And Now Me!

This is, unfortunately, my last blog post but I have certainly enjoyed blogging these past few weeks. Nutrition and healthy lifestyle is something I'm very passionate about, though I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I am no extreme health nut- I love eating all different types of food, and I have my fair share of guilty pleasures.

I personally think that nutrition plays such a huge part in our national culture. It is cheaper to buy a full meal at McDonald's than it is to buy just an apple from the super market. Therefore, parents are more likely to buy their kids a meal from McDonald's because it is a larger quantity, even though they aren't getting anything nutritional out of it. Our need for immediate gratification and low budgets put a huge hindrance on our ability to have a full, well-balanced diet.

Once a week I see a nutritionist who has always emphasized the power of moderation, and thats the last idea I would like to talk to you about. Moderation refers to the quantity of food as well as the type of food you are consuming. It is perfectly okay to eat a variety of foods, anywhere from cake to fruit, but the key to staying healthy is therefore in portion size. Obesity isn't entirely the result of eating fattening foods, but rather overeating foods that would in any other instance be fine moderately. 

The best way to eat moderately is to be conscious of what is going on. In a super-sized society, we are often presented with more food than what we could ever possibly need. Be aware of your limits and stop when you are starting to feel full, and make sure if you lack one major food group in a particular meal that you make up for it in some other way that day.

Thank you again, and I wish you all "Healthy Living" :)

-Leigh

Eating with High Blood Pressure

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious problem that affects 25% of Americans. High blood pressure is the result of blockage in the arteries that causes excessive pressure on artery walls. It is commonly caused by too much sodium in our diets, which is hard to avoid, especially with the excessive amount of sodium used in much American food. According to the American Heart Association, everyone should limit their sodium consumption to 1500 mg a day. Hypertension can also be the result of insufficient consumption of calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Below are some recommended nutritional sources to increase Ca, K, and Mg levels!

CALCIUM:
Dried herbs, cheese, sesame and flax seeds, tofu, almonds, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables

MAGNESIUM:
Bran, cocoa powder (dark chocolate), almonds, cashews, molasses

POTASSIUM:
Spinach, baked potatoes, dried apricots, yogurt, salmon, avocado, mushroom, bananas

Hypertension can also be the result of stress. Review these tips for how to reduce stress!

• Eat regularly
• Eat healthy fats (omega 3 fatty acids)
• More fiber = high alertness and less stress
• Have healthy snacks with plenty of protein and fiber

A Day of My Life

So the end of this senior project health blog is coming, and this may be the very last post unless, I pick this up again at some random point in the future. As a result, I wanted to share a day in my life to show a real life example of living an overall healthy (still with room for delicious albeit not perfectly healthy food) lifestyle. One that I hope is easily applicable to your lives. 

Today I went into Boston and was able to take a couple of pics, so I'll use today as an example. This is sort of a closer look at my life, so hello and nice to meet you!

Although today was a Wednesday, I did not have to go to school (because of this project) and thus, today's schedule wouldn't fit for a normal week day activity, but more for a weekend sort of trip.

I woke up at 4 am this morning to send my sister off to the airport, and my dad came along. We breakfasted with a leftover bao zi and a hard boiled egg. I always start my day with a tall glass of hot water with some lemon juice freshly squeezed into it. For those of you who have no idea what a bao zi is, it is a Chinese steamed stuffed bun, similar to the filling you would find in dumplings.

Then, we said our goodbyes to my darling sister and my dad and I went off to go biking at 5:30 in the morning. It was slightly chilly this morning at 47 degrees, but dressed properly we were all set to go! We parked along the beautiful Charles River. (Photos from my iPhone)

The view from Cambridge's side near MIT campus. Isn't it beautiful?

 We got out our bikes, strapped on our helmets, and rode along the river bank and crossed the bridge back into Boston. Luckily, because it was so gosh darn early, there was hardly anyone else around and it was extremely peaceful.

We rode for about two hours with a rest stop at the Boston Commons in the middle where we sat and stifled our yawns. We later headed back to our car to go find a place to eat brunch.

With the help of Yelp, we found a cute restaurant in Somerville, MA called The Neighborhood Restaurant. The prices were great and the portions were generous as you might be able to tell from the pics. But above all, the food was delicious! I started with cream of wheat, OJ, and some coffee. Then tried a spinach and cheese omelet with some home fries. Needless to say, we left perked up from the coffee and recharged for the rest of the day. I'll use this moment to say that food is extremely important in maintaining your energy so as a result, if you're out and about all day it's fine to be more generous with your normal eating palate. You can make up for it later.

