Healthy Living Archives - Page 3 of 5

The Great Salad Spinner

Why does making a salad sometimes seem like a chore? Well, it shouldn’t be. A salad is a great component of lots of meals and often it can even be your entire meal. Salads are great for maintaining health, as they take time to eat, they add vegetables and fruits into your meal and they are filling. One caveat: what starts off as a healthy salad can quickly move to the unhealthy category if too many high-calorie items are added, so beware of too many add-ons, like croutons and creamy dressings.

Depending on which is more important to you, paying for your time or paying for ingredients, many of these items can be purchased pre-cooked, pre-cut or pre-diced.

So, pick one or two ingredients from every category and make yourself a fabulous spring salad!

Leaves:

Iceberg lettuce
Romaine lettuce
Arugula
Spinach
Chopped kale
Butter lettuce
Chopped up cabbage for cole slaw
Chopped up broccoli slaw
Spring mix bag of salad

Proteins, nuts and cheeses:

Hard boiled eggs, or just the egg whites, sliced or diced
Gorgonzola cheese
Shredded Swiss Cheese
Buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced
Crumbled feta cheese
Chopped or shredded cooked chicken (can sometimes be purchased from the butcher counter in a grocery store or as part of a rotisserie)
Leftover cooked ground turkey, ground beef or shredded beef or pork
Tuna, packed in water, drained
Tofu, drained and cubed
Prosciutto
Leftover poached salmon or other fish
Any nuts (walnuts, sliced or slivered almonds, pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds)

Loads of Fruits and Veggies (go crazy with these!)

Berries (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry)
Slices of clementines (no seeds and so easy to peel, the lazy man’s fruit)
Sliced or chopped cucumbers
Red or yellow peppers (a little milder than green peppers), sliced or diced
Roasted beets
Corn, canned and drained
Black beans, drained and rinsed
Artichoke hearts
Hearts of palm
Onion varieties (red, yellow, scallions, leeks, shallot)
Halved cherry tomatoes (easier to slice)
Pitted figs or dates
Olives (black, green or kalamata)
Raisins or currants
Dried cranberries
Sun-dried tomatoes or peppers
Shredded carrot

Dressings:

Any commercial dressing is great, particularly a low-calorie option.

You can also make your own vinaigrette by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar or any other vinegar, and your choice of these:

herbs (basil, dill and mint are great options)
a little bit of sweet (sugar or sweetener, honey, jam or jelly)
citric juice (lemon, lime, grapefruit,orange)
chopped garlic
a touch of yogurt
sour cream
soy sauce
Picante sauce
Pico de gallo

When Back Pain Enters the Bedroom

Back pain, whether it is acute or chronic, can interfere with our lives in a big way. Back pain can impair our ability to function: to drive, to get dressed, to bathe, to transfer from sitting to standing and back again. Back pain also can negatively impact our ability to get restorative sleep.

But many of us don’t like to talk about the negative effect of back pain on our sex lives. Anything that impairs our sex life is significant and deserves our attention. Intimacy and sexuality are important components of overall health and psychological well-being. Anything that interferes with the positive aspects of sexuality needs to be addressed.

Communicate with your sexual partner about your physical pain. Be as direct but as sensitive as possible. State what aspects of sexual functioning hurt or are challenging and what you hope your sex life can be. Some things to discuss: How vigorous a sex life do you desire? How much are your needs met with cuddling? How can you overcome these obstacles? Can non-penetrative sex substitute for a time? How does your partner feel about your back pain?

Communicate with your health care team. Do not be afraid to discuss sexual functioning with your doctor (and bring your partner along for these discussions). In addition, be frank and ask questions of your physical therapist as well as other members of your wellness team. Elicit specific advice about sexual positions to reduce pain and don’t be shy; your health care team is well aware that many of the patients are sexually active!

Prepare for sexual encounters. When pain enters the bedroom, there are some steps you can take to try to ensure a positive encounter. If your doctor recommends it, consider taking over the counter pain relief prior to sex. Do what you need to do to be relaxed, taking a warm shower or bath, gently massaging each other, even changing the lighting and the music. Prepare both your body and your brain.

Understand the physiology of sex and consider “changing positions”. Be aware if your back pain worsens if you are standing straight, bending forward or bending backward.

