Thursday, September 2, 2010
Back Pain Preventing Exercises
Check out my post about how to prevent pregnancy back pain at Abs Exercise Advice.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Eat Safe: Eat Like a Pregnant Woman
I've been thinking a lot about food lately, okay all the time because I'm pregnant and all of this thinking has led me to wonder about something.
When you're pregnant, you're not supposed to eat certain foods because chemicals in these foods are harmful to both you and the unborn child. I've always wondered if these foods aren't safe to eat when you're pregnant, then why the hell are we eating them when we're not pregnant?
Here are some examples of foods you're supposed to avoid while pregnant and why. Perhaps after reading this, you'll think about eliminating these foods from your diet because if they aren't safe to eat while pregnant, then they aren't safe to eat period.
When You're Pregnant, You're Not Supposed to Eat:
Meats containing nitrates and nitrites. Nitrates and nitrites are found in processed lunch meats, pepperoni, bacon and such. Nitrates and nitrites form nitrosamines in the body and nitrosamines are potent carcinogens that love to become stomach cancer. Yuck!
Additionally, non-organic products are lower in vitamins and minerals and heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids so you aren't really getting what you pay for anyway. So, with side-effects like this, let me ask you why aren't you buying organic all the time?
Cost, you say, organic products are expensive. Trust me I know, but think of it this way. Spend a little more now to ensure your health and then you won't have to fork out thousands of dollars later to treat a disease, like cancer, that was caused by the crap food manufacturers put on and in non-organic produce, meat, eggs and dairy products.
Not only that, the more demand there is for organic products, the less expensive these products will get. Also, in some markets finding organic products is very difficult. Again, the more we demand, the more they will supply.
Pregnant? Expecting? Check out my pregnancy blog: The Tender Breast.
When you're pregnant, you're not supposed to eat certain foods because chemicals in these foods are harmful to both you and the unborn child. I've always wondered if these foods aren't safe to eat when you're pregnant, then why the hell are we eating them when we're not pregnant?
Here are some examples of foods you're supposed to avoid while pregnant and why. Perhaps after reading this, you'll think about eliminating these foods from your diet because if they aren't safe to eat while pregnant, then they aren't safe to eat period.
When You're Pregnant, You're Not Supposed to Eat:
Meats containing nitrates and nitrites. Nitrates and nitrites are found in processed lunch meats, pepperoni, bacon and such. Nitrates and nitrites form nitrosamines in the body and nitrosamines are potent carcinogens that love to become stomach cancer. Yuck!
- Fish that are known to contain high levels of mercury such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, grouper and certain types of sushi...and tuna, which the FDA says is okay in moderation, but isn't that about the same as saying arsenic is okay as long as you don't eat enough to kill you. Mercury is highly toxic. It can cause a laundry list of illnesses, but most importantly it disrupts the brain and nervous system and toxicity can lead to death. I don't know about you, but that's a good enough reason for me to give up these fishy offenders permanently. Besides, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.
- Fish that are high in PCBs, usually fish caught from local streams and lakes that are contaminated with industrial waste or farm raised fish. These fish include bluefish, big mouth and small mouth bass, salmon, pike, trout, and walleye and for safety's sake before you go fishing or buy locally caught fish, you're supposed to check with the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure what you catch is safe to eat. PCBs are potent carcinogens and they can also lead to a long list of other medical conditions. UGH! Check out Ocean's Alert for more info.
- Anything but organic, free-range meats, dairy products and produce and eggs that come from "free range" chickens. ("Cage free" and "Free roaming" are not the same as "Free range." Only buy eggs from "free range" chickens.)
Additionally, non-organic products are lower in vitamins and minerals and heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids so you aren't really getting what you pay for anyway. So, with side-effects like this, let me ask you why aren't you buying organic all the time?
Cost, you say, organic products are expensive. Trust me I know, but think of it this way. Spend a little more now to ensure your health and then you won't have to fork out thousands of dollars later to treat a disease, like cancer, that was caused by the crap food manufacturers put on and in non-organic produce, meat, eggs and dairy products.
Not only that, the more demand there is for organic products, the less expensive these products will get. Also, in some markets finding organic products is very difficult. Again, the more we demand, the more they will supply.
