"Staying on the Go"

A few weeks ago, our family was spending the night in a hotel. While TV channel surfing, I found a show on how an office was using constant motion to help employees to lose weight. (sorry, I do not remember the shows name or even the network which aired it) Each employee used a special treadmill which had been equipped with a desk top to hold a computer keyboard and monitor. All day long, the employee would walk at a very slow pace while working at their computer. It was found that employees had lost weight without any other lifestyle changes. No additional exercise outside the office or any change in their diets.

I found the results to be very interesting and that we could all learn form this. Stay on the go and you are going to burn calories. Whenever you have the choice, take the stairs over the elevator. When shopping, park far from the store entrance and get some walking in. If you have a desk job, take time out to get away from your desk. Walk around the building a few times, do some simple stretches and bends. The point is get your body moving.

The Effects of Fiber on Your Health

Just what is fiber and how does our health benefit from it? These days we are hearing a lot about the amount and kinds of fiber we are adding to our diet.

A very simple definition of fiber is that part of eaten plants which passes through our system without being digested. Fiber can be label as either soluble or insoluble. Our bodies benefit from both types and each type plays important roles in helping to keep our bodies healthy. Soluble Fiber is that part of the plant that is dissolved by water once we ingest it and insoluble fiber remains unchanged as it passes through our intestinal tract.

The benefits of fibers to our overall health are numerous and should not be overlooked. Soluble fiber has been found to lower cholesterol and helps to regulate glucose levels in the blood. This type of fiber can be found in whole grains (bran and oats), fruits (apples, prunes, pears), vegetables(broccoli, carrots), and legumes(peas, peanuts). Insoluble fiber helps to prevent constipation and has been linked to preventing the risk of colorectal cancer. Insoluble fiber can be found in brown rice, wheat bran, nuts, and seeds.

An additional benefit of fiber in women's diet is reducing the risk of breast cancer. Fiber helps to reduce the absorption of fat and therefor helps reduce the production of estrogen. Estrogen plays a role in the occurrence of some types of breast cancer.

While the recommended amount of daily fiber is 25-30 grams each day, the average American person only consumes half of this. We have increasingly become a society who eats whatever is put in front of us without thinking about a balanced diet. Some form of fiber should be included in each meal which we consume. For those who do not get enough fiber in your diet, supplements are available. These need to be natural supplements and any increase in daily fiber intake should be done gradually. Adding to much fiber at one time can lead to digestive problems, such as bloating and intestinal gas.

Note: In no way should this post replace medical advice from a physician.

Are You Living Stress Free?

Meeting job deadlines, completing that volunteer commitment, a child needs to be picked or delivered. Does this sound like you life? There are times when I do not even realize just how stressed I am until I have a moment to slow down and think. We move along thinking that we are doing great budgeting our time, until "bahm" we hit the wall. Suddenly, nothing is working the way it should. The house is a wreck, take-out has become the norm, your kids are waiting to be picked up, things are being left undone with your work, and you have a committee meeting tonight. Sound familiar? How do you re-gain control of your life?

It is time to step back and look at your life. When this happen in my life, first I look to see what I am doing which is not necessary. I have learned to say "no" to volunteer work. There are times when I know that I am not the best person for the job. When asked, if I cannot commit the needed time to do a through job, I graciously turn down the opportunity. If possible, I recommend someone else. I have found that being a volunteer means that you do not have to always say yes.

At other times of stress, I have found that getting back to an exercise routine helps to get the levels of stress down. We all know that exercise is not only good for keeping the extra weight off, but research has shown that reduced stress levels are good for the heart and blood pressure. I have found that just taking a walk around the neighborhood will do wonders for my outlook on my life. If something is worrying me, after a walk, I can focus on the problem and find a solution.

A healthy body can deal with stress much better than a run down fatigued body. You cannot make day to day decisions when you are tired. Getting 8 hours of sleep at night keeps you rested and able to focus on your day. It is much easier to stay relaxed in tense situations, if you are not already tired from lack of sleep. Eating a healthy diet and regular meals give your body the needed energy to function properly. It always seems that it is much easier to become ill when you are under a lot of stress. Most times this is due to the fact that you body is not being nourished properly. Our mothers have always told us to eat breakfast. They new what they were talking about. Your day is being built on the very important meal. Don't skip it.

