Did You Know...

1 cup of cooked pumpkin has only 50 calories, and are actually a fruit.

Nutrition  

It's that time again...the kick-off with buckets of Halloween candy, followed by the delectable Thanksgiving dessert selections and then diving into holiday parties.  You're at the fork in the road where you have the choice to determine the outcome.  The last week of 2011...are you going to feel great about yourself, or are you dying to jump into a New Years resolution? 

Just because it seems like the norm to put yourself on the back burner, I am challenging you to take a different approach this year.  Lets take it one step at a time, set yourself a Halloween goal.  Halloween Candy Buyback Program is handy way to ditch the candy your children have hanging around, or to push out your trick-or-treat handout remains.  Candy Buy Back programs typically offer money per pound of candy donated.  Donations are made into care packages for our troops overseas. 

www.Halloweencandybuyback.com has more information on this program, local dentists that partipate, and monitary donations used for shipping these packages.  There are also many local schools organizations that have started to participate in the buy back program.  I would love to hear more about programs taking place on the island, feel free to post details to my facebook pages or send me an email. 

(Natural Health 

St. Johns Wort

Prepare yourself, get a bottle and keep on hand.  St. Johns Wort is an antiviral, good for cold & flu prevention (another reason not to get the flu shot), and decreasing muscle & joint pain.  Lynn Murdock, herbalist, forager & mother nature extraordinaire has some recommendations. (For those of you unfamiliar, this is my mother & my motivation).

If getting sick, take a dropperful of tincture every 2 hours.

For jet lag, take 1 dropper every hour on the plane.

Building up your immune system, and living a health promoting lifestyle is invaluble.  Take care of your body, and if needed I recommend trying organic herbal remedies before jumping on the pharmaceutical path.  Tylenol & advil are readily available, but the more you educate yourself on why you should avoid these products, the easier it becomes to eliminate them from your life. 

All of Lynn's herbal products are organic, and quite frankly, awesome.  Visit her website www.lynnsorganics.net

Exercise

Consistent, injury-free exercise is key to staying in shape and keeping motivated.  Regular stretching is one way to increase flexibility and help long term activity without interruption.  It is also helpful in reducing lower back pain.

We have a few illustrated posters in our stretch room here for reference.  If you are unsure of how or what to do, there are many websites such as Mayo Clinic that break it down.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/SM00043

Stretching is equally important for kids.  Kids Health is also a great resource for more health and nutrition info.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/exercise/stretching.html

Short on time and prefer incorporating into your work day?  Here is a link for stretches that can be done at your desk.  Take a few minute breather and get that blood flowing.

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/tp/deskstretches.htm

Sport specific...Active.com has a short video on stretches geared towards runners. 

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/5-Injury-Prevention-Stretches-for-Runners.htm?cmp=291&memberid=30397978&lyrisid=23116881