HealthLady.com

How to Look Great Naked (And Never Diet Again!)

With “sweater weather” around the corner, people everywhere are relieved to, once again, be able to hide their excess weight beneath oversized hoodies. Eventually, however, everyone gets naked, resulting in either trauma or triumph.

But Phoenix Gilman will have listeners prancing around in their birthday suits—after teaching them how to get in great shape, without dieting or spending hours in the gym. Armed with clinically supported research and information backed by high-profile experts, she’ll share:

• Why 98 percent of all diets inevitably fail (and it’s not due to lack of willpower).

• The surprising link between your brain and your thighs.

• Why coffee and cereal lead to weight gain, depression, etc.

• The No. 1 reason people crave carbs.

• How the weight loss industry rakes in billions per year as obesity rates skyrocket.

Hear How the low-Fat Myth is perpetuating Our Rate of Obesity Click right here:

Balance Your Hormones with a Nourishing Tea

Tea can offer a natural and soothing way to balance Hormonal shifts. I drink tea daily because of its enormous health benefits. Here are some great store-bought brands as well as easy and yummy recipe for a tea you can make at home.

Teas have been used for thousands of years for almost any ailment known to man from curing illnesses to preparing a woman’s body for pregnancy. So it is no wonder that teas that are uniquely brewed to provide balance to women’s swirling and fluctuating hormones can take up almost an entire shelf of the tea section of your favorite health store. 

I thought I would do a bit of work for you rather than having you test out tea after tea and share with you some of my favorite and effective hormone-balancing teas.

Yogi Tea is known for making superb tea blends and their Woman’s Healing Formula is no different. I love drinking this tea. It provides me all the comfort that a warm cup of tea should as well as calibrating my body’s hormones. Yogi Teas are readily available at health food stores or online.
In addition to the Yogi Tea, Organic Woman's Dong quai Tonic is an effective and organic way to lessen fatigue, restore your energy and balance a woman's hormones. It is caffeine-free so it won’t send you on any extreme highs and lows and this healing tonic is formulated to ease what traditional Chinese medicine practitioners refer to as "blood deficiency," which results from stress, poor digestion, or improper eating and health habits.

Dong quai (Angelica Sinensis)  The root help build the blood and clear blood stagnation. It can relieve anxiety, depression, and hot flashes and help restore moisture to dry vaginal tissues.

You can also make you own concoction from loose herbs. This tea is perfect for when your emotions are a bit down, as they often are as the weather starts to turn colder and the days become shorter and darker. Savor a cup of this sweet, uplifting, aromatic herbal tea and enjoy a moment or more of calming respite.

I recommend buying these ingredients from the bulk section of local health food store to save on costs and packaging. The recipe for this tea comes from the book Sex, Love & Health by Brigitte Mars.

When your emotions are a bit down:

• 4 cups of water
• 1/2  teaspoon of burdock root
• 1/2 teaspoon of dandelion root
• 1 teaspoon of basil herb
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon of nettle leaf

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the burdock and dandelion root, cover, and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining herbs. Cover and let steep for ten minutes. Strain.
Enjoy 4 cups daily.

Balance Your Hormones Naturally

I receive so many questions from women who feel bogged down by fatigue, weight gain and low sexual desire. Rather than turning to the latest fad diet or new drug, there are plenty of natural and effective ways for improving your health. Read on and find out more…

Even though doctors and dermatologists can prescribe an array of highly synthetic and processed hormone replacement therapies, there are natural alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs to help you during your menopausal journey. You have probably heard or read about Bio-Identicalhormones, progesterone cream and natural hormone therapy.

Natural progesterone cream helps to relieve hormonal overloads like menopause, estrogen dominance, post-partum depression and male menopause. There are many herbs for menopause on the market but the hormone experts such as Dr. John Lee, believe that transdermal, Bio-Identical hormones are the most natural and effective. Progesterone cream could also be called natural antidepressants and even if you are pre-menopausal, it benefits natural menstrual health considerably.

Natural progesterone cream is the baseline when it comes to the management of your body's balance, but there is also natural estrogen, hormone testing kits and books on natural hormone replacement therapy. Keep reading to find out if you could benefit by balancing your hormones naturally and definitely read the free e-book on the differences in progesterone  creams and why Kokoro products are the healthy and natural choice. www.kokorohealth.com you can get the product in Canada as well. www.balance-your-hormones.com

The Hidden Dangers of Soy

Soy may be heralded as a Super Food by some health experts but others in the wellness field believe that the Western version of soy is harmful to your health. My soy-bible is by Dianne Gregg, the author of The Dangers of Soy. She offers a comprehensive analysis over the controversy of soy – a must-read for anyone who is interested in their health.