After eating, we left and explored Union Square Plaza so we could walk off some of the food. And along our way, we found this interesting painted wall and so we captured and celebrated our regained energy with a jump for joy!

Along our walk back to the car we found this:

I think it is definitely appropriate. Whenever you can, choose biking or walking over driving! It is not only healthier for the environment, but also great for your own health and fun to do.

On the way back home, I slept for half an hour and am now ready for the rest of the day. So remember, sleep is important too! Later for dinner I'll be eating lots of veggies and a little bit of protein. Then tonight, sleeping a nice good 8 hours of sleep hopefully.

Hope this helped give an example of how life can be lived healthily and can be achieved without any extra fuss. It truly is a fun and a happy lifestyle, so go out there and make the best of your life with proper fitness, nutrition, and equipped scientific knowledge! Cheers!

Anemia: The Key to Boosting Iron Levels

Anemia is a condition marked by low hemoglobin levels in the blood. Anemic people offer suffer from fatigue because their body is depleted of the oxygen levels needed to function properly. While there are many different forms of hereditary anemia, like sickle cell, the most common form is iron-deficiency anemia which is entirely treatable with a change in diet and iron supplements.

Bone marrow requires iron to produce hemoglobin, so when the body doesn't intake enough iron, the body cannot produce healthy red blood cells. Iron-deciency anemia can be caused by an iron-poor diet (common in youth and vegetarians), pregnancy, frequent blood donation, endurance training, and sometimes caffeine can negatively impact the body's ability to utilize iron. Children need 7-11 mg of iron a day, and women from 19-50 years of age need 18 mg (though they could potentially require more during pregnancy). Men and women over 51 years of age need 8 mg.

Here are some iron-rich foods to try to incorporate into your diet:

• MEAT AND EGGS
• Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork
• SEAFOOD
• Shrimp, clams, oysters, tuna
• VEGGIES
• Spinach, peas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, collard greens, kale
• FRUIT
• Strawberry, watermelon, figs, prunes, raisins
• BEANS AND OTHER
• Tofu, beans, lentil

10 min Workouts and such

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Personally, I love Pinterest. For those who do not know what Pinterest is, it is a social media networking site where each user is represented by the pictures they love. You "pin" images of your favorite things to boards based on categories that you create and basically, it amasses everything you love in one confined place. Other than the fact that it makes me happy, it is also extremely useful.

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Through Pinterest, I have found many helpful tips for living healthily through other user's health boards. Such boards include fitness regimens that are of short time amounts and are extremely useful for when
one is on a tight schedule.

So today, I will show you a couple of these pins to get you started, then you can be off on your way exploring the wonderfulness of new things out there!

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And there are also inspirational ones, motivational ones, helpful ones, and just plain great old advice to be found.

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Hope this helps! and you learn to see the brilliance in Pinterest :)

Rest

Rest is one of the most important aspects to consider when undertaking a new exercise regime. It is great to run everyday and have the motivation to keep up with your goals. However, you need to create time for your own body to recuperate. Just as anything, if you use something too long, it eventually gets worn out. That's why it is important for you to learn how to take care of your body.

The frequency of rest days and the type of rest depends on the intensity of your workouts. If you simply walk everyday or have a light run there is no need to take off a day unless you have an injury. If in fact you do have an injury, one day of rest may not suffice. Of course if you do want to take a day off just because, that is always understandable and perfectly respectable.

However in general, if you exercise at a medium to hard intensity level, a day of rest a week is recommended. This is so that your body can heal and recover from soreness, and growing lactic acid in the muscles. On this rest day, if you are not that sore, you can simply go about doing your average everyday lifestyle. However, if you find yourself in need of some sort of exercise, just not demanding on the bones, yoga and stretching can help.

Check out the Yoga for You post to see basic yoga poses to help stretch common muscle groups used in exercise for inspiration. If you are going to stretch, make sure you properly warm up your muscles before stretching deeply. This is explained in the flexibility post.

Another great soother for a rest day is swimming. Swimming is an all around toning exercise for the body that  gives no harsh impact on the bones. Simply doing the backstroke and laying on your back is fine. Enjoy the break from your usual intense workout.

I tend to have medium intensity level workouts, therefore, on my rest days I still exercise, but it is light and fun. Walking, biking, or yoga are my go-tos. In general I prefer having a rest day on Sunday, so that I can start my week off with a nice workout on Monday and follow it through the rest of the week. However, with my busy schedule, it varies. Even though I may not be able to follow it, I definitely recommend having your rest day on Sunday if your schedule allows. Being able to start your week on the right foot makes it so much easier to maintain proper health.

