Strengthening Your Shoulders

We tend to use the shoulders way more than we think we do. Strengthening them will help prevent painful injuries. If you haven't been doing any type of exercises for the shoulders, start out slowly. Use light weights like a small can of vegetables or a water bottle. Go through the complete range of motion of the shoulder. If it begins to hurt - STOP. Do not press through the pain.

Exercises that strengthen the shoulders include push-ups, internal and external rotations, and lateral rises. When you exercise, do about 12 repetitions then rest for one minute. Do 10 repetitions and rest for one minute. Do 8 repetitions and rest for one minute. Do 6 repetitions and rest for one minute. Then do 24 repetitions and rest for two minutes before going to the next exercise.

You only need to do these exercises 2-3 times a week. Always give yourself a day of rest in between your exercise days.

Growing Your Own Food

Many of you may already have a garden. Some of you may live where you have no place for a garden. How do I grow vegetables when I don't have any place to put them. One of the things you can do is to plant vegetables in a flower box. My husband has spinach, swiss chard, and lettuce in flower boxes and tomatoes in larger flower pots.

It takes a lot less space and if you have a patio, lanai, or can attached the box on the outside of a window, you can grow at least some of your own vegetables. The great thing about veges like lettuce, is that the more you cut and use, the more it grows. Same is true with spinach and swiss chard.

How to Beat the Economics of Staying Well

Do things that will make you healthy and keep you healthy. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat smaller portions of meats, chicken and fish, filling up on good green and bright colored vegetables.

Remember to fit exercise in. You don't have to go to the gym or spa to do this. Walking is free. Walk for 60 minutes a day without stopping. Practice Yoga at home. You can get a DVD to help you begin, or find a program on the TV. Jump rope, any piece of rope will do, you don't have to go buy a special jump rope.

Laugh every day for 10-15 minutes. The earlier in the day you do this, the better, but any time is better than not at all. See my previous posts in April regarding laughter.

Economics of Healthcare

If the cost of seeing your doctor is prohibitive, consider going to a clinic or community center for health care. Usually the costs are prorated because the clinic is subsidized by the government. This will help you if you have a chronic condition that requires follow-up care.

Also consider going less often. Perhaps you don't need to be seen as frequently. Negotiate this with the doctor.

Look for any free tests or screenings. I live in Colorado and we have a public Health Fair every year. There are many free screenings at this event. You can also get blood screenings at a very reasonable cost - much cheaper than going to a doctor's office. If you need help interpreting the results, respond to my blog and I will get you help.

Save on your medications. Ask for the least expensive drug. You don't necessarily have to have the latest drug on the market. Also, know about the programs for $4 or $5 for a 1 month supply of your prescription.

Peventive Healthcare

As I mentioned yesterday, the economic crunch is definitely affecting people's ability to pay for healthcare and prescriptions. One of the things that people feel they can cut out is regular teeth cleaning. Not a good idea, but I understand that dental coverage with insurance is not always available and if it is like the plan I have, it only covers about 30% of one cleaning per year. So here is a tip to help you continue to keep your mouth healthy during these difficult financial times.

If you have a local dental school, go to the dental school clinic. The cost will be much less and you can be sure to not neglect your dental health. Letting your dental health go is going to cost you majorly in the future, so stay up with it.

If there is not a dental school in your area, strike a deal with your current dentist. Let them know your inability to pay. They are usually very willing to work with you, so that you continue to get preventitive care.

Economic Crunch and Your Health

Many are cutting back on things that may endanger your health because of the economy. While I understand this, don't endanger your health because of the economy. I know that if you are on a medication for high blood pressure or diabetes, the cost may prohibitive at this point in time, especially if you have lost or don't have insurance. Talk with your doctor about getting a medication that is less expensive than the one that you are on. There are likely generics or older medications that do work that will be less expensive.

Better yet do some healthful things to help lower your blood pressure or your blood sugar. There was a study in the UK where they fed people basically fruits and vegetables for 10 days. What they found was a highly significant drop in their blood pressures (all had high blood pressure) and also highly significant drops in blood cholesterol levels and more stable blood sugar levels. The participants ate 11 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables a day. That is a lot of fruits and vegetables, but can you imagine how healthy you would be. I'm not advocating becoming a vegetarian. But what I am saying is increase the number of fruits and vegetables you eat each day and decrease the simple carbs like bread and pasta. Get your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables so that you're really getting nutrition instead of just calories.

