Take a Breather from Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on the body. This is no secret. It’s also no secret that chronic stress is a major problem in our society today. We place too much importance on things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, and then when something goes wrong, we freak out. When we freak out, our bodies interpret that as physical danger, and we start the “fight or flight” response.

As part of this response, our senses get heightened. You can see better, hear better, and you’re ready to jump into motion at any second. You’re kind of left with a similar feeling as when you’ve had way too much coffee. Sadly, many of us have way too much coffee and then freak out over something that really doesn’t matter, making everything that much worse. But that’s another story.

It may seem like this all is great. Who wouldn’t want their senses heightened, right? Well, there are some problems that come along with this response. You see, the body only has so much energy to spend. So, when you go into fight or flight mode, your body isn’t really creating new energy; it’s stealing it from other processes that aren’t necessary to help you flee from danger. One such process is digestion, but there are many more.

If this stress reaction only lasted a moment, this wouldn’t be a major issue, but many of us deal with chronic stress, which means that it doesn’t really go away. And that’s pretty much how stress impacts your health. So, what can you do about it? Think positive!

In many cases, it’s your thought process that gets this stress reaction going. If you think something is a disaster, it will be. Your body takes its cues from your mind; there’s no independent thinking going on there, so if you want to relax, you have to start putting things into perspective. Ask yourself if the situation will matter in five years from now, or if it will affect the truly important things in your life. Can you learn to live with your daughter’s new tattoo? Will you still have your family and friends once this storm has passed? Usually, the answer to that question is yes, so calm down and deal with things as they come.

The Power of Probiotics

Probiotics aren’t new (by any means), but they have been getting a lot more attention over the past few years. A lot of studies are finding that these little bacteria can have a huge impact on our health.

When we think of bacteria, our first impulse is usually to be disgusted. But just like with most things, there are both good and bad kinds, and there are also kinds that are only bad under certain conditions. Probiotics are the good ones.

One way that they help you stay healthy is by improving digestion. Healthy populations of probiotics make serotonin, a mood-enhancing neurotransmitter, inside our intestines. This serotonin plugs into the receptors that are abundantly present there and help the digestive system relax and work normally. This boost is also known to prevent depression.

Probiotics are also important for good nutrition, which can be considered their most vital function. Or bodies aren't equipped to digest things such as cellulose or certain carbohydrates, but many species of bacteria are. Probiotics thrive on these substances and produce usable vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and vitamin K2.

If you want to avoid the perils of cold and flu season, probiotics can help with that too. Scientific research shows that most of your immune system is found in your intestines and that good bacteria help to keep it in shape. Probiotics train your body to recognize true threats, and also reduce the inflammation that distracts immune system long enough to let other threats through. This can be a particular help to people who suffer from seasonal allergies.

Weight loss is even a potential benefit of using probiotics. B vitamins are needed for energy and for a healthy metabolism. Because probiotics help to manufacture them, you may find that you feel more energetic and begin dropping those formerly stubborn pounds.

How to Succeed with a Good Exercise Partner

Some people just love to exercise and have no trouble staying excited about it. Others (like me) struggle with staying consistent and exercising at times when they are especially busy, tired or stressed. So, how do we get over this hurdle? I’ve found that a good exercise partner can go a long way to help get your butt to the gym. It’s all about the moral support.

Even though I know the key to exercise success, finding a good exercise partner can really be a challenge. I have one friend who always wants to commit to the job, but I’ve found she does more harm than good. I’m actually better off going it alone because she’s always offering up other things to do at our designated gym time. Of course I’d rather go to the mall than to the gym, but that’s not what my body needs.

By now, since I’ve already covered the bad, you’re probably wondering what makes someone a good exercise partner. Well, here goes:

First, a good exercise partner should be prompt so that you can easily fit a workout into your schedule. It’ll help if she works the same schedule as you. In other words, if you’re a software developer with 9 to 5 hours, don’t ask your doctor friend who works around the clock. Second, a good exercise partner should be close to your fitness level so that the two of you can challenge one another without anyone getting frustrated. Last, both partners should have similar priorities regarding exercise so that exercise will be more consistent. If your partner cancels over insignificant things, you both will struggle to reach your fitness goals.

By finding a good exercise partner to be accountable to, you will be more likely to stick to your regimen. On days when you don't feel like exercising, you can feed off of your friend's enthusiasm. When you’re done, you’ll both have a great feeling of accomplishment. Plus, everything always is more fun with a friend; am I right? You’ll start looking forward to the time spend together – and looking forward to exercise in the process.

