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15 Quick Health Tips

March 3, 2014 by

Health tips come in many forms: blogs, pamphlets, and magazine articles, to name a few. We like quick, actionable tips we can run with immediately, so here are a few of our favorites. We hope they’ll help you take charge of your health and enjoy your life even more.

Drink plenty of water.

Get your eight glasses every day, and watch your skin become smoother, your eyes shine brighter, and your entire body function better. Some will say you need half your weight in ounces a day instead of the 8 glasses, so if you weigh 120 lbs, you’ll need 60 ounces a day, which is about 8 glasses.

Quit tobacco.

The cigarette and chewing tobacco companies add hundreds of chemicals to their products. Quit, and you’ll stop poisoning your system with the junk.

Try green tea instead of coffee.

Green tea has numerous health benefits, while coffee has much fewer. Green tea is satisfying and delicious.

Make your focus moving, not exercise.

When we hear the word “exercise,” most of us feel our eyes glaze over, but it doesn’t have to be the grueling workout we think of. Move! Go dancing, park your car farther away, walk the dog.

Touch is therapeutic.

Touch lowers blood pressure, raises neurotransmitter levels, and just makes you feel good. Pet a dog, hug your kids, and hold your spouse’s hand.

Use coconut oil for cooking.

It’s much healthier than vegetable or canola oil, and its medium-chain fatty acids are good for you. Tastes better too!

Do your monthly self-exams and get your mammogram.

Of course we’d tell you this tip! It’s self-explanatory.

Have your PSA checked every year.

This is the blood marker for prostate cancer, and the test is easy.

Watch your food labels.

Read labels to make sure food has what you want in it, and none of what you don’t want. Good things to stay away from are high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and monosodium glutamate.

Try quick one-minute exercises.
Yes, I know we banned “exercise” from the vocabulary, but these exercises are fun and easy. They include standing on one leg, holding in your stomach, or doing a plank position for 30–60 seconds.

Laugh.

Yes, that’s it. Just laugh it up and raise your happiness level. You’ll feel better, your eyes will shine, and you’ll breathe deeply.

Speaking of breathing…

Most of us breathe very shallowly, so try breathing slowly deep into your chest and down into your stomach. Then blow out, hard. Get all that air out. You’ll be surprised how much “stale” air you have in your lungs.

Eat fruits and veggies of every color.

The colors signify the antioxidants present in the food, and eating a variety of colors means you’re eating a variety of nutrients.

Walk barefoot when you can.

Going without shoes helps you exercise your feet. Your toes get to stretch, and you can feel the ground beneath your feet… always uplifting!

Finally, get a checkup every year!

Tell us your best health tip!

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Top 5 Yoga Studios in Charleston

October 12, 2011 by

charleston yogaYoga is one of the most effective ways to develop a mind-body connection and improve health and flexibility. Following are five of the top yoga studios in the Charleston area.

Charleston Power Yoga: www.charlestonpoweryoga.com

A Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga affiliate studio, Charleston Power Yoga promises to provide a “challenging, dynamic combination of strength, sweat, and flexibility sure to push you to your edge, yet accessible to all body types.”

In addition to an amazing yoga experience, Charleston Power Yoga offers a unique boutique with One of a Kind Yoga Bags from The Rose Knot and handmade jewelry from yogi Stella Maris. Yoga gear includes Manduka mats and Yogitoes.

Bikram Yoga Charleston: www.bikramcharleston.com

With two locations in downtown Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, Bikram Yoga offers hot yoga for all levels and abilities. Bikram yoga consists of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises and works every muscle in your body.

Many clients say they feel more positive and have strengthened their bodies and calmed their minds. Others say yoga has helped them lost weight and change their spirit and soul. Between the two studios, over 50 classes a week are available.

