Lose Weight and Inches in Simple Steps

blue tape measuring on clear glass square weighing scale

January 16, 2022January 31, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

While it is not easy to lose weight, there are several simple steps to make it less complicated. The trick is sticking to your plan. Once you see results it gets easier to keep going.

Control Fat Storage to Lose Weight

Fat storage is directly linked to two hormones; insulin and cortisol. Insulin is controlled by the food you eat, and cortisol is controlled by the amount of stress in your life. Increases in either or both of these hormones cause your body to store fat. Unfortunately, poor food choices and stress often occur together, and like the chicken and the egg story, which one comes first is debatable….

Eating the wrong carbohydrates (sugar, bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, processed snacks, etc) causes increases in insulin in your body. Eating good carbohydrates (quinoa, fruit, vegetables, bread with sprouted grains) controls your blood sugar and insulin levels. Learn about high and low-glycemic index foods.

To help keep your insulin level in check and keep your body in a fat-burning zone, follow these simple steps:

Read Food Labels

Avoid processed and packaged foods like cereals, muffins, chips, crackers, genetically modified corn, soy and wheat, hydrogenated oils, canola oil, corn syrup, margarine, sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

These products not only increase your blood sugar and insulin levels, but they are also treated as foreign toxins in your body, causing inflammation in many organs. Avoiding these products will not only make you lose weight, but other health issues such as eczema, asthma, arthritis, will improve too.

Stick to the Outer Aisles in Grocery Stores

The outside aisles or perimeter of the stores contain the fresh produce, meat, dairy etc, while the inner aisles typically hold the bad stuff.

Clean out your Kitchen Pantry

Get rid of any of the above high glycemic index foods

Reduce Stress to Lose Weight

To control cortisol levels, try to reduce the stresses in your life by following these steps:

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation stresses your body. If you cannot get enough at night, try to sneak in a nap during the day, since even a short 30-minute nap is beneficial for you.

Get Some, but not too Much Exercise

An exercise regime that is too strenuous will temporarily stress your body, causing a spike in your cortisol level. Your exercise regime does not have to be complicated or expensive. Go for a brisk walk every day, or at least every second day.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Negative people are stressors you do not need.

Spend More Time Doing the Things you Enjoy

Take up a new hobby or rediscover an old one.

Good Fats Burn Body Fat

Avoid margarine, canola, and hydrogenated oils. Instead choose eggs, olive oil, avocado, almonds, coconut oil, and cold-water fish.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is your enemy! Drink lots of water. Carry a water bottle around with you while running errands, chauffeuring your kids, and especially while exercising. Add a splash of lemon juice to your water to liven up the taste.

Don’t forget though:

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Stress and Laughter and the Immune System

How Stress and Laughter Affect the Immune System

November 8, 2021September 5, 2022 ~ Loreeebee ~ 7 Comments

One minute of anger, stress, or anxiety weakens the immune system for four to five hours, while one minute of laughter boosts the immune system for over twenty-four hours. I’ve read these profound statements in several different places recently. I believe scientists are on to something. When chatting with a friend recently, I was reminded that anger causes stress. That conversation provided inspiration for this post. Read on to see how stress and laughter affect the immune system.

How the Immune System Works

Better Health Channel explains the immune system as follows:

The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins that defends the body against infection.
The immune system keeps a record of every germ (microbe) it has ever defeated so it can recognize and destroy the microbe quickly if it enters the body again.
Abnormalities of the immune system can lead to allergic diseases, immunodeficiencies, and autoimmune disorders.

For those reasons, it is important to keep our immune systems at peak performance.

Why Anger and Stress Are Unhealthy

Think about it for a minute. When something or someone angers you, your blood pressure rises, your heart races, and you get a sick feeling in your stomach. I know I do. But did you realize that the sick feeling you get can manifest into something more sinister if it persists?

The sick feeling resulting from anger or stress spreads throughout the body, wreaking havoc on all organs. It has been scientifically proven that stress has been linked to many health conditions and disease states.

Why Laughter is Healthy

Conversely, after a good laugh, you feel great and stress or tension is relieved. This improves your mood, your outlook, and even your physical appearance! Check out a previous article listing the specific scientific benefits of laughter.

Laughter is contagious as well. Difficult or awkward conversations or situations can be diffused with some levity.

Have you ever noticed that some people giggle or laugh awkwardly when stressed? It may appear that their laughter is insensitive or inappropriate, but alternatively, most likely their way of trying to diffuse the stress or awkwardness. I am one of those non-confrontational people that prefer to diffuse rather than fuel a volatile reaction.

Replacing Anger and Stress in Your Life

If you find yourself in any situation that evokes prolonged and unresolvable anger, angst, tension, stress, or sadness, move on and let it go before you cause any permanent damage to your health

Personal relationships are trickier to remove yourself from, especially the long-term ones. The process is much easier said than done, with lots of complications. Professional counseling, however, will most likely encourage extrication from these relationships and offer detailed steps on how to do so.

The Covid pandemic has resulted in a major increase in mental health issues. Fortunately, awareness of these issues and support for those affected have increased as well. Many governments are now willing to spend money on mental health programs, including online options.

Conclusions

Stress and laughter both affect the immune system. Stress impairs it while laughter improves it. In other words, aim for more laughter and less stress in your life for maximum health beneffits.

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Patience is a Virtue

July 10, 2021February 2, 2022 ~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

Patience is a virtue they say, unfortunately one that I (sometimes) have a limited and selective supply of.

Thankfully with my grandchildren I seem to have an unlimited abundance of patience, perhaps because I now realize, thanks to the wisdom acquired over my years, that it’s the little things that matter in life.

And time, I have much more time to spend on the small things, including the special small people in my life.

I also lead a much less stressful life than I did when my three sons were young. Back then I had two full time jobs, one outside the home and one within. It has been proven that patience is inversely related to stress. Who hasn’t noticed that when they are stressed, the smallest of annoyances makes them impatient and when you become impatient, you feel agitated and stressed?

Of course there are still many things that test the level of my patience. Things like:

long lineups, anywhere
bad drivers
unnecessary traffic lights
commercials/advertisements when watching or reading shows/stories etc
people that consider themselves “experts” on social media that offer bad advice and inaccurate/wrong information

Thankfully, the things that make me impatient are not encountered as frequent these days.

What level is your patience at? Do/did you find it better or worse during Covid restrictions? What do you do to relieve the stress that impatience brings on or the impatience that stress brings on?