August 2012

This month, I thought I'd share a few little Good Health! tidbits:

• Sit-ups help reduce belly fat right?  Wrong.  Resistance training does not boost metabolism enough to reduce fat mass.  According to Cris Slentz, an exercise physiologist at Duke University, if you want to reduce abdominal fat you need to jog 12 miles a week.  OMG say it isn’t so . . . I hate to jog.
• 28% of women polled said they would give up a week of vacation if they never had to shave again.  But I’m here to tell you that there is no need to sacrifice precious vacation time.  Just make an appointment with Amy at Metropolitan in Edina (http://www.themonfrance.com) where they use an Alma Laser for painless laser hair removal.  Trust me, it really is painless and it works!
• 40% of Americans feel more attractive and confident when they wear sunglasses.  Now it's easier than ever for you to justify buying those cute Ray-Ban sunglasses you just pinned on Pinterest.  Not only will they protect your eyes they will boost your self-esteem. 
• Dakota State University recently published a study that said people who love sugary treats are more helpful and have a more pleasant disposition than people who aren’t sweet eaters.  That’s probably because sweet eaters are happy people.  But who cares why.  It’s just nice to know that there’s a good reason to embrace your sweet tooth. 

Make the time to be good to you and hang out with your favorite sweet tooth.

Good Health!

Terry

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
~Mae West

July 2012

A while back I told you about the health hazards of carrying a heavy purse. Now I want to warn you that you may be carrying a toxic purse.  It turns out that some of those trendy brightly colored wallets & purses you see in the stores and in all the style magazines may contain high levels of lead.  I know what you are thinking – that I’m probably talking about cheap faux leather, Chinese knock offs.  Actually some of the high priced Tori Burch and Ralph Lauren “must-have” accessories of the season sold in Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom tested positive for lead levels ranging from 3 times to nearly 200 higher than agreed upon lead levels.  Of course there are also plenty of lead-filled bags at the other end of the spectrum too.  According to a recent compliance testing project, 15% of all the bags tested had high lead levels.  That’s a huge problem since lead exposure has been linked to all kinds of health problems including decreased fertility and impaired mental development and is for obvious reasons a real threat to young women and mothers of small children.  So how do you protect yourself?  Avoid brightly colored purses and accessories.  Yellow is a big culprit but you need to wary of red, orange and green faux leather products as well.  Protect yourself by buying accessories made from natural materials and wash your hands after touching any purse or accessory you suspect may contain lead. 

A British woman by the name of Hazel Jones recently appeared on TV to discuss a rare condition called uterus didlphys.  Uterus didlphys is a condition in which a woman has two vaginas and two uteruses.  Ms. Jones found out she had uterus didlphys only after her boyfriend suggested that there was something “different” about her. It’s estimated that one in one million women has uterus didlphys. As if having one uterus and vagina isn’t enough just imagine having two along with their accompanying monthly cycles.  Ms. Jones isn’t embarrassed by her condition.  In fact she has been quoted as saying that “If women want to have a look I’m quite happy to show them.”  And while you might think she would try and profit from her unique physical anatomy she had the good sense to decline a $1 million dollar offer from the porn industry.

It’s cherry season and produce shelves around the country are bursting with ripe, red cherries. The cherry is a nutritional powerhouse because it’s a great source of antioxidants, vitamin A, fiber and lots of other great stuff.  At only 87 calories in a one-cup serving they are a really smart sweet treat. Make time to be good to you and enjoy some cherries today.

Good Health!

Terry

“Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home.”

~Phyllis Diller

June 2012

If you have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer or know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer the news that T-DM1 seems to delay the worsening of the disease in women with aggressive HER-2 positive metastatic breast cancer is hopeful news. T-DM1(super Herceptin) is a powerful poison that targets tumors cells without the side effects of traditional treatments. Of course it's complicated -- basically the T-DM1 binds to HER2-positive breast cancer cells and blocks their growth.  T-DM1 is currently in clinical trials. But there is strong evidence that patients who are treated with T-DM1 have an increased survival rate. That’s big news for the 20% of breast cancer patients who have been told that they have HER-2 positive breast cancer. Could it be that we are getting closer to finding a cure for breast cancer? I really, really, really hope so.

The headlines read: Eat Your Way Slim and A Flat Belly at Any Age. I am pretty convinced that no matter what I do I am never going to look like Health magazine June 2012 cover girl and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres. Airbrushed? I can’t say for sure but she doesn’t appear to have an imperfection on her. It’s not just unfair it’s annoying. When you read the article you learn that Dara employees a team to keep her fit – naturopathic doctor, a cook, a nutritionist and a pair of therapists that stretch her for two hours post workout. Good for Dara. She looks fabulous and fit at 45 years old. But what kind of chance do the rest of us have? Those of us who are trying to stay fit by working with the me, myself and I team.



Don’t let your smartphone do all the work. Make time to be good to you and memorize three phone numbers and dial them yourself. It is a great way to flex your memory muscles.

 Good Health!

Terry

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.” 
~Audrey Hepburn