It has been awhile since my last post

Boy did this year go fast. I had no idea that I had not published a blog post since October. I guess I got too busy with life to actually write about life....LOL.

Winter life has been interesting so far. We almost had a full blown chimney fire due to creosote build up in the top of the chimney. Thank goodness the fire was discovered during a heavy rain storm otherwise the roof would have caught fire. That same rain storm dumped enough water to cause huge muddy pools of standing water in the backyard which in turn made the area slippery to walk near. Several businesses and a heroin detox rehab treatment centers had to shut down until the water recedes which should be sometime this weekend.

Health watch has not been so much as internal but external with protecting ourselves from the elements and winter has only just begun.

Eating healthy during the holiday season

It is a fact that we are geared genetically to gain weight during the winter months. This is to help our bodies tolerate cold winters. Of course our genes don't know about central heating so it keeps telling us to eat for the winter. That is one of the main reasons that most feast days for humans have been historically in the winter months.

We must consciously make the decision to eat wisely during our feasting holidays. Eat small meals and don't pig out on odd burlesque pasties for sale or cakes that are very rich in creams and sugars. I am not saying you should avoid them entirely, no, just eat taster sizes. Don't eat a whole slice of cheese cake, cut it in half and share it.

Eat and savor each small bite and you'll find that the holiday season will be good to your body.

Choose your holiday gift wisely

When people ask you what you want for Christmas are you often at a loss what to say? You are trying to stay healthy so unhealthy gifts are not what you want. So what are your many kinds of gift options when it comes to your health?

Here is a list what you can tell them you want for Christmas

• a workout DVD
• gift card to a sporting goods store
• a basket of fresh fruit
• a comfortable pair of walking shoes

So this Christmas think healthy.

Tracking your health

If you are just getting started in keeping track of your health - that is wonderful. You will want to keep track of the following health signs and note the progress you are making on the road to better health:

• Your blood pressure. Take it only 3 times a week and don't obsess over it.
• Your weight or better yet your BMI (body mass index) It is better to find out your percentage of fat to lean body mass rather than just a straight weight from your bathroom scale.
• Your skin condition. Often your skin is a good indicator of overall health. Take notes of what parts of your body have red rashes, dry skin or overly irritated. 

Keep a small notebook or for those of you who love gadgets, there are apps for this kind of tracking from Apple and for the Android. I have one of those small hp netbooks which is ideal for keeping track of my progress.

Depressed about your health?

Have you ever gotten chewed out by your doctor? The threat of "if you don't lose some weight and exercise more, I'll be putting you on high blood pressure meds." I have gotten that lecture. Right after I left the doctor's office I fell into a depressed state of mind. I was sort of going through the motions of the rest of the day but in a daze. I didn't know what hit me. I had always had low blood pressure and suddenly it was high.

When your car breaks down you can call someone to get it fixed. It was at that time I wished that there was a service I could call for my body. I knew that the only breakdown service I could call on was ME. I was the one who had to change it. I didn't want high blood pressure and definitely didn't want to go on meds.

I took that depressed state of mind and turned it around - I had to, it was my health that depended on it.

Causes of hair loss

There are many reasons for hair loss. Genetic factors such as male pattern baldness to nutritional deficiencies can all play apart of hair loss.

When I was in my teens, there was a short period of time that I woke up each morning with huge clumps of hair, my hair, on my pillow. It started suddenly and just as suddenly stopped. It could have been caused by stress or hormones or even being sick. Thank goodness my mother did not panic and start buying all kinds of hair loss products. No doubt if she did and I used one and my body stopped shedding hair on its own, the product would get the credit instead of just my body going back to being right on its own again.

Before you start investing in hair loss products, find out if your body is out of whack in some way. Eliminate the natural causes of hair loss before you start using any kind of product.

The male sex drive

While most men are outwardly sexually demanding and boast to their male friends their sexual adventures, it is not hard to imagine that it is embarrassing to men to not have engaged in sex in over several months or more. The openly advertising of ED medications and therapies has not helped the situation either. In reality, what is happening is that men are looking for the best testosterone boosters in the forms of pills but they don't need them if they quit drinking alcohol, stopped smoking and ate a well balanced diet.

Alcohol is one of the best ways to decrease a sex drive. This goes for women as well as men. Alcohol is a depressant and as such it lowers blood pressure, sperm count, sexual desire and libido. It is unfortunate that alcohol is associated with sex but in fact it is the worse thing for it. 

The little pill that makes it all better

We are a society of the "quick fix." We want everything to be easy. Don't like the way you look? Have a little nip and tuck. Do you weigh too much? Take a pill and eat all you want. Yes, we want it all and want it NOW. Sorry folks, but it doesn't happen that way. It took months or even years for your body to gain weight so even the best weight loss pills in the world are not going to work in a few weeks. If they do then you will probably end up with other health problems like weakened bones or blood pressure problems.

Life is not a quick fix, it takes time to undo what damage we have done to ourselves. Take it easy and do it right. Learn eat right, learn to enjoy life without smoking and alcohol. You will feel better.

Building muscle mass

The best way to increase your metabolism is to increase your muscle mass in comparison to your fat percent of your body weight. Muscle cells use more calories than fat cells do just to maintain themselves. So what is the best muscle building supplement in terms of food? Think protein.

Great foods for muscle cells are lean meats, cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs. All are loaded with high protein, which is the building block that muscle tissue needs to grow and multiply.

Modern technology and your health

If it was not for modern technology many of us would have died prematurely. While some people try to blame computer monitors and cell phones for common health problems like eye strain and hearing problems, it is apparent that the great majority of technology has made strides in helping us more aware of our health. That simple little gadget, the pedometer, has made us more aware of daily activites and how much walking we do.

