2010 August | Health & Wellness

Genetics Don’t Determine Everything

mother and daughter sitting back to back 42 22329828 300x209 Genetics Dont Determine Everything Have you ever been compared to your mother? Everyone says I’m the spitting image of mine. Each year photos are taken out and everything from my eyes to my smile is compared to her at different stages of her life. It’s flattering to say the least, but determining how you look when you get older isn’t as simple as taking a look at your mom.

While genetics play a role in your body shape, you’re really in the driver’s seat. Our mothers grew up during a time when it wasn’t as popular to partake in after school sports or physical activity. They also weren’t likely dieting and exercising as much as people do now. Today, we can even have prepared meals delivered to our homes to ensure we’re eating healthily and the right portion size.

While genetics do set a base line weight, your choices are ultimately more influential.The way you live your life –- environmental and personal choices –- will have a tremendous impact on your body shape.

Egg Recall Due to Unsanitary Conditions

egg Egg Recall Due to Unsanitary Conditions Investigators found clear violations when visiting two Iowa farms involved with the egg recall. Violations such as manure piles up to eight feet tall, rodents and other wildlife in the hen houses, evidence of flies and maggots, equipment that wasn’t properly sanitized and employees who failed to change protective clothing as they should have. Doesn’t exactly make you want to rush out an eat an omelet now, does it?

The good news is, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t announced any new recalls and the problems only reach to one percent of all eggs. But are the eggs in your fridge safe to eat? Here’s how to check:

- First check to see if the brand name you purchased is involved in the recall.

- If your brand isn’t involved, your eggs should be free of salmonella. If your brand is involved, then check the carton for plant number and Julian date. If your carton is involved in the recall, bring it back to the store for a full refund.

If you don’t remember the brand and no longer have the carton to check then it’s better to be safe than sorry. As my mom used to say “when it doubt, throw it out.” Also, pasteurized products, such as liquid egg substitutes are not involved in the recall. If you’re concerned about eating eggs at all until this recall is over, the substitutes are a safe alternative.

Fit Tip of the Day: Yogi Pushbacks

dog 300x181 Fit Tip of the Day: Yogi Pushbacks I wouldn’t consider myself a Yogi, per say, but I try to take classes once a week and really enjoy them. The true yoga afficianados in the class absolutely amaze me. Their strength and the ways they can twist their bodies and hold what looks like the most impossible positions is not to be reckoned with.

Besides the mental ease of yoga, I try to go for the stretching and toning. After taking so many cardio-pump classes during the week, it helps to keep my muscles long and lean. I got the scoop from Jeanmarie Paolillo, a Senior Teacher at YogaWorks in NYC on how to achieve sexy arms and shoulders with one easy move.

Start in downward facing dog. On an inhale, shift your body forward until you are in the plank pose. Make sure your shoulders are over your wrists and your heels are over your toes. On an exhale, push from your hands and engage your abs to fold back into downward facing dog.

This move seems very simple, but it’s all about form. Don’t rush through it. Make sure you’re breathing properly and keeping your abs engaged to maximize the benefits. Try doing a set of ten reps. For real strength training, try holding each position for two breaths before flowing to the next one.

Gloss How-To: Find Out if You’re Settling for Someone

couplelaunging 300x199 Gloss How To: Find Out if Youre Settling for Someone Is he Mr. Right? Or is he just Mr. Here-Right-Now? Sometimes loneliness or a desire to just have that “plus one” to take to parties and weddings can make us overlook potential issues in our partners. But relationships are a big investment — not only of your time but of your emotions, too. To really find happiness with a partner, you can’t enter in to a relationship with low expectations.

What makes someone “right” for you is a bit difficult to define. In fact, the truly right person may come in a package you never expected. It’s important to keep an open mind when meeting new people and it’s also important not to write people off immediately. But, when you’ve been spending time with someone, there is a certain set of criteria they should meet.

Mira Kirshenbaum, a psychotherapist and the author of Is He Mr. Right? Everything You Need to Know Before You Commit, says a healthy relationship is based on five dimensions of chemistry:

- Physical chemistry or affection.

- Real intimacy or feeling “at home” with someone.

