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Juice Cleanses: Are They Effective?

2022 July, Lifestyle and Wellness June 30, 2022

Whether through television, social media, or glowing celebrity endorsement, most of us have heard of juice cleanses.

The core concept is simple: for several days, you only consume fruit and vegetable juices in place of your regular diet. You can juice produce yourself or sign up for any number of services that will ship bottled, cold-pressed juices right to your door. Proponents of juice cleanses claim there are multiple benefits — namely weight loss and system detoxification. It sounds like an easy thing to do, but how accurate are these claims?

Many juice cleanse programs tout weight loss as a benefit. People can and do lose weight on juice cleanses, but the juice itself has very little, if anything to do with it. The weight loss comes from the calorie deficit caused by not eating solid foods for several days. People often regain this weight afterwards. Fruit juice is also high in sugar, which over time can cause the body to store rather than lose fat. This particular factor makes juice cleanses incredibly dangerous and not recommended for people with diabetes.

We eat more processed foods than ever, so detoxification is often a goal of juice cleanses. There is little evidence, however, that juice cleanses actually perform any detoxifying function. The human body is made to cleanse itself naturally over time via the diligent work of the liver and kidneys. Additionally, juice lacks crucial nutrients that the whole fruits provide, such as fiber. Cutting out other food entirely in favor of juice means you will also not consume enough protein, a nutrient your body needs.

Are there any benefits to drinking fruit and veggie juice? Yes. These juices contain high levels of vitamins and antioxidants that our bodies need to function. However, it is better to eat fruits and vegetables in their whole forms on a regular basis as part of a balanced diet. At the end of the day, juice cleanses just don’t live up to the hype.

Are Juice Cleanses Actually Good for You? | Houston Methodist On Health
What to Know Before Doing a Juice Cleanse or Juice Detox – Consumer Reports
“Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What You Need To Know | NCCIH (nih.gov)

Recognizing Postpartum Depression

2022 June, Lifestyle and Wellness May 26, 2022

Becoming a parent is often associated with a lot of positive emotions – the joy of meeting your little one, the delight of introducing them to friends and family, and, for some, the relief of no longer being pregnant. What is less talked about is that giving birth can also be associated with a lot of negative emotions and physical feelings.

“Baby blues” happen to many people after they have given birth. Caring for an infant around the clock is quite an adjustment, and some feelings of exhaustion and being overwhelmed are natural. Often these feelings clear up quickly. However, if these feelings stick around or worsen, postpartum depression may be involved.

Postpartum depression is a blanket term for a host of feelings someone may suffer after giving birth or completing the adoption process, including anxiety, extreme fatigue, irritability, lack of interest in the baby, mood swings, and lack of hope. There are many potential factors that cause PPD, including drastic changes in hormone levels, exhaustion of new schedules, and social and psychological changes. It’s important to note that PPD is a medical issue. It does not occur because a new parent has done anything wrong.

RESOURCES

NIMH » Perinatal Depression (nih.gov)
Postpartum Depression: Symptoms, Causes, Risks, Types, Tests, Professional and Self-Care (webmd.com)
Postpartum depression – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

Traveling Health

2022 June, Benefit Spotlight May 26, 2022

Everyone likes to think of vacation as a break from everything – work, regular life, responsibilities – but sometimes things happen, and you or a family member get sick.

So, be prepared. Before you travel next time, look into your medical insurance’s telehealth options. The beauty of telemedicine is that you don’t need to sit in a physical waiting room or pay high costs for an urgent care visit. As long as you have a suitable electronic device, you can take advantage of telehealth from almost anywhere.

There are many benefits to using telehealth while traveling. A telemedicine visit is generally cheaper than an in-person visit. Many telehealth providers have physicians available 24/7, so it doesn’t matter what time zone you’re in or what time of day it is. Some physicians can even write scripts that can be filled at a pharmacy near you. Bonus: If you’re in physical discomfort, you don’t have to pile into a rental car or onto public transportation to see a doctor.

Every telemedicine provider is a little different and operates under different rules. Some can provide help internationally, but others can only operate in the United States. Make sure you check with your telehealth provider before traveling to see what services they provide while you’re away.

RESOURCES

Telemedicine Benefits: 17 Advantages for Patients and Doctors (healthline.com)
Benefits of Telemedicine | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Paying Off Credit Card Debt

2022 June, Lifestyle and Wellness May 26, 2022

While credit cards can be helpful in certain situations, they can also land you in crushing debt. The interest rate on unpaid balances each month can be up to 30%. Month over month, that initial charge can balloon into an unmanageable amount and negatively impact your credit score.

There are some steps to take to get out of credit card debt. First, examine your spending habits to find out how you got in debt to start with. Compare how much money you spend to how much you earn. If the former is higher than the latter, you either need to cut back on expenses or bring in more income. With this knowledge, you can make a budget to follow (click HERE for tips on creating a budget).

