There are a million reasons why you should be getting a massage every two weeks or so. But the main reason people get them is the relaxation and pampering they experience from it. The whole setting you experience can be overwhelming for the best of us, I know always fall asleep on the table. I worked for the past 7 years as a massage therapist and there are many other reasons, useful reasons, to get that regular massage. Whether you want a deep tissue or Swedish, you should be regularly getting one.

Thought of as a luxury, it actually has many healing therapeutic benefits. A few of the benefits are stress relief, pain management, muscle maintenance and repair, increases joint flexibility, lessens depression, reduces spasms and cramping, releases endorphins (natural painkillers), and enhances sleep quality. Many of us walk around with problems that can be solved by a few sessions with a massage therapist. Ever feel a knot or pain in your neck or shoulder? A massage therapist can help, if not remove, the knot, pain, and kinks in your body.

A massage is so relaxing and calming, it makes me wonder why everyone doesn’t get them. More amazing, there are many people walking around who have never experienced one. After a massage, you will feel energized and ready to face the world. Just remember to drink lots of water after, to help flush the toxins and help with any soreness from deep tissue. The effects are so profound, if you haven’t ever gotten a massage, make an appointment today! You can thank me later .

That question can be answered simply, for your health. But the reasons it helps your health is what you really need to know. These are the reasons that should push you to stay on your exercise routine and help you to maintain it. The main reason people exercise is weight loss and maintaining their weight. But here are some health benefits from exercise that you should know about:

• Boosts your immune system by increasing your white blood cells
• Decreases the risk of developing some types of cancer, including some breast cancers and some colon cancers
• Makes sure brain works faster, improves memory and concentration
• Makes bones stronger, builds muscle which increases metabolism.
• Keeps heart strong by increasing your heart rate.
• Promotes a feeling of self confidence
• Stress reliever

The benefits go on and on. Exercise makes you look and feel better, period. We should all be getting atleast 30 minutes of exercise a day, which can be broken up to 10 minute intervals. Here are some tips to get you 30 minutes a day for a busy person. When you go to the grocery store park at the end of the parking lot and walk in. Anytime you’re going shopping at the mall, park at the far end from where you need to be and walk to where you are going (this will really help you clock some minutes). Play with your kids. If the kids are running around the house, run and play with them….it’s a reason they get so out of breath…good luck hanging in with them. Do crunches, squats, push-ups, and leg lifts at your home. Anytime you can squeeze in some. These are some things I do, I am sure there are hundreds of easy ways to get in some extra exercise a day. just look around.

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There have been so many mornings I have woken up and looked like I have been out partying the night before; puffy eyes, dark circles, skin looking lack luster and I hadn’t done anything. Maybe, waking up with the baby at night was doing it whatever the reason, I paid no real attention to it. Then one day, someone asked me “are you tired”, I felt fine and I hadn’t been dragging around. All it took was one look in the mirror and I realized what they were talking about. I looked exhausted, like I had been on some long journey with no rest and was just getting in, I hate looking that way. It seems like for no reason at all, sometimes we look worn out and drained. Call it stress, fatigue, poor diet, or whatever….I just wanted it gone! So I started my quest of finding any tricks or products to make me look more rested and awake.

      I was watching QVC one day and I saw a product for tired eyes, that was right up my alley. So I ordered with the quickness. The product was Wei East’s Eye Soothers, and I love it. The China Herbal Eyes Alive cream, especially, works great. I don’t know how it does it but when I put some on, my eyes look awake. It also comes with eye pads that feel cooling when you put them on. Another product I tried and liked was Avon’s Anew Alternative Intensive Eye Cream, it helped the dark circles under my eyes and helped with puffiness…not too much different than the Wei East.

     There are other things you can do to help combat the tired look. Limit or eliminate alcohol and salty foods. Drink more water, you should be drinking atleast 8, 8oz glasses of water a day. Do the cucumber or tea bag on the eye, make sure each are cool and let sit on closed eyes for 5 mins. (You can try Wei East’s Eye pads..they are great for this). Cold spoons applied to under eye area can also help with puffiness.

