9 “Harmless” Habits That Age You - 1 - Women's Health - MSN Health & Fitness

9 “Harmless” Habits That Age You - 1 - Women's Health - MSN Health & Fitness

10 Small Changes with Big Health Payoffs

10 Small Changes with Big Health Payoffs

Bad habits can age you by 12 years...

Most people are aware that smoking can damage your skin causing you to look older but what other habits can lead you to look older? Click on the link below to find out...
Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests on Yahoo! Health

6 Tips For a Better Body...

Need a little extra help to get that body you always wanted? Fitness experts share 6 strategies to help you reach your goal such as charting your activities and finding ways to stay motivated (which is always my down fall). Click on the link below to be on your way to your best body...
The Victory Project - Sponsored by Special K

5 Surprisingly Healthier Snacks - Healthy Living on Shine

Yes, I have to admit that picture is my desk drawer at work filled with snacks. I’m sorry but I work long hours and get hungry at work… what’s a girl supposed to do? I do try to stock it with healthy snacks but it doesn’t always work out that way. I should probably cut out the girl scout cookies, pop tarts and other junk and be stocking up on granola bars, low fat yogurt and more…click on link below to see which snacks are best for us…

5 Surprisingly Healthier Snacks - Healthy Living on Shine

Benefits of Bananas...Who knew!?!?

I received this email a little while back from my boyfriends Mom about all the benefits of bananas and I'll tell you I was seriously shocked at the long list! The email came as a forward stating that "A professor at CCNY ( City College of New York ), for a physiological psych class, told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain." And then goes on to list the benefits...
Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. It's no wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.
Funny thing is when I was younger and ran track our coaches always encouraged us to eat bananas before each meet. They even called us the banana crew!
But, energy isn't the only way a banana can help keep us fit. It can also help us overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.


Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
I am going to be trying this one for sure!

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat high blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach, and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Good to know...very good to know... ;)

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body. So if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.


Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.


Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan..


Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.


Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain, and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.


Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!


Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!


"So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium, and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!" "

Get out there and eat your B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!
P.S. If you break your Bananas apart they last longer!

Lauren Conrad's Stay Slim Secrets!

Lauren Conrad is on the cover of Shape Magazine looking quite fit and trim...sure they probably airbrushed a bit but probably nothing compared to the Kelly Clarkston cover...Lauren has worked hard for her body and it shows. She shared some of her stay slim secrets with Shape magazine...

Burning off the Love Layer
Lauren like many girls out there gained a few pounds while dating her new boyfriend Kyle Howard something about new love just packs on the pounds. Now Lauren works out with her man...

"We like doing outdoor stuff: tennis, bike riding, kayaking, stand up surfing, hiking in the canyons of LA"
Now only if I could get my man to work out with me like that!

Make your workout Fit You!
Lauren is a busy girl with her new "affordable" clothing line coming out and doing a book tour for her new book L.A. candy...(which I really want to read, I love books like that they are my #1 guilty pleasure.) so Lauren needs a workout to fit her needs. With the help of her trainer Jarett Del Bene, she came up with a DIY workout routine.

"Basically it's a circuit routine I can do anywhere-in my hotel room when I'm traveling or at home in my living room." says Lauren. "There are just five moves: squats, sit ups, push ups, couch dips-where I balance on the edge of a couch and lower my hips, then press up-and planks. I do 20 reps of the first four moves, then hold the plank for 20 seconds. I go through the entire circuit routine six times. No equipment required."

Curb your Cravings
Lauren is focused on eating healthier these days. She gets plenty of fruit, her favorites are watermelon and grapefruit; organic salad greens; and lean protein like turkey, tuna, and beans.

"I've found when all I'm eating is really fresh, healthy foods, I stop craving pizza burgers."

Food is my biggest weakness if I could only eat good I would have a six pack for sure!

Can Flip Flops Make You Sick????

One of my favorite things about warm weather is wearing flip flops! I have a pair in almost every color! So I was shocked today when I read an article on MSN about the germs Flip Flops can pick up and if you aren't careful can make you extremely ill!

"TODAY, with the help of the University of Miami emergency mobile flip flop lab, tested some footwear and found that there were more than 18,000 bacteria on just one pair of flip-flops. Even more shocking than the number of germs were the types represented- bacteria from fecal matter, skin and respiratory germs. One pair of 6-year-old flip-flops had germs that cause yeast infections and diaper rash."

Click here to read more! Can your flip-flops kill you?

Tanning Beds as deadly as arsenic!

MSN has posted an article stating that tanning beds are as deadly as arsenic!
Cancer risk jumps 75% if ultraviolet radiation device is used before age of 30!
Click here to read article

An Apple a Day Still Keeps the Doctor Away!

"People who much on apples, eat applesauce or drink apple juice are 27% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome- a combination of health problems, such as increased blood pressure and blood sugar levels, that can lead to heart disease and diabetes, research shows. Other studies show that eating apples may reduce your risk of breast cancer! "

Source: Fitness Magazine

VS model Marisa Miller's health and beauty advice

I don't know about all of you but I will take all the advice I can get from a Victoria Secret model who also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue! She sat down with Shape magazine to share her best beauty and health tip!

1. Never Run on an empty stomach
"I usually have steel cut oatmeal with sliced bananas in the morning, but if I want something fast, I whip up a protein shake. I mix soy or almond milk, yogurt, a banana and a scoop of protein powder with frozen organic fruit, like mango's or blueberries."

