Carole Carson

Life Is All about Choices. So What Are Yours?

Every day, I make choices: to get up on time or sleep late. Brush my teeth or skip the cleaning. Take my prescription pills or skip the medicine. Drink a cup of coffee or fix a pot of tea. Clean the kitchen sink or let the chore wait. Sweep the floor or step over the crumbs. I’ve made six  decisions in the first few minutes of being awake.

In response to the question of how many decisions we make a day, one reader gave this calculation on Amazon’s Askville website: If the average waking day is 1,000 minutes and five decisions are made a minute, then we make 5,000 decisions a day. No wonder we go to bed tired.

Big decisions get our full attention, as do decisions on how we spend our two most precious resources: time and money. But choices we make about our emotional outlook are not as transparent, yet they are just as important, if not more so, in determining the quality of our life—even our health.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, “Poor emotional health can weaken your body's immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking medicine that your doctor prescribes. Abuse of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs may also be a sign of poor emotional health.”

We humans are creatures of habit, so unless we stay conscious, we’ll drift into repeating the same emotional response independent of the circumstances. Over time, our attitude can become so ingrained in our personality that family members and coworkers describe us as cheerful or grumpy, as if our point of view was programmed into our DNA.

As a reminder of the cafeteria of choices I have when choosing perspectives, I came up with a word game. On one side, I list the negative perspective; on the other side, I list the positive viewpoint. To make the challenge more difficult, the opposing adjectives must begin with the same letter of the alphabet.

Here’s my list:

alienated              affectionate
jaded                    joyful
cowardly              courageous
disappointed        delighted
judgmental           judicious
greedy                 generous
hateful                 harmonious
defeated               daring
bitter                    broad-minded
failed                    flourishing
careless                cautious               

Can you add to the list? Remember—the adjectives must begin with the same letter yet have an opposite or contrasting meaning.

You can decide to play this word game knowing that your time is well spent. Just as you engage in physical exercise to strengthen your muscles and bones, you need to engage in mental exercises to strengthen your emotional health. This word game also reinforces an essential truth—that a happy life isn’t the result of what happens to us, but rather what happens in us.

The path to a happy life is paved with the small decisions we make every day. We can choose to be happy when we wake up in the morning, whether by reaching out to connect with a friend or deciding to enjoy a beautiful blue sky with fluffy white clouds on our walk. Engaging in this exercise reminds us that we must take control of our emotional health if we are to live well and happily every day of our lives.

Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, is credited with saying that “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” To paraphrase her quote in this context, how we feel on a moment-to-moment basis is, of course, what determines whether we lead a happy life.

What Is the Relationship between Lifestyle and Medical Problems?

As a health and fitness coach, I often ask experts to share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden, the comedical director of the Sutter Downtown Integrative Health program in Sacramento, California.

I asked Dr. Max (as her patients call her), “What is the relationship between lifestyle and the medical problems your patients come to you for?” Her answer follows:

As a practicing internist, I see many patients in my office who are dealing with medical symptoms and diseases that are the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices—poor nutritional intake, excessive caloric intake, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco abuse, chronic stress, ongoing unhappiness and social isolation.

Over time, these choices have led to a costly epidemic of many chronic medical conditions, including obesity, heart and vascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, arthritis and cancer. The good news is that the human body has a phenomenal capacity to heal, even after many years of poor self-care.

When we clean up our diets by eating less meat and more plant-based foods; when we exercise, cut calories and lose weight; and when we slow down and savor our lives more, we give ourselves the opportunity to heal, and our bodies often respond miraculously. It's never too late to begin. Healing is yours when you focus your intention, attention and action on what you want for yourself.

As her comments convey, Dr. Max strongly believes in the capacity of the human body, psyche and spirit to heal, given the appropriate environment. Through treatment of her patients and through her writing, Dr. Max guides and informs individuals on the positive effects of lifestyle choices—including nutrition and exercise—on health and wellness.

Maxine Barish-Wreden, MD

Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden is the coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Secrets of Longevity and also coauthors a syndicated newspaper column with her medical partner, Dr. Kay Judge. Dr. Max holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of Maryland and graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She has a long-term interest in complementary medicine, particularly the mind-body-spirit connection.

Three Ideas That Thwart Solutions to the Medical Care Crisis

The medical delivery system is under pressure to provide quality health care despite these dire trends:

• reduced access because of the closing of community hospitals and low-cost clinics,
• staggering increases in the cost of drugs, medical treatment and insurance,
• an increasing reluctance of HMO’s to refer patients to specialists, and
• a dramatic increase in the number of uninsured, now estimated at 50 million and growing.

I could also mention the loss of physicians who are retiring because they can no longer afford malpractice insurance as well as the decline of the number of malpractice insurance carriers. Or I could note the number of individuals trapped in jobs or unable to start their own business because of the fear of losing medical coverage. Or the uninsured or underinsured families who are only one major illness away from bankruptcy. Nor did I mention seniors who are cutting medicine dosages in half to make prescriptions last longer, or who are forced to choose between groceries and life-sustaining medicine.

Experts are thwarted in their efforts to bring about reforms in the medical care delivery system by three ideas. The ideas and their implications follow (FIT):

F: Free us from the food police and others who would penalize us for lifestyle choices. Like the right to bear arms, individual choice is as American as apple pie and baseball. Overthrow the diet dictators so we can preserve the right to choose what, when, where and how much we eat and drink. We don’t need report cards on our kids’ weight either.
   
Lifestyle choices have financial consequences. Of the trillions spent each year on health care, an estimated 70 percent is the result of medical conditions associated with poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Financial necessity dictates that health educators and policymakers experiment find ways to influence our behavior, such as taxing soft drinks or increasing insurance premiums for overweight members.

Another approach involves educating consumers on the content of food. The assumption is that once informed, consumers will make healthier choices and reduce the risk of medical complications associated with being overweight.

Using this approach, the city of New York pioneered a requirement that restaurants post the caloric content of food. At the time it was introduced, health officials estimated that 150,000 fewer New Yorkers would become obese and 30,000 will avoid getting diabetes in five years.  California and other states followed suit.

Caloric information gives citizens useful information, just as road signs make driving safer. But just as the driver still determines the route and destination, the customer still enjoys the freedom of choice.

I: Indulge today and fix the medical condition tomorrow. Using advanced technology and drugs, modern medicine can take care of whatever damage I inflict to my body over time.

Despite medical advances, treatments to reverse chronic conditions are limited. By the time symptoms appear from long term chronic illnesses, considerable damage has occurred. Treatments may slow the progression of the condition, minimize the symptoms or halt further damage, but treatments cannot turn back the clock. Nor can doctors eliminate the suffering or premature death that may result from chronic medical problems. And whether a person is insured, underinsured or uninsured, chronic conditions eat away at savings, forcing some into bankruptcy. Health is wealth takes on added meaning.

T: Total the cost of medical expenses resulting from my poor eating and lifestyle habits and send the bill to my employer or taxpayers.
   
Living the good life and then shifting the cost of medical care to employers or the government is a dicey proposition. Employers are struggling to absorb rising premiums: the annual cost to insure a family of four in 2012 will reach $20,000. Rather than risk competitiveness in the marketplace, employers may reduce benefits or eliminate medical insurance altogether. According to some experts, employer-based insurance programs are likely to unravel in the future, leaving hundreds of employees uninsured.
     
As a result of the economic downturn, governments, like families, are facing their own funding crises. Many are facing huge deficits that are likely to grow even larger. An increase in taxes is always a hard sell to voters and will be especially so in this environment. Consequently, individuals and families may have difficulty finding public sources to fund medical costs.
   
Taken together, these beliefs tempt us to believe that scarcity of funding is the problem. If only our government had trillions of dollars to fund medical expenses, we could enjoy good health. But even if we had unlimited funds to cover the rising costs of medical care, our citizens would not enjoy good health, simply because medical care expenses are incurred after diseases have struck.

