Calcium 101

Nearly 80% of Americans fail to get enough calcium in their diets, according to federal government statistics. While it is well known that calcium improves the integrity of our bones and teeth, what is lesser known is that it helps us to maintain a healthy metabolism, protects against colon cancer, lessens pre-menstrual mood swings, and stabilizes blood pressure.

Calcium is found naturally in dairy products, tofu, collard greens, white beans, and broccoli to name a few, and more recently has been added to orange juice and other food products because of its known health benefits.

Most women have heard that it’s a good idea to take a calcium supplement to ward off osteoporosis, or bone loss that occurs as women age. But as you can see from above, calcium provides health benefits for everyone! Unfortunately, for most people, here is where the clarity ends.  Confusion sets in once you enter the store and find yourself staring at all the supplements available—calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, 1000mg, 500 mg…??? How much calcium should you take, and when is the best time to take it?

Here’s the facts you’ll need to bone up on:

• Calcium can alter the effects of antibiotics and blood pressure medicines—so ask your doctor before beginning a calcium regimen.
• Most experts recommend that women aged 19-50 take 1000mg of calcium a day. (Those over 50 should take 1200mg.)
• Calcium is best absorbed in 500mg amounts, so if the multivitamin you take in the morning has 500 mg in it, take another 500 mg in the evening.
• Calcium needs vitamin D to boost its absorption, so make sure your supplement contains both.
• If you chose a calcium carbonate supplement, take it at mealtime.
• Calcium citrate can be taken at anytime.

Bone-appétit!

Acts of Kindness that Refresh the Soul

Valentine’s Day is upon us again—and our thoughts often turn to how we can show our love and affection to those we hold dear. In the past, whenever I would find ways to display my care for others through acts of kindness, I always felt a sense of satisfied joy. Now I’ve discovered the scientific “why” for the emotion that would predictably wash over me—it was deeper than sentimental, it was chemical!

While researching for my book, Get Healthy…for Heaven’s Sake, I attended a continuing education seminar on the subject of depression. During the course of study I was pleasantly surprised to learn that two extremely important neurotransmitters, which are found to be at insufficient levels in people suffering with depression, could be produced during particular social interactions.

A quoted research study showed that when one person demonstrates an act of kindness towards another, both the helper and the one who is being helped gained increased levels of both serotonin and endorphins. Even more surprising was that if a third person—an uninvolved bystander—witnessed this act of kindness, his levels of serotonin and endorphins increased as well!

I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised as Proverbs 11:25 states, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” So refresh your own soul this Valentine’s Day by showing someone you love a little TLC. The benefits of your good deed will flow back to you— and to anyone else blessed enough to be present.

When Hip Pain Sabotages Your Sleep

If you fancy the side-lying position when you sleep—as I do—you will find that your sleep is interrupted, at best, and prevented, at worse, if you are dealing with ongoing hip pain. Hip pain can be experienced by athletes or the more sedentary among us, by those in their twenties and by those four times their age. Hip pain does not discriminate.

There are many causes of hip pain, from the radiation of pain from low back problems to hip arthritis to bursitis (which is typically caused by hip and pelvic muscle imbalances). Whatever the underlying source, the fact remains that while you are (hopefully) seeking a cure; you do need to get some restorative shut eye.

There are three things I always recommend my patients implement at bedtime while we are working towards a full resolve of their hip pain.

1. If possible, try to sleep on the opposite side of your painful hip. (This might take a few nights of retraining.)
2. Whichever side you chose to sleep on: Place a pillow lengthwise between your legs (groin to ankles) in order to unweight the heaviness of your top leg.
3. If you must lie on the side of your painful hip: Fold a small towel or soft blanket and place it along your downward facing side—just above the top of your “hip” (pelvic bone) to your underarm area. This propping method will unweight the “heft” of your trunk from your painful hip, relieving much of the pinpointed pressure.

With these helpful modifications in place, my patients typically report being able to fall asleep with greater ease and sleep more comfortably throughout the night. I do hope they work for you if you find yourself in a similar predicament.

The National Deficit—Rest

Is your To-Do list longer than your grocery list? Today’s culture has us living life at a pace which leaves us stressed out and simply worn out by the day’s end.  As Christians intent on “doing good”, we typically pile Kingdom responsibilities on top of our already packed family schedules. Rarely do we pause to consider the cost of personal fatigue, irritability, and illness that we’ll be made to pay for trying to squeeze way too much “good” into our lives.

As a healthcare practitioner I often ask my patients to consider reorganizing their daytime hours to achieve a balanced budget of health, productivity, and joy in life’s journey. Personally, I view my daily schedule as a glass I fill with water. If I fill it up to the tippy top, I will not be able to enjoy even one sip, as any disturbance of my water (day) will result in spillage and a frustrating clean up. If there is no “splash zone” built into your day, look for ways to offload responsibilities until you can manage your tasks in less time than you have daytime hours. Remember, the Lord has given you enough time in each day for you to accomplish His will…the “overflow” may have more to do with your will.