Make sure you take a day of rest! It is for your own wellness.

A Diabetes Diet Plan

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, is when the body doesn't produce insulin. Unlike type 1, type 2 is more commonly found in aged populations, where either the body doesn't produce enough insulin or simply ignores its presence. Despite popular belief, people at risk for diabetes can prevents its onset with a healthy lifestyle, and that starts with what you eat. There are many different methods for watching your diet including carb counting and glycemic index. However, studies show that the easiest and most efficient is the plate method.

The plate method refers to how we fill our plate at meal time to ensure that e are giving our body what it needs. Follow these easy steps when creating your plate:

Create an imaginary line down the center of your plate, and then divide one of those halves into a half (there are now 3 sections on your plate- 50%, 25% and 25%)

1. Fill the 50% with non-starchy vegetables
1. Spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy
2. Green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato
3. Veggie juice, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra
4. Mushroom, pepper, turnup
2. Fill one of the 25% sections with starchy foods
1. Whole grain products like bread and cereal
2. Oatmeal, rice, pasta, cooked beans
3. Potato, green beans, corn, sweet potato
3. Fill the last 25% section with a meat or meat substitute
1. Skinless turkey or chicken
2. Seafood (tuna, salmon, cod, shrimp, oyster, crab)
3. Tofu

Cardiometabolic Exercise: Walking

An easy way to get involved with actively moving each day is to enroll in your community centers' exercise classes, schools', YMCAs',or gyms'.These places are great because they give you a community to help keep you motivated. However, if group programs are not your thing, don't fear. Studies have shown that self-directed lifestyle activities are every bit as well as supervised structured exercise programs.

There are many different options to choose from for exercising. In planning your exercise, keep in mind your body type, personal goals, schedule, facilities available, and supports at your disposal.

Walk to Health
One of the special things about walking is that you don't need special skills or special equipment. In all weather you walk, just cover yourself up if its chilly, grab an umbrella if its rainy, and you're good to go!
However, if the weather is hazardous, do not endanger yourself. You can walk around your house, on a treadmill, or around a mall indoors.

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There are a couple of tips for walking:
Try to keep your posture erect with your chin up, eyes forward, shoulders square.
Keep back straight, belly flat, and buttocks tucked in.
Keep arms close to your torso, bent at your elbows.
Land on your heels, and then roll forward to push off with your toes.
Swing your arms with each stride, keeping up a steady rhythmic cadence.

Walk for transportation is great, also taking the stairs instead of the elevators are an excellent addition to your life. You can make walking as intensive or non as you want. Strolling or power walking or somewhere in between is all perfectly fine. However if you do plan on power walking please invest in a proper pair of shoes.

A good pair is one that fits comfortably and is built for walking. The shoes should feel supportive but not constricting. Look for a padded tongue and heel counter. The uppers should be light, breathable, and flexible. The insole, moisture resistant, and the sole, shock absorbent. And the toe box should be roomy even with thick athletic socks.

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Another key point is if you are walking outside where cars drive past, wear bring clothing! It is highly important that you do not camouflage into the road so that cars can see you and move around you. It is for your own safety, so help the cars notice you. If you're walking on the road, walk facing the cars, so basically opposite the side you drive.

Enjoy the Weather!

It's now full spring and the temperature outside is creeping upwards. The day is beautiful, getting longer, and becoming more available for going outside. However your life style is, you can fit in a fun workout outside.

Walking, running, biking, skating, scootering, skipping, galloping, etc. are great ways to enjoy the fresh open air. Especially during the weekends, take your family out to a bike trail or grab some friends and go roller blading.

For the weekdays, take time in the mornings to do some cleansing breaths, and get some fresh air by taking a nice morning stroll before heading off to work. This will relax you, prepare you mentally for the day, and awaken your mind.

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If mornings are busy, you can take a easy walk during your lunch break or after dinner. A good half an hour of moving is perfect with the coupling of fresh air.

On the weekends, try to do something new. Make your exercise an event. Maybe call up a couple of friends and play a pick up game of ultimate frisbee, soccer, or basketball. Take your kids out to a park, lake, or beach as the weather runs into summer.

Even though its still in the 60s and 70s please make sure to properly prepare yourself for the sunny weather. Proper hydration and sun protection is important for your own health. Always carry with you a water bottle and sunscreen.

Enjoy the outdoors!

