Healthy Eating for a Good Mood!

mood-swings

Recent Research shows that processed or junk food, such as fast food, sweets and chips contribute to depression. Data related to food and mood was collected from 3,486 men and women in the UK over 5 years. The processed food pattern of eating more sweets, fried food, high fat diary and refined grains was associated with a higher chance of being depressed. Compared to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains.

The study researchers offer some tips for optimal physical and mental health:

  1. Have breakfast because breakfast eaters consume more fiber calcium and micronutrients and are healthier
  2. Eat sweets on occasion, focus on a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and healthy snacks.
  3. Snack on apple, cheese, carrot sticks and nuts, this was the choice of the folks with a better mood.
  4. Read Food labels and limit high fat/sugar foods.
  5. Limit salt intake, use spices and herbs to season your food.
  6. Make eating together as a family a top priority, meal times are a time of nourishment both physically and emotionally.

Source:

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Sex Does a Body Good!

Today we welcome Kelly Loubet from Childhoodclothing.com!

Sex_Toys_LE0568_1-1

Sex… for some of us… that word alone is enough to make us blush. For others… it ain’t no thing chicken wing. The reality of it is… whether it’s with that special someone or all alone in the bath tub… sex is an important and healthy part of our lives.

Not only does sex sometimes provide partnership… sex does a body good in many ways! I had no idea that there were so many benefits beyond… well… stress relief for one. Stress relief is a benefit of healthy sex! I knew that… anyone that’s had “it’s been a crappy day” sex knows that! Let me list some of the more interesting ones I found. (Thanks Web M.D.!)

Sex boosts your immunity. Having sex a couple times a week increases the antibody Immunoglobin A, which helps you fight colds and infections! Who knew!?

Sex burns calories. I knew this… but it’s still fun! Did you know that 30 minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more? Get to it!

Sex boosts your self esteem. Great sex makes you feel like a rock star. If you already felt like you were amazing before… having sex only makes you feel better.

Sex eases pain. While having a sexual encounter… endorphins are flowing and the hormone oxytocin is released. Oxytocin is responsible for that warm, fuzzy, “nothing could ruin this moment” type feeling. You know.. that feeling you get after you… um… finish?

Sex helps you sleep better. That same oxytocin that’s released during the big “O” is also responsible for  making us feel sleepy. Healthy sleep habits promote weight loss and help to control blood pressure.

I was given the opportunity to test drive an amazing little product from Eden Fantasys recently. I was looking for something beyond the standard vibrating… uh… dildo? (I can’t believe I just said “dildo”) I wanted to try something new and fun! The lovely Nicole Ibarrondo, marketing extraordinaire, took some time to discuss with me what my * cough * needs were. Together, we decided on this little beauty: The Nea.

When I first opened the package, I was surprised to find an elegant black box. I’ll admit… I was expecting something trashy! The Nea is so far from trashy! Inside the jewelry like box was the Nea, a charger, an instruction booklet, and a sweet little travel bag. I travel a lot… I knew that I could get through airport security unembarrassed with my Nea. Yes… I have been stopped in possession of a less discreet item.

Holding it is almost like holding a computer mouse… only smaller. It’s contoured to hit all of your external hot spots. I find that the Nea is best used for direct clitoral contact. (I totally said that without blushing) The two buttons on the bottom control the speed of the vibration and the pulse modes. There are FIVE pulse modes and let me tell you that each one is well… perfect… no matter what your mood. Not only that… but the Nea is quiet! It’s nearly silent!

My favorite part about the Nea is the fact that it’s re-chargable. That’s right! No more stealing batteries from the T.V. remote just to get your kicks. I bet you want one now… Well Eden Fantasys is giving away a $25 gift certificate toward the purchase of your choice so check out Childhoodclothing.com to enter the giveaway!

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Measuring Weight Loss Success

weight measureMany of us chose to work out to lose weight as our New Year’s  Resolution. However, that darn scale is not moving in the direction we want it to… don’t let the scale win over. There are more ways to measure success that we can use to our advantage.

First, let’s use that tape measure. Sometimes, we’ll start losing inches before that number on the scale starts moving in the right direction. Keep track of those problem areas and enjoy those losses. In my case, hips and thighs are measurements I always track.

Another way to measure success is by measuring body fat percentage. There are numerous websites, like this one,  that help you calculate your body fat. Now, there are many ways to get to this number and many variables to make it change at any given minute. However, keeping track of body fat percentage can be rewarding.  As with that number on the scale, all I look for from this number is a downward trend.

