Easter--the "other" candy-filled holiday of the year--is right around the corner.
I won't even get into the level of creepy involved with this holiday (a giant bunny sneaks into the house and leaves candy-filled eggs and chocolate bunnies that we decapitate with our mouths???? Whose idea was this???) Kids love it. I loved it. I still love it...let's not lie.
So let's talk about the how to avoid eating all that candy:
Step 1. Don't buy it. Easy. Save money and calories.
Step 2. If you've got a kid or kids in your life in some capacity, you know as well as I know that it's impossible to not have candy around during Easter. Try to get them interested in darker chocolates rather milk chocolates. At least dark chocolate has some health benefits.
Step 3. Fill the plastic Easter eggs with tiny toys, stickers, playdo, or dried fruit instead of candy. In other words, turn the candy eating into some type of activity or fruit consumption.
When in doubt, default to step 1. Just don't buy the delicious junk.
And I'd just like to add: yay for adults dressed as giant bunnies giving candy to our youth! We are weird...no matter how fun it is...we. Are. WEIRD. I digress...
Sharing my experiences from my quest to find happiness and satisfaction in healthy living.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Streeeeetch: hurts so good
Alrighty fellow health-nerds. Let's talk about that thing that we all pretend to do but never actually spend time doing:
STRETCHING
Back in my ballet golden days, I stretched every day...but then this thing called laziness happened. oops.
So why should we stretch?
1. to avoid injury
2. to improve your sport of choice
Stretching your muscles, tendons, and ligaments more flexible. Think about it--I'll use dancing as an example (I wonder why...): Okay, so you are in the middle of performing or competing or just social dancing and you go to try a new move that involves a deep back bend. Then all of a sudden "@#$*!#$&"--crazy bad pain starts shooting in your back. It's probably because you tried to bend your back farther than you should have because it is not flexible enough.
Life Lesson by AntiUnhealthy #1: You stretch more--you bend more.
As for the second reason, stretching obviously helps improve your sport of choice because it enables you to complete more strenuous tasks. No need to explain this one, I hope.
So a few pressing questions:
1. When should we stretch?
2. How long should we stretch?
3. What types of stretches should we do?
1. Muy importante! It is a common misconception that we should use stretching as our warm-up or do it first thing. Nooooooooo sirry. False. Negative. Stop it. You should stretch with warrrrrrrrrrrrm muscles. Walk for a few minutes, then stretch, then exercise. Or use stretching to end your cooldown. Your muscles are still warm from the activity so they are able to stretch deeper. Think of your muscles like a rod of metal (only not as strong of course). In order for welders to bend rods into different shapes, they have to heat them first so they are more malleable. Your muscles should be shown a similar kindness--warm them up so they can stretch easier and don't tear. (Okay, that might have been a poor example...you guys know what I mean though!)
2. Most sources say stretch for 5-10 minutes. When I do actually stretch, I stay closer to the 5 minute side. To help make this time go quicker without getting bored, do your stretches near a tv or while one of your top 5 jam-out songs is on your iPod. It helps distract you from the boredom.
Check out this MayoClinic article for more information on this topic.
3. It depends on the part of the body. Here is a link to the Stretching Injury Clinic website showing excellent stretches for multiple parts of the body.
CAUTION: Don't overstretch! How? By listening to your body. But my body doesn't talk. Shut up.
There is a difference between stretching and pain. If you feel straight up pain, stop immediately. Stretching should HURT SO GOOD, not hurt so bad--kinda like a massage. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are very complex and interesting tissues. Maybe in another post, I'll go into the anatomy and physiology of how they actually work to provide further insight.
STRETCHING
Back in my ballet golden days, I stretched every day...but then this thing called laziness happened. oops.
So why should we stretch?
1. to avoid injury
2. to improve your sport of choice
Stretching your muscles, tendons, and ligaments more flexible. Think about it--I'll use dancing as an example (I wonder why...): Okay, so you are in the middle of performing or competing or just social dancing and you go to try a new move that involves a deep back bend. Then all of a sudden "@#$*!#$&"--crazy bad pain starts shooting in your back. It's probably because you tried to bend your back farther than you should have because it is not flexible enough.
Life Lesson by AntiUnhealthy #1: You stretch more--you bend more.
