Archive for April, 2012
May Wellness Video – Blood Pressure
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012Watch John’s Wellness Journey
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012This week has had its challenges to say the least. Eating the healthy meal can be such a pain and it is really easy to just not do it. I just didn’t feel like cooking on certain days and that alone can ruin any successes you have had up to that point. I love pizza and it was hard saying no to it when it is sitting there waiting for you when you get home from work. I promised myself that if I ate any that I would be working out hard that night to get rid of any trace of it in my body. After my pizza and a nap, I felt absolutely no energy to work out. My guilt kicked in around 10pm that night and I actually got up and jumped on the treadmill while watching the hockey game. It was a great decision and I am glad that I did it. In week 1 I was down 4 pounds early in the week but, I must have done something wrong because I found myself up 3 pounds. Then the temptation of pizza hit me and I knew there could be a problem come weigh in time. I refused to lose the battle this week after coming so far. I doubled the workouts to both morning and night time and added the Biggest Loser Cardio DVD to my workout (OMG!!!). Here I stepped on the scale and had a nice weight loss for the 2nd week. I am almost down 30 pounds and that alone is eye-opening. I want to ride the wave of emotion and energy into next week and hope that I can limit the temptations and have another good week. Only 4 more weeks until Cancun and, I have to look good for the trip. More to come…..
Health Coach Corner – Veggie Imposters
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
Have you been tempted to buy “healthy” processed foods? You know… the “veggie potato chips” or the “chocolate bar infused with bits of fruit.” Not every product that boasts “spinach” on the label is even remotely like a serving of the real thing. Basic rule: If it doesn’t look like a vegetable, it probably isn’t.
What some examples?
Sun-dried tomato wraps: The tomatoes provide little more than coloring. And watch out for sodium levels. If you want vegetables, stuff your wrap with spinach, tomato, cucumbers, mushrooms and sprouts. But, don’t count the wrap as a veggie.
Pizza: In 2011, Congress ruled that pizza counts as a veggie in school lunches, since a slice has about 2 tbsp of tomato paste. But, with all the crust (refined grains) and cheese… let’s not slice this up as a “veggie”
Veggie Chips: Don’t be misled by photos on the bag. Check to see if real veggies are near the top of the ingredient list. They probably aren’t and since they’re dehydrated and not as filling as the real thing, you eat a lot more calories with veggie “chips” than veggie “sticks”
Spinach Pasta: Manufacturers hope that spinach’s health halo will lead you to buy their pasta. But read labels carefully before you do. Put a product back if the nutrition facts panel doesn’t boast 25% of your vitamin A and 2 grams of fiber per serving
Get more info at: www.prevention.com
New Perils in a Connected World – Ignorance is not Bliss
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012Ignorance is NOT Bliss! By Stew Nelson
I can’t believe how many businesses that I speak with that when questioned about their exposure to a data breach, believe that that they have no risk at all! Perhaps the problem is the insurance industry’s practice of selling policies with “holes” in them. The carriers refer to the “holes” as Exclusions and then they stick them at the end of a policy that no one reads any way.
So, if you are not going to read your policy, I will read some “fine print” for you. This was found on page 65 of 212 pulled from a random policy I selected from my files. Under Property Not Covered -Electronic data, “Electronic data means information, facts or computer programs, stored as or on, created or used on, or transmitted to or from computer software (including systems and application software), on hard or floppy disks, CD-ROMS, tapes, drives, cells, data processing devices or any other repositories of computer software which are used with electronically controlled equipment.” Wow! I have to grade the author down because it is a run-on sentence but I have to give them credit as I cannot think of any way possible that you could get coverage for intangible property i.e. bits and bytes, from this policy!
Now let’s jump to the Liability Section of the policy. Under Perils Excluded, Computer Virus or Computer Hacking – “We do not pay for: 1. any direct or indirect loss or damage or, 2. loss of access, loss of use, or loss of functionality caused by a `computer virus` or by `computer hacking`”. There are other Exclusions in the Personal and Advertising Injury Section but I think you get the idea – No coverage for bits and bytes.
So I am going to repeat myself one more time – If your business uses computers that are attached to the internet for email or a web site, you need a Cyber Liability policy that will cover damage to yours or others intangible property. Do me a favor and call your local insurance professional right now and have a frank conversation of the financial risk you are unnecessarily assuming if you don’t have a Cyber Liability policy for your business. The business that owns the policy I just read to you from does. It cost all of $990 for $1M worth of coverage.
Introducing John’s Wellness Journey!
Monday, April 16th, 2012Introducing John Kontos and his journey to wellness. Follow John on his quest to lose 88 pounds over the next 8-9 months with the assistance of Maria Hicks, Kapnick’s Health Coach.
