Cocoa may help diabetes, heart failure

Patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improvement after three months of consuming epicatechin-enriched cocoa, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Francisco J. Villarreal of University of California, San Diego, said epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate.

The researchers examined five profoundly ill patients with major damage to skeletal muscle mitochondria -- structures responsible for most of the energy produced in cells. These "fuel cells" are dysfunctional as a result of both type 2 diabetes and heart failure, leading to abnormalities in skeletal muscle, Villarreal said.

Patients with heart failure and diabetes experience abnormalities in both the heart and skeletal muscle that can result in impaired functional capacity. They often complain of shortness of breath, lack of energy and have difficulty walking even short distances.

Trial participants consumed dark chocolate bars and a beverage with a total epicatechin content of approximately 100 milligram per day for three months. Biopsies of skeletal muscle were conducted before and after treatment.

After three months, the researchers looked at changes in mitochondria volume and the abundance of cristae, are internal compartments of mitochondria necessary for efficient function of the mitochondria.

"The cristae had been severely damaged and decreased in quantity in these patients," Villarreal said in a statement. "After three months, we saw recovery -- cristae numbers back toward normal levels, and increases in several molecular indicators involved in new mitochondria production."

The findings were published in the journal Clinical and Translational Science.

Read more at: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=12345&Section=DISEASE&utm_source=DailyHealthBulletin&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Disease&utm_content=Body+Title&utm_campaign=DHB_120306

Top 10 Tips for Preventing Weight Gain

Shedding some weight can be hard. For many men, keeping it off is even harder. Diets become stale and depriving. Training becomes overly laborious and boring. Follow these 10 tips to keep off the weight that you’ve worked so hard to lose.

No. 10 - Throw out junk food

No matter how disciplined you are, if junk food is there, you’ll eventually eat it. All it takes is a long day at work or a rushed meal to push you toward grabbing the quick fix. Do a quick search through your house (cabinets, refrigerator, under your pillow, and so on) and get rid of unhealthy snack food. If your spouse, significant other or kids have junk in the house, throw their stuff out, too. They’ll thank you later.

No. 9 - Stay hydrated

Consuming a couple cups of water before you eat will fill up your stomach and cause you to eat less. Research has shown that people using this strategy lose more weight than people who don’t. If you don’t like water, try adding a lemon or lime to it or try drinking a zero-calorie beverage with a little more flavor like green tea or POWERADE ZERO. The important thing is that you’re staying hydrated and filling up your stomach with liquid while not taking in additional calories.

No. 8 - Get a dog

A big part of keeping weight off is maintaining an active lifestyle. It sounds ridiculous, but research has shown that people tend to become more active when they have a pet. Letting your dog take you for a walk at night will get you off the couch and keep your hand out of the junk food that you should have thrown out already.

No. 7 - Eat breakfast

Your metabolism plummets while you sleep; you go into a state of catabolism (read: breakdown). The best way to jump-start your metabolism and give your body the fuel it needs for the day to come is to eat a quality breakfast. At a bare minimum, your breakfast should have at least one serving of fruits and vegetables, a lean protein source and a glass of water. You can also add a quality whole-grain carbohydrate source, such as steel cut oats, to your breakfast.

No. 6 - Avoid sugars, pasta and white bread

When you take in a whole-grain carbohydrate source, it takes time for your body to break down the food. As a result, you receive a slow, consistent supply of food, similar to a time-release drug. On the other hand, foods like pasta, white bread or anything high in sugar are rapidly digested and give your body a quick supply of a ton of energy. Since your body doesn’t need all of this energy at once, it defaults to storing it as fat. Overall, these foods have little nutritional value and generally lead to metabolic damage and fat storage.

