Author: Laura

I am a woman in my 30s still trying to figure out life!
BIG List of Remedies for an Upset Stomach

BIG List of Remedies for an Upset Stomach

by Laura ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Having an upset stomach is a common thing that happens in life. It can occur for a variety of reasons and is always uncomfortable!

Whatever the reason is, there are a lot of things that can be done about it. This post will provide you with compiled lists of ways to treat an icky stomach.

Teas

There are certain types of teas made from herbs and spices that may help upset stomachs. They are as follows:

  • Belly Comfort tea from Traditional Medicinals
  • Ginger- Comes in tea bags or you can mix with 1 tsp of powdered ginger with 3/4 cup of hot water. Can be mixed with turmeric (1 tsp) and nutmeg (1/2 tsp). This can be drank three times a day.
  • Turmeric- Same as the ginger tea above.
  • Nutmeg- Use 1/2 teaspoon of this in other teas. Three times a day.
  • Cayenne– Use 1 teaspoon of this in other teas (if you can handle it!). Three times a day.
  • Lemon- You can squeeze some lemon juice in hot water. This can be combined with the other things on this list.
  • Chamomile– You can find this in tea bags at most grocery stores. Drink three to five cups a day.
  • Slippery elm– This plant comes in powder which can be mixed into hot water. Great for sore throats too!
  • Peppermint– A classic treatment for upset stomachs. Peppermint tea bags can be found in most grocery stores. You can drink 3-5 cups a day.
  • Fennel- You can make tea with fennel powder or get something like Heather’s Tummy Teas Fennel Tea Bags.
  • Red raspberry leaf– Traditional Medicinals sells this in tea bag form. You can drink three to four cups a day to relieve an upset stomach. It also helps to soothe a sore throat.
  • CBD- This can be made into a tea to drink multiple times a day. Be careful though, if you have too much it may make your stomach worse.

Capsules

Helpful things can be found in capsule forms too! Here are some to consider getting:

  • Ginger
  • Peppermint
  • Chamomile
  • Slippery elm
  • Fennel seed
  • CBD

It takes a longer time for something in a capsule to work because of the way our bodies have to break it down. This is just a warning that this method of intake will result in a longer wait for relief than other methods.

Essential oils

Here are essential oils that are said to help us out specifically with upset stomachs:

  • Nutmeg
  • Chamomile
  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Eucalyptus
  • Sweet orange
  • Quease Ease– This product is a mix of different essential oils.

You can dilute the essential oils in carrier oils to rub on your skin, diffuse them and/or sniff them straight from the bottle!

Vitamins

The following are vitamins that can help with upset stomachs:

  • Vitamin B6– No more than 100 mg should be taken per day.
  • Magnesium- This is best taken in spray form if fast relief is wanted. Pink Stork brand offers a magnesium morning sickness spray that may work for other types of stomach upsets as well.

Fruit, candy and lozenges

Chock full of B6, B12 and magnesium which can help settle stomachs!

There are things available to eat and suck on that may help with an upset stomach. They are as follows:

  • Peppermint candy
  • Preggie Pop Drops
  • Ginger- Comes in chews and hard candies
  • Upspring Stomach Settle Drops
  • Tummy Drops
  • Lemon candy- Lemonheads are a great choice!
  • Frozen banana- You can cut up bananas and freeze them. When you are not feeling well, you can take them out to suck/nibble on.
  • Lemon slices- Nibbling on some slices of lemon may help a bad stomach.
  • CBD gummies- CBD also comes in gummy form from various brands. Remember that too much CBD may make things worse.

OTC products

Rugby is a great brand.

There are some helpful products you can find in the medicine sections of stores. They are as follows:

  • Nauzene– These products come in a lightly flavored syrup and chewable tablets.
  • Benedryl- This is a kind of anti-histamine that some people say works well for nausea. Be careful with this as it may cause excess drowsiness.
  • Meclizine- This is in the anti-histamine class of drugs but it is marketed towards helping with nausea. It comes in drowsy and non-drowsy forms. There are caplets, patches and chewable pills. The chewables will provide faster relief.
  • Dramamine- This is aimed at helping with motion sickness but it might help with any kind. It comes in drowsy and non-drowsy. There are regular tablets, chewable tablets and syrup.
  • Pepto Bismal- The famous pink stuff! Comes in liquid, chewable and regular caplet form.
  • Unisom- This is marketed as a product that helps you sleep but it also may relieve nausea.