God designed our bodies to need 7-8 hours of sleep each night, yet 74% of Americans are under slept, racking up huge deficits in the sleep department! Sleep is not wasted “down time”—it’s biological production time. While you’re asleep your body’s cells are being repaired, hormones are being replaced, memory is being stored, and your immune system is strengthened—benefits you simply can’t live without! Don’t be fooled; short changing yourself of hours slept will definitely short change your health. In fact studies have shown that life expectancy is significantly decreased for those who get too little sleep.

So invest in your health this very day by lightening your workload and making sure you go to sleep 7-8 hours before you have to be up.

Mushrooms are D-Lightful!

When I was a young child, I would accompany my Sicilian grandfather as he searched the woods surrounding our home for “safe” mushrooms we could eat. The smell of those mushrooms sautéing in butter and fresh garlic always made my mouth water. It was a taste treat I very much looked forward to.

As an adult, my mouth still waters at the aroma of sautéing mushrooms—though I rarely smell them cooking in my home. You see my husband and children HATE mushrooms. They turn up their noses at the sight of them and degrade the tiny morsels by referring to them as “fungus” (which, truth be told, is what they actually are!). Then my family gives themselves a pass from ever eating mushrooms by stating that “fungi” have no redeeming value whatsoever—so there!

Can I tell you the joy and redeeming satisfaction I recently gained while watching a show on mushroom farming? (Yes, I know, there really wasn’t anything else on T.V. that night!) I discovered that mushrooms were the only vegetative source of vitamin D. Yes, the same vitamin D that so many folks are deficient in!

Vitamin D’s various roles include strengthening your bones, warding off cancer, and protecting against tuberculosis, heart disease, diabetes, colds, and the flu. Without consuming or generating enough of this essential nutrient, your health will begin to decline. So if you are allergic to dairy products and don’t have enough sun exposure—especially during the winter, might I suggest indulging in some tasty ‘shrooms?

Well, chalk one up for me and my mushrooms, family. They actually are good for you after all!

Why I’m Nuts About Nuts

The other night at the dinner table, my son joked that I was probably the only person who put nuts into pasta dishes. In my defense, it was a pesto-based sauce, so nuts (as I had to explain) rightly belonged in that dish. My family has come to expect nuts to show up in various ways throughout the day, both as snacks as well as added to breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

So why have I “gone nuts” as my family likes to say? Even though nuts have gained a bad reputation for delivering a high calorie load, when eaten in moderation they contain vital nutrients, such as Omega-3’s and other healthy fats and proteins, which enable our bodies to be better fueled, and to fight off disease and slow the aging process.

The best nuts to eat, as far as Omega-3 content are walnuts and almonds. But cashews, pecans, pistachios, and even peanuts are “health-ful” in limited quantities. I find that if I keep a variety of nuts in small plastic storage containers in the refrigerator, they stay fresh and are ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

Here are some creative ways to add more nuts to your diet this week:

• Include them in your next non-red sauce pasta dish (such as pesto or light cream-based)
• Stir them into your yogurt or oatmeal
• Sprinkle them on your cereal
• Mix them into whole grain pancakes, bread, or waffle batters
• Add them to baked goods, such as cookies, muffins, or cakes
• Toss them into chicken salad or green salads
• Use ground almond meal to replace some of the flour used while baking
• Simply grab a handful to snack on in between meals to keep your “hungries” in check

Life’s a Balancing Act

If you’ve ever watched a waitress load up a serving tray or a performer stack up objects to balance on his outstretched arms, the process is deliberate, unhurried, and methodical. A rushed job would most certainly end in a heaping pile of mess.

You and I have lives that at times are piled high, yet our stacks of tasks and responsibilities are rarely ordered or thoughtful. We just sling another item up onto our agenda without much thought as to how it will affect the other items we’ve already committed to carrying or our life’s overall balance. The result is hyper- (too much) activity and hypo- (too little) joy.

What if this year you brought a balanced approach to your days? What if you could enjoy the varied activities of your day because you were able to be “in the moment” much of the time—not preoccupied with how you’ll accomplish your next moment?

A healthy balance must find you loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…not my suggestion, but rather Jesus’ (Mark 12:30). If your life is too busy to spend even 20 minutes with your head bowed in prayer and your nose buried in The Book, then everything you set out to do will be off-kilter from the get-go.

Next you must add some “me” time to your schedule, which includes exercise, nutritional fueling times, and engaging in something that brings a smile to your face and rejuvenates your soul. Only after these two “musts” are in place can you begin to thoughtfully stack daily work and home responsibilities and community/service activities around them.

