Some of us have the idea that good health takes a lot of work, but in reality the most important steps boil down to routine maintenance, and many healthy habits can even feel indulgent.
Reducing stress with fun “me-time,” taking a break for a little walk, eating great food, getting some healthy sun? That sounds more like a vacation than a health regimen. Yet, according to Dr. Guita Tabassi, a Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada OB/GYN at Southern Hills Hospital, these are core elements to a healthy lifestyle that will carry us through all seasons and our whole lives.
Tabassi’s top tips are culled from 15 years of experience, and although some seem drawn from traditional wisdom, they’re backed by the latest research as well. Better still, most of the tips for a healthier lifestyle are simply enjoyable, which makes sense because good health is a key to enjoying life.
Pay attention to yourself
Many of us pay more attention to our families, friends and neighbors than we do to ourselves, but checking in every once in a while is integral to a healthy life. One way to do this is to stop consulting “Dr. Google” and maintain annual appointments with your general physician.
“It’s better to be proactive and not wait until the body crashes or develops a severe medical condition that requires you to go to the emergency room or seek a physician, and at that point it may be too late,” Tabassi said. “Prevention is always key.”
Eat healthy food
Developing daily positive eating habits will do more for your weight and overall health than chasing the diet of the moment.
“Eating more dark green vegetables decreases the acidity of your body. Maintaining an alkaline (non-acidic) state decreases the risks of cancers and other diseases. Adding fruits that are rich in antioxidants, such as berries, also contributes to fighting disease,” Tabassi said.
She added that too many people overlook their protein intake: “Get good protein and fiber to balance the insulin sugar ratios and keep the sugar leveled all day long, which decreases cravings and weight gain.”
Another key: Try to eat small portions frequently, and avoid eating before bed. Try to eat more organic food and avoid preservatives, energy drinks and soda as much as possible.
Get healthy sun exposure
We all know the dangers of too much sun. But Tabassi asserts you still need a certain level of exposure; you just have to do it right.
“From putting on so much sunblock and sun-protective gear, we haven’t been able to produce enough vitamin D in our body,” she said. “Because of that, we’re noticing a lot of vitamin D deficiency in our patients. Vitamin D deficiency plays a role in a lot of medical diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis and depression.”
The safe sun exposure needed to produce vitamin D varies by individual, so it is best to consult your physician and have your vitamin D levels tested.
Sleep early or sleep in — it’s good for you
This one is no joke and it’s on a lot of health care professionals’ radar in recent years: We just don’t sleep enough.
“The more hectic our lives become, the more we cut down our sleep,” Tabassi said. “Back in the ’60s and ’70s, adults were sleeping 8 1/2 to 9 hours. Nowadays it’s 7 1/2 and less. The recommendation is 7 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep a night for adults to maintain their health.” It’s vital to reach deep REM sleep for your body to achieve muscle repair, memory consolidation and hormone regulation.
Stress management — infuse relaxing fun into your life
Increasingly, too much stress is recognized as a contributor to health problems.
“Our plates are extremely full with kids, soccer practices, different activities and full time careers most of the time,” Tabassi said. “Adding more and more to what is already a full plate creates a lot of chaos in our heads, and that turns into anxiety and stress, which can bring out a variety of diseases — and in the long run, it can wear a body down.”
Tabassi recommends changing how we respond to stress by creating “me time” with hobbies, exercise, meditation and yoga, and delegating responsibilities to a spouse or other family member. Indulge yourself with fun and relaxation — it’s literally good for you.
Make movement fun
People make a big deal out of exercising. “They think they have to hire a trainer, go to the gym, get special shoes and outfits,” Tabassi notes.
This starts to make people less likely to actually exercise — it seems like too much work.
“It becomes overwhelming and they talk themselves out of it,” she said. “Bottom line: Put on your sneakers and walk. Then, when you feel the benefit of getting fresh air in your lungs and getting your heart rate going, you can add other exercises.”
The effects of exercise have been proven over time to decrease the risk of developing various health problems, and it is one of the only ways to fight weight gain and aging. Simply being sure to move around as much as possible during the day is an important first step to an exercise regimen. Take a walk with your loved ones or your dog. It’s a simple and happy step toward good health.
