Housing & Residence Life Wellness Blog

Do you want to buy healthy food but feel it is too expensive?  Follow these tips to help you save money at the grocery store!

1. Buy produce in season. Check the food section in your newspaper to find the best buys for the week, based on fresh produce in season. During the summer months, corn on the cob can cost as little as 10 cents an ear; at other times of the year, it may cost 10 times as much.

2. Use sales and coupons. Planning meals around what’s on sale can lower your grocery bills, especially if you also use coupons (make sure they’re for item you would buy anyway). Sunday newspapers are full of coupons and sales circulars to get you started.

3. Brown-bag it.  Making lunch and taking it with you is a great money-saver and an excellent use of leftovers for meals at work, school, or wherever your destination. Pack a simple sandwich, salad, soup, wrap, and/or a hearty snack of cheese. Use freezer packs and containers to keep food at the proper temperature unless you have access to a refrigerator.

4. Think frozen, canned, or dried. Next time you’re gathering ingredients for a recipe, try using frozen, canned, or dried foods. They may be less expensive than fresh, yet are equally nutritious. Produce is typically frozen, canned, or dried at the peak of ripeness, when nutrients are plentiful. Fish and poultry are often flash-frozen to minimize freezer damage and retain freshness. With frozen foods, you can use only the amount you need, reseal the package, and return it to the freezer. If it’s properly stored, there’s no waste. Canned foods are often sitting in a bath of juice, syrup, or salty water, and usually require rinsing. Dried fruits are concentrated in flavor and a great substitute for fresh fruit. Also consider using powdered or evaporated versions of milk in soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes, or desserts. Buy the form that gives you the best price for your needs. 

5. Buy and cook in bulk. Joining a bulk shopping club, like Sam’s, Costco, or BJ’s, can be cost-effective if you frequent the club regularly. Bulk purchases can be a great way to save money — as long as they get used. You might also look in your community for shopping cooperatives that sell food in bulk at a substantial savings. Cooking in bulk can save both money and time, says Tallmadge. “Prepare food in bulk and freeze into family-sized portions, which saves time in the kitchen,” she suggests. For example, making a big batch of tomato sauce will less expensive (and probably tastier) than buying some.

6. Plant a garden. For benefits that go beyond cost savings, plant your own produce. There’s nothing better than a summer-fresh tomato from the garden. Tomatoes even grow well in containers if you don’t have space for a garden, and some neighborhoods offer community gardening spaces. Start small, and see how easy it is to grow fresh herbs or a few simple vegetables. And if you invest a little time in freezing or canning your harvest, you can enjoy summer’s bounty all year long.

Want more tips?  Visit: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/10-ways-save-money-food-shopping?page=1

While you definitely have a lot of experience sleeping, how well do you understand some common sleep problems?

If you wake up in the middle of the night it is best to stay in bed. – FALSE

If you’ve been lying awake for a while and are frustrated that you can’t fall asleep, experts says it’s best to get up and do something else — read a book, knit, make a list of things you want to get done the next day — until you feel tired. Then go back to bed and try to sleep again.

People who work night shifts are more likely to develop diabetes. – TRUE

Studies have shown that frequent shifts in your internal clock , like working a night shift, can impair judgment, alertness, and concentration for up to a month after going back to a normal day-night schedule. Long term, disrupting your internal clock or not getting enough deep sleep can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. If you work night shifts, try not to rotate your shifts too often. And even though you might be tempted to run errands or be social during the daytime, it’s important to get enough sleep, in a darkened room, every day.

Sleep problems are more common among men than women. –FALSE

Although certain conditions, such as sleep apnea, occur more often in men, women are 30 percent more likely to have insomnia than men. Hormone changes during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause can all affect sleep. Women are also more likely to wake up in the middle of the night to care for a child. The trouble gets worse with age; among women over age 65, insomnia rates are estimated to be 50 percent higher than they are for men.

What are the signs of insomnia? Trouble falling asleep, Waking up during the night, Waking up and not feeling rested.

Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep, and different people experience it in different ways. If, for more than a few days, you have trouble sleeping, you should talk to your doctor to rule out any medical concerns and come up with a plan to help you.

To test yourself with more questions please visit: http://health.yahoo.net/caring/test-yourself-are-you-one-of-the-40-million-americans-with-a-sleep-disorder

Do you know if you are choosing the right sandwich for lunch?  Check out this article to make sure you aren’t choosing calorie-heavy sandwiches- and to find out healthier options!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-worst-sandwiches-and-wraps

Do you ever have a hard time falling asleep? It is a sad fact that most Americans do not get the amount of sleep that they need. By not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, your health and ability to concentrate may be negatively affected. Not getting enough sleep also increases the risk of getting diabetes, depression or cardiovascular disease.