What we need is health care that keeps us from requiring medical care in the first place. We need programs that keep us out of hospitals and doctors' offices and make prescription drugs unnecessary.

Today, the lion’s share of funding is used for medical expenses that are incurred after illness has struck. This is the equivalent of closing the door after the horse is out of the barn. Rather than building elaborate structures to contain the escaped horse, why not close the barn door?

For example, the person who has accumulated surplus pounds is at risk for a number of life-threatening illnesses and diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and gall bladder disease. This is true whether the person is insured, underinsured or uninsured. Health will elude this person until healthful habits are adopted, and no amount of funding can compensate for the absence of personal responsibility in the care and maintenance of our bodies.

Discussions about where to assign the costs of medical care are far less fruitful than discussions about how to create effective health care programs that prevent disease and the development of chronic conditions in the first place.

Much is being said and written about the medical care crisis. Criticism of various social experiments to alter our behavior will trigger strong reactions. Arkansas, for example, pulled back on its use of obesity report cards due to negative feedback from parents. Others warn us about nationalizing medical care. One often-expressed view: “If you think medical care in this country is expensive now, wait until it’s free!” Others will raise the frightening prospect of rationed medical care.

No doubt our nation will muddle through this predicament as we’ve muddled through others in the past. As we work toward a solution, however, theoretical discussions, such as this one, will be cold comfort to individuals caught in the medical crisis.

While we wait for a shift in the national mindset that, of necessity, must lead to innovative programs, we can still act in our own sphere of influence. Each of us can adopt habits that promote good health throughout our lives. This strategy is implicit in Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s observation: “Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.” Maybe the best aspect of Dr. Schweitzer’s idea is that there’s never a wait because the doctor is always in and the service is free.

An Innovative Approach to the Sitting Epidemic: Chairish Your Health

Unless you are employed in landscaping, agriculture, construction, fishing or manufacturing, chances are good that you are sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day. On average, American employees spend two-thirds of their working hours seated. And even when employees are seated, technology is reducing their calorie expenditure. For example, inputting content on a manual typewriter 30 years ago required 100 more calories a day than inputting the same content on an electronic keyboard requires today.

Once home, American families enjoy over five hours of daily television. Add the time spent playing video games, listening to the radio, reading, eating meals, texting, talking on the cell phone and studying, and you can understand how the total number of seated hours can easily exceed 50 hours each week.

As our sedentary time increases, so does our knowledge of its harmful effects. Sitting reduces our calorie-burning rate and insulin effectiveness. A lowered metabolism makes losing weight difficult. Sitting is so damaging that one Australian study found that “the risk of dying increased by 11 percent for each additional hour of television a person sat and watched per day.”

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who coined the term sitting epidemic has proposed that we make a point to stand up and move about at periodic intervals throughout our day to offset the damaging impact. At home, he suggests we walk on a treadmill or sit on an exercise ball while watching television.

A second—and innovative—approach is suggested by Jodi Stolove, who is seeking to create an epidemic of active sitting with the creation of chair dancing exercise programs. Instead of exhorting us to get out of our chairs, Jodi tells us to sit down and work out using one of her chair dancing DVD programs.

I heard about Jodi’s innovative work in Southern California through a mutual friend and asked Jodi the following questions:

CC: Why is it so hard to commit to regular exercise? What are common excuses for not exercising?
 
JS: I created chair dancing exercises after hearing multiple excuses from participants in my weight-loss group who were not exercising. When asked to walk regularly, members claimed their feet hurt or their knees bothered them. It was too cold or it was too hot. It wasn't safe to walk in their neighborhood. Swimming or water aerobics weren’t an option because inconvenience and embarrassment about their bodies kept them out of a pool. And getting down on the floor to do uncomfortable maneuvers wasn’t physically possible.

CC: How did you get interested in chair exercises? What led to your project?

JS: At age 26, I was physically fit and taught 20 or so weekly dance and exercise classes. While teaching a dance aerobics class I broke my foot. In a cast and on crutches for 12 weeks, I had to come up with a way to keep working out. The solution was to teach exercise and dance classes sitting down, and I was surprised when I realized I was getting great exercise!

