Breaking Bad Habits to Weight Loss

Usually bad habits are the hardest to break. It was said that bad habits come from our own desire thus feed our hearts as well. We all know that the mind and the heart seldom agree with each other and about 80% of the people I know follow their hearts than heed their minds' warnings. These people find it easier to do so even if they know it will lead them to things they will regret soon. But, who could really blame them? Whatever makes a man happy, the does.

Emotional eating, on its own is a bad habit to break. Usually, when we experience something, whether it's bad or good, we seek food to comfort us. When we experience success, we celebrate with food; when we feel down and under, we rely on foods to lift up our spirits. One of the basic necessities known to man is food--when our stomachs are happy, we are happy.

But we know all too well that one bloated stomach, no matter how happy it might be, is never good. After gleeful bonding moments with the food we eat, it will leave us with anxious, guilty feeling that we have gone overboard yet again. Below is a list of bad habits that we must be keeping an eye on. Most probably, we were stuffing ourselves with food without even realizing it.

• I’ve already discussed emotional eating; it is the state when we eat to lighten up our day instead of regular hunger pains. This also includes boredom; we eat because we are bored. Eating should be considered as maintaining the body to an optimum level, not satisfying the soul. Snacking is found to be dangerous to someone who is trying to loose weight. This includes activities such as "unconscious" snacking while watching TV or reading a book.
• Activities that will require you to an almost immobile, catatonic state should also be eliminated. Watching TV for a long period of time will cause declining heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism rate resulting to lesser caloric burn. When your job demands you to sit for hours on end, take up a daily activity like walking and running just to compensate for the immobile hours you have been spending in the office.
• It takes the brain 15-20 minutes before letting you know that your stomach is already full so eating fast is not a good idea; you may be eating a lot more than your stomach really needs. Skipping meals however put you in a state when the brain signals to eat more to make up with what you've missed out. While sleeping less boosts appetite hormone called ghrelin and lowers appetite suppressor leptin at the same time, making you feel hungry.
• It would be helpful to once in a while detoxify your body of accumulated waste inside. Use colon flushes to improve systemic health and regulate digestive activity thus protecting you from dangers of overeating. Bad habits are not easily broken but when you have every reason to end this for your own good, then why not?

image from http://creoleindc.typepad.com/

Funny Quotes

I'm in the habit of posting funny quotes to my Facebook account everyday. Although I see quite a few of them there that are either too deep or too obnoxious, I choose to be light and funny, not too profound but practical--just the way our lives should be, right? so here it is, my compilation of funny quotes, gathered all over the internet. i hope it brightens up your day. happy reading..! =)

"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before."--Mae West

"A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."--Herm Albright.

"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."--one pissed off fellow

"It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives."--not mine.

"All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. " -goodquotes.com

"Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film!"--photographer with a digicam

"A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory."-Alzheimer's patient

"Some say the glass is half empty, Some say the glass is half full, I say "are you gonna drink that?"--unknown alcoholic

"if barbie is so popular....then why do you have to buy her friends?"--mother of an annoying brat

"The only true love is love at first sight; second sight dispels it."-Israel Zangwill

"Men, chocolate, and coffee are all better rich."-- a twice-divorced lady looking for love

"Those people who tell me that I'm going to hell while they are going to heaven somehow make me very glad that we're going to separate destinations." -Martin Terman

"Don't spend your life as a pretty bitch... God will send you back nice and ugly!" --Fritz

"Love is temporary insanity curable by marriage." - Ambrose Bierce

"Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law." - Hubert Humphrey

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."- Buddha quotes

"You don't get anything clean without getting something else dirty." - Cecil Baxter

well, that's it for now, feel free to send in your favorite quote/quotes and if there's some other time for this kind of post, I'll include yours, links and all! thanks!=)

image from http://www.supersilly.com/~greg/images/

How to Read Labels

I stumbled upon this commercial while TV surfing yesterday clearly stating that reading food labels are important. It got me thinking since I depend on advertisements alone for new brands to try and I never, not even once, checked labels in grocery stores. I just shove everything else and make a mad dash to the counter so I can get out of there as fast as I can.

Well, because I think if I stayed long in there, the tab will be too horrendous to pay, so I excuse myself gracefully all the time.

After this commercial incident, I browsed in the net for a while, looking for some answers and here is what I’ve learned..

..how to read labels.

There are two kinds of labels for pre-packed and canned products. The nutritional label, which is the larger one, is required by the law. It contains nutritional information such as calories per serving and fat content. If you have specific health concerns, this is something you must read.

The other one is the ingredients label. This is way smaller compared to the nutritional label. Here you can find what substances were used in manufacturing the product, both raw and chemical ingredients so if you are allergic, let say to peanuts, you should check the ingredients label before purchasing the product.

Now, the one in front of the product is NOT regulated in any way so you should not trust this one. This is manufacturer’s “space” where they can write anything to their heart’s desire. Nasty right? I should have known that!

How Smokers Respond to Economic Recession

with the economic recession, we cut corners. we as consumers face soaring energy cost, high food prices, cruel mortgages or rent, incessant layoffs and what not. but, I learned today..

..how smokers respond to economic recession..

well it seems that smokers, when faced with terrible pressure, they're willing to forgo everything else but their cigarettes. In fact, recession only made smoking rate go higher than ever. The CDC or Centers for Disease and Control announced last March of this year what they feared all along: people are turning to cigarettes to alleviate and ease out some stress of the economic recession--a deadly reaction, indeed. According to the good office, smoking rate has been steadily rising since 1997 and almost doubled in figure by the end of 2008.