When bending forward hurts:

Men who don’t like bending forward would do best trying the missionary position, especially if the man supports himself on his hands. Men may also prefer lying on their own backs or sitting up.

For women who don’t like bending forward, placing a pillow or rolled up towel underneath their lower back while lying face-up can help. Women need to be very slow and careful in the manner that they bend their legs while lying on their backs, as it could cause extra strain on the back. A better position might be with the woman on top or even lying face down.

When Bending Forward (Flexion) Feels Better:

A man with lower back pain who prefers flexion might be more comfortable with any rear entry sexual positions, either with both partners on all fours on the bed, or with the man standing behind his kneeling or standing partner, or even both partners lying on their sides.

Women who experience less pain when bending forward may find the easiest position is the missionary position, especially if the woman can bring her knees up as close to her underarms possible. Women may also prefer sitting upright and bending forward slightly.

Let the partner without pain do the heavy lifting: The more passive the partner who experiences back pain can be during intercourse, the less likely they will have a back-pain flare-up.

OTC Pain Relief: They’re Not All The Same

Lots of people find temporary relief for all sorts of aches and pains with so-called over the counter medication (OTC). These are the varieties of pain relievers we keep at home and in our offices, in our purses, and in our vehicles. These are the tried and true medications that can be purchased at all sorts of stores without a prescription, without the authority of a doctor.

But not all OTC pain relievers are alike. They are designed for different uses, they operate differently in our bodies they and have different precautions. Here’s a quick review of the major classes of OTC pain relief:

Medicine	Brand Names	Used to treat:	Precautions:
Aspirin	Bayer, St. Joseph	Mild aches and pains; can also be used as prevention for heart disease, reduces fever	Never to be given to children (can cause Reye Syndrome), should not be taken if you have bleeding ulcers or take a blood thinner
Acetaminophen	Tylenol	Headaches, arthritis, sore throats, backaches, toothaches, earaches, commonly prescribed for children	Overuse can cause liver damage, can interfere with high blood pressure medication. Should not be taken if you suffer from kidney disease.
Ibuprofen	Advil, Motrin, Midol	Menstrual cramps, any pain that is a result of swelling (like a muscle sprain), reduces fever	May cause upset stomach and stomach bleeding, can interfere with kidney and heart disease
Naproxen sodium)	Aleve	Headaches, menstrual cramps, pain from swelling (like a muscle sprain), reduces fever	May cause upset stomach and stomach bleeding, can interfere with kidney and heart disease
Pain relief with caffeine	Excedrin	Headaches, including migraines	May interfere with sleep

We recommend that you consult with your health care provider if you already take prescription drugs before adding OTC pain relievers to the mix. We also urge you to take only the necessary amount and never to take more than is recommended. If you have chronic health conditions, you absolutely should consult with your physicians regarding which OTC pain relief medications are appropriate for your care. If pain persists beyond ten days while taking OTC pain relief, please contact your health care team.

Moving from Wake-up to Workout

Morning workouts! You may not be a morning person and mornings may not be the best for your schedule, but lots of studies show that the most committed exercisers do their workouts in the morning. Exercising in the morning means getting it out of the way early, it means only showering once and it means not getting distracted by the “must-haves” that occur during the rest of the day and night.

How can you transform yourself from sleeping in your comfy bed to getting your workout done?

Get everything ready the night before. If you go to a gym, pack your gym bag before you go to bed. If you’re walking or running from home in the morning, get your clothes picked out and piled up, along with your charged up phone and music. Do everything you can to not make excuses when your morning grumpiness threatens to take over.
Exercise with a buddy. This makes the activity more social and keeps you accountable.
Or…relish the alone time. For working parents, caregivers and people who work in large offices, a little bit of solitude can be rejuvenating.
Wake up slowly but with a pattern. If you need to baby yourself, have your tea or coffee or water, then get dressed, then put in your contact lenses.
Treat yourself with a healthy snack either before or afterwards (but make sure its calories don’t negate the workout!)
Put your workout in your daily calendar and treat it like an appointment with yourself.
Try something new, either interval training or a new piece of equipment, a new weight to lift or even a new walking or running route.

Whatever you do, find some ways to stay motivated and to make your workouts a reality.

