Taking Drugs While Pregnant

Once you have made the decision to try for a baby, chances are you don’t want it to take forever and would like to know how to get pregnant fast. Fortunately, there are a number of simple steps you can take which will maximize your chances and get you on the right track not only to conceive quickly, but healthily too.

Body Weight

Being outside the normal healthy weight range for your height (whether underweight or overweight) can have an adverse effect on ovulation, with both groups displaying disruption. Steps should therefore be taken to get within the healthy weight range. If you are overweight, even slightly reducing body fat can help and if underweight, just a little gain can trigger ovulation.

Alcohol and Drugs

If both parties regularly drink, fertility can decline by around 50%. Alcohol is know to have an adverse effect on an early pregnancy so it makes complete sense to avoid it throughout pregnancy. It goes without saying that illegal drugs should be avoided. With regard to over the counter and prescription drugs, always mention to the pharmacist that you are trying to conceive and check that the drugs are safe. Less considered is the potential effect of caffeine. It is known that caffeine (as found in coffee, tea, chocolate and some fizzy drinks) can reduce the chances of conception so keep consumption to a minimum. Read the rest of this entry »

How much weight gain is appropriate during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). For a pre-pregnancy BMI of 18.5 to 25, the ideal weight gain should be somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds. An initial weight gain of 2 to 5 pounds is usually followed by a weekly gain of 1 pound in a normal pregnancy. If you have twins the gain usually falls between 35 and 45 pounds. Women who were overweight at the time of conception usually gain around 15 pounds and those who were underweight gain between 30 to 40 pounds. In case of obesity, your gain should not exceed fifteen pounds.

The most obvious impact of the weight gain can be seen in the form of pains and aches that you will have as your pregnancy progresses. A back ache is the most common complaint, followed by an awkward walk (thanks to your new found tummy). Another complain is of swollen legs, but that has nothing to with weight. It is a result of increased blood flow.

If you’ve had weight problems in the past or are generally finicky about your weight, you might find the gain hard to accept. But there is absolutely no reason to get agitated about the extra weight. In fact it is a sign of a healthy child growing inside you. You just need to pay attention to what you’re eating in terms of nutritional value. Also, you can track your weekly weight gain, and if you have any doubts in mind, you can consult your doctor. Tracking will also help adjust your diet according to the gain in order to get the best for your child. A stop on junk food and a start on some exercise will also help you along the way. Understand that eventually, all those extra pounds will wear off once you’ve delivered your little one. Read the rest of this entry »

As everyone knows exercise is reaps hug benefits no matter what your age. But, sometimes just the word makes you want to hide. Exercise doesn’t have to seem like work if you do it with someone else. Here are five fitness ideas for families who want to be healthier and need a little boost in the right direction.

A family workout has many benefits. First of all, you have each other for accountability. When one person wants to slack off, their loving family members can help them see the light. Secondly, you have a buddy to push you to do your best. It is a friendly competition that can help you achieve fitness goals you never thought possible.

1. Backyard sports – it’s probably been a long time since you played a game of dodge ball or kick ball. Now’s your chance. Get the family together and start a game on the weekends. This type of stop and start movement gets the heart rate up and works the muscles. Other ideas include basketball game, softball game or volleyball.
2. Take a class together – for example, martial arts centers have programs from youth to adult. Each person can learn skills and then practise them together. Aerobics classes are another idea for a family exercise session. The guys in the family may not feel co-ordinated enough to do a step aerobics class but there’s always spinning, swimming or kickboxing classes to choose from at your local YMCA or the gym.
3. Enjoy nature – families feed off of each other. If one person can do it, the others want to try to do it also. Go for a family hike. Parks have some beautiful trails that range from easy to more challenging. Outfit your family with the proper gear and learn about nature together. Along the same lines as hiking is mountain climbing. There are trails here too. Help each other climb the rocks and take in some breathtaking views. Both activities work your heart, lungs and lower body. Even on a cool fall day you will feel the burn and the cleansing sweat of a good workout.
4. Do yard work – no one wants to choose outside work but if you do it together it can be fun and heart pumping. Take turns mowing a section of the yard. Pushing a lawnmower works the upper and lower body. Rake leaves in the fall. For more fun, jump into the big pile and then let everyone help rake them up again.
5. Play a video game – video games have become more athletic and virtual these days. The big talk is about the Wii game console. Using the Fit board or the regular games, your family will have plenty of laughs and even more exercise as they move to make the characters move in the games.

Who says family workouts have to be boring? Get together as a family and do something that you love to stay healthy.

Letting emotions build up within you is not healthy and is liable to lead to anxiety, depression and a host of physical diseases. While women have always been known for their urge to communicate their emotions, most men still believe that men are supposed to refrain from showing their emotions.

An expression of your feeling is one of the highly recommended ways to relieve stress. Talking things over with the person involved in causing you stress usually resolves matters.

