Little TON: Little Adjustments equal a TON of change

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Your health is changing.  Everyday.  Getting better or growing worse.  What are you going to do about it?

Today’s blog is a reminder that you have to do something DAILY to stay on track.  Every day you are getting older, slower, more depressed and more tired if you are on the passive track.

Or

Every day you are getting stronger, wiser, more happy and energized if you are on the active track of personal growth and change.

A ton is a measure of weight.  It describes quantity, particularly, a large quantity, number, or weight when used in language.

EFFECTIVE CONSISTENT CHANGE EQUALS SMALL ADJUSTMENTS.  A LITTLE ton. Little adjustments, TONS of change.

Want to wake up earlier?  Adjust your morning clock by 5 minutes, week by week until you are waking up at your desired time.

Want to start exercising or want to exercise more?  Jog for 5 minutes starting today and ratchet it up every week.

Want to eat less?  Then decide to eliminate one of your cheat foods, one cheat food a week until you’re at your clean eating goal.

It doesn’t take much.  Little Adjustments—Ton of Change.  See you next week!

7 Ways to Lower High Cholesterol Without Medication

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As you’ve probably heard, there’s good cholesterol—also known as HDL—and bad cholesterol, aka LDL. Your body naturally produces cholesterol, and we get some from eating animal products. You need some cholesterol for certain biological functions, but it’s important that the balance between good and bad stay at a healthy level. If it doesn’t, the LDL starts to build up in your arteries, putting you at increased risk of heart disease and other serious complications.

Lifestyle changes are the best ways to lower high cholesterol, as they avoid the side effects of medication and are generally better for your overall health anyway. And cholesterol-lowering medications can have some nasty side effects. Still, they may be necessary, at least temporarily, to more efficiently get your levels under control.

Talk to your doctor about whether your cholesterol levels and other risk factors are concerning enough that you need a prescription to start managing them. If not, get started on the below lifestyle changes right away to naturally get things back in check. Or, if you do need medication, make these changes anyway and visit the idea of getting off the meds somewhere down the line.

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

  1. Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight—even by just a few pounds—typically goes hand-in-hand with high cholesterol levels. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can make a significant difference.
  1. Get at least about 30 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic exercise most days of the week. Cardiovascular exercise promotes a healthy balance of good and bad cholesterol, and it’s important for weight control. Talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen though, especially if you’re out of shape, haven’t exercised much recently, or have any health conditions that may affect what you can safely do.
  1. Choose healthy fats, which include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found abundantly in seafood, nuts, seeds, most plant-based oils, and legumes. Limit saturated fat from foods like red meat, poultry skin, and dairy products, and stay completely away from trans fat.
  1. Eat plenty of whole grain foods. Their dietary fiber content helps lower bad cholesterol. Soluble fiber is particularly useful in this respect. Oats and barley are two great whole grain sources. Fruit, veggies, and legumes are rich in fiber too.
  1. Drink tea regularly. Evidence points to black and green tea helping to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Just keep the added sugar to a minimum.
  1. Drink a glass of red wine every day or two. Evidence points to a number of heart-health benefits to drinking red wine in moderation, and this includes promoting optimal blood cholesterol levels. Don’t drink any alcohol excessively, though, as this easily leads to weight gain and other health problems.
  1. Quit smoking if applicable. Along with countless other health benefits, there’s good scientific support for the belief that quitting can improve your HDL cholesterol levels.

15 Simple Ways to Help Yourself Eat Healthier Every Day

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I often hear from my patients that they know they should be eating healthier—that they really want to be eating healthier—but that it’s just too hard when they’re so busy, or that it’s so much more expensive.

The truth is, though, it’s not more expensive overall, especially when you frequently rely on restaurant and take-out meals. And it’s not actually difficult, it’s just that it’s not habit. When you live by unhealthy habits, they seem easiest just because they’re what you’re used to; things you’re unaccustomed to seem like more trouble.

So, I’ve compiled some tips to help yourself eat healthier below. Many of them simply revolve around making healthy eating the most convenient option. Take these steps, and you’ll quickly find that it’s not tough at all to make smart eating decisions.