When even sleeping is a pain…

Do you get enough sleep? Are there ways to get more?

The latest Sleep Poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation says that patients with pain are typically operating on a sleep deficit. That is, those who suffer chronic or acute pain report that they regularly sleep for less than they think they need. When asked to quantify their sleep deficits, the average deficit is 42 minutes.

The study indicates that the sleep deficit can be attacked, but it takes motivated sleep behaviors. “Taking control of your sleep by being motivated, setting a routine bedtime and creating a supportive sleep environment are relevant even for those with pain,” said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation.

Sleep issues affect many adults at various times in their lives, but has the greatest impact on those with chronic pain. Twenty-three percent (23%) of chronic pain sufferers say that they have actually been diagnosed with a sleep disorder.

The National Sleep Foundation report also indicates that restorative, sufficient sleep is another indicator of good health. As you might expect, those whose health is good tend to report better sleep while those who have health concerns tend to report poorer sleep. And to add insult to injury, those who are at highest risk for developing chronic pain reported significant sleep deficits.

If you are running at a sleep deficit, what can you do?

Prioritize getting better sleep, moving it to do your to-do list. Understanding that you need to have a bedtime that allows you to get seven to nine hours of sleep is key.
Create bedtime routines that will bring you success. Go to bed in your bed at a reasonable bedtime. Unplug from all screens, both small and large. Switch to old-fashioned books before bed, the less stimulating the better.
Evaluate your sleep environment and make changes that work. People in pain tend to blame environmental aspects on their poor sleep. They tend to be more irritated by the condition of the mattress, the temperature, too much light or ambient noise. If these bother you, take steps to improve them, whether it means investing in new bedding, purchasing a fan, getting earplugs or eyeshades, soundproofing your environment or adding white noise into your bedroom environment.
Healthy lifestyle choices beget better sleep. Choose more healthful food options, exercise regularly, limit or quit smoking and reduce alcohol intake.

The complete 2015 Summary of Findings report can be downloaded at http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-polls-data/2015-sleep-and-pain. The National Sleep Foundation releases its yearly poll to coincide with National Sleep Week, which occurs just prior to Daylight Savings Time.

Eating out Ethnically

It’s fun to eat out. It’s particularly enjoyable to eat at ethnic restaurants. The food is tasty and we have the opportunity to eat foods that we may not know how to prepare ourselves. But if you are watching your calorie intake, eating out can sometimes be tricky. So, we’ve created some tips for eating out in a variety of different venues that will allow you to have tasty meals without feeling guilty afterwards.

Chinese Food:

Healthy Choices: Dishes with lots of vegetables, particularly steamed or stir-fried with a minimum amount of oil. Hot and sour soup is also a good choice.

Try to Avoid: Deep fried foods like sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, fried wontons, General Tso’s chicken, Kung Pao chicken, fried rice and lo mein dishes as well as spareribs and dishes made with duck.

Italian Food:

Healthy Choices: Marinara and most red sauces, lightly sautéed items, piccata dishes, grilled meats, salads with low fat dressing alternatives on the side, poached and sautéed meats with lots of filling vegetables

Try to Avoid: Most appetizers, heavy pasta dishes especially filled pastas, cream-based sauces like alfredo, fried dishes like eggplant or chicken parmesan

Mexican Food:

Healthy Choices: Grilled chicken and boneless beef, black beans (if cooked without lard), salsas, soft corn tortillas, fajitas without the fixings, salads without loaded cheese or guacamole

Avoid: Cheese sauces, fried tortillas, taco salad shells, excessive guacamole, beans cooked with lard

Mediterranean Food:

Healthy Choices: whole wheat pita, Greek salad with lowfat dressing on the side, grilled chicken kebabs as well as grilled lamb or fish entrees, vegetarian grape leaves, tzatziki sauce, hummus in moderation

Avoid: Fried foods like falafel, anything prepared with phyllo dough like spanakopita and baklava

Snacking Suggestions, all for under 150 calories

When you’re hungry, sometimes you just have to eat. If you’re trying to watch your weight, nutritionists suggest delaying your eating to make sure it’s not just boredom that’s driving the craving. They also suggest drinking water or a non-caloric beverage like diet soda or unsweetened tea. But, if it’s really food that you desire, try to aim for 100-150 calorie snacks. Some low calorie foods are already packaged to be 100 or 150 calories. Here are some other low calorie ideas:

