Monday, March 21, 2011
School.
Well I almost had three panic attacks today coming back.. I really need to kick it in gear which means no blogging for awhile... Ill probably start this back up in the summer or something. Or maybe sooner, just not now :(
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Green Tea
One of my current addictions is GREEN TEA. It tastes delicious and it wakes me up every morning. If I drink coffee, I always feel jittery and nervous, but the medium amount of caffeine that green tea contains is the perfect perk up for my body. I have always heard positive things about green tea, but today I decided to find out what the hype really is all about. I decided to look for facts on Web MD and here are just some highlights of the benefits of green tea:
-The potential to fight heart cancer and heart disease
-May have a role in lowering cholesterol and burning fat
-The prevention of diabetes
-Prevention of strokes
-Staving off dementia
Wow! I had no idea something that I was drinking to keep me awake was also great for my physical health and well being. Unfortunately most consistent findings about the benefits of green tea are all in the lab, and not in the real world, but really if they work in the lab why wouldn't it work in the real world? This is not psychology we are talking about here where it can be about behavior and things may be different in a lab than out in the real world. Web MD suggests that the benefits may be helped with the consumption of fish and soy protein. (Something I will be working on this summer. EATING MORE FISH) Green tea's antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage DNA and they contribute to cancer, blood clots and atherosclerosis (the hardening and narrowing of the arteries.). Unfortunately there is question about how much green tea you should drink to actually receive the benefits of the antioxidants. It is difficult to study, because you need to find groups of people that drink green tea regularly and have been for long periods of time. Even so, a few studies have shown that drinking at least two cups of green tea a day inhibits cancer growth. In China, it was shown the more green tea participants drank the less risk of developing stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. Also it was found in Japan that nearly 500 women diagnosed with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer, who drank green tea post surgery had lower recurrence of the cancer. A high correlation was shown between high consumption of green tea and a reduced risk for lung cancer (just remember correlation does not equal causation, but there are no big risks to drinking green tea so why not??).
Green tea may also be good for your heart. In Japan a study was one on 500 men and women and drinking at least four cups of green tea daily showed lower severity of coronary heart disease among the male participants (not females :( ). Another study has shown that more than 3,00 men and women found that the more tea consumed, the less severe the clogging of the hearts blood vessels, especially in women. But just drinking green tea wont do the trick, as usual, but it does not hurt. The antioxidants in green tea are dilators which improve the flexibility of blood vessels which make them less vulnerable to clogging.
Green tea is also shown to fight off obesity and lower bad cholesterol. In a Dutch study participants who drank caffeinated green tea lost more weight than those who did not (and even the group who drank the decaf showed differences in their waist lines and body weights.) 240 men were given varying amounts of green tea extract for three months and those who got the highest amount lost the most amount of fat and weight. They also had lower blood pressure and lower bad cholesterol.
The best way to get the most out of green tea is to simply drink it! Green tea will not cure anything or be a drug but it can really compliment the rest of your diet.
I also found this video. (Yes it is a little cheesy but it brings up some really great points. Plus it is only a three minutes long so take a look!)
A great point that I found particularly useful was the caffeine content. It doesn't pick you up and then drop you like coffee or give you the jitters. It is a perfect amount.
To bring both sides of the story to the table, I decided to also look at the benefits of coffee for all you coffee drinkers out there. Coffee has these benefits:
-Counters heart disease and stroke (so does green tea)
-Higher consumption of coffee is related to lower Parkinson's disease, dementia and Alzheimer's risk.
-Decreased risk of liver cancer (but cause and effect is still uncertain)
-Less likely to have type II diabetes
Even though these are all positive things, coffee does not show to have the same antioxidants that green tea gives you. Also with coffee you are more likely to pack on calories by adding sugar and creamer, which really does add up. Many of the studies (also like the studies on green tea) there is no proof for the correlations. But the studies done with coffee ask people about their coffee drinking habits, which means that there could be lifestyle choices that coffee drinkers make that non coffee drinkers do not. (Of course this is a problem in all studies, but the variation could be messed up).
If you are a regular coffee drinker I would suggest switching over to green tea! It has great health benefits and it really does have the perfect amount of caffeine to wake you up, without the crash. It may not work for everyone but it can't really hurt to try! Make it a challenge to substitute your regular coffee with a cup of green tea!
