Once a month, the people around me get really stupid and obnoxious. Some people might think that’s PMS. I just think that I tend to be more observant than normal a few days out of the month. (I’m certainly more aware of how really annoying my husband can be.)

A few of my friends think of PMS as something negative. On the contrary, I see it as a chance to take charge. I’m normally an easy-going person but when I have PMS, I turn into Super PMS Woman. I feel I must right all wrongs, no matter how trivial. I imagine I go into a phone booth like Superman to change into my Super PMS Woman outfit. (No leotards and tights though I’m retaining a lot of water and I feel rather puffy.) Then Im ready to take on the injustices of the world, whether they exist or not. And believe me, when I have PMS, I can find plenty of injustices to complain about.

Normally, a mild-mannered mom, Super PMS Woman gets cranky faster than a speeding bullet, argues with friends and family more powerfully than a locomotive and is able to jump to conclusions in a single bound.

I know that if I wait until that certain week of the month Ill have that extra bit of, lets just say energy, to deal with incompetence. So when I need to fight with my insurance company about their most recent mess-up or when I have to call and complain to the catalog company that they sent the wrong order again, I wait until I have PMS. Why should I only share it with my friends and family?

That’s only one of the many positives of PMS. Really. Think about it, once a month, I have a built in excuse to be crabby. If I feel like eating a whole container of cookie dough ice cream or even raw cookie dough, I can do it without having to answer any questions. If my husband opens his mouth, I just snarl at him and point to the calendar and he gets the hint. As a matter of fact, he sometimes leaves skid marks as he runs out of the room to safety.

And cramps are a great way to get out of doing work. My husband thinks that I can still do housework when I’m running a 102 degree fever but cramps are a mysterious disease that make it impossible for me to do anything. Last month cramps got me out of going to a kids birthday party. Okay, okay, the cramps weren’t that bad but I didn’t want my husband to miss the fun of yet another princess fairy butterfly party.

And then there’s the intense craving for chocolate. Its true, I always have a craving for chocolate, however, it definitely gets worse when I have PMS. I’m prone to throwing open the cupboards while loudly accusing my family members of eating the last bits of candy left over from Valentines Day.

My friends tell me that the craving for chocolate I feel is psychological. It has nothing to do with PMS. And I tell them, Hey, get your grubby hands off my chocolate bar and you wont get hurt

So if you see me in my Super PMS Woman cape, just do what my husband does: give me some chocolate and back away slowly. Don’t worry, Ill change back to my mild-mannered self soon.

Laura Browne is the author of a serious but practical & easy-to-use book for women, Why Cant You Communicate Like Me? How Smart Women Get Results At Work available at Barnes & Noble online, www.bn.com Laura offers free teleconferences on How To Deal With Difficult People At Work. For more information, email her at laura4b@earthlink.net or go to http://www.inyourfaceink.com

When Laura isnt writing, she helps women be more successful through WOMEN Unlimited, a nationally recognized resource for cultivating leadership excellence, http://www.women-unlimited.com

(This article was originally printed in Cranberry Magazine.)

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Laura_Browne

Studies done by Catalyst, Inc., the National Association of Women Business Owners, and the Center for Women’s Business Research are all reporting that women are slowly eking up the corporate ladder. Unfortunately, the increase from one year to the next is barely noticeable and definitely nothing to get excited about.

The organizations above also state that companies with a higher representation of women in positions of leadership did better financially than those with a few or no women in leadership. So, if companies are doing better with women in positions of power, then what is preventing so many women from gracing the corner offices?

The top five reasons are:

1. The corporate structure is too rigid and doesn’t allow for a work life balance.

2. Women are getting lured into deceptive paths to the top.

3. “The Rules” for getting to the top aren’t clearly defined.

4. Women aren’t helping each other climb.

5 Companies aren’t utilizing the strengths of their women.

So, what are some things we can do to improve the situation?

Do Our Own Thing.

As others studies conducted by the earlier mentioned organizations, women are leaving Corporate America in droves and staring their own companies and firms. This approach allows women the opportunity to control their work schedule in line with their personal lives and to many times increase their income. It’s also starting a trend of companies that are not fixated on the standard 9 to 5 mentality. If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em!

Do the Homework.

Research how the corporate big shots got to where they are now and find out exactly which path they took to reach the top. Read their biographies and any books they may have written. Find out what significant positions they held and what skills were crucial to their advancement.

Special Note: Top positions require P & L (profit & loss) experience and most corporate paths taken by women do not involve working with P & L.

Seek Out Mentors.

