Let’s Talk About Health

mollyweasley4 asked:


I have both Mental health issues and chronic pain from a back injury. Both are lifetime problems. I have days when pain prevents me from almost anything (like: getting dressed or driving) and I’m angry about that. I’m not taking my anger out on anyone, but my husband tells me it’s my dysfunctional family of origin’s anger, not my own, and I “shouldn’t be angry”. So: Do I have a right to be angry, or what?

MILAGROS

KJ asked:


What are the healthiest, natural alternatives to refined sugar? Is there a conversion chart to allow me to substitute these healthy alternatives into my cooking and baking recipes?

JULIETTE

jlgb41 asked:


I am a professional woman who has been married for 14yrs. My husband is on medication but battles with massive depression and bipolar issues. It puts lots of pressure on me and its hard to be the one who always holds things together. How do others do it. I’m sad

GIL

Kevin Gianni asked:


This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni’s The Healthiest Year of Your Life, which can be found at http://thehealthiestyearofyourlife. com. In this excerpt, Jill Fleming shares on listening to your body and staying healthy.

The Healthiest Year of Your Life with Jill Fleming, a registered dietician and author of Thin People Don’t Clean Their Plates.

Kevin: Jill I want to thank you so much for being on this call, as we’ve just heard you have this incredible line up of talents and things that you’ve done, so why don’t you just start?

Jill: Okay. Thanks, Kevin. Thanks for having me on today. My story starts back when I was 16 years old and I had food allergies and I started reading labels and just became very fascinated with nutrition. Everything I would pick up I would did, you know, this was in your food and just became very aware of what I was putting in to my body. So I went on to study dietetics and got two degrees in nutrition and during the time that I was studying I gained 40 pounds.

Kevin: Really

Jill: Yeah. So I realized that it wasn’t just knowing what you should do, but also applying that information to your life, so as soon as I finished college and started teaching weight loss classes which I knew was the area I wanted to focus on, I started to lose my weight almost instantly. As I was teaching people how to do it and how to fit the healthy choices into their lives I was doing it as well. During college I had a lot of stress and there were too many other things going on to focus on what I should have been doing for my health.

Kevin: When you said that you gained 40 pounds, what were you thinking as you were going through this information?

Jill: I really wasn’t too aware of the added weight coming on to my body because, you know, when I was in college I was wearing big floppy sweatshirts and little stretch pants that were very flexible and accommodating to my extra weight. What I really did notice though was being short of breath, being more tired, not sleeping well. I noticed my energy just being very low and that was what bothered me the most.

Kevin: You said you had food allergies. Did they continue to manifest as you went from you being 16 years old through college?

Jill: My food allergies now are almost totally gone.

Kevin: Okay.

Jill: I think at that point when I had my very unhealthy lifestyle choices while studying nutrition, I was consuming somewhere between 8 and 10 cans of diet coke a day.

Kevin: Wow.

Jill: Definitely not healthy and I think I just overloaded my body on some of the artificial sweeteners and preservatives and a lot of the junk that was in the processed food.

Kevin: Right.

Jill: I think my body just rebelled and said we can’t take this any more and it manifested itself in allergies.

Kevin: So you think the toxicity of the artificial sweeteners caused that?

Jill: I truly do and it’s hard to prove that, but I guess you know your own body better than anyone else. As soon as I started getting the chemicals and the preservatives and the artificial sweeteners out of my diet, it was rough at first because I was pretty much addicted, but I started to feel better. My energy started to return and it was easier to make better choices as I started to feel better.

Kevin: Let’s talk about diet soda real quick. I know that there are some people out there who as healthy as they are they’re still drinking diet soda, I mean it’s amazing, I hear it from some of the people that I would think are so healthy but their still drinking diet soda. What did you do to go from 6-8 diet soda’s a day to zero?

Jill: Well, I was drinking so much and my body reacting in a way that I was so swollen I hardly could open my mouth to even eat.

Kevin: Wow.

Jill: I was using a straw to drink my diet soda’s to get them in, I needed them that bad and after I went to the food allergist he said the sodium benzoate, which wasn’t even a sweetener but just a preservative that was in the soda, is showing a strong reaction with you so you need to stop this immediately. So I just quit cold turkey from that day on. I mean I couldn’t pass a soda machine without getting a soda. It was a really strong habit. I just gave it up from that day forward and started drinking water and it was really tough, tough transition. Kevin: Okay.