From there, I taught the chair dancing exercises on a cruise. After that, I went on to teach a weight-loss class for Kaiser Permanente. Today, I present chair dancing exercises at conferences and teach dance and fitness classes. In addition, I'm a full-time mother.

CC: Can exercising overcome bad eating habits (like eating too much of the wrong foods—or even of the right foods)? Is exercise alone sufficient to lose weight?

JS: Exercise is the closest miracle solution we have for weight loss and, more importantly, for weight maintenance. One of my programs, The Answer Is Not in the Refrigerator, focuses on breaking the cycle of binge eating by relieving tension through exercise. How we feel about ourselves and our bodies is affected by exercise. Exercise can help us look and feel healthy. We feel disciplined and competent; consequently, we eat more discriminately.

CC: What are specific benefits of chair dancing exercises? Who most benefits from the workouts?

JS: Sitting down during exercise eliminates most of the stubborn obstacles that otherwise keep us from engaging in an ongoing fitness routine. Individuals can exercise conveniently in the privacy of their own home, in any shoes or clothing, in a limited amount of space or time and in any weather.
 
While the programs give a good workout to the already physically fit, they are ideal for beginners who need to work their way back into shape, those with injuries (such as low back pain) or medical conditions (such as arthritis) and those trapped indoors by inclement weather.

But the programs also serve individuals who are intimidated by exercise programs that involve jumping, coordination or aerobic capacity. For these individuals, chair dancing exercises give them a safe way to exercise. As they get into shape, they can graduate to more strenuous forms of exercise.
 
I’ve also designed the programs to address three fitness levels: gentle, moderate and high energy—from no sweat to dewy! In addition, my stretching, flexibility and relaxation programs (Chair Yoga and Simply Stretch) are particularly good at reducing stress and putting people to sleep.

CC: For seniors and those who are significantly overweight or out of shape, is it ever too late to begin exercising?

JS: No, definitely not. I routinely talk with individuals in their 80s and 90s who are using chair dancing exercises to stay in shape. One woman, who was 104, was using my chair dance exercises in her assisted care center.

My programs are responsive to everyone—individuals who are significantly overweight and out of shape, seniors with medical conditions or injuries and individuals simply wanting to improve their fitness in a fun, sustainable way. I stress functional fitness, that is, making tasks of everyday living easier and safer due to stronger muscles, strengthened core stability and better balance.

CC: What impact have you had on the people around you? What is your vision? What is your goal?

In the past 20 years I have received hundreds of letters of gratitude. One woman wrote:

I bought this DVD because I need to exercise, but I have trouble with my knees It's not at all hard to follow, but you do work up a sweat, so you're getting a good workout.

Another wrote:
 
I ordered this for my mother. To get her started, I did the workout with her, and it's awesome! She loves it as well!

And another:

I recently suffered a low back injury and have since gained weight. This product is great because I can get in a good workout without being in a great deal of pain.

My goal is to encourage individuals to exercise, especially those who feel defeated by demanding work schedules, injuries or age. Because our health depends on incorporating exercise into our daily lives, I’ve worked to create exercises anyone can do and have fun while doing them. I’ve put previews of my 10 programs on my website, along with free sample workouts, so individuals can see and experience the benefits for themselves.
 
CC: Your photograph reveals a beautiful 52-year-old woman. Looking at your photograph makes me wonder if it isn’t hard for overweight, discouraged individuals to identify with you. Some might say, “Well, easy for you to say how to get fit. You’re blessed with a gorgeous figure and good health.”
 
JS: On the contrary—I was chubby as a child. What saved me from a lifetime of pudginess was that I loved to move in my body. I loved to dance, swim, play table tennis and take long walks. Of course, at this early age, I didn’t know about the mind-body connection, stress reduction or how a strong body made daily functions easier. All I knew was that I felt good, happy, energized when I was moving. The weight came off when I was 14 years old, and I’ve kept it off since through my love of movement.

I believe we are meant to move our magnificent bodies, and I feel most alive when I am moving. This is the joy that I want to share with others by encouraging them to move in their bodies.

