Your boyfriend or partner takes you out for the night and leads you to a darkened room.

You notice the room smells of roses and you hear a soft music playing in the background.

Then you notice an elongated table and think to yourself that it seems out of place but shrugs and moves on.

Then a uniformed lady suddenly appeared and asked you if you are ready for your treatment.

For what?

Unfortunately, it’s not the date of the lifetime. On the contrary, it’s anything but romantic.

You’ve actually entered the body wrap treatment room. This is the common scenario inside a spa salon that provides Body Wrap treatment. Body Wraps became popular in the 1980’s and 90’s and are still a big hit today.

But are Body Wraps really the solution to getting a fabulous body and losing weight?

The Body Wrap Process

Though it varies from one spa salon to another, the context and the process are technically similar. The Body Wrap is not exactly a massage treatment but if the person doing the Body Wrap is a massage therapist, then you can expect to be handled in that gentle and soothing way that these expert do.

At the bottom of the massage table is the thermal blanket followed by a plastic where the client is wrapped.  There are towels and sheets to keep you warm. The treatment begins with exfoliation where your body can either be dry-brushed or scrubbed. In this process, the oldest dead skin cells on the outermost layer of the body or the epidermis are removed. You can either use a mud scrub, pear and green apple scrub, salt scrub, or other ingredients that the salon may have.

After the exfoliation and body rinsing, the actual body wrap products (herbal, organic, and all natural) are then applied to your body and wrapped for 20 minutes. You can probably ask the therapist to give you a scalp massage if it’s included in the service of the salon.

After 20 minutes, you get unwrapped and you take a quick shower again. After drying off, moisturizing lotion is applied to the whole body.

Refreshing, right?

But what exactly are the Health Benefits of Body Wraps?

While Body Wraps will most definitely help tighten and tone your skin, there is no scientific proof that Body Wraps can help with slimming or weight loss.

Moisturizing Wraps will mostly rejuvenate and refresh your skin and pores, but like any other moisturizing procedures and products, it stops right there.

Slimming Wraps may appear to take off a few inches off your body but this is only because of the appearance of skin tightening, which gives the impression of a slimmer body. Come 2 days at most, you’ll get your old self again, flabby fat and all.

Detox Body Wrap on the other hand, takes out any impurities in the skin and pores but the actual detoxifying benefit has still not been clinically proven. Detoxification is all about removing toxic substances in the body. But with Detox Body Wrap, the only toxic substances being taken out of are those on the body’s outer layer – skin – not those that are inside your system.

Cellulite Wraps, the most used and most popular treatment consists of herbal ingredients and other herbal mixes. While there is no doubt that natural herbs are highly beneficial, the herbal ingredients in this body wrap procedure do not take away those unwanted dimpled skin. though you may feel like you are being vacuumed inside the Cellulite wrap, it does not suck away your body fats. It may however, appear tighter and better temporarily.

Is the Body Wrap worth it?

If what you are looking for is something that can make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated, then it might be worth it. It can even get rid of dead skin cells and other skin impurities. But these wraps are not going to suck your fats away for you. You will still have to eat right and exercise daily. No shortcuts.

Ah Spanx, you are every woman’s instant miracle to hiding flab. There is no doubt that it can tuck away every woman’s flaws of any sizes and shapes. The fact that it has been around for some time and being used by celebrities is a testament to its efficiency.

But wear a Spanx while working out in the gym? Isn’t that taking a bit too far now?

For a price of $118 for their Power Pant, it can provide the following benefits:

-          Flatten your tummy and hide your “bagel belly”

-          Hides imperfections

-          Gives off the appearance of having slim silhouette due to its flared leg

-          Your butt would appear “lifted”

While it sure would make you feel great to know that as you run on the treadmill, your belly fat won’t jiggle with you, isn’t the whole point of working out is to burn off those jiggly fats so that one day, you won’t even feel the need to hide anything anymore?

