MAY 2018 INFORMATION FOR KEEPING HEALTHY

The Secret to Fitness at Any Age Take one step, then another…and keep going Young Desiree Linden went to high school Take the challenge to Move in May THE Y AXIS near sunny San Diego, Calif. She liked The ‘Tooth’ Will You don’t need to run 26.2 miles to be healthy. playing soccer, running cross country, and But regular physical activity is important.2 Set You Free competing on the track team. Then she went Being active helps strengthen your heart, lungs, Tracking your diet can off to college to study psychology and run for help you make better the Sun Devils. and muscles. It helps burn calories, control weight, food choices. Are you and prevent disease. And even something as simple Next came a job as a customer service rep rolling your eyes yet? as a walk in the park can improve your mood. Aim for an online retailer. And that’s the tipping for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. It can be such a point for a lot of people. Work, family, life, pain. Right? and other duties start to get in the way What can you do to be more active? This Maybe it doesn’t of regular exercise. Sound familiar? month, thousands of people will participate have to be. in the national Move in May challenge, to Linden had a different idea. After she got a job, A team at Tufts be more active by doing things like: she didn’t toss her running shoes in the closet University has • Go for a walk. and take up couch surfing. She kept running. MORE developed a tiny • Ride a bike. tooth-mounted She kept racing. And for years, she kept working Easy ways to be digital food tracker.1 toward a big goal…win the . • Work in the yard. more active • Take a fitness class. https://tinyurl. It tracks And you know what? She did. At 34 years old, com/kx4dq5r what you Linden won the last month. • Play a sport. eat and She finished the race in 2:39:55. And she’s the first drink. Then Start. Take one step. Then another. And keep American woman to win the race in 33 years. it sends going. That’s what Desiree Linden did. the data (calories and nutrients) to your smartphone. Eat This Raw to Keep Your Brain Healthy This tiny device Fresh fruits and vegetables support mental health may one day make it easier to count Eat it raw. No, we’re not talking Top 10 raw fruits & vegetables calories, track about oysters or runny eggs. Researchers rated fruits and vegetables highest in food choices, drink Those are foods you should avoid, nutrients for mental health. The top 10 include: more water, and especially raw, for a lot of reasons. make healthier • Apples • Kiwifruit lifestyle choices. But there are some foods where • Bananas • Lettuce raw is the right choice. But it also raises an • Berries • Oranges, lemons, important question In a recent study, researchers found • Carrots and other citrus fruit about your diet: that people who eat more raw fruits • Spinach, and dark, Can you handle • Cucumber and vegetables are less likely to develop leafy greens the ‘tooth?’ depression and mental health problems.3 • Grapefruit What’s the connection? Fruits and Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? vegetables have the most nutrients when Probably not. Only 9 percent of adults COMMENTS? they’re raw. In a few cases, nutrient eat enough vegetables. And only about 13 percent of adults eat enough fruit.4 Send comments to density increases by cooking (e.g., the editor: tomatoes, broccoli, and asparagus). But Your goal: Eat 2 to 3 cups of vegetables evan.jensen@ most are healthiest when they’re raw. a day, and 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit. wellsource.com Whole-Grain Cereal for Breakfast Improves Heart Health Healthy breakfast may cut heart-failure risk by 29 percent

If your heart isn’t strong On the cereal aisle enough to pump all the blood When you’re shopping for whole-grain and oxygen your body needs cereal, make sure the first ingredient to function, you have heart is a whole grain like whole-wheat, failure. It’s a condition that an barley, millet, or buckwheat. RECIPE estimated 5.7 million people in the United States are living with. Also look for options that contain at least Real Raspberry 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving. Fiber Sorbet There is treatment – but no protects your heart because it helps: cure – for heart failure. The Hungry for a sweet • Lower LDL “bad” cholesterol treat that won’t best option is prevention. And destroy your diet, it starts with eating a healthy breakfast. • Control blood pressure and actually tastes • Reduce the risk A study followed about 21,000 people for 20 MORE good? Skip the ice for diabetes cream, dessert bar, years. And the results are now in. People who Try these healthy, • Support weight or drive-thru. Give ate whole-grain breakfast cereal 7 days a week whole-grain cereals this Real Raspberry lowered their risk for heart failure by 29 percent.5 management http://tinyurl.com/ mrooxl6 Sorbet recipe a try.6 • Improve digestion You’ll only need four Want to keep your heart healthy? Exercise and What’s for breakfast? Try whole-grain cereals ingredients, and you other healthy lifestyle habits will help. Eating can prepare it in less more plant-based foods, like whole-grains, like shredded wheat, low-fat granola, and than 10 minutes. is good for heart health, too. Aim to eat at bran flakes. Cooked cereals like steel-cut oats and quinoa are also excellent whole-grain Ingredients least 3 to 4 servings of whole grains daily. 2 large bananas Start with whole-grain cereal for breakfast. breakfast choices. Add berries to sweeten. (peeled, chopped, and frozen) 2 C frozen raspberries Eat This Raw to Keep Your Brain Healthy (continued from page 1) 2 T natural maple If you’re not getting enough MORE lunch. Grab an apple for a snack. syrup fruits and vegetables, a few Include a vegetable with dinner. 2 T lemon juice simple changes to your diet can How to eat more fruits and vegetables Stick with it. In just a week or Directions make a difference. Try this: Eat a https://tinyurl.com/ two, you’ll feel better and be 1. Remove bananas banana or berries with breakfast. ybrkkzgf healthier, and so will your brain. from freezer and Have a leafy-green salad for place in a food processor. Let sit for 5-7 minutes. Pulse References until smooth. 1. Tseng, P., et al. (2018). Functional RF-trilayer sensor for tooth-mounted, wireless monitoring of the oral cavity 2. Add raspberries, and food consumption. Advanced Materials, 1703257. From: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201703257 syrup, and lemon 2. Reiner, M., et al. (2013). Long-term health benefits of physical activity: A systematic review of longitudinal juice. Blend until studies. British Medical Journal, 13:813. From: https://tinyurl.com/y8tb4vgw smooth. Stop to scrape sides of 3. Brookie, K., et al. (2018). Intake of raw fruits and vegetables is associated with better mental health… Frontiers in Psychology. From: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00487/full blender if needed. 3. Pour into cups 4. Latetia, V., et al. (2015). Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 64(26):709-713. From: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6426a1.htm 97 calories per 5. Djousse, L., et al. (2007). Breakfast cereals and risk of heart failure in the physicians’ health study. Archives of serving. Makes 6 Internal Medicine, 167(19):2080-2085. From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17954802 servings. 6. Radd, S. (2016). Real raspberry sorbet. Food as medicine: Cooking for your best health. (p. 249). Warburton, Australia: Signs Publishing Company.

