This time of year has a tendency to bring out our inner Grinch. Not because we don’t love the forced family fun time celebrating this world-wide holiday, but because we are so stinking stressed out we can’t think straight. That stress has a tendency to make us do and say things that under normal circumstances we would never dream of saying.We are trying our hardest to make the holiday’s memorable and exciting and we have a tendency to forget what matters most. It’s not the amount of packages wrapped under the tree or the candy or fudge we spend hours making. It’s the time we spend  making memories with our loved ones. And, how do you do that? By having fun and laughing with our family and friends.When you find yourself being taken over by your inner Grinch, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it really worth getting upset over?
• Is it worth upsetting others?
• Is it that important?

• Is it that bad?
• Is the situation irreparable?
• Is it really your problem?

After asking yourself these questions, if you still feel like you are being possessed by The Grinch-Meister, then its time to up your game and laugh. It has been proven that people who laugh on a regular basis look on average five to seven years younger than those who do not.

Laughing doesn’t just help you look younger or lighten your load mentally, it can actually cause physical changes in your body. A good gut-busting laugh can have both short and long term benefits. Some of the short term benefits are:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles. It also increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

In a study done of nearly 150 college students, those that complained and “vented” to their friends felt less satisfied than those who put their problems in a funny or positive light. Venting keeps the angry thoughts alive and percolating, laughing relaxes you and it just feels good.

Think about it: The last time you laughed so hard you cried, how did you feel after? More than likely you felt really great and the stressful situation was momentarily diffused. A good laugh is a powerful tool.

Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up, though. It’s also good for you over the long haul. What are some of the long term benefits?

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.

Check back on Wednesday when we will help you uncover your hidden funny bone.

For most people, finding an extra hour, a babysitter and then the motivation to get the gym everyday is difficult. However, most everyone has those basic things around the house that needs getting done, so why not do those chores AND get some exercising in?It has been proven that if you just get up and move for 15 minutes a day, you can increase your life expectancy by up to three years. That is a lot of time to add to your quality of life simply by getting up and moving– and then if you add a little more to your daily routine, you can become healthy and live longer. Win Win for everyone.

Here are few more ideas on basic things you can do in 15 minutes or less that will help tone your body and get your household chores done.

1. A Basic Push Up that you can do at your sink, countertop (while waiting for that dinner to finish) or at the changing table. Every time you throw a dish in the sink, or when you’re at your changing table, make a little rule for yourself “I’m going to do 5-10 Basic Push ups every time I do ____”. It will take you less than 5 minutes and you will get a fantastic workout.

Here is how:
Place your hands on your counter top while keeping your back and neck in a straight line. Slowly bring your chest to the counter while keeping your abs tight. Come up and repeat. Remember to keep your neck straight in line with your spine, and your abs tight.

2. Wax On/Wax Off – we all have showers that need cleaning, tables that need dusting. floors that need moping and windows that need cleaning. Whenever you do these chores, pull out your inner Mr. Miyagi and use wax on/wax off in exaggerated motions. This firms up your arm muscles and works that flabby area. If you keep your back straight and tighten your ab muscles at the same time, you can add to this “chore workout.”

While you are on all fours, moping the floor with your exaggerated Mr. Miyagi moves, do your leg lifts behind you. You will work back quad muscles, and your bum WHILE you clean your floor.

3. The bathrooms are a great place to begin cleaning. And exercising.  Scrub the bathtub by cleaning the tile with long sweeping motions. Exaggerate the movement up and down until you feel the burn. Get on your knees to scrub the tub, and use long motions back and forth to work the arms and shoulders. As you clean the toilet bowl and sink, use round circular movements with your arms. After you finish cleaning, stretch by raising your arms above your head.

4. Vacuuming and Lunging. Just plain old vacuuming is so last year. To be hip and cool, you should be vacuuming AND lunging. Make sure your knees do not go lower than your toes. Also make sure your shoulders are square and your stomach is tight.

5. Push Mow your Lawn. I know. That’s a total drag, but if you do that 1x a week for just 15 minutes you are getting not only a cardio workout, but a strength training one as well. It works your upper arms (holding the mower and pushing) and your legs. You can even take it one step further and Lunge WHILE you mow. The neighbors might get a kick out of watching you and you might look a little silly, but your body will look amazing.

Did you miss the first list?  Find it here.

Most of us are faced with simple choices, that when used correctly, could improve a persons life expectancy.  In a recent study, it was proven that just 15 minutes a day of exercise could add up to three years to a persons life expectancy. Each additional 15 minutes of daily exercise (up to 100 minutes a day) can also reduce the risk of death by an additional 4%. People who get 30 minutes of activity a day can add about four extra years to their life expectancy. Would you make the simple choices necessary to increase your life expectancy? Most people would.  So, what are  those simple, easy choices that could be so beneficial?1. Taking the stairs instead of riding the escalator/elevator. This simple task, while taking a little while longer, could potentially add up over the day to be more than 15 minutes a day. Taking the stairs, in the middle of the work day, can count as exercise and be the needed “wake up” to help get your brain circulating again.