How to Encourage Healthier Eating

  1. Create a meal plan for the week to help you shop and keep you from falling back on unhealthy options because you don’t know what to make or because you don’t have the right ingredients.
  1. Don’t buy junk food; it’s a lot easier to exercise will power at the grocery store than it is at home when you’re staring directly at those snacks in your pantry.
  1. Buy pre-cut or pre-portioned fruit and vegetables if you don’t mind paying a little extra; the convenience makes you more likely to eat them.
  1. Alternatively, cut up fruit and veggies a divvy them up into individual servings in plastic containers if you don’t buy them prepared this way.
  1. Use pre-portioned produce to create ready-made snacks like cut-up carrots, celery, and cucumber with some hummus.
  1. Make up healthy lunches like salads in bulk ahead of time and portion it out so you can grab one on the go as you head to work.
  1. Buy whole grain versions of bread and other baked goods, pasta, rice, side dishes, batters, etc.
  1. Stock up on legumes (dried and canned have a long shelf life) and seafood (don’t be afraid to freeze it) so you always have these healthy proteins on hand.
  1. Fill up the freezer with frozen fruit and vegetables; they’re not any less nutritious (in fact, because they’re generally frozen shortly after harvesting, they’re often more nutritious than unfrozen produce that’s been hanging around), they’re cost-effective, and they’re convenient.
  1. Get in the habit of carrying around a little baggie of mixed nuts and keeping some in your desk at work so there’s always a healthy, energizing snack around.
  1. Make large batches of juices and/or smoothies with fresh fruits and veggies and freeze it in individual servings.
  1. Hard boil a dozen eggs at a time and stick them back in the carton in the fridge for a nutritious grab-and-go breakfast item or snack.
  1. Drink water all throughout the day. It’ll keep you feeling more satisfied, and even help prevent eating out of boredom.
  1. Don’t watch TV, surf the web, use your phone, work, or do anything else while eating; pay attention to your food, eat it slowly, enjoy it, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.
  1. Read over and use these healthy grocery shopping tips.

12 Ways to Lower High Blood Pressure Without Medication

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Managing your blood pressure is so important to your long-term well being. High blood pressure—also known as hypertension—is a major risk factor for a number of devastating illnesses. Keeping your blood pressure in check is one of the best ways to reduce your chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, as well as various other conditions.

Sometimes, medication is necessary to get high blood pressure under control as quickly as possible; unmanaged hypertension can do serious damage in relatively little time. But slightly elevated blood pressure can usually be addressed solely through lifestyle changes. Or, lifestyle changes can help you get off medication eventually—a great goal—rather than taking it indefinitely.

Of course, this must all be discussed with your doctor, who can evaluate personal risk factors and other individual considerations to make personalized recommendations. It’s good to be informed by reliable information on the web, but when it comes to medical topics, you always need tailored guidance from a professional who’s familiar with your health and medical history.

With that said, I want to provide some information about hypertension and effective, natural ways to lower high blood pressure.

What Qualifies as High Blood Pressure?

Your blood pressure reading consists of two numbers. The first or top number is your systolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. The second or lower number is your diastolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure in your blood vessels between beats, when your heart is at rest.

Generally speaking, normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg; at-risk blood pressure—a reading that’s higher than it should be, indicating a significant risk of becoming hypertensive—is 120 to 139/80 to 89 mmHg; 140/90 mmHG or more is high blood pressure.

How to Reduce Hypertension Naturally

Here are the best ways to lower high blood pressure that don’t involve taking drugs:

  1. Lose weight! Even moderate weight loss of just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can have beneficial effects on your blood pressure, risk of many diseases, energy levels, overall health, and the way you feel from day to day
  1. Get more aerobic exercise (ideally shooting for at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense exercise most days of the week, with your physician’s OK); this isn’t just crucial to weight loss and general health, it can also directly reduce your blood pressure
  1. Don’t smoke! And if you do, quit! Every cigarette causes a spike in blood pressure, and over the course of the day, smoking keeps your blood pressure elevated; quitting can have a major, instantaneous positive effect on hypertension—not to mention countless other health benefits
  1. Reduce your sodium intake; most importantly, ditch those high-sodium processed and canned foods, but also stop adding salt to your food, or at least cut back on it
  1. Eat potassium-rich foods, which help counteract the negative effects of sodium
  1. Also limit your added sugar intake as much as possible, as a high-sugar diet is associated with elevated blood pressure and being overweight, along with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and many other diseases
  1. Make most or all of your grains whole grains, and eat lots of fruit and vegetables
  1. Get plenty of healthy fats in your diet while limiting saturated fat intake and staying far away from trans fat
  1. Limit your alcohol consumption; regular and/or excessive drinking elevates your blood pressure and of course has a variety of other harmful effects on your health and well being
  1. Have an occasional glass of red wine though, as there’s evidence that a small amount of alcohol can help lower blood pressure; I suggest red wine because it also has antioxidants shown to promote heart health when it’s enjoyed in moderation
  1. Manage stress! Being stressed out raises your blood pressure and causes all sorts of other problems; look over these healthy ways to manage stress
  1. Get at least 7 hours of restful sleep every night; here are some sleep hygiene tips to help, since many people struggle to get enough quality sleep