- Caffeine because it may increase the risk of miscarriage and it leaches both water calcium from the body. In a non-pregnant person, this makes you much more prone to both dehydration and osteoporosis. Not only that, but caffeine has been linked to heart arrhythmias, anxiety disorders and adrenal exhaustion. If you can't give it up, at least attempt to reduce your intake. Remember, chocolate contains caffeine too.
- MSG, also known as autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, whey protein, monopotassium glutamate, vegetable protein extract can cause a laundry list of problems that range from muscle tightness to obesity. For more info, read Discovery Health's "The Dangers of Monosodium Glutamate."
- Food additives because many of them are carcinogenic. Think BHA, BHT, aspartame, potassium bromate, anything you can't recognize in the nutrition information.
- Certain sunscreens. I know, you don't eat sunscreen, but it's worth mentioning anyway because recent research shows that the active chemicals in most sunscreens cause serious hormone disruptions. Read, "The Chemical Sunscreen Health Disaster," then make the wise decision to choose sunscreens containing zinc such as UV Natural, which is available at Amazon.com.
Pregnant? Expecting? Check out my pregnancy blog: The Tender Breast.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth: Which Option is Safer?
For today's post, I thought I'd share my article on Suite101.com. Enjoy!
Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth: Which Option is Safer?
Home Birth Versus Hospital Birth: Which Option is Safer?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Food for Thought
Have you ever sat down to eat a pizza and devoured the entire thing, then wondered how you managed to stuff all of that food into your stomach? Well, I have and while I was reading Whole Living magazine the other day when I came across an interesting research study that confirmed my beliefs that certain foods contain appetite suppressing chemicals.
Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School discovered that, in animal studies, palmitic acid, a fancy word for the most common saturated fat on the planet, causes the brain to ignore appetite-suppressing hormones.
What this means is that when you eat foods containing high amounts of saturated fat, foods like pizza, meat, ice cream, butter, cheese, high fat dairy products, palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, you are a lot more likely to overeat because your brain isn't receiving the hormonal signals that tell you you're full.
This is why it is so important to practice moderation. Don't sit down with an entire pizza, instead allow yourself 1-2 slices then freeze the rest to make it harder to binge later. Don't sit down with the entire jug of ice cream, instead dish yourself out a bowl.
Don't eat more than one serving of red meat at a time. Limit your intake of high fat dairy products. Look for olive or canola oil based margarine spreads (avoid spreads with hydrogenated oils) rather than palm oil and palm kernel oil based spreads.
Another trick is to eat a low-fat salad or have a low-fat bowl of soup 20 minutes before you consume the high-fat food to help kick-start those appetite suppressing hormones.
And that, my friends, is Friday's food for thought.
Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School discovered that, in animal studies, palmitic acid, a fancy word for the most common saturated fat on the planet, causes the brain to ignore appetite-suppressing hormones.
What this means is that when you eat foods containing high amounts of saturated fat, foods like pizza, meat, ice cream, butter, cheese, high fat dairy products, palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, you are a lot more likely to overeat because your brain isn't receiving the hormonal signals that tell you you're full.
This is why it is so important to practice moderation. Don't sit down with an entire pizza, instead allow yourself 1-2 slices then freeze the rest to make it harder to binge later. Don't sit down with the entire jug of ice cream, instead dish yourself out a bowl.
Don't eat more than one serving of red meat at a time. Limit your intake of high fat dairy products. Look for olive or canola oil based margarine spreads (avoid spreads with hydrogenated oils) rather than palm oil and palm kernel oil based spreads.
Another trick is to eat a low-fat salad or have a low-fat bowl of soup 20 minutes before you consume the high-fat food to help kick-start those appetite suppressing hormones.
And that, my friends, is Friday's food for thought.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Bicycle Off Extra Pounds
Bicycling is one of the most energy efficient mode of transportation and, according to a new study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine it is also an excellent fat burning activity.
The study, which you can read about at Rodale.com, shows that daily cycling works miracles in terms of helping people, especially middle aged women lose weight and maintain their current weight. How? Nobody understands the exact mechanisms involved, but my money's on the fact that bicycling simultaneously increases your heart rate and works every muscle in your body.
Think about it.
