WELLNESS TIPS

Did you know that April is prime season for Asthma and Allergies? Seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly called hay fever, can leave you feeling sick and desperately searching for relief.

While it is impossible to completely avoid allergies-inducing irritants, you can minimize exposure. Understand how to manage your symptoms using these great tips:

• Stay inside when the pollen count is high
• Keep windows closed and use air-conditioning as much as possible
• Replace air-conditioning and heating filters often
• Use indoor air cleaning systems
• Keep humidifiers clean and free of mold
• Think about removing carpets—they accumulate allergens 100 times more than bare floors

Remember, pollen settles on your pet’s fur; hugging your hound might aggravate your symptoms.

Body mass index (BMI), which was established in 1998 by The National Institute of Health, estimates a persons body fat and health risks. For most people, the BMI provides a more accurate estimate of a persons weight-related health risks over the standard height and weight tables or weight alone.

The BMI estimates your percentage of body fat using your height and weight. Based on this estimate, if your BMI numbers are at or above 25, you are considered unhealthy and could be at an increased risk of having higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, diabetes and risk of heart disease and stroke.

With the cooler months approaching, this is a great time to get your vegetables by making hearty soups and stews using vegetable broth, beans, vegetables and brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Warm yourself up from the inside out.

According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, "The salad is the main meal." Eat your salad first and fill up on healthy greens. If you are still hungry, move on to cooked greens.

Keep a food diary! It will help you track what you are eating. Later on, you can refer back to help troubleshoot any problems that you may have.

If you are trying to move to a diet without animal products and are having a hard time, try replacing some of your favorite meat and dairy products with soy counterparts. As you get adjusted to these, you can begin to fade them out as well.

Eating foods that are rich in phytochemicals is a great way to ward off diseases such as cancer. Some of the well-known phytochemicals are lycopene in tomatoes, isoflavones in soy and flavanoids in fruits. Foods containing phytochemicals are already part of our daily diet. In fact, most foods contain phytochemicals except for some refined foods such as sugar or alcohol. Foods, which are rich in phytochemicals, are: whole grains, vegetables, beans, fruits and herbs. The easiest way to get your phytochemicals is to eat more fruit (blueberries, cranberries, cherries, apple,...) and vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, broccoli,...). It is recommended daily to have at least 5 to 9 servings of fruits or vegetable. Fruits and vegetables are also rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber and low in saturated fat.

With a little color in your diet, you can add years to your life!

(For more information, please see www.phytochemicals.info/)

Are you interested in increasing your fitness level, but are afraid of joining the gym? Maybe you have heard the recent guidelines about walking 10,000 steps per day as a way to lose weight or maintain your current weight. How far is 10,000 steps anyway? The average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and 10,000 steps is close to 5 miles.

Wearing a pedometer is an easy way to track your steps each day. Start by wearing a pedometer every day for one week. Put it on when you get up in the morning and wear it until bed time. Record your daily steps in a log or notebook. By the end of the week you will know your average daily steps. You might be surprised how many (or how few) steps you get in each day.

Find ways to increase the number of steps that you may walk daily: Here are some examples:

Instead of driving around looking for a parking spot close to the door, park in a far away spot and walk the extra few steps Get up to change the television channel, instead of using the remote control Use the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator Take a walk around during your lunch/dinner break For more information, please visit www.thewalkingsite.com and click on the 10,000 Steps link. And as always, please see your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

1. Stop buying cigarettes. Cold turkey is typically the most effective way to be free from the tobacco addiction.
2. Start working out. Running, aerobics, or high-intensity weight lifting all boost a smoker's will to quit smoking.
3. Spend more time in no-smoking activities, with non-smokers. This will reduce the amount of "reinforcement" from those who don't choose life over addiction.
4. Make it a rule that nobody can smoke in your home and/or your car. Besides, smoking in these places damages them and lowers their value.
5. Pick a month and declare it "no smoking month."
6. Volunteer as an orderly at the local hospital, for 3 months. Ask to be assigned an area dedicated to smoking-related illnesses. This will definitely boost your motivation.
7. Visit your library and check out one "quit smoking" book, tape, or video every other week. The continual reinforcement and good ideas will help you win.