Health News Micron & Associates Hong Kong Blog: Achieve Your Fitness Goals, 5 Tips That Will Help You
on Tuesday, January 27, 2015
“Dear Santa, This year please give me a big fat bank
account and a slim body. Please don't mix those two up like you did last year.”
Plenty of us made healthy New Year’s resolutions for 2015
— “I will finally lose those 10 pounds,” “I will fit in my old jeans,” “I’m
giving up carbs.”
Yes, setting goals may be the first step to achieving
them, but why do we almost always find ourselves back in our old routines,
making the same exact resolutions over and over again every year?
Let’s make 2015 different. Let’s make it count! Here are
5 simple steps to help you really achieve
your fitness goals this year.
1) Set small,
reasonable goals
It’s easy to set unrealistic goals with the motivation
boost we get on January 1st. Two weeks in and still way too far from reaching
our goal, we start finding excuses not to go to the gym, or worse, completely
give up and binge on chocolate chip cookies.
The solution?
Set a series of smaller, more realistic goals that act as stepping
stones, not as a long jump to your final target. You are more likely to
achieve specific and reasonable goals like “I will lose 1 pound this week,” or
“I will walk 10,000 steps today,” than “I will lose 20 pounds,” or “I will run
a marathon.”
Start small and take it slow, it will pay off in the end.
2) Do something
you actually like
Hate crunches? Then don’t do them! Exercise is supposed
to be fun and make you feel good about yourself, not the other way around.
Challenges are always welcome, but if you find yourself
really not enjoying your workout, then you won’t be doing it for long. So
change things around — try a new class or ask your friends what they like
doing.
Who knows, maybe bar method is your thing, or you will really
like spinning! Experiment to
find the best fit.
3) Good old
portion control
As boring as it sounds, portion control is still an
effective way to cut down on calories without the pain of letting go of your
favorite foods.
Let’s be honest, none of us will be giving up our guilty
pleasures for a whole year.
So how about enjoying them in moderation, while still
being able to see results on the scale?
Figure out what portion of your favorite food equals 200
calories, and enjoy it as a side or a snack in your diet. Without the pain of
cutting off entire food groups, you will be more likely to stick with your
weight loss routine.
4) Make it easy!
If getting to the gym takes you an hour on the freeway,
you will clearly be less likely to commit to your workout goals. So make it
convenient!
If you are a gym person, pick a gym close to home or
work, and pack your bag the night before so even if you are running late in the
morning, you can simply grab-and-go.
If you like exercising outdoors, pick a park or pathway
close by, and ask a friend to join! Research shows that a workout buddy who is
slightly fitter than us can motivate us to push ourselves harder during a
workout.
Plus, you don’t want to be that person who ditches her
friend on an early morning jog, do you?
5) Don’t be hard
on yourself!
Getting off track is part of the progress. Think about it
this way — if something goes wrong at work, do you quit your job? If you get
into a fight with your partner, do you break up with them right away?
Same logic applies to your fitness goals. If you fall off
course, skip a few workouts, or lose track of your diet, simply get back up and
continue where you left off. It is not important how slow you go, as long as
you don’t stop!
Health news Micron & Associates Hong Kong Blog: Top 3 health tips: easy ways to lose weight
on Sunday, January 25, 2015
Would you like to cut about 500 calories from your daily diet
without even realizing it? All you have to do is turn the following tips into
habits, and you'll drop one pound per week, 26 pounds in six months, or 52
pounds by next year!
Stick to the strategy from Prevention magazine, published by
Rodale of Emmaus, and watch the scale drop to a new low.
SNACK IN AFTERNOON, NOT MORNING
1. If you're divvying up your total daily calories among five or
six smaller meals to control hunger and lose weight, you may be able to get by
with one less snack and slim down even more. According to one study, a
mid-morning snack is less effective for weight loss than a mid-afternoon one.
IGNORE THE WORDS 'LOW FAT'
2. It may sound counterintuitive but a Cornell study found people
eat up to 50 percent more when a product is labeled low-fat. This is known as
the "halo effect," because it makes the product appear healthful,
prompts us to feel virtuous and — you guessed it — we end up eating more.
Here's the rule: Eat the same amount of the "skinny" version as you
normally would the "fat" version and you'll cut calories.
EXERCISE IN THE MORNING
3. Women who work out in the morning reduce their appetite and
boost their total physical activity throughout the day, according to researchers.