Eating with Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is when tissue in your esophagus has burned as a result of acid from the stomach going into the esophagus, and despite popular belief, it can be treated entirely naturally. Acid reflux can be caused by many factors, commonly including obesity and overly acidic diet. To treat acid reflux, therefore, you will need to increase the alkalinity of your diet. Here are some general tips for foods low in acidity:

• Foods high in fiber (vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grain)
• Veggies high in minerals (cucumbers, lettuce, eggplant, and pumpkins)
• Drinks without carbonation or caffeine
• Gum (causes high salivation that neutralizes acids)
• Foods that are easy to digest (rice, fruit, aged cheese, beans and pasta)
• Foods high in digestive enzymes (fig, papaya, pineapple and yogurt)

Along with the foods that compose your diet, I also suggest changing hte periods, amount, and length of each meal you eat a day. For example, instead of having three large meals, try having six smaller ones. Large meals stretch the stomach and cause irritation. Preferably large meals should be eating during hte middle of the day as opposed to at night. When the stomach has a lot to digest, it speeds up and this causes acids to escape the stomach back into the esophagus, causing acid reflux.

Making Dinner for the Family

This week my friend and I cooked a healthy dinner which was quite delicious and I highly recommend it to you all! Plus, it only took 30 minutes to prep and its vegetarian!

The meal includes chilled tofu with scallions and soy sauce, kale chips, and rice. Below is a recipe for 2 servings, so you will need to adjust ratios for the amount of people you are cooking for. Rice is a recommended staple but you can eat this with just about anything!

TOFU:
Ingredients: 14 oz tofu (soft), 2 sliced scallions, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tbsp sriracha
Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a small, with the exception of the tofu.

2. Cut the tofu into squares and bathe in the sauce you just made. Put it in the fridge to chill and you are good to go :)

KALE CHIPS:

Ingredients: 1 head of washed and dried kale, 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F
2. Cut up the kale leaves into pieces 1.5 inches across. Lay them on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with olive oil and salt.
3. Cook them for 10 minutes, and then turn them over and cook for another 10 minutes.

Now all thats left is the rice, and bam! You have got a healthy, easy, quick and delicious meal for you and your family. Enjoy!

Avoiding Cancer

Although it is not conclusive that exercise can reduce the risks of getting cancer, it is certainly true that maintaining a normal weight and leading a healthy lifestyle can lower your chances of having cancer.

It is definitive that physically active men and women have around a forty to fifty percent less likely chance to develop colon cancer. The thought behind this is that physical activity allows your colon to process food and waste products more quickly, therefore allowing your colon less exposure to cancer-causing substances.

Breast cancer risks can be reduced as well with physical activity. However, the evidence is not as conclusive as it is for colon cancer. Active women have a thirty to forty percent less likely chance to develop breast cancer, because physical activity decreases a woman's exposure to estrogen. (In men, exercise can reduce testosterone exposure which allows for a lower chance of gaining prostate cancer.)

Some other benefits to exercise are as follows:

• boosting your immune system
• decreasing the amount of insulin circulating in your blood
• reducing levels of other hormones (excluding estrogen and testosterone)
• losing weight

Depressed?

Clinical depression is normally treated with therapy and anti-depressants. However, exercise seems to also show as a positive coping mechanism.

Aerobic exercise and strength training can actually be as effective as taking an anti-depressant or seeing a psychotherapist. The research isn't definitive, but there have been several studies that show regular exercise routines can help those with major depressive disorder.

So, if thats the case, aerobic exercise or weightlifting? Oddly enough, either form of exercise is equally effective. It seems that relaxation and stretching, like yoga, don't show effective results. It may also be helpful to join a gym that holds group exercise classes as social interaction can be of some assistance to cheering up the soul. (:

What makes exercise a useful treatment in fighting depression? Regular workouts usually provoke chemical changes in the brain, which correct imbalances of neurotransmitters like serotonin. Exercise also boosts self-esteem and body image. With the combination of these two results, exercise is a great way to fight depression.

What does metabolism actually mean?

Your metabolism, scientifically speaking, is the rate at which your body uses energy at any given moment, or in other words, the rate at which your body burns calories no matter what you're doing, whether it be watching a movie or going for an afternoon run.

Metabolism is used in many contexts. For example, you've probably heard a friend say, "I have such a slow metabolism!" Most often when he says that, he means, his metabolism is resting. A resting metabolism is the calorie burn required to keep your body alive and moving. Your resting metabolism is always around, because even when you're sleeping, your body needs energy to keep your heart rate up, your kidney's functioning, etc.

So what does your resting metabolism account for? Normally, it accounts for 60 to 75 percent of your total calorie burn for the day. However, your active metabolism accounts for 15 to 30 percent which is totally dependent on how much you move around during the day. The thing about your body is that it always requires spending energy to do anything. So, even when you're eating and digesting your food, you're still burning calories, although not much, just 5 to 10 percent. Nevertheless, your resting metabolic rate is personalized, meaning everyone's rate is different. It depends on your body size, genetics, and your muscle mass.