2. Get your Beauty Rest

3. Give in to Temptation
" I prefer healthy food and try not to bring too many treats into my house. But I don't believe in depriving myself either. When I go to the movies, I have a sugary soda, not a diet one. And if I want a burger, I'll have a burger. I just make sure not to have one five days in a row."

4. Slather on SPF

5. Take a Cold Shower

6. Buy the Right Bra

7. Be Flexible with your workouts

8. Don't eat like your guy
"My Husband, Griffin, is tall and lean, so he can eat anything he wants. Some nights he'll bring home french fries, and I have to resist them! I decide to say no and then make something else, like a veggie burger. It's not always an easy choice, but it's a healthier one."

9. Fake the Sun

10. Cook when you can

Shrug it off...for less neck pain

"Strengthening your trapezius muscle, which runs from your shoulders to your neck and upper back, can reduce chronic neck pain by up to 80%. Go to www.fitnessmagazine.com/shoulder for shoulder shrugs and other soothing moves."

Source: Fitness Magazine

Skinny Jeans Causing Numbness in Legs

Of course Beauty is a pain but when it comes down to your health that's a bit of a different story! Many people are reporting numbness in their legs that doctors are linking to wearing too tight of jeans...
Read this article posted on MSN about the symptoms and causes that are leading to nerve damage!

Skinny jeans give thigh nerve a painful pinch

Get Your Head Examined

" Melanomas found on your scalp or neck almost double your risk of dying compared with those detected elsewhere on the body, report researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Because they're often hidden by hair, malignant moles and other skin abnormalities are typically detected too late for treatment to be effective. "

Source: Fitness Magazine
Picture: www.ABC.com

Road to Healthy Skin Tour...

The Skin Cancer Foundation is putting on a Road to Healthy Skin Tour! It kicks off in early April and runs through the Fall. I know I'm going to try and catch them when they are in my area! I am in desperate need of a skin check! And it's free!

"The Skin Cancer Foundation's Road to Healthy Skin Tour presented by AVEENO® and Rite Aid -- which provides free full body skin cancer screenings and the latest skin cancer information -- will hit the road again this April. The tour will resume its course across the country making 80 stops at a variety of locations including participating Rite Aid stores. Although skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, it is also one of the most preventable and, when detected early, treatable forms of cancer. Yet, more than 10,000 people in the US die from skin cancer every year. “Many people don’t know that they should get a yearly skin exam. The goal of this tour is to educate the public about skin cancer and encourage people to schedule regular skin screenings,” said Perry Robins, MD, President of The Skin Cancer Foundation. “Caught in the early stages, skin cancer is almost always curable.” "

Click here to see scheduled dates... Road to Healthy Skin Tour Dates

Why TV can make you Fat

"You already know you chow more while ­watching House, but eating in front of the TV also makes you snack more later, a study in the journal Appetite reports.

Female volunteers ate lunch one day while watching the tube and one day away from it. When offered cookies several hours after each meal, the women ate 20 percent more post–telly session.

TV watching may cause you to space about what you ate, leading to overeating, says lead study author Suzanne Higgs, Ph.D., of the University of Birmingham in England.

Can't avoid distractions? Snap a cell photo of your meal and refer to it before you slip into snack mode."

Source: Women's Health Blog

Swine Flu...

So by now everyone has heard of the swine flu which is so far has effected around 150 people. We all know that the media hypes up everything they can get their hands on. But what most of us don't know is that the regular common flu kills thousands of people every year! Of course there is cause for concern with the "swine flu" because it is the unknown but no need to panic at this time. Here are some tips to keep your immune system strong and hopefully keep that swine flu and any flu for that matter away!

• Wash your hand with anti bacteria soap for at least 20 seconds often through out the day!
• Keep Anti bacterial hand gel handy
• Take vitamin C daily
• Take a daily echinacea vitamin (these can be found at any drug store or health food store)
• Make sure to catch up on your zzz's. Lack of sleep can leave you with a weak immune system. (Adults should have between 7-9 hrs of sleep a night)
• Try and keep stress levels down. ( take deep breaths if you are feeling stressed! Yoga is always a GREAT stress reliever!)
• Exercise! Not only a great de-stresser but also helps boost your immune system!

(Picture is from an email that was forwarded to me)

D-Stress

"Getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D can decrease your risk of developing a stress fracture by 20%. Active women should strive for 1,000 IU of D and 2,000 milligrams of calcium daily to keep their bones strong, experts say."

(*Fitness magazine, may issue)

Stress fractures can be a real pain!! They usually occur in athletes from unusual or repeated stress on weight bearing bones such as the tibia in your leg or your foot.

An old friend of mine who played soccer in college had one due to extensive practices and constant long distance running. He spent the last 3-4 weeks of his freshman season in a "boot" to heal the stress fracture.

Turn Up The Heat On Your Sheets

No no not what you are thinking... ;)

"Bedding contains thousands of dust mites that can irritate sensitive skin and exacerbate eczema, according to a new study. Wash sheets in H2O that's at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit to make sure you kill the critters. "


This was taken from Fitness magazine's May issue

The Golden Rules of Gorgeous Skin

Fitness magazine has a great section in their May issue about keeping your skin safe in the sun...

Memorize this short list to keep your skin safe-and young looking.

Slather on sunscreen: ( I know all of us hear this all the time...but there is a reason for it...it's super important!!!)

• 365 days a year. UVB rays (they burn you) peak in June, but UVA rays (they age you) stay constant year round.
• Rain or Shine. 40% of UV rays penetrate skin on cloudy days.
• At least every 90 minutes when outdoors; immediately after a swim.
• 30 minutes before going outside, to allow ingredients to activate (especially if you have fair skin!)