Usually when you want to join an online fitness/diet website, they always cost money…except one that I found fairly recently, and it’s really good. www.fitday.com has many features that include a food diary that breaks down your nutritional input, fitness activity, an online journal, a goal page, and a weight page.
The activity page tells you not only how many calories you’ve burned with the normal activities associated with fitness, but it takes into account the calories you’ve burned doing housework, gardening, cooking, sexual activity, etc. There are various graphs which show, for example, how many calories you’ve eaten against how many you’ve burnt.
The nutritional breakdown highlighted how my diet is lacking in adequate vitamins and minerals, and how much fat and calories certain foods carry, such as mayonnaise – which I love! As a consequence I’ve reviewed my diet and I’m now eating more fruit and veg.
There are many many online diet websites, but this one is the best one I’ve come across with the added bonus of it not costing a penny.
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Since the birth of my oldest child, I have been plagued with migraines – and that’s been over 12 years. I’ve been on a variety of medications, and they’ve helped to varying degrees – but I’ve never been totally free of them and sometimes they’ve impinged on my quality of life. I have tried to get control of them, i.e. keep a food diary to see if there were any triggers. Cheese, red wine and chocolate are known triggers for migraines, but for me I could eat cheese and chocolate ’til it came out of my ears and it didn’t seem to make any difference. However wine was a trigger, but as I wasn’t a big wine drinker it wasn’t a hardship to omit wine. There were other factors that caused my migraine such as stress and lack of sleep, and therefore I presumed dietary triggers were not related too me…that was until the other week.
The other week I had bran flakes for breakfast, fresh bread sandwiches for lunch, sometimes pasta for supper nearly every day, and I had a migraine nearly every day. It was a passing comment that a friend made about migraines often being food related, that made me reflect on my dietary intake. I realised I had eaten a lot of wheat during the pass week. I had never heard of migraines being related to wheat, so I looked it up on the net, and came across several articles, including Avoiding Migraines With Wheat-Free Diet. So I thought I would give it try.
I’ve been on a wheat-free diet for the past 2 ½ weeks and I’ve only had one migraine – and for me that is really good. I had a slight mourning period about omitting wheat from my diet ( I love fresh bread) but at the end of day it’s my choice – eat wheat and have migraines, or omit wheat and have significantly fewer migraines – it’s a no brainer!
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For many people who cannot obtain a dentist, there is hope for the health of your teeth, and it’s all down to aloe vera gel /juice and aloe vera in the form of a toothgel.
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Aloe vera is stacked full of nutrients to help the body, such as:
Lignins – it is found in the pulp of the leaf gel and has the capacity to penetrate tissue, carrying nutrients with it
Saponins – they promote cleansing and provide an antiseptic quality
Anthraquinones – have analgesic (painkiller), antibacterial and antiviral properties
Minerals & Vitamins – act for the benefit of the overall health of our bodies
Amino Acids – Building blocks for repair and regeneration of damaged tissue
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Aloe vera has a variety of components to help combat Periodontal Disease. Some aloe compounds are antibacterial, others provide nutritional support, some increase the regenerative potential of tissues, while others act with anaesthetic qualities and anti-inflammatory responses.
Dr Tim Moore, a dentist in America, was introduced to aloe vera in 1982, and since then has used it extensively in his dental practice. The Uses of Aloe Vera in Dentistry are:
- Applied directly to the sites of periodontal surgery; extraction sites are more comfortable and dry sockets do not develop when aloe vera is applied.
- Applied to damaged gum tissues to aid healing
- Mouth lesions, herpetic viral lesions, cracks in the corner of the mouth, and gum abscesses are soothed and healing rate increased with aloe vera
- Patients with dentures have less fungal and bacterial infections, and less inflammatory irritations.
- Aloe vera can be used around dental implants to control inflammation from bacterial contamination.
Aloe Vera Toothgel
Forever Bright Toothgel main ingredient is stabilised aloe vera gel with added bee propolis. The combination means it has excellent anti-bacterial properties for fighting plaque and keeping the breath fresh. It is suitable for vegetarians as it doesn’t contain animal by-products, and contains natural peppermint and spearmint flavouring that is gentle enough for kids to use.
Since early 2006, my kids and I have used Forever Bright Toothgel and we haven’t had a single filling or any gum problems since we have used it twice day. I highly recommend the toothpaste, especially for people who do not have a dentist to call on with routine dental problems.
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If you’ve ever suffered from eczema or know somebody who does, you’ll understand how itchy, sore, painful, and unsightly it can be.
