It's That FaDD MaP Time Again Ladies: Fat and Delusional Dreamers Making Plans

"Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder"

  We are once again rounding that bend, and readying ourselves for the same old resolutions that seem to top the personal priority lists of millions around us: Get in better shape; Eat healthier; Become a better version of me. Good.  Most folks will benefit from a few small changes in habit. Just be sure you're going into this new plan for the right reasons.

 Feeling better, having more energy, and living a bit longer than your goldfish are all great ideas. 

 Today's rant is focused more on the overly critical tendencies that create a pattern of self-destruction in far too many otherwise happy folks, women in particular.

 With New Year's day just 24 hours away, maybe what we really need to focus on is less focus, waddyathink?

  Every January, many of us join the masses who have fallen prey to that commercialized version of who and what we are expected to become, while completely ignoring that fact that these carefully crafted systems of self-doubt and body-shaming by comparison are based in the very same premise as the classic Madison Avenue concept of "Keeping up with the Joneses" that was sold to our parents since the sixties: Greed.

 Honestly:  It is ALWAYS about profits. Every last stigma and doubt system that is carried over from each generation to torture and traumatize girls (and boys), whose only crime was being born, is and always has been about money. Nothing more. Specifically, it's about taking yours.

 Uniqueness is systematically crushed by that profit machine starting in grade school, when your inherent need to socialize is used as a weapon against you. Fashion, pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies that are built on this evil groundwork rely solely on their ability to convince you that everyone is flawed and sub-par at birth, but you can have access to the 'magic pill' that will make you acceptable...and maybe even the prom queen / king of hearts / [insert your secret junior high school desire here]...for a reasonable price, of course.

 This form of social brainwashing for profit isn't new, and frankly I think we as a species should have evolved beyond this sheeple stage by now; the one that feeds our vulnerable children to this system of emotional torture for profits.

   Sadly, many adults are too deeply submerged into this "I'm not quite good enough" mentality to even realize just how shallow their lives have become, and they pass this social guilt on to their children.

 Why should the makeup and drug companies have all the fun?  Enter the medical profession.

 Botox, plastic surgery, and various body shaping procedures are also part of this conspiracy of personal shaming and body criticism for profits, and people are literally dying to impress their equally shallow friends.

  Women are tricked into injecting toxic poisons into their faces, boobs, and butts to feel competitive with Photoshopped models who are just as flawed as the rest of us.

 The big difference between them and you? They lie. It's their job to lie to you, and it's also very profitable. The model is lying. The photographer is lying. Because the sponsor company doesn't profit from truth.

 Ready for a little truth?  Start with this:  I Love You. We Love You. Just the way you are, as nature intended, as your God intended you to be.  You are not supposed to look like your neighbor, or a billboard model, or the lingerie model on the television. Why would you want to? She doesn't even look like that.

  Your mom wasn't lying: You are perfect just the way you are. Dad may have been a bit biased, but he was still telling the truth: You really are beautiful, just the way you are.

 That whole idea that this is one big beauty competition is a sack of commercial lies being perpetrated by the shallow and brainwashed herd, and you can be one of the lucky few who have the ability to see through the greed curtain.

 One of the most beautiful traits that a woman can possess is a self confidence that demands respect.

 The world is your mirror, and what you put out is exactly what comes back to you.

  Be beautiful; Believe in your beauty and it will be so, because others will respond to your belief in the same manner. The secret key just went by you in that last sentence: You must Believe it.

 Faking it til you make it may work for some, but for the rest of us this can be a brutally cruel world that has a knack for spotting a weakness in the facade. You must really know beyond any doubt, that your beauty was by design and any adjustments are a waste of time because they detract from your intended purpose.

 Your true beauty is not on the skin, and it is not something that disappears in the dark.

 Your beauty is your strength. Your beauty is your love. Your beauty is a lingering image (feeling) that every person who meets and knows you will carry long after the first impressions have faded.

 Uniqueness is a primary feature of your beauty. Something that makes you just you, and unlike anyone else. Maybe that unique gift is your art; your voice; your generosity; your empathy, or maybe you are still finding yourself and a unique gift hasn't shown itself.