Frequently Asked Questions About Eating Whole Grains

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You’ve undoubtedly heard and read it at least a thousand times by now: You should be eating whole grains. But are you? Most people still eat the vast majority of their grains in the form of unhealthy refined grains—especially bread and other baked goods made with white flour.

So let’s take a closer look at the topic of eating whole grains, including why it’s important and how to do it.

What Are Whole Grains?

Whole grains are a whole food, meaning they’re naturally occurring and still basically intact the way they’re found in nature when you consume them. Whole foods are good. A grain is whole when it still has its three main parts, the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran and germ are where most of the grain’s nutrients are contained, but these are the two parts stripped away during processing to make refined grains.

Some whole grains include whole wheat, brown rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, bulgur, quinoa, buckwheat, sorghum, millet, amaranth, farro, triticale, spelt, and freekeh (which is young spelt). White flour and white rice are the two most common forms of refined grains in the American diet.

Why Should You Be Eating Whole Grains?

Thanks to fad diets, lots of people think carbohydrates are evil. But there are good carbs and bad carbs, and good carbs are an essential basic nutrient, necessary for continuing good health and high energy levels. Whole grains provide good carbs, so they’re healthy, satisfying, and a source of sustained energy. They’re also high in dietary fiber; B-complex vitamins like thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and folate (B9); iron, selenium, magnesium, and numerous other minerals; antioxidants; and they have some plant-based protein.

A diet rich in whole grains is associated with reduced risk of numerous common, devastating diseases, like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many types of cancer.

Why Are Refined Grains Bad?

As you may have put together by now, refined grains (which are just the largest part of the grain, the endosperm) have been stripped of almost all their nutritional value, making them little more than empty calories.

When refined grains first became a major part of our diet, nutritional deficiencies quickly started occurring. So, we began enriching refined grains with some of what they lost, including B vitamins and iron. That’s why you often see “enriched wheat flour” on nutritional labels. However, refined grains still have almost no fiber or a number of the other nutrients missing without the bran and germ. And the added nutrients are not replaced in the same proportions as they’re found naturally in whole grains.

Refined grains are bad carbs, meaning they cause quick spikes and crashes in blood glucose levels. This contributes to insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other conditions. It also means you get hungry shortly after eating, which is why a diet high in refined grains increases the risk of becoming overweight or obese. And it also causes crashes in energy levels. Processed grains also increase blood triglyceride levels, another risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and other health problems.

How Can You Eat More Whole Grains?

It’s one thing to know that you should be eating more whole grains, but it’s another thing to actually do it. While it’s true that avoiding white flour can be tricky just because it’s so prevalent, there are plenty of simple ways to work more whole grains into your diet. Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Opt for whole wheat or whole grain breads and other baked products; check the nutrition label and make sure “whole wheat flour” is the first ingredient, and don’t be fooled if it just says “wheat flour;” also, “multigrain” does not mean whole grain
  • Buy whole wheat versions of items like spaghetti, penne, cous cous, and other pastas; also, find whole grain mixes for pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc.
  • Use whole wheat bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs for chicken cutlets and other breaded dishes
  • Eat oatmeal or granola made from oats for breakfast, or have other types of whole grain breakfast cereal; stay away from granola and cereals with lots of added sugar, though
  • Choose brown rice instead of white rice; if you’re not too into cooking rice, consider packages of parboiled brown rice as a convenience option that cooks fast and makes it easy to get whole grain brown rice into your diet
  • Have unsalted or lightly salted, unbuttered popcorn (yes, that’s a whole grain!) as a healthy, low-calorie snack
  • Corn on the cob is a tasty whole grain side
  • Experiment with whole grains like quinoa and barley for side dishes, soups, and more
  • Add quinoa, amaranth, spelt, freekeh, farro, or wheat berries to your salads

20 Useful Tips to Stay Motivated to Exercise

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I recently wrote up some tips to stay motivated for weight loss, and now I want to address some helpful tips to stay motivated to exercise. Exercising is, of course, a huge part of reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight. And it’s crucial for continuing good health and high energy levels.

