Cosmetic Safety Concerns?

I ran across this VERY informative and insightful website this morning when reading an article on one of my fav beauty websites.

Hitting the Pool

Um, yeah, I’ve been considering swimming twice a week as an alternate form of exercise. I guess God was trying to tell me something, because here is a reason for me to go. Talk about an inspiration!

Organic Eating

So, as for the past few years, there has been a huge push towards organic foods. I grew up in mid-size city with a garden in our backyard. I was used to fresh greens, tomatoes, corn, etc.

When I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2003, my doctor and I talked about my diet. I wasn’t a BAD eater, but he advised that I try to eat fresher, non-processed foods because the mess that companies put in a lot of the processed foods could affect my colitis. In addition, the antibiotics and steroids used in animals could also be passed to me via eating and affect my colitis.

I am all for supporting small farms, organic markets and the like. Here is an interesting animated graphic, though. It shows how larger companies and businesses are goggling our smaller organic farms.

Take a look at it. Quite interesting….

Making Healthy Choices

In the past few years, I’ve made conscious choices in my eating. It all started when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in January 2003. Part of my initial treatment was being put on prednisone. During the first 6 months of my treatment on this drug, I gained 65 pounds, and that was with proper diet and exercise. I was also told that the weight I gained with the steroids would be harder to lose than normal “overeating” weight gain. During this extreme weight gain, I developed additional health problems such as “moon face” (common physical side effect of prednisone), high blood pressure and was border-line having steroid-induced diabetes. I was put on a liquid diet for 1.5 months because the drugs were making my weight go out of control and my health was deteriorating faster with the side effects of the drug than my actual condition it was treating. The liquid diet did help, some, but my stomach didn’t like it and I had to be taken off of it. After almost 2 years on and off prednisone, I was titrated off it. At my heaviest, I was 295 pounds and sicker than I’d ever been. After the liquid diet, I was 285, where my weight stood for a long while.

I began seeing a new gastroenterologist who specialized in African-Americans with IBD. One of the FIRST things he suggested was stay away from processed foods and eat organic meats as much as possible. This was due to the antibiotics and steroids that are fed to the animals could trigger future flare-ups with my condition.

Another suggestion from my doctor was to increase my intake of omega-3 fatty acids due to their anti-inflammatory traits. I truly believe these actions have helped my condition remain in remission since 2005.

Call me Miss Tree Hugger, but I am also anally aware about the fish I eat, now. I visited the Monterey Aquarium in 2004 and was able to learn and read about how various fish are farmed, caught, etc. The aquarium has a WONDERFUL educational program called Seafood Watch. It is a program designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. I often go to the site and print out a pocket guide on which fish to eat, avoid, etc. The guide is updated often.

For instance, since that visit to the aquarium, I will only purchase and eat WILD SALMON. The taste, texture and cost (yes, it does cost a little more) are TOTALLY different than farmed salmon. I ask restaurants where their fish is from or caught. I ask grocery stores the same thing (though it’s SUPPOSED to be printed on the label).

Today, I am 265 pounds. Yes, that is still very heavy, but at least now, I am able to lose weight. My goal is 145 (I am 5’10” and this was my weight throughout high school and my first 2 years of college). I’ve never been a small/skinny woman and don’t ever plan on being one. This weight is an attainable one. I’ve been exercising (though foot surgery has put that on HALT for right now, except for floor-based pilates). So, I am just happy that my body is getting back to some normalcy.

I said all that to say that I hope that you all take a moment and visit the Monterey Aquarium’s website and read about the Seafood Watch program. You, too, may begin to make healthy choices…You only have one body. Let’s take care of it.

Here’s to a healthy lifestyle for us all………CHEERS!

Zelnorm recall

If you or someone you know is currently using Zelnorm, please inform them that the FDA has announced the immediate discontinued marketing of this drug for safety reasons.

For further information please view:

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01597.html

and/or

http://www.zelnorm.com/index.jsp?usertrack.filter_applied=true&NovaId=7852773755750977644

Get ‘ta movin’!

So, my HoneyBear and I have this little “bet” thing going on. We are going to lose 10 pounds per month for a year. Well, he calls me this evening to tell me he hit the track and walked 3 miles. Meanwhile, I am at work until almost 9pm! Hmph……I’ll hit the treadmill in the morning for 4 miles (about an hour’s time).