1 cup sliced bananas and fresh raspberries
2 cups of microwave fat free popcorn
½ of an English muffin with a ½ tablespoon of low fat cream cheese
Premade Jello low sugar pudding
2 ounces of low-fat cheddar cheese
1 Clementine oranges (seedless and easy to peel) and 1 bar of dark chocolate
1 grande skinny latte from Starbucks
7 olives and 1 slice of Swiss cheese
7 tortilla chips and your favorite salsa

Stretching to Ease Lower Back Pain

Many of us suffer from occasional or even chronic back pain. The pain can be exacerbated during long travel, stressful situations, unbroken sedentary periods, as well as use and overuse: lifting, carrying, climbing stairs, even regular exercise.

There are a variety of stretches that can relieve back pain or even prevent further pain.

Before you try any of these stretches, please get permission from your health care team.

If you would like to embark on a stretching regimen, be sure that you have a flat surface, free of debris, large enough to accommodate you if you lie down. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing that doesn’t restrict your movement. As you attempt each of the stretches, be sure to remember these tips:

Go into the stretch slowly and hold the position for 30 seconds, if you can. Repeat the stretch for a total of five repetitions, if you find that it feels good.
Do not bounce during a stretch.
Do not continue the stretch if you feel pain.

Try this sequence of stretches that have been found useful for low back pain relief. Some of these stretches may be known under other names, especially in various yoga practices.

Hugging Your Knees:

Lie down on your back. Bring your knees together to your chest and hug your knees as tightly as you can. Hold the pose and let go. If you want you can rock slightly to the left and right. This is a great way to begin a stretching sequence. If you’re not flexible, it’s okay. Just bring your knees as close to your chest as you can handle.

Half Snow Angels in the Air:

Still lying down on your back, put your legs on the ground, keeping your legs straight. Now lift both legs up a few inches in the air. Pull your legs apart and then back together slowly. Then lower your legs. Many people find that this stretch is too challenging, especially if you carry a lot of weight in your belly. Nevertheless, others find immediate relief from doing this stretch.

Cat Stretch:

Face down on your hands and knees. Slowly move your spine up, like you are a cat, arching your back. Slowly lower your back down before repeating.

Back Bow:

Lie down on your tummy. Stretch your arms out in front of you. Keep your legs together. At the same time, lift up your arms and your upper back as well as your legs. If you cannot do this move, just lift your arms. Slowly come down and take a breath before repeating.

Downward Dog:

This classic pose is a great stretch and is easier than it looks. Start on your hands and knees, with your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Pressing back, raise your knees away from the floor and lift your tailbone up toward the ceiling. Keep your head down.

Climbing the Wall:

Lie down on your back in front of a wall. Put your tush all the way against the wall and put your legs against the wall. This is an easy pose that drains the fluid from your ankles and is incredibly relaxing.

Eat More of This (Fruits & Vegetables) When You Eat That (Dinner)

Winter dinners are a great time to indulge in warm comfort foods. After a day of on-the-go, or at-the-desk, coming home to a satisfying meal that also happens to help you meet your nutrition goals is a great way to conclude your day. Dinner, for many, is the largest meal of the day, not necessarily in volume of food eaten, but in the types of food served at one meal. Having a fresh salad, a soup, an entree and possibly even an occasional dessert make dinner a great opportunity for incorporating extra fruits and vegetables into your meal. Here are five easy ways to work more produce and more fruit into your dinner.

Eat Salad First: Dark green baby spinach and crisp romaine complement each other nicely. Also consider including any of these great fresh vegetables:

Peas
Tomatoes
Red onions
Celery
Carrots
Peppers

To keep your salad portion at a healthy size, consider a salad that is roughly about 2-3 cups of lettuce, 1½ cups of vegetables and no more than 1 tablespoon of a dressing.

