Percentages

Have you ever been near the end of your workout, totally exhausted and ready to quit when "your" song comes on? You know, that song that inspires you to keep going, to push a little harder...

That song for me has changed over the years, but lately it has been a song by Fort Minor, "Remember the Name". It is a great song for running...when it comes on, I find that extra strength to run a little further.

Particularly when the chorus comes on:

"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

Upon closer look at the percentages that the song offers, isn't it true? 

10% Luck

20% Skill

15% Power of Will

5% Pleasure

50% Pain

100% Remember the Name

But I actually want to change the 100%. I change it to 100% worth it. 

As I am working out or cooking or ignoring the orange glaze rolls sitting in my fridge that my roommate made (true story), I have to remember why I live my life the way I do. Not only am I getting healthier, I am fitting into smaller clothes, I am more confident in myself and being an example to others. 

And all that makes the 50% pain worth it.

Spring in the air?

These are some thoughts that I have had over the last few days.  They may seem like ramblings, but they make sense. I promise.

Is anyone else having a really hard time getting over the time change? I know it is only an hour, but my body is acting as though I have deprived it of weeks of sleep. 

But I will say that I am loving having the extra sunlight. The sun is no longer going down as I am getting home for work, which means that I can be more productive (although the amount of stuff that I am grading is not changing. I have to put my foot down somewhere).

Plus- I don't know where you live, but in DC, it is starting to get warmer. It is still in the 30s when I go to work, but by the afternoon it is usually in the 50s, which means I can walk to my car without my coat!

Do you know where all this is leading? Spring is on its way and with that comes the chance to spend more time outside (although I tried to go kite flying the other day. No go. It was too cold!)! I am so excited to be able to hop on my bike and ride to the Capital or to Mt. Vernon (I have only done that once, but I like the thought that I can). And play softball outside (I am joining a league this season!) or sand volleyball (there is usually a group that gets together on Saturday mornings). 

The point is to be outside.

So get out there and enjoy the sun! 

But don't get sunburned. It's still too early for that.

 

 

This is what DC looks like in the spring. I am so excited!!

Getting to know the basics...

Today's post will be by Alina's best friend, Adrienne, who hails from Texas but currently resides in California.

Hello! To give you a little background info about me, I'm a certified yoga instructor with a masters in American Art and Literature now working as a supplement counselor in southern California.  While this isn't my first time working with natural health, I continually learn new things everyday, especially as trends come and go (Atkins anyone?).  Vitamins and supplements can be tricky and overwhelming as we start self-diagnosing all the things we'd like to improve, but there are three basics I recommend to everyone for foundational health: a good probiotic, your omegas, and a multivitamin.
 

Working in the natural food industry has always been an interesting place full of interesting people- the jocks, the old women with flaming red hair that want to live forever, mothers who want their children to be perfect, and then the rest of the normals who just want to take care of themselves day to day.  For those of us in that last category, there are some basics that everyone can benefit from.  

 
We'd like to think we can eat healthily enough to get our vitamins and minerals, but with the stresses of everyday life and overproduction of foods, we actually miss out on a lot of those vitamins and minerals our body craves.  This is where a good multivitamin comes in. 

Then there are the omegas: your fish oils, primrose oils, borage oils, and flaxseed oils.  Generally, go for fish oils (the best are derived from smaller fish: anchovies, sardines, etc., but salmon's always a good choice as well.  Less chance of mercury poison in these.).  But if you're a vegetarian or vegan go for flaxseed oils.  When you look for a good omega, look at the back and look at the amount of DHA's and EPA's.  DHA is for your neural tissue; builds up your brain, etc.  Then EPA is for your heart, skin, and hair health. 

Lastly, your probiotic: the good bacteria in your digestive system.  With all of the antibiotics that we take and the overprocessed foods, the good bacteria that helps us digest our food gets wiped out and we get left with all sorts of digestive problems.  With a good probiotic, the flora in your system gets replaced and your system gets a boost in the right direction. 