Yoga for You

Yoga is an absolutely amazing thing to practice for two main reasons. These reasons are that they provide a tremendous healing and transformational power as well as a calm confidence. Whether you choose to practice daily or use yoga as a rest day activity, yoga can suit every lifestyles.

Some few tips before you get started:

• Go barefoot
• Use a yoga mat to help with traction
• Warm up before trying to stretch too deep
• Let your eyes have a soft focus or be closed
• Move slowly into each pose to avoid injury 
• Know that discomfort is okay, but pain is not
• Breathe! Inhale and exhale through the nose. Not through the mouth, unless instructed to do so.

Adhere to these tidbits of advice, and you should be able to experience a very relaxing and enjoyable yoga practice.

So now that you know what to expect, here are some poses to try. Over the weekend, Leigh and I went out to practice some yoga to show that anybody can do it! They are perfect for people of all abilities. Do not worry about trying to bend further than is comfortable. Over time, the longer you practice, the more flexible you will get. In general, hot yoga is wonderful for extending your flexibility.

Child Pose
This pose is a great foundation pose for yoga. Whenever you feel tired and need a break, go into this pose.
Simply kneel with you knees together and place your forehead on the floor. Inch your arms forward and sit your bottom on your heels.

Folded Butterfly

This pose stretches and strengthens the lower back and hip areas. Sit with soles of the feet together in front of you, as close to your body as is comfortable. Hold onto your feet and flap your knees to relax your hips. With your hands on your feet, gently bring your head toward your feet and hold the posture.

Life Nerve Stretch

Sit high on your bottom with your legs stretched out in front of you. Keep your left leg straight in front of you, or slightly to the side. Tuck your right foot into the groin, with the heel as close to the top of your inner thigh as is comfortable. Inhale and stretch your arms up overhead, lengthening your spine. Exhale and bend forward, reaching your hands to your toes or any part of the leg that you can reach to give you a good stretch. As you move forward, bring your chest down to rest on your left thigh.

King/Queen Dancer

This gives a sense of elation and power, and improves your sense of balance. Stand straight with your arms at your sides. Bend your right knee so that your right foot is behind you. Take hold of the inner side of your foot with your right hand. Straighten your elbow. Stretch your left arm up close to your ear. Inhale and lean forward, lengthening the spine. At the same time, lift your bent leg and arm up behind you as high as possible.

Camel Pose
This pose builds strength in the muscle groups of the back. So called because according to yogic teaching, it helps grow control over hunger and thirst, just as a camel would. Sit on your heels with your spine straight and hands on your things. Then, kneel upright, reach back with one hand and grasp the heel on that side, then repeat on the other side. Press the hips and thighs forward to steady the pose and lift the chest up, tilting the head back, but not dropped fully.

Mantra Meditation

In this meditation, start off with one repetition of the mantra on the held inhalation and exhalation. Sit cross legged. Straighten the lower vertebrate, lift the chest, and draw the chin slightly in toward the neck. Rest your hands on your knees lightly. Press your first finger with your thumb. Close your eyes. Pull your navel slightly toward your spine and upward. A common mantra is Har Har Wahe Guru.

Tree Pose

This balancing pose adjusts the vertebrate of the spine and promotes good posture. Stand tall with your feet close together and your arms at your sides. Place one foot inside your opposite thigh, ideally top of the inner thigh. Steady yourself in this pose. When you feel ready, stretch the palms up toward the sky.

Spinal Twist

This gives a lateral stretch to the vertebrate, back muscles, and hips, keeps the spine elastic, and helps to retain side-to-side mobility. Sit with your spine straight. Raise the right knee. Place the right foot flat on the ground. Place the right foot on the ground outside your left thing, your right knee bent over your left leg. Place the right hand on the ground just behind your back. Raise the left arm up. Bring your left arm over to you right knee, and reach around to catch hold of the right ankle if possible.

Triangle

This pose stretches the spine and spinal nerves laterally. Stand with the feet 3-4 ft apart and your arms raised so that they are straight out to the sides at shoulder level. Pivot one foot 90 degrees out and turn other foot in slightly by moving the heel outward. Inhale, lower your right arm, and bring it to rest on your shin. Extend your left arm up from the shoulder with the palm facing forward. Look up toward the extended arm, straight ahead, or down at the foot.

Moon Salutation

Stand upright with feet close together. Inhale slowly and deeply as you raise and stretch both arms above your head. At the same time, arch your upper body backward in one smooth, unbroken line. This stretches and tones the abdominal area, improves digestion, and opens the lungs.

