This week, the award goes to another healthy pregnant mother, Heather Edwards.

Previously she was concerned with preeclampsia and she had to get stuck on bed rest.

But now, thank God, she is a lot better.

She wrote:

my blood pressure is back to a healthy level, the cranberry pee is a thing of the past, preeclampsia is no longer any of a concern, and baby Gabe is in perfect position, head down and everything. 

Well, Heather, we all here wish you and the baby health and strength before, during and after the laboring process. Hope you can update us with the good news soon.

And, congratulations, you are our HEALTHY BLOGGER THIS WEEK!

This award is given to those who are healthy, willing to get healthy, in the process of getting healthy…

If you think you deserve the award, simply email me at nadine at healthifica dot com and give me your link so that I can jump right away to your blog…

First, of course, don’t panic. Then…

• Make sure the victim doesn’t have an allergic reaction.
• Determine if the stinger is still present or not by checking out if there’s a small black dot at the sting site or not. Then, remove it immediately if is visible in the wound by wiping over the area with a hard object like a credit card or blunt knife or by scraping a fingernail over the area.
• Don’t squeeze the stinger or use tweezers.
• Apply ice or cold packs to the area to reduce the body’s inflammatory response or swelling.
• Wash the site with soap and water, then apply hydrocortisone cream to the site to decrease the severity of the reaction. Or you can try alternative treatments using a paste made of unseasoned meat tenderizer and water (the enzyme in meat tenderizer can break down bee venom) or a paste of baking soda and water.
• Do not scratch the sting. This will cause the site to swell and itch more, and increase the chance of infection.
• Take an antihistamine such as Benadryl and/or nonprescription pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve the symptoms.

Susan’s son, Henry, has just got stung by a bee. Susan did the right thing by giving him Benadryl and avoid the wine.

Hope you feel better by now, Henry.

I knew this book from a friend who found it amazing since she managed to lose weight by following all the tips she got from the book.

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. Have you ever heard? Or even ever tried?

The title of the book is quite interesting, also the cover design. I bought it right away to discover how it helped my dear friend. FYI, she adores food and all this time, she’s been trying to lose weight–which I thought a little bit necessary for her own health–but she never ended up in a success. She even got frustrated and ate more then she used to.

Then, I found out what made her love the book so much and ended up getting slimmer. The book simply allows you to eat foods that you love. Yes, it does. It’s like a wonderful way of living for food lovers.

Actually the point is to live a balanced, joyful and healthy life. If you have a chocolate croissant for breakfast, have a vegetable-based lunch–or take an extra walk and pass on the bread basket at dinner.

You might have known that, but this book could be a great way to lead you there. It provides such delicious yet easy-to-prepare recipes and easy-to-read instructions that might make you think it’s simply a novel not a ‘diet book’ you usually skip in the bookstore.

How can you skip a book that tells you to enjoy food yet helps you lose weight?

It seems like these two weight watchers, Anne and Sarah, are also indulging themselves with foods they like.

What about you?

…gently down the gym…

Most people prefer treadmill, exercise bikes, or elliptical trainers. The queue for these equipments in the gym are mostly longer than the other unpopular cardiovascular exercises, rowing machine.

So, rather than waiting until the treadmill is available, why don’t you try the rowing machine?

It exercises practically every single muscle group you have. Also, it’s safe for your joints.

Here’s a tip to make your calorie burn high:

Keep your back straight as you pull, and make sure to contract your abs. Initiate movement by pushing with hips and legs rather than pulling with arms and lower back.

Have a great gym session!

At first, I didn’t know why I had such an inexplicable urge to visit Nikki’s blog just now.

But then, the reason was clear.

God wanted me to find out that the beloved Christi Thomas passed away. I jumped right away to the supporting blog for Christi. And, I couldn’t help my tears from falling while reading the first sentence of the latest post:

At 9:00 am, with Shayne and I at her side, Christi took her final breath and gently floated away forever leaving a hole in our hearts.

Christi, I’ve just known you for several days since my post about childhood cancer. But, I’ve learned a lot from you, how you went through everything with courage.

Good bye, Christi. You’re always in my heart.

If you feel unhappy once in a while, that’s normal. But if it turns you into a sad person and makes you miserable almost everyday, you need to do something about it.

If You Want To Be Happy, Let Go Of Your Old Baggage
By Tim Connor

Happy people let go of old emotional baggage.

What is old emotional baggage?

Was it something your parents did or said 20 years ago? Something a customer said last week? Or something a spouse or friend said or did yesterday?

Old baggage is emotional stuff we carry around with us for days, months or years. It is usually negative like old hurts, resentments, anger or some kind of pain inflicted by another person. It can also be just carrying around some old guilt, failure or fear that impacts our current relationships and life in general.

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What’s in your heart and mind can simply be seen in your appearance. No matter how hard others tell you that you’re a beauty, if you don’t believe it or feel like it, you won’t look like one.

Say, you’re about to go on a date. You ask your sister, “Do I look good?”

She says, “Yes, of course. You look stunning!”

But, you don’t believe it. Do you think your date will find you attractive? Well, there will be doubts about it.

If you want others to see you as a beautiful person, keep in mind that you’re beautiful. You should not have any doubt about it. Your heart and mind will simply show the beauty off if you think you have it.

The same thing if you’re about to take pictures. This Fish Needs a Bicycle has proved it. She made a very beautiful picture. That’s why, at the end of her post, she said:

When the woman with the camera tells you you’re pretty, it’s one thing. When you actually believe it, that is quite another. Because then, it shows.

For the last few months, you’ve been on a diet and exercising. Yet, you don’t feel like losing an inch or two. You’re still wearing your old large pants.

Why is that?

The answer could be one of these below, or even all of them:

• You’re the biggest enemy of water. Well, you should make peace with water if you really want to lose weight. It’s your work-out partner. It helps you transport nutrients to your muscles and keep your metabolism ticking over. Get yourself now a tall glass of water!
• You’re lack of sleep. Oh no! You know what? Those who sleep only four to seven hours a night for six or more nights in a row have higher glucose and insulin levels. What that has to do with your diet program? Guess what, surplus insulin boosts body-fat storage! Now, get some more sleep!
• You give too much credit to yourself. Say, you have lost 5 pounds. You feel great and you think you should celebrate the loss. Well, chips, pizzas, chocolate biscuits, or beer are not the best way to give credit to your diet success. You’d better keep trying and do it harder to reach the goal of 10 pound loss. If you take back the fat you’ve lost, you’ve wasted your great effort.

Now, think back…and check out which one of those is the reason to your failure in dieting?

Clinton, Gates, and Global Health

“Attendees at this week’s Clinton Global Initiative should take a hard look at what they and their institutions can do to support this campaign. The goal is ambitious but achievable: to wipe out malaria from the face of the earth.”