In blogging news:
I am teaching a guitar lesson tonight! I absolutely love teaching guitar to kids and it is a great, fun way to bring in some extra cash. This summer I am going to put up a profile on www.betterfly.com and possibly teach to more beginners. If I do this I will need to find a perfect book that I can recommend my students to buy, so it will be easier to have a guideline. I feel that my teaching style is too jumpy for my students to learn everything consistently (but they still seem to be showing GREAT improvement.) It is just difficult because of school, which means that I don't get to see Ben or Rob for a great deal of the year. Once I really get settled somewhere I hope I can keep the lessons up! It is really good for me to improve my skills also, and soon I will not have Tim Breon in my life and I will have to work on my own to keep getting better. (Such a scary thought!)
-The potential to fight heart cancer and heart disease
-May have a role in lowering cholesterol and burning fat
-The prevention of diabetes
-Prevention of strokes
-Staving off dementia
Wow! I had no idea something that I was drinking to keep me awake was also great for my physical health and well being. Unfortunately most consistent findings about the benefits of green tea are all in the lab, and not in the real world, but really if they work in the lab why wouldn't it work in the real world? This is not psychology we are talking about here where it can be about behavior and things may be different in a lab than out in the real world. Web MD suggests that the benefits may be helped with the consumption of fish and soy protein. (Something I will be working on this summer. EATING MORE FISH) Green tea's antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage DNA and they contribute to cancer, blood clots and atherosclerosis (the hardening and narrowing of the arteries.). Unfortunately there is question about how much green tea you should drink to actually receive the benefits of the antioxidants. It is difficult to study, because you need to find groups of people that drink green tea regularly and have been for long periods of time. Even so, a few studies have shown that drinking at least two cups of green tea a day inhibits cancer growth. In China, it was shown the more green tea participants drank the less risk of developing stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. Also it was found in Japan that nearly 500 women diagnosed with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer, who drank green tea post surgery had lower recurrence of the cancer. A high correlation was shown between high consumption of green tea and a reduced risk for lung cancer (just remember correlation does not equal causation, but there are no big risks to drinking green tea so why not??).
Green tea may also be good for your heart. In Japan a study was one on 500 men and women and drinking at least four cups of green tea daily showed lower severity of coronary heart disease among the male participants (not females :( ). Another study has shown that more than 3,00 men and women found that the more tea consumed, the less severe the clogging of the hearts blood vessels, especially in women. But just drinking green tea wont do the trick, as usual, but it does not hurt. The antioxidants in green tea are dilators which improve the flexibility of blood vessels which make them less vulnerable to clogging.
Green tea is also shown to fight off obesity and lower bad cholesterol. In a Dutch study participants who drank caffeinated green tea lost more weight than those who did not (and even the group who drank the decaf showed differences in their waist lines and body weights.) 240 men were given varying amounts of green tea extract for three months and those who got the highest amount lost the most amount of fat and weight. They also had lower blood pressure and lower bad cholesterol.
The best way to get the most out of green tea is to simply drink it! Green tea will not cure anything or be a drug but it can really compliment the rest of your diet.
I also found this video. (Yes it is a little cheesy but it brings up some really great points. Plus it is only a three minutes long so take a look!)
A great point that I found particularly useful was the caffeine content. It doesn't pick you up and then drop you like coffee or give you the jitters. It is a perfect amount.
To bring both sides of the story to the table, I decided to also look at the benefits of coffee for all you coffee drinkers out there. Coffee has these benefits:
-Counters heart disease and stroke (so does green tea)
-Higher consumption of coffee is related to lower Parkinson's disease, dementia and Alzheimer's risk.
-Decreased risk of liver cancer (but cause and effect is still uncertain)
-Less likely to have type II diabetes
Even though these are all positive things, coffee does not show to have the same antioxidants that green tea gives you. Also with coffee you are more likely to pack on calories by adding sugar and creamer, which really does add up. Many of the studies (also like the studies on green tea) there is no proof for the correlations. But the studies done with coffee ask people about their coffee drinking habits, which means that there could be lifestyle choices that coffee drinkers make that non coffee drinkers do not. (Of course this is a problem in all studies, but the variation could be messed up).
If you are a regular coffee drinker I would suggest switching over to green tea! It has great health benefits and it really does have the perfect amount of caffeine to wake you up, without the crash. It may not work for everyone but it can't really hurt to try! Make it a challenge to substitute your regular coffee with a cup of green tea!
