Wellness Archives - Page 12 of 13 - Mendocino Coast Clinics

Here at MCC, we are participating in weekly wellness challenges. It’s been so fun so far that we wanted to share them with you.

You can do each week’s wellness challenge on your own, or with a group of friends. You can even reward yourself for successfully completing the challenge!

To complete, do each challenge for four days a week, or more if you’d like to set your own rules. We usually do Monday through Thursday.

Are you ready? Here’s the first challenge: Eat breakfast every day of the challenge.

Why is eating breakfast important? Here are 5 good reasons to eat in the morning:

1. It may protect your heart

Researchers found that those who didn’t eat a morning meal were 27% more likely to develop heart disease than those who did. Research indicated that people who skip breakfast gain weight, which can lead to diabetes as well as high cholesterol and blood pressure—all of which can raise your risk of heart disease. The reason isn’t entirely known, but breakfast skippers tend to overeat at other meals and snack excessively throughout the day.

2. It might lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
A morning meal may help you avoid fluctuating glucose levels, which can lead to diabetes. Studies have found that not eating breakfast raises the risk by 21%, even after taking into account body mass, what they ate, and other factors. Women under the age of 65 who skipped breakfast even just a few times per week were 28% more likely to develop diabetes than women who ate it regularly. And if you’re in the habit of dashing out the door for work in the morning with only a cup of coffee, take note: Women in the study who worked full-time had a greater risk than those who worked part-time, the researchers noted, possibly because job stress has been found to raise glucose levels.

3. It gets you moving

Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast are more physically active during the morning than those who don’t. That might be because a temporary increase in blood sugar gave them more energy. It’s interesting to note that those who ate a morning meal consumed more calories over the course of the day than the breakfast skippers, but they didn’t gain weight because they were more active.

4. It might give you a mental edge
Research involving adults and children has indicated that breakfast might enhance memory, attention, the speed of processing information, reasoning, creativity, learning, and verbal abilities. Scientists have found some evidence that those benefits might be a function of the stable glucose levels that a morning meal provides.

5. It just might keep your weight down

Studies have linked eating breakfast with a reduced risk of obesity, including several that showed people who were dieting and ate more calories for breakfast than dinner lost more weight compared with subjects who ate larger evening meals.

President Barack Obama has declared November to be National Diabetes Awareness Month.

More than 29 million Americans have diabetes. That’s 1 in 11 people. Are you or your family at risk?

To learn some basic information about diabetes, such as types of diabetes, symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of diabetes click here.

For some helpful and healthy tips on how to manage or even prevent diabetes, click here.

Our nation’s health care providers, researchers, and advocates have made important strides in combating this disease, and we have reason to hope this progress will continue. This month, let us work to show every individual living with diabetes that they are not alone, and let us continue strengthening our investment in the fight against this disease.

Stretching every day won’t necessarily make you a better athlete — that’s been a bit of a myth, says sports medicine physician Susan Joy, MD, director of women’s sports health at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. But stretching each of our big muscle groups is very important for staving off injuries, helping to recover from an injury and for overall mobility, especially for older adults. Stretching also helps correct flexibility imbalances — which we all have, from both a sedentary lifestyle (sitting at a desk) and exercise (like walking, running, biking, golf or other pursuits). When half your muscles are overstretched and the other half are taut as bongo drums, it affects your everyday movement. So, for example, overly tight hamstrings combined with loose quads can wind up changing your gait when you run or walk, eventually compromising the curve of your lower back — which can lead to misalignment, pain and even injury.

Stretch Yourself

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that you devote time to stretching two to three days a week, holding each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, with three or four repetitions per stretch. Although we used to think stretching was the way to warm up before exercise, now we know that it’s best to warm up before you stretch. “Get yourself to where you feel like you are heating up inside, because muscles lengthen in the heat and contract in the cold,” Dr. Joy says. The following slides — some adopted from yoga, others from physical therapy — offer stretches for many of our chronically tight places.

Modified Downward Facing Dog

This is a great way to open up the shoulders and chest, but it’s gentler than traditional down dog (done with hands and feet both on the floor), says yoga teacher and fitness coach Sage Rountree, author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. Stand three to four feet from a wall and reach your hands straight out, so that your palms are flat on the wall. Drop your head through your shoulders as you push against the wall, dropping your chest so it’s parallel to the floor. Keep your elbows slightly bent, but keep your back straight (you may have to adjust your distance from the wall). You should feel a great opening through your shoulders and chest — like one big yawn. You can also do this on a sturdy table, as long as it’s not too low.

