As we've already established, sleep is one of the easiest things you can do to aid in your weight loss. But with the extremely busy, stressful lives many of us lead, a good night's sleep can be as elusive as the rumored pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While there are many sleep aids, many can become addictive and have unpleasant side effects. One of the most natural and cheapest sleep aids is a glass of warm milk. Milk helps promote better sleep and tastes pretty good to boot. Yes, the simple remedy your momma gave you as a child can still work for you as an adult.

Not realizing that her goal was to put me to bed quick, my mother used to give me warm milk and cookies at bed time just about every night. And yes - I slept like the baby I was. So if you want to sleep like a baby - drink up - 'cause that good night sleep could turn into a great day on the scale.

Tags: None Categories: Black Life Health Face & Style Culture & Lifestyle Scoop & Celebrity

What are you doing to save your sister, friend, co-worker, or any other black woman struggling with health issues? When was the last time you encouraged a friend to join you in the gym?
What are you doing to save yourself?

We are in a state of emergency and something has to be done A.S.A.P. You can no longer sit back and watch your Sister or yourself increase their risk for disease because of lack of exercise and healthy eating . We have to take responsibility for each other and fight obesity together!

Nubian Fitness Goddess and Sweet Potato Pie have joined forces to bring you the S.O.S. Fitness Challenge. Our sites have combined to bring the you best motivation, tips, and support for the S.O.S.

To join the S.O.S. Challenge you must agree to encourage at least of one your friends or family members to join you in the gym or wherever you workout. If you don't have access to the gym get together and do a workout DVD together or go for a walk. The goal is to build a support network around you so invite as many women as you can. This will support you in your efforts to stay healthy and it will also benefit the people you are encouraging.

Ladies that are new to exercise this challenge is perfect for you as well. If it's your first time going to the gym you can still take a friend with you, get FIT together!

The S.O.S challenge will last 3 months. For the next 3 months we will be providing tips, encouragement, posting success stories and struggles that women have encountered. We hope that this fitness challenge will strengthen your own commitment to your heath as well strengthen your friends/family's members commitment.

Sweet Potato Pie and Nubian Fitness Goddess are excited about this challenge. Check back regularly for updates about S.O.S! We will constantly be adding tips and more details about the Challenge.


Tell us if you're joining S.O.S. What are your thoughts about the Challenge? Do you believe you can convince your friends and family to commit to exercise with you?

Spread the Word, tell your friends and family about S.O.S.

Don't forget to check out Nubian Fitness Goddess

Tags: None Categories: Black Life Health Face & Style Culture & Lifestyle Scoop & Celebrity

There's been a lot of talk around the blogsphere as late on Black women and their thickness and how aspiring to be thick causes women to be unhealthy, overweight and obese.

Well, in my opinion, there is a very big difference between being thick and fat. If you're confused the following is easy to remember: Beyonce = Thick. Monique = Fat. Simple.

You can be thick and healthy. Contrary to popular belief ass and thigh fat won't kill you, but belly fat will. As women we should keep our waist under 31.5 inches for optimal health and to fight against common illnesses among Black women such as diabetes, heart disease and hyper tension.

Let's be clear, Black women are naturally curvy, "thick" women. There is nothing wrong with that. You don't have to lose your curves just because you're trying to be healthy. But health should be your number one priority above all else. I assure you, if you're a naturally big butt/big hip woman that's not going to disappear because you hit the treadmill or the Starimaster several times a week. As I like to say this isn't about being a size 6 . It is about being a healthier, happier you. So keep that in mind...and hit the gym.

Today is a new day. So what are you waiting for.

Related Posts
Big Butts = Good Health?
Motivation to Get Fit
Thick vs. Fat: A Black Man's Take

Tags: None Categories: Black Life Health Face & Style Culture & Lifestyle Scoop & Celebrity

From Yahoo News:

If the trends of those years continue, the researchers estimate that 86 percent of American adults will be overweight by 2030, with an obesity rate of 51 percent. By 2048, all U.S. adults could be at least mildly overweight.

Weight problems will be most acute among African-Americans and Mexican- Americans, the study projects. All black women could be overweight by 2034, according to the researchers, as could more than 90 percent of Mexican-American men.

All of this rests on the "big assumption" that the trends of recent decades will march on unabated, Liang acknowledged.

"This is really intended as a wake-up call to show what could happen if nothing changes," she said.

Waistlines aren't the only thing poised to balloon in the future, according to Liang and her colleagues. They estimate that the healthcare costs directly related to excess pounds will double each decade, reaching $957 billion in 2030 -- accounting for one of every six healthcare dollars spent in the U.S.

