(HealthDay News) — Injuries at home and at play are preventable, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC mentions these ways to reduce your chances of injury: Wear the proper helmet for your activity. Wear a life jacket when boating. Have your eyes checked. Remove tripping hazards around your home. Learn how to swim. Store medicine out of the reach of children. Take medication only as directed. Place children in a proper booster or car seat. Wear your seatbelt. Walk on a sidewalk.
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A Workout to Shape Your Shoulders
Don’t shrug off working your delts, the muscles of your shoulders. Besides assisting with good posture, strong shoulders help you lift and carry items with ease, and create excellent upper body definition for men and women alike. Deltoid rows work not only your shoulders, but also your biceps, lats and the muscles of your middle back. Begin in a standing position, knees slightly bent, with a dumbbell in each hand. Lean slightly forward from the hips, with a straight back. The weights should be just in front of your knees, with arms hanging down to the floor. Exhale and draw the weights straight up to your chest. Your torso stays still as elbows bend out to the sides — shoulders and upper arms should be in alignment at the top of the movement. Think of touching your shoulder blades as you hold for a second, then inhale and slowly return to the start position. Now move to deltoid raises. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, a dumbbell in each hand at the front of the thighs. With control, exhale and raise the weights out in front of you to shoulder height, arms parallel to the floor. Inhale and lower the weights to the start position. Finish with lateral raises. Start by holding the weights at your sides and, on the exhale, lift them out to… read on >
Health Tip: Understanding Eye Gunk
(HealthDay News) — Eye gunk, known medically as rheum, is the crust that forms in the corners of your eyes when you wake up in the morning. Sleep crust is a mix of mucus, skin cells, oils and tears shed by the eye during sleep, says the University of Utah. While white or cream colored gunk is normal, yellow or green is not, and can be a sign of conjunctivitis or a chronic eye condition. The school says you should see an ophthalmologist if your eye gunk is discolored.
Millet: A Whole Grain You Might Be Overlooking
Don’t let the names of exotic grains like millet keep you from trying them. They’re as easy to make as standard white rice yet far more nutritious. Millet is the seed of a grass that grows in Africa. It has a fluffy, dry texture and tastes similar to corn. Millet has a wide variety of nutrients, including many minerals, protein and fiber. It cooks in under 30 minutes and can be served up as a hot breakfast cereal, added to soups in place of beans or pasta, or turned into side dishes. This flavorful carrot and millet dish is a great complement to any protein. Spicy Millet and Carrot “Pilaf” 1 cup dry millet 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 carrots, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup raisins 1/4 cup chopped parsley Place the millet in a small saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains are fluffy and tender. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and salt, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the carrots brown and are… read on >
A Guide to Good Etiquette at the Gym
Universal gym etiquette includes steps like turning off your cellphone whenever you’re working out, being courteous when using shared equipment in the weight room, taking thoughtful steps such as not wearing heavy perfume, and wiping off your sweat after working out on a machine. But there are also good rules to follow whenever you walk into an exercise class. Adhering to them can improve your performance as well as your standing at the health club and your all-important relationship with your fitness instructors. First, use the minutes when you’re getting dressed for class to focus mentally. Get psyched for a serious workout and remind yourself that fitness boosts your motivation and enthusiasm. Being on time benefits everyone. Lateness is more than distracting to your instructor and classmates. You miss out on the important warmup segment, warns the American Council on Exercise, and that puts you at greater risk for injury. If you’re late for a personal trainer session, it throws off the rest of your trainer’s schedule and means less time for you. On the other hand, don’t be shy about asking questions that will help you improve and possibly avoid an injury. Don’t grin and bear it if a move hurts or if you’re unsure of how to do it. If you can’t get the attention of the teacher during class, bring up your… read on >
Moms’ Weight-Loss Surgery Tied to Lower Risk of Birth Defects
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2019 Weight-loss surgery before pregnancy may lower obese women’s odds of having a baby with major birth defects, new research suggests. For the study, the researchers examined data on more than 33,000 births in Sweden between 2007 and 2014. Of these, nearly 3,000 children were born to mothers who had a type of weight-loss surgery called gastric bypass before getting pregnant. The rest were born to women who weighed about the same as the others did before weight-loss surgery — more than 260 pounds. Women in the surgery group lost an average 88 pounds and weighed about 181 pounds at their first prenatal checkup. In addition, their use of diabetes medications fell from 9.7% to 1.5%. The risk of major birth defects was about 30% lower in children whose mothers had weight-loss surgery than in those of the obese mothers, the findings showed. The risk of major birth defects was 3.4% in children born to women who had gastric bypass surgery — similar to the 3.5% rate among those born to normal-weight women, the researchers reported. The risk of major birth defects was 4.9% in children born to the women who were still obese, according to the study published Oct. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings challenge long-held concerns that weight-loss surgery could increase the odds of… read on >
Can Testosterone Make Women Better Runners?
