Healthy Habits: Taurine Scary!

Jacked in, friends?

We shall begin.

Many people are always telling me that energy drinks are bad because of the Taurine, and that some energy drinks contain alcohol. At the end of this post I will include a list of the drinks that do contain alcohol in them via energy-drink-rating, but this particular post will mainly concern the pros and cons of Taurine.

Before I begin; I apologize to anyone who takes this information as me being upset or angry at them in particular.  I am merely trying to get the information to all of my pals, so those who are less educated about the subject can become more knowledgeable about it.  (Yes, I am a bit upset but it is not directed at anyone!)

With that out of the way, there are some individuals who have told me many times that I shouldn't drink energy drinks (my favorite is Sugar Free Red Bull) because Taurine is bad for me or that it causes cancer.  Guess what?...

"[Taurine] is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the lower intestine and, in small amounts, in the tissues of many animals, including humans.^[1][2] Taurine is a derivative of the sulfur-containing (sulfhydryl) amino acidcysteine.", via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine. 

Essentially, Taurine is already in your body. It is not a "foreign" chemical that "they" shove in energy drinks so that you develop cancer. Also, Taurine is found in most mammals. Some urban legends state that the Taurine found in energy drinks comes from bull urine extract or bull semen. Umm...negative, my friends. Taurine that is used in the food industry (and pharmaceuticals, for that matter) is chemically synthesized.   Scientists have learned that Taurine also helps...the...body...funtion! Oh my word! Seriously, if my lovely readers have time to read the linked articles, I think you would appreciate the information.

List of Alcoholic Energy Drinks: via Energy Drink Ratings

Drink Four

Sparks

3SUm

Whisbih

Liquid Charge

Tilt

B to the E (Budweiser Energy)

Rockstar 21 (or otherwise known as "Rockstar + Vodka" and "Rockstar + Vodka/Pomegranate")

I only knew of Sparks.

Have a wonderful day/evening.

End transmission.

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War Paint: Joining No Make-Up Week

Jacked in?  Lets go!

No Make-Up Week!?
Yes, that means leaving my house and arriving to work bare-faced!  *Gasp*  To be honest, Tuesday was my first day, and I am already not liking it.  Why?  I feel naked and ugly.  No matter how much The Guy insists that I look fine, I still feel like everyone is staring at the blemishes on my face and the dark circles under my eyes. However, this is a chance for me to learn why I began wearing make-up in the first place, and how that would compare to why I wear it now.

If you would like to get in on this, you could follow my steps starting at Biorequiem and find the original place (I think) that this started.  Also, I plan on taking note of the questions and answers that I come up with for myself, but I shall post those at a later date.  For now, I would like to hear (or perhaps read) other people's experiences.  The following will be a small preface of how I began wearing make-up and nail polish for that matter.
 
Shall I begin with my parents?  My mother never wore make-up.  I guess she never cared--or maybe it was my father's opinion of make-up that deterred her from doing so.  It's a shame, really. I think she would have enjoyed applying make-up to her face.  My father always said that I did not need it.  I don't think he said it because he was trying to say I looked nice without it. Personally, I think he just wanted to avoid the inevitable fact that he had two girls still living at home, and not the "all boys" children that he originally wanted. My father and I did not/do not have a happy father-daughter relationship.  More on that some other time.  I was also not allowed to wear polish of any kind other than a modest clear-coat on my nails.  How I longed for a bottle of black polish!  However, I knew the inevitable would happen: "male parental unit" would see it, and I would have to immediately remove it (or suffer beatings and then remove it).

My grandmother eventually decided to take my younger sister and I to the grocery store one day where I bought my very first bottle of pink polish with birthday money.  I was in middle school and the polish was a light, pearly, pink color. Not my favorite, but good enough to show that old goat that its my nails and not his.  Angst aside,  "male parental unit" finally gave up, and I was allowed to wear any color but black. :(
I lost my will to fight with him on anything until I was 15.  Then, I did not wear make-up until I was almost 17, which was about the same time that I didn't worry (too much) about my dad killing me for wanting a boyfriend. Now that I think about it, I feel as if I would have been more compatible with (and happier) dating a young lady of the same age at that time.

And with that I shall zoom off and update another time.
Cheers.
You can unplug your jack now.



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Those Crazy Hormones: Happy Endorphins

Jacked in and ready?
Apologies for the silence.  Important things do get away from me sometimes.

Endorphins!  Aren't they lovely?
The first purpose of my research on endorphins was to understand why I felt absolutely amazing after running twenty minutes daily for however many months I did that. Besides the feeling better because of being more physically fit, there is a neurological reason as well. This post could also apply as a Healthy Habits post but there is a bunch of information in the internet land.  There will always be something to research!