Lack of motivation is a huge hurdle for so many people. My patients tell me all the time about how they start off with positive lifestyle changes with the best of intentions, but somehow the efforts fall by the wayside eventually. It usually doesn’t even take that long for things to taper off, or just stop.

There are plenty of excuses. Not having enough time to exercise is undoubtedly the most common. I always stress the importance of making exercise a routine, rather than simply trying to fit it in here and there when you can. Once workouts are built into your schedule, efforts to improve your fitness get much easier to maintain.

So, since most of us can use a little help in the motivation department from time to time—especially when just starting out with a fitness regimen—take a look at these tips to stay motivated to exercise.

How to Stay Motivated to Exercise

  1. Consider joining a gym. There are pros and cons, but some of the pros are that paying for membership, all the equipment options, availability of classes and instructors, and the fun atmosphere can be highly motivating.
  1. Start slowly and build up gradually. Not only is this safer, reducing the chances that you hurt yourself and can’t continue working out—it also helps keep you from becoming de-motivated by overdoing it and feeling bad about yourself.
  1. Set realistic, short-term workout goals, like walking briskly for 20 minutes every day for a week.
  1. Make your exercise goals about process (as in the above example), rather than only setting goals that reflect results (like losing 10 pounds).
  1. While routines and commitments are critical to success, be careful about setting yourself up with absolutes that work against you. For instance, don’t make it so that if you miss Monday morning’s workout, you feel like the whole week’s blown and don’t do any exercising for the rest of the week.
  1. Vary the types of exercises you do and the locations where you do them to help prevent boredom with your workout routine.
  1. As part of this variety, combine aerobic and strength-building exercises to keep things interesting, maximize the benefits, and feel as good as possible about your efforts.
  1. Attend different types of fitness classes. This provides variety and diverse workouts, exposes you to new things you like to do, and helps you meet new friends.
  1. Buy exercise outfits and put them on. Spending the money on them motivates you to use the clothes. Having designated clothing and getting them on makes you feel more like a “real” exerciser.
  1. Change your mindset from thinking about workouts as a chore to something positive that’s accomplishing great things for you.
  1. Jot down how you feel after workouts. You may be physically beat, but mentally and emotionally, you’ll feel good and proud. Remembering this is key to changing your attitude toward exercise and staying motivated in for the long run.
  1. Remind yourself constantly why you’re doing it. Whether it’s to lose weight, to improve your energy, to manage a health condition, to get off something like a hypertension drug, to be around for your kids longer, or all of the above, never lose sight of your reasons.
  1. Get yourself a workout partner!
  1. Hang out with high-energy people who exercise regularly and talk about it enthusiastically.
  1. Tell someone your fitness plans who’ll keep you accountable, encourage you when you’re struggling, and cheer you on when you’re doing well.
  1. Consider using a fitness coach. A good one won’t just help you learn proper techniques and get comprehensive workouts—they’ll also be great at keeping you motivated.
  1. Keep track of your successes, whether it’s in terms of pounds lost, how many more reps you can do now, how much farther or faster you can run now, etc.
  1. Listen to happy, upbeat music while you work out. It helps keep you going, but it also boosts your mood—and you want to associate exercising with feeling good.
  1. Give yourself occasional rewards for consistently sticking to your plan. Sure, it can be a food treat every once in a while, but don’t make it all about food; maybe get yourself a massage or take a weekend day off for a Netflix binge.
  1. Stop obsessing on how you look. While many of us exercise in part to improve our physical appearance, this isn’t always a healthy way to thing about things. Focus on what you’re doing to improve your health and quality of life, feel better, build up your energy, and extend your life.

