Healthy News

If you work from home, chances are that you spend a lot of time at your computer. This can take a toll on your health. Here are some helpful tips:

-Set up your desk with ergonomic guidelines. Be sure you have a comfortable and supportive chair and that you are positioned well for typing.

-Don’t eat at your desk. Not only will your desk be filled with bacteria but it’s certainly healthier to get away from the desk for periodic breaks. Try vacuuming your keyboard once in a while and consider wiping your mouse and keyboard with cleansing wipes regularly as well.

-Take breaks. If you are getting sore wrists, RSI / carpal tunnel could be setting in. Doing wrist exercises and wearing a supportive brace could help as well as buying a gel keyboard rest.

-Take a day off once in a while. People who have their own home based businesses are more likely to work seven days a week. Your body and your mind need rest and you’ll not just feel better with occasional days off but it’ll help you rejuvenate your mind as well.

Who doesn’t love a BBQ? Barbequed meat and grilled veggies tantalize our senses and are the epitomy of summertime. When you hear that bbq’d meat contains carcinogenics, it can be saddening and leave you with the urge to pretend you hadn’t heard. But is it truly safe to do a lot of barbequing?

Experts say that when you grill that meat to a mass of charred flesh, it’s more dangerous than lightly grilling. Varying meats and the temperature as well as the time spent cooking are all risk factors. Cooking the meat with cherries or in certain marinades (such as turmeric or teriyaki) is said to lessen production of some of the dangerous chemicals.

Helpful Resources:
http://www.worldhealth.net/news/barbecue_meat_chemicalsgrilling_and_canc
http://ihealthbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/02/barbecue-tips-how-to-grill-less-cancer-risk/
http://www.usaweekend.com/01_issues/010701/010701eatsmart.html

I’m a bzzagent. This means that I get to hear about new products and sometimes I get to try them for free. I create buzz (aka bzz) about the product and report back to The Hive to report to the company what people think of their products. It’s pretty cool.

DanActive is a current campaign that I thought was worth mentioning here on this health blog because it contains loads of health benefits such as: LCasei Defensis—which helps to strengthen your natural defenses.

Probiotic yogurt is healthy for your digestive system and your immune system and this is a yogurt drink which makes it easy to grab one for breakfast or as a snack and do your body some good. Flavours are: cranberry raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry and there’s only 90 calories per bottle plus it is low in fat.

Worried you might not tolerate it well due to lactose intolerance?

According to Danone, some people who normally have problems digesting dairy can have an easier time with DanActive due to the fact that “live cultures help break down the lactose”.

You don’t need to join the gym to get fit. Ok, so you don’t love exercise either so it isn’t just about going to the gym but working out at home can make exercise a bit more bearable. A lot of people would prefer to work out in the privacy of their own home. There are a lot of things you can use at home to help you get fit but not everyone has room for a Bowflex (even though the new Bowflex is smaller) a treadmill or a regular size elliptical machine. Don’t dismay, there are some great portable workout equipment options as well. Check out some portable workout equipment, buy a yoga mat and some resistance bands, plus a stability ball and a rebounder and you can set up a workout space that helps you get fit and toned.

Another idea is to buy some workout DVD’s. Wear a pedometer so that you can see how many steps you’re taking a day. Each step you take is a step closer to a healthier you!

It’s January 6th, are you still sticking to your health-related new year’s resolutions? Whether you’ve decided to quit smoking, lose weight, , eat better, exercise, take your vitamins, etc, etc, it’s not futile to attempt new and improved habits every year. January is a new beginning and new health resolutions just might stick.

Some of the above resolutions might seem hard to stick to but here are some you can definitely try to do all year long or just once to benefit you all year long!

-exercise more. Even just a few extra walks around the block are helpful
-take care of your teeth. Add flossing or 2 dentist appointments per year to your schedule
-add more colour to your plate. Natural colours, that is. We’re not talking Froot Loops. Eat your veggies!
-Eat breakfast. Even if you’re not a breakfast person, try doing it for the rest of January and chances are, your body will start to want it and it’ll be easy to keep up with as a habit
-Schedule a physical/pap test, etc. Doing this one thing will benefit you for the rest of the year!

Happy New Year!