Last but not least, take pictures. You decide who sees it.  Every week or month – you decide the frequency – I take pictures, front, side, back. Seeing your body change can be a great motivator to continue to exercise.

No matter what measuring tool you use keep your resolutions and goals in mind and keep plugging along.

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Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby!

birds-and-beesNo, no, no… not in the fun way. Don’t get all excited, folks. Now that I have your attention {hehehe} I want to encourage parents to have “the talk” with their children. I feel that too many parents are fooling themselves into thinking that talking with their children about sex is not appropriate at a young age. I beg to differ. Children as young as 10 and 11 years old are having sex. Yes, HAVING… not learning about… not asking about… not curious about… actually having it. There are children 11 and 12 years old who are mothers. No, I’m not kidding. Google it.

No matter how you go about introducing the topic or exactly what information you present to your child(ren), keep in mind three essential things:

  1. Be honest.
    • There is nothing worse than purposefully giving your child incorrect information. You may as well not give them any information at all because in the long run, not only are you going to confuse them but you are going to destroy your own credibility.
  2. Be thorough.
    • When your child has questions, don’t try to avoid answering them. You don’t have to go into graphic detail, but give them the facts… and don’t speak to them in a way that sends the message that you are uncomfortable with their questions. Children pick up on those simple cues and will be hesitant to bring it up again. You WANT them to be able to talk to you! This way, you are in control of the information they receive and are more able to discredit myths and inaccuracies they may have already heard.
  3. Be clear.
    • You may not be able to control what your child does when they are out of your sight. As your children grow into adolescence, they may make decisions that you disapprove of. This should not keep you from being very clear about your expectations as well as your family’s belief system… but don’t stop there! Let them know why you feel the way you feel. Reason with them and give them an argument which validates your wishes.

The more open you are with your child, the higher the chances are that your child will be more open with you. Discuss inappropriate touching. Discuss the ways boys try to take advantage of girls. Discuss how much pressure locker-room talk can put on young boys. Discuss peer pressure and how to stand firm despite it. Discuss confidence and reputation. Open the lines of communication early and they will remain open. Talking to your child is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. You would be amazed at how much of a difference it makes in their lives just to hear you tell them definitively what is right and what is wrong – what is acceptable and what is not. They may shrug it off. They may seem to not want to hear it. But when it counts the most, your words will play in the back of their mind and could give them the strength they need at that critical point when they need to say, “NO!”

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Smart Moms Comparison Shop ~ UrbanStone

Who doesn’t like to know if they are getting the best shopping deals possible? Comparison shopping is just plain smart. If you like to compare shopping prices take a look at UrbanStone.  This is a site that will be of interest to our UK readers.  Urban Stone.co.uk allows you to search for almost anything you could possibly want to compare the prices of.  Everything from clothing, accessories, electronics, appliances, computers, you name it.
In our family, we desperately need an extra freezer.  With three kids that are starting to eat us out of house and home I’ve been preparing meals in double, sometimes triple, batches and shopping in bulk at Costco.  I’d love to have a freezer chest in the garage. I searched the appliances category on UrbanStone for a freezer and pages upon pages of freezers popped up!  I was happy to see that I could narrow my search to freezer chests and from there I was able to narrow my search by size, price range, defrost types, and even by energy efficiency.  Once I honed in on what I wanted there were six stores to compare and the prices ranged from £281.00 – £440.00 That’s a huge difference in price!! This would be the perfect site for someone building house or renovating a kitchen, you could compare the costs for dishwashers, freestanding cookers, hobs , kitchen hoods, microwave ovens, gas and electric ovens, and refrigerators. Not only can you comparison shop for the best prices but most of the products have been rated and reviewed by actual customers.  So you get a great price and a proven product. My husband is one lucky guy, I may drive him batty with frugality but I sure have saved him some serious money of the years!
So, what are you in the market for?  Search UrbanStone and compare before you head out to make any purchases!

*I was compensated for this post.  All opinions are mine and based on my experience.