Make sure to check if there are any interactions with these and any medicine you take on a daily basis.

Prescription medication

The following are anti-nausea medications you can get through a doctor’s prescription:

  • Zofran
  • Phenergan
  • Ativan (not as likely to get a prescription for this one)

Other remedies

These little bands are great to have around!

Here are some other things that may help with upset stomachs:

  • Vicks VapoRub– Rub some on your upper lip, wrists, abdomen and feet.
  • Rubbing alcohol- Dab a little on your upper lip.
  • Weed
  • Baking soda- Mix two teaspoons of this in one cup of water to drink.
  • Drink flat pop
  • Sip on ginger beer
  • Nibble on saltine crackers or dry toast.
  • Wear motion sickness bands.
  • Expose yourself to cold temperatures- This can mean going outside if it is pretty cold out, sitting in front of a blasting fan and/or taking a cold shower.

Using multiples of them

One may not be enough.

Multiple of these remedies can be used during the day (or days) that you are sick. Just make sure that they will not interact with any medication you may be taking.

Using multiple may provide for even more relief than if you just used one. Here are some ideas:

  • Taking vitamin B6, Unisom and using a magnesium spray.
  • Mixing anti-nausea syrup with ginger powder.
  • Drinking the teas along with taking Zofran.
  • Wearing motion sickness bands while trying some of the other remedies.

Just try multiple things and you are bound to find at least some relief.

Prevention

Powerful stuff right here!

There are some things that you can take that may prevent bad stomach situations. They are as follows:

  • Grape juice- Drinking one cup a day seems to prevent stomach viruses for whatever reason.
  • Oil of oregano gel caps or liquid drops- Taking these may prevent and stop stomach viruses (and other types of viruses) in their tracks.
  • Digestive enzymes- These are to be taken with food as they help in the digestion process. This is great for those that have upset stomachs frequently after eating.
  • Daily probiotics- These help to keep your gut healthy.
  • Sensible diet- Having a diet that is not full of junk food may help prevent frequent stomach problems.

When to see a doctor

If your stomach problems are not going away at all and/or getting worse, you may need to seek medical care. The idea of going in to see a doctor may be scary right now due to the pandemic but there are tele-health appointment options to at least get the ball rolling on next steps to take.

So there you have it!

There are a lot of things mentioned in this post that can help with a bad stomach. Some of them may already be in your house!

Hopefully one or more of these will help you when you really need it.

Let me know if you have tried anything listed for your upset stomach and how it went!

Thanks for reading!

#nausea #upsetstomach #supplements #essentialoils #teas #medications #herbs #spices #sick

Marriage/Life Partnership and Weight Gain

Marriage/Life Partnership and Weight Gain

by Laura ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Marriage/life partnership can be an amazing journey for many. The hard times and good times that occur along the way, often lead to the strengthening of the relationship.

Changes also happen as couples get older together. One of the things that can change is body weight- namely of the gaining variety.

This post will go into unwanted weight gain/body changes throughout marriages/life partnerships and how it can be remedied-together.

Weight gain/body changes: Getting comfortable

When many people are at the beginnings of their romantic relationships, appearances are usually maintained to keep the other person interested. Once the relationships have been going on for a while, they may feel as though they can loosen up a little.

Then a little becomes a lot.

This leads to gaining weight because a person may think, “she/he/they already loves me so it does not matter what I look like.”

Weight gain/body changes: adulting

As we get older, many of us get settled into our careers. Most of the days then become taken up by working and doing household things after the workday is over.

We also may make some not-so-good choices when it comes to lunch during the day. Something quick may be chosen which might not always translate to being healthy.

When it comes to exercise, workouts may not happen as much (or at all) due to working. They also may have a job that involves a lot of sitting which means less calories are burned throughout the day.

Because of all of this, couples may come home from work and be too exhausted to do a workout.

Weight gain/body changes: pregnancy

Many couples want to have children. The idea of raising a little one and watching them grow, tends to be very exciting.

If a couple chooses to have a child through pregnancy- bodily changes will occur. It takes a lot to grow a baby in the womb! The changes that happen include weight gain, hips widening, breasts increasing in size, stretch mark formation and of course a growing belly.

After the child is born, the changes may remain for at least a few months. For some women though, the changes can last for even longer than that. Stretch marks may not fade completely, weight may be really slow to come off, breasts may become saggy and the abdomen may have loose skin.

