Don’t skip meals

Skipping meals is probably one of the most common diet faux pas. Depriving yourself of food when you want to lose weight is one strategy that is guaranteed to fail. I know this from experience.

Here’s one reason why you should not starve yourself when you want to lose weight:  When you skip a meal, your body will starve and the tendency is to eat more than what you need on your next meal. So instead of doing yourself a favor, it has gotten you into a lot more trouble. The solution is to eat small servings at an interval of time. It is much better to eat small healthy servings rather than totally depriving yourself. In between meals prevents hunger pangs and gives you consistent amount of energy during the day.

When you want to lose weight, you need to find ways of promoting faster metabolism. This is the chemical process in which our body converts the calories that we eat into energy. And skipping meals or crash dieting will not boost metabolism, in fact, it even slows it down. Why?

When you’re body does not get the right amount of food at a certain time, it is threatened and goes into survival mode. It struggles to keep the calories and stores the fat, which means it tries to slow down your metabolism which is what you do not what to happen when you’re trying to lose weight. Many believe that they still have lost weight using this approach but any weight loss during these times would mostly come from decreased water retention and most often than not, you will not be able to sustain it due to loss of energy.

There are a lot of diet solutions out there but if you are trying to lose those excess baggages or just want maintain good health, the best way is to have healthy diet and fitness routine.

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Coming from a large family

In these day and age, a lot of married couple tend to limit the size of their family to a minimum of two or three kids mainly because of financial considerations. Probably true, especially with the high cost of living nowadays. However, for me and my hubs we have always opted to have a big family but we were only blessed with two. Not that I am complaining, I have been gifted with two wonderful and talented kids and it is enough to be thankful for but I guess what I am trying to say is that it would be a lot fun if there were more kids at home –both of us love children!

I have seen the downside of having lots of children but for me it outweighs the benefits of having a big family. More siblings mean having more people to love, a lot more people you can depend on and a lot more people to connect and interact with during family gatherings and holidays. I have seen this magic happen with my husband’s family. I obviously haven’t met the rest of their relatives but we seem to have never ending reunions on his side of the family unlike on my end.

It’s lots of fun although you have to contend with different personalities but I actually consider it more of an advantage because it teaches you how to deal with a variety of individuals which strengthens your character and makes you work hard at being a team player.

Have I been blessed with lots of kids, I would probably opt to have baby accessories which will allow me to mix and match such as the multi-functional Baby jogger city select stroller. It’s functional and economical, perfect for expanding families.

Being a parent, the number of children is not the issue, it’s the quality of love and attention you give to your children that matters most.

Encouraging Fiber Rich Diet for Your Kids

It’s a fact that child obesity has come to an alarming rate especially in the US. I have seen and known friends who have nurtured an obese child. Little do these parents know of the psychological effects of obesity among children. Obese children are most likely to grow up with low self-esteem.

I am fortunate that my kids have become aware of the effects of obesity not only from us, parents, but media also has a lot to do with it. Admittedly, kids are so into junk foods and loves fast food but as a mom, I discourage these kinds of food – maybe once in a while but not on a regular basis.

As much as possible, I want them to eat home cooked food and encourage them to devour in fiber rich food such as fruits, cereals, oatmeal and vegetables. I am so glad that I did not have a hard time letting them eat these kinds of foods. Fiber is not only good older people but it is very beneficial for children too. Since it is very filling, children tend to feel full after eating which discourages overeating. In addition, with proper fluid intake, fiber promotes regularity of bowel movement and prevents constipation.

Kids who will continue to have fiber rich diet will definitely have a healthy lifestyle. It does not only reduce the risk of heart diseases, you’re also assured that you won’t have to look for the best hemorrhoid treatment for your hemmorrhiod problems

Learning the basics of Photoshop

Recently, I enrolled in a basic Photoshop class with Leo Castillo of Photoworks Academy. I enrolled because I wanted to learn how to enhance my photos and with Leo as the teacher, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. I took up basic photography class with him and I truly appreciated his approach.

I was right! I learned the basic techniques of Photoshop and more– Less lecture but more on actual, hands on training. I never thought I would learn so much in four sessions coming from zero based knowledge, but I did!

After learning the basic skills, I thought it was enough but he included a couple of advanced techniques like the liquify, blur and other effects. I had fun throughout the session.

