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We try to keep an eye out for free health screenings, especially to help those who may not have health insurance coverage. It’s easy to forget to have our regular tests done to make sure everything is okay, and even easier to forget when we may not have the financial means to pay for expensive testing.
Free screenings are a great way to monitor things like blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, hearing, and skin cancer. Here is a link to a free event coming up this weekend:
We’ve all experienced procrastination…it’s a dream stealer. Far too often we justify it by saying, “It’s just not the right time.” The end result is that we never get started on the goals we’d LOVE to see accomplished in our life.
THAT ENDS TODAY!
I’ve come across an interesting little study that seems to explain WHY we procrastinate, and sheds some light on what we can do to stop waiting and start achieving once and for all. An international team of psychologists joined with the University of Konstanz in Germany to find out if there is any link between how we think of achieving a task or goal and our tendency to postpone it for “another time.”
The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, recruited a group of students to complete a questionnaire that dealt with mundane tasks like opening a bank account. The students were told to fill out the questionnaire and email it back within three weeks. The students would also receive payment once they’d completed the questionnaire. What the students did not know is that some of them were given questions that required “nuts and bolts” types of answers, while others were given questions that required more abstract thinking.
For the “nuts and bolts” group, the questions required straightforward answers. So for example, the question could be on how to open a bank account. The answer, of course, would involve driving to a bank, talking to a teller, making an opening deposit, etc. The abstract questionnaire asked the students to think about implied personality traits. For example, what kind of person opens a bank account, or what are the traits of a person who keeps a diary?
The psychologists recorded the response times of both groups to see if there would be any significant difference. There was. Those that had to answer the questions abstractly procrastinated. Those who had to answer the questions concretely sent in the completed task much sooner. “Merely thinking about the task in more concrete, specific terms makes it feel like it should be completed sooner and thus reducing procrastination,” said the study’s authors.
So how can this help you achieve your goals and New Year’s resolutions? Simple. Break your goals down into highly specific action steps, so you don’t put off getting started. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds, make a specific list of actions you can do.
For example, the first item could be to walk around your neighborhood every day for 15 minutes. Another step could be to call the gym and find out pricing. The next step could be to drive to the gym, pay the fee and sign up. In terms of nutrition, it could be to eat 4 pieces of fruit every day and to drink 8 glasses of water. You get the idea.
Remember, if you are doing something every day to move towards your goals and resolutions, eventually you WILL get there. The important thing though, is that you get started. There will NEVER be a perfect time. The perfect time is NOW.
Danielle, who lives in Dallas, started working with us after injuries sustained as a marathon runner. She wanted to rebuild her strength while healing.
Watch her interview or read the interview transcript below to see how Danielle’s success could inspire you!
Danielle DiLiberti:
My name is Danielle DiLiberti and I’m from Dallas, Texas.
New Wave Fitness:
Danielle, what was your life like before you started training with us?
Danielle DiLiberti:
Before I started training with New Wave Fitness, I was a big runner, a half-marathon runner. I became injured and I kind of just stopped doing a lot of exercise after that, to heal. My main physical fitness activities were running, and following my injury, I would just do elliptical rider, ride the recumbent bike, but no actual weight lifting or anything besides cardio.
I was a little skeptical at first because of the injury. I didn’t want to further injure myself. But then I knew I didn’t feel good and I needed something to get me back on my training routine and get me excited about working out again, so I decided to go with New Wave Fitness. Since I’ve started working with New Wave Fitness, I’ve seen a significant difference in my body style. I’ve trimmed down, I’ve lost about 10 pounds. I used to be able to do two push-ups; now I can do 40 push-ups.
New Wave Fitness:
Wow! And you said you’ve lost some weight in the process.
Danielle DiLiberti:
Yes, I’ve lost about 10 pounds since then. I’ve gone down about one size in my clothing, which is exciting for me. I feel better, I fit better in my clothes, I have more confidence about myself. I definitely have more energy, and also having a scheduled trainer, it works with my work time, my workout time, and makes my life a whole lot easier.
