I’m attempting to work out more and I really need a good pair of shoes, my want is to run in a marathon at some point, but I hate buying shoes! I really just don’t know what to buy, there are so many to choose from and I’m worried that I am going to get it so wrong!

Of course after taking a look at this graphic showing the comfort shoes for men and women history. I can see why we have so many! I also think that I probably should not be complaining about the selection and ask for a little help. I mean really, think about how much it would suck to have to run in woven shoes. Or walk around in cowhide. Okay, some people still do, but my feet wouldn’t take that torture!

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Chances are your health care provider has reminded you that you need to get enough calcium in your diet or to add a calcium supplement to your daily routine. But, why? Why do women need calcium more so than men and how much calcium should you take? Do you have to take supplements or are there foods that offer enough calcium? More importantly, can you take too much calcium and if so, what happens? The following is everything you need to know about calcium.

Why Do Women Need Calcium?

As women age and hit menopause their bodies produce much less estrogen than before. Unfortunately, estrogen is important in preventing bone loss. For women who haven’t gotten enough calcium in their life, this can be a big problem. You see, as we age our bones stop developing, by the age of 30 our bones have pretty much stopped absorbing calcium. However, calcium is important for our bodies to function and if we aren’t supplying out bodies with enough calcium, the calcium will be taken from our bones. This causes the bone density to decrease and can eventually lead to osteoporosis. Couple the draining of the calcium resources with the lack of estrogen in menopause and you’re looking at very brittle bones, but you can do something about it.

How Much Calcium Should Women Take?

The amount of calcium your body needs can vary, especially for women who take medication that may deplete their calcium stores, such as Depo-Provera. However, the general guidelines state that women in the age range of 19-50 need 1000mg of calcium per day. Women over the age of 50 should consume 1200mg. Remember that these numbers can vary based on medication and your lifestyle. Speak with your health care provider for a more accurate dosage.

Which Foods Are a Good Source of Calcium?

People seem to think that dairy is the only source of calcium. While dairy is an excellent source, oranges, dark leafy greens, salmon and even tofu can be great sources of calcium. There are also a number of calcium-fortified foods on the market.

Is There Such a Thing As Too Much Calcium?

Yes. Taking too much calcium can actually leave you feeling quite ill. The side effects of too much calcium range from constipation to fatigue.

As you can see, calcium is a vital nutrient for staying healthy and active for years to come. If you want to help protect your body from the dangers of osteoporosis, you need to make sure your body gets enough calcium early in life and that you continue to eat a diet that has enough calcium to keep your body healthy.

About the Author: Darrick Bernsten works in a women’s health clinic and spends a lot of time searching for educational materials for his patients. He recomments sites like Yeastinfection.org by Eric Bakker and other sites to women who need more information about common disorders.

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About The Blood Sugar Solution

In THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION, Dr. Mark Hyman reveals that the secret solution to losing weight and preventing not just diabetes but also heart disease, stroke, dementia, and cancer is balanced insulin levels. Dr. Hyman describes the seven keys to achieving wellness-nutrition, hormones, inflammation, digestion, detoxification, energy metabolism, and a calm mind-and explains his revolutionary six-week healthy-living program. With advice on diet, green living, supplements and medication, exercise, and personalizing the plan for optimal results, the book also teaches readers how to maintain lifelong health. Groundbreaking and timely, THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION is the fastest way to lose weight, prevent disease, and feel better than ever.

Read an excerpt.

Mark Hyman, MD, was co-medical director of Canyon Ranch for ten years, and is now the chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine and founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Ultrametabolism, The Ultramind Solution, and The Ultrasimple Diet, and coauthor of Ultraprevention.

Learn more about Mark Hyman:

DrHyman.com

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Twitter @MarkHymanMD

My Review of The blood Sugar Solution

This is an amazing book with a ton of great information, recipes and more. I am diabetic and a lot of the information in this book is what I have been told for a few years, a lot of the information is also new and exciting. I am planning on trying the diet out in a few weeks. Unfortunately my funds are low and I did major grocery shopping just before I received this book! I have tried a couple of recipes though and they are very good. A few of my favorites are:

• Avocado and Herb Omelet
• Minty Hummus
• Walnut Pesto Chicken
• Turkey and Spinach Meat Loaf

One of my favorite sections is the section on how to cut your cravings for sugar and carbs. It’s a 10 step process and everything there makes sense I didn’t once think “why would I do that?” and that is a good thing. The one step I think most people would have a problem with, but could be the most effective is to not drink your calories! I drink mostly water, many people don’t and they need to. It helps a lot! I found that my cravings were cut when I started drinking 5-8 glasses of water a day a few years ago after I found out I was diabetic.

Check out this great video about the book

Giveaway

Win one of three copies of The Blood Sugar Solution!