My son developed eczema from a young age, which resulted in several trips to the doctors. He was prescribed an emollient cream that I had to wash him in every day; followed by a liberal application of the cream once he had been patted dried. On the red inflamed patches, I had to apply a steroid cream. His skin always looked dry, no matter how much emollient cream was applied, and over time the patches of eczema could only be controlled with stronger steroid creams. I didn’t like using steroid cream on my son due to its known side effects, for example, skin thinning, easy bruising, increased rate of skin infections, and allergy to the steroid cream.
Early last year I was introduced to aloe vera as a way to control my son’s eczema. I had never heard of aloe vera – other than a plant that is good for burns - but when I heard how it could help all manner of skin disorders, including eczema, I knew I had to try the products for my son. I also didn’t have anything to lose because the aloe vera products came with a 60-day money back guarantee.
I was advised to start him on aloe vera juice designed for children – bits ‘n’ peaches. The juice contains chunks of aloe, flavoured with peach juice because children don’t like drinks with little bits in them, they prefer something solid to chew on. He was started on 10mls per day for the first week and gradually increased the amount until he was on 60mls per day.
He had to be washed in aloe liquid soap, as it was mild, moisturizing, and non-irritating. I also washed his hair in the aloe liquid soap. Once he was patted dried I applied aloe propolis cream. The cream has superb moisturizing qualities, and contains aloe vera gel and bee propolis. On any open sores, I applied aloe vera gelly to the area, which brought instant relief from the pain, inflammation, and itchiness caused by the eczema. The aloe vera gelly stopped my son from scratching the area, which enabled him to forget about his eczema and concentrate on playing.
In summary, the products I used for my son’s eczema were:
- Aloe vera bits ‘n’ pieces juice
Aloe liquid soap- Aloe propolis cream
- Aloe vera gelly
It was only a matter of a few weeks for my son’s eczema to disappear once he had started using the aloe vera products. Today, my son continues on the aloe vera juice and uses the aloe liquid soap every day. He only needs a small amount of aloe propolis cream every day, and he never needs the aloe vera gelly, as he doesn’t have any more patches of eczema on his body. Since he has used the aloe vera products, no one would guess he had had eczema for several years.
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I have researched some tips on how to easily improve your overall performance in sports with various products. I’ve listed the products, what they are, how they can improve your overall sport’s performance, and if I have personally tried the product.
Aloe Vera Freedom – Aloe Vera Freedom is an aloe based drink and helps to maintain healthy joint function, and minimizes wear and tear. Aloe Vera contains over 200 nutrients and naturally increases/improves the body’s energy and the body’s natural metabolic processes, resulting in enhance performance and vitality. Freedom contains 85% aloe vera, glucosamine, MSM and Chondroitin.
Glucosamine- the body makes a sufficient amount of glucosamine to handle normal repair needs. However, if there is an injury to the body combined with a degenerative process, e.g. damage to the invertabral discs, and/or knee ligaments from jogging, then the normal production of glucosamine may be insufficient to allow complete healing. Many of these chronic injuries may never heal without nutritional help.
MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) – Can help prevent osteoarthritis and post-athletic fatigue syndrome, which generally follows intense athletic activity.
Chondroitin - Chondroitin sulfate is an important structural component of the cartilage. Along with glucosamine, chondroitin is being widely used as a dietary supplement for treatment of osteoarthritis – although there is conflicting research about the benefits of chondroitin.
RESULTS
Fantastic stuff. Freedom has been the nutritional supplement that has enabled me to recommence sporting activities after I damaged my knees.
Bee Pollen Tablets – is the perfect food. It helps to provides stamina and energy for training, and is very convenient when eating meals is not possible, e.g. – prior to competitions.
RESULTS
I didn’t notice any change in stamina or energy levels.
Vitamins A & C – helps your body to use oxygen and to detoxify the by-products of producing energy, which reduces the stress of endurance sports.
RESULTS
I’m very unlikely to enlist in endurance sports, but it may help with overall performance, so I’ll try the supplements.
Fish oil – there are many benefits to taking fish oils and there has been a lot of research on fish oil. One of the benefits of taking fish oil is an improvement in your joint health.
RESULTS
I’ve taken fish oil supplements in the past for a couple of reasons – improve my skin as I suffer from acne (when will my body realise I’m 40 and not 14!) and to reduce the likelihood of having a high blood pressure and high cholesterol level, which runs in my family. Whether it helps my joints, I’m not sure as I take Freedom.