Standing Side Stretch

Rountree loves this for stretching the front and sides of the body. Start in mountain pose (feet hip-width apart and pressed into the earth, back straight, shoulders back and down, arms at sides). Reach arms up to the ceiling and interface fingers into a shotgun position. Inhale deeply, exhale and lean to one side. Hold for a few breaths, return to center and repeat to the other side.

Cat Stretch

This is a wonderful and easy stretch for your lower back, says exercise physiologist Heather Nettle, MA, coordinator of exercise physiology services for the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Center. Start on all fours. Inhale, exhale and gently arch your back up like an angry cat. You can also let your spine fall into cow, where you let your belly fall toward the ground into a slight arch and drop your head back. However, be careful when you do this, Nettle says, because it can exacerbate spine issues if you have lumbar stenosis or a herniated lumbar disc (just stay in cat if you have either of these).

Supine Hamstring Stretch

Hamstrings are notoriously tight for both athletes and non-athletes, Nettle says, and this stretch is effective for all levels of fitness. Lying supine on the floor, slightly bend one knee and place foot flat on the ground. Extend other leg straight and raise straight up until it is as close to a 90-degree angle as possible while still keeping leg straight. If this is a challenge, just breathe and hold it there for 20 seconds. If this isn’t challenging, grab behind your knee and gently pull it toward your chest (trying to keep your leg straight) and hold for 20 seconds. You can also straighten your bottom leg all the way to the floor for an even greater stretch (but try with foot flat first).

Standing Quadriceps Stretch

It’s not uncommon for quads and hamstrings to be unbalanced (one more flexible than the other), so make sure you stretch both, Nettle says. To stretch quads, stand close to a stable object you can hold on to (like a wall, table or stretching partner). Raise the leg on the side of your free hand, and bend the knee behind you. Grasp the foot and hold gently (breathing all the time!). Hold stretch for at least 20 seconds and repeat three times on each side.

Calf Stretch

Our calves are a super hardworking muscle group — not just when you exercise, but also if you tend to wear high heels. Make sure you take time to kick off your shoes and stretch these muscles, Nettle says. Start with your front foot about a foot from the wall and your back foot two or more feet from the wall. Lean in, place hands on the wall to balance, and bend your front leg. Keep your back leg fully extended and focus on pressing your back heel down. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat three times on each leg.

Squat

This yoga pose is a little more challenging (skip this if you have knee issues), but it is a wonderful stretch for opening up your hips, Rountree says. As you squat down, you will need to lean forward, but try not to hunch. Use your elbows to press your knees open. Make sure that your knees and toes are both facing in the same direction, though, with your knees just over your toes. Inhale and exhale several rounds of breath here as you press those knees open.

Backbend

This yoga pose is a precursor to more difficult yoga poses, such as the camel or full backbend, but it’s wonderful all on its own because it opens up your heart center and lets you stretch your chest and open your shoulders. As you kneel down, your toes can either be tucked under or turned up, Rountree says. Reach for your ankles (or the floor) behind you, either one hand at a time or both hands simultaneously, and feel the great release across your chest. Gently let the weight of your head fall back, and let your neck relax and your jaw unclench.

Most fad diets will not do much for your health and in fact, may even harm your health.

One of the reasons that these diets attract people is that they are a fast way to lose some unwanted pounds. Even the worst diets lead to weight loss, at least at the beginning, mainly because they restrict calories. Not because they are a long term solution to weight issues.
Fad diets not only fail to produce long term weight loss, but they can also lead to feelings of deprivation, discouragement, and weight gain. Many people who go on an unrealistic diet that has restrictions become frustrated and give up. This can lead to feelings of failure, which can then make the person feel worse than they did before they started the diet. It can be a never-ending cycle that people get trapped in and causes them to lead unhealthy lifestyles.

When it comes to diet plans, there is no one right solution for everyone. The key is to find something that fits your lifestyle that you can realistically commit to for the long term.

A successful eating plan should focus on balance and variety. There should be no foods that you cannot have. Instead, there should be foods that you should be mindful of and eat only on occasion and in moderation.

Don’t worry about “being on a diet”. Instead, think about healthier ways to satisfy your hunger by eating more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats.

A simple tip:

Think of what your weakness is (snacking, eating out of bags/boxes, large portions, too much alcohol/sugary drinks, too many sweets, etc.) and work on that weakness. If you feel that you eat large portions, be mindful when you serve yourself and portion out your meals. If you have a snacking problem, just make sure to provide healthy snacks for yourself, such as fruit or veggies, rather than cookies or chocolate. Or if you do have chocolate, just have one small piece of chocolate or half of a chocolate bar rather than the whole bar, and save the other half for later.

Choose one small thing to change to begin with, and once it becomes a habit, move on to the next change until you establish healthy habits that you can sustain long term.