     There is also an eye massage you can do to the eye area. It is very easy to do, you start at the tear ducts using your middle or pointer finger do small circles following the bone all the way to the outer corner of the eye. Then keep going across the brow bone. You can do this about 3-5 times and it will make you feel and look rested. I usually do this at night or when I first wake up.

     If all else fails and you still are fighting under eye circles, go for concealer. I use Bare Mineral’s Foundation with the concealer brush. But any concealer you like can do the trick. Have you found any items or tricks that work well, drop me a line and let me know! “Knowledge is best shared ”

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With the onset of Summer, tanning is about to be more and more popular. The idea of beautiful sun kissed skin can tempt the best of us to go to a tanning salon or go layout at the beach. But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Tanning has many, many harmful lasting effects on your skin, and it becomes addictive. UV light is believed to produce a relaxing “feel good” effect on tanners that keeps them coming back. It seems crazy, but I can believe it. I have seen many girls, well guys too, walking around looking like they just stepped out of the oven on Thanksgiving Day. I guess it becomes so addictive you no longer notice just how dark you are, or maybe the darker the better?

     The sun itself is not bad, it’s prolonged exposure (overexposure) to the sun where you start getting into trouble. There are these invisible rays also called ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB) that cause the majority of the problems. No UV light is good for you, it’s all bad for you. Most tanning salons use UVA bulbs, this is even worse than being in the sun. These invisible rays cause premature aging, wrinkles, skin cancer, and is addicting.

     There are some ways you can practice to protect yourself from the sun. By simply putting on sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat, and grabbing your shades before leaving the house, you are giving yourself more protection. When choosing sunscreen, make sure you get a SPF sunscreen that is atleast a 15, the higher the number the more protection you will receive from the sun. You can also try avoiding being out in the sun between 10am-4pm. If you do find yourself with a sunburn you can try:

1. Soaking cotton balls in white vinegar and rubbing the balls on the burned skin
2. A cool vinegar bath, (add 1 cup of vinegar) soak for about half an hour
3. Apply aloe gel over the burned area
4. A baking soda bath (add 1/2 cup of baking soda)
5. Rub fresh cucumber slices on burn

Always avoid petroleum jelly, it holds in the heat.

There is a multitude of alternatives to sun bathing and the typical UV salon tanning, try sunless tanning, better for you and looks just as good. With all the negatives, what keeps everyone going? Is beauty really so important, that we put aside our health to just be beautiful?

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As stated previously, I am on a mission to drink and maintain more water intake. I drink a little more than a gallon a day and had a good system down. I would keep my water in a gallon container on the counter, and I drank out my “special” cup. There really is nothing special about it, other than I like it and it is a perfect size with measuring’s on it up to 19oz.

First, let me start off by saying, my special cup is a replacement to my initial “favorite” cup that was found broke because someone dropped something, stepped on it, or maybe fell on it the jury is still out on what actually happened with it.

Anyway, I wake up one and was horrified at what I saw! Someone had knocked my empty gallon on the container off the counter and had inadvertently stepped on it and crushed it ! Surprised doesn’t even do justice to what I was feeling. But, I picked myself up and figured I would go later that day and get me another container. Well, I never got around to going to get another container…to busy with everyone in the house. So I went on with my water drinking habits, using my favorite “special” cup. Because after all it has measurements on it so I can continue making sure I drink enough.

Well this morning, I woke up and started my morning ritual of filling my gallon container and getting my “special” cup, only to find my “special” cup is missing! It is not in the dishwasher, sink, my room, or anyone else’s room for that matter. I have torn up the house looking for my “special” cup. Alas, prior experience has taught me to fear the worse. I feel like I have a house full of double agents working against me!! .

So here I sit, typing on my computer drinking my water out of………a gallon milk jug

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When I was younger I suffered horribly from Fever Blisters (Herpes Simplex 1), they would cover my whole lower face. My mom was at her wits end trying to find me some relief until one day we walked into a pharmacy and the pharmacist, a very nice woman, advised my mother to try me with Lysine. She advised I should take one pill a day and it may keep the blisters at bay. Well she was correct. Every since that day the only time I have fever blisters is when I can’t/don’t take my Lysine. I take about 500mg a day and 1000mg when I feel one starting. I sometimes forget because I am so used to not having any, but as soon as I feel a tingle or an itch I remember very quickly.