- The ability to have fun together.

- Trust and feeling secure with the other person.

- Mutual respect.

There are bound to be small annoyances and issues with your partner — and your partner is bound to have some small issues with you, too. Humans rarely fit together like puzzle pieces and that’s okay. But if you honestly assess your relationship and see that you’re falling short in one of the five areas, stop and think it over. Is it an area you can discuss and work through? Or is it an area where you just are never going to see eye to eye?

Deciding to let go of a relationship is never easy. But if you’re heart is set on Mr. Right, settling for Mr. Here-Right-Now will never be enough.

Gloss Find: Arriva Leo Wireless Headphones

tech toys 01 fiss431 300x257 Gloss Find: Arriva Leo Wireless Headphones Now this is a find. How many times have you struggled to untangle the wires on your headphones? What a mess. Brand new to the market, welcome Arriva Leo wireless headphones.

The sweat-resistant headphones can be connected to Bluetooth-enabled devices and make enjoying music on-the-go hassle free. There’s a Shuffle II dock built into the back of the headphones that accommodates the 1GB and 2 GB 2 Gen iPod Shuffle. If you’re a runner, you don’t have to worry about using the arm band with your iPod (which is always too big on me).

Since they wrap around your head, they’re available in three different sizes to ensure a tight fit. Wouldn’t it be great if everything could be completely wireless?

Arriva Leo wireless headphones – $20 – arriva.com

Chewing Gum Improves Alertness

woman chewing natural gum 300x199 Chewing Gum Improves Alertness I’ve heard of chewing gum to freshen your breath or even to help curb your appetite, but chomping on a stick of Juicy Fruit to improve memory? That seems a little crazy. Studies show it also improves recollection and alertness.

Studies on chewing gum and memory have been conducted since 2002 and each year researchers are finding out new proof. So how does this actually work? The original studies claimed that chewing gum promotes the release of insulin, which may affect memory. It also slightly increases your heart rate, which increases your blood flow and delivers more oxygen to your brain.

Today, there is no solid evidence that links chewing gum with memory, but like the above states, it is possible. A 2009 study published in the journal of Nutrition Neuroscience found that the act of chewing gum does increase alertness, but no more than having your average cup of joe.

Fit Tip of the Day: Take an Online Class

fitnessonline 300x275 Fit Tip of the Day: Take an Online Class Exercise DVDs let you work out at times that are convenient for you and let you enjoy the privacy of your own living room. But if you’re a fan of the exercise DVD you know they have one major caveat — after a while, they get downright boring. You can spice up your at home workouts with online instructor-led classes.

Physiic.com is a collection of scheduled online fitness courses that you can sign up for and participate in. While a webcam is recommended, all you really need is a high-speed Internet connection.

What’s really great is you don’t have to sign up for any monthly fees or long-term commitment. Each class is assigned a number of credits — purchase however many credits you want ($1.00 = one credit) and use them as you see fit. The classes all have different credit values, but for the sake of an example a 60 minute Beginner / Intermediate Yoga class is worth eight credits. They even give you 11 credits free just for signing up — no commitment required.

Gloss Find: The No Om Zone

noom Gloss Find: The No Om Zone No chanting. No granola. No Sanskrit. That’s perhaps one of the best tag lines ever. The No Om Zone is a book that makes yoga a little more accessible for those of us that just aren’t into the om. Yoga is an excellent way to develop strength and flexibility while promoting relaxation. But if being bent at strange angles while wearing relatively fitted yoga clothes in a room full of strangers makes you feel a little more stressed than relaxed, this book is a great place to start.

Author Kimberly Fowler is more athlete than yogi. On her blog, Fowler writes “I think there’s (a) reason why, despite all the good PR, many people still haven’t tried or truly gotten into Yoga: They just can’t relate to it.” With The No Om Zone, Fowler aims to change that.

“Many Yoga classes look more like rooms full of pretzel people (tied up in knots) than, well, people like you and me,” continues Fowler. “No OM Yoga is Yoga everyone can relate to. It’s practical, straightforward Yoga that’s fun and energizing and not intimidating.”

The No Om Zone — $14.39 on BarnesandNoble.com.