What’s the Brat diet?
The BRAT diet is an acronym for the following foods:

- Bananas
- Rice
- Apples
- Toast

This is an ideal diet for someone who has diarrhea, is vomiting or has a general feeling of malaise. If diarrhea is present these foods can be helpful and binding.

Comforting a sick child

When a child is ill, it can be difficult to comfort them. Having a pajama day in front of the tv with favourite movies can be helpful with plenty of liquids, a bowl in case of being sick, tissue and lots of hugs.

What if medicine is thrown up?

When a child has been throwing up medicine, it’s not a good idea to simply re-administer the pain relief or anti-nausea medicine in case they have consumed some. If this is a case of medication for other purposes such as a serious health condition it’s best to call your doctor’s office, the local ER or your pharmacy for advice about the need to re-administer.

When should you resume a regular diet?

As soon as your child is feeling well enough to resume a regular diet, they can. If your child is young and taking infant formula or being breast fed it should continue to be offered even in the presence of diarrhea. If symptoms continue to worsen do be sure to seek medical advice. The situation is mostly likley going to be a stomach bug or food poisoning but could also be something more serious so if symptoms worsen do seek help.

If you’ve got kids that complain about healthy snacks, it’s time to make healthy snacks more appealing! Here’s a few tips

-Decorate muffins with healthy food such as cream cheese frosting, raisins and peanuts (a great alternative to cupcakes with candy decorations!)

-Make ants on a log with celery, Cheez Whiz and raisins. You can also do this with peanut butter instead

-Make healthy bagel or english muffin pizzas by using chopped vegetables as toppings. You can do the same with fruit for a dessert pizza!

-Make trail mix with healthy stuff but insert just a few treats so the child doesn’t feel completely deprived of junk. Just a few Smarties in with a healthy trail mix or candied peanuts when most of the mix is raisins, nuts, dried fruit, etc can work really well.

A little imagination can help your child eat healthier without their feeling like they’re being deprived of the yummy stuff.

If you’ve come up with great healthy snacks for your kids, feel free to share!

If you’re wound too tight it could impact your health in more ways that one. What do you do when stress is overwhelming? Here are a few tips:

Make a To Do List

Often, feeling overwhelmed can be overcome when you get a real grasp on everything you need to get done. Make a to do list and prioritize it. As you put checkmarks on the list you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment which will take the edge off.

Organize

Disarray can stress you out and make completing tasks take longer. You might feel like you don’t have the time to organize but trust me, taking a few minutes to tidy your environment will remove a weight from your shoulders and enable you to increase your productivity signifiantly!

Stress Release

Get some stress relief! Exercise, clean the house, treat yourself to a little outing. Doing these things can help you burn off nervous energy! Conversely, if you cannot calm down try learning relaxation techniques and doing things like Yoga or Tai Chi.

Take care of yourself by eating well, paying attention to medical red alerts (when something seems ‘off’ in your health) and take one day at a time.

Instead of eating a 100-calorie chocolate bar that’s known as a ‘tease’ leaving you wanting more (how many of you have eaten 2 or 3 instead of one in a sitting? Exactly!) why not find 100-calorie snacks that are: good for you, satisfying and help you lose or maintain weight.

Try snacks such as:
-popcorn. A big bowl can equal 100 cals and get you full plus satisfy that salty/crunchy craving
-raw vegetables and low fat dip
-a bowl of cereal
-crackers and peanut butter
-yogurt
-fruit
-handful of nuts

If you absolutely need to have chocolate or cookies and want to watch your portion size, of course by all means buy a 100 calorie option but the point of today’s post is that by eating healthier on a regular basis you’ll find your cravings satisfied and new acts will quickly become habits and the junk food cravings will become fewer and further between.

Get your immune system ready now before winter germs set in. Here are some tips:

-Take a multivitamin daily
-Clean the house well before you let it get air tight for Winter
-Use coconut oil. It’s proven as an immune system builder
-Eat more fruits and vegetables
-Wash your hands often
-Get a physical
-Make sure you’re getting enough sleep
-Get enough exercise

Avoiding getting run down can minimize your chances of getting sick and we all know how important diet and exercise is for our immune systems. Eat immune system boosting foods like coconut, vitamin C, probiotics and prebiotics and drink plenty of water as well. Getting healthier now will get you through the winter with reduced chances of illness.