A Woman’s Journey Back to the Light — Love Thy Self!

Having turned 45 years old this fall and having lost all my children from the nest, I am in a reflective phase of my life. I felt very lonely and lost at first, but am now embracing the opportunity for reflection and a restart of sorts.

Growing up, I was a young girl looking for love any which way I could get it. I was manufacturing love all around me; I loved my gorgeous salesman husband, I loved my curious little children, I slaved to be the best wife and mother I could be. Periodically I felt resentment, loneliness, depression, and a feeling that my life lacked meaning. I had arrived at this place in my life in a daze. I felt like I had never consciously made any decisions for my life.

I pushed these feelings away and concentrated on loving and caring for those …

Stick With It! Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Lose Weight

Too often, people will set a weight loss goal, work towards it for a few days or a few weeks, and then give up when they don’t see the results they’d like. It’s no wonder: goal-setting in general is just plain tricky. Fortunately, there are a few characteristics of achievable goals that you can take advantage of when setting your own.

I like the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method. It’s not exclusive to fitness, but works really well in this area. S.M.A.R.T. goals are those that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Here’s how each aspect applies to fitness-related goals:

Be Specific

Pinpoint exactly what you want–be specific! Determine what you want and how you’re going to get there.

To give an example of how this looks in action, a goal like, “lose 15 pounds and be able to do …

5 Ways to Nurture Family Relationships Through Your Pets

Having a pet in our home is something that enriches our lives in many different ways. Pets in general provide us with a sense of physical as well as emotional well-being. When a pet joins your family, it is not hard for you to realize that a change occurs in the lives of you and your family members, and in most households, pets are treated as part of the family. At least that’s the case at our house.

The Pleasure of Bonding with Your Pet

It is easy to see that pets encourage love and compassion among human beings. Sometimes we tend to be too mechanical in our relationships with other people, and forget the value of them, but our animals do not. We can spend little or no time with our family and friends when …

The Meaning of Life Stretched Out of Me at Bikram Yoga

Five years ago my father died of a sudden heart attack. Naturally what followed were a few emotional months. It wasn’t the normal grieving process as you’d expect when someone in your family or a best friend passes away, as my father and I weren’t close. But because of our estrangement I had bottled up a lot of feelings and when I was told of his passing, all these feelings came to the surface, and my mind had become introspective, thinking deeply about the meaning of life. It wasn’t a healthy way to live and I needed something to help me move on. A colleague at work suggested I try Bikram yoga. Yes yoga! He’d been doing it for over a decade and swore by it.

If you don’t know what Bikram yoga is, here …

5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of a Natural Delivery

There is no doubt that cesarean sections are on the rise. The increased number is rather alarming, even to the medical field. While there are certain circumstances that a C-section is the best option, it isn’t always the case.

There was a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which shows that at least 1/3 of cesarean sections are carried out before 39 weeks, which is too early. This will put a newborn at a higher risk for health issues.

While there are several C-sections performed for medically sound reasons, this same study found that at least half of them are elective, or optional surgical births. At the very least, some C-sections can be prevented, with a little effort during pregnancy and labor.

So, let’s take a look at what you can do to …