Archive for February, 2012

The cost of “not knowing what you don’t know about cyber liability” going up

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Effective September 2012 if you “do business in Texas” – whatever that means – and you have a data breach involving personal information, PI, and fail to notify the affected individuals “as quickly as possible” you are open for a $100/day/Individual fine up to $250,000!  The infraction is a misdemeanor unless the information is Personal Health Information, PHI, and then the offense can be a felony!  Yikes!  H.B No 300, adds some serious teeth to their mandatory notification disclosure law. 

Better keep your attorney’s phone number close to the phone number of your cyber insurance agent in case of a breach.  Keeping track of the notification requirements of 46 different states seems almost impossible without professional help.  I unconditionally recommend one of two attorneys in SE Michiganif you have a breach; Claudia Rast at Butzel Long or Stephen Tupper at Dykema.  Trust me these two are terrific attorneys.  Call one or both before you have a data breach so you are ready for the day you get the call…”We’ve been breached.”

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Health Coach Corner – Healthy on a Budget

Monday, February 20th, 2012
 Health Coach Corner by Maria Hicks

Here are a few tips to be healthy on a budget:

  1. Download free health apps on your phone: You can find exercise tips and food tracking guides or calorie counters.  Go ahead and do a search!
  2. Borrow your next fitness DVD:  You can find a wide variety (and current ones too) at the library.  You can also ask your friends… I am sure you have friends with DVD’s that are collecting dust.  I love fitness DVDs and I have a ton of them that I have used for a few months and I am ready for a swap!
  3. Eat more Soup:  It’s inexpensive and warming in the winter months.  Add some beans to add fiber (beans are incredibly inexpensive as well).  Look for the low-sodium variety!
  4. Brown Bag it:  Skip those $10.00 lunches and bring your own lunch.  I like to bring leftover beans & rice or quinoa in a Tupperware container.
  5. Skip the Fancy Coffee Drinks:  Invest in a travel mug and make your own coffee at home and take it with you!  You will save lots of money & a ton of calories!  Your waist & wallet will thank you!

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The Healthy Bite – Shirataki Noodle Alfredo

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo Veggie Explosion! http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2157

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 151 calories, 4.5g fat, 407mg sodium, 20g carbs, 7g fiber, 7g sugars, 9g protein — PointsPlus® value 4*

Ingredients:
1 package House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodle Substitute
1/2 cup small broccoli florets
1/2 cup red pepper chunks
1/2 cup large zucchini chunks
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
2 tsp. reduced-fat grated parmesan-style topping
salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: garlic powder, chili powder

Directions:
Place all the veggies in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl with 2 tbsp. of water. Cover bowl and microwave for 2 – 3 minutes (until veggies are fully steamed and tender). Drain water and set aside.

Drain and rinse noodles well. Dry noodles thoroughly (use paper towels to soak up as much moisture as possible), and then use a knife or kitchen shears to slice them up a bit. Next, place noodles in a microwave-safe bowl, and top them with the cheese wedge, sour cream, and parm topping. Then microwave for one minute.

Stir well, and then microwave for one additional minute. Mix in the veggies, and season well with salt and pepper. If you like, add some garlic powder and/or chili powder. Enjoy!!

MAKES 1 SERVING

 

Source: www.hungry-girl.com

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Posted in Featured Posts, Healthy Recipes - The Healthy Bite | 7 Comments »

Relief for Irritated Winter Eyes

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Do you have painful, dry eyes in the cold winter months?   You are not alone. I suffer from dry and irritated eyes during allergy season and in the winter.  Great.   That means my eyes are strained all year long.  The good this is… you can do some things that can help your precious peepers.  Here are a few tips that I have found to work for me.  Instead of always using eye drops, I wanted to find some natural ways to moisten my eyes.  I hope these tips help you too!

Get your Fats:  Yes, you heard me right!  Increase your “good fats” in the form of Omega-3 fatty acids.  These fats are important for lowering inflammation in the body and an excellent way to lubricate your joints and your eyes!  Where can you find omega-3?   You can find them in salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds and fish oil or flaxseed oil capsules.

Warm your belly – with soup:  Even mild dehydration can affect your eyes and your thirst mechanism may be comprised in the winter months.  We have to make sure to stay hydrated by sipping water throughout the day, eating more low-sodium soups and getting water-packed fruits and vegetables everyday

Humidify your home:  In colder months, indoor humidity takes a nosedive; make sure to keep your home moist by using a humidifier.  I personally find it helpful to use a humidifier throughout the night, as this helps with dry eyes & throat and helps with allergy-induced congestion as well.  Your skin will feel less itchy too!

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Health Coach Corner – February Heart Health Month

Monday, February 6th, 2012
Health Coach Corner by Maria Hicks

Heart Disease Video

Certain key foods can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease. If you aren’t eating any of the seven foods listed below… Try adding some today!  Better yet, get all seven into your diet a few times a week.  Remember:  create your weekly shopping list and add variety!  Look for recipes online (if you don’t love to cook … no worries… there are lots of simple recipes you can find online!)

  1. Oatmeal:  A review of 67 studies showed that diets high in soluble fiber, like the kind in oatmeal, decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol
  2. Salmon:  Oily fish are high in heart-protective omega-3 fats
  3. Nuts:  go for walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts, which boast good-for-you mono and polyunsaturated fats
  4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  A huge body of research confirms that its monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease
  5. Berries:  They lower inflammation and have a host of other cardiovascular perks
  6. Beans:  In one study, people who ate legumes – like beans and lentils – at least four times a week had a 22% lower risk of heart disease than people who ate them less than once per week
  7. Broccoli:  This – and other green veggies like kale and spinach – have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, a 2008 study shows

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Happy New Year! Your Account Has Been Hacked!

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

That was the news my oldest son received last week from Zappo’s. Seems my son’s largess at Christmas time included buying my youngest son a pair of shoes from the online retailer, owned by Amazon, Zappos. Needless to say my son was shocked and a bit put off by the need to change his passwords for numerous websites scattered around cyberspace.  The good news was the  hackers did not get complete credit card numbers, but they did get enough information including email addresses and encrypted passwords for 24 million people.  With some simple effort it would not be inconceivable that the hackers could do some real damage by taking control of thousands of email accounts and by using the information obtained to perpetrate some sophisticated phishing attacks. 

To my regular readers this is not new news.  It seems like every week some seemingly hacker proof company gets hacked!  So if it is not too late, I would like to suggest another New Year’s resolution for you – Reset all your passwords with “strong passwords”.  We all know what makes a “strong @A66$i?+” from my previous articles.  I know what a pain it is to manage dozens of passwords but if you are going to keep doing business on the Internet, we need to stay vigilant and one step ahead of the bad guys waiting for chance to get their hands in our wallets. 

For those of you that have a difficult time remembering all your passwords I have a recommendation.  Give LastPass a try.  LastPass is a free password management site that manages all your passwords across multiple devices such as computers and mobile phones. Not only will it store your password and automatically log you in, it will actually generate a strong password for you.  There are other features such as having it automatically load memorized passwords but I don’t recommend you do that.  Just try it out on a few web sites and then as you revisit each site generate another password and LassPass will memorize it for you automatically.  You can even store credit card information and the program will complete online order forms for you.  I know you are wondering how they keep our information safe.  The answer is they encrypt all your data (Zappos only encrypted the passwords) which makes the information almost worthless to hackers.  Notice I didn’t say totally worthless.  Encryption is not a Silver Bullet but it is the next best thing. 

Let me know how you like this program.  I am a big fan after using it for only a week.

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