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Archive for the ‘Health and Wellness’ Category

Forget South Beach, Atkins and Fasting-Use Better Choices!

Posted in Nutrition, tagged , , , on October 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

From the Nutrition Data Website,a diet that makes sense…and can actually be maintained over time. It’s not a fad, it’s a framework. Read about the Better Choices Concept:

The Better Choices Diet revolves around one very simple key concept:

For every food that you eat, there are likely to be other equally nutritious foods that will satisfy your hunger with fewer Calories.

The Better Choices Diet starts with a simple nutritional analysis of your current diet. It evaluates each food that you now eat, and recommends alternative foods that may provide more nutritional value and help you feel full on fewer Calories. Instead of shocking your body with an abrupt change in foods, the Better Choices Diet focuses on evolving your diet one food at a time.

Other benefits of the Better Choices Diet
Unlike many other diet plans, the Better Choices Diet:

• Has no banned foods. Instead of rigid lists of “approved” and “unapproved” foods, the Better Choices Diet allows you to eat anything, but encourages you to make smarter food choices.

• Requires no special foods or other investments. Everything you need to understand and use the Better Choices Diet is contained within the Nutrition Data website.

• Can be used with other diet plans. The tools and methods of the Better Choices Diet can also be used to improve the effectiveness of most other diet plans.

• Can also be used for weight gaining diets. The Better Choices Diet is not just for weight loss; it’s about controlling your weight (up or down) through proper food selection and hunger control.

How the Better Choices Diet Evaluates Foods

The Better Choices Diet determines potential food substitutions with the help of ND’s Nutritional Target Map, which maps food in relation to their predicted satiating effect (Fullness Factor) and nutrient density (ND Rating). Foods closer to the upper right corner of the Nutritional Target Map are Better Choices for healthy weight loss, and foods closer to the lower right corner are Better Choices for healthy weight gain.

Better Choices Nutritional Target Map

The 4 Steps of the Better Choices Diet:

1. Make a daily record of everything you eat. Making a record of your diet is a very tedious task if you’re using paper and pencil, but it’s very easy to do with the My Tracking feature of My ND. Please read the My Tracking Help page to learn how to track and analyze your intake.

2. Determine which foods contribute the most Calories to your diet. The primary focus of the Better Choices Diet is to gradually replace some of the foods that you now eat with other foods that are more supportive of your goals. It makes sense to start with those foods that are contributing the most calories to your diet, since this is most likely to have the greatest positive impact on your progress. This step is automated with My Tracking. The tracking report that it generates includes a listing of all foods that you consumed, along with the percentage of calories that each supplied to your diet.

3. Make Better Choice substitutions for those foods. For each item on your tracking report, you’ll also find links to Better Choice substitutions. Select your goal (weight loss, optimum health, or weight gain), and click on the link to explore the resulting list of foods. It’s not important to choose foods that appear highest on the list—simply choose any of these foods that you would enjoy eating.

4. Repeat. Your goal is to gradually evolve your diet to include more nutritious and filling foods and less unhealthy and unsatisfying foods. Over time, as you incorporate more of these foods into your diet, the total calories that you consume will drop, and the overall nutrient density of your meals will increase.

Warning: The Better Choices Diet is a self-directed program.

Despite its potential benefits, the Better Choices Diet is not recommended for those with eating disorders or diet-related medical conditions. It is best suited for individuals who are only moderately overweight and reasonably self-disciplined. All diet analyses and food recommendations are provided interactively via the Nutrition Data website. Although these services are free, no other specific dietary advice is provided. The Better Choices Diet also relies heavily on ND’s Ratings and Fullness Factors. While these calculated values provide a reasonable scientific prediction of a food’s benefit with relation to diet, they can not take into account every aspect of a food’s value. For this reason, no guarantee can be made on the accuracy or suitability of this diet with respect to your individual needs. If in doubt, please consult a nutritionist or healthcare professional for more specific dietary recommendations.

For more on the Better Choices Diet and Nutrition Data tools for tracking and evaluating your food choices, click here.

