Laughing Makes Your Brain Work Better, New Study Finds

By SARAH FIGALORA

Ever have trouble remembering where you just left your keys? Just laugh it off. New research suggests that humor can improve short-term memory in older adults.

In a recent small study conducted at Loma Linda University in Southern California, 20 normal, healthy, older adults watched a funny video distraction-free for 20 minutes, while a control group sat calmly with no video. Afterwards, they performed memory tests and had saliva samples analyzed for stress hormones.

You guessed it; those who got to laugh the 20 minutes away with the funny video scored better on short-term memory tests, researchers said. And salivary levels of the stress hormone cortisol -- a memory enemy of sorts -- were significantly decreased in the humor group.

"Learning ability and delayed recall become more challenging as we age," said study author Dr. Gurinder S. Bains, a Ph.D. candidate in Rehabilitation Sciences. "Laughing with friends or even watching 20 minutes of humor on TV, as I do daily, helps me cope with my daily stressors."

The less stress you have, researchers said, the better your memory. It works like this: humor reduces stress hormones, lowers your blood pressure, and increases your mood state, according to Dr. Lee Berk, a co-author of the study and associate professor of Allied Heath.

The act of laughter -- or simply enjoying some humor -- increases endorphins, sending dopamine to the brain to provide a sense of pleasure and reward, Berk said.

That, in turn, makes the immune system work better and changes brain wave activity towards what's called a "gamma frequency," amping up memory and recall.

Want to lower your stress levels?

"Begin by laughing more daily," Bains said. "It will improve your quality of life."

So, maybe you don't have to feel bad about all that time you spend watching funny videos at work?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/laughing-makes-brain-work-study-finds/story?id=23393053

7 Signs You Have Too Many Toxins In Your Life

BY   BRITTA ARAGON


You think you’re healthy, but you don’t feel vibrant. You struggle to find the energy to get through the day. You’re irritable. Your stomach isn't acting right. And all those headaches!

These types of ailments affect many of us in our daily lives. They’re not serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor — or maybe you tried only to be told there was nothing wrong — but they still tend to drag you down, wearing away your resistance and leaving you feeling like you’re just getting old.

I have good news for you — it probably has nothing to do with aging. Instead, you may simply be surrounded by too many toxins.

Not sure? Here are seven signs to look for — and how you can clean up your system and feel better in 30 days!

Note: Always check with your doctor to eliminate any possible medical conditions as causes of these symptoms.

1. Consistent fatigue

Even if you’re sleeping well, you may fight to get through the day. This could be a sign that your body is working too hard to get rid of the toxins you’re pouring into it. How do you cope with fatigue? If you’re answer is “more coffee” or “sweet foods,” you can bet that you’re only making the problem worse. That fatigue could also be in response to hormone disruptors that are zapping your immune system.

2. Stubborn weight gain

It’s never easy to lose weight, but if you’re exercising daily and cutting back on calories and you’re still putting on the pounds, you could be looking at a hormonal problem. Strangely enough, our natural hormone function can be greatly affected by the toxins in our foods and personal care products. You need a complete detox of your diet and personal care routine to give your body a fighting chance.

3. Bad breath

You brush and brush, chew gum, rinse, and swallow breath mints, and still, you can’t get rid of it. Bad breath is often related to digestive problems, but it can also mean that your liver is struggling to get rid of the toxins in your body. Until you tackle the problem from the source, you’ll continue to scare away anyone who comes close!

4. Constipation

The intestines get rid of a lot of toxins every day of our lives. When we’re constipated, we’re storing up all those toxins, allowing them to negatively affect our bodies. In addition to stomach upset, constipation can cause headaches, aches and pains, and tiredness. It can also be related to the toxins in your life, especially if you’re consuming a lot of processed foods filled with chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives.

5. Sensitivity to scents

Strong reactions to smells — particularly fragrances — might mean that you’re simply sensitive to chemicals, which many of us are. It can also mean that your body is fighting toxic overload. Particularly if you suffer headaches or stomach upset simply from scents, this may be the case.

6. Muscle aches and pains

If you can’t tie these to your workout yesterday, could be that the toxins in your life are working away at your muscles and joints. This is more likely if you experience muscle aches on a regular basis.

7. Skin reactions

Acne, rashes, and other skin problems may signal a toxic overload. Acne, in particular, can be related to the toxins in our diet or skin care products. Puffy eyes and eczema or psoriasis outbreaks can also be signs that you've just reached your toxic limit.

My Solutions

If you find yourself suffering from any of these seven symptoms, here are a few tips that may help:
Support your liver with things like dandelion tea, parsley, cilantro, and milk thistle.
Drink more water — it helps flush toxins out of your body.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Exercise gets the circulation moving, helping to move toxins along.
Get a good daily supply of digestion-supportive probiotics, found in kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, Kombucha tea, miso soup, tempeh, and kim chi.
Always brush your tongue — even better, use a tongue scraper—when brushing your teeth.
Practice deep breathing — we get rid of a lot of the toxins in our bodies through our lungs.
Use only natural skin care products that are free of fragrances, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, and other potentially toxic ingredients, and always read labels. Use my Ingredients to Avoid list to find safer options.
Choose clean, whole, and organic foods whenever possible!
Here's to living a healthy, toxin-free life!

http://newfreebooks.com/amazing-superfoods-to-boost-your-health-naturalhealthsherpacom/d9ebb0a2c399775e531b2184d8c496e7/

Study Questions Fat and Heart Disease Link

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

 
A new study questions the relationship between heart disease and saturated fat.

