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Helpful Health Information From My Health Insurer

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Today, in the mail, I got something unexpected from my health insurance company. It wasn’t a bill, and it wasn’t a scary letter about cancellation. Instead, it was a helpful little pamphlet with advice about dealing with asthma. Part of the Affordable Care Act includes something called the medical loss ratio. It requires health insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money that they get from customer’s health insurance premiums on things that actually can improve a person’s health. The insurer cannot include things like salaries, advertising costs, or other administrative costs in that 80%. One of the … Continue reading →

The Importance of Proper Breathing

One of the things I really enjoy about my Wii Fit Plus is that it draws my attention to aspects of fitness I might not otherwise think about, such as my posture and “Don’t forget to breathe.” I remember the first time I heard my virtual yoga instructor tell me to not forget to breathe. I thought, “Well of course, I would be dead” but there is more to it than just breathing to stay alive. What happens is that if you aren’t properly breathing while exercising, it can cause you to get an ache in your chest. Part of … Continue reading →

Saying No Can Be Good for Your Health (and Sanity)

I hate saying no. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I’m letting someone down. To the recipient of the no, it’s probably not that big a deal. They find someone else to ask, and maybe that someone else says yes. Or they find out that they didn’t really need help after all, and get it done without help. My schedule is getting a little crazy this week. I’ve had plans for this Friday for a few weeks now, but suddenly I’ve been asked for my time on Thursday and Saturday, too. … Continue reading →

Health at School: Lunch Time!

Ah, the school lunch. The cafeteria has come a long way since I was in grammar school, where you had one meal option and one “alternate” Sandwich choice. Even by the time I was in high school, the cafeteria had stepped up to compete with the local eateries in town, offering multiple hot and cold meal choices. Still, your kids might not want to chow down on cafeteria food every day — or you might want to save money and send lunch from home. Here are some tips to help ease the lunchtime battle. Set a lunch allowance. My parents … Continue reading →

Music For Your Health

Music doesn’t just soothe the savage beast. Music can be used to treat a number of different conditions! Here are a few. Use music with guided imagery to deal with chronic pain. Studies from the Cleveland Clinic found that listening to music for just an hour per day can relieve pain by as much as twenty percent. Why? Because music seems to stimulate the release of endorphins in the brain that mask pain. Use music (singing and playing an instrument) to help increase breathing capacity. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who sing and/or play an instrument experience slower, deeper … Continue reading →

Even More Really Quick Health Boosters

One more round of quick things you can do to improve your overall health. Whether you’re looking to reduce your risk of serious disease, get in shape, or just feel better, these quick health boosters can help! Build muscle strength in sixty seconds by stretching. Stretching improves flexibility, but it also can increase strength. You’ll enjoy a larger range of motion AND more muscle power. Neutralize harmful free radicals in sixty seconds by eating dried figs. Free radicals are the molecules to blame for some kinds of cancer, signs of aging, and other health issues. Just 1.5 ounce of dried … Continue reading →

More Really Quick Health Boosters

Here are some more quick things you can do that will have a HUGE impact on your health. Cut your risk of serious disease, slow aging, get fit, and feel better all around with these really quick health boosters. Fight cancer in sixty seconds by eating your apple peel. Chemicals in apple peels inhibited the growth of breast cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer cells in a study done from Cornell University. Fight aging in sixty seconds by taking a sniff of rosemary. Breathing in the scent for just a few minutes can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol … Continue reading →

The Fitness Blog Week in Revew for Jan 20 – 26

What a week it’s been. I battled a cold for three days of it with a relatively high fever that kept me laid up and not performing at my peak. It was also a week that my daughter explored her interest in Hoops for Hearts, we went roller skating and I discovered that while I still remember how, mentally, physically, my body is complaining about the motions and the skating. Still, I have to say that overall – it’s been a great week. This is also our last week in review for the month of January. Check back here in … Continue reading →

Exercise is Vital to for a Healthy Pregnancy

We’ve talked about pregnancy exercise both here and in the Fitnessblog previously. At the time that I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I was just starting a new fitness regimen. My doctor said it was all right to continue with the exercise as long as it was low impact (low weight, high number of reps) and since I rode regularly, I could continue to ride for the first trimester and even some during the second trimester. There were two tricks to maintaining my exercise and fitness during the pregnancy: avoiding injury, but building up muscle strength … Continue reading →

Does Your Child Snore?

It may be funny when Big Bird does it, but if your child snores all night, health experts say you should be concerned rather than amused. According to a new study, children who are chronic snorers are more likely to have behavioral problems such as aggression and hyperactivity. Researchers studied nearly 250 children who snored at both age 2 and age 3. Of those kids, 35 percent showed signs of behavioral problems, while only 10 percent of non-snorers exhibited signs of behavioral issues. The study also found that 12 percent of kids who snored for one year showed such signs. … Continue reading →