Setting simple goal to improve your wellness

Many of us are goal-oriented in our lives, but most of our goal setting related to healthy habits starts January 1st. Why not start working on improving your health right now? The holidays can make this a bit of a challenge, but it's never too late to improve your health. Start simple and work from there.

Think about one simple thing you can do to live a healthier life. Here are some ideas:
-get 1 more hour of sleep per night
-eat 1 more cup of vegetables once a week
-eat 1 more fruit once a week
-leave some food on your plate at one meal
-do 30 more minutes of physical activity once a week
-take time once a week to stop and take 5 deep breaths
-spend 1 hour of quality family time together each week
-spend 1 hour on a hobby of your choice once a week

Your overall goal may be to eat healthier or to do more physical activity, but you have to start somewhere. Once you meet a small goal, then you can work toward a larger or more long-term goal. The idea is to start somewhere with something simple!

Stress management for the holidays

Here is the first youtube video that I've made for our fall wellness activities. You can watch, or even just listen, when you have a chance. If you have other topic ideas that can be covered in about 5 minutes, please let me know. You can either watch it below or if you want the direct link, it's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxrA_wnoXVI.

Fish and fish oil

For our fall wellness activities, I will be doing a series of short (about 5 minute) youtube videos with information about healthy holiday eating, managing stress, etc. Stay tuned for those!

Omega 3s are a type of polyunsaturated oil that helps especially with heart health. Omega 3s help prevent arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat that may cause sudden death). They also help lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and slow the rate that plaque accumulates in arteries.

The American Heart Association recommends for those without coronary heart disease to eat at least 2 servings (3.5 ounces) of fish per week to get omega 3s for health. This be be a variety of fish, including oily fish, either baked or grilled, not fried. Those with coronary heart disease or high triglycerides may also benefit from a supplement, in addition to eating fish. Talk to your physician about this.

Some fish are higher in mercury, so women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or young children should not eat shark, swordfish, tilefish, or king mackerel. They are higher on the food chain and usually live longer, which is why they are high in mercury. Those groups should also limit their intake of fish to no more than 12 ounces of fish weekly, including tuna. The benefits of eating fish for other groups far outweigh any potential risks as long as a variety of different types of fish is being eaten.

For more information on fish from the American Heart Association, click this link.

Take a deep breath

Are you feeling especially stressed lately? Do you have 100 things on your mind at one time? Do you feel like you are fighting to just stay above water?

If so, take a minute to clear your mind. Set a timer for a minimum of 60 seconds, close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Focus on your breathing and if other thoughts come into your head, just push them out and re-focus on your breathing. Breathe and inhale deeply, then slowly exhale.

If you have more time for deep breathing, click on this link for the Mindfulness Practice Center at MU for some guided deep breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness resources.

How do you feel afterward?

Physical activity guidelines

We all probably remember the old recommendations from the Surgeon General regarding physical activity - 30 minutes daily, most days of the week. In 2008, the most recent physical activity guidelines were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services.

2008 physical activity guidelines

Children - ages 6 to 17

• Should accumulate 1 hour or more of physical activity daily.
• Most of that 1 hour should be moderate or vigorous intensity.
  
• As part of that 1 hour or more daily, at least 3 days a week should be vigorous activity.
• Muscle strengthening should be done 3 days per week.
• Children's bodies are designed to play and that's how they should get most activity.
• Children with disabilities should be as active as they are able and avoid inactivity. Parents or caregivers should work with health care providers to determine what is appropriate.
  

Adults - age 18 to 64

• Should accumulate 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate aerobic physical activity weekly or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous aerobic physical activity weekly or an equivalent combination.
• Aerobic activity should be performed in no less than 10 minutes increments, spread throughout the week.
• Increasing that amount can lead to additional health benefits.
• Muscle strengthening activities should be done 2 or more times a week.
• Adults with disabilities should be as active as their abilities allow and avoid inactivity.
• If you are currently inactive, any activity is better than none. Start slowly and work up to the recommendations.
  

Older adults - age 65 and up

• Should follow the adult recommendations.
• If not possible because of limiting or chronic conditions, older adults should be as physically active as possible.
• Avoid inactivity.
• Should do exercises that improve or maintain balance if at risk for falling.
  

Pregnant women

• Follow adult recommendations for moderate physical activity
• If already doing vigorous activity or high amount of activity, can continue as long as their condition remains unchanged
• Talk to health care provider for specific recommendations

Moderate intensity activities are those where your breathing rate and heart rate are raised somewhat and you can talk but it's not as easy as when you are sitting. You wouldn't be able to sing at this intensity. Walking is a moderate intensity activity for most.

Vigorous intensity activities are those where your breathing rate and heart rate are elevated considerably and you would not be able to say more than a few words without stopping for breath. Jogging is a vigorous intensity activity for most.

