Simple Tips For Weight Loss After Pregnancy

I've seen many cases where lots of women are worried and totally frustrated to see the changes in their body when it comes to significant weight gain due to pregnancy. So, what is a women to do if you've just given birth and still have 20 or more pounds to lose to get back to your pre-baby body? In this article I would like to share simple tips to lose weight after pregnancy.

1) Regain Your Energy

You probably don't even realize that your body has just been through a very traumatic experience with all the debilitating tension that occurs during the delivery process. Before attempting to get back into a regular exercise regime, give your body some time to rest and restore your lost energy since the giving birth. Before you start any weight loss program after pregnancy, make sure that your body feels better and that simple tasks such as walking or lifting slightly heavier objects do not cause you any physical pain.

2) "Break Up" with Your Bad Eating Habits

Usually unconsciously, a lot of women think they can eat whatever they want during their pregnancy and often feel it is the fetus that is directing their cravings and causing them to want certain foods. There is definitely some truth to this, but once your baby is born, you need to remind yourself that you are no longer "eating for two". It can start with a few mistakes here and there, but the truth is continuing to eat unhealthy foods will cause you to continue gaining weight instead of losing it. A perfect example is late night junk food and after dinner dessert. These may have been unavoidable cravings while you were pregnant, but you need to eliminate them after baby if you want to lose weight.

3) Use Logic

Ask yourself, is this weight loss program reasonable and realistic for my lifestyle? If a program offers extreme promises such as LOSE 30lbs in 5 DAYS, you should be cautious. The more unrealistic it seems, the more unrealistic it really is and I would stay away from any diet plan just trying to sell to you on your frustration. Also I would recommend avoiding dietary or slimming supplements, especially fat burning pills, medications or any herbal supplements. These can be dangerous to your health when you don't have all the facts and if you are still breastfeeding you are also putting your baby's health and life at risk.

4) Start Eating Weight Loss Foods

There are tons of tips, resources and free weight loss plans for postpartum women which you can be easily found online nowadays. You may use the Internet to do some research on weight loss foods after pregnancy for both women who are breast-feeding or not.. I personally suggest you look for a weight loss diet plan for women that works with your lifestyle, this way you will be more likely to stick with it. Most weight loss programs have all the information you need to shed extra weight and explain the essential nutrients you require to reach your weight loss goal as quickly as possible, but if you spend money on a program and never follow it, there really is no weight loss program that will work for you.

5. Do SOMETHING Physical Everyday

This is probably the biggest mistake I see among my friends and family when they complain to me about postpartum weight loss. It's exhausting caring for a new born day and night and the thought of going for a jog or working out at a gym probably makes you want face plant on the floor. But, the only way to get over this feeling is to start doing SOMETHING. Start with light exercises, such as walking with the stroller or a yoga class will not only get your body back in motion, but it will also help to reduce postpartum depression. The ideal time to start light exercises is about six weeks after giving birth and as you stick with it you can move up to higher impact routines such as strength training and cardiovascular activities which will help to tighten and tone those parts that got "loose" after giving birth.

6. Be Patient

Last but not least, you need to be patience with yourself. It took 9 months for your baby to grow and develop and cause that extra weight on your belly and bottom. You can't expect your body to bounce back in just a few short weeks, even if you are following a postpartum weight loss diet plan for women. Getting back into shape will take eating the right foods, consistent physical activity and most importantly...time. A good support system always helps so ask for it! Your family members, friends and especially your husband want you to succeed so lean on them when you're having a tough day and feel you like hanging from the ceiling fan!

Gook Luck! 

By Naomi Kinaschuk

Causes Of Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious condition where we can literally starve ourselves to death, thinking we're fat. The disorder can stem from physical, psychological and, sadly, intentional causes. In this article, we'll consider the different causes of anorexia, and discuss symptoms and treatment needs.

Physical Causes Of Anorexia: Studies are underway to determine if there is a genetic predisposition for anorexia, but short of that, any of a number of illnesses can actually cause a person to be anorexic. These include arthritis, colitis, kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver. Also, advanced alcoholism and drug addiction can result in anorexia. If our diet is deficient in certain nutrients, like vitamins A, B3, or B8 we could develop anorexia as a deficiency symptom. Anorexia can be a medical drug side effect, too, so see your doctor. The cool thing about anorexia that had a physical cause is, once the physical condition is cleared up, the anorexia usually goes away, too.

