Wanna Fight?

 

 

 

 

Yep, I challenge you to a fight, well at least a fight against the cold and flu season. Fight by boosting your immune system this winter.

Plan your attack:

Germs are everywhere, so come prepared, here are some ways to fight those nasty germs.

1. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. If you have a cold or have touched a surface with your hands you can transmit the little guys by touching your face, germs will find there way into your body through your mouth, your nose and your eyes. Ask each family not remind each other if they see you touching your face, because most of the time we are not aware of how many times we touch our face throughout our days.

2. Carry a tissue with you everywhere you go. Use the tissue to push buttons on the elevator, or to hold on to the escalator handrail, open doors, or to flip a light switch. forgot a tissue? Okay use your gloves, keep your gloves with you everywhere you go. I buy the cheap ones from dollar store, and I put them everywhere, in my purse, car, front hall table, kids coat pockets. You can't find a glove, then use your sleeve, not to wipe your nose but do hold on to a handrail or push an elevator button.

3. Wash hands frequently. I know you have heard this a million time but here is one more reminder! Wash your hands with soap lather up and sing the song "Happy Birthday," then rinse really well with very warm water. Yes, I know my hands get very dry too in the winter, so keep a bottle of hand lotion with you and in every bathroom sink in your home. Always wash your hands before you touch food.

4. Stay hydrated. Drink room temperature filtered water, if cold water bothers you in the winter. Instead of a second cup of joe in the morning, try hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon and honey.

5. Stock up. Fill your refrigerator and pantry with foods that are in season. These foods not only taste so good this time of the year, they are your best bets of upping your immune system and fighting those germs. The following warriors are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Bioflavonoids, Zinc, Selenium, Omega 3 fatty acids, Lean proteins and probiotics.

Warriors against Germs:

Broccoli, winter squash, sweet potatoes, avocados, carrots, olive oil, orange,s grapefruits, pomegranates, cranberries, lettuces, chili peppers, all peppers, tomatoes, winter herbs, blueberries, plums, spinach, beets,papayas, brussels sprouts, kohirabi, kale, cantaloupe, oatmeal, blackberries, apricots, oysters, crab, beef, tuna, turkey, cod, chicken eggs, salmon, flaxseed, walnuts, Greek yogurt. If you can't figure out how to get all of these warriors against germs into your diet, join our Meal Plan service, to find out more click here...

6. Get plenty of rest. Getting enough rest is vital against germs and it boosts your immune system. Shut the television down 1 hour before bed time, try meditation or yoga poses, read or pray. It is important that we teach our children how to "power down" to prepare the body for sleep too.

So are you ready to fight? 

Homemade Facial Masks

General Mask Procedure

1. Tie hair back.


2. Wash face.


3. To open pores, steam face over hot water or press warm cloth to skin for a few minutes.


4. After preparing mask, apply it to face (and neck if desired). Avoid eye area.


5. Leave mask on for 15 minutes, give or take a few (depending on comfort and convenience).


6. Rinse off with warm water.


7. Enjoy results!

Exfoliate Your Face with Honey Sugar Scrub

If you have ever used a body sugar scrub, you know how amazing they are. Work the same magic on your face!

1 tsp. of honey
1/2 tsp. of sugar (either cane or brown — both work well)

Blend in bowl. Apply. Rinse very thoroughly, as this recipe can be slightly sticky.

Masks (homemade or otherwise) should stay on for 10-15 minutes. Follow with a cleansing and a thin layer of moisturizer.

 

French Clay Mask

Ingredients:

1½ tsp green clay (French is preferred)

½ tsp kaolin clay

1½ tbsp aloe vera gel

1 tbsp rosewater

2 drops rose essential oil

Preparation:

Mix green and kaolin clays together.
Add in the aloe vera gel, rosewater and oils.
Refrigerate mixture for up to four weeks.

 

Yogurt Mask

1 tbsp natural yogurt, room temperature (not lowfat or non-fat, use a Greek yogurt "Fage")

1 tsp runny honey (microwave for a few minutes to soften hardened honey)

Preparation:

Combine mixture, then apply to face.
Let sit for 15 minutes.
Wash face with steaming washcloth.
For dry skin, use an extra tsp of honey.
Oily skin? Add a few drops of fresh lime juice.

 

 

Top 10 Foods to Speed up your Metabolism

 



 

Portion Control at Home

It helps to know the difference between portion size and serving size. Packaged food products are labeled with nutritional information such as calories and grams of fat, based on a standard serving size. But most of us eat more than that when we snack. The trick is to measure out a standard serving onto a plate before you start eating. Then you'll know how the amount you normally eat compares. And how many calories you are really consuming.

