Don’t give up on your resolution for a healthier lifestyle

Samantha Torrence --Losing weight is difficult, and the process of changing your diet seems daunting; but as they say, nothing worth achieving is ever easy. Still when endeavoring to lose weight it is imperative to work smarter not harder.  There are a few tricks to making the most of your new diet and exercise routine and make it easier to see this new lifestyle as a needed change instead of a disciplined punishment. Implement these suggestions into your diet and you will find yourself with more energy and happiness this coming year.

Your first task in finding more energy, less hunger, and greater health is to drink water. It is recommended that you drink eight glasses of eight fluid ounces each every day.  That would be four standard bottles of water. While it is important to drink water you need to drink it at the right time to get the most from it. First, you will want to make sure you are properly hydrated. If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated so you should get yourself in the habit of drinking water throughout the day to avoid thirst.  Secondly, you will want to pick a time either before or after eating a meal to drink one glass of water. If you are counting calories water can be your best friend to help fill your belly. You can drink a glass before eating to make you feel full faster or after you are done eating to help you feel satiated and avoid over eating. Water can make you feel full but it also adds much needed oxygen to your system for cellular respiration. Hydrating your body makes it run smoother, boosts your metabolism, and keeps your digestive system working to clean impurities from your body.  It is important to keep a balance when drinking water. If you drink too much H2O you are at risk of hyponatremia, or too little electrolytes. This condition is dangerous so do not over imbibe as bigger is not always better.

Next you will want to add supplements to your daily routine. Nutritional supplements, usually in the form of pills or capsules, can pick up the slack from where your diet leaves off. It is impossible to eat all the foods on a daily basis that you would need to eat to maintain the added nutrition available through modern science. Most doctors recommend taking a daily multivitamin to make sure you have everything your body needs. This is especially important in areas where there is little sun as Vitamin D deficiencies are prevalent. Be sure to discuss any addition of nutritional supplements with a doctor and seek counsel from a pharmacist about the proper way to use them. Just like with almost anything you eat or drink it is important to remember there can be too much of a good thing. Balance is the key to health.

If you are finding yourself lacking energy or fearing your metabolism just is not getting its kick start you might want to discuss with your doctor about adding Pyruvate supplements to your diet. Pyruvate used in conjunction with exercise and proper hydration can boost cellular respiration, in specific the part of the process that gives energy.  While this trick has been known for years by many in the nutritional fields it has not become popular until recently. Dr. Oz has even recommended it to help with weight loss.

Proper breathing is the next task on your list to boost your metabolism, health, and ability to lose weight. All singers are taught from the beginning of their training that proper breathing is the foundation of the body.  Most people breathe shallowly through their mouths only using their lungs to inhales and exhale.  You can tell if you are using primarily your lungs if your shoulders move up and down too much when you are breathing. When you breathe in and out your stomach should be the primary part of your body that visibly moves. Your diaphragm is located directly under your ribcage and above your stomach. The diaphragm expands and contracts allowing the lungs room to move to inhale and exhale. You receive more benefit from core, or belly breathing than you do from any other type. Also breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as your nose has more filters to only allow clean air into your body. Breathing properly adds more oxygen to your body. The bonus to breathing properly is that you can also use breathing techniques to calm you down. You can arm your body with amazing amounts of oxygen at night by using breathing meditations to fall asleep. The extra oxygen is then used by your body to help its regenerative restoration process and it helps you continue to metabolize even in your sleep.

If you drink enough water, breathe well, and add pyruvate to your nutritional regimen you will have more energy to exercise. Exercise is a very important part of losing weight and staying healthy. Aside from changing your diet it is probably one of the most daunting tasks towards a healthier lifestyle. It does not have to be.  While running and weightlifting are great exercises some people just cannot afford to go to a gym and jogging on a sidewalk can harm your knees and ankles. Pilates for beginners is an easy way to get your body back in shape without putting too much stress on it. You get aerobic and anaerobic exercise from Pilates. A good Pilates instructional will also include proper breathing techniques for each exercise. Breathing properly and inhaling and exhaling at the right time during exercise is extremely important and helps you get the most from your movement.

Finally to accomplish your transition to a healthier you, you will need proper amounts of sleep. You must have sleep and you must allow your body to tell you when it is tired. It is okay to push through tasks when you must but if your body is saying it needs a mid-day nap and you can oblige then do so. Sleep deprivation is self-torture. Your body cannot rejuvenate nor can your mind release the stresses from the day through dreaming. Sleep is necessary for losing weight as well. Scientific studies have shown that sleep deprivation can make you gain weight.

There is never a lose weight quick scheme that will ever be healthy for you, however practicing these practical methods will make you feel healthier while you change your life. Health is more important than a perfect body so focus on feeling great with energy and motivation. Most likely that great body will come in time.

