Herbal Remedies for PMS

June 23rd, 2009
61 comments

I woke up this morning with swollen and I knew it was time to review my herbal remedies for PMS. My typical symptoms include bloating, breast tenderness, and general sensitivity of the emotions. Instead of taking medicines or going to the doctor’s to get hormone therapy to go on birth control, I’d much rather use my favorite herbs.

For Water Retention

This is the first symptom that appears. It starts about a week before menstruation and continues until a few days after menstruation is finished. There are a few things that I do to deal with it.

  • PMS Tea Blend - Traditional Medicinals has a blend that is designed to combat water retention. I usually have a cup or two a day at the first sign of symptoms.
  • Dandelion tincture - I take a dropperful of dandelion tincture once or twice a day as needed for water retention. This is my favorite herbal  diuretic.
  • Nettle infusion. Stinging nettle is my all time favorite healing herb. And, it’s also great for water retention! Make a pot of infusion (1/2 cup dried herb added to 1 quart hot water and steeped for 4-8 hours) and drink as much as you want. I love it iced!

Breast Tenderness

I won’t be detailed, but I definitely need to get this particular symptom under control. If you’re afflicted with it, you know what I mean! Here are some tips.

  • Magnesium rich foods. Often, this symptom comes about because of a magnesium deficiency. So, work on including magnesium rich foods. These include beans, nuts, and vegetables. I’ve been analyzing my diet and I don’t appear to eat enough fresh vegetables. I bet that will help.
  • Red clover infusion. This is prepared the same way as nettle infusion. Use the dried red clover flowers. Drink as much as you feel you need. Just listen - you’re body will tell you when you’ve had enough.

General Sensitive

I don’t have severe mood swings or anything, but I’m definitely more sensitive. My eyes welled up with tears today when I was listening to the news. I remember watching the Olympics when I had PMS and crying each time someone won a medal. Yup, it’s gotta be the hormones! To calm the nerves, I use some of the following gentle herbal remedies.

  • Chamomile tea. This is my all time favorite calming remedy. I only use it as needed. If I feel particularly sensitive, I’ll enjoy a cup of it!
  • Oatstraw infusion. This is another herb that can be prepared the same way as the nettle. As an FYI I like to use a quart mason jar for all my infusions. Drink as much as you want. This tastes particularly good sweetened with honey.

And that’s it - that’s my RX plan and herbal remedies for PMS. As a side note, it’s best to buy the infusion herbs in bulk. Whenever I need to do that, I use Mountain Rose Herbs because of the quality. They’ve never failed me! All the herbs are well cared for and still look vibrant when I get them. Click the banner below to be directed to their website.

Bulk organic herbs, spices and essential oils. Sin

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Eat Healthy By Preparing in Advance

June 21st, 2009
13 comments

We all know that fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protiens are super healthy for us. The problem is, eating them is not as easy as say opening a bag of chips and noshing on the spot. In other words, I’ve learned the hard way that in order to eat a healthy diet, it takes advanced planning. If you want food NOW then the last thing you want to do is peel a carrot, prepare a chicken breast, and boil up some brown rice.

Instead, prepare these foods in advance. That way, when hunger strikes, you have ready made options already in your fridge.  Here are some ideas.

  • Keep baby carrots in the fridge, or peel and cut carrots in advance.
  • Cut and clean other veggies such as broccoli florets, peppers, and celery. You can snack on these separately or turn them into quick meals such as stir fries.
  • Cook up a batch of brown rice at the beginning of the week and heat it up during meals.
  • Buy your veggies prewashed and precut.
  • Cook a big pot of soup or vegetarian chili at the beginning of the week. Pair it with a slice of whole grain bread and this is a meal!
  • Purchase ready made healthy snacks to eat when a craving strikes.
  • Keep nuts and dried fruit on hand. Make a big batch of snack mix at the beginning of the week for when you need a quick snack.

All you need to do is spend 2 hours on the weekend and you’ve set yourself up to make great food choices. Two hours of prep is nothing compared to the alternative. Think about how long it takes to actually lose weight. Being prepared can help prevent you from gaining weight in the first place. It can also help you lose weight if that’s your goal.

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The Truth About Abs - I Just Purchased It

June 21st, 2009
6 comments

I’ve been seeing The Truth About Abs all over the place lately and finally decided to buy it. I’m relatively fit BUT I have excess body fat and would LOVE to have a great set of abs. To me, that’s the ultimate display of how fit I am. As of right now, it seems like I have some work to do.

That’s exactly why I bought The Truth About Abs. I thought that it would offer me a simple plan that will get me to my goals. Well, I’ve looked it over and am impressed so far with what I see. Unlike some other plans I’ve found, this one doesn’t make bold claims. It doesn’t say that it will be easy. No - you need to work at it. Simply reading the eBook is not enough. You need to take action.