So hop on your bike and ride, even if it's only around the block. The exercise will do you good.
And when you fall in love with cycling, be sure to check out my Tips for Commuting by Bicycle article at Suite101.com.
P.S. I'm pregnant and fighting the wonderful first trimester fatigue and nausea and I've still managed to ride either my mountain bike (in the city) or my road bike nearly every day this week. I thought I'd share so that it might inspire you to get out and ride. :)
The study, which you can read about at Rodale.com, shows that daily cycling works miracles in terms of helping people, especially middle aged women lose weight and maintain their current weight. How? Nobody understands the exact mechanisms involved, but my money's on the fact that bicycling simultaneously increases your heart rate and works every muscle in your body.
Think about it.
- You use every muscle from your hips down to power each pedal stroke.
- You use the core muscles of your back and abs to help you maintain balance.
- You use your arms and chest muscles and even your lats and traps to hold onto the handlebars and keep the bicycle steady.
- Your neck muscles work to hold the extra weight of your bicycle helmet.
- Your face muscles work harder because bicycling often leads to smiles and smiles burn more calories than frowns.
- Additionally, your brain works hard because you have to beware of obstacles such as potholes, pedestrians, animals, cars, rocks and trees, etc.
So hop on your bike and ride, even if it's only around the block. The exercise will do you good.
And when you fall in love with cycling, be sure to check out my Tips for Commuting by Bicycle article at Suite101.com.
P.S. I'm pregnant and fighting the wonderful first trimester fatigue and nausea and I've still managed to ride either my mountain bike (in the city) or my road bike nearly every day this week. I thought I'd share so that it might inspire you to get out and ride. :)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
What to Do When 911 Doesn't Work
Last night, Justin and I were awakened by gunshots being fired in our neighborhood. The shots were actually being fired right outside our house. I got up, grabbed the phone and called 911. The line was busy. I hung up and dialed again. Still busy. I dialed at least 5 more times with the same result.
I thought maybe there was a problem with my portable phone, so I headed into the office to use the land line. This was the last place I wanted to be since the shots seemed to be coming from the front of the house and the office is in the front of our house with a nice, big window that's right in line with the phone.
I slid into my chair and kept it as close to the wall as possible and leaned over to dial 911 on the land line. This time, the call just would not connect. I tried again. Same thing. I felt like I was in the middle of my worst nightmare. People outside were shouting, there was gunfire and here I was trying to dial 911 and the call wasn't going through.
What good is 911 if you can't get through? I didn't feel like I had any other option but to keep trying. So try and try I did. Finally, after several minutes, I found success. I told the 911 operator what was happening and she said she'd send the police and that was the end of the call.
By the time the police arrived, everyone involved in the incident had vanished like a bunch of cockroaches running from the exterminator. The police visited our neighbor's house and then left. Apparently, there was nothing suspicious going on any longer so there was no reason to stick around.
Perhaps if I'd been able to get through to 911 when I had first dialed, the police would have gotten my call a few minutes sooner and they may have been able to nail the shooter.
This morning, I found three 9mm shell casings and one 9mm unspent bullet in the street right outside our front door. We called the police and learned another scary fact. Nobody had actually responded to my shots fired call. They had responded to a call about the party going on next door.
The officer who responded this morning was curious that nobody had responded to my call about the shots fired. He hinted that perhaps since calls about the party and my call about the gunshots happened at the same time, my call must have been incorrectly prioritized. I wondered if maybe the dispatcher thought I was simply hearing fireworks and didn't take my call seriously or if the dispatch system screwed up and mis-prioritized my call. I used to work for a company that programmed 911 software. It does occasionally mis-prioritize calls. Who knows?
I was horrified to think that the officers who responded to the party next door last night had no clue that shots had been fired. These officers got lucky. They could have been walking right into a war zone and they wouldn't have ever known it. That's scary!
I just kept thinking had this been a medical emergency or had the gun person been breaking into our house or shooting at us or at some other person, the added minutes it took for me to get connected to 911 could very well have cost Justin and I or someone else his or her life...
Fortunately, we got lucky last night. Nobody was injured or killed (that we or the police are aware of). There wasn't even any visible property damage to any of the houses or cars in the neighborhood. Even so, the incident was extremely terrifying.