Happy Memorial Day

I'm taking the day off to go riding my bicycle in the mountains. Hope you all have a wonderful day and do take a few minutes to remember the meaning of this day.

Vegetable Glycerine

Vegetable glycerine is extracted from fats or oils. The use of pressure, heat, and water results in the absorption of glycerol fats in the water through the process of hydrolysis. The result is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid which is sweet in nature. Glycerine is soluble in both water and alcohol, so it is often used in cosmetics.

The reason it is the best choice for stevia is that glycerine helps in the solvency of plant extracts. The sweet flavor also helps to quiet the slightly bitter taste of stevia. The best part is that it keeps alcohol out of the extract which is better for us as humans to consume. So if you use the liquid stevia, look to see what it has been extracted in.

Inulin

Yesterday I mentioned stevia plus which is stevia and inulin fiber. Inulin fiber is composed of several simple sugars linked together. These are naturally occurring polysaccharides produced from many plants. Inulin fiber is classified as a fructans fiber.

Inulin fiber has many beneficial properties from a health standpoint. First, inulin does not cause increases in insulin production or in blood sugar. Therefore it is something that diabetics can use. Some of the other benefits are that it increases magnesium and calcium absorption in the body. Inulin also promotes the growth of normal intestinal bacteria.

One word of caution, inulin fiber can cause gas if taken in large amounts, so go easy with it.

Stevia Clarification

One my readers sent a response regarding stevia. I want to make sure that I was clear about stevia. You should read the label as always. You want to get pure stevia, not the blended stevia. Blended stevia's are stevia that is mixed or blended with sugar alcohols (erythritol). I am not a fan of this type of stevia.

There are basically 4 forms of stevia. First is the dried ground leaf form. This is a green powder. The second form is the dried whole leaf. Third is the liguid form of stevia. Be sure you read the labels on the liquid forms of stevia. Choose one that is in a vegetable glycerine solution. This is not the sugar alcohol (erythritol). The fourth form is stevia plus which is a powder form. In this form the stevia is combined with inulin, a carbohydrate.

I'll talk more tomorrow about inulin.

One Last Sugar Substitute

One last sugar substitute that I want to talk about is agave nectar. This is derived from a plant native to Mexico. It is not calorie-free, but is does contain more calories than refined sugar. More importantly, agave nectar has a lower glycemic index than sugar, so it is less likely to drive to blood sugar levels high. Refined sugar has a glycemic index in the 60's while agave nectar is in the 30's.

For more on glycemic index, see my February 19, 2009 post. The bottom line is the lower the glycemic index the less likely the blood sugar will be raised into levels that are really dangerous for our bodies.

Agave nectar can help you actually lose weight, because you will be using less of it than you would refined sugar.

Natural Sweeteners

One of the best natural sweeteners that has been around for literally centuries is stevia. Many of you may be familiar with stevia. The USA took a long time before they would allow stevia to be sold here. The FDA has approved stevia (not that I necessarily agree that if the FDA has approved anything it is good for you). But what will happen now is that we are likely to begin seeing foods made with stevia.

My recommendation regarding stevia is to be sure you get pure stevia. There are products out there like Truvia and PureVia which actually not only have stevia in them, but the manufacturers mix the stevia with erythritol. See yesterday's post regarding erythritol. I do not recommend the blended stevia products.

There are some other natural sweeteners out there and those include raw honey, organic maple syrup, and sorghum syrup. Unlike stevia, these three natural sweeteners have about the same number of calories as refined sugar. But they are far better for your body then refined sugar.

Sugar Substitutes Continued

I just want to say a couple more things about sugar substitutes. It probably all boils down to this, why would you put a chemical into your body that has the potential to create so much harm? Are the calories from sugar that important? The media has made us believe that they are. But why not utilize natural sugar or natural sweeteners instead. Moderation is the key my friends.

I failed to mention one other sweetener that is out there called erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. Once again this is a chemical that has been manufactured, and while it is advertised as natural, it is not. The chemical compound is one that has been manufactured and has the potential for side effects just as any manufactured compound.

Now I also don't believe in just using sugar, because refined sugar is a lot of empty calories that just leaves you wanting more. I do believe in natural sweeteners and I'll talk about those tomorrow.