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Fitness in the Forest-Part I

Posted in Fitness, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 25, 2009| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

Some people go to the gym to workout, which is great. These days, between working many hours and long commutes, it’s tough to find time to workout and relax and still spend time with your loved ones. Why not combine your fitness routine with a little nature, add your family and or friends and explore the peace and fresh air afforded you by spending time in the forest.

In the Chicago area, there are approximately 50-60 different forest preserve trails within an hour or so of the downtown area. Many people enjoy the lakefront, but that’s the problem–many people. If you want a quieter bike ride, hike or even a horseback ride, the Forest Preserves are less crowded, much more wooded and often actually quiet!

Biking in the Forest Preserves
Biking in the Forest Preserves can be a great workout and a nice way to relax, enjoy the company of family and friends and see something other than buildings, concrete and cars. Speed training or racing is not permitted so you are less likely to get run over by a fast-paced bike racer!

Biking in the Forest Preserves

Families with small children can take their little ones along on bike rides with a bike trailer such as the Childrens bike trailers shown here.

On one our of forest preserve bike rides, we came across a family that brought along the bikes for mom and dad and the eldest daughter, then packed up their two little girls in the bike trailer for the dad to pull. In this way, the whole family got to ride together and dad got a super workout (especially up hills!)

Family fun on bikes in the Forest

Info on bike carrier safety for children here.

Cook County Forest Preserves
Cook County Forest Preserves provides 100 miles of paved bicycle trails and over 200 miles of multi-use trails in the Forest Preserve for bikers, joggers, walkers (and in winter, snow shoe-ers and cross country skiers!) to enjoy. Cook County Trail System Maps here.

And did you know that in Cook County, there are 27 lakes, ponds, quarries, reservoirs and sloughs to enjoy! Check out the listing of water sources in Cook County here.

View of Lake from biking trail

DuPage Forest Preserves
DuPage Forest Preserves offer over 145 miles of on-foot explorations from seldom-traveled footpaths to wide limestone trails.

DuPage Forest Preserves trail listing and hiking maps here.

DuPage County Forest Preserve Locator Map here.

Lake County Forest Preserves
Lake County Forest Preserves offers Forest Fitness sessions which are “Fast-paced group fitness hikes feature a different preserve each week.” For more info click here.

Lake County Forest Preserves Map here.

Will County Forest Preserves

Will Country Forest Preserves trail system list.

Will County trail Systems Map here.

Where ever you live, there are likely forest preserves and national parks in your area. Take advantage of this free (no membership needed!) natural gym for you and your family. And get your fitness in the forest!

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Yoga Bolsters on Sale!

Posted in Fitness, Stress Management, Yoga, tagged , , , , on October 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Yoga Bolsters on sale!

Standard Round Yoga Bolster

Order from Yoga Accessories for only $37 here: YogaAccessories (TM) Round Cotton Yoga Bolster
YogaAccessories (TM) Rectangular Cotton Yoga Bolster

Yoga Bolsters are great for to give your body a break from forward leaning work. With a simple yoga bolster, you can relax your back muscles, stretch our your pectoral muscles and let the day’s stress float away from you. Check out our Yoga Bolster video for a demonstration!

For more detailed explanation of the reasons to use the yoga bolster to stretch your muscles and relax, read this post here

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Climbing Stairs Can Be Fun!

Posted in Fitness, Motivation, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , on October 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Climbing stairs is a great way to pump fresh blood, (and thus, oxygen) into your brain, give yourself a break from a stressful day, and burn a few calories. Best yet, it can be fun.

In the 1960’s, Volkswagen made ugly cars fun with the Volkswagen Beetle. Now they are finding new ways to make exercise fun. A car company encouraging people to exercise? Now that is FUN!

Link to You Tube video!

From Volkswagen’s The Fun Theory website: We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The Fun Theory. Link to The Fun Theory Website

Working Well agrees!

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Exercise Boosts Body Image!

Posted in Fitness, Motivation, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , on October 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

In an article from Physorg.com, A new study shows that exercise boosts body image for both fit and unfit:

Attention weekend warriors: the simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better, a new University of Florida study finds.

People who don’t achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts, said Heather Hausenblas, a UF exercise psychologist. Her study is published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.

