healthy living

Chamber effort aims to help healthy living - The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS>> While chambers are usually focused on economic development and making money for the region, like many others at the turn of the new year the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s goals for 2015 include health and wellness.
With 2015 just arriving, many are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. These personal goals often include health and wellness.
To aid these ambitious soul, the local chamber, with the support of Blue Shield of Northeastern NY, is hosting the county’s first-ever Health and Wellness Week from Jan 5 to Jan 11.
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During that week, businesses and organizations will offer a wide range of more than 40 workshops, classes,discounts and seminars, designed to help community members see what options might best help them to live healthier in 2015.
The idea, which is modeled after restaurant week promotions, came from the chamber’s Health and Wellness Council and some brainstorming they did early in 2014.
Chamber president Todd Shimkus said the immediate goal of the week-long event is “to help people who have made a goal or resolution for 2015 that is related to health and wellness to have a chance to find local organizations who can assist them to succeed.” The secondary goal, he added, is “to connect local people with local health and wellness organizations and resources in an effort to ensure Saratoga County improves it’s position as one of the healthiest places to live.”
Events offered during the week include acupuncture clinics, free fitness classes, mini facials, cooking classes and a seminar on “Finding Your Inner Tigger.”
One local business owner is more than happy to participate in the chamber event. “I think it’s very exciting. I’m really proud to be part of it,” said Judy Cox, owner of Fitness Professionals On Demand, Inc. “I think it’s progressive. It’s wonderful for Saratoga County and the surrounding counties.” She appreciates how the chamber has guided the businesses to work together as partners in the effort to bring health and wellness to the region.
Next week, Cox will teach a fun, interactive introductory course on reading food labels. “It’s intended for families and kids to just raise an awareness to take a look at the label before we take something into our bodies,” she said. This will take place from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8 at One Big Roof at 433 Broadway in Suite 302.
Throughout the week Saratoga Regional YMCA is offering free day visits for non-members to check out the facility. Current members may bring a maximum of four guests per visit, without using guest passes, to 4 of the Saratoga County YMCA locations (Saratoga Springs, Malta, Wilton and Corinth).
Healthy Living Market and Saratoga Cycling Studio are joining together to offer an interactive store tour for active people looking to eat healthier. This will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8 at the Learning Center at Healthy Living Market and Café, 3065 Route 50 in Saratoga Springs.
Saratoga Mineral Water Tours will hold an informational meeting on “The Future of Saratoga Waters: Health, Wellness and Prosperity” at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn located at 232 Broadway.
Lauren Halligan may be reached at 290-1443.

Healthy Living: Make your New Year's resolution a lifestyle goal - Stillwater News Press

The new year is here and that means resolutions are on everyone’s mind. Lifestyle, health, and fitness resolutions are some of the most common. If this sounds familiar, try to think of your resolution as a lifestyle goal and not just some number of pounds lost. Give it some serious thought and really commit to a goal that leads to a healthier you.
The key is to make it a good goal and not a “get healthy” resolution. Use the goal as a way to propel you to a healthier lifestyle. A good goal is clearly defined, measurable, includes a deadline, and is realistic to achieve but will require some work and most importantly, a commitment. When sitting down to think about your goal and what it should be, write it out.
Once you have clearly defined your goal, sketch out a plan to achieve it so that you have a path to follow. This is probably the most important step in terms of successfully completing a goal.  This should include a timeline with little goals along the way to help keep you motivated. Completing the little goals makes the big goal less intimidating, and lets you know if you need to modify your plan along the way. Include the actions are you going to do to meet your goal. Are you going to go to the gym three times a week? Are you going get an accountability partner? What are the steps you need to take to get to the end goal?
Identifying what barriers could keep you from reaching your goal can be emotionally difficult but is important to do. How motivated are you? Are you the type of person that needs an accountability partner to make sure you do the work? Is managing a healthy work/life balance difficult? How will that vacation impact your plan? Once you have identified what your potential barriers to success will likely be, write down a way to manage them.
Another important step is figuring out what helps motivate you.  How will you know that you are making forward progress? Are you a person that is motivated by numbers or how you feel?  Whatever the case may be let your friends and family know about your goals so that you will be held accountable. These people are invaluable when you hit a slump and need an emotional boost.
This year I challenge each and every one of you to do something great for yourself. Whether it is a diet/lifestyle change, running a marathon, or committing to physical activity on a daily basis, do something awesome this year. You never know who you will inspire.
Dylan Allen is the health columnist for the Stillwater News Press. He is a certified trainer at the Stillwater YMCA. Healthy Living is published weekly every Wednesday.