20 Useful Tips to Stay Motivated for Weight Loss

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The math of weight loss is pretty simple: Burn more calories than you consume, and you’ll lose weight. Every time you create a deficit of 3,500 calories, that’s one pound lost. So easy, isn’t it?

Of course, just about everyone who’s tried to lose weight knows it’s not quite so simple. Weight loss isn’t only a matter of numbers. There’s a psychological component to it, too. We struggle with the urge to eat more than we should, to eat when we don’t need to, and to eat things we know we shouldn’t eat. We struggle to maintain our strength, our will power, our resolve. We struggle to stay motivated for weight loss.

And that’s what makes it so difficult for so many people. That ability to stay motivated for weight loss makes all the difference when it comes to being successful—and to keeping the weight off once it’s gone. Because staying at a healthy weight isn’t about dieting, it requires adopting permanent healthy lifestyle changes.

So, the key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t just educating yourself about fitness and nutrition—it’s also about teaching yourself to keep up your drive for success. Below are some of the most effective ways to stay motivated for weight loss.

How to Stay Motivated for Weight Loss

  1. Take stock of the important reasons you want to lose weight, whether it’s so you can play more actively with your kids, because type 2 diabetes runs in your family, because you don’t want to depend on blood pressure medications for the rest of your life, or whatever the case may be.
  1. Write your reasons down and keep them where you’ll see them every day.
  1. Skip the fad diets! They aren’t healthy, they don’t work, and they leave you feeling lousy about the whole weight loss process.
  1. Set small, short-term, realistic weight loss goals so you can continuously feel like you’re making progress. Remember: 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week is a safe, reasonable, practical amount; more drastic weight loss is generally unhealthy and unrealistic.
  1. Set quantifiable process goals in addition to result goals. For a few examples: Make it a goal to replace one cup of soda with a glass of water, to eliminate one unhealthy snack per day, to eat four daily servings of vegetables for a week, to walk for 15 minutes on your lunch break, etc.
  1. Make minor, gradual changes to your diet, rather than trying to completely upend what you’re used to all at once.
  1. Celebrate when you achieve a goal. And no, that doesn’t mean go have an ice cream sundae. Find rewards that aren’t food-related.
  1. Allow yourself an occasional treat. A reasonable serving of a favorite food helps prevent feeling too deprived, and it reminds you that a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean never enjoying certain things ever again.
  1. Let a few supportive friends or family members know about your goals. Tell them when you reach goals—and when you don’t. They’ll help keep you accountable and offer much-needed encouragement.
  1. Make easy lower-calorie substitutions to reduce calorie consumption without feeling deprived.
  1. Don’t buy junk food. It’s much easier to stay strong when the temptations aren’t right in front of you all the time.
  1. Have a planned physical activity for when you want to eat out of stress or emotional triggers, such as walking around the block, and do that instead.
  1. Develop a fitness routine, rather than just fitting in exercise here and there.
  1. Find types of exercise that you enjoy so that improving your fitness doesn’t feel like a chore.
  1. And find yourself a workout partner!
  1. Get professional help. This can take many forms, like a psychologist, dietitian, nutritionist, personal trainer—go with whoever seems to offer assistance in the area you need it most.
  1. Or get a dog. Pets boost your mood and help you cope with stress, but walking and playing with a dog is also a great way to sneak in more physical activity.
  1. Be aware of the most common excuses for overeating and be prepared to face them and banish them from your mind!
  1. Don’t beat yourself up when you fall short of goals or eat something you shouldn’t. This isn’t about pursuit of perfection, it’s about taking small but consistent steps toward creating a healthier you.
  1. Think and talk positively about your weight loss efforts!

12 Healthy Ways to Re-Energize and Beat the Midday Slump

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It happens to us all: Sometime in the middle of your day, your energy starts to seriously wane. It doesn’t happen at the same time for everyone. Maybe you hit your wall at 11 am. Or 2 pm. Or 6 at night if that’s a midpoint in your schedule. But whenever it strikes, you really need to beat the midday slump, lest your performance suffer.

Your eyelids might feel heavy. Your entire head might feel heavy. Or your whole body might feel heavy. It’s hard to focus. You start feeling antsy for the end of the day. Every little task feels monumental. However it manifests, it’s important to beat the midday slump and rediscover your energy and ability to concentrate.