Poach: Using chicken, beef or vegetable broth and a little white wine, you can serve a plate of warm and brightly colored vegetables as a decorative side to any grain, meat or pasta. Poaching involves cooking a food in just enough liquid to make it slightly tender, but never overcooked. Boil enough cooking liquid of your choice to just cover the vegetables. Add your selected vegetables once liquid reaches a boil and turn the heat down. Watch your food very closely and only cook for 2 – 3 minutes before checking for tenderness. Garlic, basil or any other spice is a great addition to poached vegetables. Seasonings can be added to the poaching liquid or directly to your cooked food.

Roast: Bake cut vegetables in a 375°F oven for 10 to 20 minutes (depending of the size of the vegetable). Look for a lightly browned appearance to know when they are done. Literally any vegetable is roast-able; with some experimentation you will be able to find your favorite! Some of our favorites are any type of squash, mushroom, onion, zucchini or carrot, as well as old standbys broccoli and cauliflower. Roasted vegetables are delicious when very lightly drizzled with a high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Mix It Up: Mix Veggies In: Are you a cook who loves to make your own tomato sauce? Try adding roasted or poached vegetables, finely chopped or pureed, into your sauce while you are preparing it. Try the same thing with your favorite casseroles, soups, stews or chili.

Make Dessert Count: Choose fruit, either fresh or baked, frozen or from the produce isle. Try not to add sugar, though! Make a point to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruit.

Winter Workout Workarounds

We were so motivated to stay active throughout the spring and the summer. Then the temperature dropped. And dropped. And dropped.

But when the ball dropped at the end of 2014, we made a resolution to get back to exercise. It may be easier to stay with the program in more temperate climates, but just because of our Michigan address, it doesn’t mean we get a free pass through the winter. We just have to be a little more innovative, a little more creative, and show a bit more toughness. We have to be Michiganders.

So, here are some ideas for staying fit even when comfort foods and the lit up screens call us with their siren songs:

If you’re going to watch YouTube, use it to stay fit. If you ever thought that you could only access a great workout through a gym membership or paying for DVD’s, YouTube is your new best friend. YouTube now has several channels filled with people who offer healthy, varied workouts. Some of our favorites are Fitness Blender, BeFit, and Pop Sugar. BeFit is the official YouTube channel for Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin and you can find Billy Blanks, Jr. and Jane Fonda as well. Fitness Blender offers new videos all the time. Husband and wife team Daniel and Kelli take you through very organized, structured workouts, many with a timer in the upper right corner and a calorie bar. They specialize in HIIT (high intensity interval training), which sounds worse than it is. The exercises are challenging, and if they are too hard, they are over soon! Pop Sugar has several short form targeted videos and longer videos, many with a timer device, as well. Pop Sugar targets young women in their fitness and ad content.
Try out some indoor exercise opportunities. If you have access to an indoor pool, take a few laps. If you think you can successfully ice skate, give it a try. If somebody invites you to their co-ed volleyball game, say yes. If your buddy has the keys to a gym, go in and shoot some hoops.
Walk indoors. Mall walking is low impact aerobic exercise and and costs very little. If you take along a toddler in a stroller, you will never be too far away from a bathroom or a place to stop. The most challenging part of mall walking is not negating your progress at the food court and keeping up a fast enough pace. You can also try walking in other larger buildings like museums. If you are upright and walking, even leisurely, you are engaging in exercise. You can go through a museum twice, once to enjoy the displays and a second time for your “speed run”.
If your kids or grandkids are video gamers, be sure they have a fitness game and join in with them. They love seeing their parents or grandparents making fools of themselves and some of the games (particularly the dancing ones) pack a nice calorie-burning punch, too.
Design your own winter exercise routine. Mix it up with weight bearing exercises, abdominal crunches and some old standby calisthenics (jumping jacks, lunges, squats, pushups, wall sits). Put on your favorite music and time yourself, with 30 to 40 seconds of exercise and a 10 second rest between. Build up to 30 minutes either at a time, or cumulatively throughout the day.
Don’t hide yourself inside. When the weather isn’t frightful, but just cold, dress up and take a brisk walk. Be sure you are well covered head to toe with decent gloves and sturdy shoes and walk outside, particularly if it is sunny. Certain state parks have open trails during the winter and you can ask the staff and rangers which ones are cleared and passable. And the nearest high school track is a safe bet for a quick few laps on a cold winter day. Better yet, head to the Detroit zoo and just go visit a few animals and then call it a day (easiest to do if you are a member).

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