If people are pushing you to eat more food during the holidays, but you want to stay mindful of your weight and keep your portions small, don’t feel guilty that you want to love yourself and take care of your health. Remember that alcoholic beverages have lots of calories, you’ll want to limit those too! Here are a couple of things you can say to the food and drink pushers: (adapted from www.sparkpeople.com)
"I will in a bit!"
"Sorry, but I don't like (or can't eat) [insert ingredient here]."
"I think I've overdosed on X; I just can't eat it anymore!"
"I wouldn't say I am obsessed with dieting, but I am conscious of what I eat."
"I have to drive."
“If I start eating X, I'm sure it's so delicious I won't be able to stop!"
“Thanks, I am already full! The food was delicious!”
And of course the simple and usually effective “No, thank you.”

This is the season for eating! It's not a good time to be dieting. Don't try to lose weight now, just try not to put on any more! Your body does not need 3 slices of ham, 3 slices of turkey, a big slab of macaroni, a cup of coleslaw and 2 cups of peas and rice! Slow down! Take a taste of everything. Don't deprive yourself, do keep each serving small. Wait 10 minutes before you go back for seconds. If you wait, your body may have time to tell you that you are not hungry anymore. Love yourself, take care of your health!

This is one time of the year that eczema sufferers have flare ups. The cool weather dries the skin out and can bring out that fine scaly eczema rash. Bathe in warm, not hot, water and don't use a wash cloth. A cloth can be abrasive and irritate the skin. Use a gentle unscented soap (like the White Dove Unscented or Cetaphil cleanser). Pat the skin dry, don't rub. Use a thick moisturizer. You can also try baby oil, olive oil or Vaseline petroleum jelly. You have to experiment to find what works for you or your child, people are sensitive to different ingredients. What works for one person won't work for another. Crisco (yes, the white solid Crisco that you cook with) also works well as a moisturizer for babies with eczema, it's non-irritating and absorbs well.
Love yourself, take care of your health!

Very often when you have a cold or the flu, you will have a fever. As I said before, these are viral infections, and you don't usually need antibiotics. If you or your child has a fever for more than 2 days or has a very high fever you should come in to see the doctor. Give medication for the fever: acetaminophen, calpol, tylenol, panadol, or paramol (these are all the same medication, just different names). Rest, drink lots of fluids. If the fever doesn't break after 2 days, if the fever keeps coming back, is very high or you feel extremely awful or your child looks very droopy, see your doctor. If the cough is very bad, painful, there is shortness of breath, or the sputum has blood in it, see your doctor.

Try these 5 exercises everyday. They may not keep you eternally young but they will definitely help keep you fit and flexible and increase your energy level. They are simple to do, don't take very long and you will definitely feel the difference. And of course, regular exercise helps to protect you from high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer's.
Love yourself, take care of your health!

If you are trying to lose weight, look at your plate. 
Cut down on calories by trimming the fat off meat and taking the skin off chicken.
Love yourself, take care of your health!

Trying to lose weight? Have you eaten breakfast today? 
Breakfast is very important if you want to keep your weight down. It speeds up your metabolism and makes it easier for your body to burn those calories. Eat a healthy breakfast, though, none of that white flour and sugary stuff. Have a fruit, whole wheat bread and peanut butter, whole fiber cereal and milk, grits and tuna, or egg, but hold the grease please. (The grits aren't ideal, they are a refined carbohydrate, but they are easy, cheap and filling, just don't eat too big a serving. Tuna is a better choice than sausage or corned beef - less fat, less calories.)

Trying to lose weight? Look at your plate.
If you buy a salad, try not to use all the dressing. Those dressings have lots of calories. Fat free foods may still have lots of calories. Read the labels! 
Try squeezing lime or lemon over your salad. Vinaigrettes are usually less fattening than creamy dressings.
Love yourself, take care of your health!

Trying to lose weight? Look at your plate. 
Meat should be on one quarter of your plate, starch on just one quarter (that's rice, macaroni, potato salad etc) and half the plate should have vegetables and/or salad. Most of us are not eating healthy, we go half and half with the meat and starch and forget the greens. Love yourself, take care of your health and eat a healthy diet!