In Pursue of Happiness

While doing our best in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we should also put in major effort in achieving a healthy mind. 

Did you know that being happy could add years to your life span?! Happiness can't cure illnesses, it can however, help healthy people live about 7.5 to 10 years longer, according to 30 studies. Being happy can make one more likely to watch his/her diet and be more perceptive of illnesses. Staying upbeat, being optimistic surely helps in getting more work done and done effectively too. Staying happy around people can also help spread that happy 'germ' around.

Here are some ways to achieve HAPPINESS:

Get worry out of the way by setting a worry time, such as 30 mins daily; preferably after work. Having this means that, when it is time to worry, sit and worry for that worry time only and when a worry comes up along the day, put it aside till worry time comes along and worry then. This emphasizes on the fact on being in the present.

Many researches have shown that altruism is a powerful catalyst for happiness. Hence random act of kindness can not only bring happiness to others but to yourself too. So head out there and make it a goal to do at least one kind act a day. Smiling is an easy way to start, putting a smile on your face will in turn put a smile on someone else's. A tiny smile from the heart may brighten someone's day.

What is your definition of happiness? Happiness can come in the form of contentment. Sometimes, satisfying a craving or just eating a simple nutritious meal can be pure joy as it brings contentment to you. Waking up each day and being able to see the sun is in itself a happiness to me.

Truly, being curious makes living a whole lot more fun. Set time aside for doing something new, like a new sport, reading new findings, visiting a new place, taking up a new hobby etc. Learning is the key to a happier life. 

Learn something new everyday.

Skeletons in All of Us

As we mature with time, our skeletons lose their strength naturally. Our skeletons are what hold our frames, often we experience aches and pains. No matter how much calcium we take, as time passes, the pressure that gravity puts on our bones shows no mercy. 

We can't fight the forces of nature, we can, however, take action in caring for our bones. We can save ourselves from injury by doing chores correctly.

Our knees are our largest joints in our bodies, it is then only right that we make sure that they are less prone to injuries. Trust me, our knees get most of the jerks, knocks and abrasions on a daily basis. Wear supportive footwear to lessen the impact on the knees. 

Sitting up straight is essential. Pick a butt rest that supports the curve of your lower back. If that isn't possible, fret not. Use a roll up towel and place it between your lower back and the back of the chair. Always sit with your spine lengthened and shoulders wide.

Always prepare yourself for a cough or sneeze. Sudden sneezes and coughs can cause jerks. Such sudden movements can jerk a weakened torso forwards and as a result, injure the spine. So, whenever, you feel a sneeze or a cough coming, bend your knees, set your back straight and put a hand on your thigh for support. Or brace your lower back with your hand to stay upright. Not easy to follow, this can be done with much practice. However, it will be worth the effort. 

Doing chores such as vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, can surely put a strain on your back. So it is important to bend your knees and hips and NOT your waist. Push and pull instead of twisting. Do you realise that we seldom bend our knees even when we walk? As a result, the impact is relatively large on our knees, causing more injuries and of course more aches.

When leaning down to load the washing machine or to make the bed, it will be wise not to sag from your waist, but instead bend your knees and hips while keeping your lower back straight.

Lastly, even I am sometimes guilty of this! I often simply bend my back and lift heavy objects from the ground. When lifting heavy objects from the ground, squat with back straightened and/or get someone to help. Lifting heavy objects can cause compression fracture as a great deal of pressure is put on the spine. So please be more mindful and spare your bones.

Sun-Dried NOT!

Calling all Earth people,

The weather has been really unforgiving. Scorching sun and sweltering heat. Taking care of our skin is a must, slapping on SPF, loads of sunscreen. This will prevent premature aging and most importantly, taking this little time to protect our largest organ can prevent skin cancer. 

Dermatologists in Universities in Manchester and Newcastle studied that people who take tomato paste and olive oil regularly (psst... these are present in foods such as pasta) are found to have a third more protection on their skin as compared to people who only consume olive oil. The dermatologists believe that protection of our skin can be done through our diets. So fight ageing and skin cancer through our tummies!

Eat well, feel good and look great!

For my bestie, Shan

Hey Shan! Congratulation on being a mum to be! This is just for you and every beautiful mum to be-s out there.

Acne during pregnancy is quite common. It is caused by hormonal imbalances that produce too much sebum (the oily substance). Psoriasis happens when the skin cells reproduce much faster than usual. What happens next, is that the skin then builds up dry and flaking patches and thus causing itching and irritation.

Try to avoid eating oily food and fried foods as they will lead to oily skin. Drink more warm plain water. It will help flush your system. This is the norm to do for anyone.

Please remember to seek doctor's permission before eating and trying anything please.

