Maya Angelou says: “when you know better you can do better.”

I hope you feel better with each passing day; learning what works best for you with your own circumstances/environment/conditions. 

NOTHING is better for you than moving/exercising daily.  Whether that means a 30 minute walk, yoga, “cardio”, weight lifting, Pilates or simply stretching, the goal is to move everyday. 

AND…keep moving while at your desk, working at the computer. 

• Roll your shoulders forward and backward between emails.
• Shrug your shoulders (and stretch the trapezius -upper neck muscle- by lengthening the shoulders down after you shrug).
• Open and close your hands quickly to increase blood and help with circulation.
• Stretch your neck one way and then the other, while waiting for a document to load.
• KEEP MOVING!  

Two supreme exercises to improve back health and do every day are:

1.  Bridges:  Lying on your back , bend your knees and lift and lower your bottom off the floor. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.  

2. Quadruped: Prop yourself on all fours (hands under shoulders and knees under hips).  Extend one arm long in front of you and the opposite leg long behind.  Sometimes called “Bird Dog”.  Hold this position for 10 counts. Repeat to the other side. Do three sets.  Then lower and lift the hand and foot for 10 repetitions. 3 sets.  

 Please email for specific instructions, if you would like.  I am happy to help.Remember:  keep pulling your shoulders back—you need an antidote to continual forward flexion (hunching) that occurs while working at a desk. 

 Try this: when in your bucket seat of your car–pull your navel into your spine, and gently press your lumbar-lower back region and shoulder blades into the seat.  This will almost automatically lengthen the back of your neck, and allow you to BREATH!  Not many professionals discuss breath; but I will tell you it is vital and underemphasized.  

“KEEP MOVING”!!

 ”I’ve got your back~”Juli Kagan, RDH. M.Ed.Certified Pilates InstructorAuthor: Mind Your Body

1. Drink clean water & add lemon to help remove impurities.
2. Add spice, not salt.
3. Graze all day so you maintain healthy stable blood sugar levels.
4. Try to get at least 30% of daily calories from protein; 25% from fats; 45% from carbohydrates such as: fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
5. Eliminate whites: white potatoes (French fries included!), white rice, white sugar (it’s in everything processed!), white bread (served at restaurants!).
6. Protein Picks: low-fat dairy products (yogurt); skinless white meat poultry; beans; fish.
7. Select fish with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, like tuna & salmon.  Try to eat fish about four times a week.
8. Finer Fats: nuts, seeds, healthy oils such as EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).
9. Eat less dairy products in general.
10. Do what your Momma said: eat more fruits and vegetables.  Aim for at least one serving per meal, AND in between.  You can never go wrong with too many vegetables! 
11. When you eat the skin of fruits and vegetables-go for organic.  Strawberries, blueberries, etc.  

Exercising, or doing a daily activity that involves movement, produces “elating endorphins” and provides emotional and mental prowess to make better decisions, overcome stress and be more at peace with your ”self.”  Move today!

Research shows that a baby smiles 400 times, an adolescent 17 times, a woman about 62 times, and a man 54 times daily.

Evidence suggests that smiling occurs in all human beings, regardless of culture.

Babies born blind smile when happy even though they have never seen a smile. The advancements in ultrasonic photography have shown smiles on fetuses as the muscles develop.

The smile is recognizable worldwide, and is visible for up to 300 feet.

The physical act of smiling can use as little as five muscles or well over 16.  Typically, it requires 12 muscles to smile and over 70 to frown.  Facial muscles relax in a smile, allowing blood to flow freely through vessels.  The contortion of a frown exhausts the facial muscles, a clear warning from the brain that you need to relax.

Smiling is contagious and brightens your mood and the mood of the people around you. According to research, smiling boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, helps with optimism, and counteracts the effects of stress.

When you smile (appropriately) in conversation and in your surroundings, it gives the message that you are a receptive person.  Our voices project a warmer tone when we speak with a smile.

People who are successful in relationships, socially and in their careers, have a smile that motivates and inspires.

Social psychology research shows that facial expressions reflect our inner feelings and changing our facial expression can help to change our feelings.

Seeing a smile creates the “halo” effect - helping us to remember other happy events more vividly and to be more motivated.

Smiling has been found to boost levels of serotonin. The neurotransmitter plays a vital part in regulating moods, sleep, sexuality, and appetite. Endorphins - the body’s natural painkiller - are also released from smiling.

Researchers at the British Dental Health Foundation showed pictures of smiling people to study participants. They found the brain and heart activity of participants was equal to being given the stimulation of 2,000 chocolate bars.

Researchers at the University of California were able to predict the future success (30 years down the road) of 21-year-old women by looking at their photographs.

Women who displayed more positive emotion were more likely to be married by 27, less likely to have remained single into middle adulthood, and more likely to have satisfying marriages 30 years later.

Smiling has been proven to lower heart rate and produce less stressful and rapid breathing. When we smile, it produces the emotion most closely related to it, feeling happier. Also, you will feel more successful and seem successful to others. Smiling helps depict an individual’s attractiveness and sincerity.

According to one survey, both men and women rated a person’s smile as the single most important quality attracting them to the opposite sex. 45 percent of women chose a person’s smile over the eyes and a good physique.  Thirty-five percent of men were initially attracted to the smile.

Several court studies revealed a phenomenon known as the Smile-Leniency Effect that shows judges give those who smile lighter penalties.

Although in some cases the judge or police man is not very smile friendly and may react negatively to a smile & ask you if you find anything funny, or they may order you to wipe that smile off your face.

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!!…. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember:
‘Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways – Chardonnay in one hand – chocolate in the other – body throughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO HOO! What a Ride’

AND……

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.