Do you have social support for your healthy lifestyle efforts?

It is important to have people in your life who provide emotional support and encouragement as you work toward a healthier lifestyle. They can keep you accountable, remind you when you falter and cheer you on when you meet intermediate milestones. Often the encouragement of a friend or family member provides the energy you need to keep working toward your goals.

An additional bonus is that your supporters may be motivated to adopt your improved lifestyle habits along with you.

Are the calories you drink sabotaging your weight loss effort?

Every calorie counts when you are trying to lose weight, including those in liquids. Here are some tips for cutting the calories of what you are drinking.

• If you drink soda or fruit juice, switch to water. If plain water tastes too bland, splash in a small amount of juice, or add a slice of citrus fruit or cucumber.
• If you drink whole milk, switch to low-fat. Once you’re used to that, switch again to fat-free milk.
• If you drink alcohol in any form, remember to use it as an occasional treat, not as a daily beverage.

These simple tips will help you trim down the calories you consume in liquid form.

What Happens When The Lights Go Out?

When you lose electricity in your home and have notified the electric company, the repair crews follow a set pattern to restore electric service. They trace the path the electricity must follow from its source to your neighborhood.

First they check the high-voltage transmission lines and towers for damage. This type of damage is rare, but potentially affects the largest number of customers.  Next they check the distribution substations. An outage could occur in the transmission lines to a particular substation, in the substation itself, or further down the line. Distribution lines to affected communities are next to be checked.

If community distribution lines are working properly, the repair crew then checks tap lines or supply lines. These are the wires that connect to transformers, which may be on poles or on pads for underground service.

By now the power is generally restored and the power all over your community as well as your lights are back on. However, if only your home is still without electricity, notify the electric company again. The problem may be in the service line between a transformer and your home.

What Do Food Pantries Need?

Who's Hungry?!

As the school year comes to a close, food pantries are asking for donations to tide families over the summer months. These are particularly difficult for children who have relied on subsidized school breakfast and lunch programs for much of their daily nutrition.


What kinds of food should you donate to your local food pantry? Here is a list of commonly acceptable items:

1. Peanut butter
2. Canned or dried beans
3. Canned fruit in juice, NOT in light or heavy syrup
4. Canned vegetables, low- or no-sodium
5. Low-sodium canned soups
6. Canned tuna or chicken, in water
7. Low-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broths
8. Whole-grain, low-sugar prepared cereals
9. Rolled oats
10. Whole grain pasta
11. Low-sodium pasta sauce
12. Unsalted nuts or seeds
13. Canola or olive oil
14. Unsweetened apple sauce
15. Dried fruits, no sugar added

Notice some restrictions? Even food pantries are trying to offer healthier food selections, with less sodium and sugar, and whole grains.

What else should you not donate? Anything in glass jars is a no-no. So is anything past the sell-by date.

Be sure to ask your local food pantry what they need. For instance, my local one said “Please don’t donate any more canned vegetables. What we really need are ready-to-eat items, like canned pastas in sauce, that children home alone can open and eat, with or without heating.” If you have a choice, choose pop-top lid cans instead of ones that need to be opened with a can opener.

TIP- How to keep your refrigerator clean

It takes time to clean your refrigerator if you’ve not done it in a while. You can make this cleaning chore easier by following these simple tips

• Clean up spills when they happen. Don’t allow sticky drips to harden on shelves.
• Wipe them away with a damp cloth immediately.
• Wipe down the handle of the refrigerator door on both inner and outer surface with a damp cloth daily.
• Clean the outside of the refrigerator weekly with a damp cloth.
• If you’ve stored leftovers, be sure they are used within 3-4 days. If they are older, throw them out.
• Check expiration dates on items weekly. Throw away food that is past its expiry date.

TIP - How to clean your refrigerator

As with all cleaning, it’s important to work from the top down. Do one shelf at a time.

• Take all items off the top shelf and store them on the counter.
• Remove the top shelf. Wash it in the sink with dishwashing liquid and warm water.
• Rinse it thoroughly and dry it completely before replacing the clean shelf in the refrigerator.
• Wipe jars and bottles with a dampened microfiber cloth and dry them before putting them back on the clean shelf.