There you have it—two solutions to the sitting epidemic proposed by two experts. Stand up and start moving or sit down and start chair dancing. Whatever your choice, as long as you are in motion, you’ll enjoy the extraordinary benefits of healthful exercise.

Photo courtesy of Jodi Stolove

Eating Done Right: Dandelion Greens—Food of the Week

Now that spring is here and your grass is green, you may not have to go to the grocery store for salad ingredients. Instead, gather some dandelion greens from your yard. If you don’t have a lawn, walk around the neighborhood. No doubt you’ll make new friends who will want to know what you are doing when they see you on your hands and knees gathering up dandelion greens for dinner.

My mother frequently assigned the chore of gathering greens to whatever kid was the handiest. Since we lived on a farm in Iowa, our yard could hardly be described as landscaped. Consequently, we didn’t have far to go to gather a bagful of greens. We picked the greens early in the season, because the greens tend to become bitter once the flowers bloom. But we also picked dandelion greens after the first frost because the cold kills off their bitter taste. (Iowans also use dandelions for wine making. I tried the wine once. Let’s just say that dandelions are no threat to grapes.)

My mother’s sense of nutrition was as sound as it was frugal. To begin with, dandelion greens are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. A good source of folate, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, dandelions also provide dietary fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, thiamine, riboflavin and a host of vitamins: A, C, E and K. Dandelion greens are a nutrition powerhouse.

You can use dandelion greens in a salad or add them to stir-fries and soup. If you’re not prepared for a slightly bitter taste, you can mix the greens with sweet vegetables, such as carrots, peas, rutabagas, beets or sweet potatoes. 
Here’s a basic recipe for a simple, yet different side dish:

Sautéed Dandelion Greens

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame or rice oil
1 bunch dandelion greens, chopped (about 4 cups)
Sea salt or soy sauce to taste

In a wok or sauté pan, sauté the garlic and onion in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the dandelion greens and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt or soy sauce, cover, reduce heat and cook until the dandelion greens are tender but their color is still vivid, about 2 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Bon appétit!

P.S. Do you have a dandelion recipe to share?

Photo courtesy of Alfred Borchard

Unraveling the Mystery of Weight Loss

If you try to stay current on the latest insights on weight loss, you quickly realize how multifaceted the issue is. Like a three-dimensional kaleidoscope, the picture is constantly changing.

The following items provide insight into obesity as the new social norm, the impact of yo-yo dieting, one person’s 300-pound weight loss and the surprising success of virtual weight-loss programs:

Is Obesity the New Norm? Surplus weight and sedentary behavior are becoming increasingly common among Americans, yet our oversized bodies concern us less than ever. According to a national survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation, personal focus on weight loss is at an all-time low. In addition, participants surveyed reported less activity in 2011 than in 2010, and many of the participants said they don’t count calories. Even more surprising, although fewer participants acknowledged being overweight, statistical data suggests that participants had packed on more pounds than they realized.

Yo-Yo Diets Better Than No Diet at All: In a recent reversal of longstanding warnings about the dangers of yo-yo dieting, researchers found that losing and regaining weight is less damaging to one’s health than a sustained high-fat diet. In a study conducted at Ohio University, mice that dieted on and off lived 25 percent longer than mice that consumed a constant high-calorie diet. While these findings are encouraging, some dietitians and health professionals are urging caution. “Often these quick-fix diets cut out major food groups and can be socially isolating,” said consultant dietitian Sian Porter, of the British Dietetic Association. Commenting further, Porter noted, “Mice aren’t people. I think this falls into the category of very interesting but it would be more interesting if replicated in humans.”

Woman Loses 300 Pounds the Old-Fashioned Way: If you weighed nearly 600 pounds, how much courage would it take to even try to lose weight through eating less and exercising more? Shannon Davis lost 300 pounds the old-fashioned way—through diet, exercise, determination and commitment. When questioned about her approach, Davis replied, “There is no magic bullet.” She added, “It’s not easy. It’s simple sweat equity.” Davis also emphasized the importance of associating with like-minded fitness friends. “It’s so important to surround yourself with the best people, people who won’t sabotage you, won’t say, ‘I don’t think you‘re going to make it today, won’t put you down.’”

