Halloween

How many people have indulged in some of the Halloween candy laying around?  It’s easy to just mindlessly snack away!  But here’s a great graphic of how many calories are in some of those candies!

A piece of candy here and there won’t hurt you……………Just try to keep it to a minimum!  And if you DO indulge on too many candies……..here is a great workout using that pumpkin on your porch!

Have a  SPOOKtacular weekend!!! 

Cold and Flu Season

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard a lot about ebola lately.  Many hospitals and agencies are preparing in case of a mass outbreak in America.  And while I am very pleased about this and glad our country is preparing to protect us………ebola isn’t the only thing we need to be on the lookout for this fall and winter.  That’s right ladies and gentlemen………welcome to cold and flu season!

I’m sure you agree with me in that you have NO desire to be sick.  As soon as the weather starts cooling off it seems like people immediately start with the sniffles.  Something’s always going around and cold and flu season is the one time where we do NOT want to share! 

So how do we stay healthy?  How can we keep from getting sick?  Well there are lots of ways!  But to start with, having a healthy immune system is your best bet!  Did you know that 70% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract?  Did you read that correctly?!  70% of the system that keeps you from getting sick is located in the same place where you eat and digest your food!  That is crazy to me!  The immune system consists of good bacteria that helps fight off the bad bacteria and viruses.  Unfortunately, many people have damaged the flora (good bacteria) in their intestines with a poor diet and too many stressors.  This can lead to a damaged intestinal wall.  If the intestinal wall is damaged, many foods will not completely digest and the undigested particles will make their way into the bloodstream wreaking havoc on the brain, immune system, metabolism, and more.  So you can see that eating well is crucial for a healthy, robust immune system!  Making sure to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies can help your body stay nice and healthy this season! 

• Wash your hands, but too much.  You want to wash off all the germs.  That’s a no-brainer.  But your immune system also needs a little exposure to dirt and bacteria in order to continue to make the right defenses!
• Get enough sleep.  Lack of sleep causes inflammation in the body which can suppress the immune system.
• Exercise.  Exercise gets antibodies and white blood cells moving through the body faster.  This can help detect pathogens faster!
• Avoid isolation.  Study shows people that have connections with small or large groups of people have stronger immune systems.
• Don't smoke.  The tar found in cigarette smoke damages the immune cells that exist in in the lungs and prevents them from functioning properly.
• Avoid alcohol or drink in moderation.  Excessive alcohol consumption inhibits the function of your white blood cells which can lower your resistance to infection.
• Decrease stress.  Chronic stress exposes your body to a steady stream of stress hormones that suppress the immune system.
• Think positively.  Studies show that working with things like affirmations, visualizations and meditation can help our immune function.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL and HEALTHY weekend!

Fall

Just about everyone I know loves fall!  The leaves change………the weather cools……..the colors pop……….and who doesn’t get excited for football?!  But another exciting thing about fall is the FOOD!  You can find recipes for pumpkin EVERYTHING!  But did you know that there are many more fall foods to enjoy?  Here is a quick infographic to help you expand your palate to relish some new delicious fall food!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Apples

October is National Apple Month! 

What a great time of year to pay homage to this wonder fruit!  It was originally founded in 1904 as National Apple Week, it was expanded to the entire month of October.  National Apple Month´s mission is to increase apple industry sales and to enhance consumer awareness and usage of apples and apple products.  Here is an AWESOME infographic about apples, their uses and many benefits.

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend!!!

Sitting

It’s no secret.  Americans spend WAAAAY too much time sitting each day.  On average we spend more than half of the day sitting.  Yikes!  Here’s how all of those hours add up:

 Sitting for prolonged periods of time is not good for us.  It is linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels) and increases an individual’s risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer.  Hearing that is reason enough to get up and get moving!  In the past I’ve given you different suggestions on how to sit less.  Take a walk break.  I don’t mean for 30 minutes…..just to the water fountain and back.  Do some light desk exercises.  Stretch.  Use a stability ball instead of a regular chair.  If you’re able to, schedule an active meeting instead of around a table.  Just make sure you are breaking up the sitting!  But let’s say you have no choice.  You are going to be sitting a lot on a particular day.  Maybe you’re driving to a fun destination and will be spending all day in the car.  Whatever the reason, you may need some exercises and stretches to counteract all that sitting and slumping over!  Here are some examples of things you can do to counteract all of the negative effects of sitting!

To counterbalance the bend of your back:

To stretch out your hip flexors:

To open up the chest:

To stretch the shoulder and neck:

  
To stretch the abdominals:

To stretch the obliques:

To stretch your lower back and lats:

To stretch the whole back and hamstrings:

  
So do your best to sit for less time!  Get up!  Stretch!  MOVE!!!  And if you HAVE to sit……..

make sure to undo all those harmful effects! 

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend!