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Flu season will be upon us soon, which means, at least in the US, that vaccinations in your area may start as early as this month. Every year the government rolls out a massive campaign to get as many people as possible protected against the flu. The young, the elderly, and caregivers of those at risk are the most recommended groups to get vaccinated, but ideally, the CDC would like to give the shot, or the nasal-spray to everyone.

Soon, you should see announcements for vaccinations in your areas. Sometimes, employers take extra steps to bring the vaccines directly to their employees. Schools often offer the vaccines for free. There are many, many ways in every area for you to get the vaccine. It’s not compulsory but it is very beneficial.

Visit the CDC Vaccination page for more information.

Tags: flu, vaccine

I love essential oils. In fact I even blend them into perfectly relaxing scented baths. So it comes as no surprise that I use oil diffusers all over my house. I like to have one going while I sleep, so I love the one I have that plugs into the wall. With two cats, there is no such thing as a safe candle in my house!

Gaiam has one of my favorites on sale, and it includes eucalyptus oil and 15 pads. You can use the pads for while if you are using the same scent with it. It was originally 30.00, but it’s only 14.99 on sale. Eucalyptus is great for allergies, colds, and generally cleansing the air.

It’s not here yet, but it’s just around the corner: Flu Season. Acky, icky, awful flu season. Even if you’re not struck down, you still will have to deal with protecting yourself from those around you who insist on sharing their illness with their office mates, social events, or an entire grocery store.

So, what do you do? You can get the flu vaccine, if it’s not been reserved for only the young and old this year. But you still may have to wait in line, and what if you can’t get in on one of the free programs?

There are some tried, true, and clichéd (meaning long-useful) ways of protecting yourself from spreading illness, or catching it.  The CDC’s flu website has a very practical list:

1. Avoid close contact with the sick.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
   
3. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
4. Clean your hands. Often. Seriously.
5. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. This is how you’re most likely to get sick - by touching something contaminated and then instantly bringing it to a great place to get into your body.
6. Practice other good health habits. If you get plenty of sleep, are physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food you are less likely to get sick.

These are important tips for all seasons, not just flu seasons. Be proactive and protect yourself. Don’t just rely on the government to do it for you with a yearly shot. These are simple habits that can keep the spread of any illness in check.

Tags: flu, healthy habits, illness

Eco Bella has a great grab bag of cosmetics or skin care products regularly $60.00, are now on sale for only $10.00.

As they state on their website:

This mystery bag* is filled with a combination of five items which may include: lipsticks, eyeshadows, blush or a skin care item. So, join the fun and order your Surprise Grab Bag today, while supplies last.

They are first rate products, but are discontinued colors or packaging. But remember it’s a grab bag, so you don’t get to specify what you are getting. And isn’t that half the fun?

“Everything in moderation”…that’s one of the few clichés that doesn’t get old. It’s absolutely true. Very rarely is something food-wise so bad for you that you should never touch it. We call things like that poisons, not food. But, you can have too much of even the best foods. Carrot-orange skin, anyone?

Portion control is one of the most fundamental principles of weight-loss and, even more-so, longterm healthy eating principles. It can be very hard to do this on the fly. Our eyes are big, highly optimistic, and very convincing about what is a “proper” portion. Not everyone can carry a food scale around with them to come up with official measurements (though it’s not a bad thing to do) but there are easy ways to do some portion control preparation ahead of time.

Break down your binges and create single servings of foods you splurge on: Scoop servings of ice cream into plastic containers, cut chocolate into squares and store it in baggies, and pour individual juice servings into sports bottles.

The Journal of Marketing Research published a study this aspect of portion-control: packaging.

Participants who received six chocolates in a single package finished them in two days on average; those whose six came individually wrapped downed them in four days. The act of opening another bag or container gives us time to consider how much we’re wolfing down, says lead study author Amar Cheema, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis.

That only solves part of the problem, but if you can control your binge-worthy pleasures, like ice cream, then you’ve gone a long way toward establishing permanent portion-control principles that will both aid you in the short-term goals of weight loss but also in your long-term health strategy.

Tags: binging, healthy eating, portion control, weight loss

No, it’s not because of the tomato fiasco this year. But tomatoes are about to go out of season, so get ‘em while they still taste good.

There is nothing more disappointing than a winter tomato. Picked green and shipped from who knows where and spray with things I’d rather not think about. And then they just taste like nothing.

But now you can still go to the farmers market and get huge juicy heirloom tomatoes. And to get you started off here are a few yummy recipes:

• Gazpacho: A Taste of Summer
• Polenta with grilled eggplant and heirloom tomato sauce
• Yellow Tomato Bruschetta
• Tomato N’ Grits with Smoky Tempeh
• Cappellini in Fresh Tomato Cream Sauce
• Fourth of July Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Heirloom Tomato Tart in a Parmesan Crust

Tags: recipe links, Recipes, summer tomato, tomatoes

Apparently it works. And fast. A two-week diet of daily dark chocolate (a chunk or two, not a bar or two) can show immediate results in your health.

Recent research has shown that in just this short amount of time, the dark chocolate can improve both blood pressure and diabetes risk, both of which are risk factors in heart disease.