Water – Muscles are 75% water and a loss of only 3% water causes a drop in strength and 8% loss of speed. If you’re thirsty, it’s the body warning sign that you’re dehydrated.
RESULTS
What a refreshing drink – love it. I have noticed if I don’t have some water before I go do any sporting activities, I struggle to run as well. I need to purchase one of those water bottles that can be slipped over the hand, so I can sip on it during a run to keep my hydration levels up and thus enhance my endurance levels.
Aloe Heat Lotion – Rub into legs before and after running to help reduce legs feeling stiff after training. Aloe Heat Lotion is Ph balanced and is quickly absorbed into the skin. The heat producing formula increases blood flow to the area where the lotion is applied
RESULTS
I haven’t tried it yet, but I will do. I like the sound of something that can reduce the stiffness in my legs after exercise.
MSM Gel – MSM gel can reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and restore mobility.
RESULTS
Fab stuff. Whenever I’ve overdone it in sports and my knees ache, MSM gel relieves the aches and pains.
Do you have any interesting tips that you want to share?
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I’m writing this straight after my first run. I did it and I didn’t stop ’til the end!
I didn’t want to go on the run. It was too damp and too wet underfoot and too…well you know, I was looking for an excuse – especially when I couldn’t find my jogging bottoms and my sports bra had broken! But, I had told myself I would start running, so a running I would go! I armed myself with my ipod playing ‘party basics’ and the necessary poo bags as my dogs were coming with me.
I started jogging slowly for my warm-up – it’s very hard to do warm-up stretches with two mad dogs circling round who are eager to stretch their long legs – and started along the riverbank. After 5 minutes I increased the pace – well a bit, and continued along the path. It wasn’t long before I wanted to stop jogging and start walking, but I didn’t want to tell you I had to resort to a walking pace, so I concentrated on Madonna singing ‘Vogue’ while I ignored my burning lungs, and continued along the path. Even though I haven’t jogged for ages, some of the techniques for running came back to me:
- Breathe out through pursed lips to control the breathing
- Hold arms low and loose to conserve energy
After 10 miles, well, a mile and a half, but it felt like 10 miles! I had finished my run, I even managed a small sprint at the end, which made everything jiggle that shouldn’t jiggle, but no one was around to see! To put my pounding heart back in my chest I went for a walk through the woods for about 10 minutes.
After my run, I remembered: my ipod had a stopwatch facility that I should have used, and there are websites that enable you to download music to suit your pace while jogging. While looking for such sites, I can across BRAND NEW free workout mix: Fit&Run | fitPod. Free music to download that matches the pace of various workouts. I downloaded ‘WakeUpWorkOut’ which has tracks of different beats per minutes – 120 to 139. It’s not my favourite genre as there is a lot of electronic style music, but I’ll give it whirl on my next run. If it helps me to focus on my run, I’ll let you know.
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I’ve been thinking about it for sometime – to recommence running.
I used to do a lot of running when I was in the Territorial Army and the Navy, but that all fell to the wayside after a few knee injuries. As time progressed, my knees continued to give me problems, even after a couple of operations. I felt like an 80 year-old woman as my knees creaked painfully when I climbed the stairs. Anything other than walking was out of the question. However, all that changed when I was recommended to drink aloe vera juice with chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen – but I thought I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave it a go. And to my delight, after I had started my third bottle, I was pain free in my knees. I felt as sprightly as a kangaroo.
At first, I didn’t contemplate any sporting activities because I wasn’t sure if my knees would continue to feel as good as they did. After a few months I found as long as I continued with the aloe drink, my knees were fantastic, so I started martial arts over a year ago, and want to start running as well.
Except, I keep putting myself off…it’s too cold, it’s too wet, it’s too dark, it’s too…well you name it and I’ve probably said that to myself! But there’s only so much procrastination I can take before something has to happen…it’s time to join the mad ones who jog in all weathers – after all, I used to do it once upon a time!
To aid in my motivation, I did a Google search and came across Running 4 Women - Women’s Running Club, a nice chatty type of website. There was some useful advice for novice runners, Marathon Training - (I don’t think so!) and I signed up for their weekly newsletter.
I intend to start jogging next week…I think…if it’s not too windy…or too foggy…or too…!Just kidding, I’ll do my first jog on Monday and let you know how it went.