 For many women, their uniqueness turns out to be their destiny to create the most wonderful children the world has ever seen. This is a fine and noble life goal that many parents are honored to become. 

 The best version of a parent my family has ever seen. Nothing wrong with that at all; It completely dismisses the personal and social paranoias altogether, and focuses on a higher calling. Again: A noble quest indeed.

 If there is a point to this yet-another New Years day rant, then it is this:

 Instead of planning another year of wasted money and grueling workout schedules, just to further torture yourself by obsessing over mediocre results that weren't part of your destiny anyway, how about you (we) simply focus on Karma building and putting our egos on a diet?

 There are a lot of simple changes you can make to feel healthier, and to have more energy.

 The first one that I recommend is to Never Buy Diet Coke again. Ever.

  The aspartame is a toxic sugar substitute that is actually making you fatter! They have removed it from their recipe to dodge the complaints from consumers, only to put it right back in under a new name.

 Second; Drink a lot more water. Hydration is more than healthy; it's essential to everything else you want to do and be. Routinely flushing your kidneys and bladder will give you that healthy glow and allow your whole body to function better and handle exercise better.

  That brings me to the third simple change:  Get vertical.

Sitting is killing more Americans than traffic accidents and drugs combined. Office jobs, computer time, and cable's 400 channels comprise the fat machine that clogs arteries and stops hearts prematurely. 

 Take a walk. Discover that little museum you've been meaning to take a peek at. Throw your sweats on and hike the bike path down the road. Thirty minutes is a good place to start.

 Once this new habit becomes established (the average adult need s to repeat a new habit seven times before it registers) you will realize that you really like the way it feels. Let it progress on it's own schedule, and avoid listening too closely to bragging friends who claim they are running 75 miles today. Misery loves company.

 Set your own starting point, and allow it to progress naturally. If at all. The point is to simply do something that makes you happy. An hour of fresh air and gentle exercise is more than enough for starters.

 Summary:  Improve yourself if you feel the need, but do it for you. Nothing else matters.

 You want to feel better; You want to see your grandchildren grow up; You want to see your feet again.

 Be Happy. Be Happier. Be Beautiful.

JBS.

 § Copyright HealthySelfCures.com  2016  JB Stran

 All Rights Reserved. Reprints with linkback.

Care and Feeding Of Your Zombie

 You may have a pulse inside, but on the surface you're dead.  You Beautiful Zombie You.

  When you consider that your body is in a constant state of repair due to the regeneration of cells, from the major organs to the skin that holds it all together, you realize that we are all looking at a zombie in the mirror every morning. That's because the skin is rebuilt from the inner layers outward, thus the outer layer that everyone sees is comprised of already dead skin cells.
 Caring for those zombie cells is not nearly as hard as most corporations would have you believe, but it will require a few special considerations.

 

  First: Avoid Axes To the Head:

 There are a few tips to skin care that most people are barely aware of. All of the expensive creams in the world are useless if your zombie is dealing with suicidal habits.

•  Avoid touching your face.

 Dirt is transferred from your fingers that can become lodged in the pores. Use an oil-absorbent paper or get in the habit of carrying a packet of Kleenex. Acne-prone skin types are especially susceptible to those finger germs.

•   The Sun is not your friend.

  Drying and premature wrinkling are just the beginning. Skin cancer can take decades to brew to the surface, so the Summer tans that you enjoy showing off in your twenties can easily become the melanoma that drops you to your knees in your fifties.

•  Garbage In, Garbage Out. 

 Healthy skin starts and ends with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Fruits and veggies are vital, especially those citrus fruits that are high in vitamin C, along with lean meats and at least thirty minutes of heart healthy exercise every day. Dump the trans fats and fried foods that are adding toxins to your diet.

   Basic Zombie Care:
 Proper skin care doesn't have to be expensive, and you don't need to get up an hour earlier just to look good. You will however need to use a little common sense to keep your favorite zombie from falling apart and scaring the neighbors.