Don’t reach for another cup of coffee or a sugary, high-caffeine energy drink. These just cause spikes and crashes in your energy level. In fact, if you depend on them to get you through the beginning of your day, they probably contribute to the struggle later on. In general, it’s a good idea to stay away from certain energy-depleting foods if you tend to feel your energy drop out in the middle of the day.

Instead, try these simple, practical, healthy ways to refresh, recharge, and power through to beat the midday slump:

How to Beat the Midday Slump

  1. Do some stretches. Progressively stretch the muscles in your neck and shoulders, arms, back and stomach, glutes and legs.
  1. Go for a short walk, even if it’s just several laps around the room or a brisk trip down the hall and back. Walking quickly up and down a few flights of stairs will really get the blood flowing.
  1. Turn on some upbeat music you enjoy… something that gets your foot tapping, your head bobbing, your mouth smiling, your creative juices flowing, and your energy rising.
  1. Refuel with a healthy snack. A small handful of nuts and seeds, a piece of fruit, or a serving of dark chocolate are all good choices.
  1. Take a break to do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle or read an interesting article. Switching focus over to something enjoyable, mentally stimulating, and unrelated to what you’ve been doing all day can be very refreshing.
  1. Or, change focus by stepping away from your work to tackle something on your personal to-do list. Again, the change is invigorating, as is getting to check something off that list.
  1. Clean and organize your work space. It’s another way to switch your focus over to something else and still accomplish something to feel good about. Plus it gets you moving around.
  1. Don’t overlook the importance of making time in your schedule to rest. A 20-minute power nap can be a wonderful thing. If it’s not possible, 20 minutes of just relaxing and stepping away from digital screens can do the trick too.
  1. Call up a lively friend, family member, or coworker for a quick chat. If it’s someone you can count on to make you laugh, even better. The conversation will perk you right up.
  1. Expose yourself to natural light. If you can, step out into the sunshine for a few minutes, or at least move to another nearby location to let the sun hit you for a bit. Open the blinds if they’re closed. Our bodies are wired to respond to natural light by becoming more awake.
  1. Try some invigorating aromatherapy with a diffuser or just by putting a drop of essential oil on your hand or desk. Orange, lemon, other citrus fruits, peppermint, thyme, rosemary, and bergamot are common energizing scents.
  1. And, last but not least, follow these health tips for people who sit at a desk all day, if applicable. They’ll help you keep up your energy through the day and stay well.

Food Sources of Vitamin E for More Energy and Better Health

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Vitamin E is one of the less familiar vitamins to many people. But it’s an important antioxidant, which means it helps prevent the cell, tissue, and organ damage caused by compounds called free radicals. As such, vitamin E plays a key role in maintaining energy and good health, especially as we age.

Among other benefits, vitamin E also contributes to immune system function, reproductive health, vision, and the creation of red blood cells. It’s particularly good for skin health too, which is why you see a lot of beauty and skin care products enriched with it.

Generally healthy teens and adults should get 15 mg (22.4 IU) of vitamin E per day. That’s not too hard to do if you know which food sources of vitamin E to regularly incorporate into your diet. Below are some recommendations about how to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin E to stay healthy, energized, and looking great.

Best Dietary Sources of Vitamin E

  • Nuts and seeds aren’t just prime sources of healthy fats, dietary fiber, and protein—they’re also rich in vitamin E. The large variety of nuts and seeds available are great for daily snacks, but limit it to about a handful since they’re high in calories. Also, let’s mention peanuts and peanut butter here, even though peanuts are technically a legume, not a nut.
  • Vegetable and other plant-based oils are also healthy fats that provide a good dose of vitamin E. Just 1 tablespoon of wheat germ oil delivers almost 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Other examples include sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, canola, palm, olive, and corn oil. Cooking with them and using them in homemade salad dressings are easy ways to get these oils in your diet.
  • Dark green veggies—especially leafy ones—also supply significant quantities of vitamin E. Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, collard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, broccoli, and asparagus are all good picks for getting enough of this important nutrient.
  • Orange fruits and veggies tend to be relatively high in vitamin E. Options include dried apricots, mangoes, sweet potato, butternut squash, pumpkin, mamey sapote, orange bell peppers.
  • Other foods worth mentioning for their vitamin E content include wheat germ (it’s not just the oil), trout, salmon, cod, swordfish (but it’s high in mercury, so don’t eat it often), abalone, cranberries, kiwi, avocado, tomato, and red bell pepper.