No. 5 - Learn how to cook

Short-term diet interventions never work long-term. In order to keep weight off, you need to change your lifestyle to make it conducive to keeping weight off. This sounds simple, but for some men it can be a rough transition. If you associate healthy eating with bland foods, you probably won’t continue to eat healthily for too long. Learning how to use spices and prepare foods in different ways that you enjoy will help ensure that you’re eating the right foods for the rest of your life. You can start by perusing the grocery store for prepackaged spices like Cajun, Italian seasoning, Montreal steak and/or chicken, and seasoned salt. Eating healthily does not need to be boring.

No. 4 - Lift weights

Muscle has a significantly higher metabolic rate than bone and fat. Simply put, this means that it takes more energy (read: calories) to fuel muscle than it does other tissues within the body. By lifting weights and adding some muscle mass, you keep your metabolism and the number of calories you burn at rest high. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of a quality fat-loss program and is essential as part of a weight-loss maintenance program.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/08/11/tips-preventing-weight-gain/#ixzz1nyf4pr7t

Facts about trans fats

The History of Hydrogenation

Solid shortening, the thick white paste that made your grandmother's pie crust so flaky, was created nearly a century ago by adding hydrogen to liquid oils to make them turn solid at room temperature (the process known as hydrogenation). 

Originally intended as a cheap substitute for butter and lard, partially hydrogenated oils―what we now call trans fats―became known for their ability to increase the shelf life and improve the texture of baked goods and other food products. Soon food manufacturers were adding them to everything from cookies to nondairy creamers to frozen foods, and restaurants were using them for deep-frying and more.

Reasons for a Trans Fat Backlash

In 1994, a study at Harvard University reported that people who consumed the highest amounts of trans fats had twice the heart-attack risk of those who consumed little. 

"The more we look at trans fat," says Walter Willett, who worked on the study, "the more we see it is a metabolic poison." Trans fats are particularly harmful because they lower levels of good cholesterol and raise levels of bad cholesterol.
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New Rules for Food Companies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires food manufacturers to list trans fats (often called partially hydrogenated oils) on nutrition labels, which prompted many food companies, including Kraft, Campbell's, and Wendy's, to reduce or remove trans fats from their products.

Trans Fats vs. Saturated Fats

Unfortunately, many companies replace trans fats with saturated fats. That's dangerous because saturated fats already make up a larger percentage of most Americans' diets―around 11 percent, as opposed to just 1.5 to 2.5 percent for trans fats, notes Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer Center on Aging at Tufts University, in Boston. It's important not to consume more saturated fat because you're looking only at the trans fat amounts. 

"We should try to cut down on trans fats as well as saturated fats," says Lichtenstein.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/16/facts-about-trans-fats/?intcmp=features#ixzz1mejoGnaw