If you wear this shapewear suit to look good in the gym, maybe you should reconsider what your true motivation is in going to the fitness center because most likely, it is not to lose weight or to feel better about your health. The whole point of exercising is so you could be comfortable in your own skin, so if you are wearing something very uncomfortable, where would you find the motivation to drive your fitness limitation to the next level? And if you don’t mean to take your fitness level to the next notch, then your workout is doomed to fail and no amount of Spanx-motivation is going to support your weight loss goal.

This “active wear” is rather superficial. If your intention is truly to lose weight so you could have the healthy life you’ve always wanted, there won’t be any need to buy a ridiculously expensive pair of “workout pants” just to propel you to keep moving with your goal. If your desire is strong, then that’s all you need.

Maybe it’s time to accept the fact that what you really need is some Power Thoughts instead.

If you have been trying to lose weight, then you probably know by now that soda is the number one drink to avoid. Yes, it relieves you of stress but next time, it is not just stress you’re going to need relieving from anymore but loads of health issues too.

Before you get to know the disadvantages of a soda can give you, here are some benefits you can get.

Advantages

Boost of Energy and Mood

Due to its sweetness, soda is a great way of re-energizing your body if you are feeling a little sleepy and slow. It also has caffeine, which makes it all the more addictive.

Diet Suppressant

Soda is a carbonated beverage that has the tendency to make you feel full faster,  which can potentially decrease your food consumption. However, this may not always be the case as some people tend to eat twice as more than their normal consumption when their soda can isn’t empty yet, so to curb the appetite, it’s advisable to have the drink before any large meals.

Disadvantages

Zero Value

A soda is BIG in calories, 140 calories to be exact, but offer absolutely no nutrients whatsover. It is no-brainer why choosing food with 140 calories is better than a can of soda that would leave you hungry quickly. On top of this, it dehydrates you because of the sugar and caffeine content.

Sugar Danger

Since soda is all about refined sugar, drinking a can of soda a day doubles your chances of becoming obese. And since it promotes weight gain, you are also welcoming type 2 diabetes into your life. In case you don’t know, diabetes causes blindness, heart attack, leg and gum infections, diabetic retinopathy among others.

Gas

Because of the phosphoric acid content, it would sooner or later affect the digestive functions of your stomach, which would then lead to gas, bloating, gastrointestinal problems, and indigestion.

Dental Problem

One of the least heard problems associated with drinking soda is the cavities that it provides. The acid in soda dissolves the enamel, which weakens your teeth and causes the cavities and tooth aches.

How to Stop!

If you average about 10 cans per week of soda, quitting cold turkey is not going to work for you. Instead, require yourself to drink 1 can of soda a day at a specific time. When you “require” yourself to take that drink at a specific time, you would eventually become sick of it that you won’t even realize that you’ve already kicked the habit out. It seems that when you are “required” to do something, you have the tendency to “repel” against doing it. No? Well, take a look at your failed attempts to lose weight. Did you “require” yourself to eat 1000 calories a day at some point? Did you “require” yourself to exercise every Sunday morning only to give up after 2 weeks? Did yo “require” yourself to eat veggies and fruits instead of pizza and soda many times?

Your brain thinks it’s “hard work” so perhaps, using the same strategy, drinking soda would become a chore for you that you’d stop completely.

Try it! What have you got to lose? Your weight?

King Henry VIII, was not only known for his big role on the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church and for having 6 wives, but he was also known to have suffered from a traumatic brain injury, which had led to his mood swings, temperament, over-eating, and obesity. The king’s unhealthy eating in the later part of his reign had caused his rapid health decline and ultimately, his death. He was also believed to have suffered from gout and had to be moved out of his death bed using a mechanical invention because of his condition.

Gout, in the ancient times, was associated with overindulgence in food and drinks, for which King Henry VIII had been known for. Back then, only the royalty could have afforded the indulgence.

That is quite some history!

But Gout can not only happen to them alone especially when there are many people who are over-indulging themselves with unhealthy convenience meals these days.

