Author: melissa

How many hours of sleep do you get on average every night?  Most Americans suffer a sleep deficit.

We simply don’t get enough.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, the optimal amount of sleep you need depends mostly on how old you are.

Here’s the scoop on how much sleep you need per day:

• Newborn Babies (0 to 3 months): 14 to 17 hours
• Infants (4 to 11 months): 12 to 15 hours
• Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours
• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours
• School-Aged Children (6 to 13 years): 9 to 11 hours
• Teenagers (14 to 17 years): 8 to 10 hours
• Young Adults (18 to 25 years): 7 to 9 hours
• Adults (26 to 64 years): 7 to 9 hours
• Older Adults (65 years or older): 7 to 8 hours

As you can see, there’s quite a lot of variability here, so the answer of 8 hours of sleep per night doesn’t really tell the whole story.

In addition to the above, gender differences affect the amount and quality of sleep we get.  Women, for instance, tend to require somewhat more sleep than men and will usually be higher on the range for any given age bracket.  Women are also more prone to developing sleep disorders, while men tend to be much more prone to snoring (which naturally, can also disrupt the woman’s sleep patterns).

Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to improve your sleep.  These include:

• Establish and stick to a regular bedtime
• Develop a pre-sleep routine which includes a warm bath, a light snack, and perhaps a bit of reading just before bed
• Keeping your bedroom on the cool side, between 60 and 67 degrees.

If you do these simple things, you’ll dramatically improve the quality of your sleep!

Breathing is something we’ve obviously all been doing since the day we were born. So of all the things you do on any given day, the last one you might think you need to practice would be breathing.  It sounds almost counter-intuitive then, that there’s more to breathing than first meets the eye.

Good breathing habits means each breath is smooth, steady and controlled.  You should not have to strain or force it. Your breath should be mostly silent with no wheezing or rumbling in your lungs.

Although there are a surprising number of muscle groups involved in drawing every breath you take, your diaphragm drives and controls much of the process. It tightens with each inhale to allow your lungs to expand into the space in your chest.

Better breathing habits mostly come down to an increased mindfulness.  Your body knows what to do. However,  if you focus on and practice good breathing habits, you’ll find that over time it will take less exertion to breathe, even when you’re under stress or working out.

You’ll also strengthen your diaphragm over time, slow down your natural breathing rate, and decrease the amount of oxygen you need. All of those are good things. Best of all, it’s something you can do from the comfort of home in ten minutes or less a day.

Here’s a simple, quick diaphragm exercise you can do starting today:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and a comfortable pillow placed under your head.
• If you want or need to, place a second pillow under your knees for added support.
• Place one hand on the upper part of your chest and your other hand just below your rib cage. This will enable you to feel your diaphragm as it moves.
• Inhale slowly, breathing through your nose, feeling your stomach expand.
• Engage your stomach muscles, draw them toward your spine as you exhale through your mouth
• Repeat for a period of five to ten minutes.

If you take the time to do this every day, you’ll find that you breathe easier and feel better all day long!

For most people, any mention of exercise conjures mental images of a gym.

While there’s nothing wrong with going to the gym, if you don’t like the idea, there are plenty of ways you can get fit without having to set foot in one.

In fact, far more important than paying for a gym membership is to simply begin.  Just pick an arbitrary day, like right now, immediately after you read this article, and start.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complex, you just have to increase your level of physical activity over and above what it is right now.

If you work in an office, there are literally dozens of exercises you can do without ever even getting up out of your chair.  You can intentionally park farther from the door to your office and do the same thing every time you go to a store, which will force you to walk more. Or take the stairs instead of an elevator.

The best way to get healthy and fit though, is to flip the script.  If you think of it as exercise, then your mind may rebel against it. If you pick some physical activity that you enjoy doing anyway, or that you haven’t tried before but think you might enjoy doing, it will feel like play rather than work. That will make it much more likely that you’ll stick with it for the long term.

