Fitness Classes - April 4 - May 6

Lunch-n-Learn Programs-Spring 2005

Wednesday, April 6
12:00-1:00 pm
FAC Main Front Entrance
Tour the Fitness Facility
Presented by Heather Minetti

Tuesday, April 12
12:00-1:00 pm
Woodhead Lounge
The Answer to Cancer
Presented by Dr. Carolyn Runowicz

Friday, April 29
12:00-1:00 pm
Woodhead Lounge
Smart, Sexy Skin
Presented by Dr. Jane Grant-Kels

Good Books: Love One Another, Love Yourself
Rejunenate your romantic side with Kathy and Amy Eldon's Love Catcher: Inviting Love Into Your Life ($18.95; Chronicle Books), a guided journal that can help you ease heartache, mend a troubled relationship and open yourself up to new love possibilities.
To focus on your spiritual self, pick up The Unmistakable Touch of Grace by Cheryl Richardson ($23; Free Press) and learn to identify and then build on "acts of grace" (e.g., an unexpected invitation or call from a friend at the exact moment when you need support) that can bring more joy into your life.
Or take a new approach to easing stress with Jon Kabat-Zinn's Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness ($24.95; Hyperion), an exploration of how the five senses can boost your physical and emotional well-being.

Let the Sunshine In
Got a dose of the winter blues? Put a little more light in your life by upping your intake of vitamin D, a nutrient that my reinvigorate your emotional and physical health. One reason people feel unwell or depressed in winter is that lack of sunlight exposure lowers their levels of vitamin D, which they need for optimal function of many kinds of brain cells. Food sources of vitamin D include salmon, shrimp and sardines, as well as fortified milk, juice or cereals. But the best source is exposing your skin to the sun. If you spend 20 minutes in a bathing suit in the sun , you'll get the equivalent of 100 glasses of vitamin-D milk.

To help treat symptoms of seasonal affectice disorder (oversleeping, craving starchy foods, gaining weight, etc.), light up your world with a lamp that gives off a broad, sun-simulating spectrum of light, such as Sharper Image's Bright as Day Daylight Spectrum Lamp ($99.95; sharperimage.com). If the problem is severe consider more vigorous light-box therapy. Studies found that 80 percent of people with winter depression experienced rapid remission after using light boxes for a half-hour daily. Look for a box with a broad screen and even light distribution.

There three strategies show new promise in lowering blood pressure naturally.
Getting 800 micrograms daily of folate (a B vitamin found in whole grains, greens and citrus) may cut high blood pressure risk by almost a third, finds research from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Performing isometric handgrip exercises can reduce systolic blood pressure and improve artery flexibility, according to two new studies from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Sleeping facedown may slightly but significantly lower nighttime blood pressure, suggests a new investigation from Ehime University School of Medicine in Japan.

Have a happy heart-Keep your ticker in tip-top shape with these 4 heart healthy ideas designed by Natural Health advisor Carolyn Dean, M.D..,N.D., author of Natural Prescriptions for Common Ailments, and Sherri Bitts Dawkins, certified aromatherapist at Cherubs Aromatherapy in Ojai, CA.
1.    Music helps slow your heart rate, lower stress and steady systolic blood pressure. Relax to the sounds of handmade flutes, temple bowls and sleight bells.
2.    To protect yourself from heart disease, increase your intake of omega-3-rich walnuts, mackerel and flaxseeds. Omega-3s may provide blood-thinning benefits without side effects.
3.    Too much of the amino acid homocysteine could put you at greater risk for heart disease. Folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 scavenge homocysteine. Enhance your diet or take 50 to 100 milligrams of a B complex in divided doses daily.
4.    The American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily salt intake to 1 teaspoon (2,400 mg) to keep your blood pressure from rising. Cut the salt without losing flavor by choosing low-sodium soy sauce and unsalted butter.

Where Do We Get Trans Fats?
The first step in reducing the trans fats in your diet is to know where they are hiding. Here is the FDA's guide to the major sources of trans fats in the American diet. In every category except animal products, the source of the TFA's is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Products                                                         % of Trans Fats
Cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc.         40
Animal Products                                                    21
Margarine                                                             17       
Fried Potatoes                                                        8
Potato chips, corn chips, popcorn                          5
Household shortening                                            4      
Salad dressing                                                        3
Breakfast cereal                                                    1
Candy                                                                     1