Take time for yourself. Remember, you cannot help others if you do not help yourself. Set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour a day to do something you enjoy. Yoga, listening to music, chat with a friend, or read a fun book. Whatever it is that you enjoy, take the time to enjoy it.

Go today and start your stress free life!!

Change it Up

When you go to the gym, do you find yourself taking the same classes, or using the same cardio machine, or maybe doing the same strength training exercises? If you do, you may not be getting the workout you think. Each time you hit the gym, you need to give your body some variety. By this, I mean you need to work your muscles in a different way each workout.

I always enjoy my yoga class with my favorite teacher. I am use to her voice and her flow from one yoga pose to the next. This past Saturday she was on vacation and I had a different teacher. At first, I thought "Oh no, Where is my regular teacher?". As we got into the class, I realized that I was having to pay attention to the instructor and not just go through the motions. I came out of class feeling like I had had a good workout.

I now plan to switch workout classes from time to time. I feel that this will keep my body and mind on its toes. No more just going through the motions. Next class to try is step for a cardio change. This should be great for burning up the calories.

Have You Had Your Vitamins Today?

There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about vitamins. There seems to be those for taking them and those against taking them. I personally feel that we are not able to get all the needed nutrients from our daily food intake. If all the food we eat came directly from our own neighborhoods and not trucked across the country or sometimes from another country, we would be eating the most nutritional food possible. As it stands now, by the time our food reaches our tables, it has been picked before all the vitamins have had a chance to form. Once picked, our fruits and vegetables have sat in a packing warehouse, then loaded on a truck going to the distributors, next reloaded on yet another truck going to the local food store, and finally placed on the shelf to sell to us. Once it reaches our homes, it has spent days, even as much as a week in transit. This is not fresh from the garden. By this time, the nutrients have lost most of their value.

In a perfect world, we would all have a backyard garden to pick at some fresh fruits and vegetables from. But as we all know, this is no longer the American Way of Life. We all have some excuse for not having a small garden plot in our yard. For some, it is as simple as not having a yard to grow one in. For others, it just is not their thing to garden. Whatever the reason is, we simply are not getting the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need. Could this be some of the reason why our bodies are not able to fight off the colds, flu, and allergies that are common in our homes, schools, and workplaces? Are some of our more major illness and disease related to vitamin deficient? Cancer, heart problems, high cholesterol, and obesity are related to how we eat.

Is Your Home Healthy?

Take a moment to look around you home. Are there products in your home which could be causing you to become ill? Are you having more sinus infections than you use to? Do you or someone in your family suffer from asthma? This could be due to the cleaning products in your home. They could be making your home an unhealthy place to live.
Take the time to look at the ingredient list on products in your home. If the product ingredients list contains chlorine bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde, or fragrance, you should consider looking for other cleaning products. You have choices of what to use in order to make your home healthy. Consider making some of your basic products, shop at natural food stores, or shop through websites which specialize in natural products. Be sure to look at the product labels.

Caution : two tablespoons to a cup can be harmful or fatal

Warning : as little as a teaspoon can be fatal

Danger/Poison : only a few drops can be fatal

You should make sure to read all labels before purchasing and using any cleaning products. You never know what may be lurking in those bottles. Remember, even though the products are closed, toxic fumes can still escape into your home. As a society, we spend around 90% of our time indoors. According to the EPA, indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor. air. EPA has also found that the average American home contains more than 1,000 different chemicals.

Chlorine - there are over 15,000 products in commercial use which contain chlorine. These are used daily in bathroom and kitchen cleaning products, laundry products, bleaching of paper products, including tea bags and coffee filters. Avoid the term "chlor" in any product. It is corrosive, reactive, and toxic.

Ammonia - labeled as DANGER.

Phosphates - extremely bad for the environment

Fragrance - avoid products which contain high levels. These are expecially bad for anyone with allergies or respiratory problems.

Formaldehyde - used in personal care products as a preservative to increase shelf life. It can be listed as Quaternium 15, formalin, aldehyde, methaldehyde to list a few.

Hope this gets you started on reading those labels and becoming a healthier shopper.