Homemade Skin Remedies

Fashion and beauty blogger Carrie Riggin shows off the best home remedies for achieving a new look.
People’s bodies take a toll due to stressful lifestyles, lack of sleep and exercise and the high prevalence of processed and fast foods. This segment provides viewers natural, low/cost, homemade remedies to “reset” the mind and body for the New Year. And skin is the body's largest organ so we definitely want to take care of it!
But people don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the popular anti-aging and moisturizing creams (most of which don’t work and have foreign ingredients that are toxic to the body). Some of the best, natural, and almost FREE beauty remedi es come from within your own kitchen! This segment is going to prove that you CAN look beautiful while on a budget. The secrets I’m about to share are some that I’ve sworn by and that industry experts swear by – these DIY beauty recipes are simply the best and easiest ways to get young, rejuvenated skin fast.
CONTENT
First, basic beauty begins with the glow of good health, which shines from within. So maintaining good nutrition and hydration, and managing things like allergies and hormone imbalances are essential for a radiant clear complexion.
What helps with all of the above? Antioxidants – whether you eat them or apply them – is the single key to young, glowing skin.
There is research showing antioxidants can improve cell function, increase collagen production, improve elasticity, create healthier, younger skin cells, prevent wrinkles, and reduce sun damage.
Antioxidants inhibit free-radical damage to the skin whether from the sun, pollution or other environmental factors (free radical damage causes wrinkles and premature aging): When it comes to wrinkles, free-radical damage causes collagen and other vital skin functions to break down. A great skin-care product, whether it comes in a liquid, gel, serum, lotion, or cream, should contain a potent assortment of stable antioxidants to interrupt free-radical damage and keep it from harming your skin.
Do’s: green tea, grape extract, or vitamin C; Don’t’s: Avoid stimulants such as coffee, alcohol and sugar. Never wash face with soap
NOTE: What is collagen? Collagen is known as the “glue that holds the body together,” a protein that surrounds cells; in the face collagen works to plump up the surface of the skin, making fine lines and minor wrinkles appear less noticeable
Get rid of puffy eyes:
The area around the eye becomes thinner and more delicate as we people age. Salty food, alcohol, and lack of sleep don’t help and are the main culprits of puffy eyes. Drinking lots of water and cutting down on booze and processed foods will go along way.
Best way to get rid of puffy eyes? i. Cucumbers: Reduce swelling, instantly tightening the skin. Due to the high water content (about 90%), cucumbers have a hydrating effect, which fills out the skin
Egg whites: Egg whites offer a temporary lift and tighten effect – great for right before big dates or special events. Smooth whipped egg whites thinly over the around-the-eye area, let dry and rinse.
iii. Temporary tightening: Apply tomato juice (preferably fresh-squeezed) for ten minutes
iv. Face too tight from too much sun: Apply plain yogurt to the skin and leave on for ten minutes.
Exfoliating:
Why is it important?
i. Exfoliation removes the dead cells from the layers of your skin to reveal the live cells beneath, providing a healthy glow.
ii. Dead cells block off the oxygen to the skin, making it dull, and unable to breathe. This also contributes to pores filling up and causing breakout.
Best way to exfoliate at home? Brown sugar, raw oatmeal, olive oil
Recipe:
i. 1 cup brown sugar
ii. 1 cup raw oatmeal
iii. 1 cup olive oil
iv. Mix all the ingredients together and then apply on dry skin, using your hands. Use your fingers and perform slow circles—this treatment is to be enjoyed and not rushed. (The real key is standing over a plastic bag or towel to catch the remains.) After scrubbing gently all over, step into the shower and rinse off. Your skin will be like butter.
Ingredients/Show-and-tell items: Mixture – apply to skin in circles
Face Mask:
Why it’s important? Face is the first thing people see and this is the quickest way to firm, rejuvenate and make skin radiate in now time.
Best face mask: There are many that you can stick to, but whichever face mask you pick, make sure it incorporates HONEY. Why:
i. Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent.
ii. Honey’s natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays; honey supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple.
iii. Honey's ability to absorb and retain moisture make it an ideal ingredient in a lot of cosmetics as it helps keep skin hydrated and fresh
I like this one though: Honey, almond scrub. It is great for all skin types – you can’t overuse it – use it everyday if you want; you can make it in bulk and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This recipe comes from the popular Naturally Skinsational book. [Will combine ingredients if we have time or I can have mix pre-made]
Recipe
i. 2 tablespoons honey
ii. Thinly ground organic raw almonds
iii. Half a lime
iv. Mint: ground up
v. Combine honey with finely ground raw organic almonds (provides an abrasive quality for exfoliating and softening the skins; also provides high amounts of vitamin E, copper, iron and Vitamin A; make sure to ground them up enough so they aren’t too rough on skin). Slice lime; juice half of lime into mixture (limes have acid that softens rough spots on skins and lightens dark areas; also one of the more powerful antioxidants). Mix in ground mint and stir. Apply to face and/or body. Refrigerate leftovers for next time.
Continue reading: http://www2.nbc17.com/lifestyles/2012/jan/20/homemade-skin-remedies-vi-39856/

Surviving the Holidays, Healthfully and Happily

You’ve already hit five holiday parties and it’s not even New Years. You’re ditching the gym after work to keep up with all the friends and family coming in from out of town.  You’re now eating at your desk when a month before, eating over a keyboard seemed criminal.