As for the second reason, stretching obviously helps improve your sport of choice because it enables you to complete more strenuous tasks. No need to explain this one, I hope.
So a few pressing questions:
1. When should we stretch?
2. How long should we stretch?
3. What types of stretches should we do?
1. Muy importante! It is a common misconception that we should use stretching as our warm-up or do it first thing. Nooooooooo sirry. False. Negative. Stop it. You should stretch with warrrrrrrrrrrrm muscles. Walk for a few minutes, then stretch, then exercise. Or use stretching to end your cooldown. Your muscles are still warm from the activity so they are able to stretch deeper. Think of your muscles like a rod of metal (only not as strong of course). In order for welders to bend rods into different shapes, they have to heat them first so they are more malleable. Your muscles should be shown a similar kindness--warm them up so they can stretch easier and don't tear. (Okay, that might have been a poor example...you guys know what I mean though!)
2. Most sources say stretch for 5-10 minutes. When I do actually stretch, I stay closer to the 5 minute side. To help make this time go quicker without getting bored, do your stretches near a tv or while one of your top 5 jam-out songs is on your iPod. It helps distract you from the boredom.
Check out this MayoClinic article for more information on this topic.
3. It depends on the part of the body. Here is a link to the Stretching Injury Clinic website showing excellent stretches for multiple parts of the body.
CAUTION: Don't overstretch! How? By listening to your body. But my body doesn't talk. Shut up.
There is a difference between stretching and pain. If you feel straight up pain, stop immediately. Stretching should HURT SO GOOD, not hurt so bad--kinda like a massage. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are very complex and interesting tissues. Maybe in another post, I'll go into the anatomy and physiology of how they actually work to provide further insight.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Canker sore or Cold sore?
Okay...let's get one thing straight: canker sore does not equal cold sore.
What is a canker sore?
It's a mouth ulcer--a rather painful, open sore inside the mouth that looks white or yellowish and is surrounded by a bright red area (in case you didn't know, redness is one of the key hints from your body that it is mad at you because something is wrong).
Most canker sores are caused by:
Most of the time, these little jerks go away with time. Check out this PubMed article for treatments and other home remedies. Pretty good ideas here.
Now listen...this is important: If you have a canker sore that won't go away or you get them often, you should ask your doctor about it because there might be something else going on. Remember that your body has ways of giving you red flags or warnings. If you get canker sores a lot, it's most likely your body's way of telling you that you are lacking something important or consuming something you shouldn't be.
What is a cold sore?
AKA a fever blister...this little bugger is a straight up infection. To be specific, it is an infection caused by Herpes Simplex Virus 1. Don't freak out and please pay attention to this next statement: Herpes Simplex 1 does not equal Herpes Simplex 2. HSV-1 is Oral herpes and HSV-2 is genital herpes. There are ways that 2 can be found in the mouth but we won't get into that on this episode of 'Health Education 101 by AntiUnhealthy'.
So to focus on HSV-1, here are some signs you are getting a cold sore:
Okay, so how do you know? Canker sore or Cold sore?
The most straightforward way to tell the difference is the location. Most of the time, canker sores are found on the inside of the mouth and cold sores are found on the outside of the mouth.
Hope this clarified some things for ya. And just some advice, whether you want it or not, don't complain to other people that you have a painful cold sore if it is actually a canker sore. You might get a less-than-happy response...especially if it's your better half. Just sayin...
What is a canker sore?
It's a mouth ulcer--a rather painful, open sore inside the mouth that looks white or yellowish and is surrounded by a bright red area (in case you didn't know, redness is one of the key hints from your body that it is mad at you because something is wrong).
Most canker sores are caused by:
- stress
- hormonal changes
- lack of certain nutrients (iron, folic acid, and B-12 are the ones to keep an eye out for)
- food allergies
Most of the time, these little jerks go away with time. Check out this PubMed article for treatments and other home remedies. Pretty good ideas here.
Now listen...this is important: If you have a canker sore that won't go away or you get them often, you should ask your doctor about it because there might be something else going on. Remember that your body has ways of giving you red flags or warnings. If you get canker sores a lot, it's most likely your body's way of telling you that you are lacking something important or consuming something you shouldn't be.
What is a cold sore?