Find other women (or men) who have succeeded in the path you are striving toward and learn from them. Too often women are not proactive in finding a mentor and are simply waiting for one to appear. Though fairytales teach us that our fairy godmother will appear when we need her, corporate mentors aren’t sitting around waiting for managers in need. You have to find them and ask for their help.

Of course, you should also BECOME a mentor. It’s amazing how much we learn when we teach it to someone else.

Support Female Friendly Companies.

Every year, Working Mother Magazine publishes a list of the Top 100 Companies for Working Mothers along with specific reasons each company made the list. If your company won’t make changes to support your work/life balance needs, consider finding a job at one of the companies on the Top 100 list.

If you aren’t in a position to switch jobs, then at least be sure to support these companies and their efforts by buying their products and using their services.

Understand the Specifics.

Find out exactly what you need to do to get to where you want to go. Work with your boss on setting goals and developing specific skills needed to advance. Keep a record of your successes and accomplishments and show how you have impacted the company’s bottom line. Also, keep in mind that studies of performance reviews show that women are usually judged on PERFORMANCE while men are usually graded on POTENTIAL. So, be sure to discuss your past performance as well as your future potential.

The issues of women and Corporate America won’t be solved over night. Women themselves are still trying to define their roles and figure out what and who they want to be, making the situation that much more difficult.

Until companies begin to embrace the importance of the female perspective and qualities, they will not understand the need for a change in the status quo. Therefore, women cannot wait for fairy godmothers to appear and must impact change themselves.

What can you do today to help impact a change?

About the Author: Kirstin Carey is a consultant, award winning speaker, and author of “PowHERful Communications for Women Who Want to be Heard.” As a woman business owner, Kirstin fully understands what is necessary for women to be successful entrepreneurs.

To find out how you too can love your business everyday and live the entrepreneurial life you want, visit http://www.powherful.com

Here are some helpful tips for reducing cellulite:

Cellulite is not harmful. However, it can be a VERY annoying and unsightly problem for many women. Cellulite fat cells bulging out through tight, inflexible connective tissue under the skin, and makes the skin look lumpy. Women commonly have it on their butt and thighs.

I am sure you have seen or heard about the countless “miracle” creams and cures for cellulite. Unfortunately, you cannot get rid of cellulite without costly, sometimes unsafe surgery. The good news is that there are several ways to help reduce its appearance.

Focus on your Health. You may not be able to get rid of the cells that cause cellulite without surgery. However, most women can shrink them down by losing weight and building muscle. Even if you only have time to walk a few times a week, any fat burning is a step in the right direction.

Eating raw fruits and vegetables and half your body weight in ounces of water will also get you on the right track.

Cleansing your Body. Having well hydrated cells washes away harmful, cell damaging toxins, and keeps them from building up; so drink plenty of water (as mentioned above).

Cut back on caffeine, additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, unnecessary medications, and avoid adding new toxins to your system as well.

Circulation Matters. In order to give your skin a smoother appearance, you may need to take steps to improve circulation to the problem area. The most effective way to do this is with daily massage. This is also a nice way to relax at the end of a long day.

Aloe Vera Creams and Scrubs. Daily use of Aloe Vera cream combined with exfoliating scrub, can help loosen up the connective tissue and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

While none of these ideas can totally get rid of cellulite in women, with a few healthy changes and a lot of patience, you can have smoother, less bumpy skin.

Why Anti Aging Vitamins Are More Effective Than Skin Care Creams

It’s a real treat to indulge in a beautiful pot of skin cream that promises to get rid of fine lines and prevent wrinkles – but sadly, dermatologists agree that all you will achieve is an empty wallet.

Although many of these creams contain vitamins called antioxidants, few have any effect in preventing or reversing damage to the skin caused by free radicals.

WHAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS AND FREE RADICALS?

Antioxidants counteract the damage that free radicals can do to skin cells. Free radicals are by-products of normal chemical reactions that occur in cells. Cosmetic creams do contain antioxidants – but as a preservative – to prevent the cream from spoiling. The concentrations are very low, don’t absorb well into the skin and only have a short-term effect.

AND NOW THE GOOD NEWS…

New research suggests that improved formulations of two main antioxidants may soon be available in a form that may be effectively delivered via the skin.

SELENIUM

Selenium is a mineral which can help to protect the body from cancers. Recent studies have shown the if selenium is taken orally, it can provide protection against UV exposure. It has also been shown to maintain the elasticity of tissue and to slow down aging. Dermatologists say that the results are promising but more studies on humans are needed.

