The holidays are a time when cocktails are flowing. Downing two or three drinks (or more!) at a party can mean you're taking in an excess of 1,000 calories – not counting the food or dessert, which can be an additional 1,000 calories. If you start consuming over 2,000 calories at each holiday party, those pounds will start piling up. Instead of busting your pants button this holiday season, use these tips to help keep those liquid calories under control. How much is too much? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women should consume no more than one drink per day and men … [Read more...] about The Best and Worst Alcoholic Drinks for Your Waistline
Sins of your father’s eating habits can affect their children
There is increasing evidence that parents' lifestyle and the environment they inhabit even long before they have children may influence the health of their offspring. A current study, led by researchers from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, sheds light on how. Researchers in Associate Professor Romain Barrès' laboratory compared sperm cells from 13 lean men and 10 obese men and discovered that the sperm cells in lean and obese men, respectively, possess different epigenetic marks that could alter the next generation's appetite, as reported in the medical … [Read more...] about Sins of your father’s eating habits can affect their children
10 products to get you moving at work
You've probably heard by now -- most likely while you were parked in front of your TV or computer -- that sitting kills. In a perfect world, we would spend more time at work and home on our feet. Standing tones your muscles and could reduce the risk of heart disease. But too much of it can hurt your back and feet and reduce circulation. Try to mix moving and sitting, experts say. Going between your seat and your feet is good for bones and muscle, too. Unfortunately this is all easier said than done. "We get busy, and work takes priority," said Alan Hedge, professor of ergonomics at Cornell … [Read more...] about 10 products to get you moving at work
Your Healthy Holiday Survival Guide
How to navigate seasonal office parties, happy hours and travel while watching your weight. Thanksgiving is now behind us and with that, the holiday season officially begins. For many of my clients, this means the start of holiday madness. On the one hand, office parties, celebrations with friends and traveling to visit family can be festive and a lot of fun. On the other hand, the season can be stressful – especially if you are trying to stick with a healthy eating plan. Sure, I could remind you that the holidays are really just three days – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day – and … [Read more...] about Your Healthy Holiday Survival Guide
Need Reasons to Walk? Let Me Count the (9) ‘Whys’
Walking is a free, easy, feel-good gift you can give yourself every day. Even the surgeon general says so. Walking is one of the most cost conscious ways to exercise, it costs you nothing but time. You can do it anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. In this article by Michelle Segar, she discusses the many benefits and reasons why she likes to walk. What is your reason? Here's my confession: I love to walk. I walk into town whenever I can, I walk my son to school as he rides his bike, I walk with friends to catch up on our lives and I walk alone just to have some time to myself. If you've met … [Read more...] about Need Reasons to Walk? Let Me Count the (9) ‘Whys’
What Whole Foods’ ‘Responsibly Grown’ Label Really Means
Whole Foods blazed the trail of the organic food movement 35 years ago with its first store in Austin, Texas. Over the decades, it has successfully convinced many Americans that going organic is worth the extra cost. Even as the earnings it reported this week disappointed Wall Street, the company "first and foremost, stands for the highest quality," co-CEO John Mackey told analysts. The organic industry grew to nearly $40 billion in U.S. sales last year, according to the Organic Trade Association. Demand has ballooned, and so have supplies, creating challenges for the USDA organic … [Read more...] about What Whole Foods’ ‘Responsibly Grown’ Label Really Means
How to get blood pressure down to 120
Doctors have long known that systolic blood pressure below 120 was considered normal and meant a lower risk of heart disease and kidney problems. But they would often only treat patients if that top number crept above 140, the threshold for officially having high blood pressure. Recent findings from a large National Institutes of Health study now suggest that it's worth treating patients in that prehypertension gray area of 120 to 140, in order to bring them down into the normal range. The findings, which have not yet been published and are still preliminary, found lower rates of … [Read more...] about How to get blood pressure down to 120
How Sick Is Too Sick to Exercise?
Tell fitness enthusiasts to sit still, and they'll scoff. Tell sick fitness enthusiasts to sit still, and their response will likely be the same. But should you really exercise when your body doesn't feel 100 percent? Medical professionals hear this question a lot and, with the flu season not too far away, it's a topic worth addressing. Most clinicians recommend that if your symptoms mirror a common cold without a fever – in other words, the illness remains above the neck – you can exercise moderately by doing activities like walking. The American Council on Exercise supports … [Read more...] about How Sick Is Too Sick to Exercise?