“You think too much.”

That’s what my momma told me back when I was about 13 years old. I’ll never forget it because at the time I thought it was a strange and absurd statement. What can possibly be wrong with thinking things through, planning ahead, working it out…? I mean I was an honor student, loved to read, fast learner, just an intellectual person. So needless to say I thought my momma was crazy and maybe even a bit jealous of my mental skillz. Well, as they say…momma is always right! What I thought was a blessing, nearly 20 plus years later, feels more like a curse.  I will analyze something as small as what kind of vacuum to buy seven different ways to Sunday. Over-thinking is one of the main reasons I hate sitting in traffic…. I have way too much time alone with my thoughts. My mind looks like fireworks on the 4^th of July….freaking chaotic!  Problems, people, reminders….continually popping off in my fragile mind.

And you may ask, what does thinking a lot have to do with health? Mental wellness plays a huge part of your overall health. There is nothing wrong with being thorough, planning ahead, and being conscious of you and your family’s needs.  Especially for woman, we just naturally are more emotional, nurturers, and more likely to over-think.  Plus we are more likely to define ourselves based on our relationships with others (e.g. I’m a mother, daughter, wife, banker, etc.) which gives us that much more to worry about with our many roles.  But like everything else it’s a balancing act. Over-thinking, anxiety, stress, and worry can cause lack of sleep, binge eating, over indulgence in alcohol, hair loss, depression, etc. How do you know if you suffer from over-thinking, anxiety and worry.  Have you ever done any of the following?

•  Couldn’t fall asleep or wake up in the middle of the night because you just got a $1500 medical bill in the mail?
• Went on a first date and as he ordered the appetizer, you said to yourself this guy would make a good husband, provider, father for your current or future children?
• Bought 50 rolls of toilet paper because they were on sale? Or 3 sets of your favorite lip gloss because you just know they will discontinue it?
• Packed a large suitcase filled with 5 outfits for an overnight trip?
• Stalked someone whether on the internet or drove by their house?
• Went to a party and sat against the wall the whole time because everyone was lame, except for you of course?
• Put off completing a job, doing an assignment, writing a paper because it seemed too complicated?
• Took 30 min to decide between Colgate extra whiting with baking soda and Crest extra whiting with fluoride?
• Got 8 second opinions before you decided to get that mole removed from your arm?
• Instantly think something is wrong with you when someone is staring at you. 
• You’re still playing this statement from your co-worker in your mind, “girl, your hair color is interesting and suits you.”  …she made the statement over a year ago.
• You told your man you love him, and he responded with “ditto.” You call all your girlfriends to help you decipher or not if he’s cheating on you.

If any of the above or similar actions pertain to you then, you may suffer from over-thinking. And seriously, this type of mental traffic can cause physical and physiological issues if you don’t get it under control. Over-thinking typically consists of negative thoughts which just bring more negativity in your world. A few tips to break free from those negative thoughts:

•          Exercise. Ever heard the saying “a tired dog is a happy dog.” The same goes for humans. When you get moving during the day and burn some of that extra energy, you are literally too tired to focus on the petty stuff. Exercise distracts you from your problems and gets you high on those happy endorphins.
•          Schedule a time to over-think. Give yourself an hour a day to just go hog-wild with your thoughts then cut it off.
•          Start a journal. Write your thoughts down and close the book. Transferring your thoughts to paper can be very cleansing for your mind and you don’t feel like you’re ignoring or forgetting about your feelings, ideas, or thoughts. Writing down your commitments and thoughts is paying honor to those things.
•          Let go, let God. Pray on it. Enough said. And for the spiritual folks…meditate on it!
•          Stop comparing yourself. You are not the Jones and the Jones probably have a dead body in the basement. Try not to judge yourself based on others it only causes unnecessary upset. You are your own measuring tape. You set your own standards.
•          Stop throwing pity parties. Rather than waiting for someone to rescue you or change your situation.  You have to help yourself. …you’d be surprised how many people will jump on your boat once you decide to do you!
•          Lower your expectations. Not everybody is going to measure up to your standards. You will have no friends or lover(s) if you don’t realize that not everyone shares your values. Accept people for who they are and move on. And please believe your folks probably have issues with you too, but love you just the same.
•          Just do it. If you have a problem, take action. A small step is better than no step.
•          Put positive affirmations everywhere. Negative thoughts can bring you down emotionally and physically and we don’t even notice because it’s part of our daily subconscious routine (it's deep). Stop it now. Take a dry erase marker and write “you are beautiful” on your bathroom mirror, change your computer password to “IAmAwesome#1,”put a post it on your refrigerator door “How did I get so freaking fine and fabulous!” Pinch yourself, every time you say something negative about yourself. 
•        Forgive and move on. Somebody did you wrong. Don’t be like NeNe on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Forgive people for their mistakes and go on your merry way. Nene needs to forgive Greg…it’s messed up her whole life, for real.
•        Listen to your thoughts. Is that your voice or other people telling you how to live your life? Recognize your voice. It’s the only one that matters in the end. 