But here's the fine-print: The appetite-reducing effect only lasts for a short
time, until body temperature returns to normal after exercise. However, since
moving in the morning apparently encourages more movement all day, try four or
five short bursts of activity (take the stairs, park in the outer reaches of
the parking lot, do some crunches …) for best results.
More tips? Just visit Micron Associate website. It's All About
Your Health News Blog. Inspiring ideas for everyday
living. We care about what works--what is sustainable, prosperous, productive,
creative, and just--for all of us and each of us. This isn’t easy, but we are
not afraid to fail. We’ll figure it out as we go.
Health News Micron & Associates Hong Kong Blog: 7 tips for eating healthier in 2015
on Wednesday, January 21, 2015
TORONTO – Eat more fruit and vegetables. Hit the gym every day. Cut down on sugar, salt and processed fare. New Year’s resolutions are hard to maintain, especially when they’re unsustainable. General goals are lofty, so it’s easy to fail.
Global News asked a handful of Dietitians of Canada experts from coast to coast for their tips on hitting the health reset button in the new year.
Remove distractions so you can eat mindfully: Try to eat your meals at the dining room table at home and in the lunchroom at work — without distractions, according to Saskatoon dietitian Brook Bulloch. If this is a foreign concept to you, you might want to start with one or two meals a week and go from there.
“Savour the flavour of your food and pay attention to the texture, taste and color of your food. You can also ask yourself whether you truly enjoy the food you are eating,” she suggests.
Avoid fad diets that forbid entire food groups: If you create strict rules — don’t eat fried food, give up sugar, cut out all carbohydrates, for example — you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Don’t start with a laundry list of changing either. Instead, make one change to your diet and commit to it for a couple of weeks before adding another change, says Andrea Miller, a Durham, Ont. dietitian.
“You could try switching from white rice to brown rice. Or you could try packing a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack – instead of searching for a sweet treat when at work or school. These small changes will add up in the long run,” Miller told Global News.
Track your goals and make them count: Your goals should be SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely, according to Angel Ong, a Montreal-based dietitian.
That means you can’t get away with “Eat healthy in 2015” generic objectives. Instead, say “I will eat at least two servings of vegetables each day in January.”
Use free smartphone apps to help you track your progress. She suggests eaTracker, but others are also popular: MyFitnessPal, PactApp, Fitocracy and Day One have also been recommended by experts to Global News.
Create a healthy eating environment at work: You spend at least 40 hours a week at work, where you’re tempted by a coworker’s birthday cake, pizza lunches and morning donuts with coffee. These temptations could sabotage your attempt at carving out healthy habits, says Kate Comeau, a Halifax-based dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians of Canada.
“Studies suggest that when snacks are visible and accessible, we eat more. Help your coworkers and yourself by sticking to healthy snacks or less frequent treats,” she said.
Other experts told Global News that when you’re hitting vulnerable parts of your workday — that 3 p.m. lull when you’re craving a snack for example — create a new habit, such as taking a 10-minute walk during that time of the day.
Give meatless meals an honest try: You could be convinced that you need meat in each of your meals, but keep in mind that legumes, such as beans, lentils and pulses are also great sources of protein.
Legumes are also sources of soluble fibre, which can lower harmful cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol) and they maintain even blood sugar levels, according to Toronto-based dietitian Christy Brissette.
Legumes are also packed with iron. A Canadian study released in 2014 suggested that just a single serving a day of these pulses can cut down on bad cholesterol by as much as five per cent over the course of six weeks and decrease your risk of heart disease.
Use measuring cups or a food scale to help you learn portion sizes: You may have relied on your hands to help you navigate portions – a fist is about a cup, a palm as a rough guide to 3 ounces of meat. Vashti Verbowski, a Vancouver-based dietitian, is calling on consumers to pull out the measuring cups and food scales to help them understand how much they’re eating.
“The larger the portion we serve ourselves, the more we tend to eat. If you want to lose or maintain your weight this year, revisit your portion sizes. Find out what a ‘usual’ portion size looks like for you, then scale your portions down,” she advised.
If you usually pile up two cups of potatoes or rice on your place, for example, aim for one cup instead. Fill the space with non-starchy vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers, green beans or broccoli.