Virtual Weight-Loss Programs Just as Effective as Traditional Programs in Promoting Weight Loss: Researchers are surprised to find that online or virtual weight-loss communities are just as effective as real communities in helping individuals who want to lose weight. In addition, the studies indicated some surprising findings: members of the virtual communities tended to develop healthier habits than their real-world counterparts. “The virtual world program was at least as beneficial as the face-to-face program and in some ways, more effective," said Jeanne Johnston, assistant professor of kinesiology at Indiana University. "It has the potential to reach people who normally wouldn't go to a gym or join a program because of limitations, such as time or discomfort with a fitness center environment."

With the increasing financial toll rendered by an increasingly oversized population, hundreds of scientists around the globe are seeking insight into how we can gain control of our weight and improve our health. Surely with weight loss receiving this much attention, we’ll experience a breakthrough in the next decade. In the meantime, researchers will continue to piece together the fascinating bits of this colorful puzzle.

Photo courtesy of Rodrigo Roveri

 

Four Tips for Achieving Weight Loss

Now never seems like the right time to focus on weight loss and fitness. Yet the present moment is all we ever have.

Whatever the season or whatever the reason, losing weight always begins with a single thought that leads to a private decision to get fit. Maybe a health problem triggers the resolve, or maybe the number on the bathroom scale has become worrisomely high.

Whatever sparks the initial decision, to succeed in achieving our goals, we must take action. Here are four tips that others have used to empower themselves in their pursuit of fitness and weight loss:

1. Manage your appetite. Fight off hunger cravings by eating filling and healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. If you still feel hungry after a meal, drink a glass of water or take a brisk walk.
2. Make a commitment to move. Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. (Exercising 60-90 minutes per day is optimal.) Boost your metabolism by training with weights to build lean muscle and reshape your body.
3. Plan what to eat and eat according to plan. Eat a healthy morning and afternoon snack (such as fruit) to keep cravings at bay. Avoid the temptation of unhealthy foods by planning ahead and stocking the pantry with healthful, tasty choices. Eat off small plates and assign half to fruits and vegetables, a fourth to lean protein and the last fourth to whole grains. Keep a food journal to track what foods you eat and how much. Use a scale to measure food portions. 
4. Become a student. When shopping, read ingredient labels carefully. Learn new (and healthful) foods to eat. Experiment with family-favorite recipes to reduce calories. Prepare for setbacks and learn from your mistakes. If you see a small weight gain during a daily weigh-in, don’t be discouraged. Instead of quitting, recommit.

Your opportunity to look and feel your best is embedded in the present moment. Begin today.

Are You NEAT Enough to Stay Trim?

If you think I am talking about tidiness, you’re wrong. NEAT refers to Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

That’s a mouthful. To understand the concept, think about it this way. You’re sitting in a chair, watching television—a sedentary state. The effort of sitting upright burns about five extra calories an hour compared to the calories you would burn if you were sleeping. Or you walk briskly for one mile and burn 100 calories. This activity is exercise. Everything else is NEAT.

NEAT is important because it significantly influences whether we gain weight or stay trim and fit, according to research conducted by James Levine, an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Levine confirmed that people who spend their waking hours sitting weigh more than people who move around. His conclusion? Living in a chair-based environment can result in obesity.

Unfortunately, the chair-based environment is everywhere. We may sit at a table to eat breakfast, sit in a car or bus on our way to work and sit during our workday. We may sit during lunch and sit driving home, only to sit before the television with a remote control in hand. On the weekend, we may sit through a movie, ride a lawn mower or snow blower or sit in a car as we pick up fast food at a drive-through. For some people, 23 out of 24 waking hours are spent sitting or sleeping.