HINT: This is a great time to check expiration dates and discard food which is no longer healthy.

• Repeat this process until all shelves and their contents have been wiped clean.
• Repeat the cleaning process with the deli bin and veggie crisper drawers. Be sure to clean the floor of the refrigerator with warm water and dish soap while the crisper drawers are being cleaned in the sink.
• Remove items from the door of the refrigerator.
• Dampen a microfiber cloth with soapy water—wring it out to discourage drips. Clean the small shelves in the door that you can’t detach. (If you can slide shelves out, wash them in the sink.)
• Dry the shelves with a clean cloth.
• Wipe items stored in the door shelves with a dampened microfiber cloth and dry them before putting them back.
• Use the damp soapy microfiber cloth to clean the gaskets that line the refrigerator door.
• Close your clean refrigerator. Using a fresh microfiber cloth dampened in warm soapy water to wipe down the exterior of the refrigerator. Concentrate your cleaning on all surfaces of the door handles. Wipe exterior surfaces dry.

How Often Do I Need to Wash My Clothes?

In addition to dirt and stains, your clothes collect dead skin cells, shed hair, sweat and other body fluids, and your own personal stock of microorganisms. Your outer layer of clothing (shirts, pants, jeans, dresses, blouses, skirts, etc.) can often be worn a few times between washings. If they are not stained or extra sweaty, holding off on washing them after every wearing saves wear on the fabric as well as costing less to operate the washing machine.

Pajamas can also be worn a few times before washing, less often than twice a week if you shower before wearing them. Items that are worn next to your skin (T-shirts, camisoles, bathing suits) usually need to be washed after each wearing. Probably you will want to wash your exercise clothing after each use. And definitely wash your underwear, tights, and socks after each wearing.

Consult the care labels on your garments to learn the specifics of proper washing and care for each item.

TIP - The Power Outage Pantry

If you live in a part of the country where winter power outages can disrupt cooking plans, stock a portion of your pantry with ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare foods such as:

• Canned soup
  
• Canned vegetables and beans
  
• Canned fruits
  
• Canned meat products and tuna
  
• Dried meats (jerky)
  
• Dried fruits
  
• Ready-to-eat cereals
  
• Crackers
  
• Pasta
  
• Rice
  
• Oatmeal
  

Don’t forget to include disposable serving items such as paper plates, plastic cups and cutlery, paper napkins, and garbage bags in your Power Outage Pantry.

Avoid Overuse Injuries

Weekend warriors and professional athletes alike, anyone who is physically active is prone to overuse injury. These types of injuries are caused by repeated stress on tendons, bones, and joints. They are often named for their location on the body or by the activity that causes them.  Some examples include:

• Plantar fasciitis – pain under the heel
• Achilles tendinitis – ankle pain from running or jumping
• Shin splints – leg pain from running
• Stress fracture – pain in the foot or lower leg that worsens with weight bearing
• Runner’s knee – pain around or under the kneecap from running or jumping
• Swimmer’s shoulder – pain with overhead arm extension
• Tennis or golfer’s elbow – pain on outside (tennis) or inside (golfer’s) of elbow

Overuse injuries are usually caused by what is known as the “terrible too’s.” That means trying to do too much physical activity, too hard or too soon after previous activity or injury. Poor technique, inadequate equipment, and even lack of proper rest can also lead to overuse injuries. Don’t ignore pain. Sudden pain (a twisted ankle or torn ligament) is obvious and demands immediate attention. The slow development of overuse injury pain is an important message as well, if less insistent. It’s often a signal that you are moving toward an injury.