More than such association, gout is a chronic, metabolic disorder that causes severe, burning pain and swelling. Gout happens when there is an abnormal amount of metabolism in the uric acid, which results to an abnormality in the blood and tissue.

Causes, Symptoms and Signs of Gout

Some people can generate too much or too little of uric acid depending on how the body metabolizes the food eaten. People who generate too much uric acid are called “over-producers” while those who cannot effectively eliminate uric acid in the urine are called “under-excreters.”

Who are at risk and What causes Gout:

-          Hereditary: people whose parents have gout, are 20% more likely to have it

-          Excessive intake of alcoholic beverages, especially beer, also increases the risk of gout

-          A diet rich in red meats, internal organs, yeasts, and oily fish are known to cause gout

-          Sudden change in uric acid levels such as trauma, starvation and dehydration, chemotherapy

-          People with diabetes and heart conditions and are already on medication for said illnesses may also suffer from gout

Symptoms and Signs:

-          Sudden onset of a hot, red swollen joint, usually appearing at the base of the big toe

-          1^st attack of gout may go away after a week or two but will come back with pain either on the same joint or on multiple joints

-          Kidney stones are also common and more frequent to people suffering from gout

-          Uric acid crystals can form from outside joints such as the earlobe, elbow and the back of the ankle

How to treat Gout?

While gout is said to be incurable as with most diseases associated with arthritis, people who are suffering from it can find ways to cope properly or make it less troublesome if the underlying causes of gout would be avoided

-          Increase fluid intake: This can help manage chronic gout, reduce joint pains, and avoid the risk of dehydration, which triggers gout attacks.

-          Eat food with fewer purines:  Purines are naturally found in many foods, but the uric acid buildup may be caused by the breakdown of purines, too. Avoid foods high in purines such as organ meats, sardines, and anchovies.

-          Eat plenty of fruits: Fruits provide complex carbohydrates and nutrients that are generally healthy and contain fewer purines. Fruits rich in Vitamin C such as tangerines and oranges, may help prevent gout attacks.

-          Choose the right kind of carbohydrates: Complex carbs with high fibers such as oats, sweet potatoes, beans, and vegetables are the right kinds of carbs should be in one’s diet.

-          Limit alcohol intake: This is a general rule for a generally healthy body and not solely for gout. Beer, which contains yeast, is the worst alcoholic drink that exposes a person to develop gout.

-          Eat less meat: Eat vegetables instead and limit the amount of chicken, pork, or lean beef consumed. Restrict it to 1 serving a day.

-          Eat healthy and exercise regularly: Obesity increases a person’s risk of gout. Gout is just one of the diseases one can acquire by being overweight so start eating healthy (avoid the dreaded D word) and exercise regularly.

Whether or not one has a royal blood is besides the point, because nobody chooses to be overweight and suffer from gout.

So stop making excuses and choose good health by and exercise regularly and eating the right food at the right time.

Smoking is something that you can easily enter, but difficult to get out of. If you have been trying to quit smoking many times, but has just made your life hell without it, then maybe going “green” is something you could entertain.

Curious? It’s called herbal cigarettes.

What’s in Herbal Cigarettes?

Herbal cigarettes unlike conventional cigarettes, contain a variety of ingredients like red clover, jasmine, vanilla, marshmallow leaves, honey, apple, juice, and even cinnamon. Each stick does not have any form of nicotine at all.

Why Better?

What makes this better, apart from not containing any nicotine, is the ingredient red clover, which has isoflavones. Isoflavone is well-known to have Vitamin E and antioxidant properties, reducing your risk of cancer and heart diseases since it is said to stabilize and improve cholesterol level.

Apart from the red clover, anti-cancer agent, these types of cigarettes are made from herbs that are known to be completely safe. These tobacco-lookalikes are also free from nicotine and tobacco, in case you haven’t realized that, which is to say that when these herbs burned, no harmful chemicals will come to your body and out of the air. This is definitely one alternative as it offers the same stimulating effect that you crave in ordinary cigarettes, minus the nicotine.