2. Parking at the back of the parking lot and walking to the store. While it is easier, and more desirable to park closer, simply parking further away from the entrance to the store can also count as exercise and be beneficial. Especially when you are pushing your shopping cart full of groceries back out to the car– parked at the back of the parking lot. It’s a simple, easy way to exercise AND get your errands done.

3. Squats – Most everyone talks on the phone at some point during the day. While you’re shooting the breeze with your mother, why not do 3 repetitions (10 each) of squats?

Squats are where you keep your back straight and bend your knees until you are in a sitting position. Repeat this 10 times. It’s an excellent way to chat on the phone and tone your thigh muscles at the same time.

4. Do lunges while vacuuming (keep toes pointed straight ahead, and don’t bend your knees further than 90 degrees). You’ll feel it in your thighs.

5. Bath Tub Bench Press. You know that obnoxious skin that can wave at people in two, different directions? This simple exercise is one you can do while you’re bathing the kids.

• Face away from the bathtub and place your arms behind you on the tub’s edge, keeping them straight.
• Bend your knees and make sure your legs are shoulder width apart.
• Keeping your abs tight, and shoulders down, slowly bend your elbows and bring your tush down, without touching the floor.
• Hold for a count of one then come up slowly as you straighten your arms.
• Do this 10 times. If you can do another set, then repeat for an additional count of ten.

Check back on Wednesday when we will have more simple tricks that you can do while you’re doing your every day thing.

Do you have any “exercises” that you do while doing other chores? Share those in the comments below.

Many health experts believe that your diet can play a part in helping relieve ADHD/ADD symptons.  An ADHD specific diet — also known as A Brain Food Diet — can help the brain work better and lessen symptoms of the disorder, such as lack of focus or restlessness. It has been suggested that whatever is good for the brain more than likely will also be good for ADHD.

• Eat a high-protein diet, including beans, cheese, eggs, meat, and nuts. Add protein foods in the morning and for after-school snacks. This will help to improve concentration and possibly increase the time ADHD medications work.
• Eat fewer simple carbohydrates, such as candy, corn syrup, honey, sugar, products made from white flour, white rice, and potatoes without the skins.
• Eat more complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and some fruits (including oranges, tangerines, pears, grapefruit, apples, and kiwi). Eating complex carbs at night can help aid in sleep.
• Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in tuna, salmon, other cold-water white fish, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and olive and canola oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are also available in supplement form.

You should also take 100% vitamin and mineral supplements each day. Many children, teens, and adults do not eat balanced diets, especially when they are rushing around trying to make it through the various activities.

Caffeine and ADHD
There have been several studies which have shown that small amounts of caffeine may help with some ADHD symptoms in children. However, the side effects of caffeine may outweigh any potential benefit. Most ADHD experts recommend avoiding caffeine.

Sugar and ADHD
Some children can become quite hyperactive after eating candy or other sugary foods. No evidence indicates, however, that this is a cause of ADHD. Overall,  sugary foods should be a small part of your diet. There is probably not much harm for a child or adult with ADHD to try eliminating sugary foods to see if their symptoms improve.

Don’t forget about other steps to help with ADHD. These include the following:

• Regularly take prescriptions that has been prescribed by your Doctor for ADHD.
• Get enough sleep: seven to eight hours each night.
• Get regular exercise: a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes daily.
• Deep-breathing techniques can  help lessen anger or anxiety associated with ADHD
• Relaxation training and meditation can help reduce distractibility as well as increase focus and concentration.

The more you know about ADHD, you or your child’s symptoms and your (their) overall health, the better you can assess which treatments — including dietary changes –might help.

ADHD (also called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a health condition that includes two key components:

1. An inability to pay attention
2. Trouble focusing on tasks

For someone who has ADHD, it is quite difficult for them to sit still and often times they do things impulsively. They can be classified as being reactionary or that they act before they fully think things through. Those with ADHD often say that they feel anxious, depressed, have negative thoughts and have a difficult time sleeping. ADHD can affect not only children and teens, but adults as well. While there is “no cure” for ADHD, there are medications that can be prescribed as well as behavioral therapy.

Diet has also been proven to help in controlling and in some cases eliminating some ADHD symptoms all together. You can increase you (or your child’s) protein intake by paying attention to the the types of foods you serve. Healthy protein is found in meat products—including lean beef, pork, chicken and fish—as well as eggs, nuts, beans. It is also found in foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt.

Protein has also been proven to be a legitimate brain food and can increase an ADHD/ADD persons ability to focus and pay attention. A high-protein diet can be a positive way to address some of the symptoms associated with ADHD/ADD.

A study published in the “Journal of Psychiatric Research” by George Washington University researchers found that consuming high-protein breakfasts helped kids (and adults) with ADHD to concentrate better versus those who consumed a lower protein based breakfast.

A person with ADHD needs to eat a 60 percent protein and 40 percent carbohydrates for breakfast, and an even 50-50 split for other meals.  Protein supplements might be needed to aid in getting the added protein necessary for a high protein breakfast. Leading experts have said that to increase your protein intake to the 60/40 breakfast is equivalent to 20 grams of protein — which is lower than what is found in the Provide Gold 1 oz Protein shot.

Have you heard of other ways, besides medicine, to help manage ADHD?
Check back on Wednesday when we will talk in more depth ways — sans medication– to help manage ADHD/ADD.