March 8

Health and Diet
The Framingham Heart Study, an ongoing study of 5,000 people since
1948, found that losing just one pound a year for four years benefits
people with high blood pressure. As their weight went down, so did
their blood pressure. Keeping off the extra pounds is also crucial in
preventing this condition. Losing weight reduces the risk of
developing high blood pressure by 25%.

Fitness
Use your noodle! The Styrofoam water noodles that kids use in the
pool are not just for play. These lightweight cylinders of foam can
be used for an effective workout for everything ranging from cardio
to resistance and what's more they are affordable. You can find them
for less than $3 at most stores. Using them as a flotation device can
give you the opportunity to get in a great lower body workout.

March 7

Health and Diet
A good strategy for filling yourself up without filling yourself out
is to enjoy a hot beverage with your snack. Try herbal tea,
decaffeinated coffee or sugar-free hot chocolate with your fruit or
yogurt. Avoid adding sugar or cream to your beverage. This will only
turn a healthy drink into a high-calorie, high-fat treat. Instead use
lemon, cinnamon or skim milk in your beverage of choice

Fitness
Should you exercise when sick? Illness or fatigue can cause you to
relax your diligence about using proper form when exercising. Fatigue
can increase your level of clumsiness, potentially leading to muscle
strains or other injuries. If you are experiencing aches, fever,
cough, congestion, other debilitating symptoms, discontinue exercise
until the symptoms subside. When you start to feel better and have
more energy, resume your regular workout.

March 6

Health and Diet
All carbohydrates are not created equal! Simple carbohydrates like
juice, processed cereals and other products made with white flour
have had valuable nutrition removed. Complex carbohydrates, however,
are "whole" foods; they are your body's primary energy source! Enjoy
whole grains, whole grain breads and cereals, whole pieces of fruits
and vegetables.

Fitness
Is Tai Chi for me? If you are interested in a workout that combines
mind and body, Tai Chi may be the answer. This soothing mode of
exercise focuses on synchronizing the mind and body through a variety
of movements that also incorporate balance, focus and agility. The
body control and muscle contractions developed using this ancient
exercise result in toned muscles.

March 5

Health and Diet
Enjoy your food!
Chew slowly and savor the mouth sensations, aromas, and tastes.
You'll find you're fuller and more satisfied when you take the time
to enjoy your food instead of rushing through your meals. People lose
track of what they're consuming when they eat too quickly. That can
result in eating more than you really need.

Fitness
Cool down! Cooling down after a weight workout is equally as
important as warming up. Simply walking for 5 to 10 minutes after
strength training may help to reduce muscle soreness, eliminate
toxins left after a strength workout and help to re-circulate blood.
It's time well spent mentally and physically.

March 4

Health and Diet
Vegetarian diets can provide adequate sources of protein if you eat a
variety of plant foods and consume adequate calories for your height
and lifestyle. Vegetarians often consume dairy, eggs or fish.
However, even vegan diets where no animal products are consumed, can
be nutritionally adequate. When planned appropriately, vegetarian
diets are healthy and easy to follow.

Fitness
Beat Muscle Soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness is expected in
the 24 to 48 hours following a challenging strength workout. It's in
the time following exercise that the muscles repair themselves and
get stronger. If you are experiencing excessive muscle soreness, try
a longer warm up, static stretching at the end of your workout, drink
plenty of water, take a hot shower or rest longer in between
workouts.

March 3

Health and Diet
Variety is the spice of life!
Enjoy a full compliment of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants
by eating a wide variety of foods, especially fresh foods. Mother
Nature put different amounts and different nutrients in fruits,
vegetables, grains and legumes. Some contain more vitamin C or
vitamin B. Try a new fruit or vegetable every week to obtain the best
nutrition possible.

Fitness
Breathe your way to fitness. Proper breathing techniques are
important during training. Breathing supplies oxygen to the muscles
to aid in muscle contraction. Make sure you exhale as you exert
yourself which is typically the lifting motion and then inhale on the
return movement which is usually the lowering. Breathe naturally and
never hold your breath.

March 2

Health and Diet
Your body type can influence your risk for disease. People with apple-
shaped bodies store more fat around the stomach and waist, while pear
shapes store more fat in the hips, buttocks and thighs. Apple shapes
are at higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,
and certain cancers. Regardless of your body type, lower your risk by
following a healthy diet and exercise.

Fitness
Dancing in the streets! At least 45 minutes of club dancing can burn
up to 250 calories. Consider that the next time you are in the mood
to "shake your groove thang." Once you get started you won't even
realize you are exercising! Dancing is a fun activity but can also
give you an effective cardio workout. Before you know it, you have
danced the night away, along with lots of calories

February 29

Health and Diet
Don't think of your workout as work and you'll be more likely to
stick with it. Maybe you love the water. Well, swimming can be great
exercise. Remember, exercise comes in many forms: yoga, line dancing,
hiking, belly-dancing, spinning, step aerobics, volleyball, skiing.
If you enjoy the activity, you'll be apt to make exercise a regular
part of your schedule.