Get in the kitchen: If your 2014 was spent at the drive-thru, with take-out menus, and eating out of Styrofoam boxes, try to get back in the kitchen, says Waterloo-based dietitian Andrea D’Ambrosio.
“We have become increasingly dependent on ultra-processed food, convenience foods and restaurant meals. This year, choose to cook your own food more often,” she told Global News.
Start small – promise to cook up a meal once a week and match a large batch so there’s extra that you can freeze or take to work. When you prepare your meals at home, you control how much salt, fat and sugar is in your diet.
Global News asked a handful of Dietitians of Canada experts from coast to coast for their tips on hitting the health reset button in the new year.
Remove distractions so you can eat mindfully: Try to eat your meals at the dining room table at home and in the lunchroom at work — without distractions, according to Saskatoon dietitian Brook Bulloch. If this is a foreign concept to you, you might want to start with one or two meals a week and go from there.
“Savour the flavour of your food and pay attention to the texture, taste and color of your food. You can also ask yourself whether you truly enjoy the food you are eating,” she suggests.
Avoid fad diets that forbid entire food groups: If you create strict rules — don’t eat fried food, give up sugar, cut out all carbohydrates, for example — you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Don’t start with a laundry list of changing either. Instead, make one change to your diet and commit to it for a couple of weeks before adding another change, says Andrea Miller, a Durham, Ont. dietitian.
“You could try switching from white rice to brown rice. Or you could try packing a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack – instead of searching for a sweet treat when at work or school. These small changes will add up in the long run,” Miller told Global News.
Track your goals and make them count: Your goals should be SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely, according to Angel Ong, a Montreal-based dietitian.
That means you can’t get away with “Eat healthy in 2015” generic objectives. Instead, say “I will eat at least two servings of vegetables each day in January.”
Use free smartphone apps to help you track your progress. She suggests eaTracker, but others are also popular: MyFitnessPal, PactApp, Fitocracy and Day One have also been recommended by experts to Global News.
Create a healthy eating environment at work: You spend at least 40 hours a week at work, where you’re tempted by a coworker’s birthday cake, pizza lunches and morning donuts with coffee. These temptations could sabotage your attempt at carving out healthy habits, says Kate Comeau, a Halifax-based dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians of Canada.
“Studies suggest that when snacks are visible and accessible, we eat more. Help your coworkers and yourself by sticking to healthy snacks or less frequent treats,” she said.
Other experts told Global News that when you’re hitting vulnerable parts of your workday — that 3 p.m. lull when you’re craving a snack for example — create a new habit, such as taking a 10-minute walk during that time of the day.
Give meatless meals an honest try: You could be convinced that you need meat in each of your meals, but keep in mind that legumes, such as beans, lentils and pulses are also great sources of protein.
Legumes are also sources of soluble fibre, which can lower harmful cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol) and they maintain even blood sugar levels, according to Toronto-based dietitian Christy Brissette.
Legumes are also packed with iron. A Canadian study released in 2014 suggested that just a single serving a day of these pulses can cut down on bad cholesterol by as much as five per cent over the course of six weeks and decrease your risk of heart disease.
Use measuring cups or a food scale to help you learn portion sizes: You may have relied on your hands to help you navigate portions – a fist is about a cup, a palm as a rough guide to 3 ounces of meat. Vashti Verbowski, a Vancouver-based dietitian, is calling on consumers to pull out the measuring cups and food scales to help them understand how much they’re eating.
“The larger the portion we serve ourselves, the more we tend to eat. If you want to lose or maintain your weight this year, revisit your portion sizes. Find out what a ‘usual’ portion size looks like for you, then scale your portions down,” she advised.
If you usually pile up two cups of potatoes or rice on your place, for example, aim for one cup instead. Fill the space with non-starchy vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers, green beans or broccoli.
Get in the kitchen: If your 2014 was spent at the drive-thru, with take-out menus, and eating out of Styrofoam boxes, try to get back in the kitchen, says Waterloo-based dietitian Andrea D’Ambrosio.
“We have become increasingly dependent on ultra-processed food, convenience foods and restaurant meals. This year, choose to cook your own food more often,” she told Global News.
Start small – promise to cook up a meal once a week and match a large batch so there’s extra that you can freeze or take to work. When you prepare your meals at home, you control how much salt, fat and sugar is in your diet.