Jill: But I just had to go from all to nothing, because my body was in such stress.

Kevin: Well, it took a doctor.

Jill: Yeah. Exactly to point out what I was doing which I should have known, but being in college at that time 20 years ago they really weren’t talking about how the artificial sweeteners were that bad for you. I had to experience it myself.

Kevin: And 20 years ago your doctor knew that?

Jill: Yes, he did

Kevin: Okay.

Jill: Well, they did all the testing and that was the one that came up the strongest reaction for me.

Kevin: Wow. That’s pretty interesting. You’ve spoken in many places over the time that you’ve become a dietician and now writing as an author. Now, what are some of the important things or the keys that you think are essential to staying healthy?

Jill: I like to really simplify all of the complicated nutrition and exercise and advice that’s out there in to the basic model that I call the Wellness Triangle.

Kevin: Okay.

Jill: And there are three corners obviously to the triangle and they are all equal in importance and one of the corners is nutrition, how you’re fueling the body? Are you staying hydrated? Are you giving your body real food, good food and not too much of it? The second corner is exercise, are you moving your body on a regular basis? And I actually call this move and squeeze.

Kevin: Okay.

Jill: We’ll talk about the squeezies a little bit later.

Kevin: Great.

Jill: In the third corner is R&R, rest and relaxation. How are you sleeping? Do you have a lot of stress? Are you able to keep your stress level low? So between those three corners if you have one area that is out of balance, if you’re not feeding your body well, you’re not giving it the best fuel and staying hydrated, the other two corners will be thrown off as well. So being pretty good in all three corners is the ideal for optimal health.

Kevin: What do you suggest for someone? Is this something that they write down and assess or how does someone go and assess these three corners?

Jill: I think for most of us even just hearing about the Wellness Triangle will instantly say, “Oh. Wow. Yeah, I do not sleep well.” And they’ll know that the sleeping is the place to start, so if they get their sleeping and their stress under control they’re able to make better nutrition choices, its amazing. Then when they are fueling their body better and their sleeping better they’ve got more energy that their able to do their exercise or people say, “Oh, I **** exercise. I’ll never do it.” When they’re not doing the exercise their not sleeping as well at night and their not fueling their body as well because they kind of have the all or nothing mentality. So I think for the most part you could write it down but I think just hearing it mentally you can figure out what corner you probably need to start with.

Kevin: Yeah, I know which one I need to start with.

Jill: It’s different for everyone. It’s really amazing. I’ve had people that all they needed to do is start getting their sleep under control and everything fall into place and they start to lose weight and fell better and have more energy and they said it was just almost too easy.

Kevin: Yeah. That’s good news.

Jill: Yeah, it is. It’s easier than you think.

Kevin: Yeah. The title of your book is Thin People Don’t Clean Their Plates, Simple Lifestyle Choices for Permanent Weight Loss, is cleaning your plate one of the main reasons for weight gain and health issues?

Jill: I think what the title really signifies is that people who are not overweight, who are pretty close to what their ideal body weight should be and where they feel healthy in their body are listening to their body. They’re eating in relation to hunger and stopping at the point of satisfied. So if two people are sitting next to each other, one person was a lean person at their ideal body weight and the other person was heavy and needed to lose weight, I would guess that the person who stops at the point of no longer hungry would be the lean person, even if there’s still food on the plate and with my research studying people who are overweight versus people who were lean and at their ideal body weight, the overweight person typically would clean the plate regardless of if they were full or even if it tasted good. It was just a habit and we all heard those voices growing up, I believe. You know, clean your plate. They are saying to children you need to eat it all and **** to waste food.

Kevin: It’s horrible, isn’t it?

Jill: Yeah, but it’s just interesting that we all hear those voices that come back to still haunt us today and thinking that we stop eating when we’re uncomfortable. That’s how I was bought up. If you’re not uncomfortable then you need to keep eating. You need to be full.

Kevin: Yeah, which is definitely not true at all.

Jill: No and that’s one of the biggest things. Getting in touch with what your body is saying and when overweight people start to listen to their body and stop at the point of satisfied or no longer hungry, it feels very foreign. The first time I did it after my heavy phase at college at Thanksgiving it felt so strange to me. It felt wrong and that night I actually wanted to eat dinner and I thought I’ve never wanted to eat dinner on Thanksgiving evening, because usually it was the big lunch that you stuffed yourself to the point where you felt you were going to get sick and then needed a nap and then just kind of grazed the entire time. When I listened to my body and stopped, that evening four hours later I was ready to eat again.