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WebKinz Jr. Review and Giveaway!

webkinzREVIEW BY KAT ROBERTSON: My four year old absolutely loves getting things in the mail, so you can imagine the excitement that overcame her when she realized that she had received *gasp* a PACKAGE from WebKinz, Jr.! She pulled out the contents to find “Princess” which is what she named her soft, fluffy purple monkey that has barely left her side since. Attached to Princess’ arm was a card which unlocked a world of fun – and responsibility – online! I have to say that although I was interested in testing this out, I wasn’t sure I was going to be impressed. I don’t typically allow my 4 year old to have computer time because it ends up being stressful for me. She doesn’t know very well how to navigate everything and I end up having to *do* it all for her rather than her have fun playing on her own. This system was so easy for her to get the hang of, she was in her own little Kinzville world in no time!

webkinz2Avalyn was able to learn how to care for someone else’s needs by caring for her pet virtually. She watched Princess’ levels on the meters that represented her happiness, health, hunger, and energy. When Princess needed love/stimulation, food, sleep, or hygiene-related attention (bathroom, etc), Avalyn could provide those things for her. She fed her, played with her, brushed her teeth, bathed her, put her to sleep… She was also able to take her around Kinzville to school, the bakery, the park, the post office, the ‘caring’ center, the store, the playhouse, and of course – home! Once home, she could navigate around to Princess’ bedroom, the bathroom, the playroom, and the kitchen.

Not only could she earn KinzCoins through certain activities, but she could take Princess to the store to purchase items using what she had earned – food, toys, clothes, and even decorations for their house! There were hours of fun available for Ava and Princess – hours during which Avalyn had no idea that she was actually LEARNING life skills in the process :) That’s a double score for WebKinz, Jr.! Their system also allows parents to access their own account through which their child is able to send them greeting cards, which my daughter LOVED to do. WebKinz, Jr. also provides an option of upgrading to a Deluxe membership which unlocks even more learning capabilities – and reporting features for parents to track their child’s progress. There are so many functions provided in this software that it is impossible for me to cover them all, but I highly recommend that you try it out for yourself.

Want to try WebKinz, Jr. out for your child?

They are offering one lucky reader the chance to win one of their very own WebKinz, Jr. pets! Here’s how to enter:

(REQUIRED) Visit Webkinz Jr. website and take a look around!  Click on the catalogue and browse the different available plush animals – come back here and leave a comment and tell us what animal you think your child would choose and why.

Extra Entries – please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Subscribe to  MomActive.com in a reader .

2. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter HERE.

3. Follow @momactive on twitter.

4. Visit For the Love of Chaos and subscribe to Kat’s Newsletter

5. Tweet the following message (leave separate comments)

Win a Webkinz Jr. on MomActive.com ~ Adorable plush & membership in virtual world! http://bit.ly/84mWLp

***Winner will be chosen 12pm EST Fri. January 29, 2010***

CONGRATULATIONS TO LT ~ She has won the Webkinz Jr. giveaway!

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Growing Relationships and Keeping in Touch With Your Children

michele horne picWhen we had our second daughter, my husband and I quickly realized that we needed to continue to spend one on one time with each child to assure that they both felt engaged and important to us. After baby girl number three, we still hold this philosophy, but when the children outnumber the adults, it becomes very hard to attain this goal.

But we still work at it… every day. It is not that we need to make time with each of them big events. We don’t need to take them to an amusement park or to the zoo. But we do need to give each of them a few minutes separately every day. For instance, my husband reads the bedtime story to the four year old every night. That is 15 minutes of dedicated daddy time that she is guaranteed and look forward to.

Other dedicated times might be to sit with the nine year old as she practices her piano, encouraging her and giving her undivided attention. We make puzzles with them, color, dance, let one of them prepare dinner with me or breakfast with Daddy.

We do also take time to make dates with each of them also. Again, it need not be elaborate or expensive, but just some time away from the house and the other sisters. It might be a daddy/daughter movie date or a mommmy/daughter picnic. Really, even when they get to ride in the car without two other screaming kids, they feel much more attended to and special.

The other day, as my nine year old sat on the edge of the tub keeping me company while I scrubbed the floor, she said, “Mommy, I really like this.”

“What?”

“Just sittin’ here talking to you.”

Awww, she filled my heart. But that proves that it really is the little things, those few stole moments here and there that will make the difference in your child’s life and grow that bond that every parents wants with their children. Hey, maybe you can even get them to scrub the toilet while you are talking!

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5 Important Foods

dark chocolateWhen living with a chronic illness so much is out of our (the patient) control.  However, our diet is something we can control.  There are some foods that can have a positive impact on your health and I wanted to share five of them with you today.