Lackluster, un-enjoyed living is the result of heaping up “lighter weight” (less important) tasks effectually crowding out the “weightier”, core areas of life—time with the Lord and care of His temple (your body). By adjusting your life in these ways you will restore balance, productivity, and great joy…making your life truly a great performance!

Purchasing Exercise Equipment for Home

Every January, like clockwork, advertisements for new exercise equipment and apparatuses fill the circulars. And because it is the New Year, you might genuinely promise yourself that this year you will make the effort to exercise regularly. You rightly reason that it would be a tremendous help if that bicycle, treadmill, or elliptical trainer from the circular was under the same roof as you are. Also, after doing the math, you realize the money you’d save if you didn’t have to pay for a monthly gym membership.

So off to the store you go; you, your good intentions, and your wallet. When you return, your car is heavier and your wallet a lot lighter. But you are motivated—because soon, you dream, you will be lighter too!

Fast forward to March. The shiny new exercise “thing” you bought home in January now has a coat of dust on it and maybe even a winter coat slung over it. What went wrong? Let’s assess.

First, you must know yourself. If you are like me, you need to go to a place to work out, even if you have (as I do) much of the same equipment at home. Socially motivated folks need to work out primarily with others around—even if they never talk to them! All the best intentions and cost analysis evidence won’t change that. Put your money where your workout WILL happen.

For those who believe you will be committed to home-based work outs, I suggest you invest in a piece of equipment that you have already used before, and know you’ll enjoy using into the future. And do “try it on for size”. Never buy a piece of equipment that you cannot “test drive” in the store. I must have tried seven different elliptical trainers before I found one that had a comfortable feel for me.

Finally, consider using Craig’s List or other second hand sites to purchase barely used equipment—from other people with good intentions! : )

Desk Chair Nightmares

Lurking in every home, in towns across the country, there are desk chairs being used that are just plain out to get you! I don’t know who originally bought them, or when they were pushed up to our work stations, but regardless of the how, when, or why, they simply need to go!

Here is a list of what I consider “chair disqualifiers”:

1. The chair has fixed arms that do not allow you to get close enough to your work surface or computer monitor. This leaves you bent forward—straining your back, neck…and your eyes.
2. The chair is a fixed height and your feet are either not reaching the floor fully (the chair is too high) or your knees are higher than your hips (the chair is too low). Low back pain can result in either case.
3. The chair’s sitting surface is too long which is placing excessive pressure against the back of your lower legs. Overtime this aggravates the nerves and soft muscle tissue in your legs—not to mention decreases the blood circulation to your lower legs.
4. The surface of your chair lacks cushioning. Wooden chairs may have a visual appeal, but your buttocks (and sciatic nerve) would tell a different story from their vantage point!

What do I look for in a desk chair? Moving parts, baby! I want my chosen chair to be adjustable in height, seat cushion slope, seat back tension/position, all while having arms that are adjustable, removable, or better yet, absent.

When a desk chair at work or at home is shared, it’s even more crucial that every person who sits in that seat is able to customize that chair’s support. If you ignore your “desk chair nightmare” and continue to use your old mainstay, be forewarned—all sorts of physical health problems may begin to crop up. So do yourself a post-Christmas favor, invest in a good desk chair and turn what could become a physical nightmare into a sweet (comfortable) dream.

The Gift Only You Can Give Yourself

It’s the week of Christmas and Hanukah and all the gifts you’ve gathered are being wrapped and distributed. Amidst this “present frenzy” we often forget about ourselves because we are so focused on blessing others. While blessing others is all good, would you take a focused moment to think about yourself today?

You, too, my friend, are worthy of receiving an end-of-the-year gifting. And what is that one gift that only YOU could give to yourself this year? Struggling to come up with an answer? May I suggest you give yourself the Gift of Health this holiday season? This health-full present, if loving offered (by you) and gratefully accepted (by you), will likely be the most valuable gift you have ever received.

Engaging in regular exercise is just one portion of this great gift. The problem is that while you can purchase a gym membership or piece of exercise equipment, you cannot make good use of them unless you see them as a blessing instead of a curse. You don’t HAVE to go to the gym…you GET to go to the gym. You don’t HAVE to move on purpose, you GET to move on purpose.

Another aspect of the Gift of Health is a commitment to standard maintenance, which in other words, is the regular scheduling of doctor appointments and check-ups. Every illness, disease, and disability is best treated when caught early. Do yourself a “solid” and schedule your annual doctor visits and routine, age-related check-ups such as gynecological, breast, colon, prostate, eye, etc.

Embellish this gift by making a commitment (to yourself) to sleep 7-8 hours each night. This will do your body and mind a world of good. Add a steady fueling of good-for-you foodstuffs to the aforementioned healthy practices, and I’d say you have put the finishing touches on your Gift of Health.

This holiday, bless your own socks off by giving yourself the Gift of Health—if properly cared for, it may just last a lifetime!