  The hardest part for most people is learning to ignore all of the misleading marketing from companies that want you to feel insecure about your ability to care for your body, so that you will pay anything for their "magic solution" that does little, if anything, for your skin.
  Look at it this way: The profits to be made from a cure are a drop in the bucket, compared to the ocean of profits to be made from treating your problems.
 
 The cancer industry has fallen into this profitability model, and as long as corporations are allowed to control the health industry, this won't be changing anytime soon. The real money is in the treatments.
 The point of this rant is simply that nearly all of the big promise products start with a natural ingredient like Aloe or Lanolin and then add nasty chemicals and perfumes that you don't want or need as their signature.

 Respect yourself and your wallet by keeping it simple. A six month supply of Aloe Vera gel runs about five bucks, so why would you pay a company ten times as much to whip it up with toxins?

 The care part is just as simple, and should include the two prime steps: Clean and Moisturize.

  > Exfoliate.
  You've heard it before because it not only works, it's vital to healthy skin. Scrubbing those dead flakes of skin from your face allows the world to see those healthy, pink skin cells underneath, as well as removing the dirt and oils trapped between them.
 Loofah or sea sponge, washcloth or spinning brushes, proper cleaning is best served daily.
For my money, it's natural sea sponge. Cheap to replace, easy to rinse clean after use, and gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin types.
Habits are the key, and new, healthier habits are easy to start. Simply decide, and do.

Finding the right cleanser for your skin type is not quite as simple, but simplicity is still the theme of this story. Did you know that you can cleanse the skin with milk or yogurt? Not many do, but it's not only true but for the organic types out there, it's the best solution to proper zombie care.

 > Moisturize.
 Between your soaps and shaving, air pollution and the Sun, your skin takes a beating and tends to dry out. It is dead, after all. Replacing lost moisture isn't hard and starting a daily habit of lotion or oils is just as easy.
 Choose water-based lotions and avoid those that use an alcohol base. Apply a thin layer after the shower to replace the oils that you just scrubbed off.
 Dry skin types will benefit from a routine of vitamin E oil instead of lotions. A bottle runs just a few dollars (I found it at a dollar store once), and makes an excellent prime for those who like to blend their own moisturizers as I do.

 I mentioned Aloe Vera gel earlier in Basics: I have an Aloe plant on the kitchen windowsill that grows very well, and provides me with organic Aloe gel for my twice-weekly moisturizing treatment.
 I just snip a half-leaf and squeeze one of Nature's greatest moisturizers directly onto the face and massage it in.   The plant cost me $4 at a local farm, and has paid me back for years.

 Told you it was simple.
Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind, though they won't apply to everyone.

 - Avoid the sun during peak hours (10-4). 
  Drying and wrinkles are avoidable. If you must go out, use a sunblock of SPF15 or more.
  - Quit smoking.
 Premature aging and wrinkles are the free bonus, Especially around the mouth.
 - Keep showers under 15 minutes.
 Hot water is harsh on the skin, and long showers remove too much of the good oils.
 - Wait 20 minutes after a shower to decide if you need a moisturizer.
 If the skin starts to feel tight, apply a good lotion or natural oil.
 - Wash the face in warm water and rinse in cold water.
 Warm water helps to open the pores, but again, hot water has minerals that dry the skin.

Bonus:
 - Use olive oil as a natural makeup remover.
 Not only is it one of the natural oils that are good for your complexion, but this one tip can save you from those ugly crows feet in the sensitive areas around the eyes.

  Copyright JB Stran  2015   HealthySelfCures.com

The First Convenience Food You Should Stop Eating: Microwave Popcorn

To be and feel healthier, this is one of those convenience foods you should stop eating today:

  In order to support your new healthier lifestyle, you will need to make smarter and more informed food choices. We are all being hit every day with catchy words and phrases like "all natural" and "low fat" and similar triggers designed by food manufacturers to trick you into thinking that their wares are healthy for you.

 Sadly, there is an entire multi-billion dollar industry based on deceiving consumers with catchy and misleading terms like those worn out examples above.

 For example, the term "All Natural" pretty much applies to any food stuff or compound derived from Nature. The hair from a pig's anus is all natural, so are insect parts and rat droppings...but I don't want it in my child's food.