If you can’t wait that long, selenium is found in whole grain, seafood, garlic and eggs. Or you can take an oral daily supplement.

VITAMIN E

Dermatologists consider Vitamin E the most important antioxidant. It’s known to protect cells and to prevent damage to enzymes associated with cells. Laboratory studies show that Vitamin E can help to make free radicals less able to cause damage to cells. Other studies say that Vitamin E applied to the skin can reduce damage by exposure to UV and may even limit the production of cells that may cause cancer.

Vitamin E cream is extremely cheap to buy. To include more Vitamin E in your diet, eat more vegetables and sunflower oils, grains, oats, nuts and dairy products. Dermatologists advise that taking an oral supplement of 400mg each day is known to reduce damage from UV, to reduce wrinkles and improve the texture of the skin.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C (otherwise known as ascorbic acid) is the most prevalent antioxidant found in the body. It’s required for effective synthesis of collagen which is responsible for the strength and elasticity of the skin.

The body can’t store Vitamin C and if constant supplies are not ingested, a deficiency quickly occurs. Creating a skin cream containing Vitamin C is difficult because it decreases when exposed to oxygen. Minimal exposure to UV can decrease the body’s Vitamin C content by 30%. The ozone in city pollution can take this up to 50%.

Some medications can also lower the body’s Vitamin C – Omeprazole (a drug to reduce stomach acid) can reduce it by two thirds.

Eating citrus fruit and taking supplements can help to optimize levels of Vitamin C. However, the body will only take what it needs at the time and then excrete the rest. For this reason, Vitamin C can cause diarrhea if taken to excess. Large doses can also cause acid indigestion which can be avoided by taking the supplement with a meal.

STICK TO THE DIET

It would seem that, for the time being, better anti aging can be achieved through the use of Vitamins and minerals in the diet – although you might like to indulge in a very inexpensive pot of Vitamin E cream!

If you’d like to learn more about how to supplement the best skin care programs with an anti aging internal program, click here. Rebecca runs the site, www.VitaminsToHealth.com

Water Facts:

• 70% of the earth…that’s right two thirds of the earth is made up of water.
• Only 3% of it can be used as drinking water!
• Most of the water on earth is permanently frozen or salty.
• Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.
• If all the earth’s water were fit into a gallon jug, the water available for us to drink would only be about a tablespoon!

Women Should Drink Water for Better Health

Water is one of the healthiest things a woman can put into her body. We cannot live without it. A woman’s body is about 55% water. Water moves nutrients and oxygen through the blood stream. Water has no calories. Drinking more water can help a woman retain less water! Water helps your skin stay healthy and glowing. Water can even help a woman with weight loss!

Unfortunately, most women hardly ever drink pure…plain…no frills WATER. We cover it up with sodas, teas, coffees, and all sorts of unhealthy substitutes. When we dehydrate our bodies by not drinking enough PURE water, it can lead to to excess body fat, poor muscle tone, a decrease in digestive efficiency, and muscle pain.

A woman, well anyone, should be drinking half of our body weight in ounces of PURE water every day. Example: If a woman weighs 180lbs she should be drinking 90oz of water a day!

Sound like a lot of water? Well, if you fill a 20oz bottle of water up before bed, and calculate how many of them you need to drink the next day, then divide that throughout your day, you will find success on your journey to drinking more water.

Application: Drink 1 bottle of water as soon as you wake up…BEFORE you even think about that cup of java! Then drink another bottle of water during your morning routines. Drink water before and after all meals. Drink water when you feel hungry between meals, instead of a fattening snack. Drink water every chance you get!

Soon you will be well on your way to better skin, better sleep, and better health! All because of pure fresh water!

Copyright © Lara Velez

About the Author: Lara Velez is a published writer, web publisher, business owner, wife and Mother of two. You can find some of her work at: http://homebusinessresourcedirectory.com

Women today work hard and play hard. Their strenuous and demanding lifestyles often leave very little room for rejuvenation. Career women strive to balance stressful jobs with a fulfilling personal life. Stay-at-home moms cope with parenting and running the household while also trying to find time for their husband. Some women, both single and married, actually juggle both professional lives and parenting, stretching themselves thinner yet. At the end of the day, many are lucky to still be standing. Who has the time or energy to devote to themselves?

According to some research, you need to find some time for yourself or you could face burnout, anxiety, depression and a host of physical ailments as well, including cardiovascular disease. So what can you do to help reduce your stress that doesn’t take up a huge amount of time or energy? There are several things, actually. Some are more time consuming than others and some do require more energy, but many can be accomplished in under ten minutes with minimal effort.