Technically, an endorphin is not a hormone. It is a compound that is produced through the pituitary gland via the hypothalamus. "What are you talking about, Dorothy?" Endorphins are released into your blood from the pituitary gland.  The hypothalamus aids the process. Read the Wiki, it makes more sense.

The following activities can cause endorphins to be introduced into your blood stream: excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, exercise, and orgasm.
There's not much else I can say about endorphins without copying and pasting the Wikipedia articles so I shall leave this post at that.

Have a good day/night!
Session complete.







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Healthy Habits: Do I really need to drink this much water?

Are we all jacked in?

Have you ever heard, "you should drink eight glasses of water a day"? After hearing that do you think, "eight glasses of water?! That is far too much!"? According to Brian Dunning, the blogger at Skeptoid (who does a lot of research into pop culture myths), it is too much water to drink if you are not hiking...or something like that. Don't get me wrong; drinking water is very important. After reading the information on Skeptoid and on factsmart.org, I learned that if you drink too much water, there is a possibility that you could develop hyponatremia. Essentially, it is an electrolyte (salt) imbalance. What I got from these articles is that your required amount of water can be, and usually is, already in the food you eat everyday (via fruit or beverages--coffee and soda included). If you have some sort of chronic dehydration, have a bit of water every now and then. Check with your doctor. Occasionally, I don't feel like drinking water so, I will use a mix-in of some sort. You can add fruit juice or even add a herbal fruit flavored tea bag to the water as an alternative to the water flavor packets. I personally cannot stand herbal tea, but I may have to give the fruit flavored ones a try--just because. Sometimes I just want a soda, but I usually go back to drinking water anyway.

That concludes our session.  May your day/night be grand!



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War Paint: Bare Skin and Nails

Are we all jacked in and ready?  Great!  How was your day?

Blast off! It's party time...

Face

The following quote excerpt is the first piece of useful information I found:

"The woven mesh sponge and face brush are the most abrasive facial cleansing tools.  If you have very oily skin, you might want to rotate one of these tools into your facial routine every couple of days to help exfoliate and remove sebum.  If you don't have very oily skin, stick with a facial cloth designed for your skin sensitivity."

My skin is not oily or dry so it would be classified as normal. I should consider using a facial cleansing cloth. The only cloth I tried is made by a London based cosmetic company called Eyeko. The cloths were individually wrapped, which kept in moisture. Eyeko Face-Off wipes also contain Coco Glucoside and Vitamin E. The packaging was cute and easy to slip into my make-up bag or purse.

To prevent acne, I use Proactiv. I use it once daily, and it really makes my facial skin feel clean. Also, the moisturizer feels nice and is light on my skin. After using Proactive, my face does feel and look much better. Redness around my nose has decreased and so has the dry patches on my skin caused by other cleansers.

I initially began this research because I was curious about the effectiveness of a facial cleansing brush. I have not done much research about the Clarisonic, so I cannot form a helpful opinion on it yet. After realizing how much the Clarisonic costs, I was totally not into it.  Personally, I could spend that money on clothes or Mac cosmetics! Ha!

I wonder how many oils and junk ends up on my hands by the time I am ready to wash the make-up off my face. Perhaps, washing my hands with an anti-bacterial soap and warm water would help prevent the junk on my hands from getting on my face and causing blemishes.

Nails

From my experience, keeping your cuticles moisturized with lotion or cuticle oil will keep them from having hangnails and dryness. For my nails, I really do not do anything special with them. They get painted random colors and shuffle through paperwork all day. I do not get manicures or anything like that because I do not have time and I find that having nail enhancements get in my way. Regardless, I found some useful information on American Academy of Dermatology about the different nail fungi and treatments. Also, at the very bottom of the article I found the following info:

NAIL CARE TIPS

Many nail disorders result from poor nail care, so developing good nail habits can help. To keep your nails healthy, dermatologists recommend:
1. Keep nails clean and dry. This helps prevent bacteria and other infectious organisms from collecting under the nail.

2. Cut nails straight across, rounding them slightly at the tips for maximum strength. Be sure to use sharp nail scissors or clippers. Filing the nails into points weakens them.

3. Keep nails shaped and free of snags by filing with a "fine" textured file.

4. Avoid biting fingernails, and do not remove the cuticle.

5. Trim toenails regularly to keep them short. This minimizes trauma and injury.

6. Soak feet in warm salt water (one teaspoon of salt per pint of water) for five to 10 minutes when toenails are thick and difficult to cut, then apply urea or lactic acid cream. This softens the nails, making them easier to trim.

7. Avoid "digging-out" ingrown toenails, especially if they are already infected and sore. See a dermatologist for treatment.