New Wave Fitness:
Great! If you knew somebody who was on the fence about working with our programs, what would you say to them?
Danielle DiLiberti:
I would encourage them to definitely call New Wave Fitness—absolutely professional, has helped me achieve results I never thought I could achieve, and has just been a great decision.
New Wave Fitness:
Thank you very much, Danielle, for sharing your story with us. We really appreciate it.
Here’s a quick, easy recipe for a delicious chicken dinner with vegetables.
A premade rotisserie chicken from your local deli helps make this meal simple and yummy!
Rotisserie Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
• Asparagus (about 16 medium spears)
• 4 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced 1/4” thick
• 1 medium onion, cut in 1/4” thick rings
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 rotisserie chicken breasts or legs
Directions:
Pick up a ready-made rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus by gently bending each stalk until it breaks—it’ll naturally snap off at the right spot.
In a baking dish, toss the vegetables in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until the vegetables have developed a light brown crust.
Serve half the vegetables with the chicken and simple mixed-green salad tossed with olive oil and vinegar.
In a hurry? Want to eat healthy foods? Ask about our prepackaged meal program or click to order! Frozen, prepackaged portions are delivered to your doorstep. Choose from Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks! Delicious options for the entire family, easy to prepare, freezer to microwave to table.
What is dangerous about antibacterial soap? Aren’t soaps that kill bacteria good for us? “That is a common misconception,” says Peggy Edwards, chair of the department of clinical laboratory science at St. Louis University’s Doisy School of Allied Health Professions, “there is little supportive evidence that antibacterial products are effective in preventing illnesses.”
Is using regular soap more beneficial than using antibacterial products?
But all the TV commercials for the antibacterial cleansers would have you believe otherwise—those cheery soccer moms want you to be so afraid of the bacteria living in your kitchen that you make sure to buy their product—the one that “kills 99.9% of bacteria.” Now it’s true that bacteria can cause illness, but we just can’t kill them all—and we certainly shouldn’t live in a completely ‘sanitary’ place, as our immune system would never have a reason to build up our defenses.
Despite the studies on the hazards of antibacterial soaps that have been highlighted in the media recently, people are still crazy about them. If you are still using antibacterial soap, buyer beware—before you purchase antibacterial soap, you should know your soap may do more harm than good.
Many antibacterial soaps and cleansers use a chemical compound called triclosan as the antibacterial agent. Triclosan can be found in 75% of liquid soaps, as well as 30% of bar soaps, deodorants, and lotions, all in an attempt to kill bacteria. Unfortunately, researchers have discovered that exposure to triclosan can cause significant disruption to the endocrine system among other findings that have countless and serious health implications.
Triclosan can create more potent strains of bacteria, increasing antibacterial and antibiotic resistance. So its use in household products may actually contribute to more illnesses. That’s because triclosan kills most–but not all–of the bacteria it encounters. The germs that survive a triclosan onslaught emerge stronger and harder to kill in the future.
Antibacterial resistance is not the only health concern associated with triclosan. The increased use of antibacterials in general has been linked to increased allergies in children. Further studies specific to triclosan have shown that it affects reproduction in lab animals, produces toxic chemicals such as dioxin and chloroform when it reacts with other chemicals like the chlorine in water, irritates skin in humans and might even cause cancer.
New laboratory studies on rats and frogs show that triclosan can disrupt thyroid hormone, alter development and impair important functions at the cellular level. And a study by British researchers found that triclosan has estrogenic and androgenic hormone properties and exposure could potentially contribute to the development of breast cancer.
Triclosan also poses a threat to the environment. It is toxic to algae, phytoplankton and other aquatic life. This is a major problem, as many products that contain triclosan are now washing down our drains and into our water systems, making triclosan a common contaminant of streams and rivers. Because it is a contaminant in sewage sludge that is often spread on land, the chemical is now showing up in earthworms.
Bottom line: washing your hands with regular soap and water does just as good as a job, without the possible side effects to you, your family, and the environment. (We strongly recommend the environmentally friendly soaps and cleaning products in Shaklee’s Get Clean line.)