Giveaway ends March 14th open to U.S and Canada Only. No P.O Boxes

Read this article »

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I know so many of you may be thinking that Paula Deen is a horrible person, but I don’t see it that way. I see her as a normal person, who acted like a normal person who could not admit they have a problem. I myself have many friends who can’t admit that they are harming themselves, have a disease or are not eating right. This is normal! I think we hold celebrities up as Gods, not what they really are, human and normal.

That said. I love that Paula Deen is a spokeswomen now and is trying to use her popularity and celebrity status to change some lives. Is she perfect, no! She is however the perfect example of most diabetics. I myself am diabetic, if you read this blog often you know that.. I am big on being able to enjoy my food, in moderation. I watch her show, I use her recipes, sometimes I change them so that they are healthier for me, sometimes if it’s a special occasion I don’t.

I hate it when someone tells me I can’t have sugar, but having a ton of bread and pasta is okay. Guess what I have to watch my carbs, not just sugar! You try to live on veggies and meat alone every day for the rest of you life. You probably would go crazy within a week, how do you expect me or any diabetic to do the same? This is why doctors say you can have sweets, just not every day and not a lot. Again moderation. If you see a diabetic eating a candy bar, don’t yell at them, maybe that’s the first candy bar they had in a month.

No one is perfect and since the government doesn’t want to help diabetics we not only have to deal with buying expensive healthy food, medicine and pay for doctors bills, unless you’re a lucky person with insurance that actually covers things, but we have to deal with you. People who have never gone though training, are not diabetic and who tell us we can’t do this or can’t do that. I get that maybe your mom, dad or grandmother had diabetes, but research has changed and so has how it is treated. My grandmother had diabetes I know it’s changed! Unless you are a nurse, a doctor or went to diabetes training in the last year shut up!

So, unless you are diabetic you have no right to judge any of us including Paula Deen. I feel she has now woken up from the denial that many go though and is making some positive changes. Did anyone else notices that over the last three years she’s lost a little weight? Maybe she had made changes and now she’s comfortable sharing her disease with the world. Many diabetics don’t want people to know they are diabetic  because we are looked at as lazy, fat people who eat too much. Newsflash, thin people are diabetic too, both type one and type two! If I were a celebrity I would wait to share this information too. I have noticed though celebrities that are diabetic, but thin, have nothing said about them ever, they can eat what they want and no one says a thing. This is just not right, people need to get over yelling at fat people, maybe then they wouldn’t turn to food for comfort.

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I don’t know about other states but in Michigan you can’t smoke in public places anymore. It’s nice for those of us that do not smoke and I love that I can go into a bar and see people, not smoke. The problem is this does cause a problem for people who do smoke. It’s getting cold outside and more and more people don’t want to have to stand in the cold to smoke.

There is a solution for this, you could use an electronic cigarette and not have to worry at all about not being able to get your nicotine fix when you want it. What I love about Electronic cigarettes is that they just have a vapor, so they don’t bother people as much. I do know a few people who still get mad at people using these devices. Though personally I’m not sure why. I would rather have someone using these, then smoking a cigarette in front of kids.

The other nice thing about an electronic cigarette is that they cost less. This means more money in your pocket for bills and other things. I also love that you can use these to help you quit smoking too.

Have you used an electronic cigarette? Share your experience.

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A few years ago I wrote a lot about my weight loss, then I started a blog about it, but I thought I would update you on my progress, or lack of it. I have lost about 35 pounds in the last two years, but I have gained most of it back. Not because I’m not trying to lose weight but because I ended up back on insulin and now I’m always hungry!

I have found myself looking at Herbalife well, more specifically Herbalife Michigan as this is where I live and I kind of want something local. It would be nice to talk to someone who is in my area, knows the economy here in Michigan and the weather as well. Sometimes you get people from the south that don’t understand why you can’t go outside in January.

I’ve heard some really good things about the products and really wanted to find an Herbalife Distributor that was as close to me as possible, I did find a few and there are a few more once I move to I think I may end up waiting till then to really look more into the program. I do have to say the Herbalife Distributors search was really easy to use and there were a lot of people to choose from.

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As a diabetic I find that I need to make sure that everything is working properly and doing Kegel exercises helps to keep me from having an embarrassing moment if I can’t make it to the bathroom quickly.

I decided to check out the Kegelcisor from edenfantasys and so far I love it. it’s easy to use and not as worrisome as the ben wa balls I had been using to do my Kegels. Since it’s one device it’s easy to insert and use to help strengthen my vaginal muscles. Though a little cold when you first use it it does warm eventually. The instructions do state that it is suppose to be cool when you first use it so that is will work properly. It also comes with instructions on how to use the device to get the most out of it. I have noticed a difference and so far I love this product.

Disclosure: I received compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

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