New baby? Here are amusing, real-world tips for getting sleep

Samantha Torrence - If you are the parents or grandparents of a new baby, a new book will get you laughing about the sleep you have been losing while providing some serious tips about how to get some rest.

[caption id="attachment_3515" align="alignleft" width="281" caption="Mother rocks baby to sleep on a swing"][/caption]

A new book available for pre-sale on amazon is becoming a buzz on the internet. It may look like a children’s bedtime story, but the book titled “Go the F@%k to sleep” is a parody of a bedtime story aimed at adults. The book is a work of a frustrated sleep- deprived father who felt that there needed to be more people sharing the very real pressures of parenting. The author, Adam Mansbach, is the father of a 2-year-old daughter named Vivian who recently subjected him to the torture many parents go through with a child that just will not go to sleep.

Adam is joining the many parents who are speaking out about the pressures of parenthood.   He reveals what many parents know,  that we are not the only ones who ever thought “Go the F@#k to sleep.” His honesty is a step in the right direction, according to some psychologists. In January a survey conducted by Netmums revealed that most mothers lied about their parenting skills when in the company of others. In this culture of parenting, keeping up with the Jones’ isn’t defined by materialism as much as it is defined by the progress of their children and the goal of perfect parenthood.

Bedtime routines are essential to a functioning household. How many times has the bedtime routine been a major complaint on episodes of Super Nanny? People may pass judgment on the frustrated parents in public, but at home many say, “Wow that is my household!”  The inner dialogue of a parent during these times may sound much like the creative stanzas in Mansbach’s book.

Sleep deprivation is literally torture for the sufferers.  There are also health consequences related to sleep deprivation that can accumulate and cause problems in later life.    A world of tired parents pay heed: the Geneva Conventions say so!

The real and serious truth is that sleep deprivation can lead to a dangerous and unhealthy atmosphere for baby, and no amount of “suck it up and deal,” or “ I did it so can you,” pep talks from parents and relatives is going to help. A lack of sleep can cause many mental and physical health conditions as well as social upset. Sleep deprivation is known to cause the symptoms of major depression. With women already getting postpartum depression, adding extreme fatigue to the mix is not going to make things better for family and baby.

It is important that parents realize theyare not alone in this time of trial. Sleep deprivation among new parents is on the rise as more children are born with medical conditions such as low birth weight and asthma which tends to lead to colic. For parents of colicy babies there is really nothing to be done except to comfort your child until that period of time is over. However, for parents of normal healthy children there are many ways to avoid sleep deprivation.

Here are a few tips from a mother of four who has had the experience of success and failure in the bedtime department.

1)      Children under 6 months old need a binky or pacifier. Sucking is their only way of self-soothing until they further develop. After 6 months I have found success in hiding binkies until nap or bed time, and by a year weaning them completely. I learned the balance of this the hard way with my first son who would not give it up till he was three and I finally perfected it by number four. As a side note studies have shown binkies help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

2)      Rocking a baby is a great way to help them calm down. The motion is soothing and mimics the feeling of mom walking while baby was in the womb. You love a hammock in the wind, and so does baby.

3)      Put baby close to your chest so they can hear your heart beat as that sound was the most prevalent sound for the first 10 months of their developing life. You may even want to do kangaroo care, which is to allow the baby to be clothed in only a diaper and lay on your bare chest. The simple feel of a mother or father’s skin can not only comfort but has also caused miraculous recovery for sick infants.

4)      Stay Calm. A baby can feel your stress in the way you talk, the way you walk, and how tense your muscles are when you hold them. Ever wonder why babies fall asleep easier after you pass out? That is why.  I have found that smiling at my children and looking into their eyes not only calms them down, but also calms me down.

5)      If you do not want to do Kangaroo care then wrapping baby properly and somewhat tightly in its blankets will make it feel secure. Everyone likes to be tucked in; this is just a step further and also mimics the feeling of being in the womb.

Those are just a few tips on how to get a fussy baby to sleep. A sleep schedule is important as well, but you want to develop one that is right for your family. Some families will allow a child to cry themselves to sleep. This method seems a bit harsh but it is a step in the direction of self-reliance when a child is older. This is also the most painful method for parents who naturally respond to a baby’s crying and want to soothe their little bundle of joy. Of course any bedtime routine can be difficult as it takes a while to put one into place. Do not attempt to do this alone if you are already sleep deprived. Ask for help from a family member or consult your doctor. The doctor may prescribe you a safe sleep inducing drug to give to baby at bed time till he or she is used to the schedule. (Please if you do go this route do not abuse the method or the child will become reliant on the chemical for any sleep).

So at night when you are rocking your crying child, and feel like crying yourself, remember you are not alone. Perhaps this excerpt from the book “Go the F*#k to sleep” will bring you some comfort.

The cats nestle close to their kittens now.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You're cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
Please go the fuck to sleep.