My Healthy Self

My Daily Healthy Habits:

• Eat Healthy, Non Processed Food - in other words learn how to cook healthy food or if you really hate cooking find a very healthy restaurant & I'm not talking about a healthy hamburger place to replace your "eat hamburgers for dinner every day diet" I'm talking about eat 50% Vegetables, 20 to 30% Fruit & the rest should be fish, meat or poultry (if you're a vegan there are supplements at your local health store that have what you're missing when you don't eat meat, poultry or fish) make sure you buy NON-GMO Organic Food, don't eat too many fats, or oils, continue reading my blog posts on healthy vs unhealthy groceries for inspiration

• ALWAYS HYDRATE - All of our vital organs (brain, heart, bladder, liver, etc...) rely on water to function how they are supposed to, stop drinking crap and drink water also those "flavored waters" or "water flavorers" that's all crap, if you don't like water then it's probably the brand of water you are drinking, there are plenty of water brands and they don't all taste the same unless your taste buds are dead, otherwise, they really don't all taste the same  - my favorite water brands are: Volvic, Jana and Icelandic - normally I drink 3 liters of water a day but now that I'm pregnant I drink twice as much  

• Exercise - You don't need to be all fancy to exercise: do some basic yoga, there are usually many free yoga places, also you can borrow a DVD from your local library, use the stairs whenever possible, walk instead of driving or taking the bus/train, etc....

• Daily Supplements  - Before I was pregnant I was taking vitamins essential for women's health from the SOLGAR brand, Solgar vitamins are all vegan & made from plants and vegetables - right now I'm taking prenatal vitamins and since I'm low on iron I'm also taking iron

• S L E E P - Sleeping relaxes my mind and body - whenever I feel sick, stressed out, tired, etc... I go to sleep & when I wake up, I feel refreshed! This is also a good replacement for those of you who want to meditate but can't, go to sleep. It's almost the same thing to some extent. Tip: Don't over do it with sleeping, you also need to go out for some fresh air and sunlight.

• Be Happy - Do things that cheer you up, talk to friends and family members that make you laugh or smile,  play with your dog, go buy yourself some dessert or flowers, go to a concert, go for a walk, read your favorite book at the park/library/bookstore/coffee shop, go window shopping, get your nails done, do something you've always wanted to do, etc.... 

• Shower & Moisturize Routine - After I shower, I always apply moisturizer on throughout my body: my arms, elbows, entire chest, (now that I'm pregnant I use coconut oil from the body shop to moisturizer my nipples, not moisturizing them can sometimes cause they to get dry and crack which leads to infections) 

• Have Sex - this is personal but the truth is, sex is VERY healthy, it's healthy for your heart and overall health, it also helps relieve stress; so the next time you and your husband are feeling stressed out, go to your bedroom, light up some candles, play some sexy or romantic music and make some amazing love (it isn't healthy if one of you has some sort of bacterial infection or disease on your genitals, that should be taken care of via primary care doctor or holistic primary care doctor)

• Listen to Music - whenever I can't sleep or do yoga, I go for a quick walk whether it's around my college campus or around the block in my neighborhood with my dog, I always listen to my "PEACE, LOVE & HAPPINESS" play list which of course has exactly that type of music: music that is cheerful and usually about lovely things, peaceful things and happiness (I find it strange that some songs are called "My Happiness" and they are the most depressing songs ever, that's what I consider a 'happy song')

Thanks for Reading!

I hope I've inspired you with my healthy lifestyle! 

x o x o
Amela Sandra

February: Healthy Heart

"Almost two-thirds (64%) of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease." - Center for Disease Control & Prevention

Me & My husband in Brazil 

My family and my husband’s family has a history of heart disease.

It’s difficult to answer “Do you have a family history of _______ disease in your family?”

Truth is that unfortunately we do and we never really thought it through.

The most life changing moment in my life was when my cousin Anise passed away from blood cancer (lymphoma cancer) at only 23 years old. 

Although seeing him in the hospital was too painful for me that did not prevent me from having some of the worst nightmares in my life about him suffering.

Unfortunately, I had never taken my health so seriously until he had passed away.  Of course growing up in a Balkan home we always ate healthy traditional meals and snacks. I had been physically active throughout my lifetime but it’s not the same.

Now I am a lot more conscious and informed about my health and eating habits. I honestly think that it is especially important that as we grow into womanhood to be more self informed about our own individual bodies. I think that women are especially fragile beings because we are emotional and feel pains that no man ever will: periods, hormones, pregnancy, motherhood, mood swings, etc… I’m not saying that men don’t have feelings, they are just as sensitive but I feel as though us women feel more because that’s just the way we were made. We are simply very emotional.

On that note, it is especially important for us to take care of ourselves and not just our appearances and bank accounts but our internal health.