Now that you’re aware of how much you have to spend, make sure to pay more than the minimum required amount for each card. This will incrementally reduce the amount of money you have to pay interest on. To avoid paying extra for late fees, consider automating your monthly payments, especially if you have a guaranteed, steady income stream.

There are two main tactics to tackling the debts themselves, the avalanche method and the snowball method. With the avalanche method, you pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first while paying the minimum on other cards. This helps you take out the most expensive debt first. The snowball method entails paying off the smallest debt first, and then building on that win to pay off more expensive ones. Getting out of credit card debt isn’t easy, but it can be done!

RESOURCES

How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt: A 4-Step Guide – NerdWallet
How to get out of credit card debt – CNET

Bouncing Along

2022 June, Lifestyle and Wellness May 26, 2022

Exercise balls are a staple of many gyms, typically stacked next to foam rollers and yoga mats, and have many uses. There are simple exercises that you can do with them at the gym, at home, or even at work to strengthen your low back and core. Keeping these muscle groups strong will help your posture and make lifting heavy items easier and safer.

The simplest way to use an exercise ball is to use it in place of a chair. Its instability means you will have to activate your abdominal muscles and your low back in order to stay upright. Focus on keeping your spine straight – don’t slouch over. If you want to add an element of difficulty, use the balls of your feet to bounce slightly up and down. This will keep your core and low back even more engaged.

If you prefer a standing exercise, try wall squats. Place the ball at the small of your back between your spine and the wall. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and then squat downward, not leaning too hard into the ball, and then stand back up. It’s important to not let your knees extend over your toes – if this happens, you’re squatting too deeply.

To specifically engage your core, you can do abdominal crunches on the ball. Sit centered on the ball with your feet steady on the ground in front of you. Tighten your abs and lean back as far as you comfortably can. Stay there for 3 or 4 seconds before steadily bringing yourself back to a seated position. Repeat this 10 or so times until those muscles feel fatigued.

While these may seem like small things, these exercises can do wonders for muscles you use every single day – give it a try!

RESOURCES

Slide show: Core-strength exercises with a fitness ball – Mayo Clinic
Exercise Ball Uses (spine-health.com)

HSAs: Health Nest Eggs

2022 May, Benefit Spotlight April 27, 2022

Retirement life is the stuff dreams are made of. So many of us have been socking away money each month in 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or any flavor of IRA for years. Those types of accounts, however, are not the only options. Health Savings Accounts are also an excellent way to save for specific retirement needs. Let’s look at a few reasons why.

Rollover. While there is a fixed annual amount you can set aside in an HSA (limits for 2022 are $3,650 for an individual and $7,300 for a family), you keep any amount you don’t spend. Unlike other healthcare-specific accounts, you never lose the money you put in an HSA.

Tax advantage. Other traditional retirement accounts require you to pay taxes on the funds, whether it’s now or later. As long as the funds contributed to an HSA are used to pay for qualified medical expenses, they are never taxed. It is especially likely that you will need increased medical care in your retirement years, making this an excellent way to provide for yourself down the road.

Investing. If you are in a financial position where you can pay some medical expenses in cash, you may be able to save enough funds in your HSA to invest. Even if you’re only investing half of your HSA contributions annually, over the years the money earned on the investment will stack up.

It’s important to note that you must elect an HSA-compatible medical plan in order to open an account (although if you change plans down the road, the funds in the account are yours to keep). At your company’s next Open Enrollment period, check to see whether you have an HSA-compatible plan available to you.

RESOURCES

The Power Of Health Savings Accounts For Retirement Planning (forbes.com)
5 ways HSAs can fortify your retirement | Fidelity
4 ways to use an HSA in retirement | Principal

TIME OUT: Work-Life Harmony

2022 May, Lifestyle and Wellness April 27, 2022

The work-life discussion has been ongoing for years on both employer and employee fronts.

It is easy to see, however, that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought an entirely new dimension to this discussion. In 2016, only an estimated 6% of Americans worked primarily from home. In December 2020, this number was around 24%, and it seems likely many of these positions may stay remote permanently.

Leaving one’s home and going to a separate workspace can create sharp delineations between home and work. Those lines are now blurred for those that work from home. The key to maintaining a healthy relationship between work and life in these circumstances is setting boundaries for yourself on both sides of the equation:

  • If you no longer have a commute, set a transition period for yourself into and out of work. Take a brief walk before logging in for the day and try setting aside 5 or 10 minutes to wind down before re-entering the “life” portion of your evening.
  • If your living situation allows it, have a dedicated workspace set up. Having a specific physical location to work in helps establish it as separate from the rest of your home, which can make focusing in it easier.
  • It is equally important to not work during off hours. While it’s easy to answer an email or schedule a meeting – it only takes a few minutes! – this can create unconscious patterns that erode your boundaries between work and life.
  • As part of this process, talk with your manager to make sure you have the same expectations of your availability. If you are in a managerial role, have these conversations with your employees.