How to stay on track this season? The occasional, “No!” Yes, that’s right—and it feels good! It’s time to start taking care of you! Or else, you’ll be lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  My tips and tricks will help you stay on target. They’re my top three sure-fire tools to make your holidays happy and healthy. Use them—they work!

Schedule your workouts

Yes. Pencil your sweat sessions in! Mark them in your Blackberry, iPhone, desk calendar or whatever you use—the point is to make a commitment. This way you’re more likely to follow through. And just think, you never regret going to the gym, but you do regret not going. There’s nothing like that sweet sweaty endorphin rush.

Batch cook

You’re on the go, so make your food fit your lifestyle! Pick two or three times per week where you’ll cook a bunch of chicken, turkey or tofu; quinoa or brown rice; and chop up some veggies. This way you can quickly throw together a healthy home-cooked meal and be out the door in no time. Or, just have something healthful and easy to assemble when you get home.

Prepare

Preparation is key! Without preparing you may be left stranded with no healthy eats! Imagine, you’re at work—starving—and you’ve got nothing to nosh except your co-workers bowl of candy a few cubicles over. Don’t let this happen to you! Toss some fruit and nuts in your bag, or a healthy bar. Or, even better, bring a mini-cooler or lunch bag  to work and load it up with healthy snacks—fruits and veggies are a must; nuts; and your lunch. This way your environment will be set for success, and you’ll be ready for another healthy day!

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/22/surviving-holidays-healthfully-and-happily/#ixzz1hHt6bWHB

High-Tech Weight Loss Tools

Text Messages

How they work: A service sends texts to remind you about healthy diet and exercise habits.

How they help: Think of the service as a virtual trainer/life coach who checks in on you and keeps you focused on your goals. In a 2009 study at the University of California, San Diego, people who received texts about healthy behaviors (for instance, “Control portions by dividing a large bag of snacks into smaller containers”) lost four pounds more than those who didn’t. Look for text services created by qualified experts, like medical doctors and registered dietitians.

Check out: Muschealth.com/weight, created by experts at the Medical University of South Carolina, delivers a daily diet tip. Myhealtheme.com gives diet and fitness advice from nutritionists and exercise physiologists.

Apps

How they work: Apps allow you to track calorie intake and log workouts on your smartphone.

How they help: Many studies have shown that keeping a food or workout journal can increase weight loss. But it can be a pain to whip out a notebook several times a day, then add up calories or miles logged on the track. Apps are portable and make the accounting feel like a game.

Check out: Lose It! tracks diet (there’s nutritional information for more than 50,000 foods), exercise, and weight loss. MapMyFitness tracks workouts and can even help you find running, walking, and biking routes in your area.

Wireless Body Monitors

How they work: Think of them as upgraded pedometers: They track steps, calories, and weight.

How they help: The numbers don’t lie. “People often under- or overestimate their caloric intake and expenditure,” says Steven N. Blair, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. In a study that Blair and his colleagues conducted, published in 2011, people who used a wireless device lost twice as much weight as people who didn’t, possibly because they saw how their choices affected their weight daily.

Check out: The BodyMedia Fit Core Armband ($180, with three months of free website access, bodymedia.com) reports calorie burn with nearly 100 percent accuracy. The Fitbit Ultra clip-on tracker ($100, fitbit.com) syncs its data with your computer wirelessly.

Fitness Video Games

How they work: Pop an activity-oriented game (anything from dancing to ski jumping) into your Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, or Xbox 360 and log in a workout without leaving your living room.

How they help: The variety of options makes this an ideal solution if you’re tired of just loping along on a treadmill. Although you typically won’t burn as many calories as you would doing the real thing, studies indicate that workout games help people stick with an exercise routine, and consistency is the name of the game when it comes to fitness-related health benefits. Games are also a good way to get the whole family involved in exercise.

Check out: Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 ($50, xbox.com), for the Xbox 360 with Kinect, lets you engage in various activities, including cardio boxing and yoga. The Zumba Fitness 2 ($40, zumbafitnessgame.com for stores), for the Nintendo Wii, is an upbeat cardio-dance workout.

