Turn Your Bad Habits into Good Ones

Want to get healthier and lose weight at the same time? It seems that changing your mind-set and routine could be the thing to help you get started!

I think we can all agree that the hardest part about going to the gym or eating right is the initial commitment to actually go to the gym and choose vegetables over Oreos. It's the bad habit mind-set that people are stuck in that make the switch to good habits hard.

According to a column in The Washington Post, Norman Doidge, psychiatric researcher and author, doctor's used to "prescribe" vacations so that people could get away from their every day lives - hence changing their routine and eventually their mind-set.

This vacation can mean many things today:

• Change of jobs
  
• Moving from current residence
• Visiting new places
• Surrounding yourself with new people
• Taking different street routes
  

The point is to make changes, even if they're small, in your routine so that it will become easier to insert positive habits like working out or eating healthier into your new schedule.

The trick is not to commit yourself to something too drastic up-front like telling yourself that you'll now only be eating tofu and drinking prune juice. This kind of commitment is limiting and unrealistic.

The take home here is to start small and dream big!

An Easy Fix for Allergies

It looks like a tea-pot and its suppose to clear away all your allergies; say hello Neti Pot, the nasal irrigation system.

How is it used?

The device is filled with warm salt-water and it poured into the nose in order to "flood" the nasal passage.

I'm sure you're wondering why you should try this rather than taking some allergy pill or going through a couple boxes of tissues. The nasal irrigation is good for a couple reasons:

• Quicker healing time
• Prevents dryness you can get from constantly blowing your nose and
  
• It's natural - there are no steroids like in conventional nasal sprays

Two studies mentioned in a New York Times article state report to have reached substantial results proving that congestion symptoms in adults and children decrease faster with the neti pot than with other methods.

To read more about how the Neti Pot works, visit the official website at http://www.sinucleanse.com.

Live Free or Die from Antibiotics

Everyone has heard that taking antibiotics can lead to the creation of "superbugs," but not until recently has it been taken so seriously.

An article in the New York Times outlines that by taking antibiotics for non-serious illnesses such as bronchitis, can lead to the destruction of healthy bacteria in our bodies. The threat then becomes a contagious and life threatening, according to the article, bacteria called Clostridium difficile.

This bacteria is said to be primarily found in health care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and doctors offices. Also, because it is so contagious, it is advised to use bleach to disinfect your household surroundings if you or someone you live with is suspected or diagnosed with C Difficile.

This is a serious topic for 2 reasons:
1. The bacteria is spreading extremely fast and 2. The bacteria is becoming more fatal

Keep you and your loved ones safe by practicing the following:

• Limit use of antibiotics to severe circumstances
• Disinfect living spaces with bleach
• Wash hands regularly
  
• Avoid sharing spaces with patients in hospitals/doctors offices
• Keep your doctor informed of any changes in your health
  

Time for a Heart to Heart

What helps keep our heart's healthy?

A study mentioned in The Washington Post yesterday reveals that, although we know that vegetables and nuts are good and "starchy carbs" are bad, there are still a lot of questions regarding many other foods.

Overall, the study aimed to pull out strengths and highlight weaknesses of previous heart-health studies.

The thing to take away is to consider a more Mediterranean diet.

What's in a Mediterranean diet?

• Fruits/Veggies
• Healthy Fats - Olive and Canola Oil
• Tree Nuts (no more than a handful a day)
  
• Red Wine (check with physician)
• Very little Red Meat
• Fish

How does this diet work?

This diet focuses on keeping out the "bad" fats and cholesterol - not keeping fat all together out - so that a persons chances of blocked arteries is significantly decreased. Keeping bad fats out will also help with weight loss. Whole grains and foods with a high percentage of antioxidants contain less trans-fat, providing more health benefits.

Considering that Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over 40, switching to a more heart-healthy diet seems like a good plan.

Other factors that contribute to heart disease are:

• Diabetes.
• Smoking.
• High blood pressure.
• High blood cholesterol
• Obesity.
• Lack of exercise.
• Family history of heart disease.

