Aishamatics: Live Laugh Love With Aisha Raison

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living well in  mind, body and soul

Shopping and eating healthy

Without breaking the bank

August 5, 2014

Three times a month, I grocery shop like a diva with a dime.  Some days, it's hard simply because I have the audacity to shop while hungry.  SO WRONG!!!!  By the time I get in line, I'm looking in my cart and realize that something has to go...I find myself taking stuff out and getting right back on task.  Not easy sometimes, but I make sure that I put them RIGHT BACK where I found it...common courtesy. 


So, cut the junk. Evaluate how much money you are spending on items such as soda (regular or diet), cookies, crackers, prepackaged meals, processed foods, etc. Limit or completely cut out these unhealthy foods. Your wallet and your body will thank you.

  • Eat out less. Even just reducing your meals out by 1 or 2 times per week can save you about $15 - $25 per week. This is an easy way to save money and even have some extra to spend on higher quality foods.
  • Stick to your grocery list. The more prepared you are when you get to the store the less impulse purchases you will make. So write out a grocery list and stick to it!
  • Shop the perimeter of the store first. This way you will fill your cart with healthy whole foods like fresh produce and meat, leaving less room for the "junk food fillers" and thus saving money.
  • Cook large portions. It saves time to cook once and eat multiple times. One idea is to make a big pot of soup at the beginning of the week or whenever you go food shopping. When you don't feel like cooking, help yourself to a hearty bowlful along with a green salad. This makes a nutritious but inexpensive lunch or dinner anytime.
  • Beware of hidden sugars. Many packaged or processed foods contain high levels of hidden sugar. They may be easy to prepare and fill your family up for cheap, but too much sugar causes rapid swings in energy and blood sugar, and can contribute to many serious health problems. Hidden sugar may be listed as corn syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, cane juice, fructose, dextrose, or maltose. Avoid foods such as instant mashed potatoes, white bread, canned soups and vegetables, refined pasta, and sugary cereals. Satisfy your sweet tooth with naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, and sweet potatoes.



AZR

ATTN: THIS IS NOT A DIET! 

Changing Your Eating Life Without Losing Your Mind 


August 1, 2014

Keeping it honest here: One of the hardest muscles to exercise is your mind.  Ever since I could remember, the hardest thing I could do and stick with was dieting simply because of the IDEA of dieting....you know, carrot sticks and nothing else.  At least that's what this 42 year old saw I as I grew up.  I'd jog a bit, eat a few carrots and drink a little water, then BAM!!  In bikini shape in no time!


Of course, I was 14.  My metabolism was so high that if I had a thought of losing five pounds, the pounds would melt in no time and I could get back to a size 8 and eat a full pizza pie with no problem.


Now these days, I'm a mom to a college kid who is still living at home for a minute.  So imagine what it's like to have this guy in my house going through his own growing pains...he's 5'11 and all muscle in his legs and arms!  I'm struggling to take those morning walks and get my Shaun T on in the afternoon while all he has to do is move around the house and he tightens his abs. 


Yea, I'm proud and jealous.


So before 2014 came, I had to change my life.  I will not say that it's been easy because I had to change my eating habits, what I ate, my exercising habits...here are a few rules that help and motivate.


  • Never pan-fry or deep-fry foods...I know, that one is hard. 
  • Bake, broil or grill meats and/or fish.
  • Limit beef to three times or less per week.
  • Steam fresh vegetables to keep the valuable nutrients in the food.
  • Do not use canned fruits or vegetables, to many hidden sugars and sodium.
  • No sweets candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream .  Now, for me, I took sugar out of my diet completely.  My son can't stand me because we have used Truvia for almost 2 years.  Trust me, it makes a big difference in the house!
  • Cook with herbs and spices and never salt foods.
  • Drink at least 64 ounces of water every day, not including coffee or tea.
  • Never drink soda ...water is your best friend and a fat burner.
  • Never say diet!!!!
  • I repeat....NEVER SAY DIET!!!
  • Get a partner to make a lifestyle change and exercise with you.  It's a lot more fun when you have someone in the trenches with you.

We all have our journeys.  And no, it doesn't happen overnight.  The first thing we have to do is control the thinking.  And I know, the commercials on TV with skinny girls with abs of steel running on the beach makes you tempted enough to get that diet drink and energy pill and make it magically happen.  But the truth is that it's only when we find our pace and realize that it's about CHANGING YOUR LIFE, not getting skinny for a moment. Healthy habits make a healthy body, a healthy mind and a healthy spirit.  


Free your mind and...well, you know the rest, right?


