The V Well Coffee Ground Scrub for Smooth Skin

As many of you are aware I am fascinated by anything having to do with health and wellness.  I research absolutely everything having to do with the body inside and out.  Many years ago I noticed that there were very expensive creams on the market to fight against cellulite.  Many of these creams contain caffeine.  I began to research anything and everything having to do with caffeine as it relates to the skin.  Consequently, I found out that caffeine increases blood flow thereby helping to reduce the effects of fat cells underneath the skin.  Several of you wrote in and asked if coffee grounds were my number one solution to cellulite.  You are correct of course but but my technique is original and has a twist.  Years ago I created a technique and shared it with people who were suffering with cellulite.  It helped to make their skin smooth, soft and certainly reduced their cellulite.  If you have cellulite I suggest you try it.  Actually, if you don’t have cellulite I suggest you also try it, you will be amazed at the results.

V Well’s Coffee Ground Scrub

Ingredients:

• Day old coffee grounds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Bath mit (sponge, but looks like a glove)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine 1 cup coffee grounds with olive oil and salt.  Use enough oil to create a thick paste and sprinkle in some kosher salt.  Depending on whether or not you like a hard or soft exfoliant will depend on how much kosher salt you sprinkle in.  I suggest a tablespoon.  Some people prefer more so as to create a harder scrub.
2. 35 minutes before taking a shower, put your hand with the bath mit into the bowl and grab some of the paste.  Rub the paste onto your legs and hips (actually you can rub the mixture anywhere you like, you will see fantastic results after just a week of using this technique).
3. Wrap yourself in your bathrobe and keep the paste on for 30 minutes.
4. Rinse off in a warm shower.  I would like to point out here that for all of you that like to take two or three showers per day, I strongly suggest you cool your water temperature.  Showering with very warm water will dry out your skin.  So if you take numerous showers throughout the day try to make them as cool as possible.

I strongly recommend you try this paste.  I have recommended it to many people over the years and they always give me rave reviews.  Remember it is great to exfoliate your body anyway, why not use something natural.  This is one of the best ways that I know to fight cellulite, and might I add, the cheapest?  So what do you have to lose my friend?

Tired? You may need more than just sleep.

Most people think that being tired stems from lack of sleep. Not always true, actually. In fact, generally speaking fatigue is due to so many other issues. Bear in mind, however, sleep is very important. I must admit these days I plan my schedule so as to ensure generous amounts of sleep. There are tons of people who get plenty of sleep, but are still always exhausted. Today I would like to share with you some of the reasons for fatigue other than the obvious, lack of sleep that is.

• Too little exercise, I know it sounds contrary, but the more you exercise the more energy you have. Sometimes the person who is always tired really does not exercise at all. Believe it or not just 3 hours of exercise per week can increase your energy level. Just try it and see what happens in one month’s time.
• Iron, I suppose this is kind of obvious, but you would be surprised how many people are anemic and totally clueless about it. If you think you might be anemic increase your iron intake. Remember, it does not necessarily have to be red meat. My favorite ways to get iron are lentils and spinach. Not together, of course. Well actually, not so fast. Lentils and spinach combined are  quite tasty.
• Potassium, I am simply amazed when I run into people who don’t eat bananas. They are a great way to get potassium. There are many ways of course, but I love bananas for being so convenient to carry around. Have you heard of an apple a day? I’ve got to tell you, I always have one banana per day. Just remember, folks,  it is really important to have some raw nuts every time you eat a piece of fruit.
• Caffeine, It’s interesting you know, a lot of people tell me they are tired and they also tell me that they drink a lot of coffee to stay awake. In large amounts the caffeine may be having the opposite effect. Remember caffeine is good, but only in moderation. I must of course, reiterate that good quality coffee beans are a must.
• Sugar, you know everyone jokes about crashing, but do you realize what that really means? Too much sugar will destroy your energy level. So, if you are finding yourself extremely fatigued, cut back on the sugar. The process of the sugar high to sugar crash has been found to actually burn up additional valuable energy. So be careful especially when you are putting sugar in your coffee drinks.
• Vitamin B-12, I’m a fan, but I must tell you there is some controversy. So if you are nervous that vitamin B-12 might cause additional stress and anxiety just make sure to substitute vitamin rich foods for vitamin supplements. Foods rich in b-12 include sardines, salmon, shrimp, scallops, and hormone free yogurt and milk
• Vitamin D-3, It seems to me there are many folks that are low in vitamin d3 and t certainly seem of course that since D-3 boosts your immune system it would follow that if you were desperately low, that in itself might cause some fatigue. Listen vitamin D-3 is so important that you might as well take it anyway, tired or not. (Generally speaking 1000-2000 mg per day is good. If you have found out from your physician that you are very low take 5000 mg per day for several weeks.)

That’s it folks.  I have much more of course to say on the subject of fatigue, but I’m too tired. Just kidding of course! Actually, there is a lot more to say on fatigue. I shall save that for another blog.

Just Say No to Energy Drinks!