Avocado is rich in fatty oils but it contains loads of vitamins A, C, E and B complex, which are all important for great complexion. It has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties, so it is great for acne and other irritating skin conditions.

Make up a paste of avocado pulp and apply it to any dry skin to soothe and moisturise.

Raw and unprocessed honey is excellent for oily and blemished skin as it has antibacterial properties and it can moisturise the skin without making it oily. Cosmetic clay absorbs excess oil from the skin and draws toxin out of the skin. Lavender essential oil calms and soothes the skin inflammation and helps to heal blemishes. (However, please check with doctors if the essential oil can be used during your pregnancy).

Use 2 tablespoons raw unprocessed honey with one teaspoon cosmetic clay together with 2 drops of lavender essential oil. Combine the ingredients and mix into a thin paste (add more cosmetic clay if needed). Spread over clean, damp skin. Remove after 15min with warn water.

How to treat a blemish? Don't squeeze pimples. Instead, apply a sequence of alternating warm and cold, clean cloths (a minute of warn then a minute of cold) several times a day. This will heal the skin by boosting circulation. Follow up with a dab of tea tree essential oil.

Most importantly, you have to feel good to look good. Feeling good with your inner self, it will show on your outer looks, for sure. Be positive and eat healthily. Cheers!

Remedies for Toothache

During the first quarter of 2008, I was having problems with my wisdom tooth. The pain was immense and often led to fever and of course lost of appetite. This pain caused me to lose concentration and needless to say, I was often in a foul mood. In the end, I extracted both my upper and lower wisdom teeth from my left gum.

Before extraction, these were some of the useful remedies that I used to ease some pain. Rinsing mouth with warm salt water helped to rid the gums of bacteria which was causing the pain. Also clove oil can be rubbed onto the gum around the aching tooth to soothe the pain. In Germany, dentists use a clove-based anesthetic to rid the pain of toothache.

Apart from toothaches, some soreness in the gums may surface. To strengthen gums, drink plenty of rose hip or blackcurrent tea as sore gums may be due to the lack of Vitamin B and C.

These are some simple remedies for not so painful toothaches. However, these are not the final solutions to toothaches, please see your dentist if the pain persists.

Ladies! Let's get rid of fungi!

Many ladies suffer from yeast infection at one time or another in their lives. Yeast infection causes vaginal itching, irritation and inflammation that are accompanied by white discharge. These are the results of the overgrowth of Candida albicans, a kind of fungi that inhabits the vagina. An overgrowth is usually caused by stress, a diet that contains high-sugar, or hormonal fluctuations which upsets the acidic balance of the vagina.

To prevent such infections, it is important to use a good and reliable feminine wash that is gentle to the vagina. Also avoid tight-fitting synthetic underwear, scented toilet paper, deodorant tampons, pads and soaps. These contain chemicals that dry out sensitive vaginal tissues and allow infectious mircoorganisms to grow.

Yeast infection can be prevented by starving the fungi. How do we do that? Well, it is as simple as avoiding sugars and refined foods, these are foods that feed the Candida albicans organism. Taking supplements such as lactobacillus acidophilus, one with each meal for a month, would help to increase the healthy intestinal flora to keep the fungi in check.

Healthy Prostate for both Men and Women

Did you know that postrate enlargement or postrate related health can happen to both men and women? Though it happens nostly on men. So ladies who are reading this please pass on the details. It happened recently to one of my parents and it brought about this search for healthy prostate.

The function of the prostate if not well taken care of, will start to show signs of illnessess especially from the age of 35 and above. Prostate enlargement can lead to prostate cancer.

Postate enlargement is caused by hormonal changes that come with aging. The symtoms inculde an increased need to urinate and decreased force in the urine stream. While changes in daily diet and herbal remedies may be effective treatments, it is still essential to seek medical attention for an accurate diagnosis.

For maintaining healthy prostate function, pumkin seeds is an essential food as it contains a rich source of zinc. Taking 35g of pumpkin seeds daily or 30mg of supplemental zinc daily will aid in maintaining healthy prostate function.

A herb that is readily available as a supplement is saw palmetto. It alleviates prostate enlargement by blocking the formation of hormone dihydrotestosterone. Twice daily dosage of 160mg of saw palmetto extract that has been standardised to contain 85% fatty acids and sterols which are the active ingredient will show results of a healthier prostate function in about 6 weeks.

Sinusitis

Colds, flu, allergies and especially air pollution can cause sinus infections. It is absolutely tiring, irritating and painful to be sneezing away continuously. This sneezing and blowing of the nose can cause headaches, muscle aches and even dark eye rings (which I will talk about on a different blog).