AZR

Workout of the Week :

Hip Hop Abs in 8 Minutes
 

August 1, 2014

I'm a broke person some of the time.  I have BILLS.  I can't even afford to get a fitness trainer right now.  So I couldn't go out and buy some of the great exercise videos that I wanted to in the beginning of my body journey.  But luckily, I live in the technology age where you can find pretty much anything online.

This video comes from  passion4profession, who has some of the coolest videos for exercising.  I know, I know, some of it comes off a bit corny with the computerized voice and the simulating animated bodies getting their exercise on.  BUT, please note: this is about getting your exercise on, not watching other people do it.  So I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe you'll do the work so well that you'll make your own.  Then I can put yours up on this site.  Enjoy.  Get your giggle out the first few minutes, but get to work after that.  All that laughing - although helpful - is not gonna tighten those abs!

AZR

In the Heat of the moment

Why Hot Flashes are nothing to fool with

August 1, 2014

When I was around 33, it began.  Sitting outside on a cool September evening watching my 10 year old play with the neighborhood kids.  I felt a warm feeling come over me and all I knew was that it suddenly got hot outside.  


Except it was 65 degrees.  And I was the only one that was sweating.


They would come and go over the next few years, popping up in some of the weirdest occasions...once I was at my older brother's wedding.  Again, in a business meeting.  And again, just sitting at work, thinking that maybe the heat was on high.


Then at 39, a month after I came from the hospital after I got a  uterine fibroid embolization...it started again.  And this time they were coming every hour. I was fanning so hard praying for a cool rain to splash upon my back.  I was reeeeealy irritated!  I was waiting for that once a week female chore, my Aunt Flo to come on with the come on.


Then truth suddenly popped into my head. Aunt Flo wasn't coming around no more.


That's when I realized early menopause had come.  You know, it's funny.  When my cousins and I were tweenagers, the excitement of that first period symbolized that we were women...we were gonna get breasts and long, pretty hair and become supermodels and wives and mommies in no time. (Ok, the supermodel dream was mine, but...) So when the hot flashes had started and the period that was once my hindrance from swimming and riding horses (despite what those damned Kotex commercials were saying), I knew that I had reached it. The Change.  Personal Summers.  The Sweats.


I have to admit, part of me was a bit upset because I wasn't even 40 yet when this started.  I have an aunt that's beyond my age that's going through the same.  I called her and many of my aunts to ask what to do.  Of course, they laughed at me and told me I was too young to have this so early.  But according to my mom, my grandmother had hers when she was thirty.  


So ladies, it's not unusual.


A hot flash, sometimes called a hot flush, is a quick feeling of heat and sometimes a red, flushed face and sweating. The exact cause of hot flashes is not known, but may be related to changes in circulation.

Hot flashes happen when the blood vessels near the skin's surface dilate to cool. A woman may also sweat to cool down her body. And some women have a rapid heart rate or chills.  Hot flashes with sweating can also happen at night. These are called night sweats and may make it harder to sleep.


And it's nothing to play with. Many times I felt sorry for my boyfriend and son because the house would be arctic.  So I researched to see what I needed to do...I hope this helps you as well.


You probably can't avoid hot flashes during menopause, but there are things that may bring them on more often or cause them to be more severe. To prevent hot flashes, avoid these triggers:

  • Stress
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Spicy foods
  • Tight clothing
  • Heat
  • Cigarette smoke

Other things you can do to keep hot flashes at bay include:

  • Stay cool. Keep your bedroom cool at night. Use fans during the day. Wear light layers of clothes with natural fibers such as cotton.
  • Try deep, slow abdominal breathing (six to eight breaths per minute). Practice deep breathing for 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the evening and at the onset of hot flashes.
  • Exercise daily. Walking, swimming, dancing, and bicycling are all good choices.
  • Try chill pillows. Cooler pillows to lay your head on at night might be helpful.


Talk to your doctor about taking hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, for a short time -- less than 5 years. This treatment prevents hot flashes in many women. Plus, it can help other symptoms of menopause, including vaginal dryness and mood disorders. Keep in mind that when you stop taking HRT, the hot flashes may come back. Short-term HRT carries some risks, including blood clots and gallbladder inflammation. If HRT is not right for you, there are other treatments that may offer relief. It is important to clear any new drugs (including over-the-counter) or supplements with your doctor before taking them.

Nonprescription treatments include:

  • Vitamin B complex
  • Vitamin E
  • Ibuprofen

Prescription treatments include:

  • HRT
  • Low-dose depression drugs like fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), or venlafaxine (Effexor)
  • Clonidine, a blood pressure medication
  • Gabapentin, an antiseizure drug
  • Brisdelle, a paroxetine formula specifically for hot flashes
  • Duavee, a conjugated estrogens/bazedoxifene formula designed to treat hot flashes  
 
For more information on hot flashes, go here. 

AZR