In blogging news:
I am teaching a guitar lesson tonight! I absolutely love teaching guitar to kids and it is a great, fun way to bring in some extra cash. This summer I am going to put up a profile on www.betterfly.com and possibly teach to more beginners. If I do this I will need to find a perfect book that I can recommend my students to buy, so it will be easier to have a guideline. I feel that my teaching style is too jumpy for my students to learn everything consistently (but they still seem to be showing GREAT improvement.) It is just difficult because of school, which means that I don't get to see Ben or Rob for a great deal of the year. Once I really get settled somewhere I hope I can keep the lessons up! It is really good for me to improve my skills also, and soon I will not have Tim Breon in my life and I will have to work on my own to keep getting better. (Such a scary thought!)
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Day After St. Patrick's Day
I am sure you all had fun last night. I had a quieter night, but I still woke up with something that most college students dread on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It comes with headache, nausea, and you guessed it fatigue. This is called a hangover. I decided to research hangovers a little more throughly and I also wanted to find tricks to help get rid of hangovers.
I decided to start at urbandictionary.com and this is what I found:
These are perfectly defined haha! And although I am sure you all have your own remedies, my personal favorite is ginger ale, followed by toast, then Gatorade and afterwards usually some green tea for the caffeine. I am sure many of you know the symptoms of a hangover, but the causes of hangovers include: Hypoglycemia (which is lower than normal blood sugar), dehydration, acetaldehyde intoxication which is that nasty stuff that prevents the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetic acid (this causes nausea and is 10 to 30 times more toxic than alcohol itself), and vitamin B12 deficiency. Around 25-30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover symptoms (Lucky bastards!!). One obvious way of preventing a hangover is drinking water while drinking. It was found that darker colored liquors such as bourbon cause worse hangovers than do light colors, such as vodka. Unfortunately hangovers seem to grow worse as people age so drink while you are young! Some possible remedies include sobering up before you go to sleep, pedialyte, marijuana (haha), drinking more alcohol (???? EW! The last thing I want in the morning is more alcohol and this also promotes addiction. This method is NOT recommended), food and water, and large amounts of vitamin B6 which can be found in meats, whole grain products, vegetables, nuts and bananas. Sleep is also one of the best ways to recover and a shower where you switch between hot and cold water is also said to work. Exercise is also one of my favorite methods, even though there is nothing harder than getting my butt to the gym. I also found this crazy video of a hangover remedy that I will definitely be trying next time I have access to a blender. Here is the video
I hope everyone survived their St. Patrick's Day (and post St. Patrick's Day as well)!!
In Blogging news...
I was so tired today that I took a five hour nap from 5-11, so god only knows when Ill actually fall asleep. This is a perfect opportunity to get work done! This will be the first time in forever that I have stayed in and done actual work on a Friday, but I feel this will be worth it.
Today was my last day at Members 1st and honestly I was a little sad. I really do enjoy working there, and it gives me a chance to sit around and listen to books. Unfortunately today I was just not feeling so hot, but I survived and I am feeling much better after some sleep. It will be back to school soon, which I am becoming less and less excited about. All I can think of is my math professor's droning voice, and staying here does not seem so bad. Unless something drastic happens I will be working there over the summer and I am a little excited.
Also today (well yesterday now) can be marked as the first day of the year that I drove with the windows down. For the 10 minutes that I was actually outside the weather was perfect. I took my dog out and the temperature was at equilibrium with my body. Sometimes I love nothing more than warm weather. I am very excited for summer!! (Even though Ill be a graduate).
In graduate school school news, I am working on getting my letters of recommendation in for Argosy University in Tampa, and a few other things like the personal statement, which I will probably be writing tonight. I am waiting to hear back from IUP in Monroeville and I also need to get my assistanship application in the mail ASAP. (Something I can do tonight too...) Even though I will probably be up all night I can see this night being extremely productive.
