The 4th of July weekend is coming, and many people are making plans to be outside. Good for them! Getting out of the house and office can be a great mental and physical break. However, make sure you don’t forget food and activity safety. Here are some links with great information:
Many people will spend a lot of time outside this weekend. Here’s some tips to help avoid harm from the heat.
There is a lot of information on the internet claiming to help you live a healthier life, but who has time to look through everything they come across? Here are some links to recent articles that we think are interesting. Take a look and see if you agree:
In a previous post, I talked about ways to avoid getting dehydrated. This time, let’s look at the symptoms of mild-to-moderate dehydration, the kind you are most likely to experience.
*Thirst – that’s right, by the time you are feeling thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Your body is trying to conserve water by releasing less of it, and you notice you are thirsty.
*Dark urine – it should be clear, pale, or straw colored if properly hydrated
*Decreased urine output
*Few or no tears
*Sweating may stop
*Sleepiness or tiredness – and children may be less active than normal
*Muscle weakness
*Headache
*Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when standing
You may experience one of these symptoms, or several, and there is no specific order they will occur in. You can become dehydrated any time of the year, but the current weather conditions make it even more likely. If you experience ANY of the above symptoms, begin taking in extra fluid (see this post for suggestions), and try to get to a cool, shady place. If you symptoms do not improve, or if they worsen, seek medical help.
Get plenty of fluid, watch what your body is doing, and avoid getting dehydrated!
I want to tell you about a book which details the 9 common habits of the longest-lived population groups in the world. The book is The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner. The book was published in 2008 by National Geographic.
The 9 habits are:
1. Engage in physical activity as a regular part of daily life
2. Have a mission or purpose to give meaning to your life
3. Enjoy life! Slow down, rest, work less, play more
4. Stop eating when you are 80% full
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables, less protein and processed foods
6. Drink red wine in moderation
7. Create a healthy social network
8. Participate in a spiritual life
9. Prioritize family
These should sound familiar readers of this blog, or our Habituator newsletter, but is is important enough to keep repeating.
A study in the November 2009 issue of The British Journal of Psychiatry found that eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables and fish seemed to protect against depression, while eating more processed foods seemed to increase the incidence of depression. This study had 3400 people in it for 5 years. Healthy food for a healthy mind …. and body. What processed foods in your diet could you replace with a whole food?
Gobbling = Gain
Another study, in the October 29, 2009 online version of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, was the first to measure how appetite and hormonal responses after meals affect weight gain. Basically, the study results show that eating quickly slows down the release of the hormones that make you feel full, so you eat more because you’re not satisfied. When it comes to eating Slowing = Loss.
Healthy
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The 4th of July weekend is coming, and many people are making plans to be outside. Good for them! Getting out of the house and office can be a great mental and physical break. However, make sure you don’t forget food and activity safety. Here are some links with great information: