated, by the Isolated
I have to say, this time of quarantine has honestly not been so bad. Because for the most part, nothing for me has changed. February 2018, I became too sick to continue going to work. By March, I no longer even had a vehicle. It was just me and my baby home every day all day. And that’s how it’s been nearly every day for the past two years. Now given, I was often too sick to even get out of bed. And yes, many days I had someone there to help me. But it never changed the fact that we were always home and rarely venturing out. So when…
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Safety in the Sunshine
When I was about 15 years old, I spent a beautiful March day relaxing in the fresh spring like air. The breeze was cool, but the sun shone warm enough to run my bare feet through the clovers. As my family stretched fishing poles over the water, I was enjoying my afternoon kicking back in a chair, reading a book of unsolved mysteries. The hours were roughly 11-4. And it felt amazing. But then the afternoon ended. We loaded up into the car, and I realized that during those hours, I had gotten severely sunburned. So severe that in getting up the next morning, my knees gave out from the…
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Feast Upon This
Who’s ready to indulge in all of the holiday feasts! That was a trick question. This time of year, we are presented with the perfect example of why dieting is a bad idea. Please allow me to explain: So you’ve been on a “diet”. Maybe you’ve gone keto or gluten free or dairy free or who knows what. The point is, you have been withholding your body from something. So if you’ve gone months (or weeks or days) without a certain food group, what sort of shock do you think you place on your body when you decide to indulge during the holidays? In all truth, these fad diets are…
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Why Weight Loss Matters
How has weight affected your Intracranial Hypertension? No doubt, one of the first things your doctor suggested upon diagnosis was to lose weight. Why? While the medical field is still trying to figure out exactly what causes IH, there seems to be a high percentage of patients with IH who are overweight or obese. In fact, many patients develop this condition after or during a period of significant weight gain. As obesity rates increase, Intracranial Hypertension is being found to be less and less rare. But it’s not just about the weight loss. What’s Causing the Weight? While aiming for a healthy weight in general is always important, doctors will…
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What’s the Deal with Protein?
What is protein? To put simply, protein is pretty much the composition of life itself. From the basis of your DNA, protein can be found in every single cell of your body, creating and repairing everything that makes you exist. For you science nerds out there, protein is composed of various amino acids such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen. Some amino acids however can not be produced by the body and must be consumed through food. Examples you may have heard mentioned before would be tryptophan, lysine, and phenylalanine. Thought it was all about the muscles? Try your bones, your blood, your skin, cartilage, tissue, hormones, everything! Protein is…
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The Perfect Kitchen
When people tell me they want to lose weight or get healthy or even simply eat better, the first thought that comes to mind is, “What’s in their pantry?” I have a bit of an obsession with sorting through pantries and refrigerators and pruning them until they are beautiful in my sight. It is my idea of interior decorating. So if you are interested in making some healthier choices for your life, I’m here to help. Designing Your Dream Kitchen The first thing to understand about cleaning out your pantry is that you never go in and throw everything away. Frankly, that’s just wasteful. Instead, understand the method behind it.…
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A Pinch of Salt
Salt is crucial for survival. In fact, sodium is actually an electrolyte the body needs for muscles and nerves to function properly. It helps regulate how much fluid is in the body. Unfortunately however, many people consume too much salt. This means your body is retaining too much water. Your blood pressure can increase, and your heart has to work harder. This can all cause cardiovascular diseases, stroke, hypertension, and kidney disease. While we do need sodium for our bodies to function properly, it’s important not to overdo it. So how much salt can we have? The American Heart Association recommends less than 2,300 mg a day, ideally aiming for…
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Six Tips for a Healthy Grocery Trip
In order to develop a healthier diet, you must first learn what your diet is actually composed of versus what you want it to be composed of. So today, my friends, we will take the first and most important step of learning how to read labels. Now, I do understand we all might have different dietary restrictions or needs, but most of these are general guidelines. From these guidelines, you can begin to learn what you’re looking for and adjust accordingly. Get your grocery lists ready because I have six tips for a healthier shopping cart! 1.) Keep it Simple Think about the layout of most grocery stores. Outside Isles:…
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Learning & Loving Your Body
Diet and exercise isn’t one size fits all. We’ve all heard it, but do you believe it? Or are you still trying to copy what the latest fads and trends are saying? Stop being pulled in all directions. Learn what works for you and your body! You have to stop hating your body and using that as the motivation to get healthy. It is never a good idea to have any sort of negative outlook on yourself. Love Your Body Love your body so much that you want what’s best for it. Appreciate the fact that you were created so intricately, with each muscle, organ, and system wanting to function…