Read more about how to keep your heart in the best shape possible!

Cookies for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

I've heard it on the radio about a thousand times and finally decided to do some research to find out what exactly the "cookie diet" was all about.

Apparently, the original cookie diet was designed by Dr. Sanford Seigal for his private medical practice in Florida, 1975. These cookies are designed to help people stick to diets while diminishing cravings and unecessary "snacking."

Now, with a variety of supplements, shakes and even teas, Seigal is confident that his product works to help lose weight and keep it off. He even encourages people who are at their desired to try his products so that late night kitchen raids become a thing of the past.

To get started, Seigal says to follow 3 steps:

1. At home self-test; what is your current daily calorie intake?

2. Set a goal using Dr. Seigal's Diet Calculator

3. Begin to follow the "example daily diet"

A recent article was published on the CBS website saying celebrities, including Jennifer Hudson, are interested in and using the cookie diet. Dr. Seigal's cookie diet was also featured in People Magazine back January.

Although it is never a good idea to soley rely on supplements, these cookies may be able to help those who have a hard time sticking to a routine. Fresh foods from all food groups should always be included in your diet whether you are using supplements or not.

To read more about the cookie diet and how it can help you, visit Dr. Seigal's website.

What Women Want

Besides a shopping spree...

Women want a man who can make them laugh, according to a CNN article that referenced a study conducted by Kristofor McCarty, of Northumbria University in Newcastle, England.

Laughing was an indicator of intellengence, in the study, and women were more likely to consider a long-term relationship with the men who exhibited these characteristics.

Partners who are more likely to be humorous are also more likely to lighten tense situations that all relationships go through, especially when a couple has children.

Humor is a good characteristic to look for in a friend, as well. The same benefits someone can recieve from humor in an intimate relationship can be found in a good friendship.

Laughter is linked to good health in more ways than one:

• It reduces the number of stress hormones,


• Provides physical and emotional release and


• Exercises your diaphram

The take home is simple; to be happy is to be healthy. Find the joy in your life and look for the joy in other people's lives as well.

Read more about the health benefits of laughter...

Snuggies Out, Acai Berries In

Cancer cure, longevity, antioxidants, oh my!

Acai berries have been widely deemed the new super-fruit, complete with super powers - or so we thought.

I'm sure you've seen the flood of advertisements about how Acai berries can solve all of your unhealthy issues but the truth is that there is no research to support any of these claims. A CNN article explains that although these berries contain many antioxidants, most fruits and vegetables do, making this fruit not so super-duper.
These berries are also very expensive - save your money and buy produce from the grocery store! You will be getting the same nutritional value you would be getting if you included Acai into your diet.

For those of you who were scammed with "free trial" offers, Richard Blumenthal, Conn. Attorney General announced an investigation of businesses who are involved in the selling and scientific claims of Acai berries and for also conducting improper credit card charges.

The take home: Steer clear of too-good-to-be-true offers; keep it simple.

Let the Drummer Kick

Although de-cluttering, balanced meals and exercise all benefit your health, music is something that is more powerful than all of those things combined.

I challenge you to find a song that moves you. Moves you to think... Moves you to get up... Moves you to lay down...

No matter what the situation, I truly believe that the right melody can and will heal you in more ways than modern medicine will ever be able to.

I'm not talking about the same songs you hear on the radio 16 times a day, I'm talking about something you make your own.

Your answer: www.Pandora.com

It's free, easy, interactive and I only wish I had known about it sooner. All you do is create an account (simple), type in one of your favorite bands/artists/songs and it will stream music to you that compliments your original selection. Genius.

Elizabeth Scott, M.S., in an article on stress management states,
Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring.

What a great way to increase your health, right!? Not to mention an even better excuse to love Prince...

Take a few minutes to watch this.

The Perfect Storm

I once hit the snooze button so hard, I broke my alarm clock.

I'm not a morning person, AT ALL, but I do enjoy staying up late! This is my perfect storm.