Take good care of yourself. 

    

Low-Carb Mashed Potatoes...

Sike! Silly rabbit, there is no such thing as a low-carb potato, so sorry if I got you excited. However, the other night I made a really nice substitution that had the same "comforting feeling" as a creamy batch of mashed potatoes. And I could eat the whole pot if I wanted to....and in my usual greedy fashion, I wanted to and finished the job.

CAULIFLOWER. By itself, it's an okay vegetable. It's one of those vegetables that you never here the waiter mention as the "vegetable of the day", it's rarely on my grocery list, but I can deal with it as long as carrots and broccoli are mixed in with it. But Sunday afternoon after reading a bunch of Atkins success stories, I had a low-carb vision of my new body. Although I'm not following Atkins, I decided to incorporate some of the high-protein, low-carb practices into my routine. And before I knew I was giving thanks to the good ole' cruciferous flower bud that only contains goodness (per half cup):

• 15 calories 
• 0 saturated fat 
• 0 cholesterol 
• 15mg sodium 
• 3g carbs 
• 1g fiber 
• 1g sugar 
• and loaded with vitamin C! (45% of your daily needed value) 

Here's the Sunday Night Cauliflower Special recipe! I'm sure it's good on the other nights of the week :)

• 1- 1 lb bag of frozen or fresh cauliflower
• 1- 3oz package of cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower for about 15 min, till it gets really soft. Then place the cream cheese in a separate bowl. When the cauliflower is nice and soft, drain the excess water, and poor the hot cauliflower in the bowl with the cream cheese. Mix thoroughly until smooth, or you can keep a little chunky....it's whatever you like! You can also break out the hand mixer and puree it if that's the texture you like. Then salt and pepper to taste. Optional ingredients that would go nicely but I didn't try are adding shredded cheese and/or sour cream to make it real rich. Again this is a low-carb recipe, not low fat. I'm not a big fan of low fat anything. GOOD FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU! However, cheese and sour cream do have saturated fat and lots of sodium, so take it easy on the dairy products.

If you care and want to keep reading, here are some benefits of eating cauliflower. In general cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage) may lower overall cancer risk, including colon and prostate cancer. Cauliflower contains a high amount of vitamin C, folate, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. And its even a antioxidant!

Cauliflower is available year round, but better and more plentiful in the Fall season. When selecting cauliflower, look for heads that are white or creamy white, firm, compact, and heavy for their size. There should not be any discoloration on the head or leaves. Like most fresh produce, for the best flavor and to get the most nutrients, eat as soon as possible. Cauliflower will keep for up to five days if stored in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Store it in an open or perforated plastic bag. Keep the head stem-side up to prevent moisture form collecting on it.

Take good care of yourself!

"O"MG....It's Ladies Night!

Now ladies, it's real easy to blame your partner when you don't reach an orgasm. Ever said "I need more foreplay," "I can't just turn it on and off," "the romance needs to start during the day," "we need to switch it up...it's too routine," etc, etc? Well, I'm here to say that you can take control of your own pleasure experiences, regardless of your partner's endowment, creativity, or as Flavor Flav says "romantiCAL" abilities.  

There are many reasons woman don't reach the big "O's" or have rather dull orgasms when they do climax. Yes, orgasms from oral sex is all good, but it's not the kind that make you want to cry, scream loud enough to wake your neighbors, or rush home and smack your mama! These tips are helpful for woman that have low sex drives, weakened pelvic muscles because of childbirth or age, or just want to spice up their love life.

Not to get all scientific and psychological on y'all, but a lot of woman suffer from slight depression and don't know it. We all get stressed out once and awhile, we eat poorly, don't exercise, or we engage in unhealthy lifestyles (excessive drinking, smoking, use of prescription drugs). I threw in prescription drugs because meds (e.g. birth control pills or meds for anxiety/depression) can interfere with your natural hormones causing a low sex drive. These unhealthy lifestyles can cause the following:

• Low dopamine levels. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter from your brain that signals that whatever activity you just did was good one. It basically makes us feel good...so when we do things like eat a brownie or have good sex, dopamine is released in the brain.
• Unbalanced serotonin levels. Serotonin is another neurotransmitter in the brain. It enhances alertness, improves mood, and makes people feel happy.  A balanced amount of serotonin helps us handle stress, regulate appetites, and makes us feel energized. When your serotonin is rock bottom you are usually suffering from severe depression...when it's too high, you may be super efficient and getting things done; however, you are too amped to have sex because you're thinking about reorganizing your closet.
• Low free testosterone levels. This is the hormone that makes you crave and desire sex. Men have way higher amounts of this hormone than woman which probably why they think about sex ALL THE FREAKING TIME. This is the mojo that you need to get your groove back. Free testosterone  is the ratio of your total level of testosterone in your body and the level of sex-hormone binding globulin (SGBH) present. The lower the SGBH, the higher the free testosterone. 

