Being Healthy for Busy People

Photo by syntheticj via Flickr Sometimes, after a really hard workout, you feel so stiff and sore that it hurts to move.  Getting out of bed or getting dressed is so painful that you can’t help grunting as you pull on your clothes.  Or maybe you wake up with a cramp in your calf or foot in the middle of the night or get a cramp in the middle of your workout.  If so, you are not alone. But don’t let your concern over these aches and pains stop you from working out.  In this show, I discuss ways to minimize or avoid muscle soreness and muscle cramps. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia and sportsmedicine.about.com. I also answered two questions, one from Jennifer Johnson on free radicals and the other from Luke Lynden on protein drinks.  References used to answer these questions were answers.com and Mayo Clinic. The Blog Posts for this week are: * Floss or No Teeth for You! * Gaia’s Essence Product Review If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by Migraine Chick Almost everyone has experienced a headache at one time or another. Headaches are one of the most common human ailments, after all. For most people, headaches are an infrequent annoyance that occur only a few times a year and rarely get in the way of everyday life. But for others, headaches can bring disabling pain that can last for days or weeks! Since headaches affect so many people, I decided that talking about ways to reduce the effects of headaches would go a long way toward helping many of you live a little healthier and happier. Thus, in this show, I discuss what headaches are and ways to avoid or minimize tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic, medicinenet.com and American Headache Society. The Blog Posts for this week are: * What’s Shaking? Less Salt! * For the Best Returns, Diversify Your Exercises! If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by dbking via Flickr In some ways, your brain functions like a muscle.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  If you train it though, it works better.  The more you challenge your brain, the better you are able to process and remember information and the better your memory is.  So, if you think you have poor memory, there is still hope.  You can take steps to improve it. This episode is the second part of a two part series on memory.  For those of you that are new to this podcast, make sure to download and listen to last week’s show, #37 first.  In this show, I will give you tips and strategies to sharpen your mind and improve your memory. Other episodes referenced in the podcast are: * Dealing with Stress: Parts 1 and 2 (Shows #31 and #32) * Trouble Sleeping? (Show #15) Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, www.fi.edu and helpguide.org. The Blog Posts for this week are: * Don’t Judge a Bread by Its Color! * I Got Your Back!: Back Pain Prevention Tips If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by Brian Hillegas via Flickr If you’ve ever forgotten where you put your keys, couldn’t remember the name of a movie or walked into a room and for the life of you couldn’t remember why you were there, this is the episode for you. This is the first in a two part series on memory. In this show, I discuss what memory is, how aging affects memory and the warning signs of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s. The following week in show #38, I will go over ways to keep your mind supple, active and sharp as you grow older. Your brain is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Wikipedia and helpguide.org. The Blog Posts for this week are: * Avocados: Packed With Fat, But Without the Guilt! * Dried Fruit: What to Watch For If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by House Of Sims via Flickr When most of us think of someone with high blood pressure (hypertension), we automatically think of an overweight, middle aged executive, that is wound up really tight and explodes at the slightest provocation. So, anyone that doesn’t fit that image feels pretty safe. But unfortunately, hypertension can occur in anyone, even in children. In this week’s show, I discuss what blood pressure is, why you should care what yours is and what you can do to prevent or combat high blood pressure. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association. This week, I was interviewed by iProng magazine. Here is the web version and a direct link to the even higher quality PDF version. So, go check it out and learn more about me! The Blog Posts for this week are: * Got Lactose Intolerance? * This Spud’s For You! If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by jagian via Flickr For most people, when they are feeling thirsty or tired and want an energy boost, they seldom reach for water or tea. They reach for a soda instead. Many of us are addicted to sodas. If we go a day without them, our energy levels go down and we feel fatigued. Statistics show that Americans drink more soda than ever before. In this show, I discuss why sodas are not part of a healthy diet, how regular and diet sodas can lead to weight gain and tips to wean yourself off of soda. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, WebMD and missourifamilies.org. I end the show with a question from Kimberly about what effect it has on your body when you drink cold, hot or room temperature water. The Blog Posts for this week are: * “High Blood Pressure? Cut The Ketchup“ * “Don’t Let Your Health Go Up In Smoke“ If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by Pink Sherbet via Flickr Our culture is obsessed with weight.  It seems that every person has a bathroom scale in their house and many people weigh themselves as part of their daily routine.  Any weight gain is perceived as a change for the worse.  And the media doesn’t make it any better. They’re constantly bombarding us with their images of the ideal body.  And when we are unable to reach that image, we get depressed. But we need to change the way we think about our bodies.  It is important to make weight loss goals reasonable.  The most important thing is to be healthy, not to look like a model.  Those models might look healthy, but on the inside, many of them are not really that healthy. In this show, I discuss the health risks of being overweight, why crash diets don’t work and tips and strategies for losing and maintaining weight. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia and WebMD. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