“You would think that if you become more fit that you would experience greater improvements in terms of body image, but that’s not what we found,” she said. “It may be that the requirements to receive the psychological benefits of exercise, including those relating to body image, differ substantially from the physical benefits.”

The study by Hausenblas and graduate student Anna Campbell is the first to systematically analyze the wide-ranging effects of exercise on body image by examining all intervention studies on the subject until June 2008. From the 57 publications, the researchers found conclusively that exercise buffed up the way people see their bodies regardless of the actual benefits, but the results varied.

Negative body image has grown to almost epidemic proportions in the past 20 years, with as many as 60 percent of adults in national studies saying they don’t like the way their bodies look, Hausenblas said.

Americans spend billions of dollars a year for products designed to change their body size and shape, including diet pills and various cosmetic procedures, she said.

“Body dissatisfaction is a huge problem in our society and is related to all sorts of negative behavior including yo-yo dieting, smoking, taking steroids and undergoing cosmetic surgery,” she said. “It affects men and women and all ages, starting with kids who are as young as five years old saying they don’t like how their bodies look.”

The psychological advantages of exercise have been less explored, including the reduction of depression or confidence in body image, compared with the well-researched and understood physical benefits, she said.

Link to article here

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Get Hooked On Healthy Food

Posted in Fitness, Nutrition, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

I have had to eat a “healthy” diet for most of my adult life. As a young girl, I ate as much junk food as my peers and my body rebelled. By 20, I could not eat any white or processed sugar because I was hypoglycemic. I developed migrane headaches from chocolate (a former childhood love) and fermented foods like sharp cheeses and wines. White bread made me sick, so I had to switch to whole grain bread even before it was marketed as whole grain bread. Through the years my body let me know, anything overly processed, overly sugared, overly salted, or overly fat was going to give me stabbing pain in my head, my abdomen, or just plain make me sick and exhausted. I am the “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to food. But in many ways I am a lucky person. I haven’t been able to eat the typical American diet and I don’t have a lot of the typical American diseases. (such as obesity, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes)

I don’t tell you this to get accolades or say I am so great. No, my healthy diet was mainly by default in the beginning. I liked the junk food. I just couldn’t handle it. Later, as I read more and learned more, I ate healthy by design. Having grown up on Rice Krispy Treats, all things Nestle, Rice a Roni, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Skippy Peanut Butter, McDonald’s and Wonder Bread, I know what it’s like to try to wean off the processed foods and try to eat vegetables, fresh fruit, healthy grains, like brown rice, and be satisfied. In my case, I had a crash course in changing my diet. Still, it took a while to adjust to new tastes and learn how to be satisfied with less added sugar. But I can tell you IT CAN BE DONE! and your health and well being is worth it.

But How do you Know What’s Junk Food and What’s Healthy Food?
According to Margie King of the Philadelphia Nutrition Examiner, the NuVal nutritional scoring system may be the ticket to simpler healthy eating. The NuVal system will analyze more than 50,000 food items found in a typical grocery store and assign a value of 1 to 100 to each item. The higher the score, the more nutritious is the food.

The system is the brainchild of Dr. David Katz, an Associate Professor at the Yale University School of Public Health, and the Director and founder of Yale’s Prevention Research Center. Dr. Katz is an expert in nutrition and preventative medicine, the author of several books including The Flavor Point Diet, a syndicated health columnist for The New York Times and a medical contributor for ABC News.
Read more from Margie King of the Philadelphia Nutrition Examiner here

Dr. Katz says our taste buds are malleable and we are teaching them to crave salt and sugar. Eating added sugar in non-dessert items in everything from pasta sauce to breakfast cereal causes our taste buds to crave sugar much more than we normally would. In the video, he talks about how there is as much sodium in many breakfast cereals than your diet should be. It’s well worth the 4 minutes to watch Dr. Katz talk about how our diets are modified by the food supply and how we can retrain our taste buds to enjoy healthier less salty and less sugary foods.