Daniel Island Yoga: www.danielislandyoga.com

Diane Zalka’s YogaFit® and Sadhana Yoga Chi holistic style flow in her sessions, which according to the website “strive to create holistic balance, personal growth, and harmony by focusing on flexibility, strength, balance, breath, body awareness, alignment, relaxation, healing the body, calming the mind, and lifting the spirit.”

Zalka, a retired teacher and Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, believes yoga is for everyone and offers a range of classes at Pierce Park Pavilion, Daniel Island Park Club, and The Field House. Sessions include YogaFit for Kids, Sunrise Yoga, and Restorative Therapeutic Yoga.

Holy Cow Yoga and Artistic Center: www.holycowyoga.com

Holy Cow Yoga has been a fixture in the Charleston area for 12 years and offers a variety of yoga classes including Vinyasa flow, gentle-restorative, yin, children’s, and prenatal. These classes range from challenging to relaxing, and the environment is supportive and dynamic.

Workshops offered include Hip Helper with Steven Willard, Meditation Immersion with Trace Sahaja Bonner, Yoga and the Pelvic Floor with Leslie Howard, and Food for Life with Ayla Sarnoff. Holy Cow Yoga’s Om Store features organic yoga clothes, Kulae eco mats, and eye pillows.

Serenity Now Yoga: www.serenitynowyoga.net

Located near Mt. Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, and downtown Charleston, Serenity Now Yoga focuses on not only yoga, but also offers free meditation instruction and special workshops and events. Their philosophy is that yoga should be accessible to anyone, no matter the fitness level or the age, and their mission is to serve all students who wish to develop a yoga practice.

The instructors at Serenity Now recognize the spiritual component of yoga and are careful to respect that everyone has a different spiritual path. While every session includes the traditional aspects of yoga such as yama, niyama, and pranayama, every instructor leaves room for students to include them in their practice as they wish.

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Can Green Tea Really Help Fight Cancer and Help Your Heart?

October 3, 2011 by

green teaFor years, green tea was believed to help keep your heart healthy and fight cancer, among other health benefits, and we’re learning more about it every year.

Catechins are the antioxidants in green tea, and they act as scavengers in your system, gobbling up free radicals that can contribute to disease. These antioxidants are abundant in green tea because it doesn’t go through the processing that other teas do. One particular catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, was found to shrink tumors in mice in one Canadian study. Other lab studies have shown it stops cancer growth, but human trials have not proven it yet.

According to Marji McCullough of the American Cancer Society, the challenge of green tea human studies is finding populations that drink enough green tea for an adequate length of time. A few human studies have shown green tea to be effective, but most were conducted in Asia and the East, where green tea is widely used. Also, the typical Asian diet is higher in fish and soy than the standard American diet, which may influence results.

One study in Japan showed that women with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer had a lower recurrence if they drank more green tea before and after surgery. A second study in China showed that increased green tea consumption led to lower risk of several cancers including colorectal, stomach, prostate, and pancreatic. An analysis of 22 studies found that green tea could reduce risk of lung cancer.

In the case of heart disease, Japanese researchers found that four cups of green tea a day might have contributed to a reduced severity of heart disease among men in one study. A Dutch study of over 3,000 women and men found that those who drank more tea had less severe blood vessel clogging, perhaps because green tea’s antioxidants improve the flexibility of blood vessels. In addition, green tea has been found to help obesity and reduce LDL cholesterol levels, which also improve heart health.

Although the studies aren’t yet there to prove green tea’s benefits, researchers believe that the antioxidant load from green tea is beneficial. For more on green tea, click here.

What are your thoughts on the benefits of green tea?

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How to Address Stubborn and Chronic Back Pain

September 12, 2011 by

back painBack pain is not merely inconvenient; it can incapacitate you and make everyday living painful and difficult. Statistics show that 70–80% of us experience severe or prolonged back pain at some point in our lives.

In addition to pain relief creams and stretching exercises to do at home, your doctor can prescribe heat treatments, braces, and medications. If you have stubborn or chronic pain and are open to complementary or alternative therapy, you can manage back issues whether your pain is in the neck or upper, middle, or lower back.