Lifestyle

Our lifestyle has enormous effect on our health and the health of our family.

Lets talk about all factors in our lifestyle that can create or deteriorate a healthy lifestyle.

In a recent conference I asked a group of about 200 participants "what does a healthy lifestyle mean to you?"

Most of the responses related to food and exercise. But there are other factors that do influence the health of your families life.

At the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the largest nutrition school in the world based out of NYC,  they teach a concept known as ”Primary Nutrition”. Other non-related food categories under IIN’s Primary Nutrition concept included things like Relationships, Physical Activity, Career, Spirituality, etc.  So going back to the question at hand, Does eating healthy really make a difference?, you can clearly see that the answer is not a difinitive yes or no…….I think the best answer comes from Integrative Nutrition.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Integrative Nutrition pyramid depicts a balanced approach to nutrition: more high-quality, organic vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, protein and water; less meat, milk, sugar and artificial food.

The pyramid is surrounded with the primary food circle, the parts of life that satisfy our hunger for living and create a balanced life.

Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual practice are essential forms of nourishment.

When these “primary foods” are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary.

A healthy lifestyle is the sum of all parts; holistic in nature.

 

Relationship:

Physical Activity:

Career:

Spirituality:

 

 

 

How Many Calories Do You Actually Burn In A Day?

How many calories should I consume in a day? Well the answer depends on the weight
you want to be and the amount of calories your body needs just to function.

Here is a formula that will determine how many calories your body needs just at rest; (
This formula is good, the example came from Wikipedia Answers)

To determine the amount of calories you burn at rest, you need to know your: weight,
height, and age. With this information, you can determine your BMR (amount of energy
your body needs to function at rest). Use the formula below which only applies to adult
females:

655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age) = ____ calories

Fill in your weight, height and age. This number will be your daily calorie intake (or how
many calories your body needs) without any exercise. This calculation will tell you how
many calories your body needs-or how much it ‘burns.’

Example: A woman who is 25 years old, weighs 140lbs, and is 70 inches tall.

655 + (4.3 x 140lbs) + (4.7 x 70 inches) – (4.7 x 25) = 1469 calories

This woman would only need 1469 calories a day for her body to function at rest. Be
sure to type this calculation into your calculator all at once, or else you might be getting
answers close 9000 which is incorrect. To make sure you calculate your BMR correctly,
try typing in the example above and see if you get the right answer.

For an easier calculation, I use the following formula:

Lets say you would like to weigh 120 pounds. Take that number and multiply by 10.
So you should consume about 1200 calories per day. Please do not use this rule with
children, it is best to discuss your childrens weight and BMI with your pediatrician.

To Your Good Health,

Kim Wechsler

How Intense?

Today I want to discuss how to help your kids bring intensity to their workouts. Older
children ages 16 and up can use the Karvonen system to determine their target heart rate
during physical activity. (check my previous blog for THR)

But for younger children it is easier to determine if they are exercising hard enough to
make a difference in their bodies by the Sweaty Head Rule.

Talk to your kids about sweat:

Explain to your children that sweat is good, (if your child sweats excessively, please
discuss this with your pediatrician). Our bodies try to maintain a body temperature of
around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When you add a physical activity for example running,
this motion causes your internal organs and muscles to work harder. Remember our
bodies sweat all the time, even when we sleep but we don’t notice it until we sweat
harder. The hard work of running produces heat. Our bodies adjust to this heat by
releasing this moisture through millions of pores throughout our bodies, its our bodies
way of cooling us down. For each pearl size bead of sweat our bodies produce it can cool
nearly one litre of blood by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Have fun with sweat:

Ask your child where they think they have more sweat glands, under their arms, feet,
head…

Have your child taste their sweat, (I know your are saying eeeuuuwwwww) but trust me
kids think its funny. Ask them what it tastes like.

Go for a walk and have them tell you when they first start to feel sweaty.

See who can get sweatier, you or them.

Carry a tissue with you and when they work up a sweat see if they can make an entire
face print of sweat on the tissue, (I know what you are saying, but I have done this in the
schools and kids think its funny.

Keep in mind, through sweat, urination and breath work our bodies are depleting the
water within our bodies, so keep hydrated by drinking 6 ounces of water for every 15
minutes of exercise.

To your good health,

Kim Wechsler