I decided to start at urbandictionary.com and this is what I found:
| 1. | hangover | 1927 up, 73 down |
Nausea and headaches often caused by way too much fucking alcohol. Can be identified by the ashtray in ones mouth,the vomit on last nights clothes,the want to never drink or eat again,the great dislike of sunlight, the undesirealbe urge to apologise to all the people you spent the night with, the stranger in your bed and need for a glass of water and many many asprin "Where did we go,what did we do, who did we do it with and what did we have done to us?" "Christ my head hurts I've got a proper bad hangover" "I'm never drinking again" | ||
| 2. | hangover | 615 up, 54 down |
The result of heavy drinking of which results in an alcohol blood content that still exists long after drinking because your liver is still trying to cope with the detox. As a result the liver uses water to metabolize the alcohol, this water is obtained from the body and often the brain which has a high concentration of water, this lack of water that is a result of metabolism causes the membranes in the brain to tighten thus causing the headaches and body aches often are another result puking can also occur when the body drinking one night, and not wanting to live hte next day | ||
| 3. | hangover | 454 up, 84 down |
That annoying period between inebriation. Can also be avoided by continuously consuming alcohol until dead. I feel so hungover, pass me that bottle of Butterscotch Schnapps, will you? | ||
These are perfectly defined haha! And although I am sure you all have your own remedies, my personal favorite is ginger ale, followed by toast, then Gatorade and afterwards usually some green tea for the caffeine. I am sure many of you know the symptoms of a hangover, but the causes of hangovers include: Hypoglycemia (which is lower than normal blood sugar), dehydration, acetaldehyde intoxication which is that nasty stuff that prevents the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetic acid (this causes nausea and is 10 to 30 times more toxic than alcohol itself), and vitamin B12 deficiency. Around 25-30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover symptoms (Lucky bastards!!). One obvious way of preventing a hangover is drinking water while drinking. It was found that darker colored liquors such as bourbon cause worse hangovers than do light colors, such as vodka. Unfortunately hangovers seem to grow worse as people age so drink while you are young! Some possible remedies include sobering up before you go to sleep, pedialyte, marijuana (haha), drinking more alcohol (???? EW! The last thing I want in the morning is more alcohol and this also promotes addiction. This method is NOT recommended), food and water, and large amounts of vitamin B6 which can be found in meats, whole grain products, vegetables, nuts and bananas. Sleep is also one of the best ways to recover and a shower where you switch between hot and cold water is also said to work. Exercise is also one of my favorite methods, even though there is nothing harder than getting my butt to the gym. I also found this crazy video of a hangover remedy that I will definitely be trying next time I have access to a blender. Here is the video
I hope everyone survived their St. Patrick's Day (and post St. Patrick's Day as well)!!
In Blogging news...
I was so tired today that I took a five hour nap from 5-11, so god only knows when Ill actually fall asleep. This is a perfect opportunity to get work done! This will be the first time in forever that I have stayed in and done actual work on a Friday, but I feel this will be worth it.
Today was my last day at Members 1st and honestly I was a little sad. I really do enjoy working there, and it gives me a chance to sit around and listen to books. Unfortunately today I was just not feeling so hot, but I survived and I am feeling much better after some sleep. It will be back to school soon, which I am becoming less and less excited about. All I can think of is my math professor's droning voice, and staying here does not seem so bad. Unless something drastic happens I will be working there over the summer and I am a little excited.
Also today (well yesterday now) can be marked as the first day of the year that I drove with the windows down. For the 10 minutes that I was actually outside the weather was perfect. I took my dog out and the temperature was at equilibrium with my body. Sometimes I love nothing more than warm weather. I am very excited for summer!! (Even though Ill be a graduate).
In graduate school school news, I am working on getting my letters of recommendation in for Argosy University in Tampa, and a few other things like the personal statement, which I will probably be writing tonight. I am waiting to hear back from IUP in Monroeville and I also need to get my assistanship application in the mail ASAP. (Something I can do tonight too...) Even though I will probably be up all night I can see this night being extremely productive.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Artist of the Week
One of my greatest passions in life is MUSIC. So each week (I guess on Thursdays) I would like to feature a band that I am particularly interested in and talk about their past and which songs I like and other things. This week I am going to feature an extremely talented band called Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. I have been listening to them since last summer, and I heard about them at Bonnaroo 2010. They can do both softer or harder rock, and they have blues, folkish and sometimes countryish vibes. One of the things I love most about them is that they do not really fit into one genre. I truly enjoy the vocals, and I love pretending that I can sing like her in the car. Grace Potter has such a strong but beautiful voice. The vocals are definitely the strongest part of the band, but that is not to say the instrumentals are lacking in the least.
