1. Product I love…
I tend to chew a lot of gum. In an effort to avoid the artificial sweeteners, like aspartame (terrible stuff!), I have tried every natural gum I could find. Some stick to your teeth, most have flavor that disappears within a minute, and not too many taste very good. My favorite aspartame-free gum is PUR Gum. And I actually like all the flavors. Here is the link to the variety pack I buy regularly.
2. Article I read…
This week, USA Today had an article titled, “Episiotomies are painful, risky and not routinely recommended; Dozens of hospitals do too many,” bringing to light the ridiculously high episiotomy rate in today’s childbirths. This is one problem, among many others (i.e. high C-section rates and inducing labor), that “experts blamed… on outdated medical practices and a desire to speed up the time it takes to deliver babies.” Among the industrialized world, the U.S. is the most dangerous place to deliver a baby. It’s time to rethink the business of pregnancy and childbirth and realize that more procedures, more testing, and more doctoring is not resulting in better outcomes, smoother births, and healthier babies. The article is long, but you can read it here. Summary… episiotomies are dangerous and are being done far too often. The latest research and data is being ignored by many practicing doctors. USA Today did a more in-depth series bringing to light the problems with birth in America called “Deadly Deliveries,” which you can find here.
3. Great Quote…
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” -Tony Robbins
As humans, we tend to continuously be surprised with the outcomes we get, often feeling frustrated that we keep running into the same problems, unable to reach a higher level of success, and getting the same results day after day. If you don’t change the way you are doing things, your results will stay the same. If you are frustrated with the way your body looks, with your financial situation, with the quality of your relationships, or with the way you feel every day, there is only one way to change any, or all, of that… change your behavior. Yep, you need to decide what it is you truly want, take different action, and create new habits. Give that some thought as you head into the weekend.