If you’re struggling for ideas about what kinds of physical activities to consider, here are a few:

• Take a fencing class
• Sign up for martial arts
• Buy a frisbee, grab a friend and go play in the nearest field
• If you live near a wild area, go for a hike. If you fancy yourself a photographer, take your smartphone with you and start hunting for hidden vistas to shoot.
• Take a whitewater rafting trip
• Buy a bike and start riding
• Buy some hula hoops and learn how to do it by using YouTube tutorials

All of these are great exercise, but none of them feel like working out. If it feels like fun, you’ll do it often! That’s an important distinction that can make all the difference in the world.

Most adults will wind up suffering knee pain in one form or another at various points in their lives.  Sometimes it’s mild and sporadic, but other times, it can occur on a frequent basis. Sometimes it can be so severe that it can be debilitating and keep you from living life to the fullest.

While there are all sorts of things that can cause knee pain, here are some of the more common ones:

• A damaged meniscus – A torn or damaged meniscus is one of the most common causes of knee pain in adults. Minisci are layers of cartilage that serve as cushions between your shin bone and your thigh bone.  If you’re performing a physical activity that puts too much stress on your knees, it can cause the meniscus to tear which causes sharp, shooting pain. It may keep your knees from functioning properly, including limiting your range of motion.
• Bursitis – Another common cause of knee pain. Bursae are small pockets of fluid that lubricate the tendons in your shoulders, hips and knees, allowing them to move freely.  Inflammation of your bursae causes pain. Depending on a number of factors, it may come on suddenly and severely, or build up gradually over time.
• Patellar Tendinitis – Tendons are tough, flexible bands of tissue that connect your muscles to your bones. Any time you overexert yourself, your tendons can become inflamed and sore.  If you’ve heard people complaining of having “jumper’s knee,” this is the condition they are describing. High impact exercise can cause this.
• Osteoarthritis – The longer you live, the more wear and tear your body will suffer. The pain from the condition is caused by the loss of cartilage, which allows the bones to rub together, causing pain.  If you suffer from the condition, you’ll notice that repetitive movements or working out increase the pain.  The good news is that rest tends to alleviate the pain, so if you have osteoarthritis, be sure to pace yourself and take frequent breaks!

As we mentioned, there are plenty of other possible causes of knee pain, but these are the Big Three to watch out for.

Everybody knows that too much sun can be bad for you in many different ways.

The dire warnings about it are everywhere. Of course, that’s why you find so many brands and varieties of sun block on store shelves.

Unfortunately, many people believe that the sun’s rays are nothing but downside, and that’s simply not true!  While it’s important to take sensible precautions, you definitely shouldn’t avoid the sun altogether.  If you do, you’ll miss out on some important benefits.

Here are just a few:

• Serotonin – Depression can actually be caused by a lack of sunlight, which causes your serotonin levels to drop, and which is why so many people suffer from seasonal depression. Those long winter months indoors keeps you out of the sun. The good news is that sunlight actually triggers the production of serotonin, so warding off depression could be as simple as getting outside and enjoying it for a little while each day.
• Melatonin – The sun’s rays also trigger the production of melatonin in your body, which helps ensure a good night’s sleep every night. Given that a shocking percentage of adults don’t get enough sleep as it is, this presents a simple opportunity for you that’s incredibly easy to take advantage of.
• Vitamin D – Most everyone has heard that milk “does a body good” because it contains Vitamin D. What fewer people realize, however, is that your body produces Vitamin D naturally, and that exposure to the sun’s rays triggers it.  That’s why it’s so important to make sure you get out and get a little sun, every chance you get.

All that to say, take sensible precautions, but don’t be so afraid of the sun that you miss out on the benefits!

Arthritis is no laughing matter and flare ups can happen at any time.  The unpredictable nature of it makes it more insidious, and unfortunately, previous injuries make those flare ups more likely to occur. Injuries can virtually guarantee that they’ll occur more frequently.