Sucralose

I was talking about sucralose yesterday and I want to give you more information about this artificial sweetener. I mentioned the problem with chlorine yesterday, but there are other problems with this product. One of the most significant findings in the research is the shrinking of the thymus gland as well as shrinking of the lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus. This is all part of your immune system. So what is happening here is that sucralose affects your immune system decreasing it's abilit to function properly.

Is this important? Yes, by all means! Without a strong immune system your body is not only unable to fight off disease, but it also cannot win the fight against cancer cells which are in our bodies every day of our lives. The reason that most of us don't get cancer is because of our immune system.

Sucralose also affects the liver and kidneys, which in turn affect our ability to produce red cells to carry oxygen around our bodies. It can also affect pregnancy and your unborn child.

Lastly, sucralose can result in diarrhea. Not a lethal problem, but certainly an unpleasant one.

One last thought here for the diabetics out there. Sucralose is not the answer for you. Studies have shown that the hemaglobin A1C actually rises. This blood test is an indicator of glycemic control and we know that as it rises so does the number complications for diabetics.

Sugars and Sugar Substitutes

There is a lot of controversy over what to use, a sugar substitute or real sugar. I was asked this recently and so I want to give you my thoughts. First, let's talk about the big three substitutes, saccharin, aspartame and sucralose. The first of these to hit the market was saccharin back in 1957, so it has been around a long time. There is lots of research out there and most of it says the saccharin increases the risk of cancer.

Aspartame was introduced as being superior to saccharin, however, it too has been shown in research studies to increase the risk of cancer. About 17 years after aspartame came sucralose, which is not the safest substitute out there by any means.

Sucralose is manufactured by chlorinating sugar. Now my first problem here is that we don't need more chlorine in our bodies competing with our thyroid gland. I'll talk more about this tomorrow.

Another Good Nut

Another good nut to use as a snack. Pistachios are a great snack. Research has shown that they actually reduced the bad cholesterol (LDL) so there may be some beneficial cardiovascular effect. There are also studies that show that Pistachios raise the good cholesterol (HDL).

They also raise antioxidant levels, so they help the immune system fight off disease. They are also a good source of protein and fiber. The great thing about pistachios is that a serving size rather than 6-8 is a small handful of about 30. These are a great snack for kids as well.

Foot Care

Respect your feet, you will expect them to carry you for many, many years. Too often in the early part of our life we tend to ignore taking care of our feet. When I was young my mother would take me to the shoe store every fall before school started and buy me a new pair of saddle shoes. I hated them. They weren't the fashion statement that I thought I should be making. I thank my mother now, because I know how smart she was to get me good support for my feet during those growing years. She also taught me as I got older to continue to buy good supportive shoes. Spend a little extra money but get good support in your shoes.

While I do have a few hammertoes from wearing high heels, they aren't too bad. I don't have any calluses or corns and those are definitely things you want to avoid. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the bottom a diabetic's foot and found a hole through a callus up into the foot. Sometimes with infection not only in the foot but in the bone. This often necessitates the amputation of the foot. Now if you are not diabetic, it doesn't mean you don't have to worry. Many individuals as they age develop peripheral neuropathy. The nerves in the feet begin to grow numb and the individual has difficulty really feeling how they're walking. With this disease, you won't feel any pain necessarily and you can have a major problem on the bottom of your foot without really knowing it.

Energy Drinks or Water

There has been a huge rise in the number of energy drinks available these days. Along with this has come an increase in tooth decay. Dental studies have shown that these energy drinks actually erode tooth enamel more than soda does. Rather than drinking an energy drink, find a good protein bar that you can eat if you're needing fuel for the system for a workout. To just drink the energy drinks during the day because you're feeling like you need to is not a good idea.

Far better is to drink water. It always boggles my mind when I hear people say they don't like the taste of water. Water should be tasteless, although I know there are some places where the chemical additives to water do give it a pretty yucky taste. So drink purified water. It's refreshing and tasteless. Try to avid the flavored waters as you're just getting useless sugar in those.

More on Olive Oil

Another type of olive oil is First Cold Press. This is olive oil that is produced from the first pressing of the olives usually with a traditional hydraulic press at a temperature of less than 80.6 degrees. The less heat and the quicker the extraction, the better the oil. Be cautious with this one, even though the label says first press, it does not mean that the oil will be good. This is also an old term and you may not see it in the grocery store. The biggest problem is that there really is no longer a first pressing and often heat is used in the process which changes the oil.

