A recent study reported that as much as half of the food in America is thrown out, largely because people think it is too old to eat. But how long is it safe to keep food? And what do those dates mean—“sell by” or “best if used by”?
One of the best feelings we can have is to be full of energy and vitality! But the reality for many women is the exact opposite. Are any of these symptoms familiar to you?
Because of the way car seats are made, it is very easy for us to curl our torsos as we sit at the steering wheel, and the weight of our body ends up being supported by our tailbone. But the tailbone is not designed to carry that weight. Our “sit bones”—the ones that are shaped like rockers and that can be felt underneath you when you are sitting—are the bones that are supposed to be holding us up.
According to a British study done in 2006, driving can cause quite a bit of pain. Of those involved in the testing, 81% suffered from foot cramps, 74% experienced low back pain, a stiff neck, and side achiness, and 73% reported headaches or eye strain. That is at least three-quarters of drivers! Read More
The holidays will soon be upon us, and that can wreak havoc on our diet and eating healthy habits! Have you ever decided to eat healthier—“This year is going to be different”? A typical scenario might look something like this: You know it is important to watch your diet and weight. You choose a super-strict regimen which then takes all the pleasure out of eating. This forces you to avoid social opportunities because you know you’ll blow it. How well does that work? Probably not very well.
“Weight management really should be about focusing on eating healthy foods that you like, rather than trying to stay away from foods that you like,” says Katie Rickel, PhD, clinical psychologist and weight-loss expert in Durham, North Carolina. A diet that will work must contain both foods that are healthy for us and foods that we enjoy eating. The secret is knowing when you can indulge, and when it is time to stop.1
What are your biggest challenges to weight loss or weight management? Please share any comments below.
The sugar in our blood is referred to as “glucose.” Our bodies produce insulin to get the glucose to the cells to be used as energy. If the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin, the glucose levels will begin to increase. “High blood sugar” and eventually diabetes is the result.
We’ve discussed computer use for ourselves, but how about our children? We need to see to it that they are taking care of their bodies as they use technology as well. The earlier good habits are developed, the better.
Have you ever watched someone else using a cell phone? Was their posture good or poor? Most likely it was quite poor. When we get focused on a phone or tablet, we tend to want to create some “private space.” To do that, we pull our heads and necks forward and curl our upper body into a ball to get that private feeling. If someone is talking on the phone, they may also be hunching their shoulder up to cradle the phone next to their ear.
Technology is wonderful, but it comes at a price to our bodies. Tablet use has led to a new form of repetitive strain injury dubbed “i-pad hand” or “text claw.” This results when people hold their device in their (typically) left hand for long periods of time with the corner of the tablet pushing into the tensed thumb muscle (similar to the way they would hold a plate). Users are experiencing aches and pain in the left hand. This can also progress to pain up the arm and into the shoulders and neck. A few users have reported symptoms as devastating as paralysis.
Stop a moment to notice what you are doing with the mouse right now as you read. Are you gripping it for dear life? Do you actually need to be holding the mouse at all? As you move the mouse around, are you putting tension in your shoulders, arms, or hand? How about when you click—are you using the minimum amount of energy necessary, or are you pounding on it? Where is the mouse—are you having to reach to use it?