Warrior Balance

Stand with your left leg forward, right foot behind and turned out slightly. Inhale into full warrior pose. Exhale and lift the heel of your right foot up and lean forward with the spine lengthened. Keep your arms up and reach out and up as you shift your weight to your left foot and lift your right foot off the ground. Lift your back leg so that your body forms a straight line from our hands to your toes. Point your toes of the lifted leg.

Downward Facing Dog

This pose rejuvenates your whole body. An inverted pose, it allows for the reversed flow of gravity and increases the flow of blood to the head and heart. Stand up straight, set one leg one in front of the other, place both arms on the floor. Set the foot back with the other foot so that the hands and feet are about 3 ft apart. Your head should be pressed downward, aligning with your arms. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your hands and feet.

Cobra

This pose increases flexibility and rejuvenates the spinal nerves. Lie down on your front with your arms resting at your sides and your chin on the ground. Take a deep breath. Keeping your lower body relaxed, place your hands on the ground under your shoulders to prepare for cobra. Lead with the head and chest and curve your spine up and back into cobra as you inhale.

Heart Disease? (Obesity-Related Diseases)

It is important to be aware of the risks of having either or both high blood pressure and high cholesterol as it can eventually lead heart disease and stroke. Obesity can cause you to have high blood pressure and/or a high cholesterol level. However, the good news is that by simply losing a few pounds by either beginning to eat healthier or exercise for just a few minutes a day, you will be able to lower your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke.

Steps to Staying Healthy When Eating Out

1. Choosing a healthy restaurant
1. Find one that has a varied selection, but not buffet- that promotes excessive eating
2. In general it is good to avoid "entertainment eating"- places where musical or other entertainment groups perform because they often offer limited choices of fatty foods
3. Try to avoid spur of the moment thinking: consider what you want before you choose a restaurant, look at the menu online
4. Don't leave the house hungry (make sure to have a small snack 1-2 hours before you go to the restaurant)
2. Being cautious of first arrival
1. It is best to politely decline the free appetizers, like bread and butter or chips and salsa- they are often fatty and will curb your appetite for a more well rounded entree
2. Ask for water and sip it slowly- sometimes that can help reduce hunger
3. Ordering
1. Each restaurant differs in terms of portion size- don't be afraid to ask your server how big the plate is
2. Go colorful! Unhealthy options are often disguised in browns, beiges, and whites
3. Order one course a time so you don't overestimate how much food you have room for
4. Recommended appetizers include broth-based soups (avoid creams), seafood, fruits and veggies- they are light and contain many nutrients that most restaurant entrees lack
5. The key to a healthy salad is in the dressing- try to look for low-fat options, or perhaps something light and natural like a little bit of squeezed lemon juice
6. Look for bad prep words (fried, au gratin, etc) vs. good prep words (broiled, baked, grilled)
7. Be conscious of fatty (beef) vs. lean (fish, pork) meats
8. For a side dish, ask for an alternative to the classic french fries: many restaurants will have a variety to choose from including seasoned vegetables and rice that are much better
4. Eating
1. Eat the low calorie items on your plate first
2. Eat slowly
3. Stop when you feel close to full

Closer Look: Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge-Eating Disorder is classified as an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). However, it does not have a life-threatening consequence. Binge-Eating Disorder is defined as exhibiting recurrent binge eating without following a compensatory type of behavior like purging.

Symptoms include:

• frequent intake of large amounts of food in a short duration of time
• having no sense of control over eating during an episode
• feeling guilty, disgusted, and depressed because of over eating 
• eating alone because embarrassed of the amount of food intake 
• eating when not hungry/eating when uncomfortably full

Since no compensatory behavior takes place, BED can ultimately lead to clinical obesity. With obesity comes the regular health risks of being overweight. Some health risks include: 

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• heart disease
• diabetes (type 2)
• gallbladder disease
• musculoskeletal issues

Binge-Eating Disorder effects more women than men. Some people who suffer with BED can be of average or above average weight. Most people feel shame and guilt for their overeating. BED is often associated with depression. 

Mind-Body Exercise: Yoga

Yoga is a great form of exercise for people of all ages and all abilities. There are so many different types, so finding one that suits you the best is possible. Most of the types are branches of Hatha yoga, which focuses on the pose more than the spiritual aspect. All yoga workouts include a blend of strength, flexibility, and body awareness exercises. It requires focus in order to balance as seen in the picture below.