This is the first of many blogs that will track and guide me to a healthier lifestyle over the next 8 or 9 months. I have been implementing a great workout regimen and eating much healthier which is a great start. I am never happy to step on a scale or tell people my actual weight (who is?) but, in the long run I am ready to be happy that I did to see the finish line more clearly by putting more accountability on the end result. This is going to be a challenging weekend with it being Greek Easter and a family tradition in Greektown will be coming on Sunday for dinner. I am ready for this challenge. I am even more ready to look in the mirror and be happy with the person I see physically. I put myself in this position and it is up to me to get myself out. More to come……
Health Coach Corner – Healthy Snacking
Thursday, April 12th, 2012 
Do you find it hard to think of what snacks to bring with you everyday? It’s ideal to eat small meals throughout the day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner, and you can add another evening snack (healthy & low calorie) if you are still hungry. You don’t want to go to bed hungry because you may wake up at 3:00am with a growling stomach and have a hard time falling back to sleep.
Why do you want to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day? It helps keep your metabolism humming along and burning fat & calories, it also keeps you satisfied, so you never get to the point of “ravenous” and want to eat everything in your eye-sight. Research shows that small meals also add up to fewer calories per day, than just eating 3 meals. And you really want to stay away from eating only 1-2 large meals a day.
Here are my favorite healthy snack ideas:
- High fiber (and portable) fruits: apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears
- Homemade trail mix: almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries or raisins (unsweetened) with a cup of high fiber/low calorie cereal
- Hummus – with whole grain crackers, pretzels and veggies
- Low fat yogurt or soy yogurt
- Veggies – a variety bag of carrots, celery, broccoli, sugar snap peas, etc
- Brown rice cakes with all-natural peanut butter or almond butter (optional: top with a half sliced banana)
- Brown rice cakes – cinnamon, sesame, caramel or plain
- Low fat corn tortilla chips (baked) and low sodium salsa
- Handful of almonds or walnuts or sunflower seeds
- Small handful of salt-free, dry roasted peanuts and raisins
- Apple slices with all-natural peanut butter
- Whole-wheat pretzels with roasted red pepper dip or hummus or almond butter or guacamole
- Natural, organic food bars (example: Larabars, Bora Bora bars)
- 1 cup of high fiber, low calorie Fiber cereal with a half cup milk and handful of blueberries
- Packet of Oatmeal (low sugar and add flaxseed and fruit)
- 1 cup of blueberries with a tablespoon of ground flaxseed
- Baggie of high fiber dry cereal (high fiber, low fat and low sugar)
- Dried Granny-Smith green apples (plain dried apple chips with no sugar or oils added) mixed with silvered almonds (1/2 cup apples & 1-2 tbsp of almonds)
Allergies anyone? Health Coach Corner
Monday, April 2nd, 2012Allergies anyone?
Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Or, maybe yours are year-round. I suffer from some indoor allergies (which are well managed during the colder months without any medicines). But, when the spring hits – and nature is blooming, so are my allergies. I love the spring, the blossoms, the sunshine, the warmer days… and I look longingly outside and wish I could l sit in the grass and just enjoy the day. Unfortunately, my grass allergy would send me in a sneezing and miserable state. If I even spot someone mowing the lawn from a distance, I quickly run inside and shut all the windows. Ugh…
What’s your allergy? Maybe it’s grass or pollen or ragweed…
Whether your allergies are outdoor or indoor like pets or dust mites. I have a few tips I would like to share with you to help prevent and ease some of your allergy symptoms.
I’m not a medical doctor, but I have learned from my own personal experience, reading natural health blogs and from my allergist, some tips that are working for me. I hope these will be helpful to you too, if you are a fellow seasonal allergy sufferer.
Boost the immune system with plenty of antioxidants – Let me encourage you to eat plenty of fruits & vegetables and really boost the antioxidant level in your body during allergy season (better yet, all year-round!!)
HYDRATION – drinks LOTS (I mean, lots) of water on a daily basis. If you drink caffeine, then you will need to drink even more water. Most people are actually dehydrated and dehydration has been linked to worsening of allergies.
Avoid your worst allergen (at best as you can) – if it’s grass (like mine) avoid going outside when you know someone is mowing their lawn, keep your doors and windows closed, vacuum and dust everyday if you are allergic to dust mites or pet hair. Clean your bathroom to avoid mold growth and if you are allergic to mold, look into getting a whole house mold check if you have concerns.
Nasal Rinses – At first, I was afraid to even try the nasal rinses, (squirting water in my nose? Hello. Where is it going? Is it bad for my brain?) I didn’t understand the anatomy of the nasal area. You gently squeeze a saline solution into one nostril and it comes out the other. It’s simple and I find this VERY effective. I’ve been nasal rinsing 2 times a day for several years. I can say, it helps me – if you have concerns, check with your doctor or allergist first
OTC allergy medicines – This was actually my last resort because I don’t like taking medicines. But, I have found a low dose of an OTC allergy med during my worst allergy season has helped me tremendously. Ask your doctor or allergist which is best for you.
Herbal Supplements – I’m not a qualified herbalist to suggest any particular herbal supplement, but I know there are several that have been successful for people in lieu of taking a prescription or an OTC allergy med. Talk to your allergist or a qualified natural health provider for guidance.
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