Instant Relaxation

1. Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, holding your breath in between the inhale and exhale for a count of three seconds, then letting the breath out smoothly and completely. This helps the flow of oxygen to your brain and for a moment puts your focus on something other than the problem at hand.

2. Stop and have a cup of tea. Especially at the end of a long day, a cup of tea can be very relaxing. Herbal teas are often recommended, such as chamomile or ginseng, but honestly, any tea will suffice. Find a favorite, then when you are feeling stressed, stop, take five minutes to make a cup and savor its flavor. Let each sip wash away your worries.

3. Soak your feet. This is a nice treat, especially if you spend any amount of time on your feet. An inexpensive foot bath can be used, some even have built in vibrators to help stimulate the nerve endings. Fill the foot bath with warm water and soak your feet for five to ten minutes. You can sit and enjoy the peace and quiet or take the time to read or watch your favorite television program.

4. Stretch your muscles. Many stretching exercises can be found online and can be completed while sitting at your desk, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green or while at home at the end of the day. Taking a few moments during the day to stop and stretch will give your body a fresh feeling.

5. Take an imaginary vacation. Close your eyes and picture in your mind someplace you love to go that is stress free. Try to imagine every possible detail using all of your senses. See the scenery vividly, smell the air or fragrances, feel the warmth or coolness surrounding you, hear the soothing sounds, taste the delectable food or drink. Make it as real as possible, even it it’s only for five minutes. The more you do this, the easier it becomes to transport yourself to your stress free environment.

6. Play with a pet. Don’t underestimate the value of spending a few quality minutes with your pet. Petting an animal is very relaxing and you can even tell your pet about the stress of the day. They listen attentively and still love you unconditionally.

7. Play a game. Be it a board game with your family or an online video game, play helps relax you. It takes your mind off of your worries and allows you to release some of your built up tension.

8. Practice smiling. Smiling gives us an instant feel good moment. If you don’t feel like smiling, try holding a pen in your teeth (horizontally). This will automatically put your face in a smile. Next, make your eyes smile along with your mouth. Smiling doesn’t just reduce stress, it can give you a more positive attitude in general.

This is just a short list to provide you with a starting point. Beating the stress monster is a difficult task, but with a little practice, these small items, while unable to free you from all the stress you face, can certainly provide you with a few moments of relief, which is often enough to get you through the rest of your day, or prepare you for the day ahead. The trick to remember is to incorporate as many of the items into your life as possible and use them frequently. Not everyone can find thirty minutes to an hour for exercise, but anyone can find five to ten minutes to stretch your muscles, take an imaginary vacation or have a cup of tea. Go ahead, try a couple today and see if you don’t feel better.

About the Author: Terry J. Coyier is a 37-year-old college student studying for an Associates of Applied Sciences degree. She is also a freelance writer who writes about bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. Terry was diagnosed with bipolar ten years ago. She lives with her son in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Metroplex. Terry is an author on www.Writing.Com which is a site for Writers and her personal portfolio can be viewed here.

I was very interested by my findings when I looked up stress in the dictionary and thesaurus. Let me share them with you…

Stress – A specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium.

Big words, I know. It basically it means that your body gets out of whack!

And, the Thesaurus says; strain, tension, anxiety, burden, pressure, oppression.

When we get to the point of being Stressed-Out, we are; afflicted with or incapacitated by stress.

WOW!

Stress is a part of everyone’s life. We all have to deal with it in one form or another. Below are just a few areas that a woman may be trying to cope with stress in her life:

-Fear
-Loss
-New Job
-Marriage Problems
-Being a Parent
-Financial Pressures
-Difficulties at Work
-Relational Issues

The list can go on and on…You know where there is stress in your life. Now, let’s discuss ways that we can prevent becoming Stressed-Out!

Stress Buster Tips for Women:

Walk Away. When someone ticks you off, walk away. If you stick around and allow yourself to get stressed out, you are harming your body more than you realize. Your heart and organs can be affected over time. So, take a walk, or a run. Just be sure and leave the situation until you have time to cool off.

Write it Down. This is a great way to get out your anger and lower your stress level. Buy a pretty journal and a nice pen for it. Keep your journal in a private place, and write in it as often as you feel the stress building. After you write it all down, you will feel a weight lifted off your shoulders…or at the very least, you didn’t keep it all bottled up inside…which would lead to more problems in the future!

