My Sixth Baby Step: Almonds (March 1st - 7th)

This week's new and healthy addition is almonds. I am adding almonds this week for two reasons. First, "mama knows best" and my mama (who is probably the healthiest person I know) suggested that I add almonds to my diet. Second, almonds help to relieve and protect against stress. Why am I adding a habit that helps relieve and protect against stress, you ask?

Well, because I GOT A JOB!!! That's right, I got a new high-stress, high-pressure law job that I know I will love and so these next few weeks I am going to focus on adding healthy habits that help combat the stress and pressure I am about to happily walk into. But first, I am going to digress for a moment to talk about unemployment because I think I can perhaps help the unemployed as well as the friends, family, and old co-workers of the unemployed.

I have been unemployed for over a year. I have been unemployed for over a year even though I applied for every job I was qualified for, went on many interviews, "networked," and had a great volunteer position. In fact, looking for work has become such a habit that even now I find myself on job sites.

I very easily could have been unemployed for much longer than a year and it would have meant nothing about me. I just hope that the economy turns around so that more people can find work.

For those friends, family, and old co-workers of the unemployed, I would just like to give you some advice...

First, be supportive. The unemployed aren't leppers and many of them wouldn't mind talking about what they're going through. Just ask. I was lucky to have a great, supportive, amazing network of friends, family, and old co-workers who did everything they could to support me. I was also very lucky to have a fantastic husband who understood that sending out resumes, preparing applications, writing cover letters, and looking for jobs all day is work (and quite possibly the worst job you could have) and who made me feel like I was doing everything right even when I didn't get the jobs I was applying for.

Second, don't judge the unemployed for not pursuing a job you recommend. Don't get me wrong, recommendations are GREAT. But the unemployed are in a position to know what the job market is really, really like. Allow the unemployed to allocate their time and emotional energy where they deem fit. For the most part, it's not because they are lazy, it's because they are strategic.

Third, recognize that the unemployed are often frail. They feel rejected by the professional world and constantly brave rejection by prospective employers. Don't add to that rejection. If they email or call you, get back to them immediately. If you think you could help them with a job, be proactive and don't wait for them to ask you. If they are not asking for your help, it is probably that they don't want to risk getting rejected...again. Be generous with your compliments and your encouragement.

Fourth, resist the urge to rattle off a laundry list of things the unemployed could be doing with their free time. I believe this urge comes from a good place. People with jobs think about how much they would love to have some free time. People with jobs also can see that the people without jobs will eventually be employed again, and so unemployment does not seem so overwhelming or infinite. But, the unemployed do not feel that way. Finding a job is their job, and they take it seriously. Finding a job is their job and they feel like, if they're not a good employee, they will never find a job again.

On a lighter note, almonds. Almonds:

1. Reduce stress and stress's negative effects on the body. 
2. Lower bad cholesterol. 
3. Reduce your risk of heart disease. 
4. Protect against diabetes.
5. Protect against cardiovascular disease.
6. May increase weight loss. 
7. Prevent weight gain. 
8. Increase energy. 
9. Prevent gallstones. 
10. Prevent colon cancer. 
11. Protect against birth defects.
12. Provide lots of protein. 

For a more in-depth discussion about almonds, click here.

You only need a handful (or 1/4 cup) of almonds a day to reep their health benefits so, go to it!

My Fifth Baby Step: Flossing (February 22nd - 28th)

I have a minor confession to make this week. I don't floss. I know that all of you flossers out there are judging me. It's okay. I understand. Which is why this week I am going to start flossing. So that all you flossers out there stop judging me and so that I can get all of the health benefits listed below.

Flossing:

1. Reduces tooth decay.
2. Reduces gum disease.
3. Lowers your risk of having a stroke.
4. Lowers your risk of having a heart attack. 

Unlike green tea, which I am trying to drink three to five times a day, I only have to floss once a day. I can do that.

My Fourth Baby Step: Green Tea (February 15th - 21st)

Since the weather outside is frightful, I thought I would add something warm and delightful this week. Green tea. Green tea has a ridiculous number of health benefits. It can:

1. Lower your risk of dying from all causes (okay, not all causes. it won’t prevent a bus from hitting you but it will lower your risk of dying from health-related issues).
2. Decrease your risk of developing lung, breast, stomach, esophageal, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.
3. Help your heart.
4. Increase fat burn (the caffeinated variety has a more pronounced effect on weight loss than the decaffeinated variety).
5. Lower your bad cholesterol.
6. Lower your risk of getting simple bacterial and viral infections.
7. Keep your bones strong.
8. Protect your liver from damage caused by alcohol.
9. Increase your endurance.                                       
10. Keep your brain sharp.
11. Help you get over the flu.                                        
12. Prevent allergies.
13. Help if you have Parkinson’s disease.
14. Relieve stress and fatigue.
15. Delay signs of aging.
16. Do your taxes (okay, that's the guy at the local tea shop's joke). 