When I was pregnant with my kids, I couldn’t take Lysine so I had to get prescriptions from my Dr’s to help with my problem. Lysine can not be taken when pregnant so you will have to use an alternate prescription. Nothing can take the place of Lysine for me. It is easily available and no prescription needed. Lysine is one of nine essential amino acids that the body need for growth and tissue repair. It is encouraged that every one take Lysine supplements or eat foods with high levels of Lysine. Lysine is said to help canker sores, herpes, and shingles; it acts as a viral blocker. It has many other benefits including collagen formation in the joints, helps the immune system by aiding in the production of antibodies, and I heard somewhere that it is good for your skin.

There are some foods that are high in Lysine that you can eat if you prefer not to take pill. Yogurt, cheese, fruits, milk, meats, nuts, grains, and veggies are good sources of Lysine. It is a good supplement to add to your diet that has many positive benefits. Maybe you should give Lysine a try….

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Along with my newly found working out, I have decided to see what increasing my water intake will do. I also knew water was good for you, but until I decided to start drink more, I didn’t really know what all it was good for. Water helps the keep the skin radiant, removes toxins and impurities, and it will help you to feel full. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body to metabolize store fat. An increase in water can actually reduce fat deposits.

Many times I will forget to drink water during the day. If I get too busy with the kids or housework, I will never even think about it. So there are a few tips I do to try and remember to drink your water. I drink my water room temperature so I can drink more at time.I also place a jug with how much I want to drink for the day on a counter, I drink about a gallon a day. Using the jug, I can see how much I need to be drinking…and by the end of the day I can make sure I have drank it all. I always drink a glass of water when I first wake up in the morning, we are naturally thirsty when we awake so I make water the first thing I do in the morning. Another great tip is to keep a bottle of water with you all day and don’t just sip on it, when you take a drink gulp it down and refill the bottle. Sipping water will make you end up not drinking much water at all.

The amount of water needed differs from person to person, but a good place to start is the 8×8 rule; drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day. If you are overweight you need additional glass for every 25 lbs of excess weight. By drinking this amount you should start feeling better. So I will continue drinking my water and see what all benefits I get from it and I will post it here. So far, I have a lot more energy and I have been drinking for almost a week. I also heard that drinking water will help with bags and dark circles under your eye as well as assist in the minimization of wrinkles….pretty nice how much water does for you. 

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I know it is really, really hard to get in shape and eat right. Dieting, working out, abstaining from fatty delicious foods. It just takes determination and the want to get healthy and look better. The 1st step is just making up your mind that you are seriously going to start doing better for your health. You have to make a firm commitment to yourself!

It always seems to me the hardest time is the 1st day. Once I make it through the 1st day I don’t want to undo all the hard work from that by cheating the next day. It’s kinda like one day in the hole and it pushes me to keep doing better. My problem with eating right and working out is that I start to talk myself into doing wrong.

It’s seems like I have dual inner voices and they don’t agree on many things when it comes to fitness. One will tell me, “you don’t need those sweets try drinking some water or working out”, which is a good idea because one of those always works. Then that other voice will tell me “just eat that one piece of chocolate and it won’t hurt”, then I end up eating the whole thing….and a piece of cake…. and I have to wash it down with a soda!!! At this point I feel like just giving up on the whole eating right, working out thing. Sad, I know.

The easiest way for me to start working out is to try and get a buddy to go with . Just until I can get a routine, getting into the routine is the hardest part of working out. The thought of leaving the house to go run on a treadmill with all those people looking at me, always makes me say “I’ll do it tomorrow” (just another way to talk myself out of it). Well that was a few months ago…..and a lot of tomorrows.

It’s also a good idea to have an objective that you working toward. One time for me, it was waiting for my husband to get back home. That way I had a reason to go to the gym and an objective to work toward. I wanted to keep myself busy and look nice when he got back. Another way to work out is to get a fitness program. You can try dance, yoga/pilates, or aerobics. Any physical activity that gives a workout is a good alternative to the gym, if you dislike going to the gym. No one said looking good was easy, so let’s get to work!!!!

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