Back to my old ways...

I have made a couple new decisions for myself.  I was recently nominated for the top 30 Vancouver mom blogs by Vancouvermom.com (for my blog www.mumfection.com, which you should check out if you haven't) and I am looking forward to alot more influence in the blogging world.  Which could lead to even more amazing opportunities, which also means I want to get my act back together here.  So I have decided to make some INTENSE changes to help spark it.  To get the ball running and everything going for once.  I need this.

So I have decided to become a vegetarian again.  Which means there isn't much to eat in my house right now considering this fact AND I need to start reviewing my shopping list again for new items.  I am excited don't get me wrong but I know I will find it harder than I did as a teen.  Especially with hubby being a complete carnivore but as long as I have cut back I will consider it a win and only a matter of time till I have made the full transition.  It will be a bit nicer on our meat budget as well come to think of it. 

Another great change I will be making is teaming back up with our other contributor that has been as busy and stressed out as myself.  I will be doing weekly morning workouts with her hopefully.  I have yet to figure out how I will set that up but I will ensure to get that all sorted out tonight hopefully.  I don't know how my house set up and computer setup will work for the dual workout we hope to do together but I can figure something out.  I was thinking perhaps downloading the workout we pick online, then putting that on my USB for my TV letting me workout to the TV.  Then I will have to point my web cam out towards the living room and see if that will give her a chance to see what I am doing.  Then I will be praying she can hear me and vice versa without waking up the kids.  It might be a silent thing considering I will be trying to do this EARLY in the morning.

I have spoken before about how I have wanted to try morning workouts, but I sincerely doubt my abilities to follow threw on that.  I go to bed late waiting for hubby or working that I can't ever get out of bed in the morning.  I am constantly dragging myself.  But with my diet change I have made, a little hope, Emergen-C, and a prayer and I should be able to do it once in a while to really help rev up my metabolism.  After all I need to look good for my pro head-shot they'll be doing for all the top 30 Mom Bloggers!  I have to be looking my best.  Saying that I am going to get up off my butt right now and I get myself a tall glass of water and plug in my knock off radio receiving Ipod in and see if I can't get my butt outside in the rain for a walk.  Hubby is playing COD and swearing up a storm driving me nuts anyways so I might as well get out in the fresh muggy rainy air right?? 


So here is hoping that I make theses changes, that I follow through.  That I keep on trucking, after all I just want to feel good inside and out without any doubt.   I want to be fully HEALTHY!

~Eschelle

Can Fruits and Vegetables Help Prevent Oral Cancer?

Can Fruits and Vegetables Help Prevent Oral Cancer?

Simple changes to your daily diet could save your life

Your mom knew that eating fruits and vegetables was important, but new science shows that many fruits and vegetables actually contain compounds that fight oral cancer, which kills 7,000 Americans every year. Oral cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to eliminate by nonsurgical means—which means that oral cancer survivors are often left with serious disfigurements that can be expensive or even impossible to correct.

Many oral cancers are caused by free radicals—loose, unstable molecules that trigger destructive chain reactions that lead to mutation in healthy cells. Certain fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which bind to free radicals before they have a chance to damage cells, and can even stop chain reactions that are already in process, slowing damage and inhibiting the proliferation of mutated cells.

In particular, fruits and vegetables with dark skin or flesh are a good indicator of cancer-fighting properties; because their color is determined by phytonutrients—plant-specific antioxidant compounds that contribute to their color. Here are some examples of the foods that help, and how they work to inhibit oral cancer and prevent an expensive trip to your dentist.

1. Avocado

Avocados are rich in vitamin E and vitamin C, micronutrients with powerful antioxidant properties, as well as folate (which contributes to liver health) and dietary fiber (which can reduce the risk of digestive cancers). They are also a good source of unsaturated (healthy) fats. As a filling, healthy food, avocados can also help you avoid foods that contain empty calories and carcinogenic artificial colors and flavors.

2. Black Raspberries

The anthocyanin antioxidants contained in black raspberries are such a powerful anti-tumor agent that a gel based on freeze-dried black raspberries is now being used to prevent pre-cancerous lesions from becoming malignant; but the medicinal form isn’t nearly as tasty, so incorporating black raspberries into your diet is a great way to reduce your risk of oral cancer. Raspberries are also rich in vitamin C (50% of the recommended daily allowance per serving), which is also a powerful antioxidant and cancer-fighter.

3. Blueberries

Blueberries are also rich in anthocyanins and antioxidants, and studies in rats indicate that the compounds found in blueberries contribute to apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancerous cells—meaning they may actually kill oral cancer cells as well as reducing the risk of malignant bodies forming. While they are not as rich in vitamin C as black raspberries, they contain a surprising amount of dietary fiber (14% of recommended daily allowance) which fights cancers of the digestive system.

4. Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber, and contains small amounts of selenium—an element with powerful antioxidant properties. It also contains a compound which the body metabolizes into sulforaphane, a compound which appears to shield the body from all sorts of carcinogens, including cigarette smoke, ultraviolet radiation, and pesticides. Cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts also provide similar benefits, so eat whichever you find tastiest. A warning: make sure to eat your broccoli either steamed or raw—boiling denatures the phytonutrients that provide the health benefits, rendering them ineffective.

5. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines, are among the most abundant sources of vitamin C; and studies in American men have shown that the consumption of citrus fruit dramatically decreases the occurrence of pre-cancerous lesions of the mouth, and the development of malignant oral tumors, even among individuals who participated in high-risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and chewing tobacco. While stopping high-risk behaviors is a much more effective way to reduce cancer risk, the study demonstrates the power of fruits and vegetables on inhibiting oral cancer.

About The Author

Carolyn is a former Dental Hygienist for a cosmetic dentist turned stay-at-home-mom. Carolyn is committed to raising a family in an organic, pesticide free home, and so when she can't buy organic, you will often find Carolyn rooting in her large garden for the ingredients to make her own soaps, cleaning supplies and nutritious, organic meals and remedies.

5 Perfect Yoga Poses For Mom

5 Perfect Yoga Poses For Mom

By Danielle Mika Nagel

1. Easy Seated Pose with “Success Breath”

Multitasking can easily become overwhelming. Try this simple posture for a few minutes to ground your thoughts and slow your heart rate down.

• Sit in a comfortable position, either on the floor or a chair.
• Rest your palms on your thighs or place your dominant hand on top of your non-dominant hand.
• Close your eyes.
• Take a couple of minutes to let go of what has happened prior to this moment and what is going to happen after this moment.
• Relax your entire body, including your jaw, neck and shoulders.
• Start to take a deeper inhalation through your nostrils as you constrict the throat muscles slightly. This will be an audible breath.
• Exhale completely through your nostrils as you constrict your throat muscles again.
• Keep your awareness at your breath as you continue to take these long, slow deep breaths through your nostrils.
• Keep it gentle, relaxed and maintain the intention of letting go, each time you exhale.

2. Cobra Pose

Carrying your children, groceries, laptop, diaper bag, yoga bag, etc. can start to wear you down. Take a few of these gentle backbends to counteract the heavy lifting and back rounding we do each day.

• Start lying down on your belly with your legs extended back, tops of the feet on the mat.
• Root through the tops of the feet and legs and spider your fingertips off the mat onto the floor.
• Lengthen your tailbone down towards the earth, inhale and slowly start to peel your chest off the floor.
• Unclench your buttocks and your teeth and lift your heart.
• Roll the shoulders back and down, keeping the shoulder blades hugging in towards one another.
• Keep the back of your neck and forehead relaxed.
• Exhale and slowly lower back down towards the earth.
• Repeat 5 times.

3. Standing Forward Bend

Let gravity support you as you lengthen out the backside of your body. Enjoy the benefits of an inversion with increased circulation and oxygen to the brain.

·         Stand with your feet about hip-bone distance and somewhat parallel apart.

·         Lift all your toes and fan them out.

·         Release your toes back down to the earth with space in between each toe. (make a mental note to yourself to make time to take care of your feet)

·         Root through all four corners of your feet.

·         Inhale and reach your arms overhead.

·         Exhale to forward fold, hinging at your hip crease, keeping the abdominals drawn in and your knees bent.

·         Bring your fingertips down to the earth. (bent knees are fine and good for supporting your lower back)

·         Let go of your head, neck and shoulders and keep your jaw relaxed.

·         Hold here for a few deep breaths, keeping the abdominals engaged to support the low back.

·         Put a slight bend in your knees, if you haven’t done so already, and slowly roll yourself up to standing, one vertebra at a time.

·         Engage your core center to lift you all the way back up.

·         Take a couple breaths in a standing position before moving back into activity.

4. Supine Spinal Twist

Spinal twists promote flexibility in the spine while improving digestion. As mothers, we are always concerned about feeding our kids healthy snacks but we often forget about feeding ourselves!

• Start laying down on the floor with your legs extended.
• Take a moment to just relax and do nothing.
• Hug your right knee in towards your chest and take your leg towards the left.
• Keep your shoulder blades on the floor and extend your arms out into a “t” shape, palms up.
• Gaze towards the right hand and close your eyes.
• Take a few breaths here to lengthen out the right side of your waist and nourish the ascending colon.
• Inhale to come back to center, using your abdominals and release the right leg down.
• Take a moment to notice the difference between the right and left sides of your body.
• Repeat on the other side.

5. Legs Up the Wall (with or without the wall)

Try this restorative posture, especially if you have been on your feet all day. Use a block, bolster or pillow for support. This pose is a passive variation of Shoulderstand. (avoid during menstruation)

• Start by laying down on the floor with your legs bent, feet on the floor.
• Take your prop and place it underneath your sacrum. (make sure that it is comfortable there. If not, remove the prop and continue without it)
• Hug one knee in towards your chest and then the other.
• Extend your legs up towards the sky without engaging your abdominals, legs or toes.
• Keep the back of your neck relaxed and avoid turning your neck.
• Keep the gaze towards your toes and breath.
• Stay for about 5 minutes.
• Come out slowly by bending one leg, then the other and placing the feet back down to the earth.
• Lift your hips and remove the prop.

For all these postures, make sure that they are comfortable and relaxing. They are here to support your busy life as a mommy!

About: Danielle Mika Nagel, is the studio director for the world’s first Chopra Yoga Center in Vancouver, BC. www.choprayoga.com She is a certified yoga teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a proud mom of two. For more information join the conversation on twitter.com/choprayoga or facebook/choprayogacenter.