Some of its popular brands Herbalette, Herbal Gold, Honeysuckle, Han Cao, Jambi and Honeyrose are available in the market with price ranging from $2.50 to $3.50 a pack depending on the brand.

Verdict

While you can see that there are many smokers who are quick to shun this cigarette, mainly because it’s really the nicotine that sparked their addiction in the first place or complain that it makes their throat itch, if you only realize the gravity of what your smoking addiction is doing to your health (and to those of your loved ones who take in their second hand smoke), then gradually shifting to herbal cigarette would be a no-brainer decision for you – even if it tastes weird. Of course if you can drop it altogether then that would be the optimal scenario, but since you are having problems stopping, this is really your next best thing.

But whether or not you are smoking the herbal cigarette or the traditional cigarette, do be mindful as to not let others inhale your puffed-out smoke regardless of its effect, out of respect.

More than the sweet, juicy and delicious flavor of Lychee, it is also one of the  super foods that should be incorporated in your diet. Lychee is mainly cultivated from the provinces in Southern China, in South East Asian countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Taiwan, and also in the United States.A Lychee fruit matures in 80 to 112 days and can be available in market between the months of July to October.

The Lychee contains different types of vitamins and minerals, and apart from taking it as a whole, itcan also be consumed in forms of juices or drinks, jellies or jams, and sorbets or syrups.  It can be stored at room temperature for five days and up to five weeks in the fridge.

Health Benefits of Lychee

-          Lychees are rich in dietary fibers, which are very important for digestion and metabolism, and are a big must for weight-conscious people. They are also low in calories and do not contain saturated fats or cholesterol.

-          Like other citrus fruits, lychees are rich in Vitamin C, which helps your body in develop body resistance against infection. Lychees also contain many natural antioxidants, which help fight against free radicals and various cancer diseases.

-          Lychees are also abundant in Vitamin B-complex such as Thiamin, Niacin, and Folates. These are essential in helping the body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

-          Lychees also contain minerals like Potassium that controls heart rate and blood pressure, and Copper, which produces red blood cells.

-          Lychees can also treat coughs, colds, fevers, and sore throat.

Research studies showed that the pulp of the Lychee fruit contains flavonoids, which are said to be proven effective in treating breast cancer. Another research showed that the fruit is rich in Oligonol that has several anti-oxidants and anti-influenza virus elements. It also helps in improving the body’s blood flow, reducing weight, and protecting the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Lychee fruits are not hard to find, prepare, and eat. One personal trick I do with this juicy fruit is that I pop it in the freezer first, and eat it when it’s all frozen up. This avoids the juicy mess while sending chills to my bone.

Do you like lychee?

I was a soda addict.  Diet soda in particular was my poison of choice. It was not because I was trying to lose weight that I chose diet soda. It was really because diabetes runs in my genes and I am trying to avoid that.

I don’t have any vice – no smoking or drinking – but oddly enough, diet soda became my vice and I justified that fact that it wasn’t addiction per se, so I kept drinking it. I don’t really recall when it started, but I do remember my every lunch and dinner meal being accompanied by a cold can of diet soda.

I would particularly drink diet soda for these reasons, maybe you find yourself drinking soda for these reasons as well.

1. Whenever I was feeling stressed. Diet soda was my instant pick-me-up
2. I didn’t like my lunch or dinner meal, and diet soda made it more  appetizing, which for some reason would result to make me eating more
3. Whenever I was feeling jovial and would tell myself that I earned it
4. I was addicted to the bubbly fizz and the first gulp was always the most potent one

Frankly I don’t know if drinking diet soda made me gain some weight, but I think that drinking regular soda would considering all the sugar content it has in 1 can. Yet despite that, it would always leave me feeling bloated after every can and it was the feeling I didn’t concern myself with initially, but being exposed to numerous health-related materials, it probably affected my subconscious mind, because now I don’t want to be 100% full all the time… and well, adding diet soda to my meal always goes beyond 100% of my limit.