Many of us have long been told that saturated fat, the type found in meat, butter and cheese, causes heart disease. But a large and exhaustive new analysis by a team of international scientists found no evidence that eating saturated fat increased heart attacks and other cardiac events.

The new findings are part of a growing body of research that has challenged the accepted wisdom that saturated fat is inherently bad for you and will continue the debate about what foods are best to eat.

For decades, health officials have urged the public to avoid saturated fat as much as possible, saying it should be replaced with the unsaturated fats in foods like nuts, fish, seeds and vegetable oils.

But the new research, published on Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, did not find that people who ate higher levels of saturated fat had more heart disease than those who ate less. Nor did it find less disease in those eating higher amounts of unsaturated fat, including monounsaturated fat like olive oil or polyunsaturated fat like corn oil.

“My take on this would be that it’s not saturated fat that we should worry about” in our diets, said Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, the lead author of the new study and a cardiovascular epidemiologist in the department of public health and primary care at Cambridge University.

But Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the findings should not be taken as “a green light” to eat more steak, butter and other foods rich in saturated fat. He said that looking at individual fats and other nutrient groups in isolation could be misleading, because when people cut down on fats they tend to eat more bread, cold cereal and other refined carbohydrates that can also be bad for cardiovascular health.

“The single macronutrient approach is outdated,” said Dr. Hu, who was not involved in the study. “I think future dietary guidelines will put more and more emphasis on real food rather than giving an absolute upper limit or cutoff point for certain macronutrients.”

He said people should try to eat foods that are typical of the Mediterranean diet, like nuts, fish, avocado, high-fiber grains and olive oil. A large clinical trial last year, which was not included in the current analysis, found that a Mediterranean diet with more nuts and extra virgin olive oil reduced heart attacks and strokes when compared with a lower fat diet with more starches.

Alice H. Lichtenstein, a nutritional biochemist at Tufts University, agreed that “it would be unfortunate if these results were interpreted to suggest that people can go back to eating butter and cheese with abandon,” citing evidence that replacing saturated fat with foods that are high in polyunsaturated fats – instead of simply eating more carbohydrates – reduces cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Lichtenstein, who was not involved in the latest study, was the lead author of the American Heart Association’s dietary guidelines, which recommend that people restrict saturated fat to as little as 5 percent of their daily calories, or roughly two tablespoons of butter or two ounces of Cheddar cheese for the typical person eating about 2,000 calories a day. The heart association states that restricting saturated fat and eating more unsaturated fat, beans and vegetables can protect against heart disease by lowering low-density lipoprotein or so-called bad cholesterol.

In the new research, Dr. Chowdhury and his colleagues sought to evaluate the best evidence to date, drawing on nearly 80 studies involving more than a half million people. They looked not only at what people reportedly ate, but at more objective measures such as the composition of fatty acids in their bloodstreams and in their fat tissue. The scientists also reviewed evidence from 27 randomized controlled trials – the gold standard in scientific research – that assessed whether taking polyunsaturated fat supplements like fish oil promoted heart health.

The researchers did find a link between trans fats, the now widely maligned partially hydrogenated oils that had long been added to processed foods, and heart disease. But they found no evidence of dangers from saturated fat, or benefits from other kinds of fats.

The primary reason saturated fat has historically had a bad reputation is that it increases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL, the kind that raises the risk for heart attacks. But the relationship between saturated fat and LDL is complex, said Dr. Chowdhury. In addition to raising LDL cholesterol, saturated fat also increases high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the so-called good cholesterol. And the LDL that it raises is a subtype of big, fluffy particles that are generally benign. Doctors refer to a preponderance of these particles as LDL pattern A.

The smallest and densest form of LDL is more dangerous. These particles are easily oxidized and are more likely to set off inflammation and contribute to the buildup of artery-narrowing plaque. An LDL profile that consists mostly of these particles, known as pattern B, usually coincides with high triglycerides and low levels of HDL, both risk factors for heart attacks and stroke.

The smaller, more artery-clogging particles are increased not by saturated fat, but by sugary foods and an excess of carbohydrates, Dr. Chowdhury said. “It’s the high carbohydrate or sugary diet that should be the focus of dietary guidelines,” he said. “If anything is driving your low-density lipoproteins in a more adverse way, it’s carbohydrates.”

While the new research showed no relationship overall between saturated or polyunsaturated fat intake and cardiac events, there are numerous unique fatty acids within these two groups, and there was some indication that they are not all equal.

When the researchers looked at fatty acids in the bloodstream, for example, they found that margaric acid, a saturated fat in milk and dairy products, was associated with lower cardiovascular risk. Two types of omega-3 fatty acids, the polyunsaturated fats found in fish, were also protective. But a number of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly found in vegetable oils and processed foods, may pose risks, the findings suggested.

The researchers then looked at data from the randomized trials to see if taking supplements like fish oil produced any cardiovascular benefits. It did not.

But Dr. Chowdhury said there might be a good explanation for this discrepancy. The supplement trials mostly involved people who had pre-existing heart disease or were at high risk of developing it, while the other studies involved generally healthy populations.

