Ok, I stumbled on this as I was surfing the net. There, I read multiple stories of each survivor’s story and suddenly I felt sadness for those people who had went through it. It’s about kids being sold as slaves in poor countries. I stumble on one, she said her parents always fought, she never felt loved. She was sold and served as a slave. Often she was beaten. She tried running away only to get capture again and then beaten even worse but she managed to eloped with a boy. Soon they were married but both were involved in a car accident. She injured her legs and came to realized that her husband had abandoned her, left her to fend for herself. She later found herself at a homeless shelter and there she still resides not fully recovered from the accident. She thinks she is priceless. It’s so heartbroken that someone can sell their own child just for a couple hundred dollars ($500 in her case). There are many similar stories like this one and there really isn’t anything that can be done about this. I just hate to think that these parents would sell their child just for a few bucks. I can’t fathom these thoughts. I know it happens everywhere. Why is the world so corrupted? There is another story of a disabled boy who got sold at the age of five by his mother and brother. The reason he was sold was because of his disability. He remembers that day as he saw the strange people handing his mother money and then found himself leaving with them. He was forced to beg for money on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand along with other kids that has been sold. He recalls being so hungry and weak that he couldn’t even crawl when he was out begging. Soon he got sick and used a stick to support him when walking as this disease affected his legs. He was retrieved by Thai polices and stayed in confinement for weeks. There he was beaten by older inmates because of his disability. Finally he was transferred to a shelter and there he shares his story. I only read a few because it got emotional for me. I only hope that these problems in the world don’t progress and decreases but I know it won’t. Poverty is too high everywhere, even in America. I only hope.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What’s the difference between fats?
Ever heard the concept of fighting bad fat with good fat? I didn't either until I stumbled on a health website. Well with further research, I found out why we need to fight our bad fats with foreign good fats. First you’re probably wondering what the difference is. The “bad” fat can increase our cholesterol levels, in which could cause us to have a heart attack one day. Saturated fat or fats from animals whether it’s on the meat or in dairy is also a no no. Eating these kinds of fat will MAKE you fat; although, they have so much palatability! The “good” fats can actually lower cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Good fats can be found in safflower oil, olive oil, avocado, egg yolks, fish, and peanuts. Fats are chemically triglycerides in our bodies. Triglycerides main job is to provide us with energy, insulation, and protect our organs from injuries (to certain extents). Our bodies loves loves loves to store fat because it’s thinking it’s doing us a favor in case we get stuck on a deserted island one day ( the only time you wish you were fat) . Well if there are too much triglycerides, the body cannot metabolize it fast enough therefore it gets backed up in the blood stream and thus causes the most leading health predicaments. A subcategorized group is the saturated fats. Its chemical structure has clusters of hydrogen atoms which will bond to so many other things like amino acids and stuffs; thus generating FAT! The good fats are unsaturated fats meaning less hydrogen atoms, less chemical bond hence less fat! Another good fat is omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in fish. What this fat does is to help regulate blood pressure, blood clot formation, and the immune system. People that take in the daily recommended dosage are less likely to have any kind of cardiovascular diseases as oppose to people that don’t (like me). People who are looking to lose weight would usually ingest good fats to aid them during their weight lost journey. So, next time if someone asks you if you ever heard of fighting bad fat with good fat you can say YES I HAVE!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Kids huh....
What is with kids these days? They think they are entitled to anything and everything. Well at least mines do. I remember when I was younger, I’d be happy if I got a shopping pass from Wal-Mart and now, my kids won’t even wear clothes from there. I guess it’s somewhat my fault because I’m the one who chose to expose them to the world of fashion and labels. But that is not the point, how they develop this selfish, ungrateful, self-entitled attitude is what I’m trying to figure out. Their father and I have always taught them to say thank you and only want what they have but lately, oh man, they have been asking for ridiculous things and when I say no they get mad and yells “I hate you mommy! You’re mean!” what is the deal? My first is a bit better; he knows when to ask and when not to ask. All he wants for Christmas is a piano, so a piano it is. My second, he’s the bad one. He’s always yelling and not listening to me. I get so frustrated with him. I give him more than what he deserves and he still lashes out. His dad told me to start taking things away and not include him in fun events when he doesn’t listen but seriously like I’m going to do that, heck no because I believe in equality for my kids. I know this sounds weird and maybe I’m setting myself up but I’m a mom and can’t help it. My daughter, she is still two; the age where she is starting to understand but not fully so I have to be patient with her. But oh boy, she sure knows how to push my buttons! I guess it’s the universal phase known as the “terrible twos”? She is the only one that thanks me though. Every time I feed them or buy something for them she’s always yelling in the background “thank you mommy!’’ and doesn’t stop saying thanks until I say you’re welcome princess. The boys, they forget but once she says it they follow. These kids are not awful kids but they just need learn how to be more appreciative. I’m trying to slowly by using psychology on them; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, hopefully it does though. I’m hoping to mold these munchkins into grateful and responsible adults one day, so they won’t be the ones racking up huge credit card bills. I hope.
Crazy for coconuts!
Who wants a coconut? Last night, I finally decided to crack open my Thai younge coconut that has been sitting in my fridge and drink the juice. As I was drinking the juice, I started wondering what the benefits of drinking coconut juice are as well as eating the coconut meat. So here I am today writing a post about it.