Link to Dr. Katz’s video “Rehab Your Taste Buds: Getting Hooked on Wholesome Foods”

As American’s look to health care reform, there is a growing buzz about food system reform as well. Some say health care reform won’t work without reforming our nutritional system. The Nu Val system is one attempt to give us tools to reform our diets so we don’t NEED as much health care intervention. It’s Prevention versus Disease Treatment. And that sounds pretty sweet! Read Why Health Care Reform Requires Nutrition Reform by Margie King in the Philadelphia Nutrition Examiner

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The Surprise About Corn Syrup is Not So Sweet

Posted in Nutrition, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

By now, most people have heard the news that consuming High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) may have adverse effects on your health. The documentary, King Of Corn, is a humerus and educational review of corn production and describes how much of the corn produced in the U.S. is refined into HFCS. The Corn Refiners Association lobby countered bad press about HFCS with the Sweet Surprise campaign, a series of ads saying “HFCS is not bad for you..in moderation.”

Not to be alarmist, but how bad is HFCS for us, really?

Let’s look at the recent research:

High-Fructose Diet Raises Blood Pressure in Middle-Aged Men
A diet high in foods with large amounts of fructose sugar such as sweetened soft drinks increased blood pressure in men, according to a study presented today (September 23, 2009) that also found that a drug for gout blocked the effect.

Men in the study who ate a high-fructose diet had their blood pressure rise about 5 percent after two weeks, while those who also were given a gout treatment increased less than 1 percent, study author Richard Johnson said. Eating great amounts of fructose without the treatment also raised the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors associated with the development of heart disease and diabetes.

The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, will be presented today (September 23, 2009) at the American Heart Association’s annual conference on high blood pressure in Chicago.

Fructose is one of several sugars in food and makes up about half of all the sugar molecules in table sugar and in high-fructose corn syrup, according to background information from the American Heart Association. The syrup often is used as a sweetener in packaged food products. Fructose is the only common sugar known to increase uric acid levels, the heart association said. Study info here

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2009 (HealthDay News) — Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS.

And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda.

“The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients,” Wallinga said in his prepared statement. Washington Post Article on Mercury on HFCS products here

HFCS and Obesity
And finally, researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, and the Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, analyzed food consumption patterns by using US Department of Agriculture food consumption tables from 1967 to 2000. The consumption of HFCS increased > 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group.

HFCS now represents more than 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. The increased use of HFCS in the United States mirrors the rapid increase in obesity. The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption. Thus, the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Link to article in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

More research needs to be and is being done. And, King of Corn afficionados aside, HFCS isn’t the only sugar that should be consumed in moderation.

Sugar Consumption Guidelines
According to the American Heart Association, no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance come from added sugars. For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men).

How much added sugars do most Americans consume?
A report from the 2001–04 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) database showed that Americans get about 22.2 teaspoons of sugar a day or about 355 calories. This number has increased steadily over the past three decades. Teens and men consume the most added sugars.

A major contributor of added sugars to American diets are soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

What foods and beverages are the main sources of added sugars in Americans’ diets?
Regular soft drinks; sugars and candy; cakes, cookies, pies; fruit drinks (fruitades and fruit punch); dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk); and other grains (cinnamon toast and honey-nut waffles).

Regular soft drinks are the No. 1 source of added sugars in Americans’ diets. A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains an estimated 130 calories (or 8 teaspoons) of added sugars. People who consume lots of sugar-sweetened beverages eat too many sugar calories which can add up quickly and tend to gain weight. Carefully monitor the number of calories you get from sodas and other sources of added sugars.

More on the AHA’s standpoint on sugar consumption

Obesity, mercury poisoning and high blood pressure is serious stuff. But, let’s not get too stressed out about it. Pour a glass of nice cold water, kick back and watch the King of Corn filmmakers, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis spoof about the Corn Refiners Association “HFCS is OK in moderation” ads.

Spoof: HFCS is like cigarettes..it’s OK in moderation

Spoof: DDT is OK, in moderation

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Making Walking Part of Work

Posted in Fitness, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

By now, most of us have heard about the new recommended guidelines for adults under 65 to get at least 30 minutes a day of moderately intense cardio, five days a week. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines here

However, many people have a hard time finding time to exercise after work with long commutes, family obligations and just maintaining the household. At work, people face deadlines, scores of emails, phone calls and piles of paperwork to address. One way for employers and employees to help keep health care costs down, reduce risks of illness, and help improve overall health and well being is to encourage employees to step up their steps!

According to Health Enhancement Systems’ report, Walking: The Health and Economic Impact, there’s no wellness investment that pays a higher dividend than a robust walking program. Here are just a few of the health-related findings specifically associated with walking:

• Protects against heart attack and stroke.
• Helps prevent weight gain.
• Reduces risk of diabetes.
• Lowers overall mortality.
• Decreases heart disease risk.
• Maintains a healthy BMI.
• Enhances fitness with little time or effort.

According to a Loughbrough University study, women who took three 10-minute brisk walks, 5 days a week, had nearly the same increases in fitness levels as women who walked continuously for 30 minutes. In fact, those who walked in briefer sessions lost more weight and inches around the waist than the 30-minute walkers! More here from Health Enhancement Systems

Why Walk?
• Walking is the only exercise where participation rates don’t decrease as
individuals reach middle age and older. One national survey found that
compared with any other group, men 65 and older had the highest percent
of regular walkers — 39.4%.14
• It’s the most popular physical activity in America. More than 56 million people
walk for fitness at least 100 days a year.15
• Walking is inexpensive and easy. All a person needs is a pair of comfortable,
supportive shoes.16
• It comes naturally and can be done in connection with other daily activities —
for example: walking to work, circling the mall or grocery aisles, walking
the dog, or pacing while on the phone.
• Walking is a low impact, safe form of exercise — even for those who are
obese or have arthritis.

How to Find Time to Walk at Work
Employers cannot mandate that employees walk at work. And we don’t encourage employees to shirk their work responsibilities to complete their walking goals. But many smokers take “smoke breaks” at work, leaving the office for 10-15 minutes to smoke a cigarette outdoors. Why shouldn’t the nonsmokers take advantage of a similar break in the work flow for a far healthier result!

And the lunch “hour” is also a great time to get coworkers together and take a brisk walk outside the office or at a nearby mall. Although some do not take a full hour for lunch, and others may want to split the lunch break up into 30 minutes of walking and then time to eat lunch, there are many ways you can fit in a walk a few times during the workweek lunch time.

• A simple plan would be to set up 3 ten-minute walk breaks inside the office building if there is enough space, or weather permitting outside the office.

• Alternatively, staff can set up 20-30 minute walk breaks at lunch time.

• And for those lucky few that take a train or bus or subway to work, try getting off a few blocks or even a half mile earlier than normal and then walk to your destination from there. it’s an easy way to add a few steps to your day and explore your own neighborhood.

Benefits of Walking at Work
Employers have found that allowing employees to take minibreaks leads to increased productivity and job satisfaction. According to Health Enhancement Solutions, walking, like other physical activity, employee productivity increases with physical activity. Findings include:
• Better concentration 1
• Enhanced memory and learning 2
• Improved ability to make complex decisions 1
• Increased physical stamina. 3, 4

Walking promotes an overall sense of wellness by helping people to:
• Control appetite and increase the body’s metabolism 5
• Improve mood and well-being 2, 4
• Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety 2
• Relax, feel more energetic, and control stress 4, 6
• Sleep better. 7, 8

Programs to Encourage People to Walk at Work
• Employers can encourage or even provide low cost pedometers to help staff monitor the steps they take every day. Recomended Top Ten Pedometers. The Sportline 360 Fitness Pedometer is $22 pedometer that’s easier to use, lightweight and clips on a belt or waistline of trowsers Order here
• Employers or Employees can start a Walking Club at work.