It’s on…4 pounds down and 138 to go!

Oh, yeah, ya’ll!!! My boyfriend and I have a challenge that we are going to lose 10 pounds a month for 12 months, starting TOMORROW…..we’ll, unintentionally, I lost 4 pounds last week!!! I know it’s mostly water weight, but it’s a START!!! GO, MAGNOLIADIVA!!! I am not a bad eater (I eat smaller meals throughout the day, NEVER have a problem drinking water, watch my fat and sodium intake, etc.), but I have the metabolism where I HAVE to exercise!

I was on steroids (prednisone) for about a year and a half, off and on, and that BALLOONED by weight to levels where they’d never been before. Before I was put on the prednisone, I had lost 16 pounds. Once I started taking the meds, I gained the 16 pounds PLUS 45 pounds in 6 months! Yes, I was exercising and eating right! Well, to make a long story short, I finally came off of the meds and could NOT lose weight for the longest. Then, about a year ago, I was able to start losing weight. Well, I was doing fine until work REALLY picked up and I began working 10-14 hour days…..not cool. Gained 10 pounds.

Oh, before then, when I was in college, I gained 20 pounds a year for the last 3 of my 5 years and then gained 20 pounds my first year in grad school……then slowly, gained 10 pounds over the next few years. Never lost the weight during that time UNTIL the end of 2002…..then, the P-WORD happened to me…..

Well, it’s the beginning of March and I don’t care WHAT takes place now……I am walking 5-6 days a week for AT LEAST 30 minutes (um, I have a treadmill in my house…..yeah, I know)….going to do push ups, lunges, squats, and sit-ups, every other day (yeah, I have a fitness ball, barbells and a bar w/weights…..yeah, I know….. no excuse, really)…

I have a few things that I’d like to get back into (my size 14 jeans from freshman year of college and my cheerleader skirt from high school)! Yeah, I still have them for that REASON!!! 🙂

So, I am SO happy that this is a start! It’s ON, NOW!!! WHOO HOO!!!

So, what are your healthy habits, goals, success stories, etc.? I’d love to hear about them!

Stress and it’s effects on your body……

I am posting this because I tend to hold things in when they bother me. No, I don’t feel like I am SUPERWOMAN, but I don’t like “bothering” others with my issues. Well, for the last week, I’ve had acid reflux, off and on (feels just it did when I had to take prednisone off and on for a year and half). Last night, I couldn’t get to sleep until 4am (yeah, you read that right…I literally was up for 23 straight hours)…

When I finally feel asleep, I slept for about 6 hours. My head starting hurting early afternoon and the acid reflux came back.

I didn’t eat anything this morning because I was just not hungry (I know that isn’t good, but I didn’t have an appetite). Well, I am trying to figure out if it’s stress. I was a little burned out late this week at work due to some longer than normal hours and amounts of work, but I didn’t think that it was that major!

I need to go walking on the treadmill and clear my head…. time to kick on the IPOD music and get to walking……….

Here are is an article I pulled from the web about stress. From http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/stress.htm

How does stress affect my body and my health?

Everyone has stress. We have short-term stress, like getting lost while driving or missing the bus. Even everyday events, such as planning a meal or making time for errands, can be stressful. This kind of stress can make us feel worried or anxious.

Other times, we face long-term stress, such as racial discrimination, a life-threatening illness, or divorce. These stressful events also affect your health on many levels. Long-term stress is real and can increase your risk for some health problems, like depression.

Both short and long-term stress can have effects on your body. Research is starting to show the serious effects of stress on our bodies. Stress triggers changes in our bodies and makes us more likely to get sick. It can also make problems we already have worse. It can play a part in these problems:

* trouble sleeping <———– hmmmm
* headaches <———– hmmmm
* constipation
* diarrhea
* irritability
* lack of energy
* lack of concentration <———– hmmmm
* eating too much or not at all <———– hmmmm
* anger
* stomach cramping
* stomach bloating
* depression
* anxiety
* weight gain or loss
* heart problems
* high blood pressure
* irritable bowel syndrome <———– hmmmm
* diabetes
* neck and/or back pain