Creative Outlets for Anger

Most angry people choose to brood over the emotion and dwell in it. But why waste your time swimming in such negativity when you can use it to fuel your creative side.

Anger, among many emotions, set off inspiration in a lot of artists. Why not use the feeling to tap into the artist in you and try out these creative outlets:

• Painting. Some people let off steam by bringing out their paint brushes and creative works of art. Some say that it's the colors they use for the paintings that calm them down, while others say focusing on painting makes them forget about the anger altogether.
• Writing. You can choose to use the anger to write an inspiring story of overcoming such negative emotions or write an emotional poem describing how hurt you were at the time. Be it a song, story, or poem, you can choose to use the feeling to create literary pieces that allow you to vent and entertain at the same time.
  

You can try out other forms of art like carving, pottery making, or even landscaping. Find one that works for you and use it to ease out of the emotion. You'll feel calmer and you'll have a masterpiece to show for it too.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

You Are Your Biggest Work Stressor

Most people would blame work for the stress they're experiencing. But are you sure you're pointing a finger at the right culprit? Is it really the mountains of workload? Or is it your work habits?

You'll find that three office personalities are often the most stressed ones.

• The buzzer-beater. These are people who wait until the last minute before starting work. It may work for some people, but for most people, it can be very stressful trying to produce quality work in a short span of time.
• The brown noser. These are people who commit themselves to too many projects at once. Guess how much pressure they set themselves up for trying to meet multiple deadlines all at the same time.
• The clutter bug. These are the people whose work stations look like it's been run over by a hurricane. Just looking at the mess can already be stressful, let alone try to work effectively in it.

If you find yourself guilty of being one of these people, then you might want to start looking in the mirror first before pointing your finger at what's causing your stress. Because quite frankly, it might be you.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Eatings Habits That Are Eating You

Do you want to age early? I don't. I mean, aging is fine, I'm just not rushing to get there. But did you know that some of our eating habits make us age faster.?

Which eating habits am I referring to? Here are some examples:

Keeping a fast-food diet.
Most of us live on fast food meals because we're too busy to cook. Doctors say that grab-and-go meals are brimming with trans-fat which decreases our cells' ability to regenerate over time.

Over-indulging one's sweet tooth.
Although sugar converts to energy, there's a limit to what the body can process effectively. The excess sugar then causes a ruckus on the body by setting off an age-accelerating process called glycosylation.

Eating only when we're really, really, REALLY hungry.
The hormone that signals the brain of our hunger doesn't immediately normalize once you start eating. This causes a tendency to overeat. And when this happens often, your risk of obesity increases. And we all know that obesity does nothing good to the body.

So again, do you want to age early? If not, then you might want to look out on your eating habits.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Secrets to Aging Well, Revealed

Everybody wishes to age well. Not just physically, but also psychologically and emotionally. But not everybody knows just how to age well. You can say that life gets in the way and it takes a pretty heavy toll on you.

But nonetheless, there are ways to ensure that we age well, despite of how much stress life brings to us. Here are some secrets to aging well:

1. Learn to pace your life. Don't go through life in one big rush as it will wear you out sooner than you can imagine.
2. Got pet? Pet owners have been noted to be healthier, less prone to giving out to stress, and lead happier lives that people who don't have pets.
3. Always hydrate. Eight glasses of water everyday will help keep your skin from drying out and aging prematurely.
4. Stay positive. Looking at the brighter side of life may seem naïve for some, but it does wonders to keep stress at bay.
5. Catch some Zs. Sleep is essential in keeping the body healthy. Getting six to eight hours of restful sleep should aid in keeping you in shape.

How about you, can you share some of your own secrets to aging well?

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

A Feast For The Eyes

Our eyes are often the most strained of our senses because we use them day in and day out with only sleep as their rest. The eyes are also among the most commonly ignored body organs.

How do you take care of your eyes? Vitamin A supplements and giving your eyes quick breaks in between the day can help. But did you know that eating certain foods can actually help you show your eyes some love too?

