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Many of us, at least the slightly older among us, probably remember our mother drinking while they were pregnant with our siblings. That all changed during the 1970s when the link between heavy drinking and FASD (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders) became apparent. That is what we owe the warning labels on alcohol to.

The conventional wisdom of the last 25 years has been no alcohol for pregnant women but now studies are showing moderate consumption of alcohol does not seem to pose any risks for pregnancy. Some medical groups have already started loosening their alcohol warnings for pregnant women, saying that moderation, not abstinence, is key.

Still the lack of data has many doctors preaching abstinence. Although there is no data 1 – 2 drinks in a week hurts a pregnant woman, why chance it? The few studies that are out have not found a link between pregnancy problems and light alcohol use, though the authors of those studies are quick to admit that, in theory, problems could occur later in a child’s development.

In short, drinking during pregnancy is a personal choice. There may be a risk, albeit a small one, from drinking at all but it is unknown. Remember, anything more than 2 drinks in one sitting is too much, no matter who you ask!

Make sure to maintain wellness and body health during pregnancy.

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Are you suffering from mild to moderate depression? A lot of people are suffering of depression because of stress from work and home problems. Have you tried prescription drugs to cure the condition but in vain? Worry no more, I will tell you some simple and natural remedies you can use to eliminate this problem. They may help to alleviate the depression symptoms and also improve your mood. Read on to learn of some of the remedies to cure depression.

• Take a lot of minerals and vitamins

Depression usually affects people with low Vitamin B levels. You can easily avoid such deficiencies by eating healthy meals rich in folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12. You can also improve your daily mood by taking foods rich in vitamin D and calcium.

• Exercising

The other natural remedy for depression is exercising. You can improve the way you feel by exercising vigorously. Through cardio you should increase your heart rate for at least 30 minutes a day. I recommend that you exercise in a garden or natural surrounding since nature has a positive effect to your mental health.

• Getting essential oils 

Essential oils are very effective to counter depression. You can use certain skin lotions with herbal elements or apply oils for massage therapy; and ensure that you mix them with a carrier oil or base. Also, fish oil supplements are known to help combat depression.

These are some of the natural remedies for depression. Avoid future depression by incorporating these tips into daily life. These are yet a few more tips on how to be healthy.

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There are all kinds of healthy eating tips going around the Internet. Most of these diets are said to help you lose weight successfully. However, not all these weight loss diets work. If you want to lose weight and still stay healthy, here are healthy tips you should keep in mind.

1. Eat a balanced diet

One of the tips to eat healthy is by feeding on a balanced diet. Don’t skip your meals; ensure you eat regularly. Your meal should include protein, carbohydrates, and plenty of vitamins.

2. Eat small but regularly

Remember, you want to lose weight and still keep fit. Therefore, you need calories to build muscles. Ensure that you eat 5 to 6 small meals every day.

3. Take time to chew your food

The level of digestion of food in your body depends on how you chew the food. Digestion starts in the mouth; chewing your food well ensures that it is easily absorbed by your body.

4. Eat a variety of food

Eating healthy means consuming all kinds of nutrients required for your body. Ensure that in every meal, there is at least some fruit, some vegetables, and a piece of white meat like a fish or chicken.

These are simple health tips you can follow for better eating.

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The media does love a good drug scare and this week’s boogeyman is bath salts. The drug has been attributed to a number of bizarre criminal incidents ranging from cannibalism to burglary. Bath salts were even features on AE’s Intervention.

Bath salts are typically the chemical MDVP or mephedrone. They are psychostimulants sold online or in head shops and are typically snorted, though they can be injected. The high most resembles meth in that it gives the user energy and euphoria but can also cause anxiety and paranoia. The drug is no doubt dangerous but it is by no means more dangerous than meth or PCP and is not a super drug, as it has been described as in the media. Arguably the scariest aspect of the drug is its availability considering it can be easily bought online and, in certain states, over the counter. The chemicals have been around for a while but only recent have come into use so little is known about their long term effects. However since the drugs they are related to have severely damaging long term effects it would not be surprising if bath salts did as well.

Many lawmakers are moving quickly to ban bath salts but the genie is out of the bottle. A ban in England simply caused the drug to go underground. It is still readily available in the UK. Be healthy and practice wellness, avoid bath salts!

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By June Healthy

If you find your heart racing, chest pains, dizziness, light-headedness or nausea, or difficulty breathing, then you may be suffering from panic attacks. These attacks may get severe if not treated early. There are lots of medicines that claim to be effective in curing panic attacks. However, many consumers who purchase these drugs have suffered side effects after several months. Here, I will advise you on some of the natural remedies for panic attacks.

1. Deep breathing. Yes, you can treat panic attacks by controlling your breathing rhythm. The key in this is to remain calm when tense. The best way to control tension is by slowly breathing in, filling in your lungs, and then slowly breathing out. If practiced properly, you will be able to stay calm in any situation.

2. Avoid caffeine and other stimulating products. Although this may be difficult to many, I would advise you to avoid that cup of coffee in the morning. I know you try to calm your nerves with nicotine and caffeine; however, the truth is that they affect hormones in the body. The only way you will be capable of controlling your anxiety is to stay healthy and balance your stimulant intake.

3. Exercise regularly. Consistent physical exercise would be the best remedy to cool your anxiety. Anytime you feel an anxiety (or panic) attack coming, rather than close the doors and sit down in your house, visit the gym or go for a run. It gets your mind off of it when you find distractions.