Heart attacks and other diseases don’t care about your career, family, bills, goals, dreams or your life. A disease is a disease and it’s purpose is to make you ill. Isn’t it much better to be safe than sorry? We can’t leave our internal health for the last minute. It should be a priority before anything else. We really do only live this life once and it really is enough, when you’re healthy enough.

What is healthy enough:

·       Get Informed

Receive as much information about your health as possible, take notes while you're at the doctor; you can even bring your own check-list here's an example: Checklists to take on your visit

·      List your family’s history of disease

(ex: uncle T’s stroke, aunt M’s lung cancer, sister's eczema, grandma's asthma....anything and everything…)

·      Get your routine physical check-up with a trusted doctor once a year or every 3-6 months

(health care providers recommend once a year but some doctor's suggest every 6 months, it depends on what you can afford and your own unique health)

·      Keep a Health Journal & Record any major health concerns

(ex: ate bread, began coughing - possibly celiac disease?, ate peanuts broke out in hives, applied dead sea skin cream broke out in hives, had a cut yesterday today it's a round hard thing - possibly a wart, period lasted for three days, usually lasts for eight but not pregnant, two hour headache after a work-out - it's possible that you either didn't sleep well or you're not breathing right or something else that's why it's important to keep notes on what goes on with your body)

·  Keep a 'Wallet Card' in your daily hand bag or wallet
(link is under More Information - scroll down)

·  Change Your Lifestyle: Eat Healthy Natural Foods in accurate  portions & Walk as much as you can or find a work-out you enjoy 

(More Information on a Healthy Heart Lifestyle: The Heart Truth Tips Sheets)

More Information:

 ·   Infographs

 ·   Physical Activities Sheet

 ·   Physical Activities Sheet En Espanol

 ·   A Wallet Card

 ·   A Wallet Card En Espanol

I hope you my blog post has informed you & inspired you.

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My instagram & twitter: @Amela_Sandra

image via Go Red For Women Red Dress Awareness NYFW 2014

Sources:

• "Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
• "Campaign Materials." The Heart Truth , HHS, NIH, NHLBI. The Heart Truth Campaign, HHS, AHA, Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
• "Getting the Most of Your Doctor Visits." Getting the Most of Doctor Visits. United Health Care, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.

Daily & Prenatal Vitamins

I have been taking vegan vitamins by Solgar for about five years now & they are INCREDIBLE! Before Solgar I was taking a much cheaper brand from the local pharmacy that my Doctor had suggested but when I discovered these at my local organic super market I had to try it!

• Slogar Vitamins – are my absolute favorite and I don’t buy any other brand because this particular brand has been around for over 60 years and their ingredients are simple and honest.

Solgar vitamins are 100% Vegetable & Plant Based making them 100% VEGAN & they're GLUTEN-FREE!!!!

• What I take:

·      Prenatal/Women’s Vitamins: I actually ran out but they are also amazing! As an alternative since the supermarket ran out I took a brand called "Nutrition Now" Gummy Pre-Natal Vitamins, on the bottle it says that children can take them too, but I prefer my Solgar vitamins. This is the best there is for me!

·      Gentle Iron - I'm a bit iron deficient but don't want to hurt my baby. My primary care doctor recommended 25mg for me.

·      GABA is my own discovery & it's been the best vitamin EVER ! Five years ago I've began suffering from anxiety & I really really really DO NOT like medications unless I seriously need them. Many women, especially most Asian women suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, my Chinese Doctor was surprised that I amongst them. Who knows! I’m a Balkan and the Balkan history proves that we were a large part of import and export for hundreds of years. Maybe I have some Asian in me? Or maybe it’s just my new lifestyle. I have a lot of responsibilities that I’ve never had before and I always want to do everything ASAP. Luckily I’ve learned to slow down and take it step by step thanks to my Professors, Mentors, close friends and family. I take these GABA vitamins for my anxiety I can take two twice a day for severe moments or two for the entire day it all depends

·      Vitamin D3 in 1000 IU because again I'm deficient in this vitamin. What can I say? I’m European and it gets cold.

     Personally I have a ritual for taking my vitamins and it all begins in the morning. As soon as I wake up the first thing I do is go to my kitchen, make myself a smoothie and prepare my vitamins. Before I enjoy my smoothie and vitamins I make sure I am hydrated by drinking about 16.9 FL OZ/500 mL of water. Then I take my vitamins and drink my smoothie. Below is a photograph of my delicious smoothie. Isn't it super deliciously amazing looking? It's even more deliciously amazing in flavor.  

My Vegan, Organic & Gluten-Free Smoothie:

For More Great Photos of Healthy Food for Pregnant Ladies & Not-Pregnant Ladies Check out My # Hashtag #HealthyFitPregnancy  or  instagram.com/Amela_Sandra 

Hope You Enjoyed Reading My Blog Entry!

x o x o 

Amela Sandra