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A walk through the woods
My friend Tony and I were walking our dogs in a country park and the only noise that could be heard were the birds in the air and the dogs bounding through the leaves. We were chatting to each other, when we were stopped in mid-sentence by the sound of a dog screaming. We couldn’t see the dogs, but I knew it was Beano, my lurcher. I called out his name and my legs surged with power like a turbo-powered car as I ran towards the screams. I rounded the corner and saw my dog half way up a hill surround by brambles, with his paw held in the air. I kept calling his name to try to bring him some comfort as I ran towards him. The shortest way to reach him was through the brambles, and I ploughed through them, not noticing how the brambles tore at my clothes. In between his screams, he was biting at his paw that from a distance looked like it was hanging in mid-air.
Beano’s impaled
As I reached him, I kept talking to him and looked at the situation. Beano was trapped by a metre long, 1cm wide, rusty metal rod. The sharp end had entered his paw and stuck out about 20cm – it hadn’t gone up through his paw, it had gone horizontally through his paw. The rest of the rod was embedded into the ground. By now, Tony had reached us and sat down next to Beano. My mind raced through all the first aid/nurse training I had had. I knew foreign objects should not be removed –but I couldn’t remove the rod from the ground, it was too long. The next step was to remove the rod from his paw. Quickly, Tony and I looked through our pockets for something to stem the bleeding once the rod was removed and we ended up with one wrinkled tissue and a hat. It would do. We worked out a plan of action: I was to hold Beano and my friend was to pull his paw of the rod. Just as we were about to put the plan into action I had visions of Beano biting as the pain intensified when the rod was removed. ‘Stop!’ I called out. ‘We have to muzzle him just in case he bites in pain.’ We decided to use a dog lead as a temporary muzzle. We positioned ourselves again –my friend posed to pull the rod out and me holding Beano.
The rod is removed
On the count of three, with one fell swoop Beano’s paw was removed from the rod. In a surge of energy, Beano wriggled out of my arms, took off his makeshift muzzle at the same time, immediately turned on my friend’s dog, and started biting him. With a harsh word from me, Beano stopped the fight and looked at me. I looked at him. There he was standing there as though he only had a bramble thorn through his paw rather than a dirty great big bloody rod! There was hardly any blood and he looked eager to go on another walk! Once my friend and I had composed ourselves, I wanted to hurry up and get Beano home. I knew it was only the adrenaline that was keeping Beano going for the moment – and he would be very heavy dog to carry home if he collapsed. Tony and I quickly walked through the woods to reach my home, and with hardly a limp Beano led the way!
To the vet’s
Once we were home, Beano took himself into a corner and started licking his paw. His paw was swelling and started to bleed a small amount. I called the vet and I was asked to bring him in straight away. Tony volunteered to us, which I gratefully accepted because by then I was feeling a little shaky about the incident.
When we arrived at the vet, we didn’t have long to wait before we saw the nurse – the vet was held up in the operating theatre. I gave her details about the incident and she disappeared to return with a sedative injection and a bandage. Beano knew something was going to happen, and he jumped up on the seat to sit very close to me! Beano is big scaredy-cat at the vets and has to be muzzled with a bandage because he would bite out of fear. After he was muzzled with the bandage – experience has shown he gets out of the plastic cage type muzzles, he was injected with the sedative. I took him through to the operating room waiting area, made him comfortable in his bed, and removed his muzzle. I had to leave Beano at the vets, so after giving my boy a big hug and kiss, I left him in the hands of the vet and went home.
Coming home
The vet called me a couple of hours later to inform me about Beano. His paw had been cleaned and flushed with an antibacterial solution and the wound was so contaminated, it couldn’t be stitched, because it would make enclose any infection in his body. I was told I could collect him in a couple of hours when the sedation had worn off. When I arrived at the vet, I was invited through to the recovery area to collect him. Beano looked liked he had spent the night on the town – his eyes were glazed and his movements were slow, but he was okay and that was the main thing. He had to take antibiotics and painkillers for a week and only walk on the lead for 5 days so he didn’t tear the wound open. I was given a syringe so the wound could be flushed with salt water and I had to soak his paw in salt water twice a day. I knew that would be an interesting task to do because Beano hated having any medical treatment – and he was one big dog to wrestle!
Wound care
By the following afternoon, Beano was up and about, raring to go on a walk – nobody would believe that 24 hrs ago he had had a big metal rod in his paw!