For more information about the 2008 physical activity guidelines, click this link.

The six nutrients

Today's blog will cover the six nutrients. Three of these nutrients provide calories for the body, whereas three do not. Eating a variety of foods to provide all these nutrients is important because they each have different functions in the body.

Carbohydrates (carbs) do provide energy and calories to the body. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables (corn, potatoes, peas), milk products (cheese is low in carbs), beans, and grains. Meat, some vegetables, and cheese have very little or no carbohydrates. Carbs are the body's main energy source. Carbs are broken down into glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar. Insulin helps the glucose enter cells where it is used for energy. Some glucose also gets stored and may turn to body fat if not used for energy needs. A minimum of 25% of your calories should come from carbs, but a good range for most is 45 - 65% of total calories. The focus of your carbs should be from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and low-fat milk products, not from sugars.

Fats are needed to insulate the body, protect vital organs, and to store and transport some of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Fat is also a rich source of energy. Fats are not all the same, saturated fats and trans fat are more harmful than the heart-healthy oils, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils. Fat should be about 20 to 35% of your total calories intake, with no more than 10% of the total calories coming from saturated fat and little to none from trans fat.

Protein help build, repair, and maintain body tissues. If carbs and fats are in short supply, protein can be used for energy. But, when used for energy, proteins cannot be used to help maintain body tissues. Protein is found mostly in meats, beans, nuts, and milk products. Some grains have a little bit of protein. Protein should constitute about 10 - 35% of total calories.

Water is the most essential nutrient. The body cannot function without a constant source of water and dehydration can lead to death if someone is without water for a few days. Water regulates body processes, help control body temperature, carries nutrients to the cells, and moves wastes out of the body. You lose about 10 cups of water daily through sweat, breathing, and going to the bathroom. Adults need anywhere from 8 to 12 cups of water daily to replace this from all sources of water (drinks and food). Water does not provide energy or calories to the body.

Vitamins are used for many different body processes, such as promoting healthy vision, blood clotting, helping keep bones and teeth strong, antioxidants, and energy functions. Each vitamin plays a specific role and cannot replace each other. Vitamins alone do not provide calories or energy to the body (although they do help release or use energy from the foods we eat).

Minerals are similar to vitamins for their roles in many different processes. They help with carrying oxygen in red blood cells, bone building, fluid balance, heart and muscle contraction, growth and development, healing wounds, energy production and metabolism. Minerals have different functions and similar to vitamins, cannot replace each other. Minerals alone do not provide calories or energy to the body (although they do help release or use energy from the foods we eat).

Information is from the Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, American Dietetics Association.

Fiber

Fiber is a nutrient that falls into the carbohydrate category. Usually carbohydrates are used for energy, but fiber is a little different because your body doesn't digest or absorb it, instead it is eliminated. Fiber doesn't contribute calories to your eating plan.

Fiber is naturally found in plant foods to give them their shape. There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. They are different because soluble fiber dissolves in water, whereas insoluble doesn't dissolve in water.

Soluble fiber is found in dried beans, oats, fruits, flaxseed, vegetables, or other whole grains. It is more gummy in nature and helps lower cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fiber is the "roughage" found in wheat and oat bran, flaxseed, whole-wheat foods, vegetables, skins of fruits and root vegetables. It helps move waste through the intestinal tract. Insoluble fiber promotes regularity and prevents constipation.

Most foods are a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber. Whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables (especially with the peel) are the best sources of fiber.

Men up to age 50 need 38 grams of fiber daily. Women that age need 25 grams daily. Ages 51 and up need 30 grams daily for men and 21 grams daily for women.

If you are upping your intake of fiber, do so slowly and drink plenty of water. Too much fiber can cause digestive upset, gas, or bloating, and prevent absorption of certain vitamins and minerals (zinc, iron, magnesium, and calcium).

To get more fiber in your healthy eating habits, try these tips:

• Read the food label to determine the amount of fiber. The food label will give the exact amount of fiber, but you can also quickly view the label lingo too. A food that lists "high fiber" must have as least 5 grams of fiber per serving. A "good source" of fiber has between 2.5 and 4.9 grams of fiber per serving.
  
• Eat beans a few times a week. They are inexpensive and very versatile.
  
• Switch to more whole grains. Look for the word "whole" as the first ingredient to indicate a whole-grain food. Try brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or whole wheat breads.
  
• Eat more fruits and vegetables and leave the skin or peel on if possible.
• Choose whole fruit more often than fruit juice.
• Try oats and whole grain cereal for breakfast.
• Substitute higher fiber foods in your cooking. Use up to half whole wheat flour for white flour in recipes. Add oats or flaxseed, or fruits or vegetables with the skin to your recipes.

Information is from the Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, American Dietetic Association.