Healthy Wealth

Link up with Paula and her July Blog Challenge.

Today's Question : Would you rather be rich of healthy?

Personally, I'd rather have my health, because I've never been rich and so you can't really miss what you haven't had, right?  

I figure, if you don't have your health how can you honestly enjoy your wealth?  Oh I know your money could buy you the best health care and treatments but how much fun can you have when you're always ill.

Yeah, I'd have my health...but a wee bit more money wouldn't hurt either.

And one of my favourite bands, ACDC, talking about money

 

Quikie Updated regarding my Brain Fart

So, yesterday I told you Plonkers about my Brain Fart and thinking that I was having a minor stroke.

Well, I went to my GP last night to get him to give me "the once over".

He tested my cholestrol, my blood sugar, my blood pressure, he peering into my every orifice, pressed and prodded other parts, made me follow some simple instructions and do silly things.  You'll be glad to know he gave me "the all clear" - FOR NOW! 

I am relieved and slightly frustrated in a way, becauase I still don't know what happened to me.  He did say "If it happens again go STRAIGHT to the Emergency".  They will have a Neurologist on duty who will look at me immediately and do all the necessary tests in the hospital. 

Eeek!

Lets just pray I won't need a full frontal labotomy.

Unstoppable and a Dukan Diet Update

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."


- Thomas Jefferson - 

I don't have a real post today.  I'm so busy at work with our up and coming Homemakers Expo and the girls going back to school and organising their combined birthday party for this weekend.

Dukan Diet Update:  

Day #15 and I'm down exactly 5.1kg (11.2lbs) and going strong. I also had a big of a tummy buy yesterday and couldn't hold down much at all.  Drinking tons of water and eating loads of protein. I even had two bites of chocolate cake to celebrate my daughter's 9th birthday - my only cheat so far.

Sorry for the poor cellphone pic.  But you get the idea.  Go Meeeee!

Wrinkles are NOT a girl's best friend

I'm turning 40 in 6 months time and I've noticed quite a significant increase in my crows feet.


As we decline down the melancholy tunnel of aging, our skin loses moisture and elasticity, making it prone to wrinkles. Although dermatologists have many tools for tackling those little lines that mark the passage of time, perhaps the best and safest option is to protect your skin just as it is.

I'm thinking Botox and Fillers, Plonkers.

I will outline several ways you can help to prevent wrinkles from forming in the first place.


It's in the jeans...er genes
I'm blaming my dysfunctional genetics!  My family do not age gracefully.  It's true that some people age better than others. And while scientists are beginning to gain a deeper understanding of how genetics influence the aging process, they're also discovering how much your lifestyle choices can affect your genes. Your genes only govern 30% of how you age; the other 70% is up to you.


Here comes the Sun
As we age, our skin loses collagen and the ability to retain water. This makes it less capable of dealing with the harsh effects of direct sunlight. Wear a wide-brimmed hat in summer and ALWAYS wear sunblock on exposed skin.

Recent research, however, indicates that exposing your torso for short periods of time to the midday sun is an important factor in cancer prevention. The question is how to balance the danger of skin cancer against the positive absorption of vital vitamin D by the body through direct sunlight.

Eat, drink and slather on the antioxidants

When UV rays are absorbed by your skin, they create free radicals that cause wrinkles. Antioxidants help to defend your body against free radicals. Combat wrinkles with brightly coloured red, blue, purple, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables.

Foods richest in antioxidants include all red and blue berries, pomegranates, dried red beans, and red or blue plums. To get the maximum benefits of antioxidants, eat these foods raw. Use natural or organic body creams or moisturizers containing these ingredients, and drink green tea.

Always wear your Sunnies

Not only will wearing sunglasses protect the delicate skin around your eyes from the sun, but it'll also help prevent frowning, which contributes directly to wrinkling.

Sleep on your back

Sleep on your back with a flat pillow to prevent sleep lines, which can eventually turn into wrinkles.

Stop smoking 

Heavy smokers are almost five times more likely to show excessive wrinkling than non-smokers. Smoking can damage collagen, and the frowning and lip pursing that comes with smoking directly creates wrinkles over time.

Control your facial expressions

More animated expressions mean more creases, and creases eventually become wrinkles. Don't stop smiling or laughing, however. A genuine smile causes crows' feet around your eyes but the power of sincere joy over wrinkles may be stronger than the effects of not smiling.

I'm thinking Botox and Fillers again.

Be happy

Being in a happy relationship and having an optimistic, laid back approach to life can help to prevent wrinkles. At the very least, being happy will help you to accept your wrinkles as a natural and normal sign of growing older!

See a doctor

This is more like it. Prescription retinoic acid can minimise the appearance of wrinkles, whilst horizontal forehead lines or crows' feet can be injected with botulinum toxin (botox). Deep wrinkles may need filler injections. Bear in mind, however, that invasive treatments frequently have negative side-effects.

And a HUGE Happy Birthday to my eldest.  Today she is nine years old and first day of Grade 3!  Sucks to have to start school on yer birthday!  Bummer.

Cake for breakfast.

Happy Birthday My Wee Button!

Pass The Butter, Please!

These are interesting and frightening health facts.

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings.

Do YOU know?  The difference between margarine and butter? Read on to the end it gets very interesting!

• Both have the same amount of calories.
• Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.
• Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
• Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
• Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!
• Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.
• Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for the evils of Margarine.

• Very High in Trans fatty acids.
• Triples risk of coronary heart disease.
• Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)
• Increases the risk of cancers up to five times.
• Lowers quality of breast milk.
• Decreases immune response.
• Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT !

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Experiment for you to try:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

• no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something) 
• it does not rot or smell different because it has no nutritional value 
• nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic .

Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Butter up your friends by telling your friends about this scarey shite.

Pass the Butter, please!