8. Wear shoes that fit properly and alternate pairs.

9. Report any nail irregularities to your dermatologist. Nail changes, swelling, and pain could signal a serious problem.

10. Be especially vigilant of nail problems if you have diabetes or poor circulation. At the first sign of a problem, see a dermatologist.

Note:  The companies I talk about and linked to in this post did not, and do not, give me any compensation for "advertising" them.  This was all my own wheels turning!

That ends our session and may you all have a wonderful evening!

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Crafty Carrier: All I can see is six sides!

Good day ladies and gents, I hope that you are now jacked in and ready for some info.

Perhaps many of you are wondering "how did you become interested in crochet/knitting?"  After looking for Japanese felt crafts, I stumbled upon Moonstitches's blog.  There I found a Hexagon blanket--and fell in love with crocheting!  I find a large amount of her projects very elegant and happy!  (She also lives in Japan which is my dream!)  After, thinking about what I could make and where to begin, I spoke with The Guy's grandmother for crochet help.  She patiently taught me how to crochet, and in return I made her a Hexagon afghan.  The pattern I found on Attic 24 was very easy to follow and allows for lots of color! 

First, I had to crochet the little motifs.  Afterwards, I had the option to either crochet or sew them together. One of the techniques on Attic 24 is to crochet the loose ends along with the rest of the motif, but I chose not to do that in the end. I decided to leave the loose ends and knot them upon finishing.  Originally, I wanted to sew a pretty fabric to the "wrong" side of the afghan to make it more "finished" looking (and to make it warmer).  However, I was trying to complete the afghan by Christmas Eve; I didn't have time to imbellish.  It was certainly a learning process, and I would definitely make another one.  Next time...I won't put a time limit on myself. It sucks the fun right out of it.

As a side note, I have added a link to the project on Ravelry as the title.  Also, if you crochet or knit, and do not have a Ravelry account, you should consider signing up.  Everyone I've encountered there has been extremely helpful and sweet!

More pictures can be viewed here.

That ends our session for now, and I hope the rest of your day is marvelous!

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The Beginning

Yes, I am sure many of you are thinking, "Great, another blog..." and "how is this one going to be any different than all the others?"  My answers will not only be in the following paragraphs but you may want to stick around and find out for yourself.  First, what is the main reason to create this blog and why is it called RJ45?  The reason I wanted to create this blog was to provide information that I research, and find interesting, to others that may not have the time to do so.  Besides, I am very curious and would like to promote that disposition. Do you think we would have gotten this far as "humans" if we were not curious?  Now, to answer the second portion of that question... You could read the definition of RJ45 here.  My significant other (SO for short) came up with the name. I wanted the title to have something to do with others "plugging in" here to get information.  Thus, the name was born.  Another bit of info: I am new at this blogging thing, which is the reason there are no decorations.  All in time...

And now, the descriptions:

Weekly posts:
   Crafty Carrier - In this post I will be talking about different projects I take on.  For example, I am currently knitting a scarf for myself.  This post will contain my opinions on the project and some pictures.  I may also add some history so you can have an idea of where it all began.

   War Paint - This will be a section for pictures and desciptions of different things I have tried with my hair, make-up, nails, the tools I used, tricks, and/or tips I have learned in the process.  Also, I will post links to blogs or websites of where I learned the details.

   Healthy Habits - This section contains general information on food, exercise, and nutrition.  I'm not a doctor, but I will try to obtain the latest and most accurate scientific information I can find. Stuff on this page should apply to most people in normal situations, and won't contain any pseudo-scientific, homeopathic, or untested medical claims. If you have a medical condition, please ask your doctor before doing anything drastic to your diet or lifestyle.

   Those Crazy  Hormones - This post is the main idea for my blog. I will pick a specific hormone, do a bit of research on it, and try to translate it in layman's terms. I wanted to do it this way because I didn't learn important information about my body while I was growing up. My goal is to make it understandable for younger people so they can make educated and logical decisions in life without (totally) being under the mercy of their hormones. Still working on this myself...

Monthly posts: 
   Open Scrapbook - Basically, this post will be pictures that I think are really neat and would like to share.  Sometimes, I may post a link to my photobucket account (I plan on switching to flickr soon).  This post is really just a test.  If you like looking through an online photo book then I may not continue this post.

   Shop Wreck - The first post will contain the story of how I came up with the name for this section. Its theme will be about an "outfit" that I may wear during the week or to a special occasion, whatever the case may be.  I do not know much about fashion (if anything) so this is just a "hey, look what I am wearing".

   Hearts for Me - Essentially, I will be piling a lot of links to articles, pictures, or blogs that I find interesting or fun.

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