Interactive Websites and Social Networks

How they work: Log on to get fitness and nutrition plans, track your diet and exercise, and interact with others who share your goals via message boards and tweets.

How they help: Research shows that the accountability that comes with group participation can be instrumental in successful weight loss; teaming up with others keeps you engaged when motivation lags. In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the more often people used an interactive site after losing weight (on average, it was at least once a month for more than two years), the more successful they were at maintaining the weight loss. “There is growing evidence that surrounding yourself with healthy people, even virtually, helps you carry out your own healthy behaviors,” says Mark Carroll Pachucki, Ph.D., a social scientist and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the University of California, San Francisco.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/16/high-tech-weight-loss-tools/#ixzz1gi1buDVX

15 Lazy Moves That Ramp Up Health

Staying healthy can feel like so much, well, work (think: logging hours at the gym and whipping up nutritious meals from scratch). However, there are plenty of small moves that you can make in your everyday life that will have big health benefits. We've rounded up 15 practically zero-effort ways to fight disease, whittle your waist, lower stress, and more. Bonus: Many of these good-for-you moves feel good, too. So say sayonara to the old adage, "no pain, no gain" and try these tips today.

Lazy Move #1:  Protect Your Ticker By Snoozing

Need a good excuse to grab your comfiest set of pajamas and hit the sack? Skimping on shut-eye may do more than make you cranky or unproductive—it also boosts your risk of a heart attack. According to one Norwegian study, people who reported that they did not wake up feeling refreshed in the morning had a 27% higher risk of a heart attack, those who had trouble staying asleep almost every night in the last month had a 30% higher risk, and those who had trouble falling asleep almost every night in the last month had odds that jumped to 45%.

Some researchers speculate that insomnia might trigger your body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked with high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Plus, when you're exhausted you may be more likely to make unhealthy choices that up your heart disease risk, such as skipping your workout or reaching for fatty or sugary snacks for a quick energy fix.

Lazy Move #2:  Ward Off Weight Gain with Protein

You may not have to stress so much about cutting calories: Whether you're packing on the pounds or simply want to maintain your current weight, adding more protein to your dish could be your slim-down secret weapon. Past research has found that protein keeps you feeling full longer than either carbs or fat, so you can eat less and still be satiated. A new study supports this idea: Researchers from the University of Sydney estimated that the extra calories eaten by participants in their study eating the lowest protein diets could add up to an extra 2.2 pounds of weight gain a month.

Protein is the building block of muscle, and more calories are required to maintain muscle than to preserve fat, which means muscle helps boost your metabolism. Bonus: Foods rich in protein are also filled with zinc and B vitamins, both of which strengthen your immune system to ward off colds and flu. If you're eating about 1,800 calories a day and want to get 15% of your calories from protein, you should aim for about 68 grams of protein.

Here are 3 easy protein switches that up your protein intake for the same number of calories or less. Remember, you want to eat more protein—not calories!—to keep your waistline slim.

Instead of...1/2 cup granola with 1 cup berries (7 grams protein, 250 calories)

Try...1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1 cup berries (15 grams protein, 131 calories)

Instead of...1 1/4 cup mashed potatoes (5 grams protein, 296 calories)

Try...1 1/4 cup vegetarian baked beans (15 grams protein, 295 calories)

Instead of...6-inch pancake sans butter or syrup (5 grams protein, 175 calories)

Try...1 cup low-fat plain yogurt with ½ cup apricots (13 grams protein, 186 calories)

Lazy Move #3:  Pop Vitamin D to Live Longer

Have you had your dose of vitamin D today? A growing body of research shows that not getting enough of this nutrient can trigger a slew of health problems—and experts believe that most of us have a vitamin D deficiency. Though current guidelines call for 600 to 800 IU daily, many researchers now believe we may need up to 4,000 IU.