America in general is fat, but Black America is even fatter. This something we MUST get under control. Some tips on making sure you don't continue to be a statistic:

1. 90 minutes a day. Scientifically that's what it takes to lose the weight and keep it off.
2. Water is your friend. Bump 8oz, try a liter. Water flushes all the impurities out of your system and prevents you from being bloated and fills you up. Often when people think they are hungry, they are really dehydrated.
3. Watch those portions. Portion control is an easy and effective way to get the weight off. I've lost 15lbs by drinking lots of water and reducing my portion sizes.

Tags: None Categories: Health Black Life Face & Style Culture & Lifestyle Scoop & Celebrity

Five Domains of CAM
Complimentary and alternative medicine is split into five domains, all of which have some overlap.

Whole Medical Systems
Whole medical systems are medical systems built upon a complete set of theories and practices that have developed independently of or parallel to conventional medical systems. Most whole medical systems are culture specific and developed much earlier than medical practices in the US. Major eastern whole medical systems include the following:

Traditional Chinese medicine
Ayuvreda
While major western whole medical systems include other types of medicine:
Homeopathic medicine
Naturopathic medicine

Other whole medical systems include Native American and Tibetan systems as well as ones that originate in Africa and South and Central America.

Mind Body Medicine
Mind body medicine seeks to use the minds capacity to affect physical change in a patient. Mind body medicine seeks to emphasize a persons overall wellness in the treating of whatever physical ailment they may have. It focuses on teaching the patient how to be more self-aware, provides the tools necessary for self-care, and promotes techniques that will enhance those goals. The most popular mind body practices include the following:

Meditation
Yoga
Tai chi
Qi-qong
Visual imagery
Art, music, and dance therapy
Hypnosis
Cognitive behavior therapies
Spirituality

Mind body medicine takes its cues from Eastern whole medical systems, like TCM and Ayurveda, that stress the importance of the mind and body being in harmony and looks at the mind and the body as one (not separate entities like much of Western medicine).

Biologically Based Practices
Biologically based practices treats disease with various chemicals or substances. The idea behind biological CAM methods is that whatever is wrong with the body can be treated by taking a certain dose of a particular substance. CAM biological practices include the use of, but are not limited to, the following:

Proteins
Prebiotics
Fatty acids
Probiotics
Amino acids
Botanicals
Animal delivered extracts
Vitamins
Minerals
Whole diets and functional foods

Dietary supplements are a subset of biologically based CAM procedures. Dietary supplements have always been a part of mans practices to heal himself. They represent a multi-billion dollar industry that hasnt been able to justify its success through scientific research and data. Researching dietary supplements has been difficult because of the lack of clinical trial material. According to the NCCAM, several difficulties exist:

Influences of climate and soil
Use of different parts of the plants
Use of different cultivars and species
Optimal growing, harvesting, and storage conditions
Use of the whole extract or a specific fraction
Method of extraction
Chemical standardization of the product
Bioavailability of the formulation
Dose and length of administration

While there have been studies conducted on the effectiveness of dietary supplements, none of them have found any supplement that has proven effective in any concrete way. There are often vast differences between observable effects and what the data often show when the supplement is subject to clinical trials.

Manipulative and Body Based Practices
Manipulative and body based practices include CAM practices that involve manipulation or movement of the bodies structures, such as bones, joints, the lymphatic and circulatory systems as well as the soft tissues. Common manipulative and body based practices include the following:

Acupressure
Alexander Technique
Chiropractic
Feldenkrais Method
Massage therapy
Osteopathy
Reflexology
Rolfing
Therapeutic Touch
Trager Approach
Bowen Technique
Tui Na

Many manipulative and body based practices are based on ancient Chinese, Egyptian or Indian practices. Others, such as chiropractic and osteopathy, were created in the last 150 years. Procedures differ greatly based on the technique chosen. Massages concentrate on slow, focused movements, while chiropractic uses quick movements to manipulate areas of the spine. While their tactics may differ, manipulative and body based practitioners share the same belief that the body is self-regulating and has the ability to heal itself.

Energy Medicine
Energy medicine uses energy fields to treat illness. There are two kinds:

1. Veritable energies, such as electro-magnetic fields, use mechanical vibrations with specific wavelengths and frequencies to treat patients. Electromagnetic fields include the following:

Pulsed fields
Magnetic fields
Alternating current fields
Direct current fields
Laser beams
Visible light

2. Putative energies include biofields which cant be measured. No scientific study has been able to verify the existence of biofields. CAM practices that involve biofields believe that the human body is full of a certain of energy that has to keep flowing for the body to function properly. Qi in TCM is an example of just such an energy. Ayurvedic medicine also believes that an energy called doshas are coursing through the body and must be maintained to maintain health. Even though these biofields have yet to be scientifically verified, therapists who use biofields to treat their patients say they can see and feel the energy and manipulate it to affect the health of their patients.

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