Preventing H1N1 - MUST READ

Hey family, this came across one of my list serves and I was dying to share. I know we are all concerned about ourselves and loved ones as it pertains to the flu in general AND H1N1. Below is an article from a medical doctor on simple cost free ways to keep your body healthy and hopefully rid of the swine flu.

By: Dr. Vinay Goyal - MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water . Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population. Neti pots and sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and relatively inexpensive--under $15.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who might pay attention to it -- and STAY ALIVEbecause of it."

Fasting to Clear My Body

For those of you who have been following my weight loss journey on my "Weighing In On Healhty" blog, the Get Fit 4 Christ program is coming to a close. To keep up with the progress I've made with my health and specifically eating, I've decided to do a food fast for the next 4 days. I actually have a few individuals who are doing it with me and others interested specifically on what it entails. I've included the plan below:

+ Grilled chicken or tuna (this is totally plain protein. NO SEASONING OR SAUCES)

+ Cucumber (eat it how ever you want as long as its NOT SEASONED)

+ Water (of course)

+ 1-2 teaspoon of ACV (if you find yourself getting light headed, reduce it even more)

Thanks to one of my lovely Sorors for passing on this plan to me. She use to be an NFL cheerleader and use to do this type of fast to drop water weight quick and to jump start her body to eating CLEAN foods.

I plan to do this fasting plan until Wednesday, October 14th at noon. After that, I will be pushing the protein, veggies and fruit and limiting my carbohydrate intake to 40 grams/day. The ultimate goal is to reduce that number to 30 grams/day but I must take baby steps. Lol. Whose going to join us? Remember, you can ONLY EAT the foods above for the next 4 days (for I started today). You can eat as much as you want as well family....so chow down.

As for exercise (and yes you still have to get moving), the work out plan can be of your choice, but for me I plan to walk/jog at least 3 days of the 4 day fast. I know my body and how I work, and limiting myself to only these foods will be tough initially on me. I can't over exert myself to much for my body won't have enough food essentials to burn. BUT I do plan to keep moving. Lol.

What am I trying to accomplish....dropping 5lbs by this coming Friday, clearing out my system and restarting my eating plan. I'm excited for Paris is winding down and its time to get serious.

Be blessed family!!!

Healthy Living Habits

For those of you who have been following me for some time now, know that I have been threw several transformations in my life. Whether it be professionally, personally, spiritually, mentally and physically, all have been for the greater good of me and the purpose God has instore for me.

I get many comments and questions about "what am I doing" to feel so great DAILY, to look so healthy or "good" and to stay motivated even in trying times (in life, at work, etc). Every time I run off a list (sometimes the same, sometimes different) of different things I"ve done in my life to become more positive productive in my daily life. Due to this, I present to you the orAKAle's list of healthy living habits (please note that these are not in any order what so ever):

Man in the Mirror - you need to first and foremost look at that person in your mirror (that's you) and have a heart to heart talk. We are our worst critics, so if you are not on YOUR TEAM...who will be....

God Has First Place - As a Christian, I believe that God and his teachings (the bible) is my foundation. Therefore he gets all glory everyday and all day. I start my day off with mediation and prayer and end my day the same.

Daily Bible Study - the current program that I am on now involved reading and study at least 30 minutes a day. This is now habit for me, to the point that if I don't give God his time, I feel incomplete. It helps to keep me grounded and focused.

6-8 Hours of Sleep/DAY - I am a firm believer in getting your daily rest. While I don't think you need 8 hours (because I get between 7-7.5 hrs a night) daily to get the job done, I do think you need more than 6. Use your discretion on this one.

PUSH THE WATER - Family, I get OVER 64 ounces of water a day...yes that is over 8 servings of water that enters my body on a regular basis. I'm constantly getting compliments on how physically fit I look, how well rested my eyes look and how clear and smooth my skin looks....and my answer is ALWAYS (first) how much water I drink. For more information on how water contributes to healthy living, take a look at my former posts to the left.

Baggage No More - Like most of us, we are caring around baggage from the past or even the present. I decided to get rid of the baggage (or fat) in my life. I reevaluated my friendships, my daily relationships, the way I viewed myself and all other aspects of my life.

Speak It Into Existence - One of my good friends taught me that if you are not cheering for yourself, then how can you expect anyone else to. As simple as it sounds, I was speaking negatives words over me. While we make jokes here and there, I was doing it way to often, and actually had those around me call me out on it. See I believe that we have to speak positive words over our lives. The tongue is a powerful thing and the bible talks about being careful of what you say over yourself also how your thoughts can manifest into words and then reality.