Should you have a career in health care

Yes there is a growing demand for people to enter the health care field but should you be one of them? Before you decide on a glowing career as a doctor, nurse or even a CNA, think about these valid points:

• Can you handle death? You will experience death up close and personal as you will watch people die on a daily of weekly basis.
• Can you handle puke and poop? I am not talking about baby or small children make a mess but full grown adults.
• Can you handle working with people that have deadly diseases? Remember, you not only have to keep yourself safe but you could endanger your family if you bring home a germ or 2.

Now that you have had a chance to think that over, you might want to look into a health care career that is more distant from patients. Maybe a job as a medical technician. There are even healthcare it jobs if you are into computers more than people.

Yes you can work in the medical field but first think about what your duties would be before you take that leap.

Breast feeding woes

I often wonder how many new mothers actually have enough milk minutes after giving birth to actually breast feed their baby. I know that my milk did not come in until 3 days after my daughter was born. I was panic stricken at the time. I thought my daughter would starve without my milk but I found out from my doctor later that a new born baby can live 3 days before needing its first true feeding.

Needless to say, as I was waiting those entire 3 days, I did feed my daughter with formula until my milk came in. After my breasts became so large and full of milk I did not have to worry about how to increase breast milk production, I had more than enough for her. What I did have to worry about was when my milk "let down" at the sound of a baby cry. Having a wet top out in public was no fun at all.

A warning for pregnant women

Besides all of the health warnings that pregnant women have to face, there is also something that only other formerly pregnant women will tell you........to remove that wedding ring. You see, that fashionable Wedding Jewelry on your fingers can also be a health hazard.

As your pregnancy progresses, you gain weight all over your body, not just in the areas around the growing baby. Your hands and feet are subject to swelling. Rings if not removed during the first months of pregnancy will become harder and harder to remove. During the last month of the pregnancy the ring may cause discomfort and block blood circulation to the finger it is on. It is not uncommon for wedding rings to be cut off of pregnant women during the last trimester of their pregnancy.

So if you love your ring and don't want it cut from your finger then remove it while you still can.

Do beauty creams really work?

It is true that beauty is only skin deep but people sure do pay big bucks to keep that beauty. So do anti-wrinkle creams and beauty moisturizers really work? Some actually do. If they contain sunblock and help seal in moisture then yes they will slow done the aging process of the skin and might even reverse some skin damage but don't count on miracles. Most creams that claim to remove wrinkles merely puff up the skin through irritation to make the wrinkles disappear.

What you have to do is take care of your skin while you are still young and then you won't have to worry about it when you get older.

Seeing old friends

Have you ever met someone you knew from years ago only to ask yourself how come they look so old? I remember one guy that I knew from a former job, who was only in his late twenties, looked decades older. He smoked, drank heavily and used illegal drugs. All of those factors contributed to his aged facial looks.

So the  best anti aging products are to simply not use tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs. Take care of your body and you will save money on not buying beauty products to repair damaged skin from premature aging.

Tracking your health

With today's Apple apps, data base software and smart cell phones, there is no excuse for you not to track your weight loss, fitness workout or your blood sugar levels. Gone are the days of self inking stamps and hand written notes to yourself. You can now actively track your health progress. Those new technology tools - use them.

A fabulous new you in time for the end of the year

Forget about waiting for the new year to make resolutions about your health, start right now in making your life healthier.....a new you! Take the time to get healthy again. If it takes an extra 15 minutes in the morning just to eat healthier or do those morning stretches, then just vow to make time for it. If you need motivation to get you going, then find someone who can be your mentor. It could be a relative or your next door neighbor. If you can't find anyone then you might find that motivation from a book or video. Amazon or buy.com has plenty of books and DVDs to choose from. Most of all, you must not procrastinate. Putting off getting healthy should never be on your mind....getting healthy now should.

Blog changes

After changing the title and layout of this blog I have noticed a bit of an increase in visitors. People are more interested in their overall health rather than just one aspect of it. While TV pushes the perfect look for everyone via commercials and TV shows, just being healthy for most of us is a blessing.

While I have seen some increase in visitors I have also noticed some strange Google ads show up. The main one I keep seeing is the ads for fast food places and the other one for Davidoff cigars, which is rather strange for a health blog. Someone did tell me once that if I mentioned someone famous passing away on a blog, that I should expect funeral ads below the post. I must have encouraged my readers to quit smoking and those odd ads showed up.

Male health concerns

I normally don't write about male health simply because I am female. What prompted me to cover one health concern is the fact that most men seem to be obsessed with it. I am talking about ED or what used to be called impudence. The lack of libido seems to be the number one concern for most men that are not stressed out about other problems in their lives.

The inability to perform well in bed is often related to having something else on their minds. Thinking about money or lack of it is right up there with any concerns about size. Doubts about sexual performance will often hinder that performance.   

The business community has latched onto men's concerns of ED that a huge multi billion dollar business has cropped up in the last 15 years. Everything from Viagra pills to enlargement devices and surgery. Whole websites devoted to the subject of male enhancement reviews sales of pills are now the norm.

While I would love to say to those men to just not worry about your ED and it will go away, that is not always true. First and foremost talk to your doctor before embarking on a trail of trial and error when it comes to ED. Only then will everything get better.

Your skin as it ages

Your skin changes dramatically as it ages. It goes from being highly elastic and thick when we are young to thin and loose when were are elderly. Because our skin slowly gets thinner as we age, it makes it harder and harder for wrinkle removal, treating lacerations, and treating skin cancer. Learn to be good to your skin when you are young will help keep your skin keep its elasticity longer as you age.