Make it a priority to find an exercise partner, and you will be well on your way to accomplishing your fitness goals in 2012.

Remember to Get a Good Night's Sleep

If you’re like most of us who actually care about being fit and healthy, you try to eat right and exercise, but there’s one thing you might be overlooking: A good night’s sleep. Sometimes this even happens to us as a result of trying to get ourselves in better shape, which is kind of silly. In order to be truly healthy, we need to find a way to eat right and exercise, but also leave enough time to get a decent amount of sleep.

Each person’s needs are different, so I can't tell you to get eight hours or six hours. I can only tell you to experiment and see what works for you.

Here are some things you can do to ensure you’re getting the right amount of sleep:

1. Stop eating at least three hours before you plan to go to bed.

2. Don’t do anything too stressful in that three hour period. That means no work or watching emotionally taxing television programs (like something especially scary or sad).

3. Turn off the television about an hour before you plan to go to bed. This is a good time to have some pleasant conversation with a spouse or just simply relax. You can take a bath or read a book. Just know that this is a time to wind down.

4. Set a specific bedtime each night. Start by taking note of the time you want to be awake in the morning. If you want to be up at 6 a.m., go to bed by 10 p.m. Do this for a week and listen to your body. If you find yourself waking up way too early, you might be allowing too much time for sleep. Move your bedtime to a half hour later, and try that for a week. Keep adjusting your bedtime until you find one that works for you. The goal is for you to wake up just before your alarm clock rings. Just be sure to allow at least one week to adjust to every new bedtime.

The Importance of Portion Control

Those of you who know me, know that I have a problem with skipping meals. I have to be very diligent and stay on top of things to make sure I eat enough calories throughout the day. But, the real problem I have is this: after I’ve realized I skipped a meal, I’m so hungry that I end up eating way more than I should at one sitting. I’ve learned that this isn’t healthy either. It can lead to elevated blood sugar, which can eventually lead to diabetes. So, it is important to eat every meal and to eat healthy portions. As it turns out, it’s not so much the feelings of hunger that determine how much you eat in one sitting, but the size of your plate.

A few studies have been done on this matter. In one study, researchers gave moviegoers free, but very stale, popcorn. Not only was the popcorn two weeks old, but all the participants had just eaten a full meal, so they weren’t hungry. Still, those who were given a large-sized tub ate about 50 percent more than those who were eating out of a medium-sized tub.

In another study, graduate students and renowned nutritional science professors were given different sized bowls and scoops to serve themselves ice cream. There were small-sized bowls and scoops, and there were large-sized bowls and scoops. Those who had the combination of a large bowl and a large scoop ate 53 percent more ice cream than those who had the small bowl and scoop combo.

These aren’t the only two studies done on the matter – not by a long shot. There are too many to mention here, but I’ll give you just one more that I found interesting. This one showed that restaurant-goers were likely to eat much more soup when they were unknowingly eating out of auto-refilling bowls. Yes, this was more of a high-tech study. There were devices hid under the table to refill the soup slowly into the bowl, so the person eating wouldn’t notice.

All of these studies point to the same fact: We need to be cognizant of what we eat with. If you’re plates are larger than the standard plate, you’re very likely to be overeating at each meal. These studies also ruled out gender, age and financial status, as they found that you’re likely to eat more regardless of any of these factors. Whether you’re a vet tech or a brain surgeon, you’ll probably overeat if you’re given an oversized plate. 

Are Vitamins Good for Your Health?

If you follow the news about health reports, you're probably a little bit confused about whether you should be taking a multivitamin. And I certainly wouldn't blame you. I was confused, myself, so I looked into further to draw a conclusion of my own. I'll get to that, but before I do, I just wanted to mention that it's always best to do the work yourself and draw your own conclusions. But I know many of us are too busy, so I thought it would be helpful if I summed things up for you. From here, you can do your own research or not – it's up to you.
Research Against Vitamins

Recent research has shown that men who supplement with vitamin E and selenium are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer. This study actually began to prove whether vitamin E supplementation could reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. It was stopped when researchers found no conclusive benefit, but in a later follow up, they found that those on the vitamin E and selenium had a 17 percent greater chance of getting prostate cancer.

Another study of women in Iowa showed that women who took multivitamins and other supplements consistently for a 19-year period had an increased rate of mortality.

Examining the Research

Whenever you hear or read the results of any study, it's important that you get all the facts. I've provided links to more info each study, so you can learn more, if you'd like. It would be too long for me to summarize all of the details here, so I'm just going to point out what I think is important.

In the study of men taking vitamin E and selenium, the men were given a very high dose of each. The RDA of vitamin E is about 22.4 IU and the participants were given 400 IU. To be fair, may vitamin E supplements do contain as much as 200 IU, but that's still half the amount of what they used in the study. I don't know that 200 IU would increase the risk of prostate cancer and neither do they. More research needs to be done.

To conclude that multivitamins and other supplements increase mortality in women, researchers looked at the data from over three thousand women with an average age of 61.6. The increased rate of mortality for those taking multivitamins was 2.4 percent. The risk increased for those taking other vitamins including B6, folic acid and magnesium.

My Opinion on Vitamin Supplementation

From this research, and other research I've read, I wouldn't conclude that taking a multivitamin is risky. An increased mortality rate of 2.4 percent really isn't that high, and we don't know what the actual cases of death were. I would; however, conclude that taking high doses of any vitamin supplement is risky. I also believe that it's more of a risk to take individual vitamin supplements (including vitamin B6, E and selenium) than it is to take a multivitamin. This is probably because the vitamins are in higher dose when they aren't combined with other vitamins. We also don't know enough about the relationship between vitamins to take them independently. For all we know, giving the body calcium without vitamin D could be just as effective as giving a tattoo artist a needle without ink.

Pre New Year's Resolution: Eat More Real Foods

If you're anything like me, you're pretty fed up with New Year's resolutions. In fact, this year, I'm going to resolve not to resolve anything for New Year's ever again. But, that doesn't mean I don't want to improve myself; it just means that there isn't enough pressure surrounding the New Year's resolution. Everybody fails, right? So, why should I even bother trying? Some people even go as far as setting a goal they have no intention of fulfilling just to be part of the crowd.

At our New Year's party last year, my cousin announced that she was going to enroll in classes at Florida Tech online, but I knew she wouldn't. I think she even knew she wouldn't. So, why bother with it at all - especially if you're going to make such a specific and verifiable resolution. Let's just sidestep the whole New Year's resolution thing altogether. This year, let's make a December 14th resolution and stick to it. Let's resolve to eat as much real food as possible for the next year.

When I say real food, that's exactly what I mean. Real food isn't concocted in a lab and it doesn't last if you leave it on a shelf for 20 years. Real food is perishable, but it's also nutritious -- and delicious. In order to stick to this resolution, you'll need to clear your house from the worst temptations. That means, anything that's in a box or a can probably has to go. There are some exceptions, but if you're confused, just check the label. If there are ingredients you aren't familiar with or can't pronounce, throw it in the trash. Also, if you'd like, you can keep a few canned goods around as long as they are whole foods. Canned tomatoes, pumpkin and beans are the three exceptions I'm allowing for myself.

You'll notice I said "as much as possible." I'm giving myself this leeway so I don't have to stress when I'm at a friends house (nothing is more tacky than telling someone you can't eat because they aren't serving real food) ro at a restaurant. I've also included a few canned items to be realistic. Sometimes there are days when you need a quick meal and don't have time to cut open a pumpkin or soak beans overnight. I think it's really important to set realistic goals for yourself, so you'll stick to them. There's no sense in making grandiose resolutions that are only going to make you suffer. That's just not sustainable. That's probably why most resolutions fail. People feel pressure to make an impressive sacrifice. But, if you can't stick to it, who are you impressing?

Control Your Health with Home Cooked Meals

You’re not alone. We all love to have someone else cook for us. That’s why there are so many restaurants thriving in your neighborhood. From fast food joints to ethnic eateries, you can’t get enough of the easy meal. As long as you didn’t have to chop that onion, it’s all good, right? Well, not so fast. It isn’t just the ease of having the food prepared that’s got you addicted to restaurant food. Restaurant food nearly always has more sodium and fat than food prepared at home. And some restaurants (gasp) make it a habit to use unhealthy ingredients like MSG. Good for taste; bad for your waist.

Occasionally, a little indulgence is okay..

Eating at restaurants isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You certainly can learn how to order healthier meals and make it a little less harmful to your health. Also, restaurants are usually locally owned and operated businesses, so you’re supporting the local economy. And you get to feel a little pampered, so it’s definitely not all bad. Eating out has its place. Just don’t make too much of a habit of it. Instead, learn how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals at home – it’ll save you money and pounds of fat. It’s a win-win situation.