A Warning About Vitamin E

Never start supplementing with vitamin E without getting the OK from your doctor first. Upping your intake can cause dangerous interactions with a number of health conditions, medications, and other supplements. And please make sure your doctor is aware of all drugs and supplements you take, even the all-natural stuff.

One of the biggest risks is that vitamin E acts as a blood thinner. So, people with bleeding disorders or who take a blood thinner or anticoagulant—or even those who just supplement with other compounds that inhibit clotting—can suffer serious consequences from taking extra vitamin E.

Health Tips for Office Workers Who Sit All Day

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If you’re like most office workers in today’s business world, you spend most of your day seated at a desk. For many, the majority of the workday involves using a computer, and maybe you’re on the phone a lot too.

Remaining seated all day, year after year, takes a serious toll on our health—even to the point of significantly shortening our lifespan. The prolonged inactivity decreases our physical fitness and contributes to weight gain, increases our risk of numerous diseases, interferes with our ability to concentrate, and has other ill effects. Also, posture, body positions, and repetitive motions associated with desk and computer usage put us at risk of chronic pain and other complications.

Use the following health tips for office workers to help keep you happy, healthy, focused, and performing your tasks at the top of your game.

Self-Care Advice for Office Workers

  • Find ways to move more over the course of the day. That includes at work and outside of work, where you can offset some of the workday’s inactivity. For inspiration, here are some easy ways to increase your daily physical activity while you go about your normal routines.
  • Stand up as often and as long as you can. Standing is much better for you than sitting. Stand at your desk, and consider getting (or asking the boss for) an adjustable standing desk or an adjustable base that boosts your computer up so you can stand at it. Stand when you present in a meeting instead of sitting in your chair. Stand while you talk or text on the phone. Stand up and stretch every 30 minutes.
  • Take a short walk every hour. Even if you just walk a few circles around your office or down the hall and back, it helps a lot. If you can go up and down a flight or two of stairs, that’s great. Not only is this good for you physically, it keeps you functioning better mentally as well.
  • Eat a smart breakfast every morning. The initial burst of fuel from a nutritious breakfast is essential to having sustained energy and ability to focus at work. Here’s some information about a healthy breakfast.
  • Add a live plant to your office space. It improves the quality of the air around you and the touch of nature improves your mood. Also, if you have the option—and weather permitting—open a window to let some fresh air in.
  • Pay attention to your posture and body positions. Sit up straight in your chair, never slouch or bend your head down. Keep your arms and wrists extend straight out when working on your desk and computer, including while using the mouse; don’t hold your arms or hands angled upward or downward. Your arms should be supported by chair arms or the desk. Your computer screen should be about level with your eyes; looking down more than about 10 degrees can hurt your neck and back, while looking up increases eye strain. Also, the screen should be about an arm’s length from your face to minimize eye strain. Make sure your computer is positioned to accommodate good posture and body positions.
  • Focus on improving your posture and back alignment. You have to work at good posture and build up your core, back, and neck muscles to maintain it over the course of the day. Start with these tips for improving your posture.
  • Bring your own healthy lunch to work. Eating out usually means you’re getting a lot of unnecessary calories, and it’s tough to make smart eating choices at most restaurants. As an added bonus, it’s a lot more cost effective to pack your own food. Also, don’t eat at your desk; lunch should be an actual break.
  • Drink lots of water throughout the day. Staying well hydrated is necessary to good health and lasting energy. While a cup or two of coffee or tea is fine, don’t rely on caffeinated beverages to sustain you. And especially don’t rely on sugary, highly caffeinated energy drinks or sodas. They’re terrible for you, and they invariably bring a crash in energy after the initial spike.
  • Disinfect your keyboard, mouse, phone, and doorknob daily. These are harbors for bacteria and viruses, and likely workplace culprits for transmitting illnesses. Disinfectant wipes are convenient and easy to use—even discretely if you’re self-conscious about coming across as a germophobe.
  • Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Being well rested is so important to staying alert and aware of your body at your desk all day. If you have trouble falling and/or staying asleep, take a look at these tips for better sleep hygiene.

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