Many women dread the anticipated symptoms of menopause. They fear the potential hot flashes, weight gain, bloating, memory loss, or night sweats. Every woman is different and will approach menopause at different ages. However, you can experience what is called “early menopause” as young as in your mid-thirties. However, there is no reason to fear this change in your life. If you take the proper steps before your body goes through these natural changes, emotional and physical health can be affected. It is important to take care of the body prior to these changes for the best outcome.

As you approach your mid to late 30’s, hormones begin to change as your egg supply gradually decreases. You may start noticing shortened menstrual cycles or different PMS symptoms. The estrogen and progesterone levels will fluctuate and then eventually your estrogen levels will drop till you have no menstrual periods. These are normal menopausal symptoms. Abnormal menopausal symptoms are the hot flashes, w...

Is the lack of a good night’s rest the simple answer to your problems? Did you know there is such thing as World Sleep Day which falls in March to draw attention to the issue of sleep deprivation? New research shows that throwing off our body’s natural circadian rhythms over the long term can critically disturb the body and brain, causing weight gain, impulsive behavior, and loss of memory. (1) Increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and thyroid deregulation are also side effects of not getting the right amount of sleep at night.

Natural production of leptin, a hormone produced that triggers our “fullness” or satiety feeling, is lessened when we are sleep deprived while ghrelin, a hormone which triggers hunger, is heightened. Results of one study conducted at the University of Chicago in Illinois showed that when sleep was restricted, leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up, appetite increased proportionally, and the desire for high carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods...

How do you know if you’re body needs a little extra help to detox? First of all, you can subjectively look at how your excretory system is functioning.

Check your urination: Your urine should be a pale yellow and you should be drinking enough clean water to urinate every two hours. We generally recommend one quart of clean drinking water, preferably reverse osmosis filtered water, per fifty pounds of body weight not to exceed three quarts.

Bowel Movements: You should be having at least one bowel movement a day which is solid. Vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grain breads can increase the fiber in your diet to help bulk your stool. Diets unbalanced with high meat and “white food” consumption tend to slow digestion and therefore interfere with efficient excretion.

Signs and symptoms of toxic overload will differ from one body to the next. But here are a few signs that your body may be warning you:

• Feeling tired, sluggish, lethargic
• Trouble with memory, concentrating and stayin
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“Detoxification” is a naturally occurring process that the body is designed to perform to rid the body of waste products that occur as part of normal metabolism. In addition, it works to rid the body of toxic elements that are inhaled or consumed from the foods we eat and the environment around us. Detox diets have become very popular for many different maladies from cancer to weight loss. There are many different programs, but most of them involve very low caloric intake, with addition of fruits and vegetables, water and supplements. In theory, once “free” of toxins, your body functions better and your metabolism performs more efficiently which may help shed those extra pounds or fight off disease.

The problem herein lies in that many of these diets are not balanced diets and some supplements can force the body to detox too much and too fast. Experts agree that there is no credible science to validate claims that detox diets work. There are no studies available to document the benefi...

Summer is coming and it’s the perfect time of the year to rethink your lifestyle habits. Motivation is a hard thing sometimes. Maybe you feel like you’ve “cheated” so many times you’re starting to wonder if you could ever stick with it. Or, maybe you just get in the “rut” of eating the same things all of the time and you get burn out.

Plateau Effect

Just as when exercising, if you are not eating a variety of foods or modifying your routine from time to time, you will experience what is known as the “plateau effect”. The plateau effect is where you seem to hit a stumbling block in your fitness achievements. Maybe you’ve stopped losing weight or can’t seem to build more muscle. Everything just seems to flat line. In the realm of eating, maybe you’re just plain bored.

Summertime is a perfect time to change all of that! The “simple” act of initiating change in your lifestyle is 50% of the battle. The other 50% is sticking with it!

1. Continuously educate yourself so you don’t fall prey
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