I didn’t consciously have to tell myself to stay away from diet soda and say something like “must stay away or must say no to diet soda.” It just sort of happened. Or maybe I got desensitized to the taste of it after downing on a bunch of it that even the first gulp of the bubbly fizz is not as enticing as it was before.

Having experienced that, I know that telling you the negative effects of soda and diet soda to your health would do you no good. In fact, you might even already be numbed to that kind of information. You know that already. I am also not going to advise you to get your caffeine or fizz from something else, because it will just go out from your ears.

I will ask you though to compare and feel what it is like to be 100% full and 80% full after every meal, and how the soda or diet soda affects that meal, because being aware of that is how I got rid of my diet soda addiction.

Maybe it would help get rid of yours too. What do you think?

The people of Okinawa, Japan are found to have the largest life expectancy in the world. This is attributed to their genetic inheritance, lifestyle, environmental factors, and most importantly, their healthy diet and attitude towards food. The Okinawans live by the concept of “Hara hachi bu,” which translates to- “Eat until you’re 80% full.”

Now, how exactly is that? How exactly do we know that we are already 80% full in your stomach? Is there a bell that alerts us and say, STOP!?

People eat not only with their mouth or their taste buds but with their brains, too. Our brain sends signals to tell us that we need to consume food. But there are also signals that stimulate our desire to eat continuously that could unfortunately, lead to over eating. When desire takes over the need, the problem of over eating steps in and over eating is the most likely reason of being overweight.

The brain takes 20 minutes to process and recognize that the stomach is already full. So if we spend the whole 20-minutes eating, it will definitely go beyond the 100% mark. If we apply the “Hara hachi bu” concept, then what we should do is stop eating before that 20-minute window is up. Though it may feel like we haven’t eaten, after 20 minutes, we will notice and feel that our stomach is actually already full.

How to make the “Hara hachi bu” even more effective?

Apart from the Okinawans following this concept, their overall eating habits and lifestyle contribute much to their healthier bodies and longer life expectancies.

-          Choose the right kind of food. - The Japanese in general, eat food rich in protein such as fish and soy. These foods are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and isoflavones that are low in calories and fat. Fruits and vegetables also play an important role in their daily meal consumption. The daily recommended servings of food in a human body is met with these colorful variation of the fruits and veggies.

-          Cook your food right. - Steam, stir-fry, pan-grill, and simmer are the usual techniques Japanese do to cook their dishes instead of deep frying the food using unhealthy cooking oil like we normally do. They also usually serve broth-based soups at the start of a meal, which can help make them full sooner.

-          Be mindful of our eating – We like to multi-task whether it is eating while watching TV or eating while tending to other things, which all end in distracted eating habits, thoughtlessly stuffing more than enough food down to our stomach. We should chew our food slowly and and deliberately and take smaller portions of food instead.

-          EXERCISE! – Japanese love casual exercise – in fact walking and biking are part of the Japanese lifestyle. They are exercising without even putting much thought to it. Let’s face it, we don’t exercise, or maybe we do like once in a blue moon. So we should try to move as often as possible and incorporate exercise even as little as 20 minutes a day.

Hara hachi bu! Isn’t that quite a fun and healthy mantra you can say to yourself just before you start your meal?

Perhaps it’s due to the fact that more people are becoming wired-up from the demands in the office, and stressed from the obligations of being good parents that holistic health retreats industry is booming. Or this could also be due to marketing and advertisement that got people into thinking “hey, I need some ‘me’ time.”

Whatever is the reason for wanting to go to these health retreats, you probably want to know what this program is, what it can do for you, where it’s located, how much it costs, and if it’s worth it.

First, health retreats are all about promoting your health and wellness. So if you have been taking your health for granted for so long, going to such holistic retreat to “re-activate” your health back to greatness sounds like a great deal.

