FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Why You Need to Exercise, Sleep Well, and Brush Your Teeth

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

There is a lot of health advice out there, and boy do I have plenty to spare. As Thanksgiving rolls around, we can all, hopefully, be thankful for our good health. To remain happy and healthy there are three things you need to do: exercise, sleep well, and take care of your teeth.

We have known for a while now that vigorous exercise can help prevent breast cancer, but new research performed by the National Cancer Institute shows that getting enough shut-eye is necessary for the benefits of all your hard work to stick. Not getting adequate sleep can practically negate the benefits of exercise in lowering your breast cancer risk. I knew that not sleeping well increased breast cancer risk, but am a little surprised that it can negate exercise. Hopefully, exercising vigorously will help us all sleep solidly through the night. One thing that has helped me is getting rid of my digital alarm clock with its bright blue display.

To get the skinny on brushing your teeth,

DrSugar on Working Out With a Cold

DrSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:30:00 -0800

DrSugar knows this is a season of stuffy noses, and that cold and flu season brings with it concerns about exercising when we don't quite feel 100 percent. He has a few things to say on the matter, which should help you decide if you should skip the gym and head to the couch or if the treadmill is the remedy you need. Here's what he has to say:

As Winter creeps in and cold and flu season begins, it is tempting to stay indoors and put away those running shoes for a few months. However, studies show that maintaining a moderate exercise routine can actually boost the immune system and prevent infections. The best way to prevent colds this Winter is to eat a nutritious and well-rounded diet, exercise, avoid stress, get plenty of sleep, and wash your hands regularly. While mild to moderate exercise routines boost the immune system, it is also known that extreme regimens can cause stress by elevating cortisol levels and actually weaken the immune system. This explains why it is common to come down with a cold following a big athletic event, such as that once-a-year marathon or triathlon.

To see how exercise can affect you once you're beginning to feel under the weather, please

Healthy To-Do: Just Say No to TV

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:00 -0800

I will admit after a long day of working and mothering, sitting on the couch, remote in hand, always sounds like the perfect way to wind down and decompress. But I am here to say, don't give into the new opiate of the masses, turn off the boob tube and do something else — it could make you happy.

Watching TV is pleasurable, I am not arguing with that, but a newly released long-term study from the University of Maryland found that those who watch more TV are less happy. The 34-year-long study, involving over 45,000 participants, found that watching TV made viewers happy in the short term, but had no long-term benefits, leaving people a little dissatisfied with their choice to veg on the coach. Watching TV interferes with activities that might be less enjoyable in the moment, but provide long-term satisfaction. The study cited socializing, reading book, and sex as activities happy people did about 30 percent more than the unhappy TV watchers.

We all know that there are surprising health benefits associated with getting it on, but another activity that leaves folks feeling relaxed and pleased with themselves is exercise. Hey, I am FitSugar; so of course I am going to argue the benefits of choosing working out over TV.

So instead of watching an hour of television tonight, try just a 30 minutes. Then do so some yoga, call a friend, get it on with your partner, or read a book. It just might help you become the healthy, happy you.

Vitamin	Amount	Sources
Vitamin A	700 mcg	Carrots, sweet potatoes, dark-green veggies
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)	1.4 mg	Green peas, spinach, liver, beef, pork, navy beans, pinto beans, soybeans, nuts, bananas, whole grain and enriched cereals, and breads
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	1.2 mg	Asparagus, okra, chard, almonds, leafy greens, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, meat, eggs, and fish

Wash Your Workout Clothes	Plan Your Meals	Schedule Your Workouts
Pack Your Gym Bag	Start Your Oats For Breakfast	Relax With a Bath

FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

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DrSugar on Working Out With a Cold

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