Of course, all of these will vary according to quality and cost, but just know that most of the time you get what you pay for.  All in all, though, it's better to have something than nothing.  

What do you take to keep you healthy?

Wellness

As of nine this morning, I had no clue what I wanted to write about. Whenever this happens, I call my mom for ideas or check the newspaper to see what is going in the world. 

But I could not find inspiration today. 

 Insert Laura, my best friend.

(This was taken at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. That is why we have a wish bone...)

I called her and she came to the rescue with an article from Amazing Wellness Magazine. 

So, even though she didn't plan it, Laura becomes a guest blogger today (although I will insert information for clarification). 

This is what she emailed me: 

This is from a magazine called Amazing Wellness (winter 2011 issue).  The article is called, "Total Heart Health: Keeping Your Heart in Shape", by Johnny Bowden, PHD, CNS.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Several years ago, explorer Dan Buettner visited four regions in the world where the inhabitants consistently lived longer and healthier than anywhere else.  These areas also had some of the highest numbers of healthy centenarians in the world: Sardinia, of the coast of Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya Peninsula, off of Costa Rica." 

The article goes on to say about how these areas eat meat, sparingly and they are local, farm-raised animals feed grains with no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.  They eat low sugar, lots of fruits and vegetables (some eat tofu), and lots of nuts and beans.  They don't really worry about saturated fats because their diets are so rich in high fiber foods, and foods with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that come from whole foods and other things that they naturally lower their risk for heart disease. 

Isn't that a contrast from the typical American way of eating? Imagine if we all subscribed to this way of eating...the world (particularly the U.S.) would have much fewer cases of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Wouldn't it be great if eating healthy was naturally ingrained in our minds? Imagine not having to worry about how many calories I consumed or how many grams of sugar I had that day....because it all evened out.

One day, that will be me. Until then, I will continue to struggle with the choice of eating a carrot or eating an Oreo.

Good, Better, Best…You Know the Rest

With 2011 right around the corner, it seemed as good a time as any to make some changes and plans.  I had a great year, but there are some changes I'd like to make. I realize many people consider New Year’s Resolutions to be lame or daunting, and most resolutions are generally forgotten by February 1st. Not me. I love them. While I realize a fresh start can happen at any time, there is something so comforting about knowing bad habits are behind you and the future is wide open.  

I think that the reason a lot of people don’t succeed at (and inevitably decide that they hate) New Year’s resolutions is because they are not setting achievable goals. I make a numbered list of resolutions. If the list becomes too long or too vague, it morphs from a plan for the future, into a hope for the future. Keep it as a plan…something you WILL do. Additionally, when making resolutions, I try to evaluate and combat possible excuses (which, as you’ll notice below, includes admitting when you have made excuses in the past, to avoid doing something similar in the future). I can see now that this post is going to give you yet another glimpse into my personal neurosis.

One of my main resolutions for 2010 was to cut our ALL soda. Done and Done. What is great about that resolution is that it was something that seemed so impossible. I was THE soda queen. Cutting out soda cold turkey and completely was a success in 2010. With that success will come the expectation and (hopefully) achievement of further successes in the coming year.

While I’m not hoping for any miracles in 2011, I do plan to continue to work on improving my emotional, mental, and physical health with the New Year.

Simply put – keep getting better.

So how do I plan to get “better”?

1.     Finally incorporate Clean Eating into my overall lifestyle

·      I’ve read the books, magazines, and articles. I have made recipes. I really have no excuse not to make this lifestyle change, other than pure laziness…. and that is not my style.

·      This is #1 for a reason. Remember that. Stay focused.

2.     Complete the “Whittle my Middle” – 30 day Challenge in January

·      Take before and after pictures to see any progress

·      Do with husband for encouragement and habit

3.     Complete a triathlon

·      Shin splints and knee pain sidelined training in 2010. Stretch properly when training to avoid flare-ups. 