• Rasperries, which are rich in vitamin C, can help lower your risks of developing cataracts.
• Lutein-rich broccoli and omega-3 rich salmon are great foods to help you prevent age-related macular degeneration.
• Eggs, which are high in vitamin A, promoted proper retina function.
• Spinach, which contains zeaxanthin, protects your eyes from light damage and natural oxidation.
• Almonds, a great source of vitamin E, delay the progression of age-related eye problems.
• Yogurt, with it's high Zinc content, can help the body absorb powerful eye antioxidants like vitamin A into the system.

There you go, food for the eyes, literally! Who knew protecting your eyes could be this great tasting, right?

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

How to Stay Healthy the Natural Way

Our health is, undoubtedly, our greatest wealth. Even if we run out of material things, we'll always have our health to use to get the material things we want or need. It is for this reason that we need to actively take care of our health and well-being.

Let's get you started with two tried-and-tested secrets to good health:

• Soak up some sun. Spending time under the sun, during the safe hours (5 – 10am) is actually a good way of getting vitamin D into your system. Avoid staying out in the sun unprotected from 10am to 4pm to avoid risks of skin cancer.
• Take a breather. Don't take your rest days for granted. Use them on some well deserved R&R. Your body was not meant to be worked out and stressed 24/7. So give your body some time to recuperate from the damage all that working does to it.
  

There are other ways for you to stay healthy without the use of medications or supplements. It is best to talk to your doctor to find out more ways to protect your health the natural way.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

What's Bad is Good

You now how some people tell you not to eat certain foods because they're bad for the health. It isn't necessarily true. Some “bad” foods actually turn out to be good for the health if you know how to choose them.

Here are some three examples of “bad” but good foods:

• Chocolates. They're sweet and have a lot of fat. The milk chocolate kind, that is. Dark chocolates contain something that'll do you good – flavanols. These are antioxidants that have a blood-thinning effect which is good for your heart.
• Beef. Beef is high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Not really good for the heart. But if you're wise about your beef cuts, you've got yourself a low-fat goldmine of protein and iron which are good for muscle building and circulation respectively.
• Eggs. Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, which can be bad for the heart. But eggs are actually very filling. Eating it with a toast makes you feel fuller longer than having a bagel of equal calorie count. Also, eggs contain compounds that lower one's risk of blindness-causing eye damage.

Well, now that you know these things, can you still call these things bad foods?

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Secrets to Aging Well

I doubt if there's anybody who'll disagree to wanting to age well. Who would want to grow up to be a dry and sickly old person anyway?

Some people say others age well because of their genetics. There may be some truth behind that. But even then, just because you belong to family of people who didn't age well, it doesn't mean that you can't do anything to prevent becoming like them.

How can you ensure that you'll grow old healthy? Here are some great tips:

• Ditch your vices. Vices, like cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol drinking, do nothing but damage your body. Eliminating these habits will ensure that you stay healthier for a longer time.
• Get enough rest. Your cells get repaired during sleep. By getting enough sleep, you keep your cells and their functions in good working order.
• Observe personal hygiene. By keeping your body clean, you lower your risk of skin infections and keep your skin in healthy condition. Healthy skin will actually make you look younger.

Lastly, learn ways to effectively deal with stress. Stress has been noted to trigger different diseases as well as make you look older faster.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Foods Pregnant Women Should Avoid

It's important for a pregnant mom to be careful about what she eats because she's eating for two - herself and her baby. There are lots of considerations about what a pregnant woman can or can't chow down on.

Here are some examples of foods that expectant moms should steer clear from:

• Raw meats. Raw and half-cooked pork, beef, poultry, and seafood present a risk for salmonella contamination, coliform bacteria infection, and toxiplasmosis.
• Soft cheeses. Be careful about imported soft cheese as you may never know if these have been contaminated with listeria. Listeria is a bacteria that may cause miscarriage.
• Unpasteurized milk. This kind of milk has not been treated and may contain listeria. The bacteria may cause life-threatening infection or blood poisoning to the unborn baby.
• Fish rich in Mercury. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish are only some fish that are high in mercury. The mercury content in these fish may cause brain damage to the fetus.

For more information on what foods you should avoid during pregnancy, consult your trusted gynecologist or find a local dietitian. It pays to be careful with what you eat, considering that you're eating for two.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap