What's The Deal With Fish Oil?

I like fish for the most part;  a nice salmon fillet, a little broiled flounder, the occasional fish stick.  All good things in my book. Then I hear the words “fish oil”. Fish is good, oil is ok I guess.  But, when those words are conjoined, all I can picture is a giant vat of fish being compressed then divvied up into little bottles labeled “fish oil”. Fish stick? Yum! Fish oil? Not so appealing.

So what’s the deal with this stuff? Doctors and health authorities, not to mention many a’ average joe rave about taking fish oil.

Well, the masses are correct on this one!  Fish oil actually does sport a host of health benefits. You might be surprised just how much fish oil can complement a healthy diet and lifestyle.

The most common reason people get on board with this aquatic supplement is to support heart health.  Studies have shown that people using fish oil regularly and in conjunction with a balanced diet, have a markedly decreased risk for heart disease.  Many people with high blood pressure or high triglyceride levels experience a decrease in both conditions with the addition of fish oil to their diets.

The heart benefits found in fish oil may not be new to you, but one new tid-bit of knowledge you may find interesting is the positive affect Nemo may have on your brain.  A bonafide “Brain Food”.  Diets rich in fish and omegas may help with conditions such as depression, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),  and other thinking related disorders.

Not surprised? Did you know that fish oil can also be used to treat dry eyes, glaucoma, and age related macular degeneration? How about preventing painful menstrual cycles for women? Fish oil can help with that. Diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, osteoporosis…you guessed it, all conditions can benefit with the addition of fish oil. Just talk it over with your health care provider to determine if fish oil is a good choice for you.

Ok, so you appreciate that fish oil can be good for your overall health, but can’t seem to get passed the  idea of fish in an oil form? No worries. You can get the same health benefits as a supplement through your diet.  Go ahead and eat more fish, just be conscious of how what you’re eating is being prepared. Here’s a basic run down.  Broiled; good.  Fired; bad.  Baked; good. Drenched in butter; bad.  And just like you are picky with the type of fish you eat, its ok to be picky with the type of fish in your oil.  Look for quality, cold water fish like salmon, tuna, or even calamari. If I said it once, I’ll definitely say it again, READ THE LABEL. If you still have question or concerns about fish oil, or any supplement, just talk to your health care provider.  The can provide you with everything you would like to know about adding fish oil into your supplemental regiment.

 It's YOUR future.....Be there HEALTHY

Have an Ankle Injury?

Recently I’ve talked to a few people with ankle injuries.  The major complaint of all (besides the fact that they were currently injured)? How can I exercise?!

Figuring out how to exercise with an injury can be difficult. So, what’s the first thing you can do: Talk to your health care provider! He or she contains a plethora of knowledge and insight on both exercise, and injury, and is usually just a phone call away!

Here are a few other effective suggestions you can try out whilst on the recovery!

Try out pretty much anything in the water. Low impact = low stress on the injured ankle.  If your ankle is still swollen however, don’t forget you daily dose of RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate.  If your ankle is till tender try an all-natural, anti-inflammatory or pain reliever.  Look for Boswellia (anti-inflammatory) and Willow bark (pain reliever) in the ingredients list!

As for the water aerobics: try jogging in the water using a floatation belt.  It will get the heart pumping without adding much stress to your injury.

Another exercise option would be a hand bike.  Many gyms have a few of these beauties.  Usually used by the wheel chair bound, it is a bike you sit in front of and pedal using your hands and arms.  It is a great alternative cardio work out!

Another option, and my personal favorite, is Pilates! Pilates is a method of exercise focusing on core strength and flexibility and is great for developing and toning lean muscle.  The bonus to Pilates is that it can be done on the floor, in the comfort of your living room.  Most Pilates exercise can also be adapted to fit your personal needs.  So, if it’s your ankle that is injured, you can modify your Pilates position to avoid causing stress to your ankle. There are hundreds of instructional DVDs out there. You can find one you like or try out one of these DVDs for beginners (most can be found on Amazon.com for pretty cheap!):

                Element: Pilates Weight Loss For Beginners

                Pilates Complete For Inflexible People

                Beginning Pilates: Mat Workout starring Ana Caban

Last, but not least, make sure you do a slow and easy warm up before you exercise and a slow and easy cool down when you’re done.  Never underestimate the power of stretching it out! When you’re all finished take a nice soak in the hot tub (if you’re at the gym or lucky enough to have one at home) or take a long, hot shower or bath! This will help to relax and sooth your injured ankle, not to mention who doesn’t love just soakin in the tub?!

If you haven’t yet seen a physician be sure to get your ankle checked out before doing any kind of exercise!  If you have seen a doctor and continue to have persistent swelling and pain, be sure to head back to your health care provider for a checkup!

If you have any questions regarding your health or all-natural, herbal supplements, just give us a call!

http://www.baxplus.com/

It’s YOUR future….Be there HEALTHY!

The 13 Week Itch

I don’t know about you, but I actually really like the winter months.  I love snuggling up on the couch with a good book and mug of hot cocoa, watching the snow fall and if I’m lucky, sleeping in for the coveted 2 hour delay.  But, although I love these things, there is one aspect of winter that really makes me…well…itch. A little something I’ve nicknamed the 13 week itch.  

The winter can wreak havoc on our skin. The cold, combined with the overall lack of moisture in the air, can leave our skin (hands most noticeably) red, rough, and chapped.   Sometimes skin may get so dry it becomes incessantly itchy, or cracks causing painful fissures that may swell or bleed.  Sound like a sad entry from your diary? Then listen closely for a few quick and easy winter skin fixes.

Lather up!...with lotion that is!  A very simple, yet very effect solution. Your skin loses moisture every day, and in the winter months, it loses it extra fast. You need to replace that lost moisture and the quickest way to do that is to liberally apply a good moisturizer. The best time to lotion up is right after a hot shower when your pores are most open and will drink that extra moisture right up. As for those hands, once a day is simply not enough.  The more the merrier in this case. Keep a bottle of your favorite moisturizer on the sink next to your hand soap, one on your desk at work, and a travel size in your purse, gym bag, or in the car.

Get your study on! No there will not be a test at the end, but you will be one step closer to soft, supple skin.  Study the ingredient list on your lotions.   Avoid lotions that contain alcohol, as many heavily fragranced lotions do.  Look for ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, lanolin, or beeswax.  For extra soft hands slather on some good ol’ petroleum jelly before bed and cover your hands with a cotton glove. When you wake up the next morning you will be amazed by the difference.

And last, but not least, Bottoms Up! Your body is about 60% water which means you need to be drinking around 64 oz every day to stay hydrated.  That’s a lot of h2o but essential for healthy skin and a healthy body, so drink up.  The more hydrated your body, the more hydrated your skin.  Throw some lemon and orange slices or a little crystalized ginger to your water bottle to add a little variety and bottoms up!

These are 3 powerhouse solutions to the 13 week itch. Still have questions or concerns about your skin or overall health? Talk to your doctor or come in for a free consultation and see how we can help! Enjoy this article? Don't forget to follow us on facebook and twitter!

It’s YOUR future…..Be there HEALTHY!

My Last Bit on Resolutions!

Ok, so we’re now in the second full week of January. Have you made or started your resolution yet? If you are anything like me, you start off with every intention of making a resolution then two weeks go by and you still haven’t decided what the best resolution would be. Well hopefully over the past two weeks you have been able to narrow your lists down to one or two realistic resolutions. Now, the long anticipated step 3 and 4.

Here’s what you need to do. 1. Write it down. 2. Tell someone you know.

Why write it down?

Writing down a goal or resolution can help our brain to make it a priority. Writing our goals down also increases the likelihood that we will be committed to keeping them.  In addition to writing them down, post them somewhere you will consistently see them and be continually reminded to make steps toward reaching your goal. Maybe it’s the refrigerator door, maybe it’s your steering wheel, maybe it’s the bathroom mirror. Where ever you are most likely to read, and reread, and reread your resolution is where you need to stick it. Repetition is often the best medicine when it comes to making and keeping resolutions.

Now that it’s set in stone….or in pen on a stick-it…get vocal. Tell someone you know. Why should you tell someone? Because that piece o paper can easily be torn up and scrapped at a moment’s frustration. So go tell somebody, but not just any old acquaintance.  Share with someone that you know will ask you how your resolution is going. Find a trustworthy friend who will keep you accountable. Accountability can often make or break a resolution. Maybe you can find a resolution buddy. They help you keep yours and you help them keep theirs. You both will be more likely to celebrate a year of successful resolution!

Now, my last tip on the subject of goals and resolutions for the New Year is this:

Keep trying.

If you find yourself off the wagon come St. Patrick’s Day, don’t just throw in the towel, brush your shoulders off and get back in the saddle.  The beauty of a yearlong goal is that you have a year to accomplish it.  I am not advocating waiting until spring to start on your resolution; get on it today! What I’m saying is, things happen, we’re human.  Work at it with all you’ve got. If the horse bucks you off, climb back on.  If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.  Persistence pays off. Pick your catch phrase.

If you are looking for someone to help you make your health and wellness goals a reality in 2011. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter or give us a call today! We would love to help make your New Year’s resolutions a reality! Here’s to a healthy 2011!!

It’s YOUR future……be there HEALTHY!!

Don't Over Do It! Pt. 3

Did you know that more people resolve to start a new habit than quit an old one? It’s an interesting tid-bit and it’s true!

Having said that, it is important to note that this next tip really doesn’t have much to do with the previous statement. It does, however, have everything to do with making and keeping your resolution.