Kevin: Yeah.

Jill: So it’s really amazing. The fun part is that you can eat what you want and more frequently, so it’s not that you have to stop and never eat again. It’s three hours later when you get hungry you say now you can eat again and I love eating.



SASHA

He’s Real asked:


Someone can come on here and say something I’ve never heard before (e.g. the recent question about feeling naked), and I can automatically understand them. I can completely imagine just how they feel to the point that I have to avoid certain questions in order to avoid adding more problems to my list of issues. Why can I relate so much? Thanks.

FLOSSIE

Moses Wright asked:


When one ages, it can be harder to maintain our fitness level. For some, they might notice that a few extra pounds have been piling up and it is harder to shed the weight now as compared to the past. It is vital to pay more attention to our health as we grow older.

It is well-known around the globe, today, that our metabolisms begin to slow to a biological crawl as we get older. Except for the hopes of some sort of miracle, or some extreme technological breakthrough, this is the facts, and we have no choice but to live and accept it as it is.

Medical science, for some time now, has been doing exactly that; trying to find a “cure,” if you will, to the unstoppable process of aging. Studies have, in the last twenty years, hinted as to what causes aging. With continual research, more information can be found and can be used to try to turn back the clock or delay the aging process.

There’s no telling as to when such a breakthrough is going to happen, so until then, it seems that the most sensible thing for a person to do is to use the methods we have in order to stay healthy. It should be of no shock to anyone to know that the two main factors to achieving this goal is proper exercise and a sensible diet.

Depending on a persons age and current health, it’s wise to establish a diet and workout regimen that will better suit the individual. It is common and normal to feel some form of discomfort for a few days after an individual starts to exercise, but the discomfort will taper off. Intense pain is a symbol that an individual has overtaxed himself and that serves no benefits at all. Find a happy medium.

Let it be known that in order to maintain a healthy physique, it’s necessary to alter your diet as well. It is difficult to have a healthy body when one is still chowing down on fatty food?

Some people, after reaching a certain age, have a tendency of eating foods that they would’ve normally have shunned in their earlier years. At times, this indulgence comes as a sort of reward after the many years of discipline and hard-labor. The one thing that goes over-looked by so many, though, is that this can prove very negative in these latter years as our metabolisms slow.

As with everything and at any age, everything should be done in moderation. It is perfectly to grab a snack occasionally and it can be good for your health and mindset. Sugar and fat are actually necessary components in our diets, seeing that simple sugars are essential for energy and unsaturated fat is beneficial for regulating hormones and other important activities.

Eating healthily is only one of the the important aspects; it is important to exercise as well to be really healthy. A easy exercise like walking is beneficial by improving the cardiovascular system. This easy activity maintains strength in our joints and keeps it lubricated and makes our muscles strong.

Professionals have proven that those in the 60 or more age group with little to no exercise have only a 60% aerobic capacity of those in the 30 year old age group. Up to seven pounds of muscle mass can be lost in just the small span of ten years without proper diet and exercise. Studies have also proven, though, that this does not have to be the case, as long as we learn how to take better care of ourselves.

Certain medical facilities have examined the effects of runners for the span of twenty-five years, and have shown that the results proved that these runners lost very little capacity over the past twenty years. Even those that engaged in resistance training maintained over a ten year span. This is in accordance with a very popular saying that goes, “Either use it, or lose it.”

For people that really haven’t changed their lifestyles, whether by diet or by exercise, have a better chance of reversing the effects of aging. It is recommended that one starts off slow and take the time build one’s fitness level until he is comfortable with a fitness program. Many people that overexert themselves tend to feel more pain than those that start slowly, and because of this, many people tend to give up before they’ve witnessed any positive results. Even to become a jogger, one should start as a power-walker. Also, very importantly, don’t be afraid to seek the advice of a professional.



ELNORA

davishe1di asked:


I’m searching for a leadership project that I can possibly implement in my own community.

What are some examples health issues or problems in your community? Do you have any ideas for projects you (yourself) can do to address these issues?