 By the same token; When you hear the terms "low fat" and "sugar free" you should be thinking "chemical soup".

 Some go so far as to create and manage a campaign of propaganda designed to promote their foods as a healthier option, regardless of the truth and countless studies that have disproved those claims.

 A good example of this deception is also the first food you should stop buying and eating: Microwave Popcorn.

 With millions to spend on marketing, the microwave popcorn industry has done a great job of selling you the sizzle and burying the fact that the steak is toxic. From the bag to the corn itself, there is so much poison in each serving that your best bet is to either start popping your own organic kernels, or just lay off the stuff altogether.

Nearly all varieties of microwave popcorn line their bags with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This chemical is the same toxic compound found in teflon pots and pans, and it can stay in the human body for long periods of time. When heated this chemical has been linked to infertility, cancer and other diseases in lab animals and it is listed as a carcinogen by the EPA.  Another study has found an acid that can be extracted from the chemical causes cancer in animals and is “likely to cause cancer in humans.”

 While there are no current sources of GMO kernels, there are plenty of GMO ingredients anyway in the form of oils and emulsifiers. Because the major brands do not use organic kernels, you can bet the farm that they contain pesticides.

 Popsecret and Jollytime still use trans fat, one of the most deadly fats available that is associated with 20,000 heart attacks a year and over 7,000 deaths according to the CDC. 

 Proply Gallate, TBHQ (When they need to hide an ingredient's name with initials you should see red flags flying), and that universal catch-all "artificial flavoring" round out the myriad of reasons why you should start making your own popcorn.

 By the way: TBHQ stands for “Tertiary Butylhydroquinone”,   is a chemical made from the  toxic gas Butane and eating only 1 gram of this toxic preservative has been shown to cause all sorts of issues, from ADHD in children, to asthma, allergies and dermatitis to dizziness and even has caused stomach cancer in lab tests.

 As if you needed more: Another serious health danger lies in that fake butter flavoring. 

 Specifically in an FDA-approved chemical known as Diacetyl. There's even a debilitating respiratory disease known as "Popcorn Worker's Lung" (medical term: Bronchiolitis obliterans) that is suffered by the employees of the popcorn factory, caused by extended inhalation of the chemical's fumes.

  Want to make your own?  Easy and Fast!

 http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-microwave-popcorn-71499

  2015  HealthySelfCures.com   JB "Pop" Stran  All Copyrights apply. No reprint without full link intact.

Three Simple Powerful Changes To Start Your New Healthier Life

Make These 3 Simple Changes To Be Healthier Now

  We all want to feel better, have a bit more energy, and live a little longer than most.

 Even if we can't keep up with the little ones, at least we won't look so hopelessly out of breath when we try.

 Fortunately, there are a few easy changes to your daily habits that can help.

I'm not saying it will be easy for everyone, but I am saying that it will be worth it.

Change #1:  MOVE.

  Research and statistics are proving beyond any further traces of doubt that our sedentary lifestyles are killing us, in record numbers.
 Lack of adequate exercise is causing too many Americans to fall into a poisonous cycle of inactivity. 

 After a day's work, we fall into a semi-conscious state on the sofa and grab the remote for a full evening of mind-numbing nothingness, with nothing to show for it but a few minutes of chat the next day.

 For others, this is the time for beer in the easy chair. Lots of beer, and lots of easy chair.

An easy meal and more sitting before falling into bed to start the cycle over again the next day is about the sum of the average American "walking comatose" adult, and no spare energy is the primary result.

 Here's my first secret:  Your extra energy is waiting  just outside your comfort zone.

 Take a walk.  Research has proven that a twenty minute walk in nature has the same effect on the brain as a single dosage of any popular mood-leveling prescription drug.

 When you feel good, you will want more of that. Walk 3 times next week.

Take your mate for a nature hike near water next weekend. Start a garden. Really get your hands in that soil (this also has a calming effect on the brain). Dust off that old bike. Whatever floats your boat.

 The key is to MOVE. And to keep moving.