I totally understand the hassel of hanging on to tissue papers, and managing drippy noses between work and fun, it is not a joke and it really gets me down when there are days that I sneeze non-stop. I have tried many methods of dealing with sinus infections, some of them have been really helpful. One of the methods is to consume a daily dosage of Vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts immune system, making it less often for illnesses such as the common flu to happen.

Getting rid of sinus infections literally means that you have relieve the congestion and eliminate any microorganisms.

Apart from taking Vitamin C, you can also strengthen your immune system by eating one to two gloves of raw garlic each day. Garlic has powerful antimicrobial properties.

Products like inhaler for cold reliefs are based on the fact that peppermint aids in the relieve of sinus dryness and headaches caused by allergies. Peppermint acts as a decongestant, together with steam, it opens up the sinuses. The relaxing properties in peppermint also aid in easing headaches. Hence you can try steam inhalation, (careful not to scald yourself!). Boil a large pot of water, remove from heat and add two teaspoons of dried peppermint. Cover the pot for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and make a towel tent over your head and the pot, please take care not to burn yourself. Breathe in the warm steam for 10 minutes.

Most importantly, always make sure that your diet consists of healthy food, like lots of greens, fruits and water. Drinking warm liquids relieves sinusitis. Drinking plenty of warm liquids thin mucous secretions. Try peppermint tea, vegetable or chicken soup with a clove of raw garlic to fight infection.

Alleviate Nausea

Many people feel nausea during long journeys and sometimes when they are really tired. Sometimes when we have to be in crowded places, the lack of oxygen makes us feel nausea too. The most common symtom of pregnancy is morning sickness. It is really an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach that causes the urge to vomit.

To cope with such a feeling, chew candied ginger. It is an antinausea aid and it has no harmful side effects. This can ease mild nausea. It can be found in shops that sell a variety of dried sour plums and other dried foods.

Similarly, ginger tea can be made and be drunk. Put one or two teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger root in a cup and let it simmer in hot water for about 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten if you desire. Drink small amounts of it during the day as you wish.

Cheers!

Due to daily busy schedules, we often starve our bodies. We do not have sufficient water intake. As a result, our bodies can't detoxify.

Our bodies are really mainly made up of water. After exercising in the heat, our body weight can fluctuate dramatically and quickly as we can lose large amounts of body water to sweat.
Our bodies depend on water to keep our cells and body systems running smoothly. Water is also used to maintain blood volume, which is important for keeping our bodies temperature normal and delivering oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body. More importantly, water removes waste products in our bodies through the formation of urine by the kidneys. This action reduces pimples on the face and back, leaving clearer skin.

As written by Bobby Brown, "Drinking a lot of water also works for me, both by staving off my appetite (often when you think you are hungry, you are really just thirsty) and giving my skin a clearer, plumped up appearance."

There, people! Water is really a must for good health and beauty.

To drink more water, squirt lemon in water and cheers to good health.

From tired to Refreshed eyes

Due to the constant stress at work, our eyes are often strained and tired. A quick and easy fix to tired eyes would be to warm your cleaned and washed palms. You can do this by genlty rubbing them against each other to create friction. Then place each of your palms onto each of your eyes. Do not rub or add too much pressure. This action will help to introduce some warmth and darkness to your tried eyes, especially after staring at the computer for long hours. Make sure to breathe deeply and rhythmically for a minute.

You can also efresh your eyes with 'Rose Refresher', purchase a bottle of rose water from your local store. Leave the bottle in the fridge. Once it is chilled, dilute two tablespoons of it with an equal amount of cold water, then soak square facial cotton wools into the solution and apply them to your closed eyelids. Leave them on for not about 10 mins, not more than 15mins.

Why am I doing this?

Hi friends,

It is the start of a brand new year, fresh air, loads of news hopes, feeling rejuvenated and ready to make the year(2009) a successful one. I am creating this blog for the simple purpose of sharing my knowledge on feeling good.

I have read several articles on health, while reading them, I understand that it is truly important to feel good about oneself. What is feeling good? Feeling good means being positive, letting positive energy and thoughts flow through you throughout the day.

However, being positive should start from somewhere, shouldn't it? Well, a healthy and well maintained health will lead to positivity as good health will assure you of constant energy and less worries about fatigue and not being able to achieve the goals and plans that you have already thought of.

This blog will be a communication tool for me to share what I have read so far and have tried out either by myself or by people who are close to me. Please do not use this sharing as a form of diagnosis, cure, treatment or prevention to any illnesses. Please seek a doctor's advice when you are unwell. What I am sharing would be simple, daily natural remedies that I have found out to be very useful to know and to try out.

Live life healthily, life is precious.