I have been really depressed about my weight recently. I guess you can say I hit rock bottom. Although, I am not at my highest weight, I have lost 30 pounds I am still up there. My goal is to drop about 150 pounds. Yup, 150 pounds I will be working on shedding from my body. I know this will not be easy, I know at times I may relapse, however I know deep down I can do this. I will be blogging as I go on The Neat Things in Life. This will help keep me in check, and will help hold me accountable for things. I will be logging my food intake on the computer, and I will also be taking measurements and weight weekly. I am scared to step on the scale because of fear of the weight being higher then the start weight. I know after the week is up once I take my measurements I will see a difference! I am doing small things to see huge results. I am trying to drink 120 pounces of water a day, as well as counting those calories. Every 40 minutes I get up and lift weights and get my body … [Read more...]
On A Road To No Where
Half the time I feel like I am on a road to no where. Some days I am fine other days my anxiety goes haywire. I have to call and make doctor appointments for my daughter, make her a dentist appointment, make me an appointment to get in to get all of my medical crap transferred. These are times my anxiety starts going nuts, and it doesn't matter what I do it doesn't get better. Often times I really do feel like my anxiety is going to win. I feel like I failed as a mother, and a wife. Although I know this isn't my fault. The thing that scares me the most, is my daughter is going to end up like me. I don't want her to be scared to do small things like make phone calls. I don't want her to worry about going to the store. Simple things are so hard for me to do. Anxiety controls my life, and I just want my life back. I want to be normal, I don't want to freak out over little things. I know I said before with medication is can help. However, I am on medication and it helps some, but … [Read more...]
Altered States The New Mindfulness
Throughout your life you've likely heard phrases such as "it's all in your head" or "you can do anything you set your mind to". While we hear these popular coin phrases during our lives we may miss the deep and simple truth that they convey. The ability to train your brain could potentially open countless doors in your life that would otherwise go unnoticed. Exercises such as relaxation meditation can be used to train your mind to let go of stresses that may consume your everyday life. Imagine having the ability to completely self alter your mind. Being able to equip yourself mentally can offer advantages under many circumstances. If you could reduce stress by training your mind, would you want to try? If you're like most people today then you would surely answer yes. People face overwhelming demands both mentally and physically now more than ever. Being able to reduce stress would be an invaluable asset to many people today. Stress is linked to a variety of health issues and can … [Read more...]
Weight Loss and The Uphill Battle
How many of you have struggled with your weight? If you have you can understand the title about it being an uphill battle. I tend to go up and down on the scales, and all the bouncing does is discourage me. I have to remember though, just because the numbers on the scale say one thing, that doesn't mean I am not losing weight. Losing weight is somewhat like a train ride, it goes in many directions. Which direction it stays going is up to us. We will either continue to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising, or we will steer off the track and hit up those junk foods that keep reeling us in. We have to keep in mind which is strong our need to lose weight, or our want for that junk food. Often times it is hard to decide, and often we jump off track to grab that junk. However, did you know one piece of cake can be roughly 600 calories! If we look at our food intake as numbers and we keep those numbers to a certain point we can do it! Now I am not saying it will happen over … [Read more...]
Helping With Inflammation
I remember when I was younger I was climbing trees and jumping ramps. Most our neighborhood friends were boys, so we had to be tough. I have to say though, now that I am hitting mid thirties I regret the crazy things I did as a child. My body is feeling it now. I often wake up with muscle pain, just from doing small things. I remember when we moved back here last month, I think I was sore for almost a week. My husband kept saying I was just out of shape, and it was good for me. I agree I am out of shape, however, sometimes it's hard to do things with all the pain my body is in, and it's a daily basis not just once in awhile. After I showed him I was covered in bruises he started to feel bad for making me help him load a thousand pound lawn mower into the moving truck. Okay, so it might not be a thousand pounds, but it was HEAVY. With all the joint, and muscle pain I suffer daily, I have been really thinking about trying Nopalea. After all it is made with the fruit from a Nopal … [Read more...]
