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Wellness

Ways To Ring In The Chinese New Year

ring-in-new-year-01Cleaning

Part of celebrating the Chinese New Year (February 19) involves cleaning. Traditionally, homes are cleaned before the New Year, but sweeping and dusting isn’t done until the third day after New Year out of fear that good fortune will be swept away. The floors can be swept, starting by brushing the dust and dirt towards the middle of the house or building. Once the debris is piled into the center, it’s moved to the corners where it remains until the fifth day, at which point it can be thrown out. continue reading »

Juicing vs Blending: The Great Health Debate

green-456839_640Adults who need 2,000 daily calories to maintain a healthy weight should eat 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day (a total of nine servings). According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, only 14% of adults consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables (source). That’s a shockingly low number that should serve as a wake-up call to people everywhere.

If you struggle to achieve to consume the recommended amount of vegetables and fruit, you should consider investing in a blender or juicer. Juicing and blending are both excellent ways to include more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. Now for the million dollar question: which method is better for your health. continue reading »

Getting Family Exercise In The Winter

Interesting Ways to Help Your Kids Exercise in Winter
It’s cold and dark outside.  You come home with the kids and all you want to do is snuggle on the couch.

Snuggling in winter may be fun (and I’m not going to say you shouldn’t snuggle) but your kids need something more.  In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), kids need at least 1 hour of physical activity—every day.  And depending on your children’s school program and sports activities, they may not even get close.

There are many benefits.  Exercise helps kids feel less stressed, have higher self-esteem, focus at school, sleep better and maintain a healthy weight.  You’ve probably noticed that parenting children who get enough exercise is also easier than parenting those who don’t.

Winter is a time for yin activities.  It’s healthy to be introspective and quiet.  However, children need physical activity—even in the winter. But on a cold, dark day, how do you get your kids to exercise?

Indoor Exercise
The first strategy is to get physical activity at home. Young children may enjoy creative home exercise.  Try playing “rock, paper, scissors” with your legs.  Do sun salutations together.  See who can walk upstairs backward the fastest.

When you spend time at home, keep moving.  Take breaks every hour and do jumping jacks.  Play exercise workout games, like Dance Dance Revolution.  Do push-ups, sit-ups and squats.    Use commercial breaks to challenge each other to a dance contest.  Even jump-roping is a good exercise option.

Outdoor Exercise
The winter is full of outdoor exercise for kids.  Walking the dog is two birds with one stone.  If you are in an area where it snows, have kids assist in shoveling snow.  Of course sledding, skiing and snowball fights are a few more options.  In warmer climates you may be able to still go on a family bike ride.  Ice skating at a rink is always a great way to get moving too.

When you enjoy an activity that doesn’t require a lot of physical exertion, think of ways to make it vigorous. For example, walking to the cafe for hot chocolate instead of driving.  Look for ways to build exercise into your normal activities.

Kids’ Exercise Programs
There are many exercise classes for kids.  Most cities have traditional options—sports leagues, gymnastics, dance studios or even a local YMCA. But now many cities have even more opportunities for children. There are yoga classes, Zumba, wall climbing, in-line skating, skate boarding and boot camps.  Your child can train for marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.  Some cities even have parkour gyms—a gym where kids half run and half fly, propelling themselves off the obstacles in their way.

If just reading this list of activities makes you feel exhausted, you may need an acupuncture “tune-up.”  Sometimes inactivity is more than just a reaction to the dark winter season.  If you feel lethargic, you’ll have an even harder time getting your children to move.

Give me a call and I’ll help you and your children feel ready to keep moving in the winter.

Keep Your Immune System In Tip-Top Shape!

Here are a few easy pointers on how you can support and promote your own health this time of year:

Take herbs that support the immune function. Astragalus, Osha root, Reishi and Shitake mushrooms are helpful. These have been used for thousands of years by acupuncturists to keep people healthy and strong.

Avoid the consumption of ice cream and iced beverages. If possible, drink liquids at room temperature. Too many colds foods, especially during the colder months, can disrupt your digestion.

Sleep. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise. Go to bed early and if possible, wake up after the sun appears in the morning. Extra sleep will also benefit you if feel as though you are coming down with something. If you do become ill, naps may help you recover faster.
“C” it. Load up on Vitamin C and other multivitamins. These can help support your health.

Water, water everywhere. Drink water. Every cell of your body requires this liquid gold to keep it lubricated and running smoothly.

Stress. Try to avoid it as much as possible. If you can’t, adopt habits that will enable you to de-stress, such as meditation, yoga, dance, reading, acupuncture, or painting.

Exercise. You have heard it a thousand times, exercise, exercise, exercise. There is no substitute for the health-promoting benefits of this easy task. Get up to 20 minutes of heart pumping exercise daily.

Come in for acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture works extremely well when you have a cold, and also as a tune up to stimulate the healing capacity of your body. If you begin to get the sniffles, body chills, or feel under the weather, give me a call, I may be able to help!

Winter Health Foods

During the winter it is healthy to cook with “warming foods.” The weather is cooler, and your body needs to generate extra warmth in order to keep it functioning optimally.

Winter foods usually require a bit more preparation. These foods should be cooked longer and slower so they can provide you with meals that will keep you warmer. This is the time of year to stoke your inner fire, avoid raw foods, like salads and cold drinks, as these will cool your digestive function.

The winter diet should be made up of complex carbohydrates from whole grains, squash and root veggies, such as carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes, onions and garlic.

Thick and hearty soups and stews are especially good this time of year. They are nutritious, warming, easy to digest, and your home will smell wonderfully inviting.

Spice up your meals with a little ginger, a dash of cayenne, or garlic. These will add heat to your meals and warmth down to your toes.

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