Peri menopause is actually the term used for premenopause. This period of time varies in length from individual to individual and many health professionals sometimes disagree on the length of peri menopause. Some state that peri menopause can last from 5 to 15 years, while other health professionals contend that peri menopause lasts about 3 to 4 years.

Peri menopause is the result of the decline of hormones, specifically estrogen in the body; this causes a host of changes including the possibility of more frequent periods due to the shortening of the follicular phase of the cycle or a longer amount of time without a period due to an absence of one or more cycles. Peri menopause is also characterized with many side effects including hot flashes, night sweats, a decrease in sex drive and feeling moody.

Hot flashes are experienced by the majority of women going through both peri menopause and menopause. Hot flashes can be characterized by a sudden feeling of warmth in the body, usually starting in the chest area and rising to the neck and face. Many women break out in a sweat during the flash. Hot flashes can last 3 to 4 minutes.

Night sweats are hot flashes that happen during sleeping hours and can result in an extremely sweaty body as well as soaked sheets. Night sweats can be associated with insomnia due to the level of discomfort. Some of the ways to avoid an embarrassing soaked body at night as well as insomnia is tryptophan a amino acid usually found in warm milk, soy and tofu products, many herbal supplements and comfortable pajamas made from moisture wicking protection that greatly increases the comfortable level of the wearer by wicking away moisture from the skin to the exterior of the fabric allowing it to evaporate in the air.

Hydration is absolutely essential to any woman that would like to be healthy and have her body operating optimally. Hydration is vital to practically all of your body?s major functions, including digestions, circulation and body repair and growth. Here are some key tips to keeping hydrated.The key to hydration is to drink plenty of water. It?s as easy as that. Usually most people need 8 ? 8 ounce glasses of water a day. And yes, you can substitute water with fresh juices, fruits with high content of water and drinks such as caffeine free tea & coffee.Hydrating your body not only makes your body function optimally it also helps you enjoy beautiful looking skin that stays youthful longer by having elasticity and gives it that shine.

If you are a woman that is experiencing peri menopause, menopause, pregnancy or chemotherapy treatments it is more important than ever to make sure your body is well hydrated.

Women experiencing peri menopause or menopause can experience hot flashes or night sweats which can induce sweating and allowing important moisture to escape. Women that are on chemotherapy tend to also have side effects that can reduce the amount of water that they retain in their body. By making an effort to be hydrated, you can make sure your body always has enough water available to function optimally.

One of the many ways to keep hydrated is to either carry around a bottle of water with you, whether it is in your car, at your side when you exercise, in your hand bag or next to you on your work desk. Another great way to make sure you drink 8 ? 8 ounce glasses of water is to drink 2 glasses of water at each meal which really isn?t that hard to do and a glass of water during snack time and in the evening.

If your body is experiencing changes due to (peri) menopause, chemotherapy or pregnancy, it is important to wear clothing that can help wick away sweat and make you feel as comfortable as possible. Performance clothing that includes moisture wicking fabrics can help remove sweat and moisture from the body through special fabrics that draw out the moisture and allow it to evaporate in the air. Performance fabrics come in many different styles and look great. Clothing options include sleep wear, stylish pajamas, day wear, and lounge wear so you can still live an active lifestyle, be comfortable and look great.
 

Nursing your baby has once again become extremely popular, a few decades ago; formula was the main way most mothers fed their infants, now parents are following the advice of many health professionals that are speaking about the vast benefits of nursing your baby. If you are pregnant or planning a family, here are some nursing tips and suggestions.

One of the main benefits for infant?s nursing besides the nourishing quality of the milk is that breast milk helps prepare your baby?s immune system which can help the baby prevent illness from both bacteria and viruses. Having the ability to prepare an infant?s immune system is one definite pluses of nursing that formula just doesn?t excel at.