The very latest research supports the case that the "sunshine vitamin" is a powerful health booster. In fact, people who get enough vitamin D have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Diabetes Care.  Experts speculate that the nutrient's anti-inflammatory powers might be one way that it offers protection against the disease.

Getting enough D may also improve asthma. Earlier research found that having low levels may make asthma symptoms worse, and a new study finds that lacking in D could make breathing harder by increasing airway smooth muscle mass in children with treatment-resistant asthma, according to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The "sunshine vitamin" may also help ward off cancer. A whopping 77% of cancer patients have low levels of vitamin D, and the lowest levels are linked to more advanced cancers, suggests a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. More research is being done on how vitamin D might help prevent or even treat cancer.

Lazy Move #4:  Up Your Antioxidants with a New Super Fruit

The largest edible fruit native to North America, the pawpaw will grow pretty much anywhere, although it does best in the Northeast and the Midwest, says Ken Asmus, owner of Oikos Tree Crops, a Kalamazoo, Michigan–based nursery that sells pawpaw tree seedlings. Their fruit ripens around the end of August and lasts until mid-October, but Asmus says the fruit on his trees in Michigan are just starting to ripen, owing to a cool spring.

Some nutritionists and foodies think pawpaws could be the next superfood. They have 20 to 70 times as much iron, 10 times as much calcium, and 4 to 20 times as much magnesium as bananas, apples, and oranges, Asmus has found. And research from Ohio State has found that they have antioxidant levels that rival cranberries and cherries. An added health bonus: Being a native tree, pawpaws are resistant to most pests and diseases, making them very easy to grow organically, without the insecticides or fungicides used in most fruit orchards.

Just don't look for them at the grocery store; you're more likely to find a pawpaw at your local farmer's market—if you aren't already growing them in your backyard.

Lazy Move #5:  Rock Out to Exercise Longer

Music fuels your workout—whether you're lifting weights, practicing yoga, or going for a power walk. And it's not just in your head. Researchers at Brunel University in London found that runners who listened to upbeat, energizing rock or pop music (like Queen, Madonna, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers) exercised up to 15% longer--and felt great while doing it.

Lazy Move #6:  Boost Brain Power with Chocolate

Are you a chocoholic? Turns out your little addiction may save your life. A recent study found that those consuming the highest levels of chocolate had a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared to those with lower chocolate intakes.

Though experts are quick to clarify that we should stick to moderate consumption of high-calorie chocolates, it's hard to deny the cold, hard facts that chocolate can be a healthy addition to our diets. Another study finds that chocolate may also boost brainpower.

Flavonols, compounds in chocolate with antioxidant-like properties, are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. Study participants were asked to count backward in groups of three from a number between 800 and 999. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, the participants were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.

Lazy Move #7:  Soothe Arthritis Pain Naturally

Pain, tenderness, and stiffness in your joints can keep you from doing the things you love. That may be the reality for people who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). OA is the most common type of arthritis, occurs in women more often than men, and happens when the cartilage in your joints wears down as you age.

Some natural remedies have been shown to be effective anti-inflammatories. Taking 500 mg twice daily of the combined herbal supplements curcumin and boswellia was better for relieving pain and lowering joint line tenderness scores than taking 100 mg twice daily of the prescription drug celecoxib, finds a clinical study presented at the Osteoarthritis Research Symposium Internationale (OARSI) in San Diego. According to the study, 93% of the herbal group reported improvement in or elimination of pain compared with just 79% of the prescription drug group. You can get the herbal combination in a supplement called Healthy Knees and Joints from the Terry Naturally product line, or at your local health food store.

