10 Ways To Save Money

November 18, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Here are some simple ways to save money :-

1. Use cash instead of credit card.

Surveys conducted have shown people will spend 30 to 40 percent more when using a credit card than by cash or check.

“A credit card is a means of buying something I don’t need at a price I can’t afford, with funds I don’t have, from people who aren’t polite, so I can impress people I don’t know.” -Wilson J. Humber

2. Replace household detergents with Vinegar or baking soda.

Use vinegar or baking soda to clean surfaces instead of household detergents. Vinegar and baking soda are known as all purpose household wonder. Personally I use vinegar to clean my tables, computer & mouse. Just mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a small bucket. Dampen a clean cloth in the solution. Then squeeze all the liquid out as hard as you can and start wiping. Vinegar is also good for cleaning piano keyboards. Baking soda is great for cleaning the kitchen sink. Just wet the sink, sprinkle some baking soda and scrub, then rinse. Besides that I use baking soda to brush my teeth and scrub my face three times a week.

3. Time to clean up your car

Did you know the heavier your car is the more petrol you used? So if your car looks cluttered, it’s time for a little clean up.

4. Put Aside Loose Change

Banish loose change from your bag and you will be saving straightaway. Empty your coins into a jar each night. Resist the temptation to touch it and every couple of months, use the change to splurge on something you really want.

5. Get a haircut done by students

A lot of hair academies may offer haircut done by their students for a reduced price. All it takes is a little research.

6. Eat at home

Learn to cook simple meals and make your own sandwich. This would not only save you money but also a healthier choice. You can bake your own cake for family birthdays or bake cookies as give gift during the festive season.

7. Buy only when there is a sale

From electronic items to bedding, the big stores discount heavily during the sale s time. You will save a lot of money if you make your purchases during the sale.

8. Don’t be an impulsive buyer

Stop being an impulsive buyer. You will appreciate your purchases more if you stop buying on impulse. This is a good habit to help you save money each month.

9. Go to the library

I love to read but the trouble is new books are costly. So join a library. I always find something interesting to read through though it might not be exactly the book I was looking for.

10. Save some money from your pay each month

Start by saving some money from your pay each month. This would be an emergency fund for unexpected incidents like car breakdown or a trip to the dentist.

10 Ways to Healthy Eating

November 17, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Do you live to eat or do you eat to live? Eating has become an indulgence, a form of art in everyday living. Facts about healthy eating according to a Director of Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado: always eat half a portion size. Maintaining this habit will allow you to eat practically everything.

So perhaps it is time to ask ourselves, are we “eating healthy?” Do we take care of our body? Are we taking our health for granted? Cutting down on food or being more picky at what we eat becomes the best excuse to go on a diet. Remember, what you eat is what you are.

Practical ways to eat healthy are as follows:

1. Eat a hearty breakfast for an energetic day.

As your stomach was empty for the entire night, a good breakfast gives you a good start to the day. A simple yet nutritious breakfast such as cereal or fruit, eaten with low fat milk or wholemeal bread with peanut butter is advisable.

2. Avoid eating in a rush.

Do not wait until your tummy rumbles. You will tend to eat more resulting in weight gain.

3. Eat at your own pace.

Eating meals according to individual pace will benefit your digestive system.

4. Everything in moderation.

There is no need to give up on your favorite fast food or dessert. Just eat moderately. “Balance” is the keyword in healthy eating.

5. Variety is good.

Eating the same food everyday will minimize the effectiveness of your nutritional intake.

6. Sit down.

Eat while standing causes the active response of the nerve system, which will hinder the proper functioning of your stomach. This will also contribute to the dilatation of the stomach and chronic gastritis.

7. Eat less artificially flavoured food.

Frequent consumption will cause body cells to change, as well as month dry and throat sore.

8. Eat more rich colored vegetables.

Rich colored vegetables equals rich nutrition. Choose vegetables with deeper colors, an indicator of the presence of vitamins such as carotene, vitamin B, magnesium and iron.

9. Avoid noisy areas.

Loud and intense noises will incite our nerve systems. If exposed to these conditions over a long period, the stomach will function poorly. It will also trigger the loss of appetite leading to gastric ulcer.

10. Sharing is a virtue.

Sharing also applied to eating as well. A single dish for one may result in unbalanced diet. On the contrary, sharing a meal with friends and family will help your nutritional intake.

Good Parenting

November 16, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Children these days sure grow up differently from how we were raised.

“I was RAISED!! I didn’t just grow up. I was taught to speak when I enter a room, say please & thank you, to have respect for my elders, to get off my lazy butt and let the elder in the room have my chair, say yes sir and no sir, lend a helping hand to those in need, hold the door to the person behind me, say excuse me when it’s needed, and to love people for who they are, not for what I can get from them! I was also taught to treat people the way I want to be treated! If you were raised this way too, repost this. Sadly, many won’t because they weren’t, and it shows!!” – Author unknown

How To Control Food Cravings

November 16, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Below are some tips on how to control food cravings:-

1. Take a nap

This isn’t always an option if you have a 9 to 5 job. If the option is there, just take a quick 20 minutes nap would do the trick. Sometimes fatigue promotes sugar cravings.