  1. dark chocolate- as if I needed an excuse, right?  But you can eat a small piece of dark chocolate daily, with no guilt, as research has shown dark chocolate lowers blood pressure and contains antioxidants.
  2. squash- I personally love zucchini but any type of squash is high in fiber.  Side effects of many of the medications we take for chronic pain, etc. can cause constipation so eating a diet high in fiber is a must!
  3. nuts- particularly almonds and other nuts low in saturated fat.  Nuts are good for so many things…cognitive clarity, eye sight and more.  They are also a low calorie, filling snack food.  Nuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which regulate hormones and mood as well as reduce inflammation in the body.
  4. dairy- a diet that includes calcium rich foods including yogurt, milk and more is good for you on many levels.  Dairy products, specifically milk, contain Vitamin D.  Many people (including myself) are deficient in this vital vitamin and such a deficiency can lead to many problems, including neurological difficulties.Vitamin D and calcium also decrease the symptoms of PMS!
  5. Carrots- Bugs Bunny must have known something researchers of his time didn’t.  Carrots are full of dietary benefits.  Lots of fiber, protection against colon cancer and help for the eyesight.  What can’t a carrot do?

There are many more important foods to include in our diet that we will discuss in the upcoming weeks.  Do you have a favorite “important” food?  Feel free to share in the comments!

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The Mommyhood Balancing Act (Part 2)

bigcomputermomLast week, I wrote about my need to find balance again in life. This week’s post will focus on how to achieve that.

Once I realized that things were out of control, I began making an action plan to regain it. But in order to create this plan, I had to better understand what needed to change. Here are a list of questions I found helpful that you may consider asking yourself:

Children:
When you spend time with your kids, is it truly quality time? Are you there physically, but somewhere else mentally? By establishing special play times when you can give them your full attention, this might help them feel like they are being paid attention to instead of being in the way.  Our kids are very good at knowing when we want
to spend time with them versus when we have to spend time with them. If you are a stay-at-home mom, do you find that you feel like being with the kids all day is a drag sometimes? Try and remind yourself why you became a mother and encourage yourself not to get swept up in the stresses.

Spouse/Significant Other
Do you set a standard date night at least once a month? Is there one night a week to truly catch up, spend time together, and enjoy each other’s company? Do you take a second once in awhile to remember just why you married him/her? All of these things get easily pushed aside and instantly have an effect on your relationship. The truth is that this relationship is the most important to maintain/nourish because it sets the tone for the family and an example for your kids.

Work
Do you bring your outside work home with you? Do you let your work-at-home tasks take over your mind, making you unable to do much else when you’re in the house? Do you try to multi-task all the time, therefore keeping you from doing any one thing well? If you’re like me, you find yourself trying to get work (in my case, blogging) done on and off all day long. Unfortunately, this is the first thing that throws my life out of balance because it spills over onto so many other important tasks, such as spending time with family.  Try and create a specific time for work tasks and stick to it.

Mommy Time
Do you carve out at least an hour or two a week to exercise, de-stress, or meditate? Do you have hobbies that encourage relaxation or fun outside of the family? Are you desperate to create time that is spent focusing only on you? What other tasks during the week can be moved down on the list in order to make this happen? We need to remember that even though everything else feels more important, if we aren’t feeling whole, this will negatively effect every other area of the family/life.

Action Plan
Use the above questions to brainstorm what needs to change in order to regain balance. By exploring them, you may find things are not as chaotic as you thought or you may realize that an action plan is way overdue. If it’s helpful, write your action plan out with specific steps on how you are going achieve these changes. Set a realistic timeframe and reassess often.

And once you’ve achieved balance in life again, look back and acknowledge all of the hard work you’ve done to get there!

You can read more of my thoughts on balancing motherhood and other random ramblings at The (Un)Experienced Mom.

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Top 5 Reasons to Exercise

rsubbiah

  1. Walking has been shown to boost immunity in fact lower the number of sick days, this was reported this week by The Appalachian State university. Walking 45 minutes 5 days a week was all it took for the effect.
  2. It decreases your risk of cancer, a study done in 2560 Finnish men followed for 16 years found that men who were moderately active for 30 min a day had 50% less chance of developing cancer.
  3. It helps you get a better nights sleep and evidence shows that good sleep is vital for maintaining a healthy weight.
  4. It helps keep blood sugars in check, in fact if you have type 2 diabetes exercise is a wonderful tool to keep your blood sugars under control.
  5. Its fun and can be a great family activity, playing tennis together, going to the pool, skiiing, dancing around the house!

References:

  1. http://www.chowandchatter.com/2009/07/your-daily-workout-can-decrease-your.html
  2. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/20/hb.exercise.benefits/index.html
  3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704350304574638331243027174.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird
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