Relax. Take a break from the craziness. Light some aromatic candles, fill your tub up with some hot soapy bubble bath, get a good book, a refreshing drink…and RELAX!

Start a Hobby. Find something that you love to do. Maybe you like to sew, write, do crafts, scrap book, gardening, cook, etc. It does not matter what it is, as long as you will enjoy doing it. We need things in our lives that are not “required.” We need to have enjoyment. Hobbies can give us that. I encourage you to find a hobby that you will enjoy and begin to reduce stress in your life.

Musical Therapy. De-stress while your are driving home from work or house cleaning with a cd to fit your mood. Find several types of music you enjoy for your different “stress moods,” and play the appropriate cd for the day you had or are having. Play it loud and sing along…or play it soft and mellow out. You know what you need…This will give you the time needed to get it all out! Trust me, your better half and/or family will LOVE you for it!

Make Time for Fitness. We all know that life gets busy. However, a little fitness goes a long way in creating a stress free environment. It gives you the opportunity to get it all out. Use the stress to your advantage and work it out. Not only will your heart be healthier, you will be coping with stress the healthy way!

Spirit. Making time for God is something that we all need in our lives. When we meditate on Scriptures that are up lifting, we are allowing God to help us de-stress on a much deeper level. Take time for your Inner Woman.

Tickle Your Funny Bone. Laughter is not only good for the soul, it is good for your whole body. When we laugh, we are stimulating the chemicals in our bodies that kill disease causing cells. Now that’s something to get laughing about. And, don’t just giggle. Get a good belly laugh going at least a couple times a day.

Another wonderful thing about laughter is that it has anti-aging powers! Every woman on the planet has stress about the aging process! Let’s Laugh our way out of stress land, ladies! The worst thing that can happen is that we have more laugh lines than frown lines!

In closing, find what works for you and do it. If you do not get a handle on the stress in your life, you will be a very unhappy and unhealthy woman. Why let that happen when there are many ways to prevent it!

Copyright © Lara Velez

About the Author: Lara Velez is a Woman, Wife, Mother of two, writer, web publisher, and entrepreneur. You can read more of her work at; www.wivesoffaith.com

Some call it a food group. It just means that much and tastes that good.

While it’s not the healthiest food in some ways there are many health benefits to eating chocolate too.

Dark chocolate is of course the best, as it has the most cocoa and therefore the flavonoids, which provide the benefits. The flavonoids have antioxidant properties, which have the potential to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Natural cocoa powders are the best, and when you’re shopping for chocolate you can get the best benefit from chocolates with the highest cocoa content. In addition, milk chocolate has more fat and calories due to the milk content than darker chocolates do.

The benefits aren’t extreme and unfortunately not worth overindulging in chocolate. They do give a delightful bonus to one of life’s little pleasures. The occasional dark chocolate is about as good for you as the occasional glass of red wine, which also contains flavonoids.

A new potential benefit has been discovered by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. They’ve found that chocolate can help with diarrhea by limiting the production of fluids. The flavonoids appear to bind to a protein called CFTR, and then inhibit them. This discovery is promising for its potential to be developed as a cheap treatment with few or no side effects. Only time will tell on that possibility, of course.

Some worry about the stearic acid found in chocolate. Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but some say it’s a neutral so far as risk to the heart while others say it has been shown to be a problem. As with many health topics it can be very hard to decide what to believe.

You can call chocolate addictive but it isn’t really, or at least there’s no evidence that it is. It’s just a delight to eat. It contains a variety of chemicals that can improve your mood but in very small quantities.

The absolute best way to indulge in chocolate is to use cocoa powder in recipes that have other healthy ingredients. You can substitute cocoa powder for baking chocolate in some recipes to decrease the fat content. To make many baked goods even better for you, use just egg whites rather than the entire egg and replace butter and oil with unsweetened applesauce.

To finish this article off, I’d like to include a favorite recipe for chocolate meringue. There’s a lot of sugar in this recipe, so it’s not 100% healthy but they’re quite decadent without a lot of calories.

2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl at high speed until peaks start to foam. Slowly add sugar as you continue to beat. Keeping beating until stiff peaks form.

Mix in vanilla and cocoa powder while beating at a lower speed. Mix chocolate chips in by hand.

Cover a baking sheet in foil or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of meringue about an inch apart.

Bake for one hour. Turn off oven and leave meringues in the cooling oven for at least two more hours to allow the meringues to completely dry. Store in an airtight container.

Stephanie Foster runs http://www.gimmechocolate.com and is maybe just a little obsessed with chocolate. Visit her site to find more chocolate recipes.