I was up most of the night so I had a chance to do a lot of thinking. I can't change how a dispatcher or 911 system prioritizes a 911 call, whether my information gets passed along to officers and whether or not the police will respond, but I can change how much time I waste trying to call for help.
From now on, if Justin and I ever get a busy signal when we call 911 or if the call won't go through on the first try, we will hang up and call the police dispatch line directly. Trust me, in an emergency, the last thing you want to hear is a busy signal or the endless silence that comes when a call won't connect.
So that said, I urge everyone to go and find the phone number to your local police department's dispatch office. Right now! Write it down. Glue it on the phone. Teach your kids how to use it in the event 911 doesn't work because, as we found out last night, 911 sometimes doesn't work.
Having a backup plan in an emergency may very well save your life or the life of someone you know and love.
I thought maybe there was a problem with my portable phone, so I headed into the office to use the land line. This was the last place I wanted to be since the shots seemed to be coming from the front of the house and the office is in the front of our house with a nice, big window that's right in line with the phone.
I slid into my chair and kept it as close to the wall as possible and leaned over to dial 911 on the land line. This time, the call just would not connect. I tried again. Same thing. I felt like I was in the middle of my worst nightmare. People outside were shouting, there was gunfire and here I was trying to dial 911 and the call wasn't going through.
What good is 911 if you can't get through? I didn't feel like I had any other option but to keep trying. So try and try I did. Finally, after several minutes, I found success. I told the 911 operator what was happening and she said she'd send the police and that was the end of the call.
By the time the police arrived, everyone involved in the incident had vanished like a bunch of cockroaches running from the exterminator. The police visited our neighbor's house and then left. Apparently, there was nothing suspicious going on any longer so there was no reason to stick around.
Perhaps if I'd been able to get through to 911 when I had first dialed, the police would have gotten my call a few minutes sooner and they may have been able to nail the shooter.
This morning, I found three 9mm shell casings and one 9mm unspent bullet in the street right outside our front door. We called the police and learned another scary fact. Nobody had actually responded to my shots fired call. They had responded to a call about the party going on next door.
The officer who responded this morning was curious that nobody had responded to my call about the shots fired. He hinted that perhaps since calls about the party and my call about the gunshots happened at the same time, my call must have been incorrectly prioritized. I wondered if maybe the dispatcher thought I was simply hearing fireworks and didn't take my call seriously or if the dispatch system screwed up and mis-prioritized my call. I used to work for a company that programmed 911 software. It does occasionally mis-prioritize calls. Who knows?
I was horrified to think that the officers who responded to the party next door last night had no clue that shots had been fired. These officers got lucky. They could have been walking right into a war zone and they wouldn't have ever known it. That's scary!
I just kept thinking had this been a medical emergency or had the gun person been breaking into our house or shooting at us or at some other person, the added minutes it took for me to get connected to 911 could very well have cost Justin and I or someone else his or her life...
Fortunately, we got lucky last night. Nobody was injured or killed (that we or the police are aware of). There wasn't even any visible property damage to any of the houses or cars in the neighborhood. Even so, the incident was extremely terrifying.
I was up most of the night so I had a chance to do a lot of thinking. I can't change how a dispatcher or 911 system prioritizes a 911 call, whether my information gets passed along to officers and whether or not the police will respond, but I can change how much time I waste trying to call for help.
From now on, if Justin and I ever get a busy signal when we call 911 or if the call won't go through on the first try, we will hang up and call the police dispatch line directly. Trust me, in an emergency, the last thing you want to hear is a busy signal or the endless silence that comes when a call won't connect.
So that said, I urge everyone to go and find the phone number to your local police department's dispatch office. Right now! Write it down. Glue it on the phone. Teach your kids how to use it in the event 911 doesn't work because, as we found out last night, 911 sometimes doesn't work.
Having a backup plan in an emergency may very well save your life or the life of someone you know and love.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
It's My Trail! I Don't Want to Share
This past weekend, Justin and I went shooting with a couple of friends in the National Forest. We picked a legal shooting location; a safe place off of the trail where we could shoot into the side of a mountain. Nobody could walk in front of us and on the off-chance a bullet should ricochet, it wouldn't hit anyone because of the nature of the landscape. We always practice very safe gun handling techniques and have never had a problem with anyone until this weekend.
