Nature MadeSAM-e Complete™**

I'm perfect for this job for so many reasons. I am a steadfast customer of a variety of Nature Made products, and in particular, SAM-e. I started taking SAM-e after I did a lot of research on managing stress, anxiety and depression drug free. I was diagnosed with clinical depression 10 years ago and was on a variety of medications that caused a lot of side effects, numbed my emotions and killed my creativity. I decided after a few years trying to find a medical solution that it just wasn't going to work. Coming off the meds was a whole other problem, but after a year, I was medication-free. While researching on how to maintain my mental health, I ran across the SAM-e. I finally purchased it and gave it a try. I started feeling better, in combination with other things I do to manage my mood, within a couple of weeks. I am able to live without medications and actually have really good days about 90% of the time. Professionally speaking, I have been writing newsletters for American expatriate communities in three countries, while I lived overseas. I am now nearing completion in getting a degree in professional writing. I'm working on my first book. I already write my own blog that follows my efforts at achieving optimum health and weight loss. You can find that at http://half-the-woman.blogspot.com/. I even have a small following!

I learned the hard way that good sleep is essential in maintaining mood. I make sure to get eight hours of sleep every night, and I try to maintain good sleep hygiene through consistent timing of sleep and optimum sleeping conditions. Another important factor in managing my mood is getting a solid hour of natural sunlight, unfiltered by sunglasses. This also helps with getting much needed Vit D, which is important for me since I have type 2 diabetes. Another thing I do is to make sure I get at least 30 minutes of cardio and/or resistance exercise a day for the endorphins. I also get regular massages. When going through particularly stressful times in my life, getting a massage on a weekly basis was most helpful. I make sure to maintain positive social networks. I had to end some relationships that were not supporting my health. Even electronic relationships are helpful. I find them very supportive of my health goals, providing a degree of accountability that helps keep me motivated. I eat a healthy and balanced diet and rarely go for junk food. I try to eat as clean as possible. I don't often use processed foods. I also take supplements - SAM-e, melatonin, a diabetes pack, acidophilus, evening primrose oil and echinacea/goldenseal. I make sure to keep my immune system in good shape...everything above helps with that, but I also make sure to have fun and laugh a lot. And I bounce on a FitBall, daily, to help my hypothalamus stay healthy. I am not perfect at doing all this absolutely every day. Life and circumstance get in the way a lot of times, so I've learned to pay attention when I'm not doing everything I need to take care of myself. I try not to be too hard on myself and even allow for an occasional day when I stay curled up in bed and eat a bag of tortilla chips. But those days are fewer and fewer, and the tortilla chips are baked and have flaxseed in them, and I eat them with homemade guacamole instead of cheese dip. I'd really love the opportunity to participate in this blogging experience. It would be a great way to share what I've learned and I'd love to get feedback from others and learn more.