Lazy Move #8: Fight a Cold with Red Wine

Need something to toast to? The resveratrol and polyphenols in red wine work the same way that beneficial bacteria in yogurt do: When cold and flu viruses enter you system, they start to multiply, and these compounds prevent that from happening. To get the most bang for your buck, grab a bottle of California pinot noir. Tests have found it to have some of the highest levels of resveratrol. Don't drink? Eat some grape leaves or peanuts, the red inner husks of which are also high in resveratrol.

http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/15-lazy-moves-that-ramp-up-health

11 Holiday Health Tips

Follow this advice to enjoy a little holiday indulgence without sacrificing your health goals

Indulging Without Overindulging
1. Relax. You won’t gain 10 pounds. It’s a misconception that you’ll need to go up a pant size in January. The average person gains only about a pound during the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. That’s no excuse to eat with abandon, though. (After all, gaining one pound every year can add up in the long run.) But a study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology notes that people who had an attitude of forgiveness and self-compassion after one high-calorie setback were less likely to give up and keep bingeing. So if you lose control with a dish of chocolate truffles, don’t think, I’ve blown it. Might as well move on to the eggnog. Just forgive yourself for the truffles.

2. Don’t skip meals. It seems logical: Forgo lunch; leave more room for pigs in blankets at the office party later. But arriving starved may result in overeating, and drinking on an empty stomach will give you a quicker buzz, which is more likely to lead to mindless munching. Eat normally during the day, and be strategic at the buffet. Don’t bother with things you don’t absolutely love. Splurge on something special (hint: It’s not those cubes of Cheddar), then stop.

3. Turn down Aunt Jan’s pie. “It’s better to sit with a little guilt than to overeat just to please loved ones,” says Diaz. If you can’t say no to Jan’s face, try “Maybe later,” then hope she forgets.
Give yourself a break from the gym. According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of people who exercise regularly is lower in December than at any other time of the year. So don’t beat yourself up—you’re not the only one who’s too busy for Spinning class. But try to stay active in other ways. Speed-walking with shopping bags counts. So does cleaning, says Mark Macdonald, the author of Body Confidence. Add some toning by tightening your core muscles as you vacuum or reach for scattered toys (imagine trying to get your belly button to touch your spine). And most important: Get back into your regular exercise routine once the holidays end.

Drinking Responsibly
4. Practice moderation (really). Drinking too much may not just mean a terrible hangover. Around this time of year, doctors report seeing a spike in erratic heartbeats—dubbed “holiday heart syndrome.” It is more common among people who usually aren’t heavy drinkers but drink in excess for a short time. “Alcohol may be toxic to enough cardiac cells that it disrupts the coordination required to maintain a normal heart rate,” says Kenneth Mukamal, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. “Women should have no more than three drinks on any occasion and seven per week,” says Michael Weaver, an associate professor of internal medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, in Richmond. “So a woman can have up to three drinks in a night and go out two nights, but that’s it for the week—or else the chances of problems go way up.”

5. Keep it on the rocks. Melting ice dilutes a cocktail and creates more liquid. So order your drink on the rocks to try to avoid a quick buzz—and to sip longer before a refill. Use soda water as a mixer for liquor (a cocktail with liquor and club soda is only about 100 calories), and don’t be ashamed to add ice cubes to bubbly. In France, it’s called a piscine. Très chic.

6. Put a cork in it early. Alcohol may help you to conk out quickly; the problem comes when it starts to wear off. The period in which your body is metabolizing the alcohol is when sleep is disrupted. You may wake up frequently in the middle of the night (even if you don’t remember doing so) and miss out on restorative rest. The best strategy is to allow time for the alcohol levels in your body to drop before going to sleep; at the very least, retire your flute several hours before bedtime.

A to ZZZs of Sleep Deprivation
7. Don’t let late nights make you fat. “People who sleep less over time tend to be heavier,” says Lawrence Epstein, the chief medical officer of the Sleep Health Centers, in Brighton, Mass. But it doesn’t take long for the cycle to start. “If you pull one all-nighter or miss a few hours each night over a week, your body releases hormones that prompt eating and weight gain,” says Epstein.

8. Watch out for hidden caffeine. Think hot cocoa is a soothing way to end a winter’s night? Hold on to your marshmallows. Chocolate, even the powdered kind, contains caffeine, as do many over-the-counter pain medicines that you might pop at night to get a head start on a hangover. Excedrin Extra-Strength Caplets, for example, contain 65 milligrams of caffeine; by comparison, the average cup of coffee contains 50 to 100.