Dr. Levine has a visionary plan to create more opportunities for NEAT that will get us moving and keep us fit and trim. He’s designing dynamic environments for offices where work stations are mounted on treadmills. Instead of meeting in rooms with tables and chairs, employees conduct meetings while walking on specially designed parallel tracks. Walking side by side, the employees conduct business while engaging in exercise.

Dr. Levine is also continuing an educational drive to make people aware of how much they sit and suggest ways they can introduce more movement into their lives. Walking, shopping and moving around for any reason shouldn’t be underestimated, according to Dr. Levine.

After thinking about the implications of his research, I appreciate the layout of my home even more. I live in a two-story house, so I am constantly running up and down stairs. In addition, my office is located outside the house over the garage. If I’m working in my office and want to throw in a load of laundry, I have to walk down a flight of stairs, walk upstairs to get the laundry, back downstairs to the washing machine and then back upstairs to my office. To accomplish my task, I am forced to move by the different levels.

Besides appreciating the layout of my home, I welcome Dr. Levine’s development of the NEAT concept for a distinctly female reason. His research gives me another excuse, in addition to retail therapy, to go shopping.

Give Ups to Lighten Up

Here are the top 10 give ups that can help you reduce the number on your bathroom scale:

1. Give up adopting the latest fad. Find ways to eat and exercise that match your preference and lifestyle.
2. Give up looking for the magic solution. Accept that eating differently and exercising regularly are necessary.
3. Give up eating unconsciously. Keep a food journal and record every morsel you consume.
4. Give up feeling hopeless because of past efforts. Treat prior attempts as part of the learning process.
5. Give up loathing yourself for having packed on pounds. Acknowledge your body for the gift of life.
6. Give up dieting. Find an eating regimen that you find enjoyable that doesn’t pack on pounds.
7. Give up trying to be perfect. Accept that you will make progress, backslide and then get back on track.
8. Give up trying to lose weight alone. Create a team of supporters and encourage each other. 
9. Give up blaming genetics, lack of time or medical issues. Take responsibility for your choices.
10. Give up viewing the task of losing weight as a problem. Challenge yourself to begin an exciting journey of self-exploration.

Are you ready to make changes in your life? Let me know what you decide.

Eating Done Right: Kale—Food of the Week

If greens were ranked by status, kale would be wearing the crown. First cousin to cabbage and collards, kale is loaded with beta carotene and vitamins A, C and K. Kale also contains valuable nutrients, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances that are useful in preventing bladder, breast, colon, ovary and prostate cancers.

Kale is also a low-calorie food. One cup of chopped kale has only 36 calories. A good source of dietary fiber, kale is also low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

If you search www.allrecipes.com, you can find many ways to prepare kale. A simple way is to tear the kale into small pieces and steam it. Add seasonings to taste, and you have a satisfying side dish. Kale chips can also replace potato chips. For a winter vegetable hash, mix kale with winter vegetables (such as mushrooms, potatoes, red pepper and acorn squash). Add kale to your scrambled eggs in the morning for a healthy breakfast frittata. Or create a kale and potato frittata for an easy-to-prepare nightly meal.

Kale soup also makes a hearty main dish. Kale and bean soup recipes are numerous; here’s one that I found in the Fall 2010 issue of World Ark, a magazine published by Heifer International. I revised the recipe and added some options to lower the calories.

Kale Soup
Serves 4 to 6

1/2 pound ground sausage (such as Italian, linquica or chorizo) or chopped ham. (Optional)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic oil
1/2 to 1 bunch kale, washed and chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
14.5-ounce can cannellini, kidney or garbanzo beans, drained and washed
1/2 cup potato flakes (optional)
3/4 cup potatoes, diced (optional)

Directions

Brown the sausage in a large pot and cook thoroughly. Remove the sausage and set aside. Sauté the onion in the liquid from the sausage. Add the tablespoon of olive oil if additional liquid is needed. When the onion is translucent, add the broth, beans and sausage. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Add the kale and simmer for 10 additional minutes. For a thicker soup, add the potato flakes during the last 3 minutes of cooking or purée one cup of the soup in a blender or with a food wand and return to the pot.

Bon appétit.

Photo courtesy of James Wilsher