So it is possible that the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids lie in preventing heart disease, rather than treating or reversing it. At least two large clinical trials designed to see if this is the case are currently underway.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Health&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs

10 Tips To Get Better Sleep Tonight

BY   MICHELLE BLAND 

A good night’s rest is essential for effective thinking and learning. Lack of sleep can hurt these cognitive processes by impairing alertness, attention, concentration, reasoning and problem solving. These are all things we need to get through our day with ease.

In addition, not getting enough sleep is a huge safety hazard on our roadways. Being drowsy when behind the wheel can slow your reaction time down to the same levels as drinking and driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year in the U.S. The problem is greatest among people under 25 years old.

Here are my top 10 tips to help get your beauty rest:

1. Keep a consistent schedule.

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends. Consistency is important here. Set a regular bedtime each night. Make it a time when you're normally tired anyway. Then wake up at the same time. If you're getting enough sleep, you should wake up without an alarm. I know most of us have to use an alarm, hit snooze and drag ourselves out of bed each morning. With the proper schedule, this will eliminate the dreaded alarm clock.

2. Take a nap if needed.

If your body needs to make up for lost sleep, naps are perfectly fine. Taking a daytime nap is better than sleeping late, especially on a weekend. Make sure to nap early in the afternoon and try to make it no longer than 30 minutes so it doesn’t disrupt your bedtime routine.

3. Increase your light exposure during the day.

Try to spend more time outside during the daytime. Take a break from work and go outside for a nice walk when the weather permits. Let as much natural light as possible into your home or office during the day.

4. Naturally boost your melatonin at night.

Turn off all electronics before you go to bed. Many people fall asleep to the TV but this is a mistake. The light suppresses your natural melatonin production and the TV can actually stimulate you rather than calm you down. This is the same when you get in bed and search Facebook or Pinterest on your phone. Instead, try listening to soothing music or a meditation CD or app on your phone. Make sure you room is dark and relaxing.

5. Make your bedroom more inviting and calming.

Keep the noise down in your room. If you live in a busy area where there is always noise outside, try using a fan or white noise to drown it out. Keep your room cool as well. Being too hot, or too cold, can affect the quality of sleep you get each night. Also, make sure your bed is comfortable. I know I have to have my sheets tucked in just right before I get in bed. My husband couldn't care less about having the sheets in the proper place but he knows it's essential for me to be comfortable. Find what works best for you, as we're all a bit different.

6. Eat dinner earlier in the evening.

I know some families don’t eat until 9 p.m. or even later. You should be eating about four hours before bedtime to ensure proper digestion before you hit the hay. If you have a fatty dinner, then get in bed, you could get heartburn or a slight stomachache, as a heavy dinner takes a lot of work for your stomach to digest.

7. Cut down on the caffeine.

If you are drinking coffee or soda in the afternoon, it's going to be much harder to get to bed at your chosen time. Try to cut out all caffeine by noon each day and stick with water and herbal decaffeinated tea the rest of the day to ensure a good night’s rest.

8. Get movement into your day.

Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. You don’t have to go to the gym and pump iron to get the effects. You can take a walk with your dog or do yoga poses at home and still get the benefits.

9. Relaxation and deep breathing.

If you find yourself lying in bed but unable to sleep, try taking deep breaths to clear your mind and relax your body. I love to relax my entire body by starting at my feet. You tighten the muscles for a few seconds then release. Do this all the way up to your head and you will be amazed at how relaxed you feel when completed. This is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

10. Don’t stress about sleep.

Focusing on the time and calculating how many hours until the alarm goes off doesn’t help things. I know, because I'm guilty of this, especially when I have an early flight to catch. Try to make relaxation your goal, not sleep. Work to clear your mind, and if you find you're worrying, or having anxiety about the following day, write it down in a notebook next to your bed and allow yourself to put those thoughts at rest. This ritual can greatly reduce the racing thoughts that go through our heads when we finally let our bodies relax.

You owe it to your body to take care of it and sleep is a huge part of self-care. We put gas in our car when it's empty and we charge our cellphones when the battery is low, so it only makes sense that we take care of ourselves and get the proper rest we need to function at our best capacity.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12275/10-tips-to-get-better-sleep-tonight.html

The One Yoga Pose You Should Practice Daily

Yogi Irene Pappas shares her go-to pose.

I've noticed that no matter how hectic my life may get, there is one yoga pose I can't go a day without. Our bodies are all different, so different poses may appeal to us, but Uttanasana (standing forward bend) is the one pose I make sure to practice at least once daily. Two minutes is all it takes to completely revitalize my body and mind with this easy stretch.

When practicing this pose I gently bend my knees as I visualize hinging from my hips in order to fold in half. By keeping the breath in my chest and making my stomach as small as possible I can fold like origami. Every inhale I lengthen through the crown of my head and every exhale I fold deeper, keeping my upper body heavy and relaxed.

Some benefits of this pose:

Stretches the hamstrings and spine

Improves digestion

Diminishes fatigue

Relieves stress and headaches

Remember to always listen to your body, and to ease gently into and out of this pose. Do not get discouraged if you can't touch your toes- devote two minutes at least once or twice a day and see the difference in how you feel after a few weeks. Allow this time to connect you to your body and your breath, and to practice acceptance with yourself.

http://www.worldlifestyle.com/health-fitness/the-one-yoga-pose-you-should-practice-daily

Vessyl: A Smart Cup That Counts Liquid Calories

By Amy Schlinger for Life by DailyBurn

How many calories do you think you drink daily? According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the average American sips down 400 calories a day, 37 percent of which comes from sugar-sweetened beverages. So how do you get to the bottom of what’s in your cup—especially without always knowing the exact nutritional facts of its contents? And without counting calories all day long? The solution could be right at your fingertips, with a simple tilt of a glass.

Vessyl is a cup designed to automatically assess what’s been poured into it and track what you’re drinking in real-time. Put any type of liquid into the cup, whether it be soda or juice or coffee, and the Vessyl’s advanced sensing technology breaks down the fluid to a molecular level in order to identify the beverage. It can even differentiate brands like Pepsi versus Coke, plus, it gives caloric make up including total grams of sugar, fat, protein, sodium and caffeine.


The cup then connects through low energy Bluetooth technology to an accompanying iPhone or Android app. This allows the cup to utilize Pryme, its hydration estimation portal which gives users personal recommendations to make healthier choices, and track your habits to see if you’re making progress toward your goals. Choose a lens within the app—calories, sugar content, fat, protein, sodium or caffeine—tilt the cup to the side and watch as its discreet screen comes to light telling you information on what’s in the cup. The information is automatically transferred to the app for effortless analysis.

Drinks are one of the easiest ways to take in excess calories, sugar and fat. And because liquid calories are so plentiful these days, you could triple the amount of corn syrup recommended for a health diet in just a few sips. Justin Lee, CEO of Mark One, the company behind Vessyl, noticed this and wanted to create a way people could keep track of intake in real-time.

“There are plenty of devices that track activity, but Vessyl is the first ever consumer product to automatically track your consumption in real time,” he says. “Beverages are a major source of unnoticed calories, and Vessyl gives you the tools to easily know what you’re really drinking and motivate you to make healthier choices.”

Vessyl has a non-stick interior and comes with a spill-proof lid and coaster-like charger. One hour on the charging station gives the cup a week’s worth of battery—perfect for those on-the-go. The Vessyl is currently available for presale for $99 with a $50,000 consumer demand goal to begin production. The device will eventually retail for $199 and the first batch is expected to ship in 2015.

But how smart will this smart cup really be? We won’t know until we sip.

To learn more about the Vessyl or preorder one at a discounted price, head to MyVessyl.com.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/20/vessyl-a-smart-cup-that-counts-liquid-calories.html

Want To Detox? Eat This Superfood

In a world where toxins seem to be everywhere, a food that sucks those bad chemicals right out of your body seems like a science fiction dream-come-true. Well, broccoli sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables like kale, may just be the amazing detox food we’ve all been waiting for!

According to NPR, a new study published online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research suggests that consuming broccoli sprouts helps people get rid of common pollutants benzene and acrolein (which you’re exposed to when at a gas station, around smokers or in a heavily polluted area).

For the study, 300 Chinese adults drank a beverage made with broccoli sprouts every day for three months. Drinking the beverage, the researchers found, led to high rates of the pollutants in participants’ urine, leading scientists to believe that the broccoli sprouts sped up excretion of those terrible toxins. In fact, it was found that drinking broccoli sprouts upped excretion of benzene by a whopping 63%.

NPR is reporting that scientists speculate that a compound found in cruciferous vegetables (hello, kale!) may be playing a big role in getting rid of the toxins. Apparently, this compound causes enzymes to increase their activity, so they remove a greater amount of toxins from the body.

For now, load up on those broccoli sprouts if you’ve been hanging around the gas station! And stay tuned for more research on how cruciferous veggies can help you detox!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14238/want-to-detox-eat-this-superfood.html

5 Reasons You Should Eat Goji Berries Every Day

5 Reasons You Should Eat Goji Berries Every Day

Goji berries are known as one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. 

They have been considered a healing food in traditional Chinese medicine for

 over 5,000 years to help eyesight,boost immune function, and promote longevity.

We should all add more goji berries to our diet. Here are five reasons you should

 eat goji berries every day:

1. They give you vitamins A, C and the B vitamins.

Goji berries are an excellent source of B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, and 

niacin. They contain 500 times more vitamin C per weight than an orange and 

generally have more beta-carotene than carrots. A ¼ cup serving of goji berries

 contains 180 percent of your RDA of vitamin A and 30 percent of your RDA of 

vitamin C.

2. They’re low in calories.

Goji berries are an excellent, healthy snack choice. A ¼ cup serving of dried goji 

berries has 220calories. Since they’re nutrient-dense and sweet, those 220 

calories go a long way.

3. They’re a complete protein.

According to Kirk Bachelder in “Dried Goji Berries,” as quoted by Livestrong, 

“goji berries contain 19 amino acids, including the eight essential amino acids. 

These berries therefore are a nearly complete source of protein, providing 

13 percent more protein than weight.”

4. They’re anti-inflammatory.

Beta-sitosterol is an anti-inflammatory agent that is present in goji berries. 

It can help lower cholesterol, protect against heart disease, and promote 

sexual health. The Vegetarian Times writesthat “Beta-sitosterol has been used 

to treat everything from fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, hair loss, chronic

fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. It is a plant substance similar to 

cholesterol that appears to lower cholesterol levels by limiting the amount of 

cholesterol that can enter the body.”