I remember my bedtime was around 8:30pm or so when I was young. My mom always said that I had to get a good nights sleep to be prepared for school in the morning but it didn't make sense to me why my parents didn't have bedtimes if they had to be up even earlier than me to be "prepared for work."

According to an ABC news article, all kinds of health problems can result from lack of sleep AND it turns out that kids aren't the only ones who should be following a bedtime routine...

Our natural sleep pattern should be waking up at sunrise, triggering a hormone release intended for dealing with all kinds of stress, and then settling down again at sunset, triggering a release of melatonin which helps us to sleep. The light is what triggers these releases and with the ever present laptop, cell phone, TV, fill in the blank, the regulation of these hormones become abnormal because they are tricked into believing its either day or night, when it's not.

A cycle of messed up hormones, eating sugary foods in the morning to "boost energy," and staying up late - allowing your brain to think its daytime - ends up repeating itself time and time again.

Make yourself a priority and evacuate this cycle before the storm hits again.

Too Much Junk in My Trunk!

I am a pack rat.

I save cards - especially the musical ones -, empty DVD cases in the hopes of one day finding its contents, single earrings (and shoes), you get the idea.

A lot of people share my same instinct to "save everything" but this process of hoarding can become a very serious problem for some people and may be related to psychological reasons.

An article in the NY Times referenced a study by Dr. David F. Tolin, of the Institute of Living in Hartford, which stated that, "When a hoarder was making decisions about throwing away items, the researchers saw increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in decision-making and planning."

The study says that the average person doesn't implore as much decision-making as a hoarder might when it comes to getting rid of things.

Without as much clutter, a person would be able to use the judgment part of their brain in healthy and beneficial ways.

In a similar article on Bio-Medicine.org, researchers used a method called single detection theory (SDT) to see how well someone could detect a target in a cluttered environment. Participants, as expected, weren't able to detect targets successfully.

THIS IS BECAUSE WE, AS OBSERVERS IN EVERYDAY LIFE, TAKE EVERYTHING AROUND US INTO CONSIDERATION IN ORDER TO "DETECT" OUR DESIRED TARGET.

Hence, this is why we can't ever find our keys, cell phones or wallets.

Now it's time to start de-cluttering your life! ZenHabits has great tips to get started.

Think it's something more than clutter? See for yourself

Fighting the Economic Plague

It's no secret that the economy decided to take a vacation and leave the rest of us on survivor island. And while the economy is enjoying stimulus baths and pore-cleansing rituals, how is anyone suppose to keep track of staying healthy when making ends meet is the only thing in focus?

I wanted to start 2009 off on the right foot, like most hopeful New Years Eve fans, but the economy put me in a slump. I started worrying about everything; was I going to be able to pay my bills this month?, can I buy groceries?, will I over-draft if I put gas in my car?, and most of all - graduation (I will be a GMU college graduate in May 2009!) - I was worried about finding a job amidst all the unemployment.

All of this worrying got me no where but unhealthy and with the flu - causing me to miss work.

This was a wake up call - so to all of you out there in your bed with 102.5 fevers, say screw the economy and start making things better. Get healthy.

1. Stop putting off visiting your doctor. Check-ups will prevent sickness and missed days of work!

2. Stop substituting "expensive" healthy food with the dollar menu across the street. Kim Hohol, Dietician of CIGNA Medical group, offers some good alternatives to this trend (see: http://newsroom.cigna.com/images/56/HealthyEatingTipsAndRecipes.pdf).

3. EXERCISE! Gym membership or not (see: http://www.shape.com/workouts/) - you can find things to lift and places to run. I was one of those, "I'll start tomorrow" girls, but after a week of consistency it became a habit. It's now my favorite time to clear my head and think. Not to mention - I'm liking my legs and abs :)

These 3 things got me off to a great start and although I'm still not sipping on cucumber water, like the economy, I'm feeling better about myself and confident in a positive future - Good economy or bad.