A little bit of testosterone cream might help women run faster longer, a new study suggests. Some female athletes have naturally high testosterone levels that are similar to men, and there is controversy over whether it’s fair to allow them to compete against female athletes with normal testosterone levels. There’s a lack of clear evidence on how testosterone levels affect women’s athletic performance. To learn more, Swedish researchers gave 48 physically active, healthy women between the ages of 18 and 35 either 10 milligrams (mg) of testosterone cream or 10 mg of a placebo cream every day for 10 weeks. The researchers, led by Angelica Linden Hirschberg from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, assessed how testosterone levels affected aerobic performance by measuring how long the women could run on a treadmill before becoming exhausted. Average circulating levels of testosterone rose from 0.9 nanomoles/liter of blood (nmol/l) to 4.3 nmol/l among the women given the testosterone cream. There was no increase among the women who received the placebo. Compared to the women in the placebo group, running time to exhaustion increased by 21.2 seconds (8.5%) among the women in the testosterone cream group. The women in the testosterone cream group also had much larger gains in lean muscle mass than those in the placebo group. On average, testosterone levels among women who received the hormone cream… read on >
None of Top-Selling Kids’ Drinks Meet Experts’ Health Recommendations
Drinks marketed to children often contain loads of unhealthy sugars and sweeteners, and they come in packages that deliver too-large servings, a new report finds. None of 34 sweetened drinks aimed at the youth market meet nutrition recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), according to University of Connecticut researchers. “Sweetened drinks are about two-thirds of children’s drink sales, compared to 100% juice-and-water blends,” said lead researcher Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives for the university’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity in Hartford. “Parents may be surprised to know that pediatricians, dentists and other nutrition experts recommend against serving any of these drinks to children.” Sweetened drinks have been identified as a major source of excess calories for kids. Added sugars account for 17% of the total caloric intake of children and teens, and sugary beverages contribute almost half of those added sugars, according to AAP. For this study, Harris and her team looked only at products marketed for children, ignoring sodas, sports drinks and iced teas that are promoted for a wider audience. They identified 67 products from 23 drink brands. About half contained added sweeteners; the others didn’t. The sweetened drinks made up 62% of the $2.2 billion in children’s drink sales in 2018, researchers said. Pure juice or juice/water blends accounted for 38% of sales. One serving of many… read on >
Are You Eating More Calories Than You Think?
You’ve worked hard to curb mindless eating by not watching TV with a bag of chips in your lap, and you log everything you do eat in your smartphone app. But you could still be taking in more calories than you realize. The fact is that throughout each day, you’re bombarded by sneaky sources of extra calories that never get recorded in that journal of yours. And the result could sabotage your weight-loss diet or add unwanted weight. For instance, your office could be a diet war zone if bowls of candy sit on every other desk. That nibbling adds up, so swear off these caloric pit stops. The same goes for the lollipop bowl at your bank or dry cleaners. Go “hands-free” on the free samples at your favorite food stores — those tiny cups of mac and cheese and donut holes can add up as you walk the aisles. Be careful at home, too. Are you a repeat taste tester when cooking? Even if your recipes are healthy, every spoonful that passes your lips has calories, so limit yourself to one or two, or spread the wealth and let other family members taste-test for you. Finally, resign from the clean-plate club. Stop finishing off the last bites on your child’s plate or in serving bowls. If you can’t bear to throw out bits… read on >
Happy Spouse, Healthy You
Many studies have shown that a stable and happy marriage is good for the health of both partners, increasing longevity. But did you know that there’s also a link between one spouse’s happiness and the health of the other? Building on the idea that a happy person is often a healthy person, researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Chicago explored whether a happy outlook could positively affect relationships. After studying nearly 2,000 couples, they found that people with a happy spouse are more likely to report better health over time — above and beyond their own happiness. It may be that a happy spouse offers their partner more TLC than an unhappy one who is often focused more on his or her own needs. A happy partner, especially one who follows a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise and smart food choices, is more likely to motivate their spouse to follow their example and become healthier in the process. Also, a happy spouse is likely to place fewer demands on a partner, reducing the likelihood of unhealthy behaviors like drinking. How can you create a happier environment within your relationship? It’s easier than you might think. Showing affection fosters feelings of well-being. These can be physical demonstrations, like kisses and hugs and holding hands as you sit or walk, as well as verbal… read on >