In the past decade, health experts have praised soy for its potential ability to prevent heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers as well as minimizing some of the side effects of menopause. As a result of this news, our obsession with soy grew almost overnight as food manufactures were quick to jump on the soy bandwagon.

Today, soy can be found in almost any food from veggie burgers to snack crackers to baby formula. But according to Diane Gregg and author of The Hidden Dangers of Soy, soy may be doing us more harm than good. Gregg blames soy for almost taking her life after a very serious negative reaction to this purported Super Food.

Her book details her experience with soy as well as why too much soy can cause harm such as thyroid damage which may have been just what happened to her. Gregg was overweight as she entered into menopause. She started playing with her diet to see how nutrition was exacerbating or lessening her symptoms. After eliminating soy from her diet, she lost 30 pounds and her symptoms abated.

After spending years researching soy, Gregg now wants to share her story with you. In doing so, she provides you with solutions for how you can avoid soy in your diet including scrutinizing labels for soy names and cooking soy-free recipes.
In her book, Gregg will reveal:

• Why you should never feed your infant soy formula
• Why soy can be deadly to anyone with an unknown soy allergyThat soy is not a cure for heart disease; it is actually linked to cancer, infertility, osteoporosis, hair loss, menstrual problems, and heart disease
• That over-consumption of soy can lead to thyroid damage, which can lead to weight gain
• That soy is used as a cheap filler in food; it is not a health miracle or a wonder food.

The West’s fascination with soy as a Super Food came much in part to the low incidences of heart disease, cancers and diabetes in Asian countries. Researchers were able to find proof that the components in soy may offer a protective benefit to illness. But Gregg discusses how the Eastern version of soy is very different from the Western form which she considers toxic. It is the Western version of soy that according to Gregg, may be so harmful to your health.
If soy is a staple protein source in your diet, The Hidden Dangers of Soy is a must-read for you.

Gain a bit of weight, feel lethargic and have trouble sleeping.

Another name that you are probably familiar with after reading my blogs is Brigitte Mars. She is the author of Love, Sex & Health and in an interview that I had with her last year she shares some of her thoughts on how we should use food, our minds and our hearts to ensure our sexual vitality. Many of us have experienced the changes in our sexual desire and function as we age. Some of the changes can be great and some of them can be a little less than great.

I loved this interview that I had with Brigitte.  I learned so much and couldn’t wait to share some important points that came out of it. Brigitte is also one of my favorite herbalist authors to date!

Nancy:  A common complaint I hear from women is that they gain a bit of weight, feel lethargic and have trouble sleeping. They suffer mood swings because of uncontrolled blood sugar levels and if that's not bad enough, their sexual vitality flies out the window. Since most of our problems can be traced to the foods we eat, what sexual Super Foods would you recommend to change all that? Read more

Dull Brain

Even in the short term, your brain is affected by sugar. In fact, you’ll feel the effects right away. Sugar dulls your brain, so you’ll feel sleepy. You’ll probably also find yourself forgetting things or having trouble making simple calculations. That’s because the brain needs Glutamic acid to function
properly. B vitamins help glutamatic acid, a vital compound found in many vegetables, divide the brain’s  stop-go responses. Unfortunately, eating refined sugar daily kills off the symbiotic, or “good,” bacteria living in your intestines, and those bacteria are responsible for producing extra B vitamins.  Scared yet? I know I was! Imagine having a choice—to age old or age young. Read more

Getting Serious About It This Time

You have 34 days and the chance to really get serious about tackling your diet and look your best for New Years Eve.

At the beginning of the year, most of us start out with great motivation for the goals, dreams, hopes and plans we have for the coming year. Whether it is losing ten pounds, nixing sugar, quitting smoking or exercising more, most New Years resolutions are focused on becoming healthier.

Then, before you know it, the year has come to a close and those well-intentioned resolutions you made on January 1st fizzled out before Valentine’s Day. 

So what if you didn't lose the weight or start the exercise program or follow that healthy eating program for the past 365 days?

It’s not too late.