·     Work with and stick to an appropriate training schedule

4.     Read a book on and develop a working knowledge of Photoshop CS5

·      Avoid using action sets when possible

5.   Spend more time scrapbooking

·      It clears my head and sparks creativity 

6.     Combat wanderlust – travel somewhere new and incredible with my husband in 2011

·      Make time for it.

           

 

- December 2010-

Happy. Healthy. Constantly Improving Overall. 

-In 2011-

Keep it up. Work Hard. Be My Best. 

  

Do you like New Year’s resolutions? 

Will you be making any for 2011?

Links to Health (New Year’s Style!):

Do New Year’s Resolutions Really Work?

The Best and Worst Fitness Trends of 2010

A Year’s Worth of Healthy Recipes

Top Health Headlines of 2010

How to Make a Resolution a Success

A Good 2010 Resolution Recap

A PSA

Yesterday afternoon, I turned on the news to find out that Elizabeth Edwards had died of breast cancer. My heart goes out to her family and friends during this difficult time...

I am no expert on breast cancer, only having to deal with it in small doses. Members of my family have had scares, and the only person I can really connect to is a former roommate whose mother died of breast cancer. I can only imagine the heartache of losing someone to this disease.

Which is why I am using my post make sure that women (and men) are informed...

For example, are you aware that in 2006:

• 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
• 40,820 women died from breast cancer.

(Source)

or that white women have the highest occurrence of breast cancer, followed by black women and Hispanic women

(Source)

Don't forget about men:
For 2010

• About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men
• About 390 men will die from breast cancer

(Source)

From breastcancer.org (click on the links for further explanation):

"Breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine, and you should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes. If you're over 40 or at a high risk for the disease, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it."

But, here is some good news. To lower your risk of breast cancer you can:

Stop smoking.

Get more exercise.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Reduce your exposure to estrogen.

Learn about good nutrition and start eating for good health.

Eat your fruits and vegetables!

My hope here is that with this little reminder, you will take care of yourself and remember that breast cancer is a real threat to both men and women. Please keep yourself informed about how to look for symptoms and how to check for it.

Hobbies to Keep Healthy

I noticed a theme with Ashlee and Teachergirl’s posts this week…did you? Talk about two ladies with a lot of new challenges on their plates, but as usual, they are both taking it in strides and like champs. With challenges, as Ashlee mentioned on Monday, often comes stress.

Avoiding overindulgences (cheesecake anyone?) isn’t the only way we need to remember to keep healthy. Mental health is an important factor in our overall health - and letting stress overtake us is a big no-no. The only thing I can do on days like today -- when I left at 7am, had class, ran errands, worked from my laptop, and then had three separate meetings for various volunteer projects, only to return to house full of guests (that I forgot were coming over) at 8:30pm -- is remind myself that there is fun on the horizon. Hobbies clear my head and combat the exhaustion when that “I’m drowning” feeling starts to set it.

I know it’s hard to think about hobbies when your plate is full and your mind is tired. Hobbies and good times are the first thing to fall by the wayside when demands take over your life. But hobbies are important to mental health, and mental health is important to overall health. It’s something you have GOT to make time for.

I’ll share a few of my hobbies, but as with exercise, find something you love and will enjoy doing. I guarantee that some “me time” will make all the difference in how you feel and how you handle life’s stressors.

One of my favorite go-to stress relievers - scrapbooking. I learned from the best (my mom!) and have been doing it for something like 15 years now. On the rare occasion that my mom and I are going to have an afternoon off on the same day, I like to make the drive up to her house to spend the afternoon scrapping and gabbing.

As I am sure I’ve mentioned, I LOVE to travel. My husband and I are known for dropping everything for a spontaneous weekend away. It’s something we love to do, so we try to make room in our budget for trips as often as possible. I’ve read that couples that travel together have happier marriages and I certainly believe it.

