Me Time

After rushing back and forth to Jacksonville because my sister has been ill and trying to finish out my last semester of serious classes, I am tired. And after sleeping through my class on Tuesday and getting through the week in a semi-lethargic state, I realize that not only do I need rest, but I need to relax.

Relaxing is good for your health. "Chronic stress is like having your engine in overdrive all the time," says stress expert Elissa Epel, PhD, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco in an Oprah.com article. Epel said in the article, that relaxation is absolutely necessary for overall good health and longevity.

So, what's the best way to relax? Some choose meditation or a bubble bath, but normally my choice is a book - a good novel that I can close myself up in my room and get lost in a world other my own. It's time for my engine to cool off.

According to the article, three creative ways to relax are to indulge your interests by doing something you fully enjoy, step into a different world by going to one of the monasteries across the country or to retrain your brain using neurofeedback (Clearly, the only one of those I can afford is to indulge my interests, so I guess my book wins).

Women's Health Magazine suggests drinking green tea and avoiding caffeine, getting an aromatherapy massage, meditation and creating a relaxation room at home. Since, I'm just a stressed college student spending most of my meager budget on caffeine to keep me awake everyday, I guess my book wins again.

How do you relax?

The Holidays are coming

The year is almost over and the holiday season is swiftly approaching. And what do people do during the holidays? Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Halloween will be filled with children eating candy and college students drinking alcohol. Some may even have a mini cook-out on Veteran's Day since there's no school or work. Thanksgiving will be the day of turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and dressing (at least at my house), not to mention the desert table of cake and pies galore! Then, the Christmas season brings a dinner to rival Thanksgiving, eggnog and milk and cookies for Santa (or Mom and Dad). Finally, New Year's completes it with plenty of drinks, parties and great food.

Everyone is pretty happy until they write their New Year's resolutions which include either lose weight or go to the gym __ times a week. Go ahead and fill in the blank, I do it every year.

According to The New York Times, although people report gaining on average five pounds during this time of year, several studies show that they only gain one pound. But, the problem lies in the fact that they never lose it, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. And according to the article, people who are already overweight gain a lot more.

Well, here are some tips to avoid weight gain during the next two months of calories and leftovers compiled from various sources:

1. If you don't have it, you can't eat it. Use smaller plates, which results in smaller portions and get rid of leftovers after the feast, according to CNN.com. You don't have to throw it away, just let someone else take it home.

2. Get the most out of Black Friday. Stimulate the economy and burn a few calories simultaneously. About.com suggests parking at the far end of the lot, taking the stairs, turn the cruise around the mall during any holiday shopping into a power walk, and please do carry heavy bags as you take the long way to your car.

3. Talk. Don't worry about what's at the table, focus on being social with everyone in the room. The Cleveland Clinic suggests making conversation with family and friends instead of focusing on eating because conversation is calorie-free.

4. Follow the Ten Commandments. Good Housekeeping created a 10 Commandments of Holiday Weight Control which all basically say "no excuses." Don't use the holidays as a crutch to get over on skipping your workouts, eating bigger portions, and ignoring what you usually do to eat healthy. Also, step on the scale weekly so you'll know if you're off track before it's too late.

5. Have a plan. Now, that I've given you time to think about it, you can do as Medicinenet.com suggests and plan in advance. Eat before you go to a holiday gathering, pick up healthy snacks if you're going to be traveling and resist temptation.

Try to keep your weight constant this season to avoid the struggle of losing it.

Passport to Pretty

Although I'm partial to France, because I studied abroad there this past summer, Women's Health Magazine has some great international beauty tips in a slideshow "Passport to Pretty."

Women in France, do their own manicures by soaking their fingers in warm water with lemon juice to remove the color that red polish leaves behind. Smart, since it's hard to go from a dark color to a lighter color.

A personal favorite of mine in this group, Japanese women take a sake bath to help their skin glow.

It's also pretty cool, that some Mexican women curl their lashes with teaspoons.

Check out this slideshow here, for some cool beauty tips from around the world. I promise, I have never heard of any of these before.

1 out of every 4 women

... will experience hair loss. According to this video of the television show "The Doctor's."

Watching this 26-year-old woman cry about her hair loss really made me cringe. My friends know that I've been worried about putting chemicals in my hair because I see so many older women with bald spots. Take my youthful beauty, but don't take my hair!

I'm glad the doctors tried to help her by using laser treatment. The "after" pictures showed a tremendous difference in her hair. I won't spoil the video for you by telling you too much about it, but I thought it was a really touching story.

Check it out here.

Self Magazine published an article "Hair Nightmare," that tells the story of women with similar stories to the one in the video. If you experience abnormal hair loss, you should see a specialist. It could be Alopecia, which has many classifications and causes, such as Telogen effluvium which can be caused by stress or nutritional deficiencies.

I want to learn to cook

This post is short and sweet. Possibly, no informational value for you.

Send Me Recipes (or places to get recipes or tips)!! I want to learn to cook.

Funds are low, and my bank statement has started to look like a listing of all the restaurants in town. So, I hope to start making use of the grocery store and my kitchen, but I need help!

If you have this problem too, here are some resource I'm looking into:

Essence.com: It has a recipe search and even a discussion board to talk with others about recipes.

CampbellsKitchen.com: This Web site also has a search function and it includes weekly recipes, a savings center and a nutrition and wellness link.

Publix.com: You can never go wrong with Buy One, Get One Free and Meal Deals from your local grocery store.

Amazon.com: To find a good cookbook

And many different newspapers and magazines for articles like this one, that introduced me to this Web site.

This starts TODAY! Help me out here and I'll keep you posted. :)

The Most Beautiful Woman

Now, it was weird enough when a rapper, Hurricane Chris, made a song (all five minutes of it) dedicated to saying how "fine" Halle Berry is, but when girls started to dance to it and they along with the people in the video and myself look nothing like her, there was a problem.

(See the video or hear the song here.)

Fitness Magazine said, "You don't have to be Halle Berry to show off some seriously sexy curves -- but it helps to have her trainer." So, they posted an article of six moves for hips, thighs and waist workouts, by Harley Pasternack, one of Hollywood's best fitness professionals and Halle's trainer.

Being the stick figure that I am, I'm excited about the Bench Step-up, where you hold two dumbbells and step up to the bench with one leg, because it works your thighs, hips, glutes and shoulders. The fitness level plan at the end, helps you maximize result for your personal needs.

Now you can look like Halle Berry too! (Cue Music)

iPod Workout

I've been doing a little mid-semester traveling, which sucks because it's also midterm time. This reflects negative on my school work and of course my health. Eating on the go will more than likely always be unhealthy eating for me, since my regular habits aren't so great. The same goes for my workouts.

But thanks to my handy dandy iPod Touch, I can find some simple things to do on the go. I can download workouts to my media player from Women's Health magazine's online site. The cost: FREE.

No gym needed and Get a great stomach are two workouts that you can download from the Web site. You get a video and a slide show of the workout, and of course, you can listen to your favorite tunes at the same time.

As for on the go eating habits, I'll think about that another day.