Always keep your doctor informed about any complementary therapies you decide to try, and make sure that any professionals you work with are appropriately licensed in their fields. A simple Google search will tell you all you need to know about certification and licensure.

Yoga and Tai Chi

The slow, gentle movements in yoga and tai chi stretch your back muscles and increase blood flow, helping to reduce pain. No matter which part of your back hurts, your instructor will know at least one pose to alleviate pain—and you’ll feel relief in minutes. Yoga and tai chi require little to no equipment, so you can do them anywhere you have a little room.

Physical Therapy

A physical therapist will not only show you exercises to reduce back pain, but he or she will also show you how to move to keep pain at bay. You’ll discover how to get up from a chair, walk, bend over, and pick up items correctly. He or she will also discuss how good posture will help your back.

When you work with a physical therapist, you’ll have exercises to do at home as well as appointments for therapy in an office or hospital. Physical therapists use a range of equipment and tools, such as stationary bicycles and heated pools.

Massage Therapy

A good massage therapist will soothe your back pain while working on the muscles that are causing you to hurt. When you meet your massage therapist, describe exactly where the pain is and how sharp it is so he or she will know which muscles to massage. Often, therapists work with essential oils and salves to further decrease pain and relax muscles.

Chiropractic

Spinal manipulation is an excellent tool for realigning the body and reducing back pain, whether it is acute or chronic. As with physical therapy, your chiropractor may use a variety of tools to help you in the office and send you home with a list of exercises. Many people use chiropractors on a short-term basis, while others visit regularly even after the pain is gone.

Acupuncture

An ancient Chinese therapy, acupuncture involves very thin needles inserted in specific areas of the body to balance the flow of energy and reduce pain. Back problems, as well as knee and elbow pain, are commonly treated with acupuncture, though not everyone will respond to the therapy.

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The Good Fat versus the Bad

September 5, 2011 by

avocadoFor several years, we’ve been told to reduce or cut fat from our diets. While it seems like good advice, this message is too simplistic. A better message is to make sure we get enough good fat in our diet and cut out the bad fat. Not all fats are equal, and once you know the difference, you’ll be well on your way to better health.

What is fat and why do we need it?

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are just that: an essential part of our diet like protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals. EFAs cannot be produced by the body and must come from food. The truth is that you need a certain amount of fat to be healthy. In addition to providing energy and insulation, fat has several functions in the body:

  • Your body needs dietary fat to transport and use the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins keep your eyes, skin, blood, kidneys, and bones healthy.
  • Dietary fat, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, reduces symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
  • Fat helps the body synthesize hormones, and it promotes healthy cell function.
  • Children need fat to develop normally, both physically and mentally.
  • Fat slows digestion and helps your body absorb nutrients.
  • Your brain needs fat to function, and nerves are covered with a substance made from fat.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids reduce depression, dementia, and memory problems.

Unfortunately, many people have been led to believe that any food with fat should be avoided, which has spawned an incredible number of “fat-free” foods. Fat gives food flavor, so to replace this flavor, manufacturers add sugar—not a good tradeoff.

Which are the good fats?

Good fats come in many foods, such as avocados, nuts and seeds, and fish. Moderation is the key. Don’t be afraid to cook in olive or coconut oil, which are more stable at high temperatures than vegetable oils. Go ahead and put real butter on your toast, and eat nut butters, olives, and fatty fish such as salmon. Put some real cream in your coffee.

The bad fat you want to avoid

Trans fats are found in stick margarine, vegetable shortening, and most packaged or processed foods. Trans fats are created in a laboratory by forcing hydrogen through vegetable oil to make it solid at room temperature. These fake fats increase inflammation in your body and can raise cholesterol.

Food manufacturers can claim a product has no trans fats if it has less than 0.5 grams per serving, so reading labels is vital to avoiding trans fats. If you see the words “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated,” don’t eat it.

