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Baby news

When I was having children some 20 odd years ago, women were having babies in their early twenties.  Now the stats show that women in England and Wales are having babies in their early thirties.  That does not surprise me, but what did surprise me was to learn that 42.8% of the women having children are unmarried mothers.  That is almost half of all babies born in England and Wales.  That does not say much about the institution of marriage does it?

If you are pregnant or Planning a Pregnancy and you are not married, it does not matter.  What matters is that you take care of yourself and your little one.  For yourself you need to Eat Well, Exercise and get plenty of sleep.  For your baby, during pregnancy, you need to take care to learn about General Problems during pregnancy and to find out as much as you can about things like Recognising Labour, whether you are able to give birth normally and what to do if there are Complications.  

It is also a good idea to decide before baby is born on issues such as Breast Feeding.  Are you going to bottle feed or breast feed.  If you are going to breast feed, for how long?  If you decide on bottle feeding, examine what baby formulas are available and get advice about which are the best formulas to use etc.

What more do you want to see on our site?

by Angela

Weight Loss Caution

Artificial sweeteners have been used for around 30 years now as a means to help with Weight Loss, but it has been clouded by controversy.  In fact it is one of the most contentiously debated substances used in the food and drink we consume daily.  So why do we keep consuming it? 

Because we are trying desperately to Loose Weight!  In our effort to drop in size we could be killing ourselves.  While its OK to use certain Supplements and substitute full fat for low fat, we need to be more aware of what is meant by ’sugar free’. All the diet food and drinks companies promote their ‘NO SUGAR’ and ‘NO CALORIES’ products strongly. The companies all viciously protect their products from criticism for the use of Artificial Sweeteners, saying they are safe. 

Continue reading Weight Loss Caution…

Getting rid of Cellulite

I have had a problem with my right knee for about two years now but it is not that serious.  Basically it creeks like crazy whenever I use it so I went to the GP who referred me to a physio therapist who told me that the muscle on the outside of my leg was very knotted up and needed to be massaged to release it.  It is the muscle that is pulling my knee cap sideways which means that my knee cap is running off track and scraping the bone underneath.  Yuk - its sounds gross when I describe it.

Anyway why I am telling you this is because my gum instructor has a little hand made tool that I have to use to massage this muscle to release it.  The bad news for me is that it is incredibly painful because my entire body weight is placed on the side of my leg which lies on a thin pole.  I have to role my body up and down this pole which has the same effect as a massage - only worse because there is no pressure release.  The good news is that it will also help with my Cellulite because I have to role over my Cellulite as well. 

Getting Rid of Cellulite makes me more motivated to sort out my knee problem.  If there was an easier way I would do it because believe me the massage option is incredibly painful simply because my muscle is so tight. If you want to try it some time the pole is easy to make. You can use a strong metal pole (about a meter long will do) on its own or you can cover it with a thin sponge (wrap it around the pole and tape it down). To use; lie on the pole sideways using your arm to hold your upper body off the floor.  Your legs will be on top of one another. Start rolling down the pole from the hip and slowly move yourself so that your leg is rolling towards the knee and back again. Your body weight will do the deep massaging for you.  If you find it too painful, take the top leg, bend it and place it on the floor so that there is less weight on your bottom leg.

If you want information on Cellulite click here.  PinkFridge offers good information on Cellulite, Cellulite Treatment, Exercises to help combat Cellulite, the right Diet as well as information about products used to reduce Cellulite including Massage.

Tell us what you want to see on our site?

by Angela

Dab your Skin Care troubles away

Beauty and the Beast - the beast being those nasty little things that pop up on our skin overnight - pimples!  Skin Care is part of our daily lives. A few good tips every now and again will go a long way to making Skin Care easier.  Did you know that we are more focused on Skin Care for our Face than any other part of our body?

I wrote a blog a while ago on clearing pimples quickly with toothpaste. I have since read an article that claims Vegemite (an Australian made product of yeast extract used as a sandwich spread) does the trick too.  Simply dab a little on the spots and the pimples will disappear overnight.  The vitamin B content is what makes it work. Simple Treatment, using simple products - makes sence to me.

Here is another tip.  Once the spot or spots have gone, use a cream containing vitamin E and calendula on the spot.  This will help to prevent scarring.