Walking Club Tips
• Spread the word – use email, voicemail and posters to get people interested
• Make it fun and make it friendly. Start slowly so that none of your co-workers are too intimidated to continue.
• Set a Walking club schedule so that it become part of your regular daily routine. Even if some people cannot commit to every day, make sure at least 2 of you keep up the schedule to maintain momentum.
• Encourage your colleagues to take walking breaks instead of coffee breaks in order to get some fresh air– and avoid problems sleeping alter at night due to too much caffeine.
• Promote a noon-hour walking group.
• Create an indoor walking route in case of poor weather – go to a local mall if your workspace is not conducive to walking. Walk the stairwells if your office is a high rise or building with access to stairs.
• Track your walking groups progress on a graph or poster in a main foyer to inspire others to join.
• Hold a contest or challenge between departments.
• Host a heart healthy nutritious potluck before or after your walking groups noon-hour walk.
• Ask your colleagues when they would prefer to walk. Some people need a “pick me up” in the morning while others require one in the later afternoon.

Link to the Health Unit of Canada’s tips on organizing a walking group at work

Research Cited:

1 Loehr J, Schwartz T. The Power of Full Engagement; New York, NY, 2003.
2 US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Fundamental to Preventing
Disease Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, June 2002.
3 Murphy MH, Nevill AM, Murtagh EM, Holder RL. The Effect of Walking on Fitness, Fatness and
Resting Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised, Controlled Trials. Preventive Medicine
2007;44(5):377-385.
4 Fentem PH. Benefits of Exercise in Health and Disease. British Medical Journal
1994;308(6939):1291-1295.

5 Cheng MH, Bushnell D, Cannon DT, Kern M. Appetite Regulation via Exercise Prior or
Subsequent to High-Fat Meal Consumption. Appetite 2009;52(1):193-198.
6 Puetz TW, Flowers SS, O’Connor PJ. A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effect of Aerobic
Exercise Training on Feelings of Energy and Fatigue in Sedentary Young Adults With Persistent
Fatigue. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2008;77(3):167-174.
7 Galantino ML, Cannon N, Hoelker T, Iannaco J, Quinn L. Potential Benefits of Walking and Yoga
on Perceived Levels of Cognitive Decline and Persistent Fatigue in Women With Breast Cancer.
Rehabilitation Oncology 2007;25(3):3-16.
8 King AC, Pruitt LA, Woo S, Castro CM, Ahn DK, Vitiello MV, Woodward SH, Bliwise DL. Effects of Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Polysomnographic and Subjective Sleep Quality in Older Adults With Mild to Moderate Sleep Complaints. The Journals of Gerontology 2008;63A(9):997-1004.

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Germ Stopper Tips for Fall Flu Season

Posted in Fitness, Stress Management, Uncategorized, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

Fall is a time the kids go back to school, people start spending more time indoors and flu bugs from across the globe travel to “make new friends” (infect new hosts, meaning us).

Colds and flues can now travel from one country to another in just a few hours via a carrier on an airplane. But you don’t have to go a round the world to catch a cold. You can get a virus from anyone in your immediate vicinity, coworker, random person out in public that touches something you touch. It’s so great that we all have learned to share!

Most colds and flues are not serious or life threatening, but they can make you miss work, drag down your energy levels and overall disrupt your regular life schedule.

What can you do to prevent getting sick?

Immune System Defenses
To start with, keep your immune system functioning well with these simply tips:

Get enough physical activity aka exercise. A the very least get the recommended minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5 times a day (recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine) even in 3 sets of 10 minutes of walking or stair climbing.

Make sure you drink enough water. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Water is your body’s principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.”

How much water is enough?

The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Even apart from the above approaches, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. Link to Mayo Clinic’s Water Intake article here

Get your ZZZ’s-Sleep deprivation is a torture technique. Don’t torture yourself! Get the reccomended 7-9 hours by night. And on days you are feeling run down, take an actual nap even for 20 minutes. it lets your nervous system take a break from high stress hormones and let’s your body recharge. Link to health.com “How Much Sleep Do You Really Need”

Aside from your immune system, here are some tips from the Center for Disease Control to help prevent the spread of actual germs.

How Germs Spread

Illnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

How to Help Stop the Spread of Germs

Take care to:

• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
• Clean your hands often
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed
• Practice other good health habits.

Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough

Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
Clean your hands often

When available, wash your hands — with soap and warm water — then rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces. Wash for 15 to 20 seconds. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.