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Garden Your Way to a Happier and Healthier Life

July 6, 2011 by

gardeningSummer is the time of year for a variety of fruits and vegetables, and you can’t find healthier, fresher, or more delicious produce than what you grow yourself. Gardening has many benefits besides providing delicious, fresh food—it helps you relax, lose weight, save money, and stay strong as you get older.

Create a slimmer, healthier you.

Gardening is good strength training and cardiovascular exercise, and it reduces blood pressure, relieves stress, and improves flexibility. It helps you stay at a healthy weight, and some gardeners say their garden teaches them patience. The earlier you begin gardening, the more beneficial it becomes as you age. Researchers at Kansas State University found that older adults who garden have better hand strength than those who do not.

Relax and enjoy yourself.

People enjoy gardening because it puts them in tune with nature and relaxes them. It’s a favorite hobby, and they often spend hours tending their garden. Eating the food is a wonderful bonus, but the process of growing the garden is what they love.

Know what you’re eating.

When you grow food yourself, you control which fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are used (if any). You know exactly what you’re eating because you bought the seeds and were there throughout the growth cycle. When you buy produce, you don’t know how it was grown or which chemicals were used.

Enjoy food at its freshest.

Having a garden means you can walk outside, pick your food, wash it, and eat it—or sit in your yard and enjoy it right off the bush or out of the ground. It’s at its peak of freshness and taste, and you receive the full benefit of its nutrients. When you buy your produce elsewhere, it’s at least a few days old, and as it ages, its nutrient load decreases.

Save money on groceries.

Whether you buy from the supermarket, health food store, or farmer’s market, fruit and vegetables are expensive. When you grow your own, you may spend a significant amount of money in tools to start, but in following years, all you need to buy are seeds, starter plants, and fertilizer. You can grow a full garden for what it costs for one trip to the store.

Gardening is therapeutic, rejuvenating, and allows you to not only save money on groceries, but also eat the healthiest food possible. In addition, you can cultivate a happier social life and have plenty of dinner parties with all the fruits and vegetables you grow!

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Essential Vitamins for Your Health

July 4, 2011 by

vitaminsYou’ve heard about essential vitamins all your life, from health classes to discussions on news and talk shows. Depending on which stage of life you’re in, your vitamin needs may vary, and a deficiency in any single vitamin can cause health issues.

Vitamins are chemicals that aid specific functions in your body. They play a major role inside your cells, and to be healthy you need optimal levels of each vitamin. Except for Vitamin D, which your body can make from sunshine, you need food or supplements to provide the full range of vitamins. Check with your doctor before supplementing. Following is a list of vitamins and their functions in the body.

Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A and keeps eyes, bones, skin, and tissue healthy and strong. Green leafy vegetables and orange-colored foods such as carrots and cantaloupe are high in beta-carotene.

Beta-carotene is part of the antioxidant group, which helps protect cells from unstable molecules in the body called free radicals. Other antioxidants include lycopene, found in tomatoes, and vitamin C.

Vitamin B6 aids in brain function, memory, and metabolism, while vitamin B12 helps cells divide normally. Vegetarians commonly have low levels of B12, as it is found only in animal sources such as eggs, meat, and cheese. Good sources of B6 include bananas, seeds, and beans.

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is especially important for women of childbearing age because it reduces the risk of birth defects. Food sources of folic acid include dark green vegetables, melons, beans, and eggs. If you smoke, drink significant amounts of alcohol, or use oral contraceptives, a folic acid supplement will help maintain optimal levels in your blood.

Vitamin C helps produce red blood cells and heal the body. Many fruits and vegetables contain some vitamin C, but citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes are especially high. If you tend to have high levels of stress, you’ll want to eat plenty of foods with vitamin C, or supplement it, because stress depletes vitamin C levels.