What I found out is that coconut juice is low in carbohydrates, almost 100% fat free, and low in sugars. The benefits of coconuts are because of its isotonic properties with the same levels of electrolytes in our blood, it has the ability to re-hydrate and cool the body. This is ideal after an intense workout. Also the properties in coconut water can aid in weight loss by increasing the metabolism. Not only does it increase the metabolism, it also detoxifies and fights against unknown antigens that can get the body sick. What I really liked was that is also balances the pH in the body in which reduces possible effects of cancer. It is also used to treat kidney stones and urethral stones.
Wow, also supposedly coconut water was used in wars to save lives and 3rd world countries through coconut IV because it has the same properties as human blood. It is healthier than orange juice with less calories and even better than processed baby milk!
When compared to most sports and energy drinks, coconuts contains about 294mg if potassium; which is more than any sports or energy drinks out there, less sodium (about 25mg) while sports drinks have 41mg and energy has 200mg. Also it has natural sugars of only 5mg as oppose to artificial sugars that are 10 to 25 mg. Coconut water is also high in chloride containing 118 mg rather than sports which contains 39mg. Best of all is that coconut water is natural and sterile right from the nut.
I prefer the young coconuts because they are fresher and the coconut meat is edible unlike the brown ones seen at local grocery shops. The younger coconuts can be found in most oriental markets but they are costly ranging from $3 -$4 for one. Opening them can be a challenge too but I have included a link on YouTube showing how opening one is done. That’s how I learned. But a sturdy knife will be needed. Oh, and don’t bother cutting the top off I think it’s a waste of time. I just chop my top off and peel the coconut meat off. I hope you’ll enjoy your coconuts if you ‘ll decide to try one today.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friends
Have you ever have someone that is always in and out of your life? Well for me, it’s friends. I don’t know but I have this friend that is always in and out. She is a super awesome loyal friend but it seems as though she’s always running. I’ve never really have friends that stick because it seems as though my life is always changing and the friends that I do have I only contact them through cyber space. My high school friends I don’t even see anymore but only on Facebook. This saddens me because I want to see them all. My work friends, since I moved to Mo, I don’t see them anymore either and the few friends I managed to make in MO ended up moving away. This is why I say it seems as though they don’t stick. Well back to my friend, we were besties ( so I thought) but once I moved to Mo she turned around and found another besty. I don’t really mind but she’s keeps e-mailing me telling me how much she misses me and wants to come see me. I miss her too but last time she was in town, she never came to see me. I was a little disappointed but I thought she had other things on her mind. That was the last time I heard from her until last night. I received a friend request on Fb and it turned out that it was her. She claims that she was looking for me this whole time (hard to believe because I tried contacting her through Fb before). My husband said that I can still talk to her but keep my distance because he has a feeling that she is those type that wants to know what is going on in your life, tells you your life sucks and hers is better, then ignores you again. Yea I see where he is coming from. I’m sure some of you can relate right? I just wish things turned out differently though. I’m not the talkative or outgoing type at first so it’s hard for me to make friends but once you get to know me then I open up and get outgoing. I would say I am loyal to my friends and do what I can for them. I respect them and would not say anything that would offend them. I try to keep them but again they just won’t stick not because they don’t like me (at least I don’t think so) but because life changes. I’m not looking but I always welcome. I just miss going shopping with them or sharing my thoughts with them. Then again there is my husband, he is my lover, my best friend, and my one and only. When all else fails he is always there for me and holding my hands. Well I have nothing else to rant about so thanks for reading my thoughts today guys. I appreciate it!
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is a series of poses called asana and the first records of yoga was dated back in 2700 BC. By practicing yoga, one can find many benefits; for instance, one can develop muscular strength, flexibility, and concentration. What do you think of when you think of yoga? I didn't think I was ever going to take yoga or do yoga as an exercise but after having my second baby, I decided to do something different. Since the baby, my stomach muscles were so weak I couldn't even do a simple crunch but since I started doing yoga it has helped me strengthen my core. Not only yoga has to do with poses but it also emphasizes on breathing as well. Here is the idea, when extending you inhale and when you contract you exhale. I sometimes get my breathing confused but my instructor said that it takes practice and once you master your breathing then your workouts will be optimal. Not only breathing is practiced but also concentration too. In order to stand in a pose for 60 sec. there’s got to be concentration. There are some poses that only one leg is supporting the weight of the body. I tend to lose my balance on these kinds of asana.
There are certain styles of yoga. There is ashtanga and power yoga for those who are looking for a more vigorous workout which helps improve muscle tone. For the less vigorous styles of yoga there are lyengar and hatha which has to do with precise alignment in poses that can help develop strength and endurance. Other poses like downward dog or plank helps build upper body strength and standing poses like tree or eagle helps build strengthen the hamstring, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. By having flexibility and strength, your posture also gets better because a stronger sore is developed. Strengthening the transverse abdominal strengthens will help you stand and sit up taller.
Breathing is also an important part of yoga. With improved breathing, the lungs capacity improves as well. Did you know, only people breathe in only 1/3 of oxygen into their lungs due to improper breathing? Yogis think that there are stale air on the bottom of the lungs and by breathing deeper breaths allows that stale air to come out. By deepening and lengthening your breath can also help you relax and relieve stress because this calms the mind.
Long time yogis tend to be more outgoing, less stress, and positive in life than others because of the benefits of yoga. Yoga is a great way of strengthening your body in more ways than you can imagine. I just started doing yoga at the beginning of this semester and think of continuing because I need these benefits. Yoga is for those who are looking for something different and effective. Trust me; you’ll feel a lot better after only one session.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)