BILL

Diabetes Info asked:


check out the Living Healthy with Diabetes swicki at eurekster.com

Stay Healthy at Any Age

Some health advice stands the test of time – don’t smoke, eat right and exercise apply to people of all ages. But some health care priorities and guidelines change as we grow older. Screening tests, nutritional recommendations and exercise requirements vary based on your age and overall health, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about what is right for you. The following guidelines may help steer the conversation.

In the Beginning

Individuals in their 20s and 30s have their whole lives in front of them, and there is no better time to ensure that it is a healthy one.

Recommended screenings. Your annual physical may move quickly, as the recommended tests are minimal. Your doctor may conduct a complete lipid profile, which indicates your cholesterol level, every five years. Women should have an annual Pap test to detect cervical cancer or precancerous cells beginning three years after their first sexual activity or by age 21.

Exercise guidelines. Try to fit at least five sessions of aerobic exercise, such as jogging, walking or biking, into your weekly routine, as well as one session of strength training. Stretch for at least 10 minutes every other day, especially after your aerobic activity.

Dietary recommendations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends limiting your caloric intake to 2,000 calories per day, but this number varies based on your activity level (see chart). In general, to maintain your weight, the calories you expend should match the calories you consume. It’s also important to make sure your food choices contain the recommended nutrients, such as at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Women of childbearing age may need to increase their consumption of iron and folic acid.

In the Middle Years

As you enter your 40s and move into your 50s, many health guidelines stay the same. But there are a few notable differences.

Recommended screenings. Beginning at age 45, you may receive a fasting-glucose test every three years to measure your risk of diabetes. At age 50, your doctor may recommend a colonoscopy every 10 years to help detect colon cancer. Men may start to screen for prostate cancer with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test every one to two years at age 50, although men with a higher risk may want to start at 45. Women should undergo mammograms every one to two years beginning at age 40, and baseline bone-densitometry testing soon after menopause.

Exercise guidelines. Aerobic exercise remains a top priority, although you may want to minimize high-impact activities. Strength training becomes even more important, and experts suggest scheduling two or three sessions per week.

Dietary recommendations. By age 50, many adults can’t absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12 as well as their younger counterparts, so be sure to eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 and consider taking supplements to ensure you receive the recommended 2.4 micrograms per day. Now is also the time to increase calcium consumption to 1,200 mg for men and 1,500 mg for postmenopausal women.

Living Longer and Stronger

As life spans lengthen, the very definition of aging changes. Treatments once considered too traumatic for older adults, such as chemotherapy and coronary bypass surgery, have in many cases been proven safe and effective. Chronic conditions once regarded as noncritical in the older years, such as high cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure levels, are now being actively controlled with medications. Understanding how your body’s needs change can help ensure you receive age-appropriate care.

Recommended screenings. Many of the tests you’ve grown accustomed to may no longer be necessary during your doctor visits. Women who have never had an abnormal Pap test can discontinue the screening after age 65. Many experts advise stopping prostate cancer screening in men after age 75. But bone density testing becomes more important. Women should receive bone densitometry once every two to three years, while a single test in men is generally sufficient. In addition, your doctor may begin checking your feet for peripheral artery disease, and suggest visiting an ophthalmologist every one to two years to test for macular degeneration, glaucoma and other age-related eye problems.

Exercise guidelines. Continue to include three to four sessions of low-impact aerobic activity per week. Limit strength training to two times per week to allow your muscles to recover in between sessions, and consider reducing the resistance and increasing the repetitions. You may also want to add balance exercises to your stretching routine.

Dietary recommendations. Medications and other factors may begin to diminish your sense of taste and smell, which can affect your appetite. Unless you are overweight, you may need to take special care to include sufficient calories – and the proper vitamins and nutrients – in your diet. By age 65, it is advisable that both men and women consume at least 1,500 mg of calcium per day.



ELIJAH

Paul Wilson asked:


Travel for business or pleasure can bring to the fore several health concerns. The most common ailments people experience while on a trip are hypertension, colds, and diarrhea. In order to build up resistance to fight diseases you must adopt a healthy lifestyle. Get adequate rest, adopt a good exercise program, eat balanced meals, avoid fast foods, and food full of saturated fats, and take vitamins and any other medication prescribed by the doctor. One of the simplest rules to stay healthy while traveling is never eat uncooked foods and do not drink water that is suspect.