I also like to spend downtime doing online reading. I always try to give myself a few minutes a day to catch up on articles, newspapers, and blogs. I’ve never been much of a fiction girl (definitely strange for an English major), but I love to give my favorite sites a quick once over in the morning. How else would I find your Links to Health? ☺

I also have hobbies on the horizon this weekend. An art show and new restaurant date with my husband, the Alzheimer’s Memory walk, a religious event, and of course college football (A big game in our house. Hubs' team vs. Mine)!

Hobbies definitely help you to keep healthy. They give you something to look forward to…and help you get through the swamp.

Links to Health:

Obesity Costs Higher for Women Than Men


The 6 Worst Fitness Habits – Are You Doing Any of These?


A Controversial Approach to the: Disparities = Obesity Debate

Spray Away Your Shyness?

How to Get Rid of Prescription Medications

Fun Fall Activities That Burn Calories

What Does Health Mean to Me?

My original post for today involved a trip to the store…but that is getting axed - because Gainesville is apparently in the midst of a monsoon (disguising itself as one of our normal daily reoccurring afternoon summer showers).  Anyone else ready for a little rainy day relief by way of autumn (ahh..college football and temps below 90 - those were the days).

So instead, I decided to take a cue from an awesome site called Healthy Living Blogs (Side Note: This site is an awesome resource if you are looking for new and interesting healthy lifestyle blogs) and write about the topic currently being discussed there – What Does Health Mean to Me?

For those who don’t know, in addition to my job (doing Vocational Evaluations for persons with disabilities), I’m also pursuing a Master of Public Health degree. A huge portion of my time is designated to learning about disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, and epidemiology.   

So...What does health mean to me? You’d think it would be easy enough to lay it all out there…but to me, true health and well-being includes a lot. There are so many facets that go beyond proper nutrition and exercise.

I think of health as being divided into two main categories (and about a million subcategories): mental and physical health.  These two categories work together to contribute to my overall health; and when aspects of any of these categories go by the wayside, I feel my overall health is affected negatively. 

To me, Health means:

Embracing Family Time

             Having dates, family nights, and quiet (or noisy) moments together




Holding fast to my spiritual and religious beliefs

             Always




The ability to help others

             At work, at home, on the street




Constantly learning and maintaining outlets for creativity     

            Whether cake decorating, scrapbooking, or interior design




Keeping excitement, spontaneity, and happiness in my marriage 


A weekend away, just us two? Yes please!

Recognizing when I can’t do something alone and asking for help when I need it       

            Physically and Spiritually




Consuming nutritious foods while always saving room for splurges

             What is Life Without Your just deserts? 




Staying active    
          Physically and Socially

Reading voraciously
            For education, leisure, and spirituality

Noting beautiful surroundings

             At home, in others’ homes, on the radio, outdoors, all around




Knowing and respecting my limits

             …and living within my means

Being happy at work  
          You wouldn’t believe the importance of this

Smiling every time I see a dog
            Without fail

Constantly working on physical strength, endurance, and ability

            Working to always - Run, and not be weary; and walk, and not faint

How do you define health? Do you include sweets, good times, and puppy dogs in your definition? 

If any of our readers would like to guest post on what health means to them – let us know!

Links to Health:

Why are we still smoking in movies?

Newsweek Looks at Changes in How We View Beauty

Can Hand Sanitizers Really Boost Productivity at Work?

Healthy Vices

Newer Isn’t Always Better When it Comes to Birth Control Pills:

Reading, Writing, 'Rithmatic

Don't you love Back to School time? School zones start back up, the line to checkout at Target is out the door, and school buses clog up traffic.

Being a teacher, this time means that my summer vacation is over and I will have about 120 students staring at me, watching my every move (no, not at the same time. I teach 5 classes). For parents, this means not having to come up with activities to entertain your kid (replaced with homework!).

Now, for those of you who do not fall under either of those two categories...you may wonder what I have under my sleeve....I would like to discuss health in schools and how it can influence our actions.