Another way pregnancy can cause weight gain/body changes is by the couple becoming very busy taking care of their child once it is born. This can take the focus completely off themselves which allows  good nutrition and exercise to go out the window. In these cases, both individuals (not just the woman who grew the baby!) may gain weight.

Weight gain/body changes: health issues

There are health issues that cause weight gain/body changes. These can arise as couples keep moving through life together. The following are some examples:

  1. Stress- Couples may have to endure a lot of stress due to familial, relationship and/or career related problems. Stress can lead to overeating in some people which leads to weight gain.
  2. Depression- Dealing with depression due to a variety of reasons can cause overeating and/or less of a physical activity level.
  3. Hypothyroidism- The likelihood of having an underactive thyroid increase as we age. One of the symptoms can be weight gain.
  4. Diabetes- Many people become diabetic (type 2) later in life. This can cause weight gain.
  5. Menopause/male hormonal issues- Hormones change as we age which can lead to weight gain.
  6. Medications taken to treat illnesses- Some of the medications we have to take to treat illnesses, have weight gain as a side effect.

Ways to remedy unwanted weight gain/body changes

Couples can work together to get their bodies back in shape. These are some things that they can do:

Exercise related

  • Make it fit into your day/week: This can be done by going over schedules. If a couple has a child (or children), they may have to take turns having one take on the childcare while the other one works out.
  • Figure out workout routines: There are a ton of different ideas for workouts that can be found online. It would be wise for a couple to seek the ideas out and choose what will work for them. They can even workout together!
  • Get home gym equipment if it is in the budget: Since a lot of gyms are closed and/or unsafe in these times, it could be a good idea to purchase some home workout items. A couple can have access to the items whenever they want which may help them stick to their workout routines.

Diet related

  • Look at what they are consuming: Taking a look at the kinds of food they eat on a regular basis, can help them figure out where they are going wrong and what needs to be changed.
  • Figure out each other’s dietary needs: To lose weight, people need to figure out the amount of calories and types of food they need/want to eat so that can happen. Two people in a relationship will most likely have different dietary needs when it comes to getting the scale to go down. They can help one another with this. If this seems difficult, there are weight loss programs out there to look into.
  • Meal/snack planning: It is a good idea to plan out meals and snacks. This is so that the right food that fits new dietary needs are always in the kitchen and pantry. Couples should also make sure to have a “cheat meal” once in a while which could mean getting takeout food.
  • Get on the same page with the new diet: If only one of the people in the relationship is changing up their diet, the other person needs to understand what they will be eating and be supportive. They could even enjoy the same meals together.

Healthcare related

  • Keep track of concerning symptoms: If one or both people in the couple are dealing with mental and/or physical symptoms, it may be a good idea to write down these symptoms daily in a journal. This can possibly help to see if there could be another underlying issue going on which could be causing the weight gain.
  • Attend tele-health appointments together: Since many clinics are limiting the amount of people in the rooms during appointments and the infection cases are increasing rapidly, having a tele-health appointment would be good. The couple can be in the video together and help to make sure all concerns are being covered.
  • Help each other in the management of illnesses: If one or both people in the relationship get diagnosed with a condition that is causing the weight gain, they should support each other in the management of it. If their diagnosis is successfully managed, weight loss may be able to happen easier. That could mean helping make sure that they take their medication daily if they are the kind of person that forgets.
  • Attending counseling sessions- If mental health and/or relationship issues are causing behaviors that lead to weight gain, a couple should consider counseling. Counseling can be done through Zoom now due to the pandemic.
  • Possible medication change: If any medication that is being taken causes weight gain, it might be a good idea to see if a change to it is possible. This could mean reducing the dosage or switching to an entirely different medication that does not cause weight gain (or less of it). A couple can support one another if any side effects occur from weaning off or tapering down on a medication.

One more thing that a couple can do that does not fit into the above categories is using a reward system for getting into better shape. An example of this could be that they can buy something they have been wanting only after a certain weight loss goal is reached. Doing something like this may provide a lot of motivation for the couple.

It can all be done together!

As we get older, our appearance changes. That is just life. Some of changes cannot really be helped.

Weight gain is one of the things that can be fixed though. If a couple is truly devoted to each other and wants to lose some, they will be able to work together to get it done.

There may be bumps along the way of their weight loss journey, but the relationship will end up being even stronger in the end and they will look amazing!