Apparently, people are beginning to feel a lot of pressure that it becomes harder for them to quit the smoking habit even if they do know they need to stop.

How Nasty Bedbugs Attack!

Bedbugs are nasty critters lurking at corners of your bed, waiting for you every single night. it's really interesting how these parasites can hide within your bed forever without you knowing it. it's just crazy! so upon closer look, i found out..

..how nasty bedbugs attack!..

Bedbugs are not fond of sunlight so they hide while the sun is up and activates when it's dark and they like warm blood. they belong to bug family Cimicidae, close relatives of pet fleas and bat bugs, the size of apple seeds. they closely resemble cockroaches only they differ in color. aside from their usual hangout--your bed, they can also hide in furnitures, clothings, walls, and dark crevices.

and that is not all, your bedbug friends work this way: while you are far away in dreamland, they will insert two needle point tubes into the skin, the first one contains its own saliva that will coagulate your blood and anesthetize its drawing point so that you won't feel its sting and won't interfere with your dreaming state while the second one will draw blood and suck off until their bottoms are full. freaky huh? at least the little critter is considerate enough not to wake you up.

for chronic travelers, please beware of these "additional amenities" upon checking in your room. they can ruin your vacation plus they might decide to come home with you, if they happen to like you that much..

Things You Must Do In Melaka, Malaysia

hi, I know my last post was pretty stale, been busy. had computer problems last night and i need to get someone to fix it for me, thanks to my great friend, she was able to save my day. right now, i have to sit still and wait for my computer to come home.

so while i wait, i blog. that is how you spend your little break right? let's do some traveling since it's my vacation now..

for the last 2 weeks, i was working on this Asian travel site and I was able to know some places that are quite interesting to visit. if only i have time, i will do so.. =( so here it is, i hope you will enjoy reading this one.

things you must do in Melaka, Malaysia

Melaka, Malaysia is quite a small place, painted in red. they are literally painted red, hence the name "red city". everything you need to see is highly concentrated in its small town center and you can actually get from one destination to another on-foot. last July 7, 2008 it was recognized as one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with its cousin Georgetown. also, there is a trail called Melaka heritage trail, that goes around all major stops in one organized trail. I am not sure if they also offer guided tours but that is not entirely impossible. this map, you can get from Malacca tourist information center.

BUT, i'm pretty lost with maps and i prefer walking aimlessly when I am in some place new. so I will leave the map alone for now and will discuss them if i have time.

1. St. Paul Church Ruins. this church is a famous landmark and it is located at the top of St. Paul's Hill and was built in 1521. there is also a statue of St. Francis Xavier overlooking the sea. his body was buried here for some time before it was shipped back to India. check out century-old tombstones in the ruins.

2. Dutch Square. dutch square is an all-in-one package and this is also the heart of Melaka. you can find the oldest protestant church here, Christ Church and Queen Victoria's clocktower. the oldest dutch building Stadthuys can also be found in this area. the picture above is the Christ Church. look up..

3. Christ Church is very interesting too. it was built 255 years ago and ancient tombstones line the church floor. check out the glazed tiles that completes the "Last Supper", it's really neat. and also, those pews are handmade dating back some 200 years ago.

4. Kampung Kling Mosque is a famous tourist spot in Melaka, Malaysia. it is the oldest mosque in Malacca built in 1748. while there, check out its neighbors, Cheng Hoon Teng temple and Sri Poyatha Venayaga Moorthi temple. both temples are non-Muslims but they do coexist peacefully.

5. A'Famosa is the fort, what you see now in Melaka is the fort's surviving gate, Porta de Santiago. everything else were brought down during the war. porta de santiago is located at the foot of St. Paul's hill just beside the Melaka Sultanate Palace. it was then a huge fort built in 1512 by Alfonso Albuquergue. today, porta de santiago stands as a proud landmark for the city of Melaka.

6. visit Melaka museums. there are plenty of them like Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, the Governor's Museum and the Maritime Museum. visit them for a museum overdose!

7. ride a trishaw. I don't know why they are called as such, maybe because it resembles rickshaws from chinese culture only it is a three-wheeled motorcycle, not some poor, thin man pulling carts. it may sound weird but they are really interesting to look at. usually, they are adorned with colorful, paper flowers and they pick up tourist along the way. I am pretty sure they offer tours around Melaka as well.

8. visit Princess Hang Li Poh's well and throw in some pennies. this is a gift for the chinese princess from Sultan Mansur Syah built in 1459, the oldest well in Melaka.

like I said, this place is really small, but you will have lots of fun exploring the city. consider it as your own small playground. so if you are planning to visit Malaysia, do stop by Melaka and send me some postcards will you?.. ;)

What Botox Can Do For You

I'll make this post real quick and painless so let's start. I was able to pick up some infos about Botox. I am pretty sure, everyone knows what this drug is for but let's have a closer look. I learned today..

..what botox can do for you.

botox is a compound drug used for paralyzing overactive facial muscles. this is used for treatment of uncontrolled eye blinking and strabismus, an eye condition. in skin care clinics however, they are used to smoothen out fine lines and wrinkles. botox should be injected directly into the skin. this procedure is quite painless and very quick, just a few jabs around areas of concern. results are instant and very dramatic.

although Botox yields noticeable results, they are not permanent. within 2-3 months time, lines will begin to show again hence the need to go back for another round of botox treatment. it also has its share of side effects to boot such as droopy eyelids and allergic reactions and it is not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding moms and those suffering from neurological conditions.