A good work-life balance is beneficial for your physical and mental health, productivity, and overall happiness.

RESOURCES

How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance – WSJ
Importance of a Work-Life Balance (news-medical.net)
Work, family or personal life: Why not all three? (nih.gov)
The Evolving Definition Of Work-Life Balance (forbes.com)

What Bin Does This Go In?

2022 May, Lifestyle and Wellness April 27, 2022

Many of us are fortunate enough to have curbside recycling, and we’re pretty familiar with what we can drop in those bins.

Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes are staples of the recycling life. However, there are a lot of other household items you may not necessarily think of as being recyclable. Let’s look at a few of these items and see how we can most responsibly dispose of them.

Cooking oil is something many folks just pour down the drain. However, cooking oil can stop up drains, pipes, and even citywide sanitation systems. Simply designate a sturdy container to store your used oil in (metal coffee cans are great for this) and pour your used oil into it every time you cook. Click HERE to find a location near you to recycle your cooking oil.

Other recyclable items commonly thrown out are batteries. These contain mixes of chemical elements and metals that can be harmful to human health and to the environment if disposed of improperly. It’s important to note that there are many different kinds of batteries; check HERE for a helpful rundown of where and how to safely recycle each type.

You may have never considered shoes as recyclable, but they are! Notably, Nike will accept any type of athletic sneaker – you can drop your old shoes at any Nike store. If you have other kinds of shoes you don’t want to just throw out, check HERE for several convenient options.

These may all seem like small things in the grand scheme, but taking a little time to recycle these uncommon objects helps reduce waste and harm to the earth.

RESOURCES

How to Recycle Cooking Oil – Earth911
Used Household Batteries | US EPA

Metabolism

2022 May, Lifestyle and Wellness April 27, 2022

If you’ve ever looked up solutions for quick weight loss, you’ve probably seen websites touting supplements that are supposed boost your metabolism so you can lose pounds fast.

Metabolism is simply the process by which your body turns food and drink into energy to fuel itself. It varies from person to person based on body size and composition, sex, and age. At first sight, it might make sense that speeding up your metabolism would help you lose weight, much like driving a car at higher speeds uses more gas.

However, it’s not that simple. A slow or fast metabolism does not usually have anything to do with weight gain. There are multiple culprits to weight gain: eating more calories than you burn, not getting enough sleep, or being stressed. If you’re looking to lose weight, there are better, more proven methods aside from supplements, many of which have not actually been proven to increase your metabolism.

Physical activity does not change your metabolism, but it does increase the amount of fuel your body needs. You don’t have to sign up for a marathon right off the bat. At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise – such as walking, running, or bicycling – per day will help you burn more calories. In addition, strength training will help you build muscle tissue, which requires more energy than fat. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep as well, and try to reduce stress in your life.

It is important to note that in some rare cases, there are medical conditions such as Cushing’s disease or thyroid issues that can lead to weight gain. If you are struggling to lose weight, talk to your doctor about what method is best for you.

RESOURCES

Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories – Mayo Clinic
Metabolism Boosters: Weight Loss Fact or Fiction? (healthline.com)

Short Circuit

2022 April, Lifestyle and Wellness March 29, 2022

Short Circuit

Are you getting bored with your current workout? Circuit training may be a good option for you. In a circuit training workout, you’ll move briskly between different “stations” that focus on different muscle groups, doing 10-25 reps or performing a particular movement for 30-90 seconds.

For example, you might do 10-25 bicep curls, then 10-25 lunges, and then move to a 45-second front plank.

A circuit training workout can last anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, depending on your fitness and goals.

While you can do circuit training in a gym with weight machines and dumbbells, you don’t always need gym equipment to do it – you can do exercises that rely primarily on your own body weight. Because you are constantly moving from exercise to exercise, it is excellent for your cardiovascular health. Depending on the exercises you do, you can customize a circuit to your specific needs, whether those be strength, weight loss, agility, or endurance.

Circuit training is very flexible, but it is not for everyone. If you have arthritis, be sure to choose low-impact exercises (avoid jumping jacks, for instance). If you have a back or knee injury, wait to circuit train until you are healed. Not sure where to start? Check HERE for an introductory circuit, complete with instructions for each exercise.

RESOURCES

9 Science-Backed Benefits of Circuit Training (healthline.com)
Circuit Training: What You Do, Benefits, and More (webmd.com)
What is Circuit Training? | Examples of Circuit Training (stretchcoach.com)

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