Raines Realm

There seems to be an unfortunate trend in today's society of individuals going about their day in sleepwear and yoga pants. Now before I discuss the issues with this, let me start by saying that this is not about judging people for what they wear. This is about how our individual choices affect us long-term as well as affecting those around us. There seems to be a focus on self-love and self-care lately and it is wonderful to see. What some don't seem to realize is that this is directly related to getting dressed in real clothes every day. When we wake up in pajamas, spend the day in pajamas, and then go to sleep in more pajamas; it can have a negative effect on our psyche. What is the message that we are telling ourselves? That we're not worth the effort? This can permeate other areas of our lives. If we can't muster the energy to get dressed, how can we find the energy to be social or have the motivation to reach for and attain our goals? Not to mention the fa...

Most of us have reached for the diet soda or artificial sweeteners at some point when trying to lose weight. Unfortunantly, artificial sweeteners can actually rob us of our health and cause additional weight gain. Weight Gain - Our bodies react to fake sugar the same way as the real stuff. It triggers signals that cause fat to be stored instead of burned. Dulls taste buds - the intense flavors of sweeteners such as aspartame overload tastebuds hindering us from being able to enjoy the subtle sweetness of things like fruit. Disprupts body's natural ability to regulate calories - when our bodies are flooded with synthetic foods, it hinders the body's natural ability to handle hunger and full cues. Depression - Artificial sweeteners have been linked to a 30% increase in risk of depression. Aspartame has been categorized as a neurotoxin by the EPA right alongside arsenic. Damages kidneys - artificial ingredients put an unnecessary strain on kidneys which are i...