AKA a fever blister...this little bugger is a straight up infection. To be specific, it is an infection caused by Herpes Simplex Virus 1. Don't freak out and please pay attention to this next statement: Herpes Simplex 1 does not equal Herpes Simplex 2. HSV-1 is Oral herpes and HSV-2 is genital herpes. There are ways that 2 can be found in the mouth but we won't get into that on this episode of 'Health Education 101 by AntiUnhealthy'.
So to focus on HSV-1, here are some signs you are getting a cold sore:
- itchy, burny, or tingly lips
- sore throat, fever, or swollen glands
- appearance of blister on gums, lips, mouth, or throat
Okay, so how do you know? Canker sore or Cold sore?
The most straightforward way to tell the difference is the location. Most of the time, canker sores are found on the inside of the mouth and cold sores are found on the outside of the mouth.
Hope this clarified some things for ya. And just some advice, whether you want it or not, don't complain to other people that you have a painful cold sore if it is actually a canker sore. You might get a less-than-happy response...especially if it's your better half. Just sayin...
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Why won't my eye stop twitching?!?!
Don't lie, folks...You alllll know what I'm talking about.
It is quite possibly the most annoying, involuntary action your body can make:
the infamous eye twitch.
It's that annoying pulse thing your eyelid does sometimes. Makes you just wanna close your eyes or wear an eye patch like a pirate (argh!), or just hold your eyelid down and scream, "STOP IT EYEBALL!!!!"
My infamous eye twitch has recently gotten so annoying that I decided to ask the all-knowing...google. I asked, "why won't my eye stop twitching?" Google led me to WebMD.
The technical name of this annoyance is blepharospasm. It usually manifests itself as the upper eyelid twitching, but can also manifest itself as uncontrollable blinking. The major causes are also major parts of my life (go figure): fatigue, stress, and caffeine. I'm working on fixing the first two, but the third one helps with the first two so it will not be fixed any time soon. C'est la vie.
Keep in mind though, if this occurrence is regular for you, it could be a sign of a more significant issue and you should consult your eye doctor.
Another note: There are 3 main types of an eye twitch including minor eyelid twitch (which is what I'm talking about), benign essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm. Take a look at the WebMD article for more specifics on these types, especially if you think you suffer from more than the minor eyelid twitch. If this is something that just happens occassionally (like it is for me), then don't fret. It's harmless and painless and is purely annoyance.
The cure? Decrease stress (ha! tell that to my life), sleep more (once again, pretty sure my life would get a kick out of that), and cut down the coffee (is "no" a good enough answer?)
Now it would be great if I could get mine to stop twitching so I could actually proofread this blog...juuuuuuuuuuuuuust kidding...ish.
:-D
It is quite possibly the most annoying, involuntary action your body can make:
the infamous eye twitch.
It's that annoying pulse thing your eyelid does sometimes. Makes you just wanna close your eyes or wear an eye patch like a pirate (argh!), or just hold your eyelid down and scream, "STOP IT EYEBALL!!!!"
My infamous eye twitch has recently gotten so annoying that I decided to ask the all-knowing...google. I asked, "why won't my eye stop twitching?" Google led me to WebMD.
The technical name of this annoyance is blepharospasm. It usually manifests itself as the upper eyelid twitching, but can also manifest itself as uncontrollable blinking. The major causes are also major parts of my life (go figure): fatigue, stress, and caffeine. I'm working on fixing the first two, but the third one helps with the first two so it will not be fixed any time soon. C'est la vie.
Keep in mind though, if this occurrence is regular for you, it could be a sign of a more significant issue and you should consult your eye doctor.
Another note: There are 3 main types of an eye twitch including minor eyelid twitch (which is what I'm talking about), benign essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm. Take a look at the WebMD article for more specifics on these types, especially if you think you suffer from more than the minor eyelid twitch. If this is something that just happens occassionally (like it is for me), then don't fret. It's harmless and painless and is purely annoyance.
The cure? Decrease stress (ha! tell that to my life), sleep more (once again, pretty sure my life would get a kick out of that), and cut down the coffee (is "no" a good enough answer?)
Now it would be great if I could get mine to stop twitching so I could actually proofread this blog...juuuuuuuuuuuuuust kidding...ish.
:-D