5. They taste great in vegan dishes.

Goji berries can be cooked into vegan dinner dishes, eaten in vegan breakfast

 bowls, or eaten dried as a snack. They’re great in muffins, raw desserts, salads, 

and energy bars. They’re often eaten dried, but they’re also available as a powder, 

juice or supplement. Try making gluten-free goji berries, goji energy bites, quinoa 

salad with figs, purslane and goji and raw vegan chocolate pudding tart with 

coconut cream and goji berries.

Goji berries are packed with antioxidants, B vitamins, iron, and they’re a complete

 protein. Add this superfood to your diet to reap its many benefits.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/5-reasons-you-should

-eat-goji-berries-every-day/

21 Ways To Stay Healthy When You Sit At A Desk All Day

BY   REBECA PLANTIER 

For those of us who sit down at a desk most of the day, health and well-being aren't always easy to work into our lifestyles. Still, the facts show that we must be proactive about eating well and moving enough during the day in order to avoid weight gain, stress and flagging fitness.

Sitting down all day long is one of the worst things for your health, as it increases the likelihood of heart disease and weight gain — among other ills. We sit down at the office, then we sit in the car, and once home, we sit to eat and watch TV!

What to do? Small changes, practiced consistently over a long period of time, are the best way to increase health and well-being. Here are 21 easy-to-adopt ideas to get inspired. Remember, you don’t have to do them all!!

1. Take hourly breaks.

Every hour, get up from your desk and go for a quick walk anywhere (furthest restroom, copy machine, water cooler, colleague’s desk). Just move.

2. Stretch or move in place.

Don’t have anywhere to go? Touch your toes, walk or march in place for a few minutes, do a good set of jumping jacks (who cares what your neighbor thinks!).

3. Take a meeting on the move.

Have a meeting or brainstorm scheduled? Do it while you walk — not only good for fitness, but helps manage stress and fires up creativity!

4. Treat elevators, escalators and moving walkways as the enemy.

Unless you work at the top of a 40-story building, consider elevators your enemy. Ditto for escalators and walkways.

5. Forget phone and email.

Not always practical, but try visiting your colleagues in person every once in a while.

6. Walk at lunch.

Have an hour for lunch? Use half to eat, half to walk. Round up a few colleagues and make it a weekly date.

7. Count it out.

Get a pedometer and try to clock 10,000 steps per day.

8. Ditch the car.

When possible, walk, bike, run to work. If you live too far away, try parking far away from your destination and walking part of the way. Or get off the train/metro/bus several stops early.

9. Do something active before you get home.

Stop at the gym/pool/track on the way home from work.

10. Wake up earlier.

The easiest way to work more fitness into the day is with a DVD (yoga, cardio, strength training). Get moving before the rest of the world wakes up!

11. Schedule your weekly fitness on Sunday night.

Studies show that scheduling what you eat and when and how you exercise is the best way to stick to a healthy lifestyle. Write it down!

12. Set alarms on your computer or mobile device.

Every hour at work, have a little ringer go off to remind you to take a stretch or walk to the nearest copy machine.

13. Organize your office.

Use your time filing to stand up and move around your office. Don’t roll your chair around your office to get to your filing cabinets.

14. Walk when you talk.

Since most people talk on their mobile phones, make it a practice to get up from your seat and go for a walk when you're on the phone.

15. Get friendly with your Tupperware.

If you cook a healthy meal at home, save part of it, and take it to work the next day for lunch. Add a few chopped veggies and you have a great homemade meal!

16. Go nuts!

Instead of buying candy bars or “health” bars (which are loaded with sugar) from the vending machine, keep handy a stash of dry fruit or nuts.

17. Load up on herbal teas. 

Forget the coffee breaks with your friends and colleagues. Grab your favorite mug and start sampling herbal teas: try red fruits, verbena, mint for example.

18. Hit the water. 

Get yourself a reusable water bottle and keep it on your desk. Make yourself drink at least one full bottle before lunch, and one full one before you go home at the end of the day. Drinking water will keep you fuller and less tempted to snack on empty calories.

19. Just say no!

Say, “No thanks,” to all the treats that get passed around the office: cakes, doughnuts, bagels, cookies. If you’re truly hungry, reach for the dried fruit and nuts.

20. Schedule your meals.

When scheduling your fitness on Sunday night (see above!), work out your meal plans in and out of the office, and include snacks.

21. Skip restaurants whenever possible.

Restaurant food is loaded with extra sugar and salt, and so is unlikely to be as healthy as something you can make at home. Better to have a simple lunch from home or leftovers from the night before.

If you do eat out, choose fresh, healthy salads or other foods when possible. If you eat well at lunch, you won’t want to graze on junk food in the afternoon. 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13931/21-ways-to-stay-healthy-when-you-sit-at-a-desk-all-day.html

Mindfulness for Athletes: The Secret to Better Game?

by Christine Yu on 6/10/2014

They say that in sports, 90 percent of performance is mental. Yet, we spend the majority of our time, effort and money on physical and technical training — including everything from gear and coaches to gym memberships and sports massages. All that leaves little time to focus on our mental game.