While you may require prescription medication to manage the pain and make flare ups easier to deal with, there are a number of viable over the counter medications that can work. A number of home remedies have a demonstrated track record of being effective, too.

In terms of over the counter medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Motrin and Advil, both of which contain ibuprofen, aspirin, or Aleve, which contains naproxen, are good options. Taking Tylenol  (acetaminophen) is another good option for pain relief, but bear in mind that acetaminophen doesn’t treat inflammation of an arthritis flare up; it just helps reduce the pain.

Where home remedies are concerned, a few of the more common options include:

• Heat therapy to ease stiffness
• Massage therapy
• Breathing exercises which help to reduce stress
• Acupuncture

It’s also important, if you suffer from arthritis and are in the midst of a flare up, that you pace yourself and take frequent breaks as you’re going about your day.

Unfortunately, none of the home remedies mentioned above will reduce your inflammation and swelling, but they can help make the flare-up easier to manage.

Even if you’re not taking prescription medications for your arthritis, it’s important that you consult with your doctor before making use of over the counter medicines or home remedies. Of course, that’s even more important if you are taking something prescribed by your doctor.  Failure to do so could lead to complications that might make matters worse or give you a new problem you hadn’t considered.

Not long ago, a landmark study declared that “Sitting is the New Smoking!”  While the reality isn’t quite as bad as the study made it sound, it’s no secret that Americans sit too much. Even if the research team oversold their results slightly, their message was an important one.

One of the side effects of that study was the sudden surge in standing desks and other office solutions that encouraged less sitting.

While those products are helpful at the margins, the simple truth is this:  Using a standing desk is no substitute for exercising.  It’s marginally better than sitting in your chair all day, but a staggering 40 percent of Americans don’t get a meaningful amount of exercise on any given week.  That’s the core problem, and until it changes, our country is going to continue to struggle with its obesity epidemic.

The good news is that adding exercise to your daily routine is easy and painless.  We recommend starting small.  Park farther away from your office door or the door to any big box stores you visit and walk the length of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Any time your co-workers take a smoke break, you take a health break and do a lap or two around the building.  Before you sit down in the easy chair at home, take a stroll around the block.

None of these things take very long and none of them will really feel like exercising, but they’ll have a bigger impact than you might imagine. Every couple of weeks, you can add a little bit more to your slowly budding routine.

Before you know it, you’ll be spending twenty or thirty minutes a day doing low intensity exercises and that will make a tremendous difference to your overall level of health!  Start today, try it for yourself and see.  You’ll be amazed at the results.

If you struggle with your weight, then you probably spend a lot of time scouring the internet for dietary information.

If that’s the case, you know how much contradictory and confusing information there is out there.

Some studies say eggs are bad for you.  Others say no, that’s not right, eggs are good for you.  Some say don’t eat bread.  Others say bread is fine.  It’s hard to know what to think or believe.

If you’re frustrated by the often contradictory “rules” of what foods are good or bad, you’re going to enjoy this article.  Below, we’ll outline a few foods you’ve probably heard you should avoid, but which are better for you than you might think.

First things first though.  Here’s a rule you can trust:  Eat real food.  If it comes out of a box or a can, it’s not going to be as healthy as food from the produce section or your backyard garden.  That should be your first choice.  The more processing a food item goes through before it makes its way to your home kitchen, the worse it’s bound to be for you.

Having said that, let’s talk about foods you’ll enjoy eating that aren’t as bad for you as you may have been told.

• Cheese – While it’s true that cheese is often packed with fat and possibly sodium, it’s also filled with vitamins and minerals your body needs. It shouldn’t dominate your diet because that may cause constipation, but don’t be shy about including it on a regular basis!
• Eggs – Eggs are a great source of protein, and like cheese, are loaded with nutrients your body needs. Previous scientific studies gave eggs a bad rap because of the cholesterol they contain. More recent studies have concluded that their contribution isn’t as damaging as originally thought.  Eat up and enjoy!
• Coffee – You’ve probably heard that coffee is bad for you. Granted, if you drink a gallon of the stuff a day, it can have some detrimental side effects and deplete your body of nutrients. However, studies have consistently shown that coffee is a heart healthy drink that may also reduce your risk of various cancers and liver disease. Enjoy America’s favorite drink in moderation and you’ll be just fine.