Since I’ve only skimmed it and have yet to apply the program to my routine, I won’t review it yet. But, look forward to the review in the future. Meanwhile, make sure you grab your free copy of Get Lean & Ripped. But while you wait, know that I have high hopes and I do expect results.

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Can I Lose Weight Hula Hooping?

June 20th, 2009
7 comments

So, can I lose weight from hula hooping? If you are bored to tears from exercising in the gym, you may be getting frustrated. It’s hard to be consistent and reach your fitness goals if you don’t like what you’re doing.

Well, the good news is that exercising doesn’t have to be boring. You absolutely CAN lose weight from hula hooping, especially if you enjoy it and can keep it up for about thirty minutes.

And hula hooping for weight loss has some serious benefits. It can help you get a great set of abs. When twirling the hula hoop, you activate your core. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s also great exercise. What more could you want?

This isn’t the only fun activity that can help you lose weight. Try these activities to help get you moving and eliminate boredom.

* Play with your kids or dog.
* Start a kickball game.
* Belly dance, dance to the radio, etc.
* Go hiking.
* Take a walk around your neighborhood.
* Play beach volleyball.

What do you like to do? Don’t try to force yourself to do things that you don’t like. You’ll never stick to the routine. Instead, make a list of activities you do enjoy. Commit to doing something five days a week or so and you will be on your way to getting in great shape.

Just make sure your routine is fairly well rounded. Make sure you get your heart rate up and that you incorporate some strength work. Even if you don’t enjoy it, you can at least learn to tolerate it. Building muscle helps burn fat.

You don’t need to get hardcore about the strength. Just spend 20 minutes three times a week doing something at home. You can buy a video, use weights or bands, do sit ups and push-ups, etc. Just do it and you’ll look great.

So, can I lose weight hula hooping? You can get great abs, too. Absolutely! You can lose weight AND have fun. If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll stick with it.

Exercise, Fitness, Health, Thoughts

3 Important Tips to Build Muscle Faster - Get Lean and Ripped

June 20th, 2009
59 comments

Let’s face it… building muscle is not the easiest thing to accomplish even despite regular hard workout schedules and trying every type of workout and supplement.

I struggled for years to gain any significant muscle mass, but over the years in my personal training business and with my own experimentation have found some important things that have helped make significant muscle gains possible even for hardgainers.

So, I’m going to give 3 important tips here so you can start building lean muscle mass faster and easier.

1. Make sure that 95% of the exercises you perform regularly in the gym are big multi-joint compound exercises.  It doesn’t matter if your goal is fat loss or building muscle… big multi-joint exercises should comprise 95% of the exercises you do in your workouts if you want to get lean, ripped, and powerful.

It’s easiest to think of it in terms of the major movement patterns such as these (focus 95% of your workouts on these):

  • upper body horizontal press (bench press, pushups, dips),
  • upper body horizontal rows (1-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, bent over barbell rows),
  • upper body vertical pull (lat pulldowns, pullups, chinups),
  • upper body vertical press (overhead dumbbell and barbell presses, barbell or kettlebell clean & presses)
  • lower body squatting movements (front squats, back squats, overhead squats, bodyweight squats, etc)
  • lower body deadlifting movements (regular deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts)
  • lower body single leg movements (lunges, step-ups, jump lunges, etc)
  • abdominal and core exercises (these are important, but still are 2nd priority after all of the major upper body and lower body multi-joint movements… your abs and core will be worked from most major multi-joint exercises anyway)

The other 5% of your exercises can focus on single joint exercises (isolation exercises) such as bicep curls, tricep presses, calf presses, shoulder shrugs, shoulder lateral raises, pec flyes, etc, etc.  However, these exercises are only accessory exercises to do after the main focus has been the multi-joint drills.

2.  Train hard and intensely 3-4 days/week for 45-60 minutes per weight training workout.  Keep your workouts to no longer than 60 minutes as training too much beyond this point can trigger excess catabolism.  You want to stay anabolic, but you still need to train your body hard and intensely enough to trigger muscle growth.

Try a super-set style of workout program to maximize the intensity that you can train.  My favorite combinations are opposing upper and lower body movement patterns that don’t interfere with each other, such as squats coupled with pullups as a superset, or bench press coupled with deadlifts as a superset.

Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of these types of upper/lower body supersets done with heavy weights and a high intensity.  The first time in my life that I experienced significant muscle mass gains were when I started doing these types of workout combos regularly (although still mixing up my training variables).

These are mainstays of almost any effective workout program — caloric intake can simply be adjusted whether your goal is fat burning or gaining muscle mass.