This is a loooong list, but if it doesn’t convince you to drink green tea every day, maybe this will.

That green tea can dramatically improve your health is the good news. That it is better to drink more, rather than less, to maximize these benefits is the bad news. While some benefits come with drinking as few as two cups a day, you can only get all of the benefits listed above from drinking 3 to 5 cups (or more). That’s a lot of green tea!

Since it is hard to have 5+ cups of tea a day if you don’t have all day to sit around making and sipping, I have decided to get creative. I am adding green tea instead of water to my morning “green smoothie” so that I get in an automatic 1-2 cups of green tea in the morning. I experimented and it doesn’t change the taste if you just cool down the green tea a bit first with a couple of ice cubes. I didn’t think “green smoothies” could get more healthy but it turns out, they can. I am also going to take iced green tea “to go” instead of water when I can. Just make the tea and pour it over ice. Lastly, I will supplement my green tea intake with green tea KitKats (see below and just kidding).
 
Tips:

1.  Drinking green tea in conjunction with black pepper has been shown to increase your body’s absorption of the good stuff in green tea, so have your tea with a black pepper rich meal when you can.
2. It doesn’t seem to matter a whole lot (health-wise) whether loose-leaf or bagged tea is used. The argument for loose-leaf tea is that it’s cheaper, fresher, less-caffeinated, and better tasting than bagged tea. The argument for bagged tea is that it is easier to buy and brew. 

My Third Baby Step: Cinnamon (February 8th - 14th)

Last week I added exercise (have I mentioned I hate exercise?) as my new healthy habit. Having a “green smoothie” every day AND exercising  has not been easy, but it has felt good. It has also been educational and so I will continually update previous posts with new recipes, tips, and tidbits as I go. 

Since exercise and “green smoothies” are pretty big things to add to your life, I have decided to add an easy healthy habit this week to allow anyone who is trying to add healthy habits with me to catch up and to allow my body (and schedule) to get used to the “green smoothies” and exercise.

So, this week’s healthy new addition is cinnamon. Adding just a small amount (1/2 - 1 teaspoon) of cinnamon a day to your diet can:

1. Help lower cholesterol
2. Regulate blood sugar
3. Help cure yeast infections and stomach ulcers
4. Slow cancer
5. Relieve arthritis pain (when combined with honey)
6. Serve as a memory boost

For more information about cinnamon, please click here or here.

Since I would probably yack if I had a spoon full of cinnamon a day, I am going to add it to my morning coffee instead (along with the soy french vanilla creamer I love).  Adding cinnamon to oatmeal (my sister-in-law’s habit), apples, and toast (with butter and sugar) can also be tasty.

Important Tip!
Choose your cinnamon wisely. The most common types of cinnamon are Ceylon cinnamon (aka "true cinnamon") and Cassia cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is the most common cinnamon in America and is probably the cinnamon you have in your kitchen (it certainly is the cinnamon I have in mine).

Unfortunately, Cassia cinnamon can have some negative side effects when consumed regularly. Ceylon cinnamon is better for you and should be the cinnamon you use if you are incorporating this new healthy habit into your daily routine. Conveniently, Ceylon cinnamon can be found on amazon.com. Just type in “Ceylon cinnamon” and take your pick.

My Second Baby Step: Exercise (February 1st - 7th)

"I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing."  ~Marsha Doble

I am not great about exercise. It is either feast or famine for me. Either I am working out consistently or I am not working out at all, with nothing in between. My approach to exercise has been less than desirable because exercise is just important as diet when it comes to health.

So, I am adding exercise as my second healthy habit because it is very important to achieving health. I am also adding exercise as my second healthy habit because it could take a while to actually become a habit (not just a thing I force myself to do). According to a recent study, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to turn a new activity into a habit. With exercise, I need all the help (and time) I can get.
                                             
The CDC recommends that adults get 2 1/2 hours of moderate intensity (walking fast) aerobic exercise a week so, starting today, I will do 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. Yuck.                                     
                                                                                                                                                                 
Tip:
What is interesting (and by interesting I mean discouraging) about exercise for me is that it has a negative effect on my weight. No, you didn’t read that wrong. I actually tend to gain weight from exercise. As you can imagine, this is very discouraging (and by discouraging I mean a deal breaker). Now, I doubt any of you have this problem but, if you do, one thing that has helped me is working out in the morning instead of the afternoon/evening. For whatever reason, if I work out before breakfast, exercise has the intended effect on my weight.