There are also many other different enzymes, proteins and nutrients that are passed from mother to child that are either not available through formula or in not such large doses. These nutritional compounds include immunoglobulins, which help protect the ear, nose, throat and gastro intestinal tract and lactoferrin which help bind iron which is a necessary mineral. Besides the actual breast milk itself, holding your child and breastfeeding him or her creates a strong psychological bond that a plastic bottle can not compete with.

However, nursing is not for everyone. If you have a hectic schedule and are unable to breast feed your child on a regular basis or pump milk for use later, feeding your child formula is very nutritious and has shown in many studies that children grow up just fine.

If you are nursing, you may feel a little uncomfortable especially in the chest area after feeding as well as when your breasts are holding; at these times you may want to think about your comfort. It is important to dress in fabrics that are easily accessible, comfortable and less constrained. Performance fabrics that are made for an active lifestyle are perfect for moms that are nursing allowing them a comfortable fit as well as a fashionable look.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time of a woman?s life, however since your body is changing rapidly, there is a level of discomfort that most women experience. Being comfortable during pregnancy can mean the world, not only to the mother?s peace of mind, but also to her health. Here are some comfort tips for women that are pregnant.Whether you are relaxing at home, trying to get some sleep during the night or requested by your doctor to be on bed rest, the clothing you choose for this lifestyle has a large impact on your comfort and well being.

For many women performance clothing made from performance fabrics such as silky blends of nylon and lycra can truly make a difference in the way they feel. For instance, these blends either for day wear, lounge wear or as pajamas for sleep wear are great ways to move freely and unconstrained. Just because you are pregnant doesn?t mean you still can?t be active, while performing pregnancy exercises, routine tasks or at work, performance fabrics look great and are especially comfortable.

Some of these performance fabrics include moisture wicking technology, which allows you to feel cool and dry throughout the day or night. Moisture wicking technology is technology within the fabric that draws moisture away from the body and allows it to easily evaporate in the air leaving you cool, comfortable and dry. When you are pregnant you can use all the help that you can get when it comes to comfort.
 

Hey everyone,

You know how you get sometimes when you are sick of cooking the same old thing for dinner week after week. Well, yesterday I was trying to decide what I wanted to cook for dinner and I started thinking about what I would order if I went out to a restaurant. 

There is a restaurant here in Atlanta that makes a really good Chicken Francese.  I almost started drooling just thinking about it.  It’s cooked in a very light lemony wine butter sauce and it’s really good.  After thinking about it for a few minutes, I knew I was going to have to have it for dinner or I would never get it out of my mind.

The problem is that I didn’t want to take the time to drive all the way to the restauant since it’s not located very close to where I live. So, I started searching on the internet for a good recipe.   Yeah, I was going to attempt to do it myself, that is how determined I was to satisfy my taste buds.   After dismissing a few recipes I found in the search (recipes with more than about ten ingredients just make my eyes cross), I found this one on the Food Network site.

I made a few modifications to the original recipe I found.  The original recipe called for boneless chicken breast and then provided instructions on pounding them to a quarter inch thickness.  I am all about optimizing my time, so I just purchased thin sliced chicken cutlets that were already the 1/4 inch thickness required.

In addition, instead of the full amount of chicken broth, I substituted half of the broth with water.

And, let me tell you, I was very pleased with the end result. It was every bit as good as what I get at the restaurant. It was so good, I fear I probably ate a little more than I should have and I knew I needed to put this recipe on our site to share with everyone.

So, here it is.  Enjoy and be sure to stay cool, hip and dry! 

Chicken Francese

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. Thin-Cut Chicken Breasts
• All-purpose flour for dredging
• Kosher salt/Black pepper
• 4 Lg Eggs
• 3 Tbs Water
• Cup EVOO
• ½ Lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
• ½Cup Dry white wine
• 1 Cup Chicken broth
• ½ Lemon, juiced
• 2Tbs Unsalted butter
• ¼Cup Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

• Put flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
• In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash.
• Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
• Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off.
• When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
• Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
• Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice.
• Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly.
• Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce.
• Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets.
• Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through.
• Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.