Double Your Weight Loss By Using a Food Diary

Happy New Year! I kicked off another great year of YouTips4U this week with a video that will absolutely help you achieve your weight loss goals if that is your resolution this year.  How Changing One Habit Can Double Your Weight Loss

Experts have studied the benefits of keeping a food diary or food journal wherein you record all the foods and beverages you eat and drink daily.  They're studies have found that the act of recording what you eat leads to greater awareness of what, how much, and why you are eating and having that knowledge can result in greater weight loss when compared with people who did not record what they ate.  Keeping a food diary can also help you identify pitfalls in your eating habits or patterns of overeating or binge eating, so it's very important to record how you feel physically and emotionally prior to eating, and post eating foods.  For example, feeling bloated or nauseous or having diarrhea may indicate food intolerances. It can be a very important tool for identifying food allergies or that you are consuming too much processed foods or fast foods rather than nutrient-dense healthier foods.  Keeping a food journal can also help you if you have a disease such as diabetes or hypertension by helping you avoid certain foods that cause problems for your condition and helping you stick to your special eating plan.  You can also use a food diary as a tool to improve your diet using it as a reminder to make sure you are getting a variety of foods from all the major food groups. Choose the format you prefer and that's most comfortable for you: either use an app that you download onto your phone or book format. Both will be excellent.  See my YouTube video link above for recommendation and more information on this.



It's very important that you review your journal daily and weekly to see how you're reacting to your emotions, hunger, cravings, etc. by the choices and quantities of foods you eat. And don't forget about beverages! Much of our excess caloric intake comes from beverages like lattes, sodas, sports drinks, and alcoholic beverages. You can track your consumption of beverages to help cut down on consuming these empty calories which are many times packed with sugars and excess carbohydrates,  or in the case of water, drinking more of it.

It's a proven fact that writing things down in a diary helps people make major changes in their lives.  Give it a try and see. It worked for me and I think it will work for you too!

Let me know how your doing with your diary!

- Linda
YouTips4U

Castor Oil to Heal Dry Skin - Anti-Aging Benefits Too

Well, winter is fully upon us and that means dry chapped skin. I want to recommend a wonderful  natural healing product to you that I have used on my skin for many years. It's Castor Oil.  Castor Oil is wonderful for your skin. It is extracted by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant and is very rich and soothing and healing. It nourishes your skin with loads of vitamins and minerals and it is also an anti-fungal and an anti-viral so you can apply to areas of your skin that may need healing.  I use it at night before bed on my hands and then I cover them with old socks to help seal in the healing and prevent the oil from rubbing off on my bedding. Castor oil heals chapped hands literally overnight and it also nourishes them while you sleep. I use it on my face as well. It's an excellent anti-aging wrinkle reducing product for your face.  To learn more about the benefits of using Castor Oil and other ways to use it to heal including helping to grow hair, please watch my video on Youtube.  Castor Oil to Heal Nourish and Protect Skin and Hair - Anti-Aging Prevent Wrinkles

It is very important to buy the right Castor Oil. You want to make sure you buy a natural, cold-pressed, cold-processed Castor Oil, extracted from castor seeds and free from any additives.  The brand I have used for years that I recommend is Home Health Castor Oil or

Use this link to save $10 on Vitacost.com where I buy many of my natural products:  

https://www.vitacostrewards.com/jeNO7F1

I think you will absolutely love this rich soothing and nourishing natural product.

-YouTips4U

Static Stretching vs. Dynamic Stretching

If you are among the many people who find yourself getting injured and /or pulling muscles during your workout routines, it could be due to lack of proper stretching. In fact it may be because in the last 10 years static stretching has simply gone out of style in favor of dynamic stretching. Static stretching is where you hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds like touching your toes with your leg inclined on a stair.  Dynamic stretching is doing slow controlled movements through the full range of motion like shoulder circles and arm swings. Static stretching was abandoned because it was believed that it could potentially damage cold muscles and even reduce strength during a workout. However, a recent study showed that both static and dynamic stretching should be part of your regular warmup routine and that it can help reduce injuries and boost flexibility.  In fact, the most effective warmup is one that begins with dynamic stretching to warm up the muscles and ready the body for movement followed by static stretching which will then lengthen and stretch the muscles  and help improve range of motion. Also, any reduction in strength due to static stretching before strength training was negligible at only about 4.8%.  Not much of a trade off to protect yourself from injury. I have found personally that stretching your hamstrings, hip flexors, and quadriceps can be of great value before you begin any cardio exercise. These are large muscle groups and are often quite stiff, especially if you are a person who exercises regularly. Always take the time beforehand because injuries will set you back even more time. As they say, "a stitch in time saves nine".

-YouTips4U

Sitting Can Be Bad For Your Health - Let's Talk Solutions

I recently did a video on YouTube on how Sitting Too Much Can Be Bad For Your Health and received so many messages from viewers who have had issues due to extended periods of sitting. I'm so glad you all found my video helpful, informative and inspirational.  Sitting is now considered to be "the new smoking".  It the latest health problem facing this country.  Researchers have linked sedentary behavior to increases in the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, muscle degeneration and more.  This problem has given rise to the popularity of Fit Bit Wrist Bands and other devices to help people get more focused on movement and exercise.

