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Author: Anne

Five Tips to Keep You From Getting Sick.

Here are five tips to keep you and your family healthy this winter:

1. Wash your hands – especially before and after you eat, and if someone in your home or office is sick.  I know this one is a no brainer but you’d be surprised how important this is. Most germs get into our system when we touch a contaminated object and them touch our eyes, nose or mouth. A recent study found that college students sitting at their computers touched their faces on average 40 times an hour. For small children this number is nearly 60 times an hour.

2. Follow the new ‘cough etiquette’, which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as teaching children to turn their heads and cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue or the inside of their elbow if they don’t have a tissue, instead of simply coughing or sneezing onto their hands, which will then spread their germs onto everything they touch.

3. Avoid close contact with people when you are sick. It isn’t really possible to completely avoid people who are sick, so it is likely better if you just avoid exposing other people to your germs when you or your kids are sick. So don’t go to school, daycare, work, etc., if you are sick with the flu.

4. Drink Water.  Lots of water.  I shoot for at least 60 -80 ounces per day.  If you get sick of drinking plain water jazz it up with a shot of juice or kombucha.

5. Get a massage.  Regular massage treatments are not only for pain relief and relaxation.  Massage increases your circulation and lymph flow which in turn boosts your immune system.  I receive massage at least once or twice a month.

What is your wellness plan for this winter?

Baked Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, folate, Vitamin B complex, omega 3 fatty acids, copper and tryptophan.

Try this yummy side dish at your next holiday dinner.

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8 teaspoons unsalted butter
Fresh grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375º. Place the squash halves, cut side up, in a large baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup, vinegar and lemon juice. Brush the squash with the maple syrup mixture, and then dot each squash with a teaspoon of butter and sprinkle of nutmeg. Bake about an hour, or until tender.

When I made this recipe I found the easiest way to halve the squash is to stand them stem side down on a cutting board and work a sharp chef’s knife seesaw-style down the squash from the point to the stem.

New You New Year Pilates and Yoga Workshop in Sunny Florida

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Join Anne for a weekend of Pilates and Yoga January 1st and 2nd in Ft. Walton Beach Florida.  In this two day workshop hosted by Northwest Florida Ballet you will learn core strengthening exercises that help you alleviate low back pain, build long lean muscles, and increase your flexibility.

We will send you home with an easy to follow program you can do anywhere with little to no equipment.   No time?  No space?  No more excuses.  Come learn some new moves or refine the basics with this fun, all levels workshop.

Yoga For Pain Relief Case Study Results

Last month’s yoga series was a huge success! Thanks to all my ladies who participated. We met once a week for six weeks for ninety minutes of restorative, gentle yoga. Our focus was chronic pain relief and we recorded pain levels at every session.

All of our participants reported lower pain levels by the end of the six weeks. One client reduced her chronic pain by six points, going from a 7 out of 10 at week one to a 1 out of 10 at week six! All noticed increased breath and postural awareness and greater ease of movement during their daily activities.

I know yoga can seem intimidating if you have never set foot in a studio. To quote Martin Luther King: “You don’t have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step”

 

What can yoga do for you? If you are interested in forming your own small group or joining one of our ongoing classes contact Anne – 503-705-4762.

Panel Urges Mamograms at 50, not 40.

According to this N. Y. Times Article a recent study suggest healthy women with no unusual risk factors for breast cancer should start regular breast cancer screening at age 50, not age 40 as previously suggested.  The study also suggests women have mammograms less frequently – every two years as opposed to yearly.

The guidelines were based on new data and were aimed at reducing the potential harm from overscreening.  In order to formulate its guidelines, the task force used new data from mammography studies in England and Sweden and also commissioned six groups to make statistical models to analyze the aggregate data. The models were the only way to answer questions like how much extra benefit do women get if they are screened every year.

The article states:

It was still a tough call to make, according to Dr. Berg, the task force chairman.  Adding that “we pointed out that the benefit will be quite small.” In fact, he added, even though mammograms are of greater benefit to older women, they still prevent only a small fraction of breast cancer deaths.

Different women will weigh the harms and benefits differently, Dr. Berg noted, but added that even for women 50 and older, “it would be perfectly rational for a woman to decide she didn’t want to do it.”

But the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology both said they were staying with their guidelines advising annual mammograms starting at age 40.

One point to consider in this debate is that while early detection can result in lives saved, mammograms and even self breast exams can be anxiety producing.  They can also give false-positive results.  Younger women have denser breast tissue making a correct diagnosis more difficult.

Ultimately the choice of when to start regular screenings should be up to you and your physician.  What are your thoughts on this?