Wellness during the holidays

Health and wellness are especially important during the holiday season. While this blog focuses a lot on the physical aspect of health and wellness (healthy eating and physical activity), there are other areas that are just as important. The six dimensions of wellness are (from the National Wellness Institute):

• Physical
• Occupational
• Social
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Spirtual

Here are some ways to be healthy during the holidays in all areas of wellness.

Physical - even if you are pressed for time, make time for some form of physical activity. Park further away and walk, take the stairs, walk an extra lap at the store, turn on music and dance while cleaning the house, take breaks and do exercises, or go ice skating.

Occupational - do something nice for a co-worker (it doesn't have to cost anything!) or give a compliment and smile to a co-worker or class participant. Take a few days off around the holidays to decompress.

Social - invite a friend or family member to go shopping or help wrap holiday gifts. Go to a movie or dinner with a friend. For something inexpensive, meet for coffee or at a bookstore. Call up a friend or family member that you haven't talked to in awhile.

Intellectual - learn something new or read a book on a topic that you are unfamiliar with. Learning is one way to keep our brains sharp. Go to the library or download a free Kindle book. MU employees have access to MyLearn with a lot of books and other learning opportunities.

Emotional - practice some stress management techniques that work for you, have a positive attitude, and learn from your mistakes during the holiday season.

Spiritual - there are many spiritual opportunities during the holidays, so practice in accordance with your beliefs. Also, base your actions on your values and provide others with compassion. Surround yourself with joy and faith.

Holiday Food and Fitness

MissouriFamilies is your one-stop shop for all the information you need about holiday food and fitness. Here are some of the articles on the website.

• Cook and Freeze Now to Avoid Holiday Stress
• Six Steps to a Healthier Holiday Season
• How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
• Be a Thoughtful Giver with Food Items
• Holiday Eating Strategies
• Tips for Your New Year's Resolutions
• Resolve to Replace Diets with Good Health Habits
• Secrets for Making Resolutions Stick
• and more!

Visit the MissouriFamilies Food, Fitness, and Holiday page for this and more great information.


About MissouriFamilies:
MissouriFamilies provides unbiased, research-based solutions for better living. Beginning with the basics—food, clothing, shelter, finances, family and community—we concentrate on providing scientific solutions for contemporary challenges in human lives.

Our far-reaching realm of expertise includes family financial education, designs for living and working environments, human development, nutrition and wellness, and community support systems.

MissouriFamilies is provided by University of Missouri Extension, a partnership of the University of Missouri campuses; Lincoln University; the people of Missouri through county extension councils; and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

December Cook it Quick newsletter

Are you looking for some inexpensive, yet unique gift ideas for the holidays? Look no further than the December Cook it Quick newsletter. You will find instructions on making these mixes:

• French vanilla coffee mix (who wouldn't love that?)
• California walnut granola mix
• Mint candy coffee mix (yum!)
• Country chili mix
• Double chocolate peppermint candy hot cocoa mix (for those cold winter nights)
• Spiced tea mix
• Homemade trail mix

North Dakota State University Extension also has a webpage with these mixes:

• Homemade cornbread mix
• Cranberry oatmeal cookie mix
• Friendship soup mix

The mixes are easy and use ingredients that you have on hand or would be easy to find. You just need some glass jars and fabric and ribbon to make them look festive. You will need a food processor for some of the coffee and hot cocoa mixes.

Another resource is Alice Henneman's blog post on homemade holiday food gifts.

These homemade gifts are a great way to save money and give a gift that someone will actually use.

Energy drinks and sports drinks

Energy drinks and sports drinks are two popular beverages that are sometimes confused. They can be distinguished by a few things:

• caffeine content (energy drinks have caffeine while sports drinks typically do not)
• carbohydrate content (both have carbohydrates, but energy drinks usually have more)
• other ingredients (sports drinks may have electrolytes, protein, or vitamins added, whereas energy drinks have ingredients such as taurine, guarana, and others)

Energy drinks are those brands like Red Bull and Monster, whereas sports drinks are those things like Gatorade and Powerade.

Because of the high caffeine content of energy drinks, they are dangerous for adults to consume and not recommended at all for children. Energy drinks can be like a regular soda, but with a lot more caffeine and some other extra ingredients. Some of those extra ingredients add caffeine too. The labels on energy drinks do not always specify the amount of caffeine in those products, so they can be dangerously high. 

Most energy drinks are also high in sugar. Adults and children already consume more than enough sugar and this added amount is not needed. 

Soda is a "food" and must not have more than 71 mg of caffeine per 12 oz serving. Energy drinks are different and are "dietary supplements" and do not have to list the amount of caffeine. Coffee is labeled different too because the caffeine is natural and also does not have to be listed on the label .

A regular mountain dew has about 35 mg of caffeine. The amount of caffeine in coffee varies greatly, anywhere from 30-300 mg. Energy drinks range from 80-300 mg, with some brands even unknown. 

It might not seem that energy drinks are too bad when compared to the caffeine in coffee, but there are differences. For one, energy drinks not only have caffeine but other substances that are herbal sources of caffeine too, and lots of sugar. The safety of those other ingredients is not quite known. Energy drinks are sometimes marketed for kids and they can be very dangerous for children. Energy drinks are usually consumed faster than coffee too. Research has also shown the benefits of moderate coffee consumption, whereas research has presented some adverse effects of energy drinks.