Just Remember:

Most of us have probably heard of flax as it has become popular due to its high omega-3 fatty acid and fiber content.

Flax is packed with nutrients. One tablespoon provides:

37 calories
1.28 g protein
1.9 g fiber
2 g carbohydrate
1,597 mg omega-3 fatty acids
414 mg omega-6 fatty acids
Thiamin (8% of daily value)
Magnesium (7% of daily value)
Manganese (9% of daily value)

Flax also contains a lot of other beneficial compounds, such as phytoestrogens, phenolic acids, flavonoids as well as lignan SDG, that have been studied for their antioxidant properties. Additionally, flax has been shown to have positive benefits with regards to cardiovascular disease, cancer, blood glucose control, weight management and mental health.

For most healthy adults, the American Heart Association recommends an intake of 500 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids and as you can see, just 1 tablespoon of flax can meet this recommendation.

You can have flax as oil, in whole seed form or as a ground meal. However, it is best to have it as ground meal as this makes all of the nutrient benefits more readily available for absorption.

Adding flax to your diet is a simple change that can make a big difference. It has a nutty flavor and can be incorporated into many food items such as cereals, baked goods, oatmeal, smoothies/shakes, yogurt, etc.

We all know that drinking water is good for us, but not all of us drink enough water. Maybe adding some flavor to your water would help.

You can start by adding one or more of the following to your glass of water or water bottle:

• Lemon
• Lime
• Orange
• Cilantro
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Cucumber
• Mint
• Peach
• Watermelon
• Pineapple
• Rosemary
• Grapefruit
• Your favorite tea bag

Or, you can try these infused water recipes to have a gallon batch on hand. Drink up and enjoy!

Most of us have heard that chocolate can be good for us, but what kind of chocolate?

The reason that chocolate is said to be beneficial to our health is because of the cocoa beans’ high flavonol content (a potent antioxidant also found in red wine, apples, tea, and peanuts) that is said to promote heart health, cognitive function and enhance your mood. However, it is important to note that the cocoa bean itself has a very bitter, strong flavor that chocolate companies try to make more palatable by roasting the beans and adding milk/sugar which can decrease its beneficial properties.

Because of this, not all chocolate is created equal, and the chocolate that most of us eat does not have a high flavonol content.

White chocolate contains no flavonols at all. Ordinary plain chocolate has 43% flavonol containing cocoa. Milk chocolate typically contains only 30% cocoa and the average candy bar only 15%.

The key to finding quality chocolate is to look at the cocoa content and it is best to choose those chocolates with at least a 70% cocoa. Keep in mind that the higher the percentage of cocoa, the more flavanol benefits you will be getting. You can also buy cocoa powder and add it to your favorite smoothies/shakes for an extra antioxidant boost.

Most of us know that we should not have too much fat, sugar or sodium in our diets, but we often don’t know how to compensate for the loss of flavor. Next time, try some of these flavorings instead. Not only will you spice up your dishes, but you will also gain additional health benefits.

1. Citrus juice

2. Vinegars

3. Dried Fruits

4. Chopped or diced aromatic vegetables such as:
– Onions
– Garlic
– Shallots
– Leeks
– Peppers
– Celery

5. Herbs and spices such as:
– Freshly ground black pepper
– Cayenne pepper
– Oregano
– Cumin
– Garlic powder (not to be confused with garlic salt)
– Onion powder (not onion salt)
– Bay leaf
– Curry powder
– Thyme
– Paprika
– Clove
– Chili powder
– Italian herb seasoning blend
– Cinnamon
– Nutmeg

For more ideas on how to cook with herbs and spices, click here.

Americans tend to eat a light breakfast or skip it altogether. Then we grab lunch on the run and end up eating the bulk of our calories in the evening — not generally a healthy pattern.

Louis Aronne, physician and professor of metabolic research at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center specializing in weight management, says: “People may have a rapid rise in blood glucose after eating, which in turn causes a rise in their insulin levels. This may be followed by a greater than normal drop in blood glucose. If glucose levels get down to normal or below normal too rapidly, glucagon will be produced and can cause increased hunger.”

If you have this problem, the key is what and how much you eat for breakfast. You need to eat sufficient amounts of the right combination of foods. “Foods with protein and fiber are the most satiating,” says Anne Wolf, registered dietitian.

A few suggestions:

?Combine one egg with egg whites and sauteed vegetables (onions, mushrooms, peppers, spinach). Or combine one egg with a part-skim cheese or cottage cheese and vegetables.

?Mix a high-fiber cereal like All Bran or Fiber One with other low-sugar cereals and fat-free milk or mix into plain regular or Greek yogurt. (Greek yogurt has a bit more protein.)