If you are excessively worried about something, communicating your fears to a trusted friend helps in overcoming worry. This is where your communicating skills play a part in expressing your inner feelings correctly.

Another link between communication and stress is presented when you are under stress. Stress brings about changes in behavior and style of communicating. A stressful situation is liable to change your normal cool and sedate style to one that is overtly aggressive or extremely submissive.

Our rationality tends to get blocked when we cross the threshold level of stress. The correct way of knowing this is to ask others about the change that they see in you when you move from a normal situation to a stressed one.

Communication is not only about the tone and pitch of your voice but also about how well you explain things and how good a listener you are. Irrespective of whether you are talking of something pleasant or something that has irritated you never use a negative style while communicating. Be positive and avoid using ‘did not’ or ‘don’t’.

Do not blame others and try not to evaluate other people’s behavior or sit judge and jury over their actions. Say things freely and frankly but make sure to listen to the other person’s reaction coolly and calmly before you calmly counter what was said.

The content about what you talk or communicate is as important as the style in which you communicate. If you talk in general terms it likely to be misread. Being specific always helps in communicating your feelings correctly.

Your body language is another way of communication. Non-verbal communications are just like pictures and as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

How well you listen to others works to show your respect to the other person’s feelings. Give him/her your undivided attention and do not interrupt. Even if you do not agree, keep your opinion to yourself till the time the other person has finished. This is very important because if you do not hear out, for example, your child or a colleague, it is liable to lead to misunderstanding and cause stress.

Daily stress is detrimental to health and in the modern society it is practically impossible to avoid stress. The way you communicate with your friends, colleagues, family and children plays a significant role in managing stress.

Reference:
http://www.nwhealth.edu/healthyU/chillOut/comskill.html

http://www.positivearticles.com/Article/Communication-and-Self-Management-to-Reduce-Stress/19078

The biological response to stress was developed in humans when our ancestors faced life and death situations. Modern life however is more about emotional stress than physical. And the strange part is that despite the fact that psychological stress is much higher than that in the Stone Age, the human body has not been able to adjust to constant psychological stress.

Constant or severe stress leads to a situation where you are on high alert every time you come across a problem. This happens irrespective of whether it is a simple matter of getting late for office due to a traffic jam or some serious health condition that you are facing. Stress in such conditions is like a fire alarm that is always on and keeps you awake all the time.

Hormones released during a stress response bring about physical changes in the body and keep the body tense. Ideally the body should return to its original normal state after a brief period of stress but continuous stress and the consequent persistently high level of these hormones cause physical stress symptoms.

It is commonly known is that severe stress causes cardiovascular problems and tension headaches but the fact is that stress affects your overall health  and can various other physical symptoms can appear anywhere in the body.

This happens because blood is diverted from the systems that are not necessary for immediate survival, towards other organs of the body that need to face the stressor. The reduction in blood supply to these organs negatively affects these vital organs over time.

Severe stress has been associated with peptic ulcers, skin problems like hives, asthma, infertility, post menstrual syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and migraines.

Severe stress also affects the immune system and unresolved stress leads to a situation where it starts working against the body instead of protecting it. Chronic stress makes you more vulnerable to opportunistic infections like common cold and influenzas and much more.

Some amount of stress is necessary to egg you on to perform better. A stressor by itself does not lead to the debilitating stress symptoms. The strongest evidence in support of this is that the same stressor that brings about a strong stressful reaction from one person may not produce any reaction from another individual.

Irrespective of how severe a particular stressor may be, stress is caused only if you consider the stressor to be a problem in your subjective judgment. Managing stress becomes easy if you focus on the positive aspects and shed negativity. 

Reference:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Physical-Symptoms-Of-Severe-Stress&id=571975

Stress may seem to be an unavoidable situation these days. But the fact of the matter is that in most cases, we ourselves are responsible for the stress in our lives. It is only convenient for us to lay the blame on others or life situations.

Stress can be caused due to a number of psychological or physical factors. In our race to the top, we tend to overwork ourselves (mostly in a poor posture) and invite physical stress. We prefer to look at situations and circumstances from a negative point of view because that allows us a convenient scapegoat. And this habit of looking at the negative side of events becomes a major cause of mental stress.

There are many ways to relieve stress if you are looking at typical stress relief after you are stressed out already. Believe it or not, sometimes simply screaming at a wall helps in giving a sense of wellness and control. The best techniques for stress management, however, are physical relaxation, focusing on breathing and avoiding stressors.

Stress can be managed by consuming the right kind of foods. This is especially because stress causes certain physiological changes in our system that can be managed well with a good diet.

Stress can disrupt blood sugar levels to a great extent. Avoid foods with added sugar to maintain blood sugar levels. Caffeine is a stimulant but contributes to anxiety as well. If you must, then drink tea instead of coffee and other caffeinated drinks since tea has 66% less caffeine as compared to coffee.

Foods for stress relief are the ones that supply sufficient vitamins for the synthesis of serotonin. People with vitamin deficiencies are more prone to stress than those who eat a balanced diet that ensures sufficient supply of Vitamin B and B complex vitamins.

- Vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables are a healthy source of vitamin B. Consuming broccoli that is rich in folic acid, another vitamin B, which is essential for cell growth and reproduction, helps in the reduction of stress.
– Almonds are rich in vitamin B2, vitamin E, magnesium and zinc. Eat almonds to satisfy your urge to snack but make sure you eat small quantities at a time as they also rich in fat.
– Whole grains are complex carbohydrates that are digested slowly and keep you satiated and possibly happier for longer periods.
– Prefer fish over red meats as they are full of all important B vitamins. Vitamin B12 is one of the important vitamins involved in production of serotonin and its deficiency can even lead to depression.

Although there is no medical evidence to support the belief that consumption of certain foods can relieve stress of any type, we often see people indulge in binge eating or eating treats they enjoy to get rid of occasional stress. This aspect of managing stress can be used in a better way to provide specific nutrients to prevent stress.

PureCalm by Native Remedies is what I use to help relieve stress – I have also used it for my son who is ADHD and my teen daughter who suffers from panic attacks.

Reference:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=fightdz&dbid=3

http://www.askmen.com/sports/

Stress is unavoidable in the present scenario where everyone has to run around to squeeze a living and keep up with the rising cost of living. Some amount of stress, however, is actually beneficial since it provides that adrenalin rush to shake you from complacency. If you are complacent you are not likely to meet deadlines.

Continuous stress on the other hand can wreck one’s life. Stress, especially when it is internalized, causes mental and physical problems. Coping with stress is not difficult provided you know certain simple ways of natural stress relief.

1. Many times you get stressed due to emotional reasons that lead to anxiety, fear, anguish, and anger. These are easy to manage but you do need to ensure that you identify these small emotional irritants and resolve them. Some stressors are so trivial that identifying them almost always leads you to an easy solution.
2. Not being able to say no is a major problem with some people. Without realizing that they do not simply have time, they take upon themselves to do what they simply cannot accomplish. It is important to set priorities and wherever possible ask for help in sharing duties.
3. Learn to act and avoid reacting to situations. If you overreact to small problems you will not be in a position to handle problems that make a big difference to you.
4. Do not try to control everything always. Learn to be relaxed. Many times we feel stressed without realizing that certain things really do not matter much.
5. A healthy body is in a better position to fight stress. Regular exercise not only keeps you fit but also lets you handle stress is other ways. Join a gym or go for a walk every morning. Enjoy the morning air and make friends. You will be surprised to note that you will be able to ‘talk’ away your worries.
6. Meals are meant to be eaten in a relaxed environment to assist in proper digestion and adequate uptake of nutrients. Make sure you sit down for breakfast. Junk foods and improper diet adds to stress as blood sugar levels fluctuate.
7. If you have a melancholy personality and cannot see the funny side of life, you need to find ways to make yourself laugh. Watch funny programs on television or rent a comedy film for overcoming worry even if it is for the time being. Once you learn how to forget your worries, you realize that things can wait.
8. Keep a pet. Cats and dogs can prove to be great stress relievers. A friendly pet waiting for you at home helps you to unwind yourself after a hard day’s work.
9. Stress normally bothers the most when you are idle. Find yourself a hobby. Hobbies do not involve any deadlines, keep you busy and cause to feel relaxed.
10. Make sure that you sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours every day. If you do not get enough sleep your performance is likely to suffer the next day, causing more stress.

Reference:

http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/waystorelie_sgtd.htm

Mandarin is a member of the orange family,similar to Tangerine and excellent for the elderly and children . This scent calms the mind, is helpful for anxiety, nervous tension, insomnia, restlessness.

Diffuse Mandarin to create a happy atmosphere in the home, or classroom. Use Mandarin in the car diffuser to relieve travel fatigue and calm down restless children

Did you know that Honey has a calming effect? Combined with pure essential oil of Lavender it’s a yummy bath treatment. Why not try it tonight!

* 2 oz. of Honey
* 5 drops Lavender
* Combine in a jar.
* use 1 -2 Tablespoons per bath.

So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.

Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?

Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment

Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.

Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior

Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.

Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment

You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for awhile, it may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Change will be there forever, we must be susceptible to it.

Dart Pin #4: Past Experience

It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.

Dart Pin #5: Negative World View

Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.

Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory
The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.

Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God wouldn’t come down from heaven and tell you – “George, you may now have the permission to build self esteem and improve your self.”

In life, its hard to stay tough specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and armors to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s options give us arrays of more options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing a bullet proof armor ideally means ‘self change’. The kind of change which comes from within. Voluntarily. Armor or Self Change changes 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of thinking.

Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Its like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline. Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination. So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your starter guide to self improvement.