Moderate caffeine consumption is not harmful, but the amount of caffeine in energy drinks is not a moderate amount. 

Sports drinks are only necessary for those exercising for over an hour, exercising or working in very hot conditions, or someone who is sick. They have too much sugar for casual exercisers. For activities lasting under an hour, plain water is best. For longer exercisers, those who are exercising or working outside, or someone who is sick, sports drinks can help replace lost electrolytes (sodium and potassium). Children typically do not need sports drinks except for those reasons listed above, otherwise plain water is fine. 

References from:
Energy Drinks, Stan Reents, rev. 2012
Sports Drinks and Recovery Drinks, Stan Reents, rev. 2012

For the two detailed articles on sports drinks and energy drinks, use the links below:

Energy drinks

Sports drinks

November Cook It Quick newsletter and Thanksgiving food preparation tips

Wondering what to do with those turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving on Thursday? Need some help with food preparation for Thanksgiving?

The November Cook It Quick newsletter from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension has Thanksgiving food preparation tips, a few recipes for turkey leftovers, as well as:

• Cranberry oatmeal cookie mix
• Cheesy broccoli baked potatoes
• Slow cooker pot roast soup
• French bread pizza
• And more!

The Thanksgiving food preparation tips 2012 from University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a comprehensive page of resources to help prepare your meal. It includes:

• Planning ahead
• Where to call for help
• How to prepare a turkey
• Food safety
• Carving a turkey
• How to make turkey gravy
• Stuffing
• Pumpkin pie
• Kids corner
• More turkey leftover recipes
• And more!

Enjoy the holiday and time with friends and family!

World Kindness Day

A lot of the blog topics relate to taking care of our physical health by eating well and being physically active. While those are very important, it is also important to take care of other areas of health. Social, mental, and emotional health are also facets of our health and wellness that are vital to our well-being.

Tuesday, November 13, was World Kindness Day. Sometimes it is overwhelming in the world of technology and social media to focus on the bad things that are happening. World Kindness Day can serve as a reminder to focus on the good and do something to help someone else.

Think about how you have helped someone recently. It does not have to be something that involves money or tangible things. Think about:

Did you smile at a stranger when you passed them at the grocery store? Maybe they were having a rough day and your smile was the bright spot that day.

Did you listen to a co-worker talk about some struggle they are having right now? If all they needed was someone to talk to, you provided that opportunity.

Did you thank a friend or family member or compliment them for something they did recently? It may have only taken you 10 seconds to say this, but they felt good about it for 10 hours.

It is the season of giving and there are many worthwhile causes to donate your money or time to. There are many opportunities for volunteering or charitable donations right now. We all know that helping others makes us feel better in the process.

Challenge yourself to do one kind thing today. Then, do something different tomorrow. Remember, it can be as simple as a smile, hug, or pat on the back.

The Examiner online had an article about World Kindness Day. They reminded everyone to remember to acronym CAG - Compliment, Appreciate, Give. Make a note of this next to your computer to help remind you to do this everyday, to help yourself and others.

November 15 - Clean out your refrigerator day

November 15 is "clean out your refrigerator day."

Now is a great time of your to clean out your refrigerator to make room for leftovers and extras from holiday meals. Here are some tips to help you do that.

• Check the use by and sell by dates. Things that are past the use by date can be thrown away. If there is a sell by date, that just means you should purchase it before that date and it is still good quality and safe to eat, so refer to a food storage chart.
• Use a food storage chart. MU Extension has one available online at http://extension.missouri.edu/p/N358.
• After purchase, eggs will last about 3-5 weeks; most meats (hamburger, etc) are 1-2 days; lunch meat, bacon, and hot dogs are 2 weeks unopened and 1 week once opened.
• Leftovers are good for a few days. Make sure you heat to steaming (165 degrees F) before serving.
• If you can’t remember when you purchased something, it should probably be thrown away.
• Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or lower and freezer at 0 degrees F or lower.
• Clean any spills with hot, soapy water.
• Trays, crispers, and shelves can then be rinsed with a sanitizing solution (one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water).
• Doors and gaskets can be washed with hot soapy water and baking soda then rinsed with sanitizing solution.
• Make sure to leave the door open or let the surfaces dry completely. Bacteria love moisture.
• For tough odors, wipe with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water. The acid also helps with mildew.
• Other options for odors include: fresh coffee grounds or baking soda in a large open container, rolled newspapers, or a cotton ball soaked in vanilla.
• To make things easier the next time, consider dating items. A piece of masking tape on a package or container can be quick and easy.
• After cleaning out the fridge, it would also be a good idea to clean out the icemaker in your freezer. This can be full of bacteria from people reaching in with their hands. Empty, clean out with the sanitizing solution, dry, and put back into place.
• Don’t forget to clean the outside and the top of the refrigerator as well. It is probably well overdue.
• Stay on top of cleaning out your refrigerator and it won’t seem like such a huge job all at once.

This article was also posted online in the Greenfield Vedette.