While the world is resolving all of their bad habits away and picking up new and shiny ones for the New Year it is important to not overdo it. *I realize these first two tips seem to sort of be downers but they’re important, and I promise the next two tips will be much more fun.*

For the majority of the population keeping just one resolution is 97% impossible (sad but true stat friends) and so it boggles my little brain when I talk to someone who has an entire grocery list of resolutions: Quitting smoking? Check. Lose 40lbs? Check. Hit the gym every day? Double check. Pay off the credit card? Triple check and bonus if I do it before August! Booyah! Really? Who are you superman because trust me, even he couldn’t pay off that card before August.

But don’t fret you can be in that 3% success rate if you heed this advice. The beauty of a New Year’s resolution is that it’s all yours. You pick it and you determine if you keep it or not. So pick wisely and don’t overdo it! Make a list of the things you’d like to work on in the new year. (Not a mental list an actual list. Yes, a real list. Pen, paper, go get it….I’ll wait….)

Ok, now that you have your list in hand pick the one item that you would like to accomplish the most. That debt got you down? Ok that’s your resolution. Make a plan, talk to a financial advisor, be disciplined (ah discipline, a trait you must grasp and refine young grasshoppa), and work at it. Need to quit smoking? Chuck your pack, talk to your doctor, get in a support group, you’re on your way to a healthier life.

Now that you have your resolution, don’t just pitch the list. Go ahead and work on the other items. But don’t overwhelm and over stress by burdening yourself with 14 New Year’s resolutions because chances are if you have too many you won’t keep any. Pick one really good, really important one, stick with it, and don’t be afraid to ask for help…we will discuss this more at a later date. (If you have noticed my daily new year’s tip has turned into more of a sporadic tip….maybe I’ve just discovered my resolution??)

It’s your future….Be there healthy!!

The Week After (pt 2) - Let's Be Realistic

I’ll tell you what irritates me. I come up with the most incredible New Year’s resolution (ex. Go to the gym every week day, stop drinking coffee, or read one book every week) and then some naysayer with a furrowed unibrow gives me that look that says, “you’re clearly not new year’s resolution material “ and then proceeds to demolish my dreams by chuckling, “Let’s be realistic”.

Although I firmly believe that this variety of pessimism deserves a good swat on the knuckles, the thought process behind the statement is actually pretty accurate.  As much as I hate to admit it, I often tend to make unrealistic personal goals. So, having admitted my only character flaw…..I present you with tip number one. Be realistic!

When making a New Year’s resolution, with the intentions of actually keeping it, start small.  Don’t immediately jump to the first 10 year habit you may be supporting and think that just because it’s a new year you will automatically be granted superhuman power and bipity-bopity-boo habit gone, resolution achieved. Knowing that it’s a habit you need to break is a great start but if you set your sights too high you will most likely miss your target and end up incredibly disappointed and frustrated. 

So let’s say you’ve got a coffee habit you’d like to kick.  You’re at 6 cups a day right now. How about when the New Year rolls around you try cutting back to only 3 cups a day. If you keep that resolution you’ve gone from 2,190 cups o’ joe to just over 1,095. That’s quite an accomplishment, and you might even surprise yourself and surpass your resolution. For example, let’s say June rolls around and you’re subsiding quite flawlessly on 3 cups a day and so you make a mid-year resolution and cut it down to only 2 cups a day. You my friend have now not only lapped your resolution but you’re on the fast track to having consumed 1460 less cups of coffee in the New Year! You rock!

This is the only time you will ever hear me say it, but…aim low this new year!

Make a realistic resolution. Own it. Live it.

Stay tuned for tip number 2!

It’s your future…..be there healthy!

The Week After (pt 1)

The Christmas cookies are starting to go stale and the leftovers are stacked in neat, little Tupperware containers in the fridge just waiting to be either consumed or tossed.  It must be the week after Christmas. Tis the time of year to reflect on the previous year and anticipate what the new year may bring; Tis also the time of year when I begin to ponder the age old question: what is my New Year’s resolution?

I love a good new year’s resolution. I love the feeling of determination, the anticipation of achieving my goal, and being able to brag next year about how awesome I am for keeping my resolution….I love it until about oh, around February 15^th. Maybe this is because it is my brother’s birthday and he loves cheesecake on his birthday (and when it comes to cheese and cake I have zero self-control) or maybe it has to do with the realization that there is a whole heck of a lot of year left.

My resolution dreams always start out with the best of intentions, and yet somehow I have managed to never. Not once. Not ever. Keep a New Year’s resolution. Where is the problem here? Cleary it’s not you, it’s me. So this has led me to the blog topic of the week. How to keep a New Year’s resolution?

This week I will blog not once, not twice, but every day of the week…and by that I mean every day of the work week (Let’s not get over zealous shall we?) That’s right today is merely an introduction friends. Starting tomorrow I will present you with a “tip of the day” on how to make, and keep, a new year’s resolution. In the spirit of resolution keeping here it is (my work week resolution, not to be confused with my new year’s resolution): I resolve to bless the blogging world with a “how to keep your resolution” tip of the day everyday this week! (Tuesday-Friday, this week only. Get it while it’s hot.)

See ya tomorrow!

It’s your future…..Be there healthy!