Change #2: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

  You Are What You Eat.  No statement is more true today, especially since the transition from family farms to corporate food processing plants has turned your local grocery store into a chemical retailer.

  We were sold the idea that it is far easier to add water to a box of dry stuff, or ground beef to a pack of chemicals, than to cut and prepare the vegetables and herbs for a fresher meal. And do we ask a lot of questions about the contents of that box? Nope. Why would we? They wouldn't hurt us, would they?

 You are told to trust them, and you comply. 

 Just eat it. Don't ask a lot of questions. It's cheap, so just be happy with that, and don't ask why each generation of kids becomes less tolerant of whole foods than the last. 

 Peanut allergies. Wheat (gluten) allergies. Allergies to healthy foods that would mean a death sentence in some countries, where a child who is allergic to food is little more than a myth.

  Don't ask why the instance of child obesity has multiplied itself by 1200% over the last four generations, or why instances of autism in children have exploded over the last 20 years.

Remember that first secret?  Step outside your comfort zone at the grocer, too.

 Try a new food each week. Heard of zucchini pasta? Spiral cut the vegetable into a far more nutritious meal that your body will thank you for.

 Look for Coconut oil.   Smear it on your bagel in the morning, or just drop a spoonful into your sauces for a secret healthy kick. Get back in the habit of browsing the fresh vegetables when you shop, and start trying a new type each week. Surely there are a few you have never tasted, so what are you waiting for?

  Healthy eating habits will likely become a family tradition. Set a good example.

This leads us naturally into the third change you will need to make in order to begin your new life of looking and feeling healthier. Last, but surely not least...

Change #3: Wake Up.

  You have no doubt noticed that the recurring theme of the first two changes has been changes.

Shake things up. Break the grind and climb out of the rut that is wearing you down and sapping your vital energy.  Remember when you could play ball all day long? Riding your bike from breakfast until your mom called you home for dinner?  

 I'm not promising that you will be twelve years old again, but it is not out of the question to at least feel that twenty years of abuse and neglect have been undone by just a few simple changes of habit.

 It's really not your fault: There's so much good stuff to watch on tv; Your boss is draining you daily and you consider yourself lucky just to get a meal on the table before you collapse on the couch; Tonight's game is far too important to miss; You deserve to rest your feet after the day that you put in...

 All excuses aside, wouldn't you really want more from your life than to simply work and grow fat until you die (early) with your face in a plate of that GMO Mac & Cheese that pushed you into the grave?

  This third change is a bit deeper, but just as important (if not more so) as the first two, because without this change, the others won't stand a chance in the long term.

 Your new healthy feeling will have to start with a new healthier mindset.

Don't laugh. Anyone can swap out bacon for turkey strips for a week, but most will slide right back to their old unhealthy habits when they don't see immediate results.

 This is because they are waiting and secretly hoping for failure. That would be the perfect excuse to bounce back to the old ways like crawling into their favorite pajamas.

  Once you can understand how you got where you are, and are committed for the long haul, you are better equipped to anticipate a relapse and nip it in the bud.

 Baby steps are a fine manner of progress, because the most important thing in this system of change is to keep moving forward. Keep pulling for that healthier you that you know is still trapped inside those few extra pounds and being drowned by the habits of convenience.

 Motivate yourself to turn off the television a couple of hours earlier than usual and read a book. On the back porch. On the treadmill. How about an audiobook while you power-walk the neighborhood?

 After a light dinner (for some people, smaller portions are a good start), spend an hour trimming the bushes as you listen to the birds singing. 

 Keep the basic keys in mind:

•   Cut the junk food. Try new natural recipes.
• Get vertical more often. Move.
•  Decide that now is the time.
• Clean your mind, so that as you clean your body it will have a better chance of staying that way.
• Exercise, in any form, is always better than being dormant.

 Of course, your new healthier lifestyle will need to evolve as you get stronger and more active, so stay tuned to Pop's blog (Hit the Subscribe link Now!) for more advanced ways to keep growing into your reverse-aging body and reclaiming your youthful energy.

  2015  § Copyright HealthySelfCures.com