Psychological Causes Of Anorexia: More difficult to treat are the psychological causes stress, depression and anxiety. In fact, anorexia nervosa is a severe anxiety over body weight. We actually see ourselves as being fat, even as we look in a mirror and see a body that's wasting away from hunger, with bones sticking out. It's this body image that's at the root of anorexia. Even when medical treatment restores a normal body weight, until the body image is corrected, the person will just lose it all again.

Intentional Causes Of Anorexia: This is probably the saddest part of the anorexia story. Some people actually cause themselves to become anorexic, accidentally, through fad diets or worse, intentionally, through a sick idea that the "anorexic look" is sexy. There are websites and companies making money by promoting self-starvation as a weight management tool. This creates the mindset of the negative body image which is at the heart of the disorder. I'm all for web freedom, but I think websites promoting anorexia are as bad as those promoting kiddy porn, and for the same reason...they're destroying lives.

Anorexia Symptoms And Treatment: Because the heart of anorexia is an irrational belief you're fat, most people are unlikely to look in the mirror and say, "I'd better get to the doctor." Since denial is a big part of the illness, the best way to see if you or a loved one needs to see a doctor is to take a self-test like this signs of anorexia nervosa quiz. Anorexia is never a self-treatment issue. You must see a doctor, get a proper diagnosis and get professional treatment. Anorexics, left to their own devices, often die. Often, treatment includes medical tests to determine the cause, food supplements to restore body weight, antidepressants or anxiety medicine and psychological therapy to get at the body image issue. How you see yourself is usually the key to the whole thing.

The cause of anorexia can be as simple as a vitamin deficiency or as complex as the human self-image. Often, those causes are physical, psychological and even intentional in nature. Whatever started it, anorexia is a serious condition that can be deadly if not treated. With proper treatment, though, recovery is very likely. If you suspect you or a loved one suffers from anorexia, get it checked by a doctor as soon as possible, so recovery can begin.

By Glen D. Williams

How to Improve Dream Recall Using Body, Mind, and Spirit

Recalling your dreams has many benefits. You can use dreams to inspire your artwork, get to know yourself better, solve difficult problems or answer tough questions, or just share them with friends. Keeping track of your dreams on a long-term basis lets you watch your growth and development over the years.

Dreams are like soap bubbles, however. The longer you wait to record them, the less chance that any will still be around to record. Sleep scientists estimate that most people have 150,000 dreams in a lifetime. While recalling and recording that many dreams is more information than anyone needs (remember poor Doug Quaid [Arnold Schwarzenegger] in "Total Recall"), keeping track of your longer, more elaborate, most interesting dreams is a gift you give yourself.

Use all your natural resources to help you recall your dreams. The combined efforts of body, mind, and spirit will make the task much easier.

Body

The first thing to do is get a good night's sleep. Keep the room temperature at a moderate level and make sure your pillow and bed linens are clean and comfortable.

The longest REM (rapid eye movement) cycle comes towards morning when dreams are easiest to recall. You'll remember more dreams by waking naturally than by waking to a jarring alarm clock.

Keep materials for recording dreams at your bedside. Buy a special pen and notebook specifically designated for this purpose or a tape recorder used for nothing else. Record your dreams immediately upon awakening -- before you get out of bed and begin your day.

Mind

Tell yourself before you go to sleep that in the morning you will remember your dreams. Convince yourself that it's going to happen. Be satisfied with one dream at first; eventually with practice you'll be able to remember several dreams from each night.

Record dreams exactly as you remember them. Don't fill in the gaps with transitions, logic, summaries, or translations from your wide-awake conscious mind. If your dog is outside, then the scene shifts to your third grade teacher barking orders in the classroom, say so.

You don't want to take shortcuts in descriptions. The symbolism and figurative speech used in dreams is half the fun of dream recall.

Spirit

Appreciate your dreams and show them some respect. Realize that not every dream is insightful, but that all dreams have something to offer, whether humor, creative inspiration, physical warnings, or unconscious perception.