So now that we've had that brief science lesson. Here are some tips for getting your "O"MG!!

• Take lots and lots of fish oil everyday. Fish oil increases your dopamine levels. Consider it your holistic Viagra. When I say a lot, I mean 2500mg EPA, 2000mg DHA per day. Check the bottle to see how much EPA and DHA are in each capsule of fish oil. Be prepared to take over  6 capsules a day (2 at each meal). If you weigh more than 230 lbs, take up to 3400mg EPA and 2600mg DHA in your fish oil capsules. 
• Take a calcium, zinc, and magnesium (1000/400/15mg) supplement everyday.
• Take an iron supplement (27mg) every 2-3 days.
• Eat 1/2 oz of dark chocolate everyday to increase serotonin levels. 
• Eat nuts, and lean protein. Ever notice how men that eat a lot of meat have that "strong, manly, lumberjack" sex appeal. It's in the meat. Lean meat raises your free testosterone hormone levels. 
• Avoid the following things as much as possible because they kill serotonin levels and increase the SBGH:
• Starchy and sugary foods
• Anti-depressant meds 
• Caffeine and herbal teas that have caffeine (gingko and ginseng)
• Excessive alcohol
• 2-3 days lift light weights. Added muscle also increases free testosterone levels. Don't worry light weights with many reps won't turn you into She-Ra!
• Invest in vaginal cone weights or Kegel exerciser to strengthen your pelvic muscles. This will allow you to control your sensations during sex. I recommend: GyneFlex with VTP (R) - Regular Strength

I know this is a sensitive subject so feel free to send me a message if you have questions or leave an anonymous comment and I will respond. It's your right to have a great sex life and when that's in check, the usual daily annoyances don't seem so bad!

Take good care of yourself!

Are You a Drug Addict?

Are you addicted to drugs? You're saying, "of course not....I have the occasional drink, but that's all. And I may have smoked something green and funky back in the day, but in no way am I an addict."  So you're not a drug addict, right...but have you ever found yourself intending to eat 1-3 cookies and then a few minutes later you've inhaled the whole sleeve of Girl Scout Cookies? Or have you started your morning with a bagel with cream cheese and then in the afternoon had an unrelenting taste for potato salad, or mac n cheese, or pound cake? If you're like me, you may not have even noticed the connection.

You, me, and most Americans are actually addicted to a drug. A legal drug you call SUGAR! Recent studies show that sugar has very similar addictive properties as alcohol and cocaine. You literally can't eat just one of anything with a ton of sugar or processed flour in it because your brain won't let you walk away. We are CRACKHEADS for sugar and flour....I can't lie...once in a while I catch myself doing a little two-step when I'm devouring a soft chewy cookie. I don't even dance when I get my paycheck...but I dance for cookies? WTF?

Why do our drug dealers AKA food manufacturers add so much sugar to our foods. I'll tell you why...MONEY. The American culture is trained to believe that lighter and whiter is better. But guess what, the real sugar cane is BROWN, the real wheat flour is BROWN, the natural desserts come in all SHAPES and COLORS just like the American population...apples, pears, strawberries, plums, bananas and grapes. Have you ever really seen a piece of WHITE fruit?? If you have, please show it to me. Our dealers didn't think Americans would buy BROWN stuff probably because BLACK and BROWN just weren't acceptable colors way back when. So our dealers processed the natural food stripping the fiber and healthy stuff, and adding more addictive chemicals so you'd keep buying their products over the competitors. And you're left with fat rolls you can't seem to shake, a weird obsession with sweets and carbs, crazy mood swings, fatigue, and a personal shame as if it's your fault.

Well its not your fault. We are the victims here and the best way to shake the addiction is to AVOID the WHITE stuff. Let me reiterate WHITE is BAD and COLOR is good...yes I said it. And this rule does not pertain to the color of the sugar packets in the office kitchen. The PINK packet (saccharin), BLUE packet (aspartame), YELLOW packets (splenda)...are seriously the devil in disguise. They cause all types of problems including headaches, menstrual irregularities, dizziness, MS, and fibromylagia. Have you ever noticed that people drinking diet sodas are usually overweight? You are better off having a regular Coke or Pepsi.

