ARea wildlife

Many of you know we enjoy watching wildlife.  Our bluebird papa and (new) mama are busy sitting on their three bluebird eggs.  We enjoy watching them and feeding them their favorite treat, mealworms.

Many evenings we go for a drive and count the deer.  Our urban/rural areas of town are home for a large population of deer.  We can drive within two miles of home and count the deer at dusk.  Our all-time high number was 53 one night.   

Do you enjoy what Mother Nature puts in your neighborhood?  We find it relaxing to watch the creatures.  It’s one of the healthy things we do for ourselves.   

In the News--Suggestions for protecting yourself from the sun's rays

In the News—Summer-time has arrived—Suggestions for staying healthy while in the sun. 

·        Remember the sun is hottest between the peak hours of 10 to 4pm.  Protect yourself if you are outside in the sun, especially during those hours. 

·        Light weight, light-colored clothes can help protect your skin from sunburn and skin cancer. 

·        Using sunscreen (at least SPF of 15 or higher--both UVA and UVB) will help protect your skin also.  Reapply every 2 hours and after you swim, towel off, and/or sweat.   (My proofreader suggested the sunscreen should be SPF 30 or higher.  I agree personally but the CDC article said SPF 15 or higher). 

·        Cover your head –a wide-brimmed hat and wrap-around sunglasses (UVA and UVB)

More information about protecting yourself in the summer sun can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/SkinCancer/

In the News--People will do better at weight loss and stick with the program when money is on the line.

A study held at the Mayo Clinic included 100 people for over a year.  All the participants weighed in at a BMI of 30 or greater (considered obese).  The participants were divided into four groups; two of the groups had a $20/month financial reward available if they lost their goal weight.  If they did not lose their goal weight, they paid $20/month.  The other two groups of participants did not have any financial incentives. 

The results found that participants did much better when money was at risk for reward or pay-out.  62% of the participants in the money groups finished the year vs. 26% of the non-money groups.  The money groups participants lost more weight (9.08 lbs. vs 2.34 lbs) than the non-money groups. 

More information about this study can be found at http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2013-rst/7357.html 

You may be thinking, ‘but I don’t have a financial incentive research study’ available to me.  Make your own.  That’s what my husband and his co-workers did for many years.  Every January they would have a weight-loss competition.  Everyone would chip in $$ (whatever they decided), they weighed in, and began their own financial incentive weight loss group.  

How do we keep our immune system healthy?

Can we make our immune system healthy?  Good question.  An article from the Harvard Medical School entitled, “how to boost your immune system” discussed this topic at length.  They looked at questions like, ‘do herbs and supplements help make a person’s immune system strong?’ and ‘how does stress affect our immune system?’  It’s interesting reading and basically says, we don’t know.  Scientists and researchers are looking at some of those questions right now.  So for now, their best recommendations involve living healthy:

·        Eating healthy (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins)

·        Getting regular exercise

·        Controlling your stress level

·        Getting a good night’s sleep

·        Protecting yourself from infection by washing your hands often

·        Not smoking

·        Being a healthy weight (if not, work with your doctor to lose weight)

·        See your doctor/healthcare provider regularly and get the recommended vaccines and tests

·        Is your blood pressure high?  Work with your doctor to control it.

·        If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation

The Harvard Medical School article can be found at http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu-resource-center/how-to-boost-your-immune-system.htm