Although dreams should be recorded without initial judgment or analysis based on the actions that occurred, give each dream a succinct title that expresses the emotions that you felt and/or identifies a key character. Don't be afraid of violent or sexual dreams from your unconscious mind that are inconsistent with your conscious mind. Write them down, title them, and read them later when you no longer feel the emotions of the dream.

Go back and re-read your dream diary or listen to your dream tapes in later months or years. You'll be amazed at what people, places, and things consumed your thoughts at the time, and at the creative inspiration lurking within your unconscious mind.

By Leslie Halpern

How to Cure or Alleviate Edema, Including Lymphedema

By edema excessive fluid gather in body parts or greater areas of the body, making the areas swollen. Edema is most often a problem in the legs, but can occur anywhere in the body.

There are several types of edema, and many cases are also a mixture of more than one type. By lymphedema the drainage from the tissues through the lymph vessels are impaired or excessive fluid goes through the blood capillary walls into the spaces between the cells in a tissue. Edema can also occur because of poor drainage of blood through the veins towards the heart. Edema can further be caused by general accumulation of excessive fluid in the body.

The causes of edema are many. Edema is a symptom by most inflammations. Insufficient heart action by congestive heart failure can cause edema. A too high intake of salt can cause general water retention in the body. Sitting and standing long in the same position can cause edema in the lower limbs. A still sitting life without exercise can cause or aggravate edema.

Insufficiencies of the liver or kidneys can cause fluid retention and thereby edema. Edema can be a side effect of antihypertensive drugs, steroids surgery and radiation therapy. Further causes of different types of edema are varicose veins, cancer, hypothyroidism, blood clots, constipation and physical injuries.

To treat edema, it is important to treat the underlying disease or injury. However, medical treatment does not always cure the underlying condition or the cause is wholly or partially lifestyle aspects. Therefore various measures targeted directly against the edema are useful. These are presented here:

Pharmacological treatments: The physician will sometimes prescribe diuretics to reduce fluid retention in the body and thereby reduce edema. This treatment should however be used for serious edema or edema persistent when other measures do not work.

Salt intake restriction: Restriction of salt intake is an important measure by edema. People suffering from edema should avoid adding great amount of salt into their food or consume preprocessed food with a salty taste.

Diet: A good general diet that alleviates chronic inflammation is useful. The diet should especially contain enough sources of omega-3-fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, like: Fat fish, seafood, flax oil, olive oil, almonds, rape oil and canola oil. Also vegetables and fruit in a natural shape are useful.

Avoiding constipation: Constipation should be treated, since a stomach engorged by excessive content can cause impairment of fluid circulation.

Variation of corporeal position: You should avoid sitting or standing still a long time during the day. When sitting during work or rest, you should change position with regular intervals.

Exercise: Every day you should have some exercise adjusted to your health condition. This could be walking, cycling, swimming, running or any other sport activity where you use greater parts of your body. Doing regular stretching exercises or yoga is useful. By severe edema special therapeutic exercises should be prescribed by a professional.

High position of limb: When you are sleeping or resting the swollen body parts can be placed in an elevated position by means of pillows, pads or by resting in an adjustable bed or chair.

Massage: By minor edema yourself, your spouse or a friend can massage the affected body part to alleviate the edema. The massage should be done in the direction of natural flow of blood and lymph that is towards the heart. You should however avoid massaging distinctly injured or distinctly inflamed body parts. By severe edema a professional massager should be engaged to perform the massage type called "manual lymphatic drainage".

Elastic bandaging: You can use elastic gloves, stockings, tapes or bandages around the swollen body parts during the day or during physical activities after instruction from a professional person.

Inflatable garments: There are inflatable garments to be found that can be used around the engorged body parts some times of the day. Also these should be used after professional instruction.

Sequential gradient pump therapy: One can get special electric pumps connected to inflatable garments. The pump inflates and deflates the garments repeatedly. Each garment has several rooms that are inflated sequentially in the direction of the natural fluid stream towards the heart. In this way the fluid is dynamically pumped the right way out of the engorged body part. This type of therapy is used in professional settings or at home after instruction from a professional.