If you are participating in sugar binges on a regular basis, I suggest the following:

• Remove all the white sugar and white flour from your home, and replace with Stevia and whole wheat flour. Stevia doesn't impact your blood sugar levels. Stevia is natural and extracted from the Stevia herb.
• Remove white rice from your home. Replace with brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, aramanth.
• Remove all diet sodas from your home. 
• If you eat carbs (potatoes, whole wheat toast), pair the carbs with a protein (chicken, fish, eggs, beef) to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
• If you eat a sweet potato or white potato, make sure to also eat the skin...you can mash the potatoes with the skin...it's just as good and you get the fiber that's in the skin. 

Suggested reading:

Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity

Sugar Addiction: A Step-by-step Guide To Overcoming Sugar Addiction

Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling

I'm just getting started on the dangers of sugar. I have a lot to say on high fructose corn syrup!! The ultimate devil hiding on the grocery store shelves. 

Take good care of yourself. 

Let's Talk Shyt!

How often do you have a bowel movement (BM)? I know a lot of folks don't like talking about the subject, but we're all human and we all do it. Some more than others and that's what this tip is about! I notice that my dog craps after every meal. He eats twice a day and he has a BM twice a day. This is the ideal pattern that most Americans don't enjoy. If you aren't going to the bathroom at least once a day, that means there is serious waste building up in your body which can cause a lot of issues. The backup of toxins in your body can cause acne, bad breath and body odor (some people's breath can really smell like shyt!), headaches, stomach pains, bloating, low energy and low spirits, weight gain, and other chronic illnesses. 

There are lots of reasons why constipation can occur: lack of fiber, fats, and oils in your diet, insufficient water intake, stress, lack of good bacteria, too much processed foods and preservatives, caffeine, etc. Here are some tips for getting you regular:

1. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 200 lbs, then you need to drink 100oz of water per day. Remember our body is made of mostly water...it's the best stuff on earth.
2. Eat at least one raw piece of fruit per day. It's important to eat fruit on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning and then have the rest of your breakfast 5 - 10 min later. The reason, fruit doesn’t combine well with other foods. Fruit contains simple sugars that require no digestion. Thus, they will not stay for a long time in the stomach. Other foods, such as foods rich in fat, carbs and meat, will stay in the stomach for a longer period of time because they require more digestion. So if you eat fruit after a meal, the fruit sugar will stay for too long in the stomach and ferment. This is why people experience digestive trouble when eating fruit that way.
3. Take 2 tablespoons of fish oil, flaxseed oil, or psyllium husks per day. This keeps your body lubricated!! And fish oil can lubricate everything ladies... I mean everything! (That's another tip for another day :))
4. Eat as much raw veggies as you can everyday. I don't care if you walk around the office with a carrot hanging out your mouth. Get it in!

I don't know about you but I like to take a good BM and afterwards...yes I will take a quick glimpse to check out the color, shape, smell, and anything else I can notice. Your craps can tell you a lot about your health believe it or not. If it floats you are eating too much oil and fats. A healthy stool should be medium brown or the color of what you ate last. It should be shaped like a banana and easy to pass. Passing several ping pong ball-sized stool can mean lack of fiber and your waste is spending too much time in the intestines. Pencil -thin stool is not good..could mean you have colon cancer. I found a good article on what you should look for: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/digestive-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100182622

Take good care of yourself!

S.O.S! Save Our Skin...from Hot Showers!

I love starting and ending my day with a nice warm shower. For years I thought that was the "cleanest" part of my day. Then I started to notice my hair getting harder, my skin getting drier and rougher. The culprit...CHLORINE. Unfortunately, our water sources are heavily treated with chlorine to kill all the bacteria and nasty stuff. Chlorine (aka Bleach) is a toxic and abrasive chemical substance that irritates our skin and lungs. When you take a shower, the heat opens up your pores and your skin absorbs chlorine from the water and the steam. This heating process repeated over time causes skin tissue and cellular level damage to our bodies (e.g. dry skin, premature wrinkles, yeast infections, asthma, and even cancer). A hot shower can be compared to sitting in a gas chamber as you inhale hydrogen chloride in your lungs. No good. 

We shouldn't be bathing in these chemicals if we can help it, nor should we be drinking this chlorine-infused water. You can keep your skin supple and soft, and save your health by adding a filter to your shower head. You can find filters at your local health food store or even at Home Depot, Lowe's, Target or Wal-Mart. Also, think about adding a water filter to your kitchen sink or if you want to spend a few more dollars...have water delivered to your home.

Shower Filter Recommendation:
http://enviroproductsinc.com/


Drinking Water Recommendations:
http://www.drinkmorewater.com/
http://www.culligan.com/

Take good care of yourself!