Beating the Blues
9. Don’t assume that this is the most depressing time of the year. Contrary to popular belief, depression isn’t more common during the holidays. In fact, suicide rates in the United States are actually lowest in December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“This may be a result of more social interaction, which has been found to enhance happiness,” says Caroline Adams Miller, the author of Creating Your Best Life. But that doesn’t mean that you’re immune to the holiday blues, especially when you’re missing a family member or stressed-out by the in-laws. Make plans with friends if your family is far away—or, on the flip side, opt out of events if your schedule is overwhelming. “You don’t have to be a type E personality—everything to everyone,” says Ronald Nathan, a psychologist in Albany.

10. Consider a supplement. Is there a magic pill that will cure the blues? Of course not. But some research shows that omega-3 fatty acids may relieve depression; other research has found that vitamin D may improve mood. Add a daily supplement of omega-3 or vitamin D to your diet. Or increase your intake of vitamin D–fortified milk or foods rich in omega-3s, such as fish, flaxseed, and walnuts.
Take Facebook with a grain of salt. You’ve seen the status updates: “Hope Santa can find us in ARUBA!” or “Mmm, homemade cider, kids making cookies, life is good.” And you know what? Those people have bad days, too. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/01/holiday-health-tips/#ixzz1fOCjjxVv

Middle-Aged Women Happier With Moderate Exercise

Middle-aged women encouraged to exercise at moderate intensity were much happier and more likely to continue working out than peers who exercised more intensely, according to a study.

Researchers led by Steriani Elavsky of Penn State University in Pennsylvania recruited 255 women between 40 and 60 years old to do either moderate or vigorous exercise, then followed the volunteers to monitor their reactions.

Overall, women who did moderate exercise were about twice as likely to feel energized and confident they could do more exercise in the future, and more of them also showed decreased feelings of sadness and anxiety than the vigorous-exercise group.

"Exercise makes you feel better but it is going to be more pleasant when performed at moderate intensity as compared to vigorous, especially when you have been previously inactive or may be overweight," Elavsky told Reuters Health.

They were activities "that would allow you to talk in short sentences while you are doing them, but would not allow you to sing," she added.

Middle-aged women are among the least active and their level of physical activity declines with age. Understanding whether exercise of different intensities has different effects on mood and whether these predict overall physical activity in midlife women is an important question to address, Elavsky added.

Elavsky and colleagues at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey studied the 255 women, who were not on hormone therapy and who kept a daily diary of activities and feelings for two weeks. She presented their findings at the North American Menopause Society meeting in Washington D.C.

At the beginning of the study, the women completed two bouts of moderate or vigorous exercise. The vigorous workout involved exercising on a treadmill to the point where they could no longer tolerate the intensity, and moderate exercise involved a 30-minute session, also on a treadmill, at a pace the women selected for themselves but could be considered moderate.

All women also wore an accelerometer, a small device the size of a match box, to track their energy expenditure and their time spent in activities of different intensities.

The study found that moderate intensity exercise caused more women to report later that they were in a better mood and to have greater feelings of energy, psychological wellbeing and "self-efficacy."

Moderate physical activity was also much better in these terms for obese and out of shape women, Elavsky said.

Vigorous exercisers showed smaller benefits to mood, and those who were overweight or had symptoms of illness reported "significant decreases in calmness" after the exercise bouts.

Examples of moderate intensity exercise include brisk walking, ballroom and line dancing, biking on level ground or with few hills, canoeing, general gardening including raking, trimming shrubs, sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis (doubles) and water aerobics.

Elavsky added she hopes her study will reaffirm to women that exercise can be a powerful way to enhance their wellbeing, and that they don't have to go all out with their level of exertion.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/30/middle-aged-women-happier-with-moderate-exercise/#ixzz1bQQVRQgF