Here are some steps to take to avoid overuse injuries:

• Learn the correct techniques for using new equipment or taking on a new sport from a trainer or coach.
• Get the right equipment and shoes for your chosen sport. Be sure to use a heel cushion or orthotic insert in running shoes. Replace athletic shoes when they become worn.
• Warm up by exercising at low intensity for 5 minutes at the start of your activity. Then do slow stretches, holding each stretch for 30 seconds. When you finish your activity, cool down for 5 minutes at low intensity, then do some final stretches.
• Use the ten percent rule to gradually increase your workouts. Increase the time or distance of your workout by no more than 10 percent each week.
• Work your muscles evenly, strengthening on both sides to avoid imbalance.
• Rest when fatigued, because your body needs time to recover and heal from strenuous activity. Include slow and rest days in your exercise schedule.
• Cross-train with a variety of activities, alternating aerobic exercise and strength training. Varying activities give your muscles and joints time to rest.

Paying attention to these simple strategies will help you avoid overuse injuries. After all, it’s better to take a day off and rest once in a while than to be sidelined for weeks with tendinitis or other painful condition.

How to Stick With Your Healthy Living Goals During the Holidays

It’s too easy to let your healthy exercise and diet plans slide during the winter holidays.  There are all the parties and special holiday foods, the weather’s too nasty to get to the gym or walk outside, you’re spending more time with family and friends who don’t understand your healthy lifestyle needs…

OK, there’s always excuses.  And even those of us who are most committed to healthy lifestyle changes will falter now and then.

What can you do to get back on the right track?  Here are a few suggestions.

1. Forgive yourself for mistakes.  Remember that they happen to everyone but that they don’t mean you should give up your new healthy habits.  Pick up where you left off and move toward your goals once again.
2. Perhaps you fell off track because it felt like you didn’t have the time to work out.  Put your exercise session (or whatever lifestyle change you’re making) into your schedule or planner.  Make it mandatory.  You’ll feel good when you check off “Mission accomplished” each day, and you are less likely to “forget” to work toward your goals.
3. Keep an achievement diary.  Make daily notes of what you accomplished, the individual steps toward your overall goal.  Although some wearable devices will keep track of your steps, weight, etc., there’s something about writing it down where you can review it each week that helps keep you motivated and continuing to make progress toward your overall goal of a healthy life.
4. If you’re starting a new routine or starting over, remember to begin with small steps.  Be realistic about what you think you can do each day for a week, and set out to accomplish that.  Then gradually increase your plan after you’ve done the simplest level for a week or two.  It takes time to establish new healthy habits.
5. Having trouble staying on track? Take some time to recall exactly why you’ve set the healthy lifestyle goal.  Visualize yourself meeting the goal, and what a difference it will make in your life.  Whether you are eating less meat and more veggies and fruits to lower your cholesterol, or you’re exercising to lessen your pain and stiffness, keep the end results in your mind.  In fact, find a picture that represents your goal.  It could be a photo of your younger slimmer self, or a clipping from a magazine advert showing a woman riding a bike or a man playing ball with grandkids.  Whatever your goal, post an image of it where you will see it frequently as a reminder of your initial motivation for making a healthy lifestyle change.
6. One way to hold yourself accountable is to penalize skipping.  Miss your daily exercise? Eat a fast food burger and fries for lunch instead of a small salad? Pay a dollar to an “Oops Jar.” Hope that it doesn’t happen too often, but if it does, then you’ll have a small amount to donate to your favorite charity.  (NOTE: The penalty cash should never be used as a reward for achieving a goal you’ve set for yourself.)
7. Find someone who shares your goal and work together to achieve it.  Teamwork keeps each team member motivated.  You hold each other accountable.  Consistent action over a longer time span will help you achieve your goal faster.  And it’s just a lot more fun to exercise with a pal.
8. Celebrate every success.  When you’ve met your daily goal, whatever it is, take a moment to congratulate yourself on sticking with your healthy lifestyle plan.  Give yourself a BIG smile! You earned it.  Achieved a milestone? You lost 10 pounds or are smoking less than a pack a day or exercised every day for a month? Then it’s time for a big celebration.  Just make sure it’s one that won’t break your success.  No splurging on a bust-your-gut buffet to celebrate weight loss.  Choose something like renting a movie you’ve been thinking of watching (and don’t let your popcorn addiction lead you astray while viewing it).

Use these small strategies to keep on track toward your healthy lifestyle goals during the winter holiday season.