PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome) Misery

I hate having this once a month! For women, we share the same dilemma and you know what I am talking about. For me, I always have this bloated abdomen three days before the onset of my menstruation and I feel bad about myself because as I look in the mirror, my reflection is telling me that I became fat! I also indulge in binge eating especially sweets and salty foods. It’s like I am in a pica state. And goodness, I can’t control my urges because when I deprived myself, I suffer from more cramps and terrible mood swings during my menstruation, and I cannot concentrate! So please bear with me if I have so many exclamation points here because I am just suffering from PMS right now and I am trying to divert myself by writing this post.
If you are a man, I am glad you navigate at this page because you’ll have a lot to understand about women by being aware about PMS.
Women have different menstrual cycles. Some would have it regularly with the same date every month or even if not the same date, the same week. Some have their bleeding days for just two or three days; others have it though for four, five or six days. It may even reach to seven days but is a rare case. Mine is a five-day bleeding period. So just imagine the length of discomfort I have to manage. Maybe the length of my bleeding days has something to do with my PMS. I have PMS to compensate for the energy I need for five days since I am losing blood (even if they tell that it is a dirty blood that must be released, it is still blood). From the onset of my PMS to my menstruation, I usually crave for more food and I suffer from kind-of-insomnia-hour the night before my bleeding day starts. So when I cannot sleep when I am expecting my “visitor”, I already knew my menstruation will start. But what is PMS?

My research says:
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), disorder characterized by a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that occur in women before menstruation. These symptoms typically begin at or after ovulation (release of an egg by the ovaries), and continue until menstruation begins.
The most common physical symptom of PMS is fatigue. Other physical symptoms may include cravings for sweet or salty foods, abdominal bloating, weight gain, sore breasts, swollen feet or hands, headaches, acne, and various gastrointestinal problems. The emotional symptoms of PMS generally include depression, irritability, anxiety, or mood swings. Approximately 2 to 5 percent of women have severe PMS symptoms, but many have only mild or moderate symptoms. PMS is most common in women in their 20s and 30s, and ceases entirely at menopause.
Many researchers believe that PMS is the result of changes in estrogen and progesterone hormone levels that occur during the menstrual cycle. Among other effects these hormonal changes may cause the body to retain more sodium and fluid, leading to swelling or bloating. Recent research suggests that low levels of certain neurotransmitters (chemicals that transmit messages between cells) that affect a woman's sense of well-being and relaxation, and also stimulate the central nervous system may contribute to the emotional symptoms.
PMS is diagnosed by recording symptoms for several menstrual cycles. Symptoms that occur in a predictable pattern (starting before menstruation, then disappearing when it begins) usually indicate PMS. A doctor may perform a physical exam, if necessary, to rule out the possibility that symptoms indicate the presence of disease.
Treatment of PMS involves finding the remedy or combination of remedies that work for each individual. For some women, dietary changes, such as eliminating caffeine and alcohol, and cutting back on salt, will alleviate symptoms. Doctors often recommend vigorous, aerobic exercise because it is thought that exercise stimulates the body's release of various neurotransmitters, supplementing those that are at low levels.
Medications used to treat PMS include diuretics (to ease fluid retention), oral contraceptives (for hormone control), and anti-anxiety medication, for extreme irritability. Low doses of progesterone (a reproductive system hormone) have been used on an experimental basis. Researchers also have conducted experiments using drugs that affect neurotransmitter levels.
My say:
Since I am always suffering from PMS, there are remedies I really tried to do to comfort myself.
My remedies to:
Cramps. After the first twinge of pelvic pain, I pop an over-the-counter medication that contains ibuprofen or naproxen and continue taking it until my period starts. Sometimes I start taking it when my menstruation starts, that way I know when to stop medicating. If I took one capsule of pain reliever and I felt better, I stop it. Anyway, the intense cramp occurs only during my first day.
Mood swings. I maintain my usual exercise schedule because as they say, exercise releases stress-busting chemicals into the bloodstream which helps us relax. As much as possible, I keep on moving like cleaning the house (the time my place become sparklingly clean), or do the laundry and many others. And to avoid week before irritability, (that is why men should consider that once in a month, a woman really have this uncontrolled irritability because of hormonal changes, and not because they did something wrong. Just leave a woman alone during these times. She really needs to be by herself not to screw your moment together) I aim for extra hour of sleep each night.
Bloating. Feeling water-logged is the result of the rise in the hormone progesterone in the second half of our cycle, which boosts our appetite for bloat inducing salty chow. I did try to control my intake of sodium-rich snacks. I also drink lots of water to further flush me out.
Breast tenderness. The surge in progesterone is also responsible for making our breasts sensitive and achy. I tried taking Vitamin E supplements. Since then, it also became my habit taking the vitamin everyday. Pain relievers with ibuprofen may also quell the pain.
Bottom line in alleviating PMS misery is managing its symptoms. There are ways you can do for your own comfort. And oh, I forgot to include that I don’t diet during my period because it only worsens my discomfort. One thing more is that, we need extra calories during this time because our body needs sufficient nourishment during and after our red-flag days. Do not be afraid to eat more. You can sweat it all away anyway when your menstruation is over.