To protect yourself pack a small medicine kit as well as your medical records and insurance card. To maintain your health be sure to follow an exercise regime while traveling. You must walk, jog, swim, or use the hotel gym. Or you could play an exercise tape on your lap top and do your exercises in the hotel room. The secret to staying healthy is to stick to a routine and eat balanced meals at regular times.

Here are a few tips:

• For every time zone you cross, take a day’s rest to allow your body clock to reset itself.

• Avoid alcohol but drink plenty of fluids. The crucial thing is to avoid dehydration.

• While on the plane try and rest as much as possible and exercise by getting up and moving down the aisles.

• Eat low fat meals on the plane, eat lightly, avoid salty, rich, and fatty foods.

• The CDC recommends that you drink only bottled water and that too the carbonated kind. The water bottles must be sealed and opened by you only. Do not use ice cubes under any circumstances and drink out of a straw.

• Use bottled water for brushing your teeth and for gargling. Wash you toothbrush in bottled water. Try and avoid using tap water.

• Eat and drink anything that is at boiling point or deep fried. Eat freshly cooked food. Avoid meat and seafood if you are traveling in interior areas where the meat is unlikely to be fresh and freezers and refrigerators are not dependable.

• While in flight you should do a few stretching exercises to avoid cramped muscles. Yawn frequently or chew gum to de-pressurize your ears. Avoid drinking coffee before and during a flight. Wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing. Include plenty of greens and carbohydrates in your pre-flight meals. Relax as much as possible and take a few deep breaths before boarding a flight.

• If you suffer from hypertension, motion sickness, an overactive bladder, weak digestion, or allergies consult your doctor before undertaking an extended trip.

Be sure to pack in your carry on bag a bottle of water, a few snacks especially if you are diabetic, as well as your first aid kit. Pack a light jacket or sweater to wear in case there are great variations in temperature.



ANDREAS

Paul Hata asked:


When you talk about sports fitness, what comes first in your mind? It is, basically, the different sports activities, right? This is because sports fitness has always been referred to as the sports itself.

Generally, sports entail physical activities that are usually carried out for some recreational functions such as self-satisfaction, entertainment, competition, etc. It uses physical activity that is why most fitness experts regard sports as one way of staying fit and healthy. It can also be considered as one way of physical fitness; the only difference is that sports fitness is more inclined to the development of skill or ability.

However, like physical fitness, sports fitness is also capable of toning down the body fats of a person. Because of its rigid and strict health program, a sports enthusiast is able to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle in order to cope up with the strenuous demands of sports.

In sports, people should learn how to value their health. Otherwise, they can never endure the kind of energy that is required when playing sports activities.

Therefore, for people who are into sports fitness, here are some tips that you could use in order to stay healthy and be active on whatever sports you want to pursue:

1. Drinks Lots of Water

Humans can survive days, or even months without food, but they can never last a day without water.

Water is, indeed, the most important element needed by the body. Excessive perspiration, without any means of replenishing the lost fluids will result to serious health problems, and even death.Therefore, for people who are into strenuous exercises and trainings, it is best to always drink lots of water.

However, for sports enthusiasts, water may not be enough to replace the kind of fluid lost. Hence, it would be better if they would have sports drinks instead. Aside from the fluid, sports drinks have tow additional important ingredients needed by a person who is into sports fitness: carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Electrolytes are usually lost during strenuous physical activity, and this can only be replaced through sports drinks. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are also needed by the body during rigid workouts to provide more energy so that the body can cope up to the demands of the activity.

2. More Veggies

People who are into sports fitness require more intakes of vegetables and fruits. This is because the body is craving for more vitamins and mineral supplements. It makes the body stronger and healthier enabling it to cope up with demands of the activity.

3. Calcium Intake

People who are into sports fitness should have calcium present on their diet. This is to provide stronger bones to the body.

Since the body is more exposed to greater physical activities, it is important to have stronger bones in order to avoid fractures or certain bone diseases like osteoporosis.

Calcium can be found in different vitamin and mineral supplements. They are also abundant in foods like sardines, tofu, dairy products, etc.

4. Warm Exercises

Warm exercises are always important before any kind of strenuous activities.This kind of activity is needed in order not to strain the body. Hence, before playing the sports that you have always love, it is best to do some warm-up exercises first.

Indeed, engaging into sports activities is one great way of being physically fit. The best thing about it is that in sports, you get to enjoy the best of both worlds.



ELNORA