Have you ever been at work and found it very difficult to focus or think clearly when you needed to? More and more studies are showing that nutrition and exercise directly impact improvements in cognitive function and help the mind actually function better.  If you think about it, it really does make sense.  If we break it down, when you eat you are fueling your body, not just to have energy to do all the things you need to do in a day physically, but also to feed your mind. 

 When you exercise, you are increasing the oxygen flow through your body and breaking up that stagnant, slowing effect that can become apparent when you are lethargic and not eating well.  Have you noticed people who regularly run or exercise as well as pay attention to eating well in your office? Often they are the ones with annoyingly high energy, friendly attitudes and on top of their game with ideas and organization with their work!  Click to keep reading...

We have all heard the phrase, “you are what you eat” and it does seem to ring true on many levels.  Almost every single day I hear someone express how tired they feel.  I know several people who do not sleep well on a regular basis. What we don’t realize, is that the food we eat can have a big impact on our sleep quality at night. This can have an enormous impact on your life, let alone your work.  Let’s face it, sometimes it actually isn’t the meeting that is so boring that you are falling on your face, it is the fact that many are not well rested. 

The food and liquids we consume can often make or break our ability to sleep on time and with quality rest.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind to see a change in your own sleep pattern so that you can be at your best during the day, for whomever it is you need to work with or for:

-Tryptophan-rich foods.  We’ve all heard about thanksgiving turkey dinners putting everyone to sleep.  Well, it truly is a sleep-inducing item! Other foods that contain tryptophan would include poultry, dairy, banans, honey and oats.  Click to keep reading...

It can be quite monotonous, at times, planning the weekly meals around my work schedule.  I would like to say I try to stay mindful of healthy food options and sometimes it helps to try new things, get new ideas to break up the routine. 

I always love finding recipe ideas that I can share with everyone that are tasty options to vary from the easy convenience of unhealthy food that seems to surround us.  The one I would like to share with you today is for apple-cinnamon muffins that can be brought along as a breakfast treat to work, or really any time.  I found this recipe in Women’s Health Magazine back in 2008.

Apple-Cinnamon Oat-Bran Muffins

Ingredients: 1/2 cup oat bran, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 egg beaten, 4 tbsp canola oil, 1/3 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together bran, flour, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Click to keep reading...

You may recall a few months back I wrote an entry discussing sugar – friend or foe?  Well, as I hoped to point out, it is not your friend! I could write numerous addendums to that topic and probably never fully be able to emphasize that fact enough.  Today is one of those occasions. 

Time Magazine recently published a health special, A to Z Health Guide, which covers most topics briefly.  I was relieved to see that the dangers of sugar are being discussed more and more in general, and was, of course, touched upon in this magazine.   The section that caught my eye was one that clarified the differences of glucose, fructose and sucrose.  Although they sound the same, they do not have the same impact on your body. 

Glucose is produced by your body after you digest and break down starches and carbohydrates, and this is the easiest on your body.  Surprisingly enough, it is fructose, the sugar obtained from various fruits, that can be dangerous if eaten excessively over time.  Excessive fructose puts you in the ring for risks such as heart disease and diabetes.  The reason for this is that more fat develops in the liver and do not react to insulin properly.  We are always taught that fruit is good for us, but the thing to consider is all of the other places that fructose lingers.  Click to keep reading...

You would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t experienced the afternoon fatigue at work after lunch.  We tend to blame it on everything around us except the thing that makes the most sense – the food in our lunch!  I have heard the sleepy blame game for years now, and it includes pointing fingers at the weather, meetings, not having enough coffee, and the list goes on and on.  The food we eat can make or break us for the duration of our day, and let’s face it, we need to be energetic, alert and thinking properly. 

There are many nutrients that we need on a daily basis to keep our bodies running efficiently ona a daily basis, not to mention long-term.  Needless to say, most average adults do not get all of the nutrients they need and eat a healthy and well-balanced diet regularly.  I have compiled a few basic food categories to keep in mind when packing your lunch or deciding what to order when you step out of the office to grab a bite.  Click to keep reading...

