Simple FLIPs: workout at home

Our Simple FLIPs series is designed to bring you easy ideas that you can incorporate into your life aimed to make prevention approachable and realistic. Challenge yourself to try these simple FLIPs! They don’t require much effort, thought, or money and little adjustments here and there can yield powerful results. 

We love Sally Kennedy’s (FLIP’s Wellness Coach) post about working out at home without equipment. These tips are SO SIMPLE you can do them while making dinner or talking on the phone… check em out below!

Simple FLIPs: workout at home

10 Easy Ways to Exercise At Home Without Equipment
Posted By Sally Kennedy
We all know that exercise is an important component of any health regiment, but what do we do when the weather gets cold and we just don’t’ feel like going outside our homes? The good news is that you don’t need an expensive gym membership or a fancy home gym to stay in shape during the cold winter months. Try these simple yet effective exercises that you can incorporate into your daily schedule.
  • Jumping jacks are great for cardio and warming up.
  • Lie on the floor and do crunches while watching TV.
  • Use the steps in your home to tone your legs.
  • Do bicep curls with soup cans or weighted milk jugs while making dinner.
  • Push-ups build arm and chest strength.
  • You can do lunges while talking on the phone or walking around the house.
  • Do planks while watching TV.  See if you can plank during the entire commercial break.
  • Try squats while talking on the phone.
  • Do some calf raises while doing the dishes.
  • Wall sits will build your stamina while building leg strength.

Simple FLIPs: workout at home and rock out

And to make these exercises even more fun, here is a playlist: “The Best Workout Songs for November 2011,” according to votes placed at RunHundred.com, the Web’s most popular workout music website:
10. Tim Berg – “Seek Bromance (Avicii Vocal Edit)”
9. Alex Gaudino & Kelly Rowland – “What A Feeling (Hardwell Remix)”
8. Wolfgang Gartner & Will.I.Am – “Forever”
7. Hot Chelle Rae – “Tonight Tonight (Goldstein Remix)”
6. Taio Cruz & Flo Rida – “Hangover”
5. Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull & The WAV.s – “I Like How It Feels”
4. Kaskade & Skrillex – “Lick It”
3. Adrian Lux – “Teenage Crime (Axwell & Henrik B Remode)”
2. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
1. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”

Lymphedema Nutrition

Lymphedema Nutrition

Posted by 

I spoke at a Lymphedema Support Group last evening, and thought I would share what I learned. Not only did these women have lymphedema, but they were all breast cancer survivors, as well. Very inspirational :)

MDjunction

Lymphedema occurs when a blockage develops in the lymph system, causing a backup of fluid, which leads to swelling as lymph leaks into the tissue. Swelling normally affects the extremities (one or both arms or legs). Primary lymphedema is a rare inherited lymphedema that commonly affects women. Secondary lymphedema usually occurs after a lymph node damage or removal. Lymph node removal to treat cancer is very common.

There is no “lymphedema diet” per say, but there are some things to keep in mind…

  • Protein: Lymph fluid contains large amounts of protein; so a common misconception is to reduce dietary protein intake and hopefully this will decrease lymph fluid and swelling… too bad it’s not that easy :( Dietary protein intake and the amount of protein-rich lymph fluid in your extremities have nocorrelation. What we do know? Protein helps keep the body healthy, and repair skin that breaks down when tissue swells. It also keeps connective tissues in your body strong. Therefore, increasing your daily protein intake to 1.2 grams-2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight would be beneficial for lymphedema patients. (Check with your MD first when making diet changes. He or she will want to make sure your kidneys are functioning efficiently when increasing protein intake).
  • Sodium: High sodium intake causes the body to retain fluid. People with lymphedema already have edema (fluid retention) to their extremities, so consuming large amounts of sodium could make the swelling worse. That’s no good :(   Following a low sodium diet isn’t going to cure the fluid retention caused by the lymphedema, but at least you won’t have extra swelling due to high salt intake. Keep your daily sodium intake below 2,300 mg, or less than 1,500 mg per day if you have high blood pressure.
  • Fluid: Another misconception is to reduce fluid intake, in hopes of reducing the fluid retention. There is no correlation between the two, and adequate hydration is essential for basic cell function and especially important for the body to remove waste products after lymphedema treatments.

    HealthLob.com

  • Vitamins & Minerals: Getting the recommended intake of all vitamins & minerals is essential for good health. Lymphedema patients may focus on Vitamin C for collagen formation, Vitamin A for increased cell development, and zinc for wound healing and correcting yellow nail syndrome associated with chronic lymphedema.
  • Balanced Diet: A balanced diet with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats will help promote overall health.