“There are only so many ways we can continue to get bigger, faster and stronger,” says Trevor Moawad, Vice President of Pro and Elite Sports at EXOS. Moawad is a leading Mental Conditioning Coach and has worked with top collegiate football programs like University of Alabama and Florida State as well as pro football teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars. “If you change the overall mental mindset, you can see results faster,” says Moawad.

While sports psychologists have been around for years, we’re talking about more than just game-like visualizations and positive affirmations. Increasingly, elite athletes and sports programs, from Super Bowl XLVIII champs, the Seattle Seahawks, to Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, are incorporating mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other practices into their training regimen. By learning to stay focused on the present moment and strengthen the mind-body connection, these competitors aim to unlock a new edge on the competition — while feeling better in their own skin. But is mindfulness and mental training really the key to peak performance? 

The Mental Link

“When our brains get caught up in thoughts from the past…or thoughts of the future…it creates a stress response, and we can’t use the part of the brain that keeps us engaged in the moment,” says Dr. Kristen Race, Ph.D., founder of Mindful Life, author of Mindful Parenting, and expert on brain-based mindfulness solutions. This mental chatter can make it difficult to maintain perspective and focus. “If we’re too stressed about performance, we can’t make good decisions and solve problems and stay composed,” says Dr. Race.In any competitive situation, it’s only natural that your adrenaline starts to pump. Your heart beats faster. Your palms get sweaty. You feel butterflies in your stomach. But when you toe the line for a big race or you’re in the middle of a high-stakes game, are you able to stay connected with the present moment? Or, does your mind flood with thoughts of previous errors or jump ahead to future outcomes like a missed goal or a slow finish time?

Not only can our thoughts and internal dialogue create a stress response, it also impacts our behavior. “What we’re telling ourselves affects what we see, and what we see affects what we feel,” says Moawad. Recent studies by researchers at Coventry University and Staffordshire University found that increased stress and anxiety, including fear of failure, does affect athletic performance in competitive situations.

Photo: Pond5

Just Focus

“Mindfulness helps train the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that creates a calm and alert state of mind…and perform at our best.”

While some degree of stress is normal in athletics, we need a way to moderate that stress. We also need to be able to resist internal and external distractions —anxiety, fear, a loud crowd, or even a distracting teammate — so that we can make good decisions in the moment. While this field of research is still young, there have been some promising signs that mental training can help us short-circuit the body’s stress response and create a stronger mind-body connection.

One major study found that those who reported a greater sense of mindfulness were more likely to experience a higher state of flow (the feeling of being totally in the moment which has been linked to enhanced performance). These individuals also scored better in terms of control of attention and emotion, goal-setting and positive self-talk.

According to Dr. Race, “Mindfulness helps train the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that creates a calm and alert state of mind, which helps us stay focused, avoid distraction and perform at our best.” She says, “It’s one of the best ways to calm the stress response in the brain.” This allows us to notice our thoughts and emotions without getting attached to them. A recent study found that mindful meditation led to lower resting cortisol levels — the so-called “stress hormone.”

Through bringing out attention inward, we also activate the insular cortex of the brain. As a result, we experience a heightened sense of awareness of our body and improve the communication between the body and mind. According to Dr. Race, this helps us sense physiological changes, like a tense muscle or shallow breathing, and make split second adjustments even before we’re consciously aware of what’s going on (and before those factors have a chance to impact our performance).

While Dr. Race’s work looks at improving the mind-body connection and managing the thoughts and emotions that may arise during competition, Moawad makes sure that those negative thoughts don’t arise in the first place. He helps his athletes refine their internal communications and reduce the mental noise through powerful music, film and stories. He also employs specific exercises to develop the ability to tune out distractions, like a random number identification game where players have to find a specific number under different scenarios — with no noise, with someone watching, and with lots of crowd noise.

Photo: Pond5

Train Your Brain

There are a number of ways to train the mind to focus on the present moment and weed out distractions. “It’s like strengthening a muscle… The more we practice, the stronger we become,” says Dr. Race.

Whether you’re a big-time athlete, or just big on priming yourself for success, here are a few simple practices that can go a long way.

1. Mindful BreathingTake a few minutes a day (in the morning or before you engage in an athletic event or exercise) to pay attention to your breath, which can bring on a calm and clear state of mind. Physiologically, this can help to regulate your breathing if it becomes shallow. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and start to deepen your breath. Inhale fully and exhale completely. Focus on your breath entering and exiting your body. Start with five minutes and you can build up from there. 

2. Body Scan
Practice a body scan to help release tension, quiet the mind, and bring awareness to your body in a systematic way. Lie down on your back with your palms facing up and legs relaxed. Close your eyes. Start with your toes and notice how they feel. Are they tense? Are they warm or cold? Focus your attention here for a few breaths before moving on to the sole of your foot. Repeat the process as you travel from your foot to your ankle, calf, knee and thigh. Bring your attention to your right foot and repeat the process. Continue to move up your hips, lower back, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck and head — maintaining your focus on each body part and any sensations there. Breathe into any areas that are holding stress and try to release it. As you engage in this practice regularly, you will become more highly attuned to what’s happening in your body. You can spend a 10 minutes or longer doing a body scan. Guided body scans are also available.