It was late in the afternoon and we heard footsteps in the distance, so we stopped shooting, turned on the gun's safety and laid it down with the barrel pointed safely away from anyone. We see this as a common courtesy. It's all part of sharing the forest.
Moments after we heard the footsteps, a middle-aged woman with medium-length stringy brown hair appeared with a couple of younger hikers. We greeted her and as soon as she saw the guns, she started bitching at us about shooting in the forest.
"Stop shooting in my forest! You're destroying the serenity of the forest! You're wrecking my hike! You're ruining my day! Blah! Blah! Blah!"
I got angry and spat out, "Excuse me, but what part of multi-use trail do you not understand? We pay taxes which means we have as much of a right to be here as you do."
Unfortunately, the woman was bitching too loud to hear me. She just kept walking and bitching. A second later, she turned her wrath on a young couple who was hiking with their puppy, who was on a leash. Apparently, this woman didn't just have a grudge against shooters, but she also had one against people with dogs. In her expert opinion, dogs poop on the trail, scare wildlife and cause trail erosion. Oh please!
I wanted to escort this witch to the giant trail head sign that explains the rules and regulations for this part of the National Forest. I wanted to clarify to her what a multi-use trail was and how if she doesn't like the rules, then she'd be better off finding another trail to hike. There are plenty of trails around that are single-use only, for example the hundreds of miles of trails in the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.
I was so irritated after crossing paths with this woman. It reminded me of Bunchy Spandex Man and the jerk who griped at me for snowshoeing and walking the dog alongside his cross country ski trail. (Never mind that we never touched the pristine cross country ski tracks).
What is with the increasing number of people with entitlement problems?! It is so aggravating that I've spent weeks thinking up a solution. And finally, I think I have one.
Whenever anyone spouts off about owning the trail or the road or the lake or the river or the stream, I think we should turn to them and belt out in our off-key voices:
"This land is your land, this land is my land, this land was made for you and me."
This will either scare the grouch enough to prevent further visits to the area they believe they own or it will force them to reconsider what it means to share. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
It was late in the afternoon and we heard footsteps in the distance, so we stopped shooting, turned on the gun's safety and laid it down with the barrel pointed safely away from anyone. We see this as a common courtesy. It's all part of sharing the forest.
Moments after we heard the footsteps, a middle-aged woman with medium-length stringy brown hair appeared with a couple of younger hikers. We greeted her and as soon as she saw the guns, she started bitching at us about shooting in the forest.
"Stop shooting in my forest! You're destroying the serenity of the forest! You're wrecking my hike! You're ruining my day! Blah! Blah! Blah!"
I got angry and spat out, "Excuse me, but what part of multi-use trail do you not understand? We pay taxes which means we have as much of a right to be here as you do."
Unfortunately, the woman was bitching too loud to hear me. She just kept walking and bitching. A second later, she turned her wrath on a young couple who was hiking with their puppy, who was on a leash. Apparently, this woman didn't just have a grudge against shooters, but she also had one against people with dogs. In her expert opinion, dogs poop on the trail, scare wildlife and cause trail erosion. Oh please!
I wanted to escort this witch to the giant trail head sign that explains the rules and regulations for this part of the National Forest. I wanted to clarify to her what a multi-use trail was and how if she doesn't like the rules, then she'd be better off finding another trail to hike. There are plenty of trails around that are single-use only, for example the hundreds of miles of trails in the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.
I was so irritated after crossing paths with this woman. It reminded me of Bunchy Spandex Man and the jerk who griped at me for snowshoeing and walking the dog alongside his cross country ski trail. (Never mind that we never touched the pristine cross country ski tracks).
What is with the increasing number of people with entitlement problems?! It is so aggravating that I've spent weeks thinking up a solution. And finally, I think I have one.
Whenever anyone spouts off about owning the trail or the road or the lake or the river or the stream, I think we should turn to them and belt out in our off-key voices:
"This land is your land, this land is my land, this land was made for you and me."
This will either scare the grouch enough to prevent further visits to the area they believe they own or it will force them to reconsider what it means to share. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
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