Get Up, Get Out and Get Moving - While it took me awhile to get here, I work out between 4-6 days a week. My weekly work out regimen depends on the waves of my life. As someone who travels a lot, its hard to stick to a particular work out regimen. So, I get creative to get moving daily/weekly. I believe exerting energy helps with stress level and helps to put you in a positive mood to tackle the world.

Vitamins and Supplements - I take a daily multivitamin twice a day to make sure that I get all the necessary nutrients my body type needs. Also, I take B12 to help with stress and a Biotin tablet that assist in hair, nail and skin development. I also drink 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar a day to help with daily digestion with my body.

To read more about my weight loss journey and tips for daily health advice, take a look at my blog "Weighing In On Health" here on blogspot.


The orAKAle has spoken........

Naturally Silky - update on skin care

As promised, I wanted to give you an update on my skin care regimen. If you recall in my post "Adult Acne...The Unspoken (but livable) Plague" I spoke on some of the struggles I've had with acne and also included my skin regimen. For the most part, my daily facial regimen is the same EXCEPT I've add the St. Ives Apricot Scrub in the mix. I use this treatment on the face at least 3x/week. It helps to exfoliate the skin and leaves it soft, clean but not dry.

Below are some face pictures of myself without my airbrushing (lol). Family, I am really opening myself up to you all for I usually NEVER take pictures without my make up. I made a promise to show you all what I look like, but to also role model the positive behavior I want to promote...LOVING YOURSELF THE WAY GOD MADE YOU!!! Sure we are not perfect and have blemished here and there, but you are just the way you're suppose to be...made in the Lord's image. Hope you like the pics and please tell me what you think:

(as you can see, this is the same pic that is on my profile. I have a little gold eye shadow, but that is it. I used a Walgreens store bought sponge to reduce the natural shine on my face. If you look close, you can see some of the blemishes and breakouts that I was experiencing this past summer...it was horrible family)



(plain Jane....my daily look with no additions. this is a more recent pic. Many of the dark spots from this summer's break out have lightened up and disappeared. The Ambi works wonders)


One thing I forgot to mention before is that I take a Biotin supplement daily (1000 mg). Also I drink at least 64 ounzes of water daily (usually over that amount). I don't eat meat (accept fish - pescitarianism) and I work out a minimum of 5 days a week. My skin care regimen is directly related to my healthy living habits. It's all related!!

I also drink 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar a day as part of daily cleansing and my weight management program I am on. To learn more about what I do with this weight program, visit my journey blog at "Weighing In On Health".

The orAKAle has spoken.....................................................

Daily Bible Reading - IT REALLY WORKS

For those of you who may not already know, I have started a 40 wellness plan with a great trainder out of the St. Lous area. In the next 40 days, I will be required to do certain exercising daily, logging what I eat and reading the new testament. The goal is to get threw the ENTIRE new testamentby mid October. Also, there is a 5k he is preparing us to run as well.

Even though I just started reading (in detail) daily, I had already incorporated listening to the audio bible on itunes in the morning before work. Now, I am dedicating 20-30 minutes twice a day to the Lord's word and its making a difference. How you may ask....

+ Stories that were explained or told to me second hand are now making more sense
+ There are valuable lesson that I can now directly relate to my everyday life
+ The Word has become so much easier to read and comprehend, versus having to read over and over again (KJV)
+ I have a sense of purpose more now than ever before
+ I'm not afraid to witness
(the list can go on and on really...)

I say this to you family because everyone falls short. No human is perfect at all! While I never thought I was perfect, I sometimes put myself a little higher than the norm (lol). Hate to admit it, but I did not know what I was thinking and what I was missing out on. My example is Christ, and that is who I want to live my life like. ...and I am willing to spend my ENTIRE life striving to be just that.

If your interested in following my journey in this program, please take a look at my blog "Weighing In On Health" here on blogspot. I really hope you will follow it and also be encourage to become healthier, get up and get moving AND read the bible on a regular basis. I promise you it will change your life :)

The orAKAle has spoken......

"Weighing in on Health" - new blog

http://weighinginonhealth.blogspot.com



Above is a link to another blog of mine, documenting the next 40 days as I embark on getting healthier for the Lord. This blog will actually include daily successes and challenges, along with what I am eating, what exercising I am doing and the supplements to aid in a healthy life.



I will still post on this blog, but will only include topics associated with my health journey above. I want to encourage all my followers to take a look at their life style and and themselves....are you fit to do the work that God has planned for you?



the orAKAle has spoken......