Here are some great, easy ways to help you sleep better:

Limit caffeine, especially in the evening. The average American drinks at least three caffeinated beverages a day, a habit that contributes to sleepless nights. Caffeine can adversely affect REM sleep, making slumber less refreshing.

Go off the grid. One hour before bedtime, dim the lights and sign off from technology use. The bright light from small and big screens as you surf the Web, watch TV, or check emails stimulates the brain, instead of allowing it to slow down for shuteye. Also turn off your cell phone!

Cover your clock. One common mistake is keeping your alarm clock next to the bed. This helps to prevent you from waking up in regular intervals checking to see what time it is. Instead, turn the clock’s face to the wall or hide it under the bed.

Stick to a regular sleep schedule—even on weekends. It’s tempting to snooze late on the weekends to catch up on the sleep you’ve missed during a hectic week. However, this habit throws the body’s clocks out of sync, points out Harvey. Research shows that consistently arising at about the same time every day is crucial to setting and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle. In fact, it’s even more important physical and mental well-being than what time you go to bed.

For more tips please visit: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/seven-natural-ways-sleep-better

Everybody wants to be happy as often as they can.  Not only is it beneficial mentally, but it is also better for us physically.  But can we actually control whether or not we are happy?  In the mid-’90s, social scientist Ed Diener, PhD, pointed to a mountain of research suggesting that people have a “set point” level of happiness that remains relatively stable throughout life, regardless of the events they experience or the choices they make. He cited the fact that most people’s characteristic level of happiness is only temporarily affected by life events. Whether someone wins the lottery or suffers a life-altering injury, within about a year, that person tends to revert back to his or her preexisting level of well-being.  While research suggests that genes and personality do contribute a lot to happiness, they found that the choices we make influence 40% of our happiness.

So what are some ways we can choose to be happy?  Read the tips below to find out!

Socialize. Happy people have rich connections with friends and family. When you’re going through tough times, having a social support network to lean on makes a big difference. Do what it takes to stay in touch with the people who are important to you.

Care for others. We all need to pay our bills, but if we focus too much on making money and getting ahead, we miss out on the joy of living. Caring for others, whether by doing volunteer and charity work, or being there when friends and family need your help, can be a great source of joy.

Don’t overwork. Even if you have to work hard to make ends meet, give yourself a little time to smell the roses.  Besides affecting your happiness, being a workaholic can have a negative impact on your health.

Exercise. Make regular aerobic exercise a part of your daily routine.

Want more tips?  Follow this link: http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/PVN/yes-you-can-choose-to-be-happy-up-to-a-point

Cardio burns more calories than strength training. Fiction.

Contrary to long-held belief, strength training is—as new studies have shown—superior to steady-state cardio in caloric burn. In one University of Southern Maine study, participants blasted as many calories doing 30 minutes of weight training as they did running at a six-minute-per-mile pace for the same amount of time. Unless you’re Lolo Jones, strength is your best bet.

Crunches are one of the best moves to target your abs. Fiction.

Most people initiate crunches with their hip flexors without engaging much of their core. This may get the surface muscles in your abs, but it ignores the ones underneath, which are also essential to a flat stomach.

A better bet for flat abs? Focus on moves like the plank and side plan that work often-neglected areas of your core.

Exercise immediately improves your ability to learn. Fact.

It sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. In a study at the University of Muenster in Germany, participants who ran sprints learned new words 20 percent faster than those who did nothing. Other research has tied physical activity to improve attention and memory as well.

The morning is the best time of the day to exercise. Fiction.

If you have your pick of any time of the day, the late afternoon would be your ideal workout window. Muscle strength and body temperature both peak somewhere between 4 and 6 p.m., allowing you to work out heard with less effort. And you’ve eaten breakfast and lunch, meaning you’ll have much more fuel in your tank.

Studies have show that the body can adapt to peak performance at any time, though, so if you’d rather work out in the morning or evening, go for it. “The best time of day to train is the time that you’re able to actually do it. That’s most important,” notes Jack.

Skinny people are always healthier than overweight people. Fiction.

They key to good health is not just your weight.   Though belly fat in particular has been linked adverse health effects, some doctors believe it’s the invisible fat around your organs that could cause the most trouble. And this fat is prevalent in people who don’t exercise—whether they’re thin or chubby. Jimmy Bell, Ph.D., a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, has used an MRI scan on nearly 1,000 people to locate where fat is on the body. Bell found that even among those with normal BMI scores (20 to 24.9), as many as 20 percent had excessive levels of internal fat.

In short: Overweight-but-active beats thin-but-inactive any day.

Find out more fitness facts and fitness here: http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/fitness-fact-or-fiction

Here are a few tips to help you cut some fat out of your diet that are easy to do!