Thanks for reading :)

Resources:

“
Eat for the body you WANT not the body that you have, be FIT, be HEALTHY”- unknown
Motivational Monday
What do fried fish and wallpaper have in common? They both take potentially beautiful things and wrap them in junk! I had some frustrating encounters with both on Friday that prompted this post. Wallpaper - I’ve removed enough ugly wallpaper in the past year to cover half of Ohio. I’ve determined its the single biggest practical joke of the past 100 years. “you know what will really piss off the people of the future… lets waste a bunch of trees, create the most awful designs out of the paper and glue it to all of the walls.” Well the joke is up and I’ve been one of the lucky few chosen to bare the brunt.  Fried Fish- I went out to eat last night and being a fish lover, I ordered the the tilapia and salmon special. It’s Lent, it was a Friday… so I assumed the tilapia would be fried (not the end of the world). But fried salmon? Really? Why?! Such a delicious and amazingly nutritious fish… why the need to batter it in junk and fry it in junk. I gave it a shot… about what I expected, junk in = junk out and I felt like junk after.  There’s good news! We can be really smart at times… and there’s still plenty of time to reverse some of our stupid trends. Many of our stupid trends over the past 100 years can be directly correlated to our declining health, growing obesity epidemic and out-of-control cancer rates.   We’ve been smart enough to stop wallpapering (some of us dumb enough to take on wallpaper removal)… why can’t we be smart enough to FLIP our poor health decisions. Funny how we take pride in the beauty of our homes, but not our health.  I was born in Mississippi and my father’s side of the family were Louisiana Cajuns, so I would be disowned if I completely swore off fish fries. But we don’t need to fry all fish (never salmon…please); we can eat fish prepared the healthy way most of the time; and when we do want to get down on some southern style favorites, we can seek healthy alternatives to ‘fry’ recipes. Here’s a great one for catfish.  we’d love to share your healthy fish recipes… send us your favorites to info@flipnow.org - Frustrated painter, sleepy fish eater… Carl   View high resolution

What do fried fish and wallpaper have in common?

They both take potentially beautiful things and wrap them in junk! I had some frustrating encounters with both on Friday that prompted this post.

Wallpaper - I’ve removed enough ugly wallpaper in the past year to cover half of Ohio. I’ve determined its the single biggest practical joke of the past 100 years. “you know what will really piss off the people of the future… lets waste a bunch of trees, create the most awful designs out of the paper and glue it to all of the walls.” Well the joke is up and I’ve been one of the lucky few chosen to bare the brunt. 

Fried Fish- I went out to eat last night and being a fish lover, I ordered the the tilapia and salmon special. It’s Lent, it was a Friday… so I assumed the tilapia would be fried (not the end of the world). But fried salmon? Really? Why?! Such a delicious and amazingly nutritious fish… why the need to batter it in junk and fry it in junk. I gave it a shot… about what I expected, junk in = junk out and I felt like junk after. 

There’s good news! We can be really smart at times… and there’s still plenty of time to reverse some of our stupid trends. Many of our stupid trends over the past 100 years can be directly correlated to our declining health, growing obesity epidemic and out-of-control cancer rates.  

We’ve been smart enough to stop wallpapering (some of us dumb enough to take on wallpaper removal)… why can’t we be smart enough to FLIP our poor health decisions. Funny how we take pride in the beauty of our homes, but not our health. 

I was born in Mississippi and my father’s side of the family were Louisiana Cajuns, so I would be disowned if I completely swore off fish fries. But we don’t need to fry all fish (never salmon…please); we can eat fish prepared the healthy way most of the time; and when we do want to get down on some southern style favorites, we can seek healthy alternatives to ‘fry’ recipes. Here’s a great one for catfish.  we’d love to share your healthy fish recipes… send us your favorites to info@flipnow.org

- Frustrated painter, sleepy fish eater…

Carl  

Simple FLIPs: An Aspirin a Day….

Not to be overly cliche, but can ‘an aspirin a day keep cancer away?’

One of FLIP’s mottos is, ‘there’s no magic pill you can take to prevent cancer.’ While this remains true, we can’t ignore the science and research behind the benefits of something as SIMPLE as taking an aspirin a day. 

In a recent study, British researchers, “found that those who took daily aspirin for at least three years were less likely to develop cancer — and if they did, it tended to be less advanced. Patients who took daily aspirin were 36 percent less likely to be diagnosed with metastatic cancer, or cancer that had already spread throughout their body.” - By Dr. LAWRENCE BORGES and Dr. ALETHEA TURNER | Good Morning America – Tue, Mar 20, 2012

The report also mentions the correlation between aspirin and cancer prevention is the strongest with colon cancer. 

Researchers caution individuals to consult their physicians before starting to take aspirin and the report also mentions that more research is needed before any concrete recommendations can be made. The report makes no mention of what age men or women should start taking aspirin as it relates to cancer prevention. (45 for men to prevent heart disease, 55 for women to ward of stroke)

Keep learning…

National Cancer Institute

The New York Times 

April Shape Up I don’t know about you all but with all this early Spring weather I’m thinking a lot less about snowfall and a lot more about bathing suit season (admittedly with a shudder). You want to know the great news though? It’s still only April- THERE IS TIME to get in Summer shape! Thank goodness.  Cue Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Under $10 on Amazon and a month’s worth of motivation before the skin baring weather really arrives. What’s your secret to getting in summer shape?  Now is the time! 

April Shape Up

I don’t know about you all but with all this early Spring weather I’m thinking a lot less about snowfall and a lot more about bathing suit season (admittedly with a shudder). You want to know the great news though? It’s still only April- THERE IS TIME to get in Summer shape! Thank goodness. 

Cue Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Under $10 on Amazon and a month’s worth of motivation before the skin baring weather really arrives. What’s your secret to getting in summer shape?  Now is the time! 

I’m just going to leave this here as a little Monday inspiration… 

I’m just going to leave this here as a little Monday inspiration… 

(Source: neonp90x)

(Reblogged from runmicheyrun)