This week we are going to do something different with the show.  A few weeks ago on Show #26, I talked about my journey to becoming healthier.  That show got a really positive response, so I thought that it would be interesting to all of you if I interviewed a guest occasionally and discussed how they fit being healthy into their busy life. In this show, I interviewed Tee Morris who is an author, podcaster and an extremely busy person.  We discussed some of the challenges Tee faced on his journey to becoming healthier and how he met them. Here are the best places to find out more about Tee Morris and all the wonderful things that he does: For his snarky & fun side: teemorris.com For his business side: imaginethatstudios.com On Twitter: twitter.com/TeeMonster or twitter.com/ITStudios

Photo by HaPe Gera via Flickr Today’s episode is the second part of a two part series on stress. Last week on show #31, I discussed what stress is, how it effects our health, some unhealthy coping strategies and I covered the first of six healthy stress management techniques, which was exercise.  Now, on this show I discuss the other five positive stress management techniques: Having a positive attitude, laughter, learning to say no, learning to relax and having a strong social support group. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia and Mayo Clinic. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by Y0si via Flickr Today’s episode is the first in a two part series about stress.  Now is an appropriate time for this topic because these are tough and stressful times for many people.  Unemployment is up, home foreclosures are high and the stock market is way down.  Some people have lost their jobs and others are worried that they might lose theirs. There are a lot of people worrying about whether they can continue to pay their bills and mortgages. In this show, I discuss what stress is, describe some unhealthy coping behaviors, talk about why it is important to manage stress in a healthy manner and explain how exercise plays an important role in relieving stress. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic and ahealthyme.com. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by VirtualErn via Flickr I know it seems like everywhere you go, people are telling you the healthiest thing you can do is to go vegetarian. I also know that many of you enjoy a nice, juicy steak or hamburger once in a while and don’t plan to give it up anytime soon. Others are vegetarians or vegans who often enjoy a tasty meatless substitute, such as meatless chicken, meatless beef or meatless turkey. However, whether you choose to eat meat or meat substitutes, not all options are created equal. Just because it doesn’t have meat in it, doesn’t mean that it is healthy. In this show, I am going to delve into the world of beef, for you meat lovers, and the meatless meat world, for you veggie lovers. I am going to discuss what is healthy and what is not so healthy to consume. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, about.com and Mayo Clinic. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Today I would like to talk about a subject that is dear to my heart.  That’s right, running.  Both my dad and mom were runners.  They got me started competing in track when I was in elementary school and I have been running ever since. Running is really the gold standard of exercise. It is considered one of the best aerobic sports out there. Every other aerobic fitness program is measured against it. In this show, I discuss the health benefits of running, how to get started running, proper running form and tips to prevent injury. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, healthstatus.com and about.com. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by moriza via Flickr A lot of people either don’t like to or feel they don’t have the time to cook or wash dishes.  After a busy day at work followed by taking the kids to all their activities, the thought of cooking on top of all that seems like too much.  Sometimes, we need a reprieve from our daily work and dining out is one way of getting that.  The problem is that if we resort to eating out too often, our health can suffer due to the predominantly unhealthy food that is available at many restaurants.  But, while eating out is almost always less healthy than preparing your own food, your healthy diet doesn’t have to go out the window when you go out to eat.  You can still eat healthy when dining out, if you make better choices. So, in this show, I discuss ways to have healthy meals when eating out.  I go over breakfast, lunch and dinner and some general guidelines when dining out. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, restaurant.org and uscdnutritionlink.org. I end the show with a voicemail from Megan from podcastjunky.com and meanmommiesclub.com about how to get kids to eat properly on a vegetarian diet.  For more information on this subject, check out the Mayo Clinic article. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by filtran via Flickr Many people out there are always searching for the fountain of youth. They’re looking for ways that they can stay young, stop the aging process or prevent disease. Americans spend billions of dollars every year on magic potions, miracle pills or expensive surgeries to stop or hopefully reverse the aging process. But, most of these supposed “cures” that they spend money on don’t really accomplish what they want. They don’t keep us young. In this show, I discuss the secret to staying young and living longer. I go over the health benefits of exercising and the research that proves that exercise is linked to longevity. Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic, Science Daily and about.com. I end the show with a question from Dean about whether the temperature of tea or alcoholic drinks, change the way the body metabolizes the caffeine or alcohol contained in these drinks. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Happy New Year, everyone! This podcast comes out on New Year’s Day, which is the time of year when many of us reflect on the year that has passed and make our resolutions for the year ahead. Since the journey to being healthier seems difficult to a lot of people, I thought that while I was reflecting on how far I’d come, it would be a fitting time to share with you the story of my journey to better health. That way, you can see how I got to where I am today because, believe it or not, I wasn’t born like this. So, in this show, I discuss my life’s progression to healthier eating. I start with my childhood, then discuss my college years, then the changes after starting work and getting married and on to the present. If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me gain more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!