Fitness
Bad back and weak abs? Try Pilates! This workout will help to
strengthen the muscles of the core which include every muscle below
the neck and above the hips. Pilates exercises develop pelvic
stability, abdominal control and help to reduce back pain. Added
benefits include flexibility and joint mobility as well as enhanced
total body muscle endurance.

February 28

Health and Diet
Use drive time to your advantage. The next time you're stuck in a
traffic jam, practice isolating and tightening some muscle groups.
This works for your abdominals, gluteus maximus (the rear end) and
thighs. Tighten and hold for three seconds, relax and repeat several
times. Accompany this exercise with deep breathing to enhance this
relaxation technique. Don't attempt this while driving.

Fitness
Strength training does more than make your muscles stronger. Pumpin'
iron will help to build stronger bones, boost your metabolism, raise
self esteem, shape your muscles, improve your posture, decrease back
pain and help to improve the endurance of your muscles.

February 27

Health and Diet
The %DVs (percent daily values) are based on recommendations for a
2,000-calorie diet. For labeling purposes, the FDA sets 2,000
calories as the reference amount for calculating %DVs. When you read
a food label, the %DV shows you the percent (or how much) of the
recommended daily amount of a nutrient is in a serving of food. By
using the %DV, you can tell if this amount is high or low in total
fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbs, protein, etc.

Fitness
Pay special attention to tight areas. Often the shoulders, chest,
hamstrings and hips are particularly tight, but you may also hold
tension in other areas, depending on your history of injuries and the
existing imbalances in your muscle groups. Unless you tailor your
flexibility training to your strengths and weaknesses, you may
stretch already overstretched muscles and miss areas that need
training.

February 26

Health and Diet
Only 1% of all adults have true food allergies. A food allergy occurs
when a person's immune system has an adverse reaction to a certain
food. For example, a person with a milk allergy must avoid all milk
products. Even the smallest amount of milk found in a baked item may
cause an allergic reaction. Symptoms can range from a tingling
sensation in the mouth to difficulty breathing!

Fitness
Get on the ball! Fitness balls are a great way to get an effective
strength workout while having fun. Fitness balls require the core
muscles of the body (abs, obliques, and lower back) to work in order
to stabilize the body. There are 4 sizes to choose from depending on
your height and can support up to 500 pounds. Inflate properly and a
fit ball can be used for an endless number of exercises.

February 25

Health and Diet
Adequate rest is an important part of the equation for good health.
Most adults need 8 hours of sleep to perform quality work, handle
everyday stress, and rejuvenate for the next day. Follow a similar
sleep schedule every day. Go to bed and wake up around the same time
on a daily basis. Use your bed for sleeping, not reading or watching
television. Avoid eating a heavy meal just before bedtime.

Fitness
Train like a boxer! Jumping rope is a great cardio choice when time
and space are limited, and it doesn't take much to get started. By
jumping rope at a moderate pace, you can burn as much as 200 calories
in 15 minutes. All you need is a good pair of supportive sneakers and
a jump rope. Once you have mastered the basic jumping movements, you
can get creative. Turn on some music and go for it!

February 24

Health and Diet
"Natural" vitamins are not necessarily superior to generic vitamins.
The body recognizes the vitamin and uses as needed, regardless of
whether it's synthetic or made from "natural" ingredients. The
letters "USP" on a supplement shows that the supplement meets
voluntary standards of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. Major vitamin brands
can cost more than generic brands even if they have identical
content.

Fitness
Listen to your body. Stretching is an individual thing. Pay attention
to your body's signals and don't push too far. Avoid bouncy
stretching and jerking movements to gain momentum; this approach can
be dangerous. Instead, slowly stretch your muscles to the end point
of movement and hold the stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds. Older
adults, pregnant women and people with injuries may need to take
special precautions.

February 23

Health and Diet
Read the nutrition label on all packaged foods. The most important
information is the serving size. Remember, if you eat double the
serving size listed, you're consuming double the calories, fat and
nutrients. If you eat half the size shown, you're consuming half the
calories and nutrients. Just because it looks like one serving
doesn't mean it is.

Fitness
Yoga for performance. Yoga is great way to relax but it also can help
you improve your ability to carry out activities of daily living. The
regular practice of yoga will enhance agility, balance and
coordination as well as core strength and total body flexibility.
Coaches have caught on and yoga is now implemented with athletes of
all levels.