How to get started...

Even if you are a complete stranger to the kitchen, there are quick and easy meals you can prepare. In fact, there are entire cookbooks dedicated to novice chefs who don’t intend on spending hours slaving over a stove to get a good meal. Visit your local library and browse the culinary section. Maybe you can try a Cooking for Dummies type book to get you acquainted with the kitchen. Or, maybe a 30 Minute Meals type book would spark your interest. Just commit to choosing a recipe – and trying it out. Don’t choose anything too difficult or you might become frustrated with cooking before you even start.

Begin easy by making pancakes, muffins, or oatmeal. All three are relatively easy and can be made to be healthy. Just watch the sugar content of each. Try to cook with real foods as often as possible. By real food I mean just about anything that comes from the outer aisles of your grocery store. That includes fresh produce, meat and fish. While you’re in those aisles, look for foods labeled as organic. By doing so, you’ll avoid toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and other nasty things you definitely don’t want to ingest. By the way, unless a restaurant touts that they use organic ingredients, all of these toxins are likely included in your restaurant meal.

Taking it to the next level...

After you ease yourself into cooking, you might even like it. At this point, you can start trying more complicated (yet healthy) recipes like a vegetable lasagna or herbed spaghetti squash. Once you get the knack for it, you might even want to learn how to become a chef – but, for now, let’s take things slow and make some toast. 

Getting Water Wasted: The Importance of Hydration

While you’re running around from class to class, don’t forget to stop at the water fountain – frequently. The truth is, most people, college students included, do not get enough hydration throughout the day. While you’re learning, it's even more important to drink enough water in order to keep your body running at optimal performance. Otherwise, you leave yourself open to illness and grogginess – both conditions that do not lend themselves well to studying. You may not realize this, but if you’re like most students, you’re probably dehydrating yourself more than you are hydrating. You may already enjoy getting chocolate wasted (or the other kind of wasted) from time to time, but you should consider getting water wasted sometimes too. It's actually really good for your health!

Frayed Ends of Sanity – Coffee and Hydration
Coffee can be quite handy if you need to pull an all-nighter. Heck, it even has antioxidants that can help your body fight damaging free radicals. I’m not one to discourage anyone from drinking coffee, especially students who need to be alert for their studies. However, there is one thing you need to keep in mind while guzzling the java: It is dehydrating stuff. Coffee acts as a diuretic, which means it flushes water out of the body. This is the opposite of what you want to do to keep yourself healthy. Again, I’m not saying to give up the bean. I’m simply advising you to make up for the lost water throughout the day. Experts caution us to drink no less than eight 8-ounce glasses of hydrating fluid per day. If you drink one cup of coffee, you should add one cup of hydrating fluid to your total intake. This will make up for the dehydration that coffee causes. Hydrating fluids are any fluids that don’t dehydrate you. This includes fruit juices, sports drinks and all types of water. Water, of course, is the best choice; but some find it hard to consume that much water in a day. Just try to avoid soft drinks: The decaf versions may have some hydration value, but they have way too much sugar (or sugar substitutes) to be good for your body.


Livin’ it Up – Alcohol and Hydration
When you drink alcohol, you’re putting yourself in the same boat as when you drink coffee. Alcohol is also dehydrating. Although some studies indicate that one alcoholic beverage per day is actually good for your health, most research warns of the dangers of alcohol. Even moderate consumption has been implicated in an increased cancer risk, so give it some thought before you pick up that beer. Maybe you should get water wasted instead. I’m not so naïve so as to think that every college student will abstain from drinking, but I do hope you keep it responsible. Follow the same rules for coffee consumption: One additional cup of water per day for every alcoholic beverage you drink. If you know you’re going to have a few drinks later tonight, drink a few extra glasses of water during the day. Not only will it keep your body running smoothly, but it will also help you avoid a hangover the next day.

Nutrition and hydration are very complicated issues because they deal with the complex inner workings of the body; but you don’t need to learn how to become a nutritionist to keep yourself healthy. Simply follow the basic guidelines of eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily (and more if you drink caffeinated or alcoholic beverages), and you’ll be on your way to good health. If you’re on the fence about changing your ways, try to get a little creative with your water consumption. Add lime juice to the water and salt the rim of your glass to pretend you’re having a margarita. Or, pretend you’re at the spa with some refreshing cucumber water.