Trying To Lose Weight
Summer is coming up, which means it will be a bit easier to lose weight! Whether you are going to go running, walking, or hiking. Summer can be the perfect chance to start working on your body. Remember when being in the heat to drink plenty of water! Being in the South water is a must on all days. Also remember the most important meal is breakfast, even if you are just grabbing a piece of fruit and some oatmeal. Breakfast helps get your metabolism going, and when you eat small meals throughout the day you are more likely to lose weight, verse 3 bigger meals. Losing weight can be a big challenge, however, once you get your mind focused on dropping those pounds you will be off to a great start. I am still at the struggling stage of getting that jump start. However, I know with time I will be to my goal weight before long. … [Read more...]
Trying New Products For Inflammation
It seems the older I get the more aches and pains I have! I am not one for taking pills for the pains I have. My husband has to literally make me take something for headaches. So when the doctor put me on medicine for inflammation of my knees, and informed me I will be taking it the rest of my life. I wasn't a bit happy. I am not one for taking man made medicines. I prefer the things that are all natural. That is one thing I don't understand back in the older days, people used natural products to help heal their bodies. Now we are putting more and more chemicals in our bodies to heal them. Have you ever heard of the Nopal Cactus? Well many centuries ago the native people relied on this plant to help heal their bodies. Now we are using products that do damage to our liver, and can cause major stomach issues. Now I know we all cannot grow the Nopal Cactus in our back yards to have it on hand to help heal our bodies, but luckily for us we can purchase a drink that has the health … [Read more...]
How To Get Rid Of Oily Skin
Skin problems can be a real nuisance at times. Oily skin plagues many of us on a daily basis. If you're like me you may always be on the lookout for new and practical ways to address your oily skin problems. How to get rid of oily skin can be quite an adventure. There's a huge variety of products to chose from to help oily skin sufferers. With so many products out there it's difficult to choose which one is best for you.But don't jump to purchase the most expensive skin care product out there without first getting to the root cause of the problem. If you have oily skin into adulthood then chances are that it's both hereditary and environmental. Our hormones are what play the biggest role in our skin's oil production. Poor diet and exercise is one thing that can contribute to this. But as stated before it can simply be in your genes. While you cant change your DNA you can take some steps to figure out exactly how to get rid of your oily skin. Your skin requires water to live and … [Read more...]
The Emotional Impact of Anxiety Disorders
Picture yourself working in a retail store. You try to maintain focus on the task at hand but something is eating away at you. You feel as though you are being watched by everyone. And perhaps those people you think are watching you think you are ugly, different or maybe they think you smell bad. You cant quite keep your thoughts straight. You are worried if someone approaches you, that you may say something awkward or wrong. This may sound like some sort of nightmare but this is the reality of my social phobia. I know that I'm good looking, clean and fresh smelling. But yet I still carry these thoughts in my head when I'm put into a new social situation. My husband reinforces my self image on a daily basis. He tells me how beautiful I am. And I know I'm not ugly, nor do I stink. But beautiful? I don't see what he sees. My husband actually gets depressed about my poor self image and social anxiety disorder. The emotional impact of anxiety disorders can have a heavy toll on a … [Read more...]
Anxiety And How It Can Effect Your Life
I remember the first time I went to the doctor because I was having extremely bad anxiety. I was told it was all in my head and I needed to learn to deal with it. How do you deal with something you really have no control over, and you have no idea how to control the spells? Anxiety effected my life more than I knew it at the time. I was a prisoner in my own home. I wouldn't go out to check the mail if my mother in law was home, and if she was home, I would wait until night before I checked the mail. A lot of the reasons I hurried up and ran back to Michigan when I did, was because my mother in law was going to be home all the time. She was quitting her job, and I knew I was not going to be able to handle that. Not with the doctors refusing me anything for my issues. When we got to Michigan though the anxiety started to control more of my life than it did when we were in Tennessee... I knew it was time I get in to see a different doctor, because I wasn't able to deal or handle … [Read more...]