“Unleash the Beast”, “Party Like a Rock Star”, “Red Bull Gives You Wings”.  These are the slogans designed to catch the eye of 20 year olds looking for extra energy.  But are they safe?  The label contains enormous amounts of vitamins so it almost looks like a health drink.  Children view these as a form of sports drinks which are meant to replenish lost electrolytes due to exercise.  However, these are not sports drinks and should not be used as such.

First and foremost, we are all familiar with caffeine.  Normal doses are fine, some might venture to say healthy.  One or two cups of coffee might be healthy (caffeine is extremely controversial, I shall make sure I write a blog on it in the upcoming weeks).  In an effort to be candid, I must tell you I enjoy a good cup of java.  It’s what puts a smile on my face every morning!  Children and young adults who consume these energy drinks usually have at least two or more a day.  This is extremely dangerous and many young adults have died as a result of consuming excess energy drinks and experiencing adverse cardiac reactions.  Caffeine is addictive and unfortunately young adults who consume these energy drinks program their bodies to require these drinks to function.  I would also suggest that large amounts of caffeine significantly raises blood pressure.

How familiar are you with guarana?  This is a common ingredient in most energy drinks.  It is a creeping shrub native to Venezuela and Northern Brazil in the Amazon rain forest.  The fruit is small, bright red, and contains 4-8% caffeine compared to only 1-2.5% found in coffee beans!  It is considered a central nervous system stimulant.  When mixed with ephedrine or diet pills it can be lethal.

What about taurine?  We don’t know too much about taurine.  This is naturally occurring in food.  Depending upon how much we consume from energy drinks this could be toxic.  Studies indicate that in moderate doses, taurine has no reported benefits or adverse reactions.  Why take the risk?

Additional risks resulting from the consumption of energy drinks are tooth decay from the amounts of sugar used and vacillating between highs and lows from all the caffeine and sugar.  Other symptoms are headaches and heart palpitations.

The worst offenders of the energy drinks are the ones that contain alcohol.  They have already been banned in a few countries in Europe.  The stimulant affects the way your body responds to alcohol.  The alcohol in the energy drink impairs your ability to judge your level of intoxication.  There have been numerous reports of increased risk taking by people who consume these drinks.

In short, if we are looking for a sports drink, let me suggest to you that it might be wiser to give your child a bottle of water, an orange and a banana.  There you go, a perfect sports drink.  Now here’s my thought on energy drinks.  Try getting your energy from food, forgo the energy drinks and save your liver and kidneys.  In fact there are many young adults currently being diagnosed with fatty livers.  Might you guess where this is coming from?  Looking for energy?  Try some raw nuts and a banana.  Does anyone remember what Elvis Presley’s favorite snack was?  That’s right a banana, peanut butter and honey in a sandwich.  Sounds mighty good to me!  Oh, and if your wish is to have some caffeine, find  yourself a fine cup of java and enjoy.

Diet Soda, Energy Drinks… Too much caffeine?

Are they joking?

Too much caffeine should be the worst of it!  In fact, I feel compelled, as a result of the recent health alerts in the last week, to talk about the ingredients in these drinks.  If they were only to contain caffeine, I wouldn’t be as concerned.  But in fact, aspartame, combined with all of the other ingredients, that do not resemble anything natural, are far worse than caffeine might be.  Although, I should clarify that the amount of caffeine is definitely dangerous and no one should consume that much caffeine but I feel that it is important to point out that I believe the chemicals cause far more damage than strokes and heart attacks.  In fact, I feel, at some point in the near future, we might be so fortunate that these drinks will be downright illegal.  There are many studies that show they cause heart disease, cancer, brain tumors, and a multitude of many other things.  These drinks are a scary addiction for pre teens and teen agers and it is our responsibility to advise the young minds out there about the harm they might be inflicting on their bodies.

If this seems a bit extreme, please take the time to watch the documentary titled, Sweet Misery, and it might shed a whole new light on that dangerous additive called aspartame.  I just, quite frankly, don’t understand what would possess people to consume drinks that would – even if they were not cancer causing and dangerous – at the very least – dehydrate you.  Which means, as a woman, I would rather drink water and juice to replenish the very things that are so critical to the body.

If you’re not worried about your heart and your brain, for goodness sake, stay away from the wrinkly look you will no doubt be left with after years and years and years of these drinks.  Instead, let’s all keep our heart healthy, keep our brain in tact, and pursue that healthy glow!  Drink as much water as you can and why not just flavor it?  And no, I don’t mean Vitamin Water.

If you don’t know what to do with all the extra diet soda you have around the house, try pouring it down your drains.  It will work far superior to Draino to unclog your drains and far less expensive!  Although, if you live in Colts Neck, NJ, we might worry about what it will do to our septic systems… Just kidding!

Make sure you drink 3 or 4 glasses of water when you first wake up to start the day off right.  And then, by all means, have a great cup of java.  Add some cinnamon to it to get some extra antioxidants.  Remember – drink 5 glasses of water for every cup of coffee you have to stay hydrated.

Strong blog to follow…