People love wearing them because they can track their movement all day as well as their heart rate. It allows you to see just how active you are and can inspire you to attain more activity by setting workout goals and tracking progress if you find you are seriously lacking in movement. It even tracks your sleep to help you know whether you are getting sound restful uninterrupted sleep.  Attention to workplace fitness really ramped up in the last few years after the Mayo Clinic published a study on the detrimental effects of sitting for long periods of time. Many companies are now recognizing this and want to encourage more movement in the workplace.  CEO's want to bring health-care costs down and employee output up so many of them are taking steps toward a more active work environment. They are providing their employees with Fit Bits and even awarding prizes for activity goals attained. They are also outfitting the workspace with Sit Stand Desks. These adjustable standing desks offer workers the latest solution to sitting all day in one position.

They are adjustable desks that allow a person to stand and raise their desk up so they can work in a standing position. This can be very effective therapy for someone with a bad back and it helps circulate your blood. They even make portable ones for people who already have their desks and want to add this feature or to have at home.

I think we will see many other products coming out over the coming years to help us remedy a sedentary lifestyle. A lifestyle which, by the latest metrics, is getting worse. Helped of course by the digital age because everything is literally at our fingertips! No reason to get up and walk down the hall to speak to a coworker when you can just ping them on IM.   I personally sit on a body ball while working at my desk. It really helps my posture and activates my core muscles. They come in three different sizes, so if you buy one, be sure you purchase the correct size for your height.  I purchased the 65cm and I'm 5'4" tall. They are also wonderful for performing many exercises. I will have videos upcoming to demonstrate!

They also make ball chairs so you can easily roll around, support your back and work your core while sitting.

And if you want to get moving under your adjustable desk while sitting on your ball chair, then you might be interested in a desk cycle! You can burn calories, improve your health and your mood while your typing at your desk. You're literally cycling under your desk while working! Ingenious!

So as you can see, the problem facing our population of sitting too much is spurring a whirlwind of helpful products coming to the market to help people be more active throughout the day.  A great trend and helpful for any individual no matter what age! Obesity is a very big problem among all age groups which is only furthered by sedentary behavior. So if you need a push to get moving more, there are plenty of things out there for you to do it.  See you on YouTube!

-YouTips4U

Amazing Benefits of Witch Hazel for Skin

Witch Hazel is a natural topical astringent which is made from the bark and leaves of Hamamelis virginiana, also known as the North American witch-hazel shrub.  It has long been recognized for it's medicinal properties to treat skin all kinds of skin afflictions and irritations including pimples, acne, poison ivy, bug bites, bruises, diaper rash, sunburn, undereye bags and more. It is a very popular natural cleanser and toner for the face helping to heal and shrink pimples and acne as well as unclog and shrink pores. It's the high concentration of tannins in witch hazel that make it such an excellent astringent for the skin.  Witch Hazel removes the excess oil and dirt that can settle on the skin and clog pores but it won't strip or dry out your skin. With regular use, witch hazel can help prevent pimples, blemishes, and black heads from forming. To learn more about this amazing natural astringent, please see my YouTube video: 16 Beauty Hacks - One Amazing Natural Product 

No home should be without witch hazel because you will find so many uses for it. The brand I recommend is by T.N. Dickinson's because it is 100% Natural Witch Hazel with a very small amount of natural alcohol used as a preservative. Many of the brands you may find in the drugstore have isopropyl alcohol or synthetic alcohol in them and can irritate or dry skin. See you on YouTube!

-YouTips4U

Best Way to Clean Your False Eyelashes to Re-Use Again

Wearing false eyelashes gives your eyes instant glam so I highly recommend them for special occasions or when you want to add a more dramatic effect to your makeup look.  It can get expensive though if you don't get multiple uses from a pair of lashes. Our goal is to try to wear that favorite pair as many times as you can before they break down and you have to throw them away. The best way to clean them is to remove the glue after each wear because letting it build up makes it harder eventually to get the glue off.  Leaving the old glue on them also makes it harder for them to bend and adhere to your eyelids and they can feel less comfortable because they get heavier as the glue builds. The best way to clean them is with soap and water. It's super easy and allows the glue to come off very quickly and easily. Check out my video to learn how:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXQYSSv2rdc&index=14&list=PLoV67mdvkVn8nR9KQmIvE9J0PX2Bo9_Dq

-YouTips4U

How to Avoid Heat Damaged Hair

Repetitive heat styling can cause hair to become porous and brittle and can lead to split ends and breakage. You can help your hair retain it's important natural moisture and strength by reducing the amount of heat styling you do to your hair. This is especially important if you are trying to grow or maintain long hair.  If you want healthy resilient hair, it's important to be aware of not drying it out and work to protect those important moisture bonds found in the shaft of the hair.  My video above offers you a natural, no-heat alternative to straightening your hair so you can limit the amount of heat styling you do and protect your hair. Try to give your hair a break from using a flat iron or blow dryer as often as you can and allow it to air dry naturally to help it retain it's moisture. We all have days we can do this where it's not so important for us to have perfectly styled hair. I do it frequently. I find it especially important in the winter when the air is dry and less humid and my home is dry from the heat.  If you would like to learn to Straighten Your Hair Without Using Any Heat, then please watch my excellent video above from my YouTube Channel.  I show you step by step an easy method on how you can straighten your hair while it air dries, without using any heat. I have many other no-heat styling videos on YouTube so please check them out after you watch this one. I think you will find them very helpful and realize there is a lot you can do without using heat all the time!
- YouTips4U