Its Taxing!

     its april 15th and our 1040's are due. many of us find this annual chore taxing, to say the least and i know i do as did many of the people i encountered at the post office doing last minute mailing. of course those who file early and/or get a refund probably are feeling better about the entire experience.
     but if you are one of those feeling stressful here's a reminder about some of the foods that help reduce stress naturally:

• foods containing tryptophan such as turkey, pumpkin seeds and shrimp
• brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli are good for their high folic acid content
• especially if you live in northern states getting enough vitamin d along with some actual sunlight helps
• vitamin c such as in fresh fruits (avoid just juice) can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol 
• if stress increases your desire for crunchy snacks try carrot sticks with hummus or celery sticks with some almond butter. nuts are great for crunch but remember that a 1/2 cup has about 265 calories

     many financial advisers recommend that now is a good time to review our money matters for the upcoming tax year so that we have time to make any changes. my suggestion is to also review your stress level and see what changes  you can make in your life to reduce stress and improve your overall health during the year. remember "the first wealth is health"*.

*r.w. emerson

Staying Young

     spring chicken (stay young forever or die trying) by bill gifford, currently on the ny times best seller list, takes us through the most current studies on staying healthy for the long term. he has an easy to read style with a combination of humor combined with more serious information.
     in case you don't have time to read this book here are a few of his key findings-many of which you might already know. the big number one-keep moving! he and i can't stress this enough. red wine in moderation, coffee, curcumin, vitamin d but also with some  real sunlight on your skin, aspirin/ibuprofen (talk with your doctor first about this), and of course as much kale as you can eat-all recommended to help us stay young.
     and one more important activity he writes about in his book in order  to stay young-give hugs!

Target Heart Rate

    just like any other muscle the heart needs to work out too-you know-cardio. but to get the most benefit for your heart* you need to work out at a particular heart rate-your target heart rate or THR. this is usually a percentage of your maximum heart rate-MHR- depending on how fit-or not- that you are.
    let's not get too complicated here. the easiest way to figure your MHR is to subtract your age from 220. but this is based on averages so many people fall at either end. a better formula is 208-(.7 x age). for instance a 50 year old would have a MHR of 173.  if that person wants to work at between 50% to 60% of their MHR their THR would be from  86 to 103.
    so here again you have choices on how to know whether are not you are in your THR zone. you can just stop and count your heart beats for one minute with the first beat being zero. or there are all kinds of tech and apps available. the most accurate heart rate monitors are the types that you actually wear around your chest and that transmit the info into another device such as a watch.
    the point is not to get too complex but to understand what your heart needs to get the most benefits. once you figure this out and work out at your THR you will know how it feels and can just judge future workouts by that feeling. but remember, as you get more fit you need to progress and work at a higher percentage of your MHR.

*heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women

Tracking/Spring

    happy spring! have you thought about putting a bathing suit on in 60 days? or, if you are a gardener, have you started your tomato seeds? these last few days i have lost track of spring as it has been below freezing here and we recently had another 4" of snow. but warmer weather should be here soon and being able to do more exercise outside, including swimming, will be wonderful.
    so do you use an activity tracker to keep track of your exercise? trackers such as the fitbit, nike fuel band and coming soon to a store near you the apple watch all claim to be accurate but are they. yes and no. it seems that they are quite good at counting steps-walking or running, but counting calories did not fare as well with some under counting and others over counting. so go for those 10,000 steps but don't pay too much attention to the calorie numbers.
    but there is one tracking device that more of us should have-a good heart rate monitor. knowing your target heart rate and working at that level will help you get the most out of the time that you exercise.  there are quite a few on the market with a wide range of prices.  i will be posting more on heart rate monitors next week.

Fakes

     fake rolex, fake hermes, fake gucci-we've all heard about these and others but how about fake manuka. manuka? yes, manuka-manuka honey that is. maybe you have tried this very expensive honey that is so popular that fake manuka honey  is being sold.
     why all the fuss? manuka honey or as some like to call it-tea tree honey-is made by bees (of course) collecting nectar from the manuka plant that grows primarily in new zealand. the fuss is because it is said to have greater health benefits and anti-bacterial action than other honeys. other claims are that it helps with digestion, heals burns and improves our immune systems. the maoris have used and believed in its properties for many years before the scientific communities became interested.
     but so far, as much as i have been able to discover, many of these claims have not been tested and in at least one clinical trial the honey did not aid in digestion. ok but honey is a good thing overall.  the larger concern is the "fake" aspect. people are paying a lot more for this honey and may not be getting the real thing. the problem is in the amounts of this honey that is being sold-this number is much higher than the actual amount of manuka honey that is being produced. remember we are talking about honey bees here.
     it is a miracle to me that bees can produce honey and i can appreciate why certain honeys are more expensive than others. i like to buy local honey and it is more expensive than store brands. but i also feel that it is what it says it is. as it has  been said for a long, long time caveat emptor -buyer beware.
   

Especially for Women

since women are built differently than men-wider hips are an obvious example-there are some specific, important exercises that especially benefit women and that we should be doing if not already. here is a partial list:

• lateral lunges-side movements help stabilize hips, stabile hips help our knees.
• walking lunges-again targets the hips while helping the knees.
• squats-having strong glutes helps everything!
• pull ups-women lose arm, shoulder strength rapidly. we have less muscle to begin with so really need this type of weight bearing exercise.

on a more advanced level:

• TRX rows
• kettlebell squat push press
• ball rollout, plank version

if you would like more detailed info on any of these exercises just contact me, ask at your fitness facility or do a search on google or you tube.

Additive Awareness

     ever hear of propyl gallate? or how about diactyl? i could list many more but i think your answer might be the same-no. these are some of the additives in our foods along with other chemicals, artificial colors and flavorings. it is big business. much of it is not good for us.
     a non-profit research group-EWG-is trying to educate us about the potential health concerns of these additives and that many of the additives allowed in the US are banned in other countries. as one of their senior scientists recently said "with thousands of ingredients lurking in food, EWG wanted to bring attention to additives that may have implications for human health, and we wanted to expose how the food regulatory system has failed us."
     if you believe that in part we are what we eat you might like further information and a list of their "dirty dozen" at www.ewg.org