Daily Health News Blog

Do you find your belly wiggling like a bowl full of jelly every January? It can be hard to keep from overindulging when you are faced with a December full of buffets, cookies, and holiday dinners. But there are ways to battle the holiday bulge. Exercise is an important part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle. During the holidays it is even more important to include exercise in your busy day. There is a stronger tendency to skip your daily walk, aerobics workout, or swim during winter. There are fewer daylight hours, and there are additional activities that demand your time. Taking time for yourself every day, however, will reduce stress and help you to stay fit and trim. As for the eating, remember that the key to success is moderation. You don’t have to deprive yourself of all those holiday goodies. Just keep portions reasonable and opt for some healthy substitutes. If you are invited to a holiday gathering, try to eat something healthy before you go. You won’t be starving and

Parades, football, turkey and thankfulness define November 22, the fourth Thursday of the month, a national holiday by federal decree. Family members, often from great distances, come "to break bread together." It's Thanksgiving Day. Traditions are observed. Everyone is eager to kick back, laugh, catch up on what everyone is doing and comment on how the kids have grown. TVs are turned on early in the morning to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Football games are available for the rest of the day. This year, the networks give fans an NFL triple-header; no station switching necessary. Local stations may broadcast Turkey Bowls, high school games held on Thanksgiving or the day before; every state has them and thousands are in attendance. Many gatherings hold their own backyard games, and rivalries enhance the fun. The need to connect with loved ones and to express gratitude is at the heart of this day of feasting. It may be over a dining roo

 5 Great Ways to Express Thankfulness Year-Round - By Loren Meier What are the biggest parts of positive thinking and the law of attraction? Can you guess? Appreciation and gratitude! The title may have given it away, huh? Start appreciating what you have right now!  I am challenging you to start getting the "attitude of gratitude"! Start by appreciating what and whom you already have in your life. Be thankful! Celebrate Thanksgiving everyday (minus the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and crazy Aunt Sally!). Here are a few steps you can follow to get in the mood of appreciation. Step one: Appreciate what you have right now! You may not have the car, home, money or clothes that you want right now. Even so, be thankful for what you do have. Appreciating what you have right now will create a feeling of abundance. If you focus on wanting or on being discontent, those negative thoughts will attract even more negative feelings. I am thankful for

Happy, Feel-Good Holiday Seasons Start With Healthy Choices at Thanksgiving, Nutrition Experts Say While most people only gain about a pound of weight during the holiday season, that pound may never come off, increasing the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and the risk of related health problems, according to a National Institutes of Health study. University of Missouri dietitians recommend families maintain healthy diet and exercise habits during the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving. Donna Mehrle, registered dietitian and extension associate in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, reminds people to consider how they feel when they eat healthy foods and are physically active, so they're more likely to continue those behaviors when holiday stress and cold weather offer convenient excuses. Feeling better is a great motivator, she says. "People can continue their healthy habits by being aware of their food choices at the Thanksgiving

Californians are about to experience the biggest change in the health care system since the 1960s By  Daniel Weintraub Special to The Bee JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Do you think that you or your employer will benefit from the federal health care reform law? Add your comment below. To write a letter, go to sacbee.com/sendletter . If this year's election was a referendum on President Barack Obama's first term, then it was also a test of the voters' support for his biggest legislative achievement: federal health care reform. And while polls continue to show widespread public skepticism about the Affordable Care Act, Obama's re-election means the law is probably here to stay. That prospect should cheer Californians, who support the federal health care reform in greater numbers than voters in most other states. Not coincidentally, California has also done more to implement the law than other states, where officials were holding back to see if the reforms w

So you may be wondering what to do about the fibromyalgia pain and other devastating symptoms you have. You may be wondering if there is a fibromyalgia diet out there that works. See if this scenario sounds familiar to you. You have gone from doctor to doctor looking for a diagnosis. You have terrible pain in the trigger points, you are severely fatigued, anxious, experiencing brain fog, but don’t know what to do. Doctor’s are having a hard time diagnosing you and treating your symptoms. You may feel crazy, like no one understands how you are feeling and what you are going through. Doctor’s may not know how to treat you, but there is help. You are not crazy! There’s a secret out there in the medical community that can help your Fibromyalgia symptoms get better. Many studies have been done to show that changing your diet can help you alleviate the severity of your symptoms. A magic diet? No, there is no such thing. But there are some things that research is validating when it comes to

YOU die alone, philosophers say. But you could die sooner if you live your life in loneliness. Close connections to friends and family may ward off poor health and premature death, recent research suggests. Loneliness is a risk factor for functional decline and early death in adults over age 60, according to a University of California, San Francisco study  published in July. More than 43 percent of the 1,604 participants reported that they often felt left out or isolated or lacked companionship. In the six-year follow-up period, more than half of the self-identified lonely people had difficulty with basic housekeeping and personal tasks. They also had a 45 percent greater risk of dying earlier than older adults who felt more connected to others. The majority of lonely people (62.5 percent) were married or living with others — an indication that feeling lonely and being alone are not the same. “It’s not the quantity but the quality of your relationships that matters,” said Dr. C