This is what the Mayo Clinic had to say about kids spreading germs:

"Many childhood illnesses are caused by viruses. All it takes is a single child to bring a virus to school for the spread to begin. Consider this common scenario — a child who has a cold coughs or sneezes in the classroom. The children sitting nearby inhale the infected respiratory droplets and the cold spreads. Or perhaps a child who has diarrhea uses the toilet and returns to the classroom without washing his or her hands. Illness-causing germs might spread from anything the sick child touches to other children who touch the same object and then put their fingers in their mouths."
(Reference)

You may think this may not affect you, but it does. Because where do kids go when they get out of school? They go to the grocery store, the movie theater, the playground, Target...all sorts of places. And they spread their germs (cue the terrifying music)...

(I just reread what I have written and I would like to make a side note. I love children and I love my job. It is getting sick that I don't like. Sorry for sounding so doom and gloom!!)

So, how can we combat sickness?

1. Wash your hands with soap and water! Or at least use a hand sanitizer, especially after using the bathroom (I just went to a workshop and they told us that washing your hands with soap and water is the best defense against germs. You can use hand sanitizer, but wash your hands as soon as you get the chance).

2. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. The latest way of teaching how to cover your mouth is to sneeze or cough into your elbow (seriously, there are even posters on how to do in the bathroom at my school).

This exact poster!

3. Keep your hands away from your eyes and face. This is something that my mom told me about last year as I was about to start my student teaching. The eyes are an easy way for germs to get into your system.

4. Be careful with sharing. You never know when someone is on the verge of getting sick, so its best to stick with not sharing drinks or other items.

5. Avoid sick people! Unless you are a doctor, there is no need for you to stand near someone who is sneezing or coughing (for those of you who are married and/or have children, just be really careful when around that person).

I know a lot of these are common sense, but a reminder never hurts. Good luck to all the students (in all forms of school)! I hope you all stay healthy as the school year begins!!

(For teachers: my mom swears by a saline nasal spray called Simply Saline. She says it is what keeps her healthy throughout the year...

(And another side note)
Me and some of my seniors from last year...

Two Steps Forward…oops the Tacos are Back

 


When it comes to health and fitness (and so many other random things), I am a rule follower. I go about my week checking things off mental lists and hoping for long-term success. I accomplish things and feel disciplined. So why do I work hard all week and hit Friday evening (like clockwork), and all of that hard work goes out the window?

Monday through Friday (well, Friday at lunchtime), I plug all of my meals into an online food journal. I workout, set goals, go to sleep early and wake up at a decent hour. But when the weekend rolls around, I start undoing all of my hard work. My husband and I eat out way too much (Mexican. Literally. Every. Weekend.), I sleep in, and I avoid the gym like the plague. We also cook lovely, gigantic, comforting, Sunday dinners, which rarely come from Cooking Light.

An article in Obesity – A Research Journal, researchers indicate that eating in U.S. adults (19-50) increases during weekend days. Because I like to believe I am not alone in this and because I need to keep reminding myself to stay strong Saturdays and Sundays, I thought I would address ways to avoid weekend wackiness and weight gain.

1.     Try to get in one long workout. Who am I kidding…I won’t be hitting the gym everyday, but one good workout can help undo the Friday night chips and salsa escapade.  –If all else fails, a good long shopping excursion can count as some mild cardio! J

2.     Start your weekend off right – with a healthy breakfast on Saturday morning. No use complaining that you have “no time” like you do on weekdays. Go for eggs, oatmeal, fruit salad, whole grains, lean protein, etc.

3.     Don’t skip meals in an attempt to –save- calories for later. This almost always backfires (at least for me). I end up eating much more than I would have if I had eaten healthy throughout the day.

4.     When eating out:

a.     Skip the breadbasket (I can’t say the same for chips and salsa. I’m only human).

b.     Start with soup or a healthy appetizer. When you finish, order your entrée. You will likely order something smaller than you initially would have. If you don’t want to spend more at the restaurant, have a healthy snack before you head to dinner.

c.      I always try to look up what I am going to eat before I go to the restaurant. It allows me to know what my plan is and not get distracted by all the delightful fried options. (As I’ve mentioned before, this will continue to get easier as chain restaurants will be soon required to publish nutritional information for their menus).

d.     Eat slowly and enjoy the atmosphere. Because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to signal your stomach that you are full, eating slowly allows time for this process.