3. Internal and External Messages
Pay attention to your internal dialogue as well as the stories you tell your family and friends, which can reflect — or even shape — your mental state more than you might think. That means no more, “I can’t run that far,” or “I hope I don’t miss the goal.” Notice your thoughts and emotions, but don’t judge them or become attached to them. “It’s OK to notice that the feelings are there, but it’s not OK to take that emotion with you into the next shot or next play,” says Dr. Race. Instead, let them go like a hot potato and speak in terms of what you want to achieve.

The research on the connection between mindfulness and mental training on athletic performance is still an emerging field, and there is plenty we don’t know about how the brain works. However, these practices can help lower stress levels, connect with the present moment, and create a more resilient mind. If that may lead to better performance, we’re game!

http://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/mindfulness-techniques-athletes/#.U6dM3vkxYWs.gmail

Oil Pulling For Whiter Teeth and Better Breath

It has taken quite some time, but oil pulling has finally gained some popularity in the United States. Used primarily in Ayurvedic medicine, oil pulling is a fantastic oral detoxification procedure that is simply done by swishing a tablespoon of oil (typically coconut, olive or sesame) in your mouth for 10-20 minutes.

What is Oil Pulling? by Dr. Josh Axe and Eric Zielinski 

Oil pulling works by cleaning (detoxifying) the oral cavity in a similar way that soap cleans dirty dishes. It literally sucks the dirt (toxins) out of your mouth and creates a clean, antiseptic oral environment that contributes to the proper flow of dental liquid that is needed to prevent cavities and disease.

This unbelievably effective procedure has been used for centuries as a traditional India remedy to:

• Cure tooth decay
• Prevent bad breath
• Heal bleeding gums
• Whiten teeth
• Soothe throat dryness
• Heal cracked lips
• Strengthening gums and jaw

In fact, oil pulling is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita where it is claimed to cure about 30 systemic diseases ranging from headaches and tooth decay to diabetes and asthma.

How to Do Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

We recommend using unrefined, organic coconut oil and a drop or two of clove or tea tree essential oils to achieve the best antiseptic and anti-fungal effects of oil pulling. Here are some tips:

1. Put 2 teaspoons of coconut oil into your mouth. The best time to oil pull (like most other detoxification procedures) is first thing in the morning right after you get out of bed.

2. Swish for 20 minutes.  Don’t let the 20 minute time frame deter you. You won’t even notice 20 minutes have gone by if you do this during your normal morning routine (i.e. while you shower, put your clothes on and prep for the day).  But, if you can only do it for 5-10 minutes, it’s still worthwhile.

3. Spit oil into the trash. Don’t be shocked if the oil/saliva mixture you spit out is milky white or yellow.

4. Immediately afterwards, rinse your mouth out with warm water. Use salt water for added antimicrobial properties.

5. Finally, brush your teeth as normal.  For additional benefits, use my natural toothpaste recipe with baking soda, coconut oil and clove essential oil.

Note: This should be a relatively relaxing process, so don’t feel compelled to vigorously swish your mouth with oil for the entire time or else you’re bound to get sore jaw muscles. Simply move the oil in your mouth and through your teeth without swallowing any of it.

The Research

As stated by one study, “The myth that the effect of oil-pulling therapy on oral health was just a placebo effect has been broken”.

Here are just a couple studies proving oil pulling benefits on your oral and whole body health.

Oil Pulling To Prevent Cavities

In 2008, the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventative Dentistry published a triple-blind random control trial that evaluated the effects oil pulling with sesame oil has onSteptococcus mutans bacterial count in plaque and saliva.

Twenty boys were recruited to be part of two groups; one in which 10 practiced oil pulling and another that used regular mouthwash for 10 minutes every day in the morning.

After collecting samples for 2 weeks, it was discovered that, even though the chemicals in mouth wash were slightly more effective in reducing the bacteria, oil pulling was significantly effective in killing S. mutans, one of the primary causes of cavities.

However I believe if coconut oil was used which has anti-microbial properties unlike sesame oil we may have seen that coconut oil was just as effective or more effective. 

Oil Pulling Heals Gum Disease and Bad Breath

In 2010, the same journal shared the results of a similar study that evaluated the effects oil pulling has on bad breath and oral yeast. Again, taking 20 young volunteers, the results of this study were even more in favor of oil pulling than the one above.

According to the authors, “Oil pulling therapy has been equally effective to the chemicals in mouth wash on bad breath and candida”. Additionally, the researchers discovered that oil pulling also has statistically significant effects on reducing the gingival index, a marker that determines the severity for gingivitis (gum disease).

At the end of the day, you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain from oil pulling. There are relatively no known oil pulling side effects and, as we’ve seen in the research, the list of benefits is quite remarkable. Try it today and make it a part of your natural hygiene routine!

http://draxe.com/oil-pulling-whiter-teeth-better-breath/

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

 Rachel Zimmerman

The headline in The New York Times made my heart sink: “Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead.”

Confession: I’m one of those Vitamix-loving, green-smoothie worshipping, kale bandwagoners. I brim with holier-than-thou pride when my kids eat raw kale (no dressing, even!) and thick kale-laden shakes while other children snack on sugary GoGURT squeezes and suck on juice boxes.

I am not alone. Presidents and stars are kale-lovers too.

Kale, in case you haven’t noticed, is health-conscious America’s “it” vegetable. Raw, blended, sauteed or in chip or “crunch” form, it appears to be the manna of celebrities: Gwyneth and Jennifer devour it while Kevin Bacon recently declared [it's] “the age of kale.” In an astutely reported feature called “Stars Who Love Kale,” US Weekly quotes Bette Midler saying: “Kale is burning up the veggisphere.”