Some of you may like the unfiltered olive oil. In this case, it just means that pieces of the olives are left in the oil. The oil is not filtered to remove the sediment. The problem is that this can lead to a shorter shelf life because the sediment becomes rancid.

Blended olive oils are oils which have been blended together from multiple sources - different groves, different countries, and different varieties of olives. This is in an effort to get a stable taste to the oil as it will vary from year to year depending on the rain or heat of the area in chich the olives are raised. Be sure to read these labels carefully as blended in the USA may mean that the olive oil has been blended with canola or vegetable oil.

Light or extra light olive oil is basically a marketing ploy to get you to purchase something that has no true definition. If you think these olive oils have fewer calories, guess again. They do not. The number of calories per tablespoon is 120. Note, they put the number of calories per serving in teaspoons, so read the label carefully.

Olive Oil

Since I've been writing about fats, I thought I would give you a little extra information about olive oil and what all of the terms mean. You may remember I said to buy extra virgin olive oil. What you may not know is what extra virgin means. This is the highest grade of olive oil because it is produced without using high heat or chemicals. The color of the oil represents the age of the olives when they are picked. A more green grassier olive oil has a stronger flavor and is made from an earlier harvest - the olives are not as ripe. Later harvests yield a milder more yellow oil.

Virgin olive oil is produced the same way as extra virgin olive oil. The difference is in the amount of oleic acid present. Oleic acid is omega 9 fatty acid, which is a monounsaturated fat. The body can produce this if it has enough omega 3 and omega 6. When there is a deficiency of either omega 3 or omega 6, the body will produce omega 9 to try to compensate.

Ordinary olive oil is another form of virgin olive oil. The difference here is that is contains more oleic acid and impurities. It is a lesser quality oil and should only be used for frying or where you do not want the flavor.

Polyunsaturated versus Monounsaturated Fats

The polyunsaturated fats are those found in fish such as salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel and tuna. It's also found in flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, dark leafy green vegetables such as Kale. The polyunsaturated fats include omega 3 and omega 6. Obviously we want to get more omega 3 than 6. The omega 3 really helps in cutting down inflammation which I believe is the real culprit rather than cholesterol.

Omega 6s are readily available in liquid vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, dairy products, eggs, and meat. Focus on getting some of the omega 6s, but mopre of the omega 3s. Get fish into your diet 2-3 times per week. Walnuts are a great snack as well as having many benefits. Put some flax seed meal into pancake batter, coffee cakes, cookies. Make your own salad dressing with olive oil and some fresh squeezed lemon.

Check labels and really be careful with processed foods as these contain mostly fats that are not good for you.

Good Fats

The good fats for your diet are unsaturated fats. Either poly or mono unsaturated are the fats to get in your diet. Since I've talked about this before, none of this is particularly new, unless you haven't read this blog before.

These good fats can help decrease total cholesterol levels and there is evidence that they may decrease the risk for diseases such as high blood pressure, depression, Alzheimer's, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Some of the fats to choose are olive oil. If you're going to use a fat, it is probably the best one to use. Of course you want to use extra virgin. Canola and flaxseed oil are probably the other two oils I would recommend. Flaxseed oil has a particular flavor that for some is not as tasty as olive oil.

Trans Fats

Since I've been talking about triglycerides, I thought I would mention a few things about other fats as well. The buzz these days is really about trans fats. If you look at cholesterol numbers, then what trans fats do is raise the LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower the HDL (good cholesterol). They differ from plane saturated fats in that saturated fats just raise the LDL.

Trans fats are present in meat and dairy products naturally. But the majority of trans fats that we consume in our diets are created by processing of food today, which turns liquid oils into solid fats. the trick is that you don't need to cut out meat and dairy, the best thing to do is to read labels and cut out processed foods that contain trans fats.

More on Triglycerides

There are other contributing factors that can raise triglyceride levels. Some of these are things like obesity, excessive alcohol intake, diabetes, diet high in saturated fats, chronic liver disease, low thyroid hormone, and chronic kidney disease. In addition to these factors, certain medications can also raise triglyceride levels. Some of these include prednisone, estrogen, certain diuretics (thiazides specifically), tamoxifen (used in breast cancer patients), accutane, and some of the beta blockers.