Monthly Health Challenge™ Breathe Easy

How much do you know about the benefits of CHALLENGE Take the May Health Challenge! mindful breathing? Take the quiz to find out: Practice T F breathing 1. n n About 60 minutes of quiet breathing can reduce stress and improve mood. to improve 2. n n Research shows a regular breathing practice your health can help treat anxiety and depression. 3. n n Deep breathing can help lower Requirements to complete heart rate and blood pressure. ™ 4. n n Endorphins released during mindful this HEALTH CHALLENGE breathing can help reduce pain. 1. Read “Breathe Easy.” 5. n n Mindful breathing can be done anytime, Breathe Easy: Practice breathing to improve your health 2. Practice breathing to improve your health. anywhere. Closing your eyes is not required. 3. Keep a record of your completed health challenge in How did you do? If you answered any of these statements case your organization requires documentation. incorrectly, you could benefit from learning more about mindful breathing to improve your health. It only takes As the CEO of a fast-growing kitchen appliance about 10 minutes of quiet breathing to reduce stress and improve your mood. (If you can’t take a 10-minute company, Shae Hong had a lot on his mind.1 break, start with 2 or 3 minutes.) Stressed out? Stop. Find QUIET His to-do list looked something like this. a quiet place. Take a few minutes to practice mindful

please! breathing, and you’ll feel better.7

THING Navigate traffic in , Calif., to BREA True. 5. True. 4. True. 3. True. 2. False. 1. Answers: in progress company headquarters. Improve delivery and distribution to retailers and customers. Oversee product development. Fine tune the supply The Health Benefits of © Wellsource, Inc. chain. Provide a positive experience for customers, even when something goes wrong. Keep shareholders happy. Mindful Breathing And there was at least one more thing for Hong to do. At first, it was hard for Hong to clear his mind and Beat the previous year’s annual revenue of $21 million. focus on breathing during a 15-minute break. (If you’re Every day was stressful, and it wasn’t getting any better. stressed out, you probably have a lot on your mind, too.) For Hong, work was taking a toll on his health, his But he persisted, and it got easier. He felt better. His blood Ask the Wellness Doctor: All Rights Reserved. happiness, and his productivity. And he knew he pressure went down. Cravings for food or alcohol became needed to do something about it. Sound familiar? easier to manage. Happiness and productivity increased by simply taking a little time each day to breathe. Here’s what he did. He looked over his daily schedule and planned out three 15-minute breaks a day. But it wasn’t Research shows mindful breathing can also help: to wash down a donut with another cup of coffee. He • Reduce cortisol levels linked to stress, shut his office door. He hung up a do-not-disturb sign. inflammation, and chronic disease2 And for those 15 minutes, he sat quietly…breathing. • Treat depression and anxiety to improve mood3 It took some practice to get comfortable with the routine. But • Increase energy and happiness after a while, he noticed a difference. He felt better. He had • Lower blood pressure more energy And it made his to-do list a lot easier to manage. without medication4 Infographic: The scientific This month Dr. Joe Raphael answers the question: “Remembering to breathe slowly keeps me patient • Control impulsive behavior benefits of breathing and better able to think through problems • Improve quality of sleep5 + 6-step breathing and find a resolution,” says Hong. • Strengthen the immune system technique 6 https://tinyurl. Want to reduce stress and improve your health to fight cold and flu viruses com/y9ajkllv in just a few minutes a day? Take the month- • Improve brain function, long health challenge to Breathe Easy. thinking, and problem solving How much alcohol is OK to drink?