March 2011

This month I thought I would share some Good Health! tidbits:

Sensitive scalp? If your scalp is sensitive to hair dye you might want to try adding a mixture of two packets of Sweet’N Low and one ounce of skim milk to your color. I have no idea why it works but I found this tidbit in Redbook Magazine so it must be true -- right?

Coffee? Yes, please. Female laboratory rats given caffeine developed an intense interest in their rodent partners.

Massage? Forget the sit-ups ladies. Having a 45-minute massage lowered thelevel of cortisol in study volunteers. Since increased cortisol levels have beenlinked to increased belly fat, stress reducing activities like a massage, exercise, medication or taking a bath may actually allow you to throw out that Ab Blaster.

Shape Ups? You may want to throw those out too. In February 2011 a waitress from Ohio filed a lawsuit against Sketchers, maker of the popular rounded-sole walking shoe. Holly Ward’s lawsuit claims that the Shape Ups she wore to work everyday to tone her legs and butt were responsible for the stress fractures she experienced in both of her hips.

Tired? Well . . . you don’t have to look like it. According to Kathleen Baird Murray, author of Face Value, you can achieve a wide-awake look by hanging your head over the side of your bed for a few seconds.

Allergies? Researchers at Cornell University concluded that the sniffles, sneezing and snottiness associated with hay fever may actually rid the body of toxins before they can harm healthy cells and thus reduce the risk of developing cancers of the skin, lungs, throat, cervix, uterus and gastrointestinal tract.

Leggings? Health officials in Thailand have asked women to stop wearing black leggings. Evidently the dark material of this popular fashion item attracts mosquitoes that carry the dengue fever.

This month get in touch with your inner shamrock. You can make the time to be good to you by believing that you are lucky. People who believe they are lucky are able to see all the ways they really are. Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day -- just be careful if you plan to consume any funky green adult beverages.

Good Health!

Terry

"I never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes."
~ Erma Bombeck

February 2011

On average, Americans spend nearly 8 hours a day sitting down and our backsides are spreading because of it. According to Dr. James Levine, MD of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, long periods of sitting may be contributing to a larger waist, a greater Body Mass Index, elevated blood fats and elevated blood sugar levels in our increasingly obese society. That’s because when we sit our body’s metabolism slows down. Dr. Levine has been conducting research on the topic of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) for 20 years and believes that “people who tap their feet, prefer standing to sitting, and generally move around a lot burn up to 350 more calories a day than those who sit still.” NEAT is the energy you expend for activities other than direct exercise. I like to call it “incidental exercise” – things like gardening, cooking and folding laundry. In our modern society many NEAT activities have been eliminated thanks to the car, appliances and our beloved TV with remote control.

The detrimental effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle may be the reason why so many women struggle with weight, blood sugar and cholesterol despite consistent workout schedules. Dr. Levine believes that you can workout for 30 minutes every day but if you spend the rest of the day sitting in your car, behind a desk/computer or in front of the TV you are at risk of suffering the negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle. In an independent study conducted by Canadian researchers concluded that no matter how fit your are, the more time you spend sitting each day the more likely you are to die an early death.

Of course, I am all about living a long and healthy life but let’s get real here – there is no way I am giving up my cute red car, TV or dishwasher. I would rather vacuum! Here are a few easy ways you can add small bursts of physical activity to your day:

• Walk. Don’t waste time and gas driving around the parking lot looking for the closest spot to the door. And never use the drive thru window at the bank or at your favorite coffee shop.
• Prepare your own meals. Chopping, mixing, standing over the stove and washing dishes burns calories.
• Walk the stairs whenever possible. I walk the stairs at my house two stairs at a time. It doesn’t look very lady-like but it is kind of like doing lunges.
• Be your own housekeeper/gardener. Cleaning and gardening is a lot more fun when you realize it is a productive way to burn calories. Did you know that making your bed every morning is a good way to stretch?
• Drink lots of water. When you drink water you have to pee and that means you are going to need to find a bathroom. I like to take it to the next level – a bathroom on another level of my home.
• Stand up and fidget while surfing the Internet or talking on the phone. CAUTION -- It’s never a good idea to text while walking as evidenced by this popular YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPpzj4PjNjU
• Do something while watching TV. It is also a good idea to stand up and stretch during the commercial breaks.
• Take your dog out for short walks. Don’t rely on Invisible Fence.

Please share your ideas for adding “incidental exercise” to your day by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post.

Be My Valentine ♥ and make the time to be good to you.

Good Health!

Terry

“Make it simple but significant.” ~Don Draper, Mad Men

January 2011

On January 1st, many of you resolved to make positive changes in your life in 2011. One of those changes may have been to be more eco-friendly. But be very careful if that involves using reusable bags -- they are hiding a nasty secret. Half of the reusable bags tested by researchers at the University of Arizona were contaminated by fecal bacteria. Seventeen percent tested positive for E. coli. Need I say more? If you use the same reusable bags to transport clothing and shoes that you use to transport groceries you can easily transfer bacteria. Make sure to designate bags for groceries only and wash all your reusable bags in hot water regularly to prevent the built up of illness causing bacteria.

Health magazine editors recently posted this question on Pollydaddy.com: What would you give up to lose 10 pounds by tomorrow? The results . . . 6% answered my wedding band, 7% my dog, 26% $1000 and 61% nothing. I am really not sure what that tells us about making good health decisions but thought it was interesting/odd enough to share.

I was shocked to learn that half of women over the age of 40, even those with health insurance, are not getting mammograms. In 2009, when asked what she would have done differently in her life Elizabeth Edwards said, “Well, for one thing, I would have had regular mammograms.” After being diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer, Mrs. Edwards admitted she had not had a mammogram in 4 years. Of course this is a topic near and dear to my heart. I guess that is why I find it unbelievable that a well-educated, wealthy, mother of small children who had access to the best medical care in the world made the choice not to have a yearly breast exam. An exam that most likely would have saved her life.

If you are over 40 and are not getting regular mammograms or you are a younger woman and have not had a breast exam by a trained medical professional in over a year – shame on you. If I stop telling you to make the time to be good to you – shame on me.

Good Health!

Terry

“We cannot control the wind, but we have the power to adjust the sails.”
~Chinese Proverb