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Yoga is not an intensive exercise like the cardio of running. As a result, it burns less calories with the average person burning around 240 calories per hour in a typical yoga class. Therefore, yoga is more for the mental well-being of the person and shouldn't be used to focus on losing weight only. To see significant weight loss success, supplement your yoga with cardiovascular activity and improved eating habits.

You can be as intense of a follower of yoga by leading the yogi life-style or simply practice it on your days of rest to relax your muscles.

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Next week, yoga how-tos will be put up! Until then, Namaste.

Mind-Body Exercise: Stretching

Mind-Body exercise means any exercise that requires a conscious effort to link how you're feeling to what your body is doing. This generally includes stretching, yoga, and meditation. These are different that other exercises because unlike running or swimming, each pose requires you to do it in a thoughtful manner.

The Importance of Stretching:
Stretching is key to maintaining flexibility. Flexibility is required to do simple tasks such as reaching for the light switch or bending down to pick up something. Moving, bending, jumping, and running all require a level of flexibility. Maintaining flexibility is imperative for you to be able to do tasks comfortably.

As you grow older, your tendons shorten and tighten, causing stiffness. This explains for the inability for the elderly to walk as gracefully or with their back as perfectly straight as the younger generations.

Although stretching has been proven to not relieve soreness after a workout or reduce risk of injury, stretching after a workout when your muscles have already been warmed up is the best time to work on your flexibility. Flexibility is key for balance and coordination.

When you stretch, make sure you do not stretch until you are properly warmed up. You do not want to pull a muscle. Usually, after 3 minutes of cardio exercise is enough time for your muscles to be ready to be stretched. For each stretch, hold it for 30 seconds. Any longer is not necessary.

Basically, stretching is not as important for avoiding injury or soreness in the short term. However, in the long term, the increased flexibility will help avoid injury through better balance and coordination gained from it. So stretch!

Closer Look: Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)

EDNOS is having a combination of signs and symptoms of both Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Thus, like each disorder, EDNOS can lead to death.

Since EDNOS is not one specific disorder, but a combination of two defined disorders, the signs and symptoms are the same as those of each disorder. You can show signs from both disorders.

However, there are some discrepancies with EDNOS. Some examples include:

• in females, menstruation still occurs although person still exhibits anorexic behavior
• all symptoms classify person as anorexic, but person exhibits normal range of weight (bulimia sign)
• compensatory behavior occurs less frequently than the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa 
• purging without binge behavior (can be referred to as purging disorder)

The commonality of all eating disorders is the emotional and physiological suffering you may be going through. 

Supermarket Success

Grocery stores are designed so that in an ideal world, we would only have to circle the outskirts of the store. Think about it; the outer walls contain the dairy, meat, vegetables and fruit- everything you need for a well balanced diet. The inner aisles are comprised mostly of processed foots, such as cereals, chips, and candy. Obviously for no one to ever go in the middle aisles is unrealistic, and I hope from today's blog you can learn how to navigate those center aisles effectively :)

The key to discerning the smart choices from the unhealthy ones is in the nutrition facts label. Knowing how to read a label is essential to making informed decisions for what to feed yourself and your family. Below is a common example of what a nutrition facts label will contain:

It is so important to start with the serving size because that is what determines the calorie quantity and nutrient levels listed below. One package of a food can be entirely one serving, or can be made up of many smaller servings. Your levels of consumption are all relative to the serving size. Another important tool is calories. If a serving contains less than 40 calories, it is considered low, around 100 moderate, and 400 and above calories is high. Another important tool is the %DV (percent daily value). These values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet per day, serving as a frame of reference for any diet.

There is also a financial component to supermarket success. By devising a well-considered list of necesseties, it avoids frequent returns and impulse buying. In addition, take note of the significant difference in pricing between fresh and canned vegetables. If, for example, a vegetable is a small component in a dish you are planning, I advise you to consider the canned, and thereby cheaper, version.

Here are some more helpful tips on successful shopping:

• Avoid the displays at the end which encourage impulse shopping
• Shop while full
• When choosing from a variety, whether it be meat, veggies, or fruit, take note of each option and choose for meat the leanest or for veggies/ fruit the ripest

Closer Look: Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa is the action of bingeing with an intent to compensate the binge eating with self-induced vomiting. This type of eating disorder can lead to a life-threatening result. People with Bulimia Nervosa typically look to be of average weight.

Developing Bulimia Nervosa starts with regularly digesting large amounts of food at once showing no signs of control over when to stop eating and regularly compensating for over eating with behaviors like making yourself vomit, taking laxatives, fasting, and/or exercising excessively. Usually, you show major concern over your weight and body shape.

Like Anorexia Bulimia and any type of eating disorder, early detection is crucial for recovery. Therefore, knowing some of the signs of someone with Bulimia Nervosa is important.