Have any of you been in a long relationship where you found yourselves gaining unwanted weight? If so, did you work together to get it off? I would love to read about your story!

Thanks for reading!

#marriage  #lifepartners  #weightgain  #weightloss  #fitness   #diet  #womenshealth  #menshealth  #weddingplanner   #weddinginvitations

How This Menstrual Cycle Went

How This Menstrual Cycle Went

by Laura ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
Pages from my planner/journal

I love to keep track of how my menstrual cycle is going in my planner. This is because I am still trying to figure out my body and see how I can make my cycles easier.

This past cycle is an example of a bad one for me and I wanted to share it!

A reminder of what our hormones do

Our hormones fluctuate in different ways throughout our cycle. Here is a brief overview of what they do in a 28 day cycle and what we may feel because of it:

Days 1-7: On these days, estrogen levels are up. This is when we usually are bleeding if we do get our periods. For some, these days provide relief of symptoms that may have occurred leading up to their bleeding. For others, the uncomfortable feelings continue or get worse.

Days 8-14: This is when estrogen and testosterone are high. Many may feel great at this time-mentally and physically. Those that are really sensitive to hormonal fluctuations may report PMS-type symptoms.

Days 15-22: The first part of this time in our cycles has progesterone levels rising as estrogen and testosterone fall. Estrogen rises up again towards the end. One may have mild PMS pop up from time to time during these days. This is also when more fat is burned.

Days 23-28: Estrogen and progesterone plummet during this time. This is typically when one will have more intense PMS symptoms if they get any at all.

As far as PMS symptoms go, there are said to be 150 different ones. Here is a list of them: https://drlisawatson.com/150-symptoms-of-pms

My recent, 28 day cycle

Days-

1-2. A little bit on the sad side. No real physical symptoms aside from bleeding.

3-9. Happy and motivated. Bleeding ended on day 5.

10. Horrible GI issues including stomach burning/cramping, severe bloating and intense nausea. Also, moody throughout the day.

11. Still felt sick but better than the day before.

12-17. Happy and motivated for the most part.

18. Horrible issues early in the morning- crampy abdomen, pain in ovaries, nausea, bloating, gassiness, irritability, air hunger and increased heart rate.

19. Full on PMS symptoms- headache, fatigue, lightheadedness, nausea early in the morning, air hunger, increased heart rate and moodiness the whole day.

20. Happy, feeling slightly sedated and lightheadedness.

21. Calm and happy.

22. Horrible day- Insomnia, crying spells, bloating, nausea, headaches, post nasal drip and feelings of panic.

23. Feeling off-balanced, neck pain, focused, motivated and itchy.

24. Pink eye, neck pain, itchy, motivated, calm and really hungry in the evening.

25. Itchy, really hungry, sad and groggy.

26. Really hungry, mild body aches, smelling like blood and craving chocolate.

27-28. Feeling cute for whatever reason, forehead zit showed up and had a good amount of energy.

Why did I have so many physical issues?

I can not figure that question out for myself.

I did not change my diet, take new supplements nor did my sleep habits change (in a bad way). Stress was also not a problem during this cycle.

After looking this all over, my thoughts have gone to a possible COVID-19 reinfection despite a negative swab test (they can be wrong) during this cycle. I am unsure of this though.

I have continued to take vitamin B6 each day but I do not think it is helping that much. Also, I had been trying out hemp for nausea but I determined that it was causing stomach pains so I did not use it during the cycle.

All that being said, I have no idea what makes my cycles more severe seemingly every other month. *Shrug*

Health Journaling will happen daily

Although I have not figured out what to do to make my cycles easier on me, I will still write down how I am feeling each day. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to look at my journals and find a clear pattern(s) that will lead to a reduction in symptoms.

Do your menstrual cycles vary in their intensity like mine do? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!

#menstrualcycles #periodproblems #pcos #womenshealth #hormones #sick #symptoms #journals

New Workout Routine

New Workout Routine

by Laura ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It is time for me to switch up my workout routine again!

Okay, I actually have done half a week of the new routine already but I wanted to post it anyways. I wore my fitness watch so I could put down the number of calories I burned (estimated).

Without further ado….here are my workouts!

Upper body days ( two times per week)

Circuit (3X)-

  1. Eight minutes of cardio
  2. Chest press
  3. Chest flyes
  4. Bent over rows
  5. Back flyes
  6. Overhead presses
  7. Lateral raises
  8. Hammer curls
  9. Triceps kickbacks
  10. Regular pushups
  11. Triceps pushups

After doing the eight minutes of cardio, I then move through the weighlifting exercises with very minimal rest. Each circuit is done three times through.