Last week I brought up the topic of breathing correctly and how it can be an easy tactic to relieve stress and protect against all the harmful affects that stress can have against one’s health.  In your career, can you think of times when you should have taken a step back from the situation and given yourself a minute to breathe and you could have been able to think more clearly or handle something more objectively?

When you are at work, it is the perfect opportunity to practice proper breathing techniques.  If you are more relaxed, and hence less stressed, your posture, your attitude and your abilities will show the improvement.  I will admit, that this is something I need to work on.  We, as a society, let ourselves become so busy and so scheduled, that amazingly enough, we actually forget how to breathe correctly, one of the most basic essentials of life!  Click to keep reading...

It can often go overlooked, that breathing is actually an incredible tool that can be utilized as a regulator and stimulator of health and wellness.  Our bodies take on the task of breathing automatically.  Due to this automated process, thanks to our nervous systems, we don’t even have to think about breathing, we just do it. 

 Our careers, no matter what field or direction they may be in, take a toll on us.  There are ups and downs, as well as demands and stress buildup.  When you begin to obtain the basic understanding of the connection between your brain, your nervous system and your breath, you can have the power to reach and maintain a stress-reduced life from the inside to the outside with a more balanced and positive existence.

 There are differences in your breathing, if you take the time to notice and be conscious of it.  For example, when you get angry, your breathing gets faster, shorter and somewhat shallow.  This can also occur when you are in fear or heavily stressed.  When you are calm and relaxed, it is more natural to take in longer and deeper breaths.  Click to keep reading...

The end of 2009 has quickly come to a close.  It sounds so cliché to have a resolution any more doesn’t it? Is it really necessary to have a new year’s resolution? In my opinion, you shouldn’t ever wait to make life changes, that are for the better, until January 1^st, of any year.  But perhaps, for the mental game of it all, it is helpful to think of it as starting a clean slate in a new year.  What are your goals for this year? Think carefully about changes you could make that would make you feel better inside and out. 

 WebMD featured an article regarding 5 healthy resolutions that women should consider taking on. 

 They are:

1. Eat, but don’t overeat

                  Women are often very black and white about losing weight or carving out  new eating patterns.  As women, we tend to cut out entire food groups rather than find a reasonable way to live with a variety of food.  Instead of ridding our diet of all desserts and end up bailing out on the whole thing in two weeks, it might be better to pick a day out of the week when you allow yourself something special.   Click to keep reading...

There are two salad sides that have been my wing men for gatherings at work and with family, and they have both been repeatedly invited back for following events.  When it comes to potlucks and gatherings, I am not one that likes to fight for oven space or lug a crock pot around.  I look for something that has good food and can be served cold.  Both of these recipes are a great addition around the holidays because they both naturally have the colors green and red as well!

Red Broccoli Salad

 Ingredients:

•  2 Pounds bacon
• 1 large head broccoli, chopped
• ¾ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup minced green green onions
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 1 ½ cups seedless grapes halved
• ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup mayonnaise

 Place bacon in a large skillet.  Cook, turning frequently over medium heat until browned.  Cool and crumble.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread slivered almonds on a cookie sheet.  Bake 12-14 min. or lightly browned, turning once. Cool.

 In a small, mix mayo, sugar and vinegar. Set aside.  Click to keep reading...

Whether you are bringing in items for the company potluck, spreading the holiday spirit by bringing stuff in for your co-workers or preparing for friends and family to come to your home, there are ways to keep your eating on a healthier level, even at this time of year. 

 I have included some ideas to keep in mind for these snacks and dishes you might serve or bring at home or the office, as well as choices to keep in mind when you are filling your own plate when you are out and about.  I think the most critical thing to keep in mind when making choices of what to eat or how to make food, is to always stay closest to the food’s most natural state.  Pick foods that are natural – fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.  And when you cook them, keep them as close to their natural and pure state as possible while giving them flavor but savoring the nutritional value.

 Tips for the week:  Click to keep reading...

•  On many pies, you can have an open top, so line only the bottom with pastry.
•  Pick or serve marinated chicken, beef or fish, rather than a breaded style.