• finding evidence that large amounts of food has been consumed in a short period of time
• constantly making excuses to use the bathroom right after a meal, followed by smelling of vomit
• discovering laxatives
• unusual swelling of cheeks or jaws
• calluses on the back of hands and knuckles as a result of self-vomiting
• constant exercise no matter if injured, bad weather, busy
• living very routine in order to work in times to binge-purge 
• discoloration of teeth

Bulimia Nervosa does not just put your mental health at risk but also your physical health. The constant cycle of binge/purge can ruin your entire digestive system. Purging can also create electrolyte and chemical imbalances that can have an effect on your heart and other organs. More specifically, it can lead to irregular heart beats that can in turn cause heart failures. Purging can also cause inflammation and rupture in the esophagus and tooth decay. 

Strength Training

Strength Training is extremely vital to your health in addition to cardio exercise. As you age, you lose about one-third of a pound of muscle each year while gaining about a pound of fat starting in  your mid-thirties. Because muscle accounts for a higher metabolism, losing it can cause fat gain. As a result, it is imperative that weight lifting is part of your workout as well.

Strength Training = Preserves muscle mass + strength + metabolism

Ideally, you should work each major muscle group two or three times a week. Less means no result, more means overwork and fatigue. The easiest way to maintain your muscle is to first develop a significant amount of strength from training two or three days a week, then being able to just train once per week.

A good schedule given by Liz Neporent and Suzanne Scholosberg is:

Day 1: Upper Body

Day 2: Lower Body

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Upper Body

Day 5: Lower Body

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest

Upper body is working the chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and abs.

Lower body is working the buttocks, quads, hamstrings, calves, and lower back.

As you can see, in a given week, you are working each group twice. Allowing the other group to rest by alternating days.

It is best to do each rep 15 times during the beginning stage, then upping your weights so that your muscles fatigue within 10 reps. When lifting that amount of weight is no longer a challenge, then increase the amount. Good luck!

Closer Look: Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-proclaimed starvation and thus, excessive weight loss. It can develop in both male and female, but more commonly, it is seen in female adolescents.

It is important to know the symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa in order to be aware if either yourself or a loved one may be developing this disorder as recovery can be enhanced with early detection.

Some of the symptoms include: resistance to maintain your body weight at or above normal weight (according to age and height), intense fear of gaining weight or becoming "fat," disturbance of body weight or shape (e.g. denial of weight even though severely underweight), and a loss of menstrual periods in girls and women (post-puberty). If these symptoms turn into an actual dramatic loss of weight, denial of hunger, refusal to eat (including constant excuses being made around meal times), excessive exercise, and loss of interest in friends and hobbies, then it is crucial to seek help as you or a loved one may be in the process of developing an eating disorder.

Living with Anorexia Nervosa inhibits the body to functional normally, because the body is denied the essential nutrients. The body will start to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy, which eventually will lead to serious fatalities. Some health risks are as follows. The body's heart beat will become abnormally slow and blood pressure will start to lower. This puts the heart at risk for failure. The body's bone density will diminish causing the body to develop osteoporosis. The body will experience muscle loss and weakness; it will also become severely dehydrated, which can lead to kidney dysfunction. Although hair will begin to drop, hair will also begin to grow all over the body in attempts to keep it warm.

Being Vegan or Vegetarian

People choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons, whether it be ethical, health-related, or religious. A vegetarian does not eat poultry, meat, or fish, whereas a vegan not only does not consume meats but also the byproducts of animals, such as milk and eggs. If you have decided this is the right path for you, don't worry; you can still satisfy all your dietary needs. The key to a healthy vegetarian diet, as with any, is to eat a wide variety of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grain.

Many fear the drop in protein involved in the transition from regular diet to vegetarian, but this is a common misconception. It is entirely possible to satisfy one's protein needs without consuming meat. Protein can be found in almost all foods, with the exception of alcohol and sugar. A few excellent sources of protein include tofu, nuts, lentils, beans, and peas.

For vegans, finding a tasty and nutritional dairy substitute can be a daunting task. Substitutes include soy (milk, yogurt) and rice (milk) products. Here is a delicious recipe for a dairy free smoothie!

Strawberry Soy Smoothie

1 ripe banana

2 cups strawberries

1 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons of honey

Now that you have a basic foundation, it's time to get started! Everyone loves burgers- try this healthy new, vegan twist on the American classic! :)

Garbanzo Bean Burgers

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas), mashed
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/4 small onion, minced
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons oil

Use this mixture to make patties and fry them up! Serves 6.