Domestic Geek

If you've heard anything at all about The Secret (watched the dvd, saw it on Oprah, etc.), you know that what you think about and dwell on manifests in your life. If you are constantly thinking or worrying about illness, you'll get sick. If you obsess over being fat, you'll stay fat. If you're like me and have lived an extremely unhealthy lifestyle, concentrating on past acts that you can not change will not bring new results in the future. I wrote in the last post about using your mind to keep it sharp, but there is so much more to the power of our brains that we just don't yet understand. To really begin to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to change your thinking or you'll continue to be as you are right now.

I'm going to start practicing yoga. You would think from looking at people who are skilled at it that it is a nice, easy, relaxing activity. Have you ever actually tried it, though? It is really hard and is quite the work out. It takes a lot of muscle control and discipline. Holding some of those poses makes you feel like you're going to faint.

I've got a couple of DVDs to get started, but I'll probably do better if I find a studio. There are a couple I'd like to check out here locally.

OK, one more and I'm moving on to a different subject matter.

The body needs iron to make the oxygen-carrying proteins hemoglobin (found in red blood cells) and myoglobin (found in muscles). Iron also makes up part of many proteins in the body. Iron from meat and egg sources seem to be the best for the body as it can be absorbed more readily, however, you can get it from dried fruits, vegetables, greens and grains, too.

While the body can store some iron, the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are lack of energy, shortness of breath, headache, irritability, dizziness or weight loss.

As I wrote earlier, you also need vitamin C in your diet to be able to absorb iron properly.

I knew Zinc was part of the immune system since taking zinc drops at the start of a cold helps you kick it faster. I didn't know that Zinc is also needed for cell division, cell growth, wound healing and the break down of carbohydrates . Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste. Who knew?

BTW, that How Stuff Works site is just full of useful information.

B-Complex is the term used to group a whole bunch of related vitamins together, including Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Biotin, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 (Cobalamins). They are similar to Vitamin C in that the body doesn't produce nor store them.

Each vitamin has its own set of benefits. Read this article about B-Complex at How Stuff Works if you'd like to know the specifics of each one. Basically, the group is essential for the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, the breakdown of fats and proteins (which aids the normal functioning of the nervous system), muscle tone in the stomach and intestinal tract, skin, hair, eyes, mouth and liver.