?Make a smoothie with fat-free milk or plain yogurt, fruit or vegetables and a small amount of protein powder.

?Have a bowl of oatmeal with the addition of a high-fiber cereal.

?Top a bowl of cottage cheese with a high-fiber cereal and berries.

?Spread peanut butter (or any nut butter) on whole grain toast with a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk.

Try a few of these combinations and determine which ones keep you sated during the morning. Then be sure to have the foods in your house and set the alarm clock to allow time to eat them before you fly out the door.

To curb your hunger between meals, you may find having small snacks in the midmorning and midafternoon, or on the way home from work, helps immensely. Wolf suggests a guidepost for snacks of 200 calories each, with food pairings that provide rapidly available energy from healthy carbohydrates, along with enough protein and fat for satiety. Try fruit and cheese, or a handful of nuts, or high-fiber whole grain crackers and cheese or nut butter. Make your snacks count nutritionally: Use them as opportunities to eat more of the foods you’re missing, whether they be vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods, nuts or seeds.

It’s summer, and we are all ready for some fun in the sun. But don’t forget the sunscreen. Throughout the year, you should examine your skin from head to toe once a month, looking for any suspicious lesions, even if you practice sun safety. Self-exams can help you identify potential skin cancers early, when they can almost always be cured.

For a successful self-exam, you need to know what you’re looking for. To spot either melanomas or non-melanoma skin cancers (such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma), take note of any new moles or growths, and any existing growths that begin to change significantly in any way. Lesions that change, itch, bleed, or don’t heal are alarm signals.

ABCs of Melanoma

A – Asymmetry: If you were to draw a line through the middle of a mole and the two halves do not match, the mole is asymmetrical, a warning sign for melanoma.
B – Border: The borders of early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.
C – Color: A mole that is a variety of colors is a warning sign of melanoma. A number of different shades of brown, tan, red, or black might appear.
D – Diameter: Melanomas usually are larger in diameter than the eraser on your pencil tip (1/4 inch or 6mm), but they may sometimes be smaller when first detected.
E – Evolving: Be on the alert when a mole starts to evolve or change in any way. See your doctor if you notice any changes in size, shape, color, elevation, or other traits, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently occurring form of all cancers. Basal cell carcinomas are abnormal, uncontrolled growths or lesions that arise in the skin’s basal cells, which line the deepest layer of the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). Basal cell carcinomas often look like open sores, red patches, pin growths, shiny bumps or scars and are usually caused by a combination of cumulative and intense, occasional sun exposure.

Although basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads beyond the original tumor site to other parts of the body or becomes life-threatening, it should not be taken lightly; it can be disfiguring if not treated promptly.

Recognizing Basal Cell Carcinoma

Reddish patch or irritated area, frequently occurring on the face, chest, shoulders, arms, or leg. Sometimes the patch crusts. It may also itch or hurt. At other times, it persists with no discomfort.
Shiny bump or nodule that is pearly or clear and is often pink, red, or white. It can also be tan, black, or brown, especially in dark-haired people and can be confused with a normal mole.
Pink growth with a slightly elevated rolled border and a crusted indentation in the center. As the growth slowly enlarges, tiny blood vessels may develop on the surface.
Scar-like area that is white, yellow, or waxy, and often has poorly defined borders; the skin appears shiny and taut. This warning sign may indicate the presence of an invasive basal cell carcinoma that is larger than it appears on the surface.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer. It is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells arising in the squamous cells, which compose most of the skin’s upper layers. Squamous cell carcinoma often looks like scaly red patches, open sores, elevated growths with a central depression, or warts; they may crust or bleed. They can become disfiguring and sometimes deadly if allowed to grow.

Squamous cell carcinoma is mainly caused by cumulative ultraviolet exposure over the course of a lifetime. (UV from the sun and from tanning beds)

Squamous cell carcinoma may occur on all areas of the body including the mucous membranes and genitals, but are most common in areas frequently exposed to the sun, such as the rim of the ear, lower lip, face, balding scalp, neck, hands, arms and legs.

Recognizing Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Persistent scaly red patch with irregular borders that sometimes crusts or bleeds.
Elevated growth with a central depression that occasionally bleeds and may rapidly increase in size.
Open sore that bleeds and crusts and persists for weeks.
Wart-like growth that crusts and occasionally bleeds.

Not sure? See your medical provider. And always wear sunscreen!

(Source: Skin Cancer Foundation)

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Wellness Challenge: Eat Breakfast

November Is Diabetes Awareness Month

Get Balanced!

Why Diets Don’t Work

Fantastic Flax

Delicious Water!

Chocolate!

Cooking with Herbs and Spices

What’s for Breakfast?

Skin Cancer Warning Signs