Viva Magazine : Local Talent : Chantel

Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha Cha Cha…. Then do it!

Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!

Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e., soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.

Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.

Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.

Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.

Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.

Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.

Choose Your Parents Well
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.

Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.

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The best care for women with breast cancer

Improved treatment for breast cancer means there's often no need for women diagnosed with this disease to lose a breast. Thanks to mammography (breast X-ray), a cancer can be detected when it's very small - before a doctor or a woman can feel it. Besides increasing the chances of successful treatment, it may also mean the cancer can be removed without the loss of a breast.

How Can Doctors Treat Cancer Without Removing the Breast?
Providing the cancer hasn't spread, it's possible for doctors to remove just the tumour, along with a small amount of tissue around it.This removes the cancer, but preserves the shape and feel of the breast as much as possible. This operation is called a lumpectomy. Because breast cancer may also spread to glands in the armpit called lymph nodes, t hese glands will need removing to see if the cancer has spread.There's no difference in survival between women who have a mastectomy and women who have a lumpectomy.

Are There Disadvantages of Lumpectomy?
Women who have a lumpectomy instead of having their breast removed usually need radiotherapy on the breast five days a week for a six week period. Most women cope well with this. However women with early breast cancer are usually given the choice of having a lumpectomy and radiation therapy, or a mastectomy (removal of the whole breast) without radiotherapy.

What Other Treatments Are There?
Chemotherapy and hormone therapy are both drug treatments. They are sometimes used in addition to mastectomy and lumpectomy, if doctors think there's a good chance the cancer may recur. Although the side effects of chemotherapy may be unpleasant, they don't last for long, and can be controlled with medication.

If a Woman Has a Mastectomy. Can Her Breast Be Replaced?
It's often possible for plastic surgeons to build a new breast, using a woman's own tissue and/or an implant. Because of the controversy about silicone breast implants, doctors usually use implants filled with saline.Most women still choose a prosthesis (artificial breast) which can be worn inside a bra.

Where Can Women Turn for Emotional Support?
The Breast Cancer Support Service, a network of volunteer visitors who have experienced breast cancer themselves. Some of these specially trained women speak other languages. For information, contact the Cancer Council on (02) 9334 1900.

Where Can Have a Mammogram?
High quality mammograms are available, free, to women aged 5O and over through Breastscreen Australia. Women in this age group need a mammogram every two years. For an appointment at the nearest breast screening centre, call 13 20 50.

What Else Can Women do to Look After Their Breasts?
Check their breasts regularly for any changes, and ask their doctor to examine them each year as well. Most lumps women find in their breasts are not cancer - but it's important to check with a doctor to make sure.

Protecting Delicate Skin Around the Eyes

The skin under and around the eyes is the most sensitive skin on your body. It is thinner in this area and can become problematic for many people early on. There are some basic things that you should do every day and night to take care of this more sensitive skin.
You should always wash off eye make up using a gentle cleanser. Many over the counter products that are created to remove make up around the eyes are best because they are made to be gentle enough to not cause damage to the skin. One very good cleanser that is natural and gentle enough for even sensitive skin is witch hazel. This product cleans well all while still being gentle enough for that very sensitive around the eye area.

A good way to prevent this from happening is to use an eye gel or moisturizing cream in the morning when you first get up and again at night before you go to bed. As we age the skin becomes less elastic and can loose the soft supple look it had before. Staying well hydrated also helps the skin to continue to have that supple look. Ensuring that your moisturizers contain SPF will also help to ensure that the delicate skin around your eyes is protected from getting wrinkles that can be caused by sun damage to the skin.

Lymph nodes located under the eyes where toxins build up in the lymph system your eyes to be puffy and swollen. A good way to reduce that swelling is to apply a cool mask around the eyes. You can also gently press on the area using the third finger on each hand to massage this area to release the toxins built up in the lymph system. Many people also like to store a jar of eye cream in the refrigerator so that they can apply it cold to the skin to reduce the swelling and sooth the enflamed feeling.

Crows feet or laugh lines around the eyes are very typically the first to appear because of how delicate and thin the skin around the eyes is. The best way to combat these types of lines and wrinkles is to use a product that contains glycolic acid, also known as alpha hydroxy acid or AHA. One product line that boasts to be gentle enough to be used around the eye as a wrinkle remover is Olay. Utilising cosmetics that contain AHA will help you to diminish your fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. There are many over the counter cosmetics that help get rid of your fine lines and wrinkles.

There are also many natural remedies that can be used to moisturise & soothe the delicate skin around your eyes. To reduce swelling and make your eyes more relaxed you can use slices of cucumbers on your eyes. To moisturise the delicate area you can apply a little olive oil around your eyes each day to give this area more moisture then the rest of the skin.