Now, I have learned that all those magazine covers are enhanced through Photoshop. It’s interesting how you can make a person appear younger just by some quick touches using Photoshop. Good thing I still wouldn’t have to do it on my own photo but if I have to, I’d probably do, just for appearance sake. But before that happens, like any other women out there, I am trying to delay the ageing process by using anti-wrinkle creams as early as now.

There are a lot of anti-wrinkle creams out there that are recognized by dermatologists, it’s up to you to choose the best that will work for your skin.

As much as possible, we want our beauty to be as natural as it can be not a Photoshop-ed beauty.

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Facing Life’s Adversities

We often hear the old adage, “Life is not a bed of roses.” True. As much as we want to celebrate life to the fullest, a person has to face the fact that with it comes life’s misfortune.

Just last night, I was awed when I heard the news about a dentist falling off from the 6^th floor of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. The dentist, Dr. Mary Anne Magtoto, landed on the second floor of the said mall face down and was rushed to the Medical City but was apparently declared dead on arrival. A lot of speculations are growing regarding the death of this lady but I could only pray for her soul. Visions of her relatives and friends are entering my mind; I can only imagine how this tragic, sudden death would affect the whole family.

Confronted with life’s adversity especially the loss of a loved one can truly be devastating. It is during these times that we really need to strengthen our faith and call on to our different support groups such as friends and family.

Every day we are confronted with different tragedies, as we scan the newspaper, listen to the radio and watch the television. This is a reality. These adversities are attached to our very existence; it’s a matter of how a person would deal with. I personally believe that in our lives, these adversities produce a more resilient person.

Of course, no one could ever wish for any misfortune to happen in his life but we need to understand that no matter what, life will continue its course. Even as we grieve, it will not pause. We may never fully understand the rationale behind our own personal hardships, even as we try to make sense out of it, we can never be prepared once it hits us.

I can only pray for strength…

Dear Lord, You are my refuge and my strength. Give me the grace to always fight all temptations and do your Holy Will. Help me to find strength in the midst of trials and comfort that that you have carried the cross for all my sins. Accept my weakness, O Lord and give me the strength to trust You and put my life in Your Hands. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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Funeral planning is a very unpleasant endeavour especially if it’s for a loved one. However, we need to brace ourselves for life’s uncertainties, even funeral cost is not going anywhere but up. It’s better to be prepared.

iWant an iPad

I first saw an iPad from a friend who came from the US. At first, I thought buying one would be a luxury already since I already have my own laptop and it’s just 6 months old. My second encounter with this hi-tech gadget was with my photography teacher.  He gave me a quick tour of its functionalities. After seeing what it can do, now I can say, iWant an iPad!

I always believed that the usefulness of these new gadgets always depends on a person’s lifestyle.  For a blogger like me, I bring my laptop almost everywhere I go. No matter how heavy it is, I feel it’s a necessity especially if I am running after a deadline.  Plus the fact that I regularly check my emails every so often, and when I am not at home, I use my phone to read them but then I tend to browse through those long emails since it really puts a strain to my eye reading those small fonts. Now, with its browsing and wi-fi capability, I can read emails anywhere even those lengthy ones.

Although it will never replace my laptop, the iPad for me will definitely be a handy tool. And since I would be saving up for this gadget, I want to secure my investment by making sure I have an ipad warranty.

Photo: Apple iPad by John.Karakatsanis on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

No TV on weekdays

Now that school is back, I am also back to enforcing the “No TV Weekdays”.

I need to be strict in enforcing this rule so that kids can focus more on studying. The boob tube is only one of the many distraction for students nowadays. Don’t get me wrong, I do not totally hate TV — the TV can also be a good source of education and entertainment. My kids learned a lot watching those interactive shows however like everything else, everything should be in moderation.

Controlling the use of the television is a way of teaching kids that you need to have occasional fun and entertainment. My hubby and I constantly remind them that there is always a time for everything — a time for school, for studying, for play and recreation. When they understand this, you would not have a hard time coping up and try to frequently break the rule.

I am personally not a TV person except during night time when I try to put myself to sleep and of course, during DVD time with the family. Now that high definition is a new craze, I’d love to get an LCD TV.