Celebrate You ~

Let me just start by saying that I spend a lot of holidays, birthdays, new years and valentines days alone and it is by choice. I think there is a lot of pressure and hype on these occasions that lead people to become very lonely during these times if they are not celebrating with others. I will even go so far as to say being with a significant other due to the fact that Valentines Day is this weekend. But here is the thing, you do not have to celebrate every so called special occasion with other people. Maybe this is a great time for you to pamper yourself, put yourself first and just do something that you would generally not do. Make it special for you and about you. Buy some champagne and strawberries and take a relaxing bubble bath. Buy some wine, chocolates, caviar, whatever you like and indulge yourself! Make it about you, not what the hype of the occasion promotes it to be.

The point is to celebrate the beauty in life and in you! I so worry about being alone I relish the fact that I am and enjoy my time with myself. I find that I am always in a much better place for doing so. No worries about stressing out, what to buy, trying to get just the right gift, plus dealing with the pressure and worring about everything not holding up to all the expectations or the awful feeling of someone being disappointed.

I myself will be celebrating being single and celebrating my life! It does not matter how you do it, just celebrate!

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar!

We all know that Valentines day is right around the corner! I don't want to be a downer, but over the last couple of weeks so much information is coming out about sugar I feel like I had to go ahead and post this now.

I don't know if all of us realize or understand the different ways that sugar damages and ravishes your body unless you are a doctor. The coalition between sugar, pancreatic cancer and diabetes is disturbing. I watch a lot of the informative shows available today like The Doctors and the Dr. Oz show and I am blown away by the amount of information we now have access to. Studies released this week show that people who drink one or two sodas a week have an 87 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer and to top it off they feel that sugar fuels tumors. I was very surprised to find how much sugar is in things like ranch dressing and ketchup. They say that we eat 40lbs more sugar per person, per year than a generation ago. That is shocking to me.

Diabetes is the fastest growing disease in history and is running rampant in the African American community. Hundreds of people are dying daily from complications from diabetes. Sugar is being terrifyingly described as glass shards ripping through your body, cutting you and leaving scars in its wake, which leads to harding of the arteries. Belly fat is a clue that you may be a prime candidate for becoming a diabetic and if it runs in your family that should be a no brainier that you should monitor your sugar carefully. Apple cider vinegar is a super hero because it lowers the glycemic index in whatever you add it to.

I myself was diagnosed as a boarded line hypoglycemic when I was in my early 20's. I should have joined Chocoholics anonymous. Because heaven to me was a box of Godiva chocolates! Thanks for the fond memories and I will always adore you, but sugar in my life is strongly monitored. I already have hereditary high blood pressure and sugar would have complicated my life even more. So read labels for sodium as well as considering the amount of sugar you have in your life and take care of you!!