Vitamin D keeps bones strong by regulating calcium and phosphorus levels. Sunlight is the most effective way to help your body make vitamin D. Exposing as much skin as possible to the sun (without sunscreen) for 10–15 minutes several times a week will activate vitamin D production. During the winter, or any time you can’t get sunlight, taking cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D. Carlson’s makes a pleasant tasting oil that can be found in health food stores or online.

Vitamin E maintains cell membranes and red blood cells. Nuts and seeds, cod-liver oil, and wheat germ are good sources of E.

Vitamin K promotes normal blood clotting and maintains strong bones in older people. Green leafy vegetables and fish oil are good sources.

Eating a variety of whole, fresh food is the best way to get the full spectrum of vitamins, but taking a supplement is a good nutrient insurance plan. Keep in mind that the more colorfully you eat, the more vitamins you’ll get. Eat at least five servings a day or orange, yellow, purple, green, and red fruits and vegetables. The nutrients give foods their colors.

What vitamins do you take and suggest for others?

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Step Two in Quitting Smoking: Pick a Time to Stop

June 27, 2011 by

quit smokingIf you’ve read the First Step in Quitting Smoking post, (link to first smoking post) you know why you want to quit. Now it’s time to take that step and do it.

Have you decided how you want to quit? You have several options, including pharmaceutical aids such as nicotine replacement therapy or Chantix, hypnotherapy, laser therapy, a telephone quitline, and cold turkey. Any of these methods can work, but only you know what is likely to work for you, based on your previous quit attempts. If you’re not sure which way you want to go, call your state’s quitline, or talk to your doctor.

Once you’ve decided how and why you want to do it, when are you going to do it? If you wait for the perfect time, it may never come. On the other hand, most smokers can remember a time when their minds or bodies were screaming it was time to quit, and they ignored those signals. If a signal comes to you in the middle of the night or while you’re driving home, get rid of those cigarettes immediately, and let that signal be the first moment of your quit.

There’s a reason your mind and body are telling you to quit at that moment—don’t ignore it.

Should you set a quit date?

If you call a quitline, they will ask you to set a quit date so you’ll commit to quitting. Some people question whether that is a good idea. The answer to that is, “it depends.” For some people, having a date is the first goal of their quit plan. They have time to prepare themselves and others for their quit. They can rid the house and car of all smoking paraphernalia, buy any pharmaceutical aids they need, and decide beforehand how to avoid and deal with cravings.

Some ex-smokers swear that picking a quit date wouldn’t have worked for them because it would have added even more stress to the process of quitting. Some people feel a sense of failure if they miss the quit date. Others use the quit date as an excuse to avoid quitting. They’ll set a quit date two weeks away, then as the date approaches, they move it back another two weeks. They tell themselves they need more time to plan, when they need to take action instead.

In the end, you have to decide what will work for you. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you quit on the first or the fifth of the month—you need to quit, and the time is now. If planning your life typically makes you more successful, pick a quit date, but don’t stretch it out more than two weeks. If setting a quit date will make you put off quitting, or if you feel motivated to do it now, seize the moment and get rid of the cigarettes.

Has setting a quit date ever worked for you? Why or why not?

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7 Ways to Beat Stress

May 30, 2011 by

stress reliefStress adversely affects every aspect of your life, from your health to your relationships. Many people don’t realize how stressful their lives are, and they don’t know how to deal with or reduce their stress. Let’s explore seven ways to improve your life by beating stress.

Determine your stressors.

We all have different areas of our lives that cause stress. While you may not be able to change stressful situations, by identifying your stressors, you can develop a plan to deal with them as effectively as possible. For example, if work causes stress, you can go to the gym after work to release tension with a workout, or leave the building for lunch to get away from your desk for a few minutes.

You might be able to change your response to stressors by altering the situation to make it easier to bear. For example, if visiting the doctor during the day is stressful because you need to go to work afterward, perhaps you can meet the doctor in the evening or on a weekend day. If you become agitated during rush hour traffic, try a new route or travel at a different time.