5.     Don’t beat yourself up over indulgences and splurges. Indulge and then get back on track…just as you would on any other day. A slice of cheesecake shouldn’t offset the health and fitness goals of the entire weekend.

6.     The weekend is a good time to work on conquering your soda habit and introducing more water! People tend to drink more soda on weekends when they aren’t working or running errands. Additionally, the fructose in soda stimulates your appetite. 

I am going to try and stay on track this weekend. Who is with me?


Links to Health:

Man Embarks on “World Triathlon”

“That’s Fit” Looks at Whether Toning Sneakers Really Work

Are You Choosing the Right Multivitamin?

Video Games for Healthy Eating Habits?

Try These Delicious Chicken Caesar Burgers

A Bottle Closer to Buff

Since our lovely Elizabeth is currently preparing for baby, I decided to postpone my post until today to give you all something riveting to take you through the weekend (We’ll see if that actually happens).

I posted a Link to Health last week that I titled "The Best Weight Loss Drink." It was an article about research from Vanderbilt University showing the physiological effects that a certain drink could have, particularly on blood pressure, alertness, and energy expenditure. The article was discussing that one drink that doctors are constantly telling us we need more of and exercises tends to leave us with less of...water.

I was going to just let the article speak for itself, but I think it is really important to focus in on the necessity of water in your health and fitness journey because it is a major contributing factor toward success (also, I have the slight nagging feeling that not everyone clicks on the Links to Health...so water gets a post all it's own).

You can stop rolling your eyes now. Aside from the aforementioned physiological benefits, drinking water contributes to successful weight loss. I'm speaking from experience here kids. I did a Health and Fitness challenge at the beginning of this year called 10 in '10. The premise was setting healthy lifestyle goals for the first 10 weeks of 2010. One of my "goals" was to completely eliminate soda from my diet. Basically, it was a way for me to avoid using the term “resolutions”, because I was technically only committing myself to 10 weeks…rather than an entire year. Wouldn't you know it though...doing something for 10 weeks goes long past the "28 days necessary to make a habit" and the soda thing stuck. It's now August and I am still soda free in 2010.

With the soda goal, I also decided to significantly cut back on drinks with calories. I'd rather have my calories elsewhere...you know…somewhere important like Sweetarts and Lemonheads. So with that, I decided to mainly switch to water. I know. I know. You are probably thinking...water is boring and rarely goes well with (pizza/steak/pancakes/enter your chosen food to gripe about here). You also might be thinking about all the extra..ahem..breaks you will need to take when you up your water consumption. The fact is though...you get used to it. Your body gets used to it. The "breaks" decrease significantly. Water becomes what you like to drink with your meals and you feel good doing it. The health and weight loss benefits become a quick and easy bonus. Plus, you can always add a slice of lemon or lime (or even try flavored water or Crystal Light) if you really need some flavor with your drink.

Most people realize that drinking water will help your body to flush out stored water (thereby decreasing the water stored in various body parts). Some people might also realize that drinking water helps liver and kidney function. When the kidneys are deprived of water, your liver has to switch into overdrive to compensate. This lowers the livers productivity (i.e. the liver can't work as hard to convert stored fat to energy --metabolism--) because it has to work twice as hard. What you may not realize though, is the effect water can have on your muscle tone. Workouts become much more efficient when muscles are hydrated, because they tend to contract more easily. This is my favorite benefit of drinking water. But remember to increase your intake of water when exercising.

Links to Health:

BYU Study Finds Sibling Relationships Positively Effect Mental Health

Follow Along as the “Get in Shape Girl” Shreds it for 30 Days

Lance Armstrong Accused of Using Performance Enhancing Drugs

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (as a Public Health girl, I had to throw this in)

Avoiding Emotional Overeating