These are three safe and natural remedies for panic attacks. By adopting these natural remedies you’ll feel as if you’re just living healthy and happy, and far less stressed out.

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By June Healthy

There are a lot of health and fitness tips; however, not all are safe and effective. There have been lots of tips displayed on ads as the best way to stay healthy and keep fit. Although these ads look convincing, most of these health and fitness methods are quite risky. To help you be healthy and maintain a beautiful body, I will tell you some of the best health and fitness tips.

1. Eat small, healthy meals. Some people get confused when it comes to keeping fit. Note that keeping fit does not call on skipping meals, but eating healthy meals. It is advisable that you what you eat in terms of caloric intake, so eat in proportion.

2. Another tip is to exercise regularly. There are lots of exercises; ensure that you are doing the right exercises for your body. I recommend you to search for right exercises to target weight gaining zones before you start.

3. Drink more water. Water is very important when it comes to staying health. It is also recommended that you avoid unhealthy drinks such as soda and alcohol. You can also take milk as an alternative to water.

These are some of the safest health and fitness tips. By following these tips, you are working toward healthy living.

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Here is yet another entry to the Exercise of the Week series of blog posts!  This time we have a compound exercise focusing on the lats called the chin-up.  With this exercise you are going to need a stable chin-up bar and enough space to do it with.  Thought it can work out your biceps, forearms, and other parts of your back, its main focus is on working out your lats.  Now that the introductions are done let us get down to the exercise!

1. Grab the chin-up bar with your palms facing you with a grip a little closer than shoulder-width.
2. Your starting position is this: grip the bar at an appropriate width, arms fully extended while keeping your torso straight and sticking your chest out; this will help curve out your lats and ensure the right form for the exercise.  Breathe in before you start.
3. Pull your torso up until your head is at about the level of the bar and breathe out.  Use your biceps to lift your body and keep your elbows close to your body.  Be sure to only use your arms to perform this exercise and keep your straight.
4. When at the top hold for a contracted second and then slowly lower yourself.  Breathe in as you do this.
5. Repeat this process in as many reps and sets as recommended.

This is both a fun and effective exercise to do so to it well for wellness‘ sake!  Remember, for continued healthy living hydrate often!

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Hey guys!  This week we are focusing on an exercise called one-arm side laterals.  This exercise is currently a part of my cycle on days I exercise my shoulders.  One-arm side laterals are isolation exercises that focus squarely on your shoulders.  What you are going to need is a single dumbbell of the appropriate weight and a way to balance yourself if need be, e.g. a bench or weight racks.  But once you are prepared let us start the exercise:

1. Hold the dumbbell in one hand with your arm by your side and your palm facing you  Your free hand should be used to balance yourself by holding onto something sturdy.  This is your starting position.
2. With your torso straight, left the dumbbell to the side with a slight bend at the elbow.  Continue going up until your arm is parallel to the floor – do not swing!  Exhale as you perform this part of the exercise.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbell down to the starting position at your side and inhale as you do it.
4. Repeat for as many reps and in as many sets as recommended.
5. Switch arms and repeat.

For overall healthy living and physique, this is an excellent exercise for your shoulders.  Remember, for the sake of wellness, keep yourself hydrated!

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Healthy living and staying fit is important to many people.  We want to take care of ourselves and improve our physique.  In this series of posts I will be recommending exercises and workouts that could help you reach your goals.  This week I will be focusing on a bicep exercise called concentration curls.  This is known as an isolation exercise, which means you only use one joint or one muscle group to perform the exercise.

This is how you perform concentration curls:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench and lean slightly forward.  Make sure your arm is fully extended with the dumbbell grasped in your hand and brace your elbow on your leg.  (Your palm should be facing you.)
2. Once you are ready, slowly and carefully curl your arm toward you; this is where the “concentration” comes from.  Once you reach the top of the curl hold for 1 full second then slowly bring it down.  You must not use any other part of that arm to lift but if you must, you can use your free hand to finish a rep.
3. Do that for as many reps as recommended and in as many sets as recommended for one arm.
4. Switch to the other arm and repeat.

This is an excellent exercise for building strength and increasing the mass of your bicep.  Remember, for the sake of wellness always keep yourself hydrated and do not overexert yourself!

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This past week, for the first time in almost ten years, I started indoor rock climbing again.  As you can imagine there is a lot of grabbing onto rocks and climbing up dozens of feet to reach the top.  Getting into it again after so long a time away from it was, needless to say, quite the wake up call.  Regardless, it was still fun to do.

In the rock gym I go to there are two types of rock climbing: bouldering and belaying.  Bouldering requires a person to climb without the safety of a rope.  Belaying uses a rope to stop a potential fall and requires some training to participate in.  Since I was comfortable with bouldering I decided to do that.  Much like swimming, rock climbing is a total body workout.  Not only does it work out your forearms – in fact, my forearms are still sore from Saturday’s excursion – it works out other parts of your arms, your legs, your core and back.  Besides gripping the handholds you are also pushing and pulling yourself thereby working out your biceps and triceps.  Since you have to keep a careful and firm footing with your legs and occasionally push yourself off a wall, you are working your entire leg structure.  By pulling yourself up and close to the wall, as well as manipulating your body to traverse it, you are building your back and core strength.  Not to mention, your are building muscle and doing major cardio work.

Besides the obvious workout rock climbing offers, it is just plain fun!  When climbing be sure to have a partner available to spot you and keep you safe.

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