2. Have a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate (sugar free)

Having a warm drink really seem to help me relax and remain calm.

3. Cook my meals in advance

Taking an hour or two to prepare some chicken breasts or some healthy soup gets my mind off it many times. Now I have my portions ready and do not have the excuse that there is nothing to eat.

4. Chew sugarless gum

It has become a habit for me to chew a piece of gum right after lunch until my next meal. Keeps my mouth busy.

5. Read interesting books

It keeps me busy and motivated.

6. Take a walk

Get that adrenaline pumping and then eat something healthy afterward. It can clear the mind and gives you energy.

7. Do work on home computer

This works well to distract my mind from thinking about the craving. When I am trying to write to people about eating healthy. I do not feel quite right doing it while eating a pack of chips.

8. Play a game with my girls

Quality family time and calorie burning workout in one activity.

9. Write it down

Writing how I am feeling or what my goals are or making to-do lists gets my mind off it. Keeps me focus on the things that I should and want to do.

10. Do long overdue tasks around the house

It has been know to work and the satisfaction when getting things done is great!

Happiness is….

November 16, 2012 | Newbloggycat

… two beautiful daughters.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 ”

A baby in a pink cute trolley on a shopping spree with big sister.

Famous Health Quotes

November 16, 2012 | Newbloggycat

The way to good health with the following quotes:-

“To get rich never risk your health. For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth.” – Richard Baker

“Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year.” – Franklin P. Adams

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Tim Rohn

“Health is not valued till sickness comes.” – Thomas Fuller

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

-Spanish Proverb

“Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you what you are.” – Ibid

“Quit worrying about your health. It’ll go away.” – Robert Orben

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Eat well, drink in moderation and sleep sound, in these three good health abound.” Latin Proverb

“The only way to keep you health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather no.” – Mark Twain

“Common sense is in medicine the master workman.” – Peter Latham

“To lengthen thy lives lessen thy meals” – Benjamin Franklin

“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” – Voltaire

“Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.” – Unknown Author

Healthy Eating for a Healthy Heart

November 15, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Here are 7 simple tips on healthy eating for a healthy heart:-

1. Cut Salt Intake.

Cutting down on salt reduces blood pressure regardless if your blood pressure is high to start with. When your blood pressure goes down, your risk of developing heart disease or stroke goes down too. The recommended intake of salt a day is 6g which is about 1 teaspoonful. One of the easiest ways to cut down on salt is to compare foods and choose those that are low in salt. A quick way is by looking at the nutritional information on the label. Look for the figure for salt or sodium per 100g. If the label says 1.25g salt or more per 100g, this is a lot of salt. If it says 0.25g per 100g, the salt content is low.

2. Increase of food variety

We tend to eat the same 10 to 15 foods every day, depriving ourselves of a wider range of nutrient. Eat a variety of foods on a daily basis that include plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grain products, bread, fish and other protein. Add new foods of different colors and vary recipes to your menus. Studies show a varied nutrient decrease the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and associated problems. It also helps increase the chances of a long and healthy life.

3. Cut down on cholesterol.

A cholesterol imbalance can dramatically increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, which could result in paralysis, brain damage or even death. Research shows by simply drinking 5 cups of black tea a day, can lower low-density lipoprotein the LDL “bad” cholesterol. Drinking black tea in combination with following a healthy diet moderately low in fat, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, reduces total and LDL cholesterol by significant amounts and may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

4. Reduce stress.

Some stress is good as it helps to motivate us to accomplish our work. However, too much stress can “paralyze” us. One way to reduce stress is to avoid the event or thing that lead to your stress.

Below are some tips to help you reduce stress :-

a) Stop worry about things you cannot control, eg. like the weather.

b) Work to resolve conflict with other people.

c) Ask for help from family, friends or professionals.

d) Look at change as a positive challenge, not a threat.

e) Set realistic goals at home and at work.

f) Eat well balanced meals.

g) Get enough sleep and exercise regularly.

5. Increase fitness.

When you are physically fit, you will look and feel good. Improving your fitness level does not have to involve too much hard work. All it takes to lengthen your life is 15, 10 minutes exercise sessions a week. This can be achieved by

a) taking the dog for a walk.

b) taking the stairs rather than the elevator.

c) parking farther away from the grocery store or work

d) brisk walking.

Just walking 10 minutes each morning, lunchtime and evening every weekday can help reduce the risk of several chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. By moving more each day, you will be making positive health choice each day.

6. Sleep longer.

Lack of sleep contributes to irritability, moodiness and accidents. It also contributes to diabetes and weight gain. Studies found that adult who sleeps the least appear to be the most likely to gain weight and become obese. As we sleep we release leptin – a chemical that controls body fat by signaling when we are full. If we are deprived of leptin through lack of sleep, we tend to eat more. If you are having problems sleeping. try exercising regularly, avoid too much caffeine and alcohol and get to bed and wake up at the same time each day.

7. Laugh more.

Laughing lowers our stress levels and helps our immune system to fight off diseases for our body. When you laugh, your brain secretes natural hormones like serotonin. Serotonin helps to improve sleep, relieve depression and calm anxiety. Every time you laugh you are burning calories.

Hello world!

November 14, 2012 | Newbloggycat

Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!