Trivia of the day: Male wolves, unlike many guys, cuddle after sex. They have to so no other wolf’s sperm has a chance to compete for the female’s eggs.

The Valentines Day

Each time this holiday comes, I am always excited because it is the time I can say and express my love and affection towards a person. But at the same time I am wondering how come we have this day called Valentines Day, which I could associate as the day of Valentine. But who is he?

My curious mind tried to search about the history of this very special day. But browsing the internet just get me confused because there are various different version of stories about this day or even Saint Valentine himself. My demand is not satisfied because I cannot find a unique answer to my query, and I don’t know what story I would believe either. So, I scanned every possible source I could find, from books to the web just to at least say to myself I found out something really unique and true perhaps.

So what is Valentines Day and how did it began?

My research says:

          Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday honoring lovers. It is celebrated on February 14 by the custom of sending greeting cards or gifts to express affection. The cards, known as valentines, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love.

The holiday probably derives from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalis (February 15), also called the Lupercalia. In an annual rite of fertility, eligible young men and women would be paired as couples through a town lottery. Briefly clad or naked men would then run through the town carrying the skins of newly sacrificed goats dipped in blood. The women of the town would present themselves to be gently slapped by the strips and marked by the blood to improve their chances of conceiving in the coming year.

As Christianity came to dominance in Europe, pagan holidays such as Lupercalia were frequently renamed for early Christian martyrs. In 496 Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14 to be the feast day of two Roman martyrs, both named Saint Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century. Neither Saint Valentine seems to have an obvious connection to courtship or lovers.

Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14, and the image of birds as the symbol of lovers began to appear in poems dedicated to the day. By the 18th century it was common for friends and lovers to exchange handwritten notes on Valentine’s Day. Printed cards had largely replaced written sentiments by the 19th century. In 1840 Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, created the first line of mass-produced Valentines for sale. Today, Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas as the most popular card-sending holiday.

But who really is Saint Valentine? What is his real story?

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!”

My say:

            It is nice to know Saint Valentine's story. I am thankful that because of him we have this very special day to celebrate with the ones we love. We can always show our love everyday, you say, but having a special day for this is something that is really really heart touching because we don’t always send someone cards in an ordinary day or even kiss and hug them in a very memorable moment; we can always say we love them but we cannot always show sweet gestures. This day is the time to unload all our fantasies of love; to share our longing to be able to express our special feelings towards someone and show them that we really care even for just a day. I think this is also a wake up call for lovers who don’t have time for each other to at least spend a quality time together.

            This day has many meanings for each individual. Bottom line is how we spend it with people close to our hearts that really matters. This day also reminds us that we should not be afraid to express our love, to be loved and to feel love.

            Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Breakfast With You

Admit it, we often skip this meal and majority don’t eat well in the morning. Which of course very contrary to the ideal way of eating. Our teachers during our elementary and secondary years always tell us that breakfast is very important. That in order that we could concentrate well in our lessons, we must eat in the morning. This is also what my mother thought us. She usually woke up early in the morning to cook our breakfast and don’t let us go to school without having breakfast first. And now, I appreciate her efforts and I also treasure those advises from my teachers. I made breakfast the most important meal of my day.

 When I was a student in a university, I noticed that most of my classmates were complaining of hunger early in the morning. Basically, the reason is that they did not eat their breakfast and just drank coffee or milk. The same reason I hear everyday. In my mind I silently say, then why not eat before going to school and stop complaining? During class break, they would rush to the canteen, then they would eat. It is also already their “brunch”(breakfast+lunch) meal. Then they  will not eat lunch and they will have a heavy snack in the afternoon. When they go home, they will eat heavy dinner.

This is a common eating habits where in we eat a lot during supper and we usually skip breakfast. But in fact, it is alright if we skip dinner because our body will rest; our bodily processes will lie low and we don’t need extra calories. We sleep for long hours and when we woke up, our stomach is empty and we feel hungry. That is why eating breakfast is very important to re-nourish our system.

I could not understand why other people could not spend time eating breakfast when they can make their coffee and have time to drink it. I think the time we can drink our coffee is just the right amount of time we could eat, right? Then they would always argue that they don't have time to eat. I understand that we are all busy in the morning preparing for work or for school and we don’t have time to cook, or even if there is food prepared we are rushing that is why we have no choice but to skip it. I guess, it is in our own eating habits and understanding of our priority. We tend to sacrifice a very important meal because we got used to rushing. But the thing that we must understand is that our body cannot be immuned to starvation or skipping meals, it resents it. That is why our stomach complains when we are hungry so that we can do something about it—our body needs fuel to function properly. And in order to start our day, we need to have a full tank of fuel by eating our breakfast.

Not only that, eating our breakfast is one of the best tool in losing weight, because we can enhance more our metabolism for after eating a heavy meal, we burn calories by being busy and moving all morning. That is why a lot of dieting tips in weight control programs, recommends us to eat breakfast or never even skip a meal. And it is a must.

Since I don’t share the same dilemma with my classmates, I don’t have a problem concentrating in my class and I am not disturbed by rumbling stomach. I can also save some penny from my daily allowance because it is alright if I don’t have snacks and have my lunch instead. I can last the whole morning without feeling hungry. Isn’t that good? It feels good. So when someone ask me how I maintain my energy, I just shrug my shoulders and simply say, “I ate breakfast”.

Waking Up Metabolism

I want to start the first page of this book with an idea I would like to emphasize before I will go with any topic I would like to talk about. Just recently, I attained my goal of losing pounds. This is because many would comment about me becoming fat, so I took all the time to research on strategies I would take to lose weight. From my researches, I have made a conclusion on all the things I've read, thus it turned me into one thing to target.

Okay let me remind you that I am not a doctor nor a nutritionist or an expert of weight control who published their own book on various diets. I am just a health conscious individual trying everything from fitness, diets, drugs like slimming pills, vitamin supplements and other healthful means to maintain my health and body. Due to enormous effects I experienced through various means of losing weight, the idea of posting everything here in my blog came out. And I want to share what remedy I did for myself. So here are my conclusions.

I know many had attempted to lose weight whether you are obese or a slim person who just want to maintain normal body numbers in accordance to your age and height. But every time you try to diet, the more you are gaining pounds. So the result is not satisfying for you and you would stopped dieting. And you will be convinced that you can't do anything and shift to slimming pills which for you is easier, that you don't have to exert an effort or deprive yourself from foods you love to eat. But when the pill seems not to be working on your body because it does not fit you, you will be frustrated and stop it again. Or maybe you will not care at all anymore if you became fat because you don’t believe you can do anything about it.

But I tell you, its all in your mind and  attitude. You can lose weight in any means you can provided that you really know your goal and what you will gain in the process. And you better stop thinking it is not your fault why you failed. According to what we hear people say, obese people are  fat because they eat a lot which is a very wrong notion because slim people also eat amounts of food that obese people eat. But why are they not fat? It is because these types of individuals don’t have a problem with their metabolism. So am I saying here that the problem of fat people is their metabolism? Yes. We people eat the same amounts of food whether we are slim or obese so there is no point in saying your diet is different, not unless you are following a strict diet that restricts you from eating too much because of a disease. The real reason of everything is metabolism. Obese individuals metabolism is normal, its just that it is sluggish or not that very active. It is sleeping. And if you really want to lose those pounds, you have to wake up your metabolism process.

           Metabolism refers to the number of calories of food energy your body burns to maintain vital functions such as heart rate, brain activity and digestion.

How to work on your metabolism?

There are a lot of ways on how to work on your metabolism. If you surf the internet, you will be provided with a lot of strategies and those things may help you and give you an idea. You can adapt those techniques. But my goal in this blog post is to show you that really working on it will give you satisfying results. That you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight. Because the more you starve, the more you crave for food especially carbohydrates and the next thing you knew you are indulging yourself in binge eating because you cannot stand starvation anymore. Our aim here is not to push ourselves to the limit. So don’t ever ever starve yourself just because you think you can lose weight easily by skipping meals. You are just pushing yourself to the grave of starvation.

So how? Just eat and exercise. You don’t have a problem on foods or you don’t have to deprive yourself if you are working on your metabolism. How can you wake it up if your body don’t have anything to metabolize? The food we are eating is the fuel in the form of calories, so we must eat calories each day to keep our metabolism process work. And in order to make it work, you also have to sweat. Heat or thermoregulation is like the machine that will use the fuel to run in order to burn these calories. When you burn all the fuels that enters the body, you maintain your normal weight. Those excess fuel that are not burned are stored as fat. So we really need to burn calories especially those excess ones. It doesn’t matter how you would sweat. You can achieve it whether by jogging, doing aerobics exercises, dancing or doing something that can bring out your sweat. It is up to you. But my tip here is this: eat first before doing any exercise. Give yourself a thirty-minute rest after eating then you can proceed to your exercise plan. You can also do stretching and muscle firmer after if you want to tone your muscles. The goal here is while you are working on your metabolism, you are also building more muscles. The more muscles you have, the more you can burn calories. 

I insist:

We cannot really appreciate and understand how our metabolism work in our weight loss endeavors not unless we really try it. And what I am suggesting here is the simplest way and the most effective tool to work on it: eat well and sweat. I understand that we are all busy individuals and we don’t have time to exercise. Walking is already an exercise. If you have the chance to always move and you can feel your body heats up, that is already something. Just keep on moving! The thing to understand here is that while you are helping your metabolism to work, you are also becoming aware of your own health and fitness. You will learn that eventually you are the one responsible for your own body and you can do something to improve it by your own will. You can always ask an advise from experts or from a person who successfully lost weight but yours is a different story. Those tips you read or heard are just your guidelines,it is you who can really act for your own weight loss. Not your mother or your friend or your neighbor. Its you! Just always remember, food is not your enemy, it is your habits and attitude.

 Enjoy your weight loss plan. You can make it.

“Our bodies are highly adaptive to change and are programmed not for dieting, but for survival” Peter Miller, The Hilton Head Metabolism Diet.

INTRODUCTION

        Hi. Welcome to my health blog which showcases my passion about health and fitness, foods and lifestyles and my own experiences by being health conscious. I am a very health conscious individual who would really try remedies on something I know will give me good and satisfying results whether it be tradiotinal or nomadic or modern. This is my health book.
         Journey with me as I experiment, research and prove that health is wealth.