Monday Morning, Back at the Desk? Here are Some Healthy Tips When Sitting at a Computer

I have a balance ball for a work chair, I put the garbage can across the room, and I am constantly getting up for water. That’s how I keep moving through the work day. The effects of sitting for long periods of time (i.e. 40 hours a week for 30+ years) can be as severe as heart disease or cancer. Click on the picture above or here to see tips on improving your posture at work. Meanwhile, try to get up at least once an hour to get a movement going.

Click here for some more information of the effect of sedentary lifestyles.

Happy Monday!

Ebola & The Media- Are they going too far? Read to See 6 Other Infectious Diseases That Pose You More Threat

Just like the Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Entirovirus 68, H1N1, SARS, Ebola has now risen for its 15 minutes of notoriety, unfortunately claiming the lives of thousands of people over in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ebola is now threatening to make it’s way to the US.

My phone is constantly sending me CNN and New York Times updates on the latest development of Ebola. “BREAKING NEWS” is the headline that cried wolf, or is it? Is the media blowing Ebola out of proportion? Is it really a concern more so then the flu or cold? The symptoms (please take the time to look them up) are very similar to the Flu or Cold. The media has come out to say to the General Public, please do not lie about your symptoms. I think lying isn’t a concern as much as lack of symptom awareness as well as confusion. Is it just a scratchy throat? Or is it a symptom of more concern?

Now, this may be hypocritical of me to post an article published by one of the main sites who have put Ebola on spotlight, but I think this article raises awareness that Ebola isn’t the only illness you have to worry about, but rather there are other illnesses, (i.e. the flu) that have been around, will continue to rear its ugly head once every year. It is important to understand the illness, and take proper precautions to stay healthy. Get your flu shot, eat healthy and stay hydrated (and I am a HUGE fan of carrying Wet One’s/ Purel, just saying…)

Regardless, please stay safe and healthy as we enter into the holiday season. Click on the image below to read about other infectious diseases your more (or just as) likely at risk. Please also bare in mind that this is a post not to scare you in to eternal hiding, or to raise argument of the severity of Ebola.  This is just a post, to maybe ease your mind, that if it isn’t Ebola, something else may come along and to remind you, prevention is key.

Mid Morning Crash? Try some of these desk work outs to wake you up.

These tips are brought to you by Lifehack.org. I know how difficult it can be to get away from the computer, but try to find some time to try out some of these exercises.

Feet and Legs

1. Toe raises. Lift your toes while keeping your heels firmly on the ground. While you can do this exercise standing, it works very well while seated.
2. Football foot drill. At practice, football players practice rapidly tapping their feet in place, simulating a run. Do the same thing while seated, for 30 seconds at a go.
3. Take the stairs. If you need a harder workout, try taking them two at a time — you’ll get a chance to stretch your legs more than you would otherwise.
4. Calf raises. Stand in front of a desk or other piece of furniture you can hold on to for balance. Raise your heels of the floor and slowly lower them.
5. Lunge. While walking, take the widest step you can and lunge forward.
6. Hip flexions. While sitting in your chair, lift your right foot a few inches off of the floor. Keep your knee bent at a 90 degree angle and hold the position as long as you are comfortable.
7. Walk the hallway. Walk down the hallway as fast as you can without actually running.
8. Plié squats. Point your toes outwards and take a wide stance. Slowly bend your knees in the direction of your toes. Once you can no longer see your toes, slowly stand up. While plié squats are more graceful than regular squats, give them a pass if your work attire includes a skirt.
9. Leg extensions. While sitting in your chair, extend your right leg until it is level with your hip. Hold as long as you are comfortable and then relax it. Alternate sides.

Hands and Arms

1. Shadow box. Stand up and take a couple of jabs at the air.
2. Arm pump. Pump both of your arms over your head for 30 seconds.
3. Shoulder raises. Raise your shoulder to your ear, hold and then relax. Repeat, alternating shoulders.
4. Wrist stretch. Stretch your arm out in front of you with the palm up. With your other hand, grab your fingers and lightly pull them down to stretch your forearm.
5. Tricep dips. Put your arms behind your back, resting on your chair and slowly raise and lower your self.
6. Elevated pushups. Lean on a sturdy piece of furniture and slowly push your body off of it in a sort of standing push up.
7. Hand stretches. Tense and relax the muscles in your hands. Make fists, spread your fingers and bend your fingers.
8. Flapping wings. Stretch both of your arms up and back, as far as you can. Bring them forward until they meet and stretch your arms out in front of you. Repeat.
9. Water bottle weights. Use a full water bottle as weight to increase the difficulty of your work out. You can do front raises, overhead presses and bicep curls with a water bottle.

Torso

1. Back twist. Sit up straight in your chair and place your right arm behind your right hip. Twist to the right and hold. Alternate sides.
2. Wall sits. Rest your back against a wall and move your feet away from the wall. The wall should be supporting the weight of your back and your knees should be bent. Hold the position as long as possible.
3. Gluteal Squeeze. Tense up the muscles of your rear end and hold for a count of 10.
4. Curls. Cross your arms over your chest and sit up straight. Tense your abdominal muscles and curl your shoulders towards your hips. Hold for a few seconds.
5. Abdominal stretch. Sit on the edge of your chair and stretch your arms out in front of you. While keeping your back straight, contract your abdominal muscles. Relax and repeat.
6. Neck rotations. Drop your chin and roll your neck. Raise your chin up and bend your neck to each side.

Full Body

1. Low-impact jumping jacks. Raise your right arm and tap your left toe to the side at the same time. Keep your right foot on the floor. Alternate sides for a full minute.
2. Pretend jump rope. Hop either on both feet at once or alternating feet.
3. Pretend jump rope, version 2. Move your arms as if you are turning a jump rope while tapping one foot in front of you. Alternate feet.
4. Chair dips. Place the palms of your hands on your chair and your feet on the floor. Move your rear end off of the edge of your seat. Bend your elbows and lower your body. Straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
5. Chair squats. Lift your rear end off of your seat and hold for a few seconds.

Full article here:  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/29-exercises-you-can-do-at-or-near-your-desk.html

Fall Super Foods- Now we just need some delicious recipes! Repost from CNN

I could always use a refresher as to what’s in season. Click on the picture below to see some power foods to incorporate into your fall recipes.

Hormones in your food? What are your thoughts?

It has been out there for a while that hormones are injected into your meats, dairy and even some plants. A recent article featured on Yahoo! says it’s not necessarily bad to have hormones in your food. Click on the image below to read the full article. Do you think hormones should be in food, is it necessary?

Photo from Yahoo! Photo Cred: Travis Rathbone/Trunk Archive

A Growing Issue…

Joseph Andrey was 5 years old in 1927 when his impoverished mother sold him to the manager of a popular vaudeville act. He was 91 last year when he told the story again, propped in a wheelchair in the rehabilitation unit of a nursing home where it seemed as though age and infirmity had put a different kind of price on his head.

Craning his neck, he sought the eyes of his daughter, Maureen Stefanides, who had promised to get him out of this place. “I want to go home, to my books and my music,” he said, his voice whispery but intense.

He was still her handsome father, the song-and-dance man of her childhood, with a full head of wavy hair and blue eyes that lit up when he talked. But he was gaunt now, warped like a weathered plank, perhaps by late effects of an old stroke, certainly by muscle atrophy and bad circulation in his legs.

Now she was determined to fulfill her father’s dearest wish, the wish so common among frail, elderly people: to die at home.

Read the rest of the story by clicking on the picture? What do you think of this article?

Take Control

How Changing Your Mind Can Make You Feel Happier, Earn More And Live For Longer

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Most people find a straightforward answer to this question; they know whether their glass is half full, half empty or somewhere in between. And they’re likely to be able to justify their mindset – whether it’s that adopting a pessimistic view prevents disappointment or that looking on the bright side reaps rewards…

Read more by clicking on the Forbes logo!

Bring Back Saturday Night Pizza!

Relax, weekend weight gain won’t kill your diet

You’ve been eating well all week: oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and grilled chicken with vegetables for dinner. Then the weekend hits. Suddenly your taste buds want French fries at the bar and Mom’s cheesy lasagna is calling your name during Sunday dinner.

Not to worry. A new study suggests small weight gains on weekends are normal, and as long as you can compensate during the week, indulging a bit may even help you lose weight long-term.

“There is a clear weekly rhythm to weight variation for most people,” says one of the study authors, Anna-Leena Orsama, a research scientist with VTT Technical Research Center of Finland. “On the weekends there is more variability and unpredictability in what we eat.”

The study, “Weight Rhythms: Weight Increases during Weekends and Decreases during Weekdays,” was published this week in the journal Obesity Facts.

Continue reading here: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/06/relax-weekend-weight-gain-wont-kill-your-diet/

How Exercise Helps Us Tolerate Pain-Repost from Well

“Regular exercise may alter how a person experiences pain, according to a new study. The longer we continue to work out, the new findings suggest, the greater our tolerance for discomfort can grow.

For some time, scientists have known that strenuous exercise briefly and acutely dulls pain. As muscles begin to ache during a prolonged workout, scientists have found, the body typically releases natural opiates, such as endorphins, and other substances that can slightly dampen the discomfort. This effect, which scientists refer to as exercise-induced hypoalgesia, usually begins during the workout and lingers for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes afterward.

But whether exercise alters the body’s response to pain over the long term and, more pressing for most of us, whether such changes will develop if people engage in moderate, less draining workouts, have been unclear.”

Continue reading here.