Grace Potter also plays both electric and acoustic guitar, and piano. (My kind of gal!). Scott Tournet plays the guitars (including slide) and the harmonica. The drummer is Matthew Burr and Catherine Popper is on bass guitar and vocals. Bryan Dondero also played the bass guitar, upright bass and mandolin, but he left the band in 2009. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals formed in 2002 when drummer Matthew Burr saw Grace performing folk songs at a small club at St. Lawrence University. Later in 2003 invited Tournet to join the group and they became Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. In 2004 Grace released Soul 2005 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals released Nothing But the Water (an album that I personally LOVE). They have released 3 other albums and in 2010 they released their newest one self titled Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. This album was #5 on iTunes top 100 albums. Their songs have been featured in shows like Grey's Anatomy, ER, and One Tree Hill and they have opened for Dave Matthews Band. In 2009 they performed at Bonnaroo and in 2010 their song "Almost Alice" appeared in Tim Burtons Alice and Wonderland. One thing I love is Grace's inspiration. She loves bands like Tom Petty and The Kinks. If I do end up going to Bonnaroo this summer Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will be one of the bands I will REALLY be looking forward to see!
Here is the music video for one of their harder songs, as well as one of my personal favorites, Paris (Ooh La La).
I love the 1920's feel, as well as the harder rock sound. Grace is a wonderful performer, and has one of the strongest, clearest female vocals that I have heard.
I would recommend listening to "Treat Me Right", "Ragged Company" "Apologies" and my personal favorite "Lose Some Time".
Also vote for them in MTV's March Madness (and also support another favorite band of mine: No Doubt. Unfortunately I love Paramore as well, but they need to be around a little longer to compete with No Doubt. I saw both of them last summer. It was an absolutely stunning time.)
You can vote at this link:
We do not want Kings of Leon to win! I have also seen them in concert as well, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have so more talent and they more personal with their performances!!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My Mature Woman Blog
Hi! I'm not sure how to get readers, but this is my second blog. I used to have a Xanga, and I loved it! But of course I was in high school and a lot of my other high school buddies were blogging too. Also I had A LOT of teen angst and what better way to whine about it other than post it on the internet? I feel like bloggers have to have something interesting going on in their lives, and my life is about to change. For the better. I am currently applying to graduate school and I will be studying hopefully something in mental health counseling or community counseling. I am finally growing up! Which I hate a ton, but I am also slightly excited to start a career semi-soon (?). The application process has gone smoother than expected. I am currently applying to IUP for community counseling, which is located in Monroeville PA, right outside of Pittsburgh and Argosy University which is in Tampa. I am SO SICK of living in the middle of nowhere and also ugly as sin Williamsport. I feel ready to move on to a city like environment so I can meet all kinds of people, and have all kinds of 20 something fun. I am so ready to grow up and be on my own! I am a senior in college as well, which on its own is interesting. I am also interested in fitness facts and tips. I am currently trying to lose weight and I feel that if I can get other people in on it on the web, it might be easier. So today I am going to start with a diet tip.
I found this wonderful tip from Readers Digest and I am going to try this tip this week and work on making it part of my eating routine!
The tip is...
"Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown. make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bit with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad."
I am going to start eating chips and salsa instead of potato chips and bringing salads with grated mozzarela or feta to work this week. At school I'll invest in hummus and low fat crackers. All it takes are little steps and keeping with them to make changes in your life. I feel that once I am out of undergraduate school I can really focus on my dietary health.
In other news Japan is on a very long road to recovery, but it still needs our help! I have donated my ten dollars and you should too! The link is www.globalgiving.org. or text"JAPAN50555" to donate ten dollars. We all live in this world and we should all show our support! They really need us now and every little bit counts.
Well this is my first post. I hope someone reads this. :)
Rachel
I found this wonderful tip from Readers Digest and I am going to try this tip this week and work on making it part of my eating routine!
The tip is...
"Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown. make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bit with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad."
I am going to start eating chips and salsa instead of potato chips and bringing salads with grated mozzarela or feta to work this week. At school I'll invest in hummus and low fat crackers. All it takes are little steps and keeping with them to make changes in your life. I feel that once I am out of undergraduate school I can really focus on my dietary health.
In other news Japan is on a very long road to recovery, but it still needs our help! I have donated my ten dollars and you should too! The link is www.globalgiving.org. or text"JAPAN50555" to donate ten dollars. We all live in this world and we should all show our support! They really need us now and every little bit counts.
Well this is my first post. I hope someone reads this. :)
Rachel
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