Problem: Article: Excess salt can make you retain water, which exacerbates edema. Cut as much sodium from your diet as you can to help reduce any edema you are experiencing. The daily sodium recommendation for pregnant women is 3,000 milligrams, which you may want to reduce to help minimize edema-related swelling. Avoid sodium rich-foods. Processed and prepared foods, for example, contain high amounts of sodium. Another way to get rid of excess sodium in your body is eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas, apricots, oranges, sweet potatoes, and beets. It seems counterintuitive, but staying hydrated is one of the best ways to flush out excess fluid. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help you stay hydrated, support your pregnancy, and can help minimize edema. Water is your best option to help flush out excess fluids. Aim to drink about 10 cups (2.3 liters) per day or more if you are active or feel you need it. Avoid sugary drinks, especially soda and processed fruit juices. Having regular bowel movements will also help flush excess sodium and water from your system. Removing these elements and other waste will contribute can help control your edema. You need fiber to stay regular to help flush out salt and water. Aim for 20 35 mg of fiber a day from soluble and insoluble sources. Soluble fiber is in food such as oats, legumes, apples, pears, and flax. You can get insoluble fiber from foods like whole wheat and brown rice, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and kale. Regular exercise will also help keep you regular because it puts force on your intestines to move. Doing cardiovascular exercise can help get your circulation moving and flush out excess fluids. Aim to get some form of physical activity every day to help minimize edema. Discuss your with your doctor before you start to ensure it's safe for you. Try and get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. If you were more active before your pregnancy, you can continue at the same pace as long as your doctor approves of it. You can do any type of cardio training to help reduce edema and support your health. Beyond walking, consider running, swimming, rowing, or biking. If using lifestyle and home treatments don't reduce your edema, speak with your doctor. She may want to check for underlying conditions such as preeclampsia or may prescribe medication to help flush out excess fluids. If you notice a sudden increase in swelling or edema that seems unusual, call you doctor immediately. Swelling can be a sign of high blood pressure or preeclampsia, which are serious conditions that require prompt treatment. Other things to look for include headache that doesn't improve with rest or acetaminophen, seeing spots, new onset nausea and vomiting, severe pain in the upper right side of your abdomen. If you experience any of these things, contact your doctor.
Summary: Cut sodium from your diet. Drink plenty of water. Maintain regularity. Exercise or get regular movement. Consult with your doctor.

Problem: Article: 3 ripe bananas, mashed 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour (or add 3 & 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt to regular flour) 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup chocolate chips, dried fruit, or walnuts (optional) When ingredients are just combined, fold in the chocolate chips, dried fruit and/or nuts if desired. You may also use muffin tins or a small cake pan, depending on how you would like to serve the bread. For muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Summary: Gather ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to completely cool in the pan.

Problem: Article: Achieving your goals will help you establish your life and set of experiences separate from others' expectations. Begin by stating your goal. If you want to run a marathon, state this as your goal. You can assess where you're at (for example, get a sense of how much distance you can run before any training begins). When you set a goal for yourself, track your progress so that you can see how you are moving toward that goal. This will help you focus on yourself and not on other people. Go at your pace. Take your unique situation into account when you track your progress. For example, if you are taking longer to get a graduate degree than some of your friends, you can think about how you are also working full-time, or you are raising a family, or you are caring for your elderly parents. Everyone faces a unique situation that enables or restricts progress. Think about your circumstances as you track your progress. If you are training for a marathon, you can track how much improvement you see every week. Run for a longer distance each week until you hit the 26-mile mark. At the same time you are gaining distance, you are also increasing your speed. By charting your progress, you can see how far you've come and how much further you have to go. If you see areas that you would like to improve, take classes, workshops or lessons to hone your skills and techniques. This will add to your self-confidence and help you find your place and value. It's important to recognize that perfection is an unproductive thought pattern where one holds an unrealistic ideal as a standard of achievement. Recognize that everyone's circumstances are entirely unique. You can work on improving your abilities to make yourself happy. Many high achieving athletes and actors have said that they compete against themselves. They constantly try to improve their own personal best. That is a good way to elevate your esteem as you see yourself reaching higher and higher goals. When an athlete aims to be the best in his sport, he may be encouraged to set goals for himself and push himself to run faster and sharpen his skills. When you learn to use your standards to assess yourself, you will stop comparing yourself to others. This practice takes away the competition you may be feeling because other people's expectations are not yours. If you acknowledge your ability to create the life you desire for yourself, you have control over the outcome. Judge yourself by your standards, and not by anyone else's standards. Consider the advantage that others can bring you. If you have friends who are highly achieving people, you might consider that their networks are full of people who might be able to help you become more successful in your life. Instead of envying their success, use their success to your advantage. For example, you might look at pictures of athletes to admire their fitness. Instead of feeling inferior and jealous, you can use these as motivation to make changes in your life. You might decide to change your eating habits and get more exercise. Then, you are using the pictures productively instead of negatively. Once you learn to judge yourself by your standards, you will feel freer to start with small, incremental risks. These risks will enable you to raise the bar even higher for yourself. Often what prevents people from reaching their personal best is that they're afraid to take risks. They become bound up in fears that keep them from achieving beyond others' expectations. Start with small steps. This will help build your self-confidence in your abilities. When you surround yourself with supportive people, you will find that you improve your perception of yourself. Good coaching comes in many forms. There are those coaches who scream and humiliate their players. There are those who insist on excellence, push their athletes to run faster, jump higher, or swim more laps, but follow up with love and support. The coach who teaches with love is the one that will help produce the most balanced overall human being. Think of yourself as your coach, pushing you toward excellence. Give love and appreciation for your efforts. Then you will reach goals that you set for yourself by raising your esteem, instead of destroying it.
Summary:
State your goal. Mark your progress. Work on improving your abilities. Compete against yourself. Judge you by your standards. Appreciate others instead of envying them. Take occasional risks. Build your support network. Be your coach.