3.  Eat clean with quality whole foods… REAL foods instead of highly processed over-hyped supplement powders and bars.

The quality of protein (and additional nutrition from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are best assimilated by the body from real whole food such as eggs, meats, dairy (preferably raw), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. instead of from processed protein powders, chemical-laden bars, and meal replacements.

Forget about the hyped up workouts in the muscle mags that only work for pro bodybuilders or people on steroids. Forget about the over-hyped supplement “stacks” that pay the bills for almost every muscle mag… Instead, make these tips in this article part of your lifestyle, and you’ll see muscle gains and a leaner, ripped body like you’ve never seen before!

If you want to get a lean chiseled body, check out these tips to Get Ripped Abs the right way.

Enjoy, and good luck!

Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

Exercise, Fitness, Health, Nutrition , , , ,

Training and Nutrition Secrets for a Lean Body - Free eBook Download

June 19th, 2009
10 comments

I found a free ebook download for all of you to enjoy. It’s called Training & Nutrition Insider Sercrets for a Lean Body by Mike Geary (it has a value of $17.95). Mike Geary is a certified fitness trainer and certified nutrition specialist and has helped thousands with his “Truth About Abs” eBook. I’ve purchased the Truth About Abs and am testing it out on my own physique. I found this free ebook for you to enjoy.

Right click on this link and select “Save Link As” if you’re on firefox or “Save Target As” if you’re using Internet Explorer.

Download here - Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets.

This ebook talks about over 27 ways you can boost your metabolism and get rid of stubborn body fat even easier. This could be just what you need to get on track so you could achieve your diet and fitness goals. Most people agree that unless you eat healthy, all that time you spend in the gym will be wasted.

So why am I giving this away? Because I think that Geary really knows what he’s talking about. I’ve read A LOT of fitness books and I know how to spot garbage. This isn’t junk - just the opposite. Follow his advice and you’ll be on your way to reaching your goals. This won’t just help you lose weight - it will get you on the right track for living a healthy lifestyle and eating the right foods for your body.

Here’s the download link again. Click here. I hope you find it helpful!

Fitness, Free Stuff, Health, Nutrition , , , , , ,

Keep a Fitness Journal for Better Results

June 18th, 2009
381 comments

If you’re serious about getting in shape, logging your workouts in a fitness journal will really help you stay on track. And the good news is, it doesn’t need to be compliated. Sure, you can buy the fancy ones. But a simple notebook will work as well.

For me, I use a simple notebook. In it, I keep track of my workouts, what I eat (when I think of it) and leave notes. I do take a more complicated fitness journal with me to the gym when I do my weight routines. I need something that will help me keep track of vital information.

So, if you want to start a fitness diary, here are some tips:

  • Don’t Stress. This is designed to be a tool to help you achieve your goals. Don’t stress about it! Write down as little or as much as you want. Simply showing up to write in your journal keeps you focused and on track.
  • Weight routines. If you do hit the weight room or do weight routines at home, keep track of which exercises you did, how many sets and reps of each, and how much weight you lifted.
  • Meals. I personally think that logging meals is optional, unless you can do it without worrying too much about what you put in your mouth. Yes, it is important to eat the right foods. It’s the diet mentality and the constant worry that I don’t agree with. I don’t write down what I eat, but if you feel that it helps, by all means include it in your journal.

Once you have your fitness journal all set up, be sure to use it!  If you’re avoiding the journal, that could be a sign that it isn’t the right approach. Try something different until you find what works. For example, you can keep the journal on your computer instead of in a notebook.

This is the fitness journal that I use when I do my weight training:

BodyMinder Workout and Exercise Journal (A Fitness Diary)

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Welcome to Online Health and Fitness

June 17th, 2009
6 comments

Welcome to online health and fitness. This blog is devoted to helping you build your health. It’s not a diet blog, though by taking the suggestions on these pages you may lose weight. No. This is about achieving an optimum state of health. We’ll do this with:

  • Eating a healthy diet
  • Exercising
  • Taking herbs to promote health

My name is Katherine and I’ll help you on your journey. So why should you listen to me? I’m an herbalist. I have a Diploma in Herbal Studies from the Australasion College of Health Sciences. My goal is to educate you on the best way to keep your body healthy and strong.

Before we get started I have to say - I am not a pill popper. I prefer teas and tinctures over capsules when it comes to taking supplements. I believe that good health starts with some basic strategies. If you’re sick, herbs can help you for sure but I prefer to think of this as a journey where the main goal is to achieve health through nourishment and feeding your body the right things.

Also, I don’t diagnose. This site is here to educate and help you. I will present information that will help you. In the end, it’s up to you to take responsibility for your health. If I tell you that a certain herb is good for a certain ailment, I encourage you to do your own research AND to consult with your doctor before you do anything. Definitely keep your doctor in the loop.

That’s it. Let’s get started!

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