Obviously, you can’t build a diet around just those three, but don’t be shy about including them in your diet!

It’s getting hot outside. As temperatures rise, an increasing percentage of people are going to overdo it. It happens every year.  If you’re one of the unfortunate people who succumbs to the effects of the heat, can you tell the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke?

Here are some guidelines to help you tell the two apart.

Heat exhaustion is the first step. Symptoms can be similar to, but less severe than, heat stroke. If you don’t listen to your body’s warnings to cool down and hydrate, and you keep exerting yourself, your heat exhaustion symptoms will worsen.  At this point, you’ll start getting light headed, dizzy, and you may develop a sharp headache, in addition to feeling your muscles cramp.

Heat Stroke isn’t something that will just happen all at once to you.  There’s a build-up to that condition. Your body will warn you first.  The first things you’ll experience on the way to a heat stroke are sweating, thirst, headache, fatigue, and mild heat cramps, which are caused by a combination of exposure to the sun and physical exertion. Heat stroke can damage your organs.

You’ll know a heat cramp when you feel it because you’ll start sweating even more than usual, you’ll get extraordinarily thirsty, and you’ll start cramping in either your arms, legs or stomach.  If you feel these symptoms, stop what you’re doing, find some shade and hydrate! Drink a glass of water followed by some Gatorade or something similar so you can put some electrolytes back into your system too.

At this point, you may need to lie down somewhere cool, drink plenty of fluids and maybe even take a long, cool shower to start your body on the road to recovery.

If you’re stubborn and you still don’t stop, your body temperature will spike, reaching 104 degrees or higher, you’ll stop sweating, you’ll get nauseated, and start breathing rapidly.  Your heart will start beating rapidly too, and you’ll become visibly confused and disoriented. This is heat stroke.

When you reach this stage, forget home remedies.  Someone needs to call the hospital for you to get you proper treatment.  Please do not let yourself get to this point!  Stay safe out there.

The Mediterranean diet. The Paleo diet. Adkins. Keto. There are dozens of diets out there, all claiming to be the magic bullet that will deliver huge, impressive weight loss results if you just stick with it.

 

Some of these diets have been around for decades, and you know something?  We still have an obesity epidemic in this country.  The fad diets aren’t delivering as promised.  In fact, there’s no evidence that they’re delivering at all.  So, what’s the story?  Are they all just scams?

The answer is more complex and interesting than you might think, and the simple answer is no.  They’re not scams.  They all can work, but there are a couple of catches that few people bother to talk about.

Many of the fad diets work by starving your body in various ways.  Unfortunately, that makes it super difficult to stick with any of them in the longer term,. In fact, after you’ve put your body in starvation mode for a few weeks, when you drop out of the diet you’re pursuing, you tend to overcompensate. The net result is that you gain more weight back than you lost while you were on the fad diet. Rinse and repeat 3-6 times over the course of the year and you begin to see the problem.

At the root though, weight loss is very simple.  If you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming, you lose weight. You don’t want to burn many more calories than you’re consuming, or your body will think it’s in starvation mode and respond accordingly by storing and saving fat. So you’ve got to keep the two in balance with a slight nudge toward calories burned, so that you gradually shed those pounds.

Thus, the secret to weight loss is that there is no secret.  Those extra pounds didn’t appear overnight, and they won’t go away overnight either.  Eat a well-balanced healthy diet and stay active. Make it a new lifestyle and make it a habit.  Be mindful of your caloric intake but don’t obsess, and don’t be in a hurry.  The weight will come off.  You’ve got this!