When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using a gel, rub the gel in your hands until they are dry. The gel doesn’t need water to work; the alcohol in the gel kills germs that cause colds and the flu. (Source: FDA/CFSAN Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide, September 2001: Handwashing.)

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs can live for a long time (some can live for 2 hours or more) on surfaces like doorknobs, desks, and tables.

Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed

When you are sick or have flu symptoms, stay home, get plenty of rest, and check with a health care provider as needed. Your employer may need a doctor’s note for an excused absence. Remember: Keeping your distance from others may protect them from getting sick.

Common symptoms of the flu include:

• fever (usually high)
• headache
• extreme tiredness
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle aches, and
• nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, (much more common among children than adults).

The CDC’s “Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work”

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Learn About Your Muscles…in Motion

Posted in Fitness, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on September 11, 2009| 2 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

Some say knowledge is power. And knowing how your body works and which muscles help you perform an activity can help you avoid injury and maintain optimal fitness. If you want to know more about your own body and how your muscles work in different exercises, Human Kinetics is the place to go. It’s a health and fitness education company that publishes a variety of books with detailed muscle anatomy illustrations. Books by Human Kinetics show how your muscles work in weight training exercises and when you do specific exercises like stretching, yoga, cycling and swimming. Each book shows the primary muscles you use in a particular exercise in color which makes it much easier to pick out individual muscles you wish to target. We recommend several of these illustrated anatomy books for corporate wellness libraries and for your home!

You can buy these books from the Human Kinetics site directly or from Amazon (where you may be able to get copies of used books for a bit less).

Example of Human Kinetic’s Strength Training Anatomy Dumbbell Lunge

Example of Human Kinetic's Strength Training Anatomy Dumbbell Lunge

Strength Training Anatomy-2nd Edition
By Frederic Delavier

Strength Training Anatomy

The detailed artwork in the Strength Training Anatomy book showcases the muscles used during each exercise and delineates how these muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures. Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the information gives you a multilateral view of strength training not seen in any other resource.

This book also contains new information on common strength training injuries and preventive measures to help you exercise safely. Chapters are devoted to each major muscle group, with 115 total exercises for arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen.

Order from Human Kinetics here

Women’s Strength Training Anatomy
By Frederic Delavier

Woman's Stretching Training Anatomy

With information on strengthening and toning the legs, buttocks, abs, and back, Women’s Strength Training Anatomy provides full-color, detailed anatomical illustrations of exercises for these hard-to-shape areas. Readers can see the muscles at work during each exercise, like an X ray of the body in motion.

Order from Human Kinetics here

Stretching Anatomy
By Arnold Nelson, Jouko Kokkonen

Stretching Anatomy

Each exercise in this book includes detailed instruction on how to stretch, when to stretch, primary and secondary muscle emphasis, and which muscles are activated for support. Stretching programs provide three levels of difficulty, including light stretching that can be used as a warm-up or to aid in recovery from soreness or injury. And summary movement tables show how to customize stretching programs to focus on key problem areas.

Order from Human Kinetics here

Cycling Anatomy
By Shannon Sovndal

Cycling Anatomy

Cycling Anatomy features 74 of the most effective cycling exercises, each with clear, step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting the primary muscles in action.

Cycling Anatomy goes beyond exercises by placing you on the bike and into the throes of competition. Illustrations of the active muscles involved in cornering, climbing, descending, and sprinting show you how the exercises are fundamentally linked to cycling performance.

Order from Human Kinetics here

Yoga Anatomy
By Leslie Kaminoff

Yoga Anatomy

With clear, expert instruction and full-color, detailed anatomical drawings, Yoga Anatomy depicts the most common asanasto provide a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself.

From breathing to standing poses, see how each muscle is used, how slight alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness, and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all fundamentally linked.

Order from Human Kinetics here

Swimming Anatomy (available in October, 2009)
By Ian McLeod

Swimming Anatomy

See how to achieve stronger starts, more explosive turns, and faster times! Swimming Anatomy will show you how to improve your performance by increasing muscle strength and optimizing the efficiency of every stroke.

Swimming Anatomy includes 74 of the most effective swimming exercises, each with step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting the primary muscles in action.

Pre-order from Human Kinetics here

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