It aims to do the following for you:

-          Pampers you with daily massages depending on how many days you’ve signed up for

-          Cleanses and detoxifies your body and skin with healthy juice drink, bath scrubs as well as skin scrubbing

-          Teaches you meditation

-          Administers Yoga and Pilates classes and other fitness programs from certified fitness trainers

-          Provides health or skin consultation around 45 minutes to 1 hour

-          Offers organic or Spa cuisine during your stay

-          Brings in health and fitness workshops

Now of course, different health retreats offer different programs and you may not get all of them, but pretty much those listed above are the basic deals inclusive in the top wellness resorts in California, Florida, Hawaii, Bahamas, Australia, and Thailand.

No matter where these wellness resorts are located, they all aim to help you with your weight management, health problems like hypertension, depression, and spiritual healing like relaxation and mental clarity by instilling positive transformation to you during your stay.

Is it worth it?

Everybody needs a “me” time. Going to a holistic health retreat that ranges from $2000 – $4000 for a few days is not a necessity but a luxury. You have to understand that you could easily get your “me” time in just about anywhere else like in a beach front hotel or even in your room locked-in for a couple of hours. While unquestionably that it is great to be pampered, you need to know that if what you aim to get from these health retreats is to lose weight and be healthy, then no amount of stay in luxurious retreats is going to make the work for you – no matter how expensive it is.

Healthy living has to come from within. It does not even have to cost much.

And it definitely can be re-activated anytime, anywhere.

Even in the heels of my pregnancy, I knew that the first thing that I had to find was a really good and reliable baby monitor available in the market. And when I did my own research, the number of best baby monitors in the market was really overwhelming!

With so many baby monitors claiming to be the best, how do you know if a baby monitor is BEST for you?

The typical baby monitors that I found usually just monitor your baby’s sound – if she’s crying or not. There are also baby monitors that keep track of your baby’s movement while he stays in his crib too. I figured that just listening if my future baby will cry or not will be fine with me.

However, I did more research I found out about the increasing incidence of SIDS or Sudden Death Infant Syndrome worldwide. Which admittedly made me more worried that I really should get a good baby monitor for our family.

I decided on finding one that may be a bit expensive, but worth our sanity 24/7!

A month before I was scheduled to give birth, I found the AngerCare 3-in-1 Baby Monitor. It has video and sound monitor plus a movement monitor in just a single system! You won’t just be notified by sound. But, you will be able to “look” into your baby, even if you are toiling away in the kitchen for lunch.

Absolutely the best baby monitor! Awesome features of the AC 1100 AngelCare 3-in-1 Baby Monitor:

NIGHT VISION. The AngelCare monitor’s camera will also let you see your baby sleeping soundly with the night vision camera. I was already ecstatic with the normal day camera included in it, but the night vision feature was a literally a godsend!

IT’S LIKE A WALKIE-TALKIE. When you hear and see that your baby is crying, you can soothe him or her with your voice while you’re on your way to her crib. So when I walk up to my baby boy’s room (he’s now 3 months), he has already settled down a bit because he gets to hear my voice even if I’m not there yet.

SENSOR PADS FOR UNDER THE MATTRESS. Another great feature for this monitor is the sensor pad that comes along with it. You will need to get a small but hard high fiber board (masonite) to place the sensor pad in, before you place it under the crib mattress. This sensor pad can send an alarm if there is no movement for at least 20 seconds from your baby. You can adjust the sensitivity settings for your sensor pad at your discretion.

What is Included in the box when you buy the AC1100 AngelCare Baby Monitor?

• Rechargeable Parent’s Unit with its charger
• 3 Rechargeable batteries to use for the Parent’s unit
• The Nursery Unit
• One Sensor pad
• 2 AC adapters for the Nursery unit and the Parent’s Unit charger

You need to get a highfiber masonite board to cover and place between the whole base of the crib and the mattress. Or just  get a cut out of a masonite board with with minimum dimensions of 28cm (11”) X 28cm (11”) X 6mm (1/4”) to place your sensor pad in.

You also need to but 3 additional 3 AAA batteries to be placed inside the Nursery unit in case of power failures or disruption.

AngelCare Monitor: The Best Way to Watch your Baby ANYTIME.