From my experience I can tell you that most of the work on  A project gets done during the last 20 percent of the time set. It's the power of the deadline. Which I’ve mastered this one… my husband would say☺ I’m really good at this!

That’s right.
The power of the deadline is a tremendous motivating factor in finally getting the project signed, sealed and delivered.

So, set yourself a new deadline - December 31, 2008- and get rolling- don’t make the mistake waiting for January 1st to plan for you New Year resolution: You can do this NOW.

Rather than looking back on 2008 as a year in which your resolutions came and went unfulfilled, I have a program that you can start today that will end this year for you on a high note.

This past October, I hosted an online class called Super Cleanse! Detox Your Body for Health and Beauty based on my new 7-day Sugar-Free Diet.

I am pleased to say that most of the people who enrolled in this challenging but rewarding course were more than pleased with the results.

Here is a snapshot of some of the success stories from the course: Click Here

The beauty of this program is that you can use it anytime of the year! You don’t have to wait until January 1st. In fact, if you’re New Years resolution last year was to get in shape, you still have over a month left to fulfill this promise!

Check it out! Here’s the link to buy your ticket to a Better You. Today.

Food for Winter Skin Care

When winter comes, our skin needs some extra TLC. With its dry air, cold winds and lack of humidity, you may feel that you’re developing wrinkles quicker than the snow can fall. But I have a great recipe for what I call Kitchen Table Beauty that will not only exfoliate your skin but it will enrich it and keep it soft and hydrated. I apply this seed scrub to my face twice a week.

These natural ingredients will help to slough off dry and dead skin cells while the oils of the seeds will lubricate parched winter-kissed skin. Regularly exfoliating your skin keeps your skin looking and feeling healthy and young. Exfoliating skin weekly offers many benefits such as improving your skin’s texture, unclogging pores, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, fighting off acne and getting rid of dead skin cells.
Winter Skin Exfoliator
Use 2 tablespoons in total of 1 or all of these raw unroasted and organic seeds: Sesame Sunflower Pumpkin Flax seed Sift and grind seeds. Add small amounts of water or olive oil to 1-2 teaspoons of the seed mixture until it forms a moist paste. Apply the moistened scrub formula to your skin and then thoroughly and gently massage onto your skin with your fingertips for about one minute. Rinse with warm water. Beauty experts recommend exfoliating one or two times each week depending upon the sensitivity of your skin.

Eat and Drink Your Way to Beautiful Skin

When winter hits, our skin becomes incredibly parched due to the abrasive elements and cold and dry conditions.  Moisturizers and skin care products are necessary but one of the best ways to hydrate your skin is through nutrition.

One simple habit that you should start to implement as soon as Winter Frost starts nipping at your nose is to drink at least one quart of pure water every day.  Keeping your body hydrated consequently keeps your skin, the largest of organ in your body, functioning as its optimal best.

In addition to water, food is equally important to getting your skin look its best. Load up on beta-carotene rich fruits and veggies that are orange and green in color. Beta-carotene is an important nutrient and well-known beauty aid. Munch on  green leafy vegetables, parsley, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash, as well as almonds, apples, avocados, barley, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds.

It's also essential to consume the right kinds of fats.  Commercial heated fats like soy, corn and canola may do more harm to your skin than good because they are so highly processed. Reach instead for olive and nut oils for cooking with and topping on foods. 

My skin care bible is Beauty by Nature by Brigitte Mars. It’s full of comprehensive information and includes simple beauty care recipes that you can create yourself.

With the holidays approaching, Beauty by Nature would make a great gift to someone close to you or as a special gift to yourself! 

A Tea to Lift Your Blues

Most of us women can attest to feeling the effects of our cycling emotions. Rather than reaching for a glass of wine or a decadent (and heavy) piece of chocolate cake, ease your swirling emotions by brewing up a pot of this uplifting and aromatic tea. It’s easy to make and it’s caffeine and calorie-free so it won’t load you down like a rich dessert or glass of alcohol.  The recipe is compliments of Brigitte Mars from her book Sex, Love & Health.
All of the ingredients can be bought at your local health food store. I recommend buying them in bulk to ensure freshness and to save money.

• 4 cups water 
• 1-2 tsp of burdock root 
• 1-2 tsp of dandelion root
• 1 tsp of dried basil 
• 1 tsp of fennel seed
• 1 tsp of nettle leaf

Bring the water to a boil. Add the burdock and dandelion root, cover and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining herbs. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink 4 cups every day.