Slice Fat From Pizza

Always order your pizza with double tomato sauce and light cheese because tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene. Reducing the mozzarella by just one-third (you won’t miss it) will save you 20 grams (g) of fat per pie. That’s as much as in a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.

Order the Steak Fries

If you love french fries, always order the steak fries. Large-cut fries don’t absorb as much oil as shoestring or curly fries, which lowers the fat count.

Juice a Stir-Fry

With a can of frozen orange-juice concentrate, you have a great way to add flavor to stir-fried chicken (or beef) and vegetables without adding fat. Just a few spoonfuls will do. (It’s even better if you add some garlic.)

Soften Your Spread

Soften butter or margarine at room temperature or in a microwave. Chances are you’ll spread your bread with one-quarter of the fat and calories you do when you put it on cold.

Cool Your Cans

Refrigerate canned meats, soups, gravies, and other canned foods containing fat. The fat will rise to the top and collect, so you can scrape it off.

Dilute Your Fruit Juice

Fruit juice is sneaky fattening—a 16-ounce bottle of cranberry-grape blend, for instance, contains about 275 calories. Dump half and store it, then refill the bottle with water. You’ll barely notice the difference, and you’ll be cutting half the calories.

Oil Your Potato

To save calories and fat, put a splash of olive oil on your baked potato instead of the usual butter or sour cream.

Say Goodbye to Rubbery Cheese

To prevent low-fat cheese from turning to rubber in the microwave, spritz your nachos with a quick blast of cooking spray, such as Pam, before nuking them. A similar trick involves spraying the inside of a grilled-cheese sandwich before you toss it in the frying pan. This adds just enough fat to make the cheese stay gooey and creamy as it slowly melts.

Information From: http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/MH/8-ways-to-cut-fat-without-realizing-it

Heart disease is responsible for 40% of US deaths which is more than all types of cancer combined.  If you experience any of these 12 symptoms be sure to talk to your doctor right away.

Cough. Persistent coughing or wheezing can be a symptom of heart failure — a result of fluid accumulation in the lungs. In some cases, people with heart failure cough up bloody phlegm.

Dizziness. Heart attacks can cause lightheadedness and loss of consciousness.  So can potentially dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities known as arrhythmias.

Fatigue. Especially among women, unusual fatigue can occur during a heart attack as well as in the days and weeks leading up to one. And feeling tired all the time may be a symptom of heart failure.

Weakness. In the days leading up to a heart attack, as well as during one, some people experience severe, unexplained weakness.

Pain in other parts of the body. In many heart attacks, pain begins in the chest and spreads to the shoulders, arms, elbows, back, neck, jaw, or abdomen. But sometimes there is no chest pain — just pain in these other body areas.  The pain might come and go. Men having a heart attack often feel pain in the left arm. In women, the pain is more likely to be felt in both arms, or between the shoulder blades.

To view all 12 symptoms please visit:

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/12-possible-heart-symptoms-never-to-ignore

What is a detox diet? Most promote herbs, pills, potions, colonics, and/or fasts to rid the body of impurities. They also promise quick weight loss. And yes, you will shed unwanted pounds — not because of any medical magic, but because these plans are super-low in calories. Detox diets tend to be extremely restrictive, allowing only unprocessed plant foods and water, which are supposed to assist the lymph, kidneys, and liver with the detox process. The result is that it is not the unhealthy fat that is being lost, but rather your body’s proteins and water.

So are detox diets worth our time? Experts are saying that there are severe potential risks involved with the diets. Massive fluid losses upset the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance and can cause gastrointestinal distress, headaches, fatigue and irritability, and can lead to dehydration. And as for the miracle weight loss the diets promise, since a majority of the weight loss that is seen is water loss, it is all usually gained back soon after the flush is ended, and detoxification is not a diet that can be maintained long-term.

The expert review is that the best way to detox the body is to let the body do its job, and rather than looking for a quick fix, focus on watching what you are putting into your body. Once you figure out a healthy, balanced diet, stick to it.

Information from: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/demystifying-detox-diets

 Everyone knows the common effects of stress – the headache, the back pain, nausea and upset stomach – but did you know that chronic stress can also have long-term affects on the body?

Constant stress can have serious affects on the immune system, making you more likely to get sick more often.  It has also been linked to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), rheumatoid arthritis, and even low fertility and erectile problems.

The best way to cope with stress is to figure out what works for you – how can you relax your mind.  Be it writing, talking with friends, or a hobby you enjoy, in order to handle stress you need to set aside a little bit of time for yourself to relax each day. 

And make sure to stay active. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started. Even everyday activities such as housecleaning or yard work can reduce stress, and even simply stretching can relieve muscle tension.

All information taken from WebMD.

(http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/default.htm)