To avoid the medication regime that you may get put on, you can do somethings to keep triglyceride levels down. First and foremost is to eat a well balanced healthy diet with emphasis on fruits and vegetables, along with more unsaturated fats. Decrease your alcohol intake and get at least 30 minutes of exercise 4-5 days per week.

Some Notes on Triglycerides

Someone asked me the other day about triglycerides. First, you should understand that triglycerides are the form that fat takes in the body. If you eat a high fat meal, you can expect that your triglycerides will elevate. Good example of this, my husband had some fasting lab work drawn. Right before he began fasting for his blood work, he ate a jar of peanuts. When his lab work came back his triglycerides were much higher than they had ever been. I asked him if he had eaten anything after dinner and he admitted to the jar of peanuts. Then I knew the cause for the elevation. He also got to see first hand what happens when you eat high fat. He has eaten a jar of peanuts since then.

Triglycerides that are not used immediately for energy, are stored in the fat depots in the body. Some individuals have a genetic predisposition that makes them have high triglyceride levels all of the time. Medications do not lower the triglycerides in those individuals.

Best Diet Tips #6

Lastly, there is not magic bullet for weight loss. Yes, there are many diets and plans out there that will help you lose weight, but until you change what is in your head, you are more likely to go off of the diet and gain the weight back, plus some. When you have the strong urge to go eat, ask yourself the question, "Why do I want to go eat?" Sometimes it is because you have not eaten for 6 hours, but I dare say that many times you will get the urge to eat not long after a meal. It's not hunger that is triggering this urge. Also, think about what you're telling yourself you want to eat. Is it healthy foods, or are you craving empty carbohydrates - ie. junk food.

Getting in touch with this will help you make that life style change. It's easy to say it's a life style change, but until you know what is triggering you to eat, you will never make it.

Best Diet Tips #5

Have you ever hit that plateau where you just can't lose any further weight? This is a problem for most dieters, which is one reason I say to just stay off of the scale except for once a month. You will have some weight gain at times, it happens.

Be aware of how your clothes are fitting. If they are beginning to be snug on you, look at how much you are eating. One of the very best ways to help you lose weight is to eat 6-8 very small meals a day. Not only will this help your blood sugar levels, but you will never get that ravenously hungry feeling. You'll be amazed at how the pounds will drop off.

Best Diet Tips #4

My next best tip for weight loss is to get connected. If you can find a group that holds regular sessions, this will be most helpful for you. Studies have shown that the more group sessions a person attends, the weight they lost.

Get help from your family and friends to keep you motivated not only to lose the weight, but also to keep it off. There is nothing more detrimental to your plan, than a family member or friend who continually functions in a non-supportive way. These things may not be in the conscious mind of the person, but what they do or say makes it easier for you to fall away from your plan. An example of this, would be my husband, who was OK with me losing weight, but when he would cook, we would have a huge meal. I finally asked him to stop cooking for the army when there were only 2 of us and that I would dish up my own plate. Believe me, I cut a lot of calories just by eating less.

Best Diet Tips #3

You don't have to be skinny to be healthy. If weight is an issue for you, continue to cut calories. Even a small weight loss like 10 pounds can positively affect your health.

Just losing 10 pounds can help lower your blood pressure as well as lower your blood sugar levels. If you are watching cholesterol levels, a 10 pound weight loss will positively affect the good and bad cholesterol levels in the direction that you are shooting for.

Don't put so much emphasis on losing 25 or 50 or 100 pounds. Put your emphasis on decreasing the amount that you eat.

Best Diet Tips #2

If you think you are following a low-fat or high protein diet, you will do well for about 4-6 months. Somewhere in the 4-6 month time frame, you won't be meeting the target for fat, protein and carbohydrate.

Most dieters have a hard time sticking to a very rigid diet plan. Don't fuss about it. Look at how much your are eating instead. If you cut the amount of food you will lose weight.

Best Diet Tips

Since diets are on most of our minds these days, I thought I would give you a few tips. First of all, as I have said before, I do not believe in diets, because if you "go on a diet," you will most assuredly "go off of the diet" at some point. I know you've heard it before, but it is a life style change. Changing habits, like eating a piece of cake instead of the whole cake.

The very best tip I can give you is that if you decrease calorie intake, you will lost weight. Now I don't advocate counting calories, but look at your portion sizes and cut them down. Do you need a whole bun with your hamburger, or could you get by with 1/2 a bun or no bun. For most of us, the thing we can increase is fruits and vegetables.