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To: You
Time
to Put Health in Motion
 Too many people (are
you one?) believe intense exercise is the only way to make a difference in
their health. Eventually, that path becomes frustrating, exhausting and
draining, and we end up doing nothing at all. So, the key issue is not
really the type or intensity of exercise, but why you need to start
moving. It's a simple issue of motion versus no motion.
It's shocking to realize how many health problems are caused by not doing
anything.
Whenever we hear about someone close to us getting cancer, we pray that
it doesn't happen to us. As a result, we may change our diet, try to alter
an unhealthy behavior (e.g., quit smoking), reduce our stress levels, etc.;
however, one thing we don't change often enough is our activity level. It's
shocking to truly grasp how much of an impact being sedentary has on our
health. In fact, being inactive is more dangerous to your health than
smoking!
In one study, one in five deaths in people 35 years or older was
attributed to a lack of physical activity. The risk of developing cancer
increased 45 percent for men who didn't include any physical activity in
their life and 28 percent for women who were inactive. Risk of dying from
respiratory diseases was 92 percent higher for inactive men and 75 percent
higher for inactive women. Risk of heart disease was 52 percent higher for
inactive men and 28 percent higher for inactive women.
Cardio
Movements:
If your goal is to establish some form of motion and activity, the minimum
recommendations are 30 minutes a day. This 30 minutes does not have to be
done at once. You can break it up into three 10-minute sessions. Heading to
work or the mall? Park a few minutes away and walk the rest of the way.
Going for lunch at work? Take the stairs after you finish. Or simply walk
over to a fellow worker's office instead of phoning them. If you are home
most of the time, walk while you talk on the phone. You'd be surprised how
much activity you can get doing this. In short, there are literally
thousands of ways to move throughout even the busiest day.
Strength
Training Movements: Strength training does not mean
joining the muscle guys at Venice Beach. Simple strength exercises with
your body weight can be beneficial. The general recommendation is to do
eight to 10 strength-training exercises with 10 to 15 repetitions of each
exercise, two to three times per week. If you don't have weights, you can
use your body weight. Simply do squats against the wall, or do a push-up
against the edge of a table. Remember, the key is to start off small and
work your way up.
Research is actually showing that high-repetition exercises with
lower-weight loads can be as good, if not better, than heavy lifting. A
recent study from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,
revealed that an exercise program using a low weight load, but high volume
of exercise, produced better results than lifting heavier weights.
The goal is not to run a marathon (unless that's your goal), but rather
to introduce new ways to get up and move every day. The health benefits are
just too great to overlook the power of movement. Your doctor can tell you
more - much more - about the value of movement as part of a healthy
lifestyle.
Read
More
How
to Avoid the Dreaded Rut
 Rut [ruht]:
noun, a fixed or
established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or
unpromising. Does this sound like your life? Are stuck in a
rut, desperate to find a way to break free of your boring routine? Well,
it's time to start adding some much-needed spice to your life.
Many of the things you want to do, but are hesitant to do, lie just
outside your comfort zone. We grow when we feel uncomfortable and
challenged. Status quo may be safe, but it is also boring! The ability to
take risks and open up your mind to new possibilities can be the most
empowering combination for change you will ever learn. No risk, no nothing!
Here are a simple, powerful ways to kiss that rut goodbye. Talk to your
doctor for more information.
Feed Fitness:
The mind-body connection is undeniable. How you feel is directly related to
how well you take care of your body. If you are not currently exercising,
check out a local fitness club. The very act of joining and spending just
30 minutes or so four times a week, investing in yourself, will suppress
that rut. If you are exercising on a regular basis, change up your routine
by doing exercises you have never done before. Take a kick-boxing class, yoga, Pilates, weight-lifting, or begin training with a
workout partner.
Try a Change of
Taste: The simple act of changing your food selections can
bust your rut. Do you always order the same thing off a menu? Well, stop
doing that! Go for something completely different and make a 180-degree
turn in your choices. Try eating ethnic foods for a change of taste. Visit
an ethnic restaurant and experience the flavor of other cultures. Visit the
worlds of Greece, Thailand, India, Middle East, Europe, China and Mexico,
to name a few. Wake up those taste buds and spice up your palate.
Volunteer:
How often do you sit in front of the television every week? The average
American watches three hours of television per day! What a waste. Invest
that time in helping others. Search for a national or local organization
and discover how you can become involved, even if it's only for one hour a
week. Transform yourself and improve the world in the process. Can there be
any greater gift than that?
Control the
Clock: Change your normal routine of going to bed and
waking up. Choose to stay up longer or wake up earlier to invest time in
yourself. Take some much needed me
time, free from interruptions of family, friends, roommates,
television and the overall white noise of daily living. Take this
opportunity to read a good book, listen to music, write in a journal, focus
on your goals and map out your activities for the day.
Make Your Own
Map: Do you ever find yourself sitting in your car at your
final destination and wondering how in the world you got there? Normal
routines get ingrained in your brain, to the point that every stop and turn
is mindless. This is the epitome of ritual rut! You go from home to work
and then work to home, making ceremonial stops along the way. How about
changing up that boredom and choosing an alternate route? Make a left
instead of a right, take a different highway, choose a more scenic route,
go straight instead of turning, be creative and become your own GPS.
Read
More
Eat
Those Fruits and Veggies!
 What's the best
reason to eat your fruits and vegetables? They may help you live longer,
pure and simple. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,
consumption of fruits and vegetables containing alpha-carotene
- an antioxidant carotenoid found in many red, yellow and orange fruits and
vegetables, as well as some green ones - may help defend cells from attack.
Researchers discovered that people with higher blood levels of
alpha-carotene were less likely to suffer serious illness (particularly
cancer and cardiovascular disease) and death over the 14-year study period
compared with people whose blood levels of alpha-carotene were lower. The
study evaluated 15,318 U.S. adults ages 20 and older as part of the Third
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Follow-Up Study.
If you're not familiar with alpha-carotene, perhaps its antioxidant
cousin rings a bell: beta-carotene, known for its presence in carrots, among
other fruits and vegetables. Both alpha- and beta-carotene are converted to
vitamin A by the body. While the study authors do not know precisely why alpha-carotene
may help protect against disease or if it acts in conjunction with other
nutrients, they emphasize that their findings were not attributable to
participants' lifestyle habits, health risk factors or demographic
characteristics.
So eat your fruits and veggies! Whether packed with alpha- or
beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, magnesium or any of a
host of other nutrients, fruits and vegetables provide the nutrition your
body needs. Your doctor can tell you more about the health benefits of
fruits and vegetables and help outline a nutritional strategy that's right
for you.
Read
More
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