First workout burned 337 calories and I had a max heart rate of 171.

Lower body days (two times a week)

Circuit (3X)-

  1. Eight minutes of cardio
  2. Regular squats
  3. Regular deadlifts
  4. Reverse lunges
  5. Stiff legged deadlifts
  6. Legs-together squats
  7. Plie squats
  8. Bridges
  9. Pilates leg lifts

This is done just like the upper body workout is.

First workout done burned 315 calories and my maximum heart rate was 164.

Cardio and abs days (two days per week)

For cardio, I have been doing a combination of different calisthenics with a lot more burpees being the change from my last workout routine. After I get done, I do two sets of ab moves (bicycle crunches and pike crunches).

First workout done burned 309 calories and my maximum heart rate was 152.

These calorie numbers look low, don’t they?

I thought I would be burning more calories than this due to the amount of effort that I felt was going into them. I have to remember though that I am not a large person so my numbers will be lower.

I still love doing these workouts despite the calories burned and I know that they will do a lot of good for my body.

What is your workout routine looking like these days?

Thanks for reading!

#homeworkouts #fitness #health #womenshealth #weightlifting #cardio

Easy Anti-Inflammatory Soup

Easy Anti-Inflammatory Soup

by Laura ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

These past couple of months, my husband and I have been enjoying making a chicken soup that provides lots of health related benefits for us. Today I am going to share it with you all!

Lots of healthy goodies!

My husband has IBS so we try to make things that do not make his symptoms worse. He is also very sensitive to salt so we have to take that into consideration too.

All of the ingredients are very healthy and nourishing. The following is a list of some of them and their benefits:

  • Lemongrass- Lots of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, helps with GI distress
  • Ginger- Anti-inflammatory, helps with GI distress, immune system boosting
  • Turmeric- Anti-inflammatory, immune system boosting, pain relief, helps with GI distress
  • Cayenne pepper– Helps with GI distress/digestive health, pain relief, clearing congestion
  • Cumin- Helps with digestive health, anti-inflammatory
  • Coriander- Helps with digestive health, anti-inflammatory
  • Cilantro leaves- Helps with digestive health, anti-inflammatory
  • Carrots- Higher in carbs than other vegetables but still provide lots of vitamin A and are great for the immune system.
  • Bell peppers- high in vitamin A, high in vitamin C, immune system boosting, high in antioxidants
  • Mushrooms- These are higher up on the FODMAP scale but if you one can handle them, they are worth eating (if you like the taste that is). They contain good sources of vitamin D, selenium and are great for the immune system.

Why are there no onions and garlic in the soup?

We do love onions but it unfortunately causes my husband to have what he calls, “dumping syndrome.”

He gets the shits. Other people with IBS can probably relate.

In terms of garlic-he is allergic to it. So, we definitely can not use that in the food we both want to eat.

If you like these two things, feel free to add them into the soup if you choose to make it! I am sure it will be absolutely delicious.

The recipe

Nothing about the seasonings is that exact because quite frankly, we really do not keep track of how much of what we put into it. We go by taste alone.

Here it is:

Ingredients-

  • 6-8 pounds of chicken, cut into small chunks
  • 3 liters of unsalted chicken stock
  • 3 pounds of carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 large bell peppers, chopped
  • 16 ounces of sliced mushrooms
  • 2.5 cans of coconut milk
  • Seasonings- ginger powder, lemongrass powder (or paste), turmeric, garlic, cumin, coriander, cilantro (leaves), cayenne powder, onion powder and potassium salt (has less sodium).

Directions-

  1. Cook cut up chicken pieces in some oil. Set aside.
  2. Put the chicken stock, veggies and seasonings to taste into a large pot. Heat on low heat for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the chicken to the pot and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
  5. Serve with more cilantro on top, rice, naan or whatever you want!

This makes a good amount of soup so it can be frozen if you are not going to finish it in a reasonable amount of time.

Customize it any way you like!

Stay healthy everyone

We should all be putting healthy foods into our bodies at least once in a while- especially with this pandemic going on. This soup is just another one of the many meal ideas out there that will provide you with some great nutrients.

Thanks for reading!

#cooking #nutrition #soup #diet #health #covid19 #familylife #herbs