Other recent studies have found dark chocolate can protect blood vessels against damage from diabetes and could even hold the key to stopping bowel cancer in its tracks.

The study showed starkly that dark chocolate is the only chocolate that has these benefits. They  key is in a compound in the cocoa beans: flavanols. White chocolate doesn’t contain any of this highly-beneficial ingredient and milk chocolate doesn’t contain enough.

As with everything good, you can have too much. Everything in moderation and you can enjoy just about anything, with great health benefits as a nice perk!

Tags: blood pressure, cancer, chocolate, dark chocolate, diabetes, diet, flavanols, heart disease

When I walked into Starbucks this morning, the season had changed. The smoothie ads were gone, and they had ads up for the new healthier breakfast food. How healthy is Starbucks healthy?  You can’t go wrong with oatmeal, but remember that toppings count too.

Here are the new items:

Perfect Oatmeal 140 cal/2.5g fat/5g protein/4g fiber
You can also add one of these:

• Dried Fruit - add 100 cal
• Brown Sugar - add 50 cal
• Nut Medley - add 100 cal

Berry Stella 280 cal/9g fat/6g protein/6g fiber
A whole wheat oat bar with dried berries. It’s sweetened mostly with brown sugar, but does contain invert syrup.

Chewy Fruit and Nut Bar 250 cal/10g fat/5g protein/4g fiber
Oats and rice make up this bar full of dried fruit and nuts. It’s mainly sweetened with molasses.

Multigrain Roll 280 cal/8g fat/7g protein/7g fiber
A mix of white and whole wheat flour is the base for this cracked wheat and flax roll. You choose almond butter or fruit preserves with it, but I wasn’t able to find nutritional info on either at Starbucks’ site.

Apple Bran Muffin 330 cal/8g fat/7g protein/7g fiber
This muffin is a little larger than Starbucks’ regular fare. There is no nutritional info online for this yet, though the brochure mentioned the numbers above. This is what I choose. It’s a little dry, but I’ve come to expect that in a bran muffin, but the baked apple pieces and dried cherries really give it a nice flavor.

Another thing they mention is getting protein powder added to your coffee drink. I think I’ll stick to my smoothie for now!

Tags: apple bran muffin, berry stella, healthy eating, multigrain roll, starbucks

With all the talk about dieting, work-out plans and how to drop those “last 10 lbs”–talk that will most likely never go away in the media or our culture–how is it possible for the younger generations of females to not automatically grow up with a body issue? There needs to be another goal–one as equally important as losing those last lbs–that includes teaching young women to love their bodies, flaws and all.

Recent studies have concluded that body issues are starting earlier and earlier each year–some as young as elementary school.  Kids are being taught that “thinner is prettier” and doctors have concluded that one out of every three 10-14 year old girls is on a “diet”.  A recent test of elementary and middle school girls concluded that 40% of them were dissatisfied with their weight.  40%! What are we teaching these young girls?! Their over-exposure to our media and super-thin culture has turned them into miniature adults, stressing out about “love handles” and having “the perfect shape”.  This needs to be turned around, and fast, before the disease of body-hatred hits our toddlers.  But how can each of us do our part to fix this?

Make sure you always talk to your child.  Talk about the media and unhealthy body images right from the start.  Young children do not have the ability to distinguish the difference between what’s on TV and what’s real, it is our job as a parent, aunt, mentor, sister, etc. to educate them about what they see on a day-to-day basis.

Teach children to eat healthy and live an active lifestyle, not to diet.  They should look at healthy foods and exersise as a way to live a long life, not as a way to keep their waste a certain size.

Watch what you say around the young ones–they are like sponges.  If they hear you talking about your “back fat” or the fact that you’d be perfect if you only “lost those last two inches”, they will see that as common and most likely mirror your thoughts and behaviors.

Boys are victims too– while 40% of our young girls saw a problem with their figures, 20% of boys saw themselves as imperfect as well.  Teach your young men healthy ways as well.

Check out Dove.com.  They have some ideas and ways we all can help young children grow up loving and cherishing themselves and the bodies they were given.

Sometimes, one of the best things you can do to feel better, motivated, and energetic is to simply make sure you look good. I don’t mean dressed-for-the-opera good, just you good. Dressing down and disregarding your appearance begins a vicious cycle. It starts with “comfort” and pretty soon you don’t want to take the effort to dress night. It’s too hard. It takes too much effort. Why bother?

Once you hit that stage, it has already begun to affect your outlook and you soon stop trying in other areas as well.

One way to combat this is to streamline your wardrobe. If you you have a set of standard items that are simple classics you will always feel in style, and therefore feel good, even when you don’t have the time to make the special effort.

Nina Garcia, former Elle editor and author of The Little Black Book of Style has just released a new book entitled, The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. In it, she breaks down the 100 items that cement every wardrobe - from tights to the perfect denim jacket. If you don’t have to worry about your closet you can spend more time, and have more energy, for all the important things. And if you look good, you feel good, and you have more energy, happiness, and are more likely to take care of yourself in all the ways that matter.

Tags: dressing well, Fitness, health, planning, positive outlook, wardrobe