I am an advocate for using Natural Products and for keeping things as simple as possible so I use the bare minimum when it comes to products and the rest I leave to nature.

If using toothpaste and vegemite does not appeal to you, I do have another suggestion.  One of my family members has tried the product, Dermalogica with great success.  The ‘medicated clearing gel’ works well (just slower than toothpaste).  It is medicated with 2 percent Salicylic Acid which helps to clear existing Acne and it also regulates oil production on the skin which prevents future outbreaks.  Dermalogica is also a great Product for Men who are usually anti skin care products. I know this because my husband is willing to use it.  The product has no fragrance, is simple and easy to use and the packaging does not put men off.

Let us know your thoughts.

by Angela

Feeling demotivated lately?

Tip for today:
If you have been feeling a little low for a while and just can’t seem to kick yourself out of it but don’t feel the need for professional treatment, try St. John’s Wort.

St John’s Wort is a well known herbal remedy used commonly by many doctors as an anti-depressant.  It is used mostly for mild depression.  It is not addictive and you don’t need a prescription.  It is obtainable from most health stores and pharmacies.  It is often used by people who are suffering from fatigue and low energy. 

Please always check with the health professionals how long you should use the product and how often.  If you continue to feel down every time you stop taking the product, it is advisable to seek professional help.  Information about Depression can be found on our site, www.pinkfridge.com
by Angela

Feeling down and blue?

This is a little ‘moral of the story’ story for you.  Some months ago, a good friend of mine started showing signs of being really unhappy. He was continuously feeling dissatisfied with life and generally felt very sad.  I watched him get progressively worse without realizing at first that he was going into Depression or even possibly already Depressed.   

I thought I was being a helpful friend but the more I tried to help and advise him the less he listened and the less confident he became in himself.  I became frustrated and started feeling that he was just seeking attention.  However, when he started talking about not wanting to go out (even to the shops), and not going to the gym (he loved working out) and not being confident enough to talk to people he did not know, I became a little suspicious.  

I asked him to describe to me what was happening to him and how he was feeling besides the obvious things I could see.  He started by telling me that he thought nobody liked him and he seemed to find himself complaining all the time about everything.  Nothing was right and he could not see the positive side of anything.  I could vouch for this because when I tried joke with him he immediately took it the wrong way.  He explained to me that he would be OK one minute and the next he would be feeling so low that he felt like crying.  He also said that during his low periods everything around him was a blur, a dark blur. 

He explained that he knew that there was no reason in the world for him to suddenly start feeling so low and sad.  It confused him because one minute he felt just fine and the next he was feeling rock bottom.  He also could not sleep properly and he became extremely Anxious when he started thinking of things he had to get done.  Everything he had to do started becoming really difficult to achieve and he felt that he just did not have the energy or the courage to do it.  He felt like a nervous wreck about stupidly small achievable things. 

That my dear friends is what the start of Depression can look like.  If you feel you are going through something similar or know of someone who is, maybe you should read up on Depression.  The worst part of Depression is that often people don’t recognize the illness until it has progressed to the point of needing medical help.    

Once I realized that my friend was in trouble, I immediately found a good counselor for him to talk to.  Although he did not take any medication, seeing the counselor was the start of his recovery from a potentially dangerous situation. He still sees the counselor and has discovered that there are a lot of issues he has been able to work through.  He is virtually back to normal although he still feels the need for ongoing Treatment at the moment.  

By Angela 

Shopping Online

I have just had my first Mothers Day in New Zealand.  I was given breakfast in bed and later was treated to a roast lamb dinner.  I spent Mothers Day doing what girls love doing most - SHOPPING! It was great because I left the boys at home and spent hours just browsing the Shops and Buying bits and pieces I would not usually buy.  That’s my favorite type of Shopping.
Did you know that Mothers Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of the ancient Greeks?  The celebration was in honour of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.

In the 1600’s, Britain celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”. This celebration took place on the 4th Sunday of Lent. “Mothering Sunday” was a means of honoring the Mothers of England. 
Now you might be wondering why I am talking about Mothers Day when it is already over.  That’s because, although Mothers Day is celebrated in the UK in March (26^th March 2006), many countries around the world celebrate their own Mother’s Day at different times throughout the year. Some countries such as America, Denmark, Finland, Italy, India, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Belgium all celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May (which was yesterday for me).