Avoid people, places, and things that upset you.

We all have people who make us uncomfortable or tasks we dislike doing. When those aggravations become stressful, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. Rethink whether it’s necessary to have dinner with the neighbor who criticizes your cooking. Perhaps it makes sense to find an accountant to do your taxes or a detailer to wash your car. Delegating tasks and avoiding stressful people not only reduce your stress, but they also give you a marvelous feeling of freedom.

Know your limits.

Be realistic about your time and what you can do, and say no when you need to. When you’re at your limit, additional items on your to-do list become stressors. Stand your ground and be assertive when you need or want to say no.

Give yourself a treat.

Integrative therapies such as massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy help to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and relax you. They’re also fun and rejuvenating. Find a certified practitioner or visit a spa, keep an open mind, and give it a try.

Turn off the noise.

Unplug and spend at least 30 minutes alone and quiet every day. We’re all bombarded by technology and advertising, and it’s overwhelming. When you get away from the constant noise, you’ll feel your stress melt away. Spend that time doing what you enjoy, whether it’s a walk or a hot bubble bath. Unwind and enjoy.

Tune out negativity.

Do you really need to watch the 10 pm newscast each night or read the paper every day?  The news is mostly negative, which raises your stress levels. Your mind doesn’t need any more input on weather disasters or the latest political upheavals around the world. Don’t take on the world’s problems as your own. Rather than watch the news, find a comedy or cartoon to watch. Better yet, turn off the TV and read a book.

Experiment to find your best release.

Some women relieve stress by laughing or crying, and others find exercise or art to be their release valve. You may need to try a few different outlets to relieve stress, such as watching classic TV comedies, renting a movie that makes you cry, painting, or going to the gym. You may find one perfect stress reliever, or you may decide a combination of activities helps.

As you work through your stress, stay positive. Negativity is an unhealthy stressor and can creep into areas of your life that aren’t stressful. An upbeat attitude will do wonders to combat stress and help you feel healthy and at your best.

What do you do to combat stress?

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Why It’s Important to Get Out of the House and Experience Life

April 11, 2011 by

happy lifeIt’s been said that as you get older, you won’t regret what you’ve done, but what you haven’t done. It’s easy to stay home and hibernate, and you certainly need time alone to reflect and think, but you also need to connect—with people, with things, with places, and most important, with yourself.

Life is full of abundance and beauty, and it always has exciting adventures for you to discover. Some are as simple as hearing the tinkle of children’s laughter or watching a tulip emerge from the frost. Other experiences, such as camping in the mountains or going to a rock concert, fill all your senses with wonder and delight. Trying something new is stimulating and memorable, and it makes you feel truly alive as it enriches your life.

It’s easy to fall into the rut of staying in the house and watching TV or reading, and the thought of trying new things can be daunting. However, when you’re ready, adventure begins the moment you open your door. New experiences don’t have to be complicated or expensive. Anything you haven’t seen, heard, felt, or tasted is brand new to you. Following are ten simple and inexpensive ideas to try.

  • Take a different route when you run errands, and try a new store or dry cleaner.
  • Plan a short road trip, and discover an area of your city or county you’ve never seen.
  • Drive with some friends or family to a nearby town and park your car, get out, and explore.
  • Go window shopping.
  • Plant your favorite flowers in your yard or in a window box.
  • Call a friend and try a new coffee shop or restaurant. Splurge on food or drink you’ve never tasted before.
  • Go to the theater and watch a movie from a genre you’re not familiar with. Try a new snack while you’re there.
  • Think about attractions or landmarks your town is famous for. Have you ever seen them? If not, go.
  • Take a class in something you’ve always wanted to learn, such as a foreign language, cooking, or writing.
  • Imagine yourself doing an activity you’ve always been hesitant to try, such as riding a roller coaster or racing go-karts. Then do it.

Once you start exploring the world around you, you’ll be hooked and want more. What adventures are you ready to try?

 

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