Even the Obamas dined on kale salad at their Thanksgiving feast, notes The Washington Post.

But apparently there’s trouble in cruciferous paradise.

Writing for The Times, Jennifer Berman reports on the dark side of kale, and how the health-infused, veggie Eden she’d carefully built over years began to crumble:

Imagine my shock, then, at my last physical, when my doctor told me I had hypothyroidism, common in women over 40. When I got home I looked up the condition on the Internet and found a list of foods to avoid. Kale, which I juiced every morning, tops the list, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens — the cruciferous vegetables I consumed in large quantities because they are thought to prevent cancer, which runs in my family. And flax — as in the seeds — high in omega 3’s, that I sprinkled on cereal and blended in strawberry almond milk smoothies. Also forbidden: almonds and strawberries, not to mention soy, peaches, peanuts, corn, radishes, rutabaga and spinach.

My first reaction: Berman must be misguided, mistaken. Can kale possibly be bad?

Well, yes, possibly. Here’s the science-y lowdown on the kale-thyroid connection from the Oregon State University Micronutrient Information site:

Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables…have been found to cause hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) in animals (68). There has been one case report of an 88-year-old woman developing severe hypothyroidism and coma following consumption of an estimated 1.0 to 1.5 kg/day of raw bok choy for several months. Two mechanisms have been identified to explain this effect. The hydrolysis of some glucosinolates found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g., progoitrin) may yield a compound known as goitrin, which has been found to interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. The hydrolysis of another class of glucosinolates, known as indole glucosinolates, results in the release of thiocyanate ions, which can compete with iodine for uptake by the thyroid gland. Increased exposure to thiocyanate ions from cruciferous vegetable consumption or, more commonly, from cigarette smoking, does not appear to increase the risk of hypothyroidism unless accompanied by iodine deficiency. One study in humans found that the consumption of 150 g/day (5 oz/day) of cooked Brussels sprouts for four weeks had no adverse effects on thyroid function.

(For an updated reality check on kale consumption and the thyroid, see our Q and A with endocrinologist and thyroid expert Dr. Jeffrey Garber here. Bottom line: in the U.S, where we don’t have a big problem with iodine deficiency, it’s probably OK.)

Teresa Fung, Sc.D., M.S.. an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a professor at Simmons College in Boston, confirms the kale-thyroid link. But, she says, “normal, reasonable amounts of eating should not be a problem. A regular person [with no thyroid issues] who eats several servings of cruciferous vegetables a week should not have problems.”

Fung adds: “It’s the dose that makes a poison. If people have hypothyroidism or they’re taking thyroid medication, then they should check with their doctor. But even in this case, reasonable amounts shouldn’t be a problem. Now, if people have a tall glass of kale juice every single day, then it gets into the unknown territory.”

So, what are still-anxious kale-lovers to do? I asked Somerville, Mass. health coach and psychology of eating coach Nina Manolson to offer some guidance. (She’s not a doctor, but she knows a lot about food, so keep that in mind and always check with a professional if you make major changes in your diet.)

Nina reiterated that kale is a goitrogenic food, meaning that it can contribute to an enlarged thyroid — a goiter. A goiter indicates that the thyroid gland is not functioning optimally. But, she says, there are ways to have our kale and eat it too. Here, lightly edited, are her suggestions:

1. Cook Your Kale

The goitrogenic properties of kale become dramatically lessened when kale — or any other cruciferous vegetable — is cooked. (Other veggies in this category include: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy and Chinese cabbage. Arugula, horseradish, radish, wasabi and watercress are also cruciferous vegetables.)

2. Eat Seaweed

Kale on its own does not increase the risk of thyroid problems. It’s a combination of factors; including potential iodine deficiency. (One of the most common causes of goiters is iodine deficiency.) Adding seaweed or another iodine rich food to your diet may, in some cases, help you get adequate iodine.

3. Throw A Brazil Nut Into Your Smoothie

Selenium can support normal iodine levels which in turn may support a healthy thyroid. A Brazil nut or two in your daily smoothie or as a topping to any dish might help keep selenium levels strong.

4. Switch Up Your Greens

Vary your greens. If you’re going to eat kale one day choose a non-cruciferous, non-goitrogenic veggie dish the next, like a simple cucumber and tomato salad, or beets. There are many highly nutritious vegetables that aren’t goitrogenic, including celery, parsley, zucchini, carrots and more. Our bodies need many nutrients and by eating a variety of vegetables you’ll ensure that you don’t overload on one and skip another.

Nina adds:

If you don’t have a thyroid issue, kale can and should be a delicious and healthy part of your diet because it is, indeed, a nutritional superstar with excellent credentials:

•It supports strong bones because of its high calcium content.

•It’s a potential immune booster, rich in Vitamin C.

•It may protect us against cancer because it’s packed with antioxidants and as mentioned, it’s a cruciferous vegetable.

•It’s high in iron which can support blood and energy levels.

•And of course, it’s packed with fiber so it’s great for digestion.

All of this leaves me wishing that eating were just, well, simpler. With no arsenic in the rice and no flip-flopping guidance on milk, soy, whatever, from the experts.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it