I decided not to do the salt-water soaks – I knew what his reaction to be, so I used aloe veterinary formula twice a day on his paw instead. It is made from 100% stabilized aloe vera, increases the natural healing process, helps to protect the wound from infection, and comes in a spray bottle. With a couple of quick sprays, the aloe vera is on his wound before Beano has time to complain.
Tony was amazed when he saw him three days after the accident, as he was bouncing around like a pogo stick.
Aloe vera
I can only put Beano’s speedy recovery down to aloe vera. Beano has had aloe vera juice on his meal every day for the past 18 months, and I sprayed his wound with aloe veterinary formula for five days. Aloe vera - juice has about 200 nutrients in it and helps boost the immune system, increases the natural healing process and generally boosts overall health – so in other words it’s fab stuff!
Back to being a Damn Dog
Beano is a dear boy, a lovely family dog, but his nickname is ‘Damn Dog.’ If anyone has a lurcher, they’ll know what I mean. Lurchers are known to be strong-willed, escape artists, naughty – actually very naughty, a thief, and difficult to train. Beano had all those characteristics! He quickly earnt that nickname in a matter of weeks of him coming to live with us: four-legged chairs were converted into three-legged chairs, he ate dinners being cooked in the slow cooker, birthday cakes were consumed, bins and content eaten, bedding eaten –both his and mine, the BBQ moved across the courtyard and the cover half eaten (he is sitting on the BBQ cover in the photo). I could go on but you can see where I’m coming from!
After the third day of walking on the lead after his accident, I decided he had to walk unrestricted because he was very restless from not being able to burn off his energy. The following day we went on a long walk and Beano was running backwards and forwards like the Energizer Bunny. As we approached home, I called Beano back so I could put him on the lead. Normally (88% of the time) he comes back, but not today. He took one look at me and his look said ‘no way, not after putting me on the lead for the 3 days – I’m off.’ And that was it, gone, for three hours. 
Damn Dog!
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I am a big fan of aloe vera because it has helped my family so much - for example, since my boys started drinking aloe vera juice on a daily basis they no longer suffer from eczema or psoriasis. If they incur any cuts or bruises, I always apply aloe vera gelly because it soothes the affected area, reduces pain and inflammation, and is anti-bacterial and anti-viral – so basically, I have covered all bases. The one downside is it stings a lot when it is put onto an open cut, but the benefits very quickly outweigh the one downside. (See website for research on the benefits of aloe: http://www.desertharvest.com/physicians/documents/HB-9.pdf)
Anyway, whenever I have my eyebrows waxed I always take my aloe vera gelly with me to apply onto the sore red areas (the pain we endure for beauty!) and within no time, the redness has disappeared. But this time I had forgotten to take it with me to my new beautician. I was imagining have to walk around the city with glow-red eyebrows, but to my delight, my beautician had aloe vera gelly to hand, as she is a big fan of the miracle plant – and my glow-red eyebrows had disappeared by the time my appointment had finished.
Why all beauticians don’t use aloe vera products is beyond me, but until they do, I’m sticking with this beautician.
Medical Word of the Day
DERMATOSES
A general term for diseases of the skin
Contact: annie@healthanddietinfo.co.uk
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There is a lot of material discussing whether there is a link between the use of antiperspirants (containing aluminium) and breast cancer. A recent report by the University of Reading - Potential link between aluminium salts in antiperspirants and breast cancer warrants further research, discusses how certain chemicals mimic the body’s natural hormone oestrogen, which is known to affect a woman’s risk of breast cancer. Oestrogen is known to be involved in the development and progression of human breast cancer and any chemical that has an oestrogenic activity and enters the human breast could theoretically influence a person’s risk of breast cancer. Evidence is increasing that the aluminium-based compound, which can make up to a quarter of the volume of some antiperspirant agents, can break through the skin, be absorbed into the body and could mimic oestrogen.
Another report by Cancer Research UK : Deodorants and cancer concludes there is not enough evidence to say there is a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer.
So, what can you do when there is conflicting material around? Play it on the safe side and use a deodorant that does not contain aluminium. A deodorant that contains stabilised aloe vera gel provides effective, all day protection, doesn’t stain clothes, can be applied straight after a shower and after shaving. Until your body becomes use to a chemical free deodorant, you may need to reapply the deodorant 2-3 times a day. A natural aloe vera based deodorant is also ideal for people who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment who have been told by their doctors that they can’t use chemical based antiperspirants during treatment.
As our body’s our exposed to numerous chemicals every day, it makes sense to reduce some of our exposure by choosing a natural deodorant.
Contact: annie@healthanddietinfo.co.uk
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