Micron Associates Health and Fitness on Dangers of sitting still (Part 2): How to reduce sitting time
on Monday, January 5, 2015
We have previously posted why sitting for long hours is actually a dangerous thing to do, so for this second installment we're hoping to give some pointers that could help all of us sitters prevent a health disaster.
Like what Micron Associates Health and Fitness mentioned before, little changes in your routine can make a big difference. Whether you're just watching the telly or working at the computer, taking periodic breaks and short walks are commonly recommended. The idea is to get you to move more, which is way easier to do once you've managed to stand up.
So to give us perpetual sitters some tips on how to avoid the dangers of sitting without switching desks (or jobs), here goes:
- Stand up every few minutes and maybe do a light chore like sweeping or arranging stuff on your desk.
- Ditch the remote control so every time you want to switch channels, you'll have to stand up.
- Go somewhere else while working on your laptop instead of just getting stuck at your cubicle. You can go to the pantry and place your laptop on the counter while you're standing.
- Intentionally keep office supplies and rubbish bins far away from your desk.
- Need something from your officemate? Stand up and go up to him instead of sending him an IM. Not only will you get a chance to stretch your legs and take your eyes off the monitor, you'll also exercise your social skills.
- Use the Pomodoro technique of setting a timer (or an alert app), ideally every 20 minutes, suggested Micron Associates Health and Fitness. Apparently, frequent intervals in between tasks can increase productivity. This way, you can also break down your tasks into 20-minute chunks which should be easy to accomplish.
- During coffee breaks or trip to the bathroom, always take the longer route. Use the bathroom on a different floor so you'd be obliged to take a couple of flight of stairs. For instance, if you're on the 6th floor, use the bathroom on the 3rd floor or if you're working on the ground floor, take the stairs and go up a couple floors.
- Instead of a large mug or a water carafe stationed at your desk within arms' reach, keep a small cup of water with you. This way, you'll have to get up regularly to the water cooler to fill it up. Not only will you keep yourself busy, you'll have the side benefit of frequent trips to the toilet -- added exercise.
For all this sitting-is-bad-for-you talk, we don't really mean to dissuade everyone from sitting after a hard day's work. Keep in mind that what we're talking about here is sitting still for long periods of time and having very little muscle activity.
Like what Micron Associates Health and Fitness mentioned before, little changes in your routine can make a big difference. Whether you're just watching the telly or working at the computer, taking periodic breaks and short walks are commonly recommended. The idea is to get you to move more, which is way easier to do once you've managed to stand up.
So to give us perpetual sitters some tips on how to avoid the dangers of sitting without switching desks (or jobs), here goes:
- Stand up every few minutes and maybe do a light chore like sweeping or arranging stuff on your desk.
- Ditch the remote control so every time you want to switch channels, you'll have to stand up.
- Go somewhere else while working on your laptop instead of just getting stuck at your cubicle. You can go to the pantry and place your laptop on the counter while you're standing.
- Intentionally keep office supplies and rubbish bins far away from your desk.
- Need something from your officemate? Stand up and go up to him instead of sending him an IM. Not only will you get a chance to stretch your legs and take your eyes off the monitor, you'll also exercise your social skills.
- Use the Pomodoro technique of setting a timer (or an alert app), ideally every 20 minutes, suggested Micron Associates Health and Fitness. Apparently, frequent intervals in between tasks can increase productivity. This way, you can also break down your tasks into 20-minute chunks which should be easy to accomplish.
- During coffee breaks or trip to the bathroom, always take the longer route. Use the bathroom on a different floor so you'd be obliged to take a couple of flight of stairs. For instance, if you're on the 6th floor, use the bathroom on the 3rd floor or if you're working on the ground floor, take the stairs and go up a couple floors.
- Instead of a large mug or a water carafe stationed at your desk within arms' reach, keep a small cup of water with you. This way, you'll have to get up regularly to the water cooler to fill it up. Not only will you keep yourself busy, you'll have the side benefit of frequent trips to the toilet -- added exercise.
For all this sitting-is-bad-for-you talk, we don't really mean to dissuade everyone from sitting after a hard day's work. Keep in mind that what we're talking about here is sitting still for long periods of time and having very little muscle activity.
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