8 Healthy Aging Tips to Start 2015 Off Right - Care2.com

To help you jump start your healthy routine for 2015, Dr. Bruce Daggy, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor in the Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences Department of Florida State University answers a few questions about what can be done to help stave off cognitive decline and generally keep our bodies healthy as we age, in an interview with AgingCare.com’s Carol Bradley Bursack:
Q: Dr. Daggy, do you recommend any special diet to help preserve the brain?
A: To start with, that which is good for your body is also good for your brain, because your brain depends on a healthy body to function at its best. So a diet that helps you maintain a healthy body weight and fully supplies your nutritional needs is the place to start.
Supplements can help fill in the nutritional gaps between what our food intake provides and optimal levels of vitamins and minerals. There are nutrients that have been clinically tested in supplement form and found to support short-term or long-term cognitive function. One example is Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil (especially the fatty acid DHA).
There have also been other ingredients recently studied for cognitive benefits. These include true guarana extract (not the caffeine concentrate labeled as guarana and often found in so-called energy drinks), certain B vitamins, and recently, certain plant molecules, called polyphenols, found in cocoa and in a particular Chardonnay seed extract. Sadly, drinking Chardonnay wine won’t have the same effect!
Q: Your last statement probably brought some disappointed sighs, but we do want to try to do the right thing. What is your opinion on certain berries, nuts or other “magic” foods when it comes to brain health?
A: I have a dislike for the characterization of specific foods as ‘magical.’ There’s too much hype backed by too little science. We need a foundation of a balanced, varied diet, rich in fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors. But again, it is true that getting everything you need from food alone can be a challenge.
Q: There are many conflicting studies about statins for cholesterol control, yet statins are widely prescribed. What is your opinion on statins, cholesterol control and brain health?
A: Too much cholesterol in the blood, especially the “bad” cholesterol or LDL, is bad for the health of the blood vessels, and that is bad for the brain. The brain is only about 2 percent of body weight but can use 20-25 percent of blood flow! So, good cardiovascular health is important to the brain. Don’t smoke. Aim for a healthy body weight, and work with your doctor to manage your cardiovascular risk factors like LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.
Of some concern, the use of popular cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins has been noted by the FDA to sometimes be associated with decline in cognitive function. Exactly why this is so is not certain, but anyone on a statin who experiences loss of mental acuity should contact their doctor immediately.
Q: We all know that exercise is good for us. How much exercise do you think is needed to keep the brain healthy?
A: Experts have defined a basic requirement for about 30 minutes a day of brisk walking, or something equivalent to that, most days of the week. This can be done in 10 or 15 minute segments. For example I usually pedal my bike to work, 15 minutes each way. If I do that 5 days a week, and then swim, garden, or make time for some other fun activity on weekends, that’s my basic requirement. Some resistance exercise as well as flexibility training is good to add. Generally speaking, people who have lost a lot of weight need more minutes of exercise to help keep the weight off.
And let’s not forget about exercising the brain itself! Throughout life, seek to learn new things. Play games, solve puzzles. There are online programs that will assess your current mental strengths and weakness, and offer a training regimen designed for you.
Q: Obesity is a major health issue in our country. How does obesity affect the brain?
A: Obesity is associated with increased risk of dementia. The mechanism could be in part through cardiovascular risk factors, which obesity also makes worse. Obesity also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, which is associated with cognitive decline. Again, a healthy body supports a healthy mind.
Q: BMI is currently used by most physicians to determine if we are at a healthy weight. What is your opinion is about using BMI as a tool for determining health?
A: BMI is a tool to estimate excess body fat. The desirable range is between 18.5 and 25 kg per meter squared in height. It’s not a perfect tool. A body builder or football linebacker would tend to have a high BMI but low body fat–muscle is dense, so someone with more than the usual amount of muscle can have a high BMI. Conversely, you could have a normal BMI but low muscle mass, and still have too much body fat. Combining BMI with waist circumference gives a better picture. A high BMI with a small waist probably means above average muscle, not too much fat. A BMI of 25 with a big waist probably means you should work to be fitter.
Q: Many people develop osteoarthritis or other joint issues as they age. If a person must limit types of exercise because of joint issues, what is safest kind of exercise?
A: I have bad feet and ankles from a series of old injuries, but that doesn’t keep me off a bike or keep me from swimming or walking in shoes with proper support. Nor does it stop resistance training. Find a trainer to offer specific advice if you are not sure, and consult your doctor before starting, if you have concerns about what is safe for you to do. Starting slowly, particularly if you need to lose weight, is a way to minimize risk of injury. Once the weight comes off, that takes a lot of strain off the joints.
Q: If you had to give people a single piece of advice to age well physically and mentally, what would it be?
A: Value your health; invest time in it. Make positive changes that you can stick with, in your lifestyle and in your nutritional regimen. When I started biking to work, I kept a log of my miles, set goals and gave myself a pat on the back for reaching them. Now biking to work has become habit; I no longer need to track it.
Dr. Bruce Daggy has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from Cornell University and a B.A. in Biology from University of Virginia. He has authored about 80 publications and abstracts, and has developed 13 patents in his name. He is a member of the American Society of Nutrition, a Fellow in the American College of Nutrition, and has assisted the Obesity Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and other healthcare organizations in a variety of volunteer capacities.Related5 Things Your Teeth Reveal about Your HealthWhy You Should Never Stop Setting New Health GoalsDo Older Adults ‘Fake it’ in Front of Their Doctor?11 Remedies for Dry MouthHow to Get a Better Night’s Sleep10 Things That Age You

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