Perhaps the biggest advantage of eating organic foods is knowing that what you consume, what you put into your body, is as close to being all-natural as it gets. You know that the producers take the necessary care in growing and harvesting your foods without added chemicals and pesticides. Further, most of the organic producers adhere to very strict environmental and conservation techniques. For instance, organic farmers are among the leaders in innovative growing techniques and research. Organic farmers build healthy soil - Soil is the foundation of the food chain. The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils. Organic farmers also work in harmony with nature. Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem; wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fencerows, wetlands, and other natural areas. Finally, organic food tastes great. You know as soon as you bite into that organically grown apple that it’s fresh and healthy. So, consider exploring your natural food selection at your local grocer…it may cost a bit more, but you might find that it is worth it for your health, as well as your taste buds.

For many people, when they get thirsty the only cure for their dry mouth is good old H20. But if your somebody who likes a little flavor, that’s ok too. If you’re more apt to replenish your fluids if you had a flavored sports drink to choose from versus regular water, that’s just fine. What counts is that you are putting some fluids back in your body after you’ve sweated and perspired throughout your workout. Some people sweat more when they workout, some less. You must learn your own pattern of fluid loss if you are to properly stay hydrated.

So what benefits are there to these sports drinks that are taking up so much shelf space at the grocery store? A sports drink basically offers your body three things it needs when exercising:

• Hydration. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that people drink about 17 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercise, to promote adequate hydration and allow time for the body to excrete any excess water. During exercise, they recommend that athletes start drinking early and at regular intervals in order to take in fluids at the rate they’re losing them through sweating.
• Fuel.The carbohydrates found in sweetened sports drinks provide energy to help delay fatigue. The Gatorade Co. says lab tests have shown that 6% carbohydrate (14 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces of water) is the optimal percentage of carbs for speeding fluid and energy back into the body.
• Electrolytes or Minerals. These are things like sodium, potassium, and chloride that athletes lose through sweat. When water goes out of the body, so do electrolytes. And when the body is losing lots of water (as during exercise), it makes sense that you need to replace electrolytes.

So what if you’re just an every-now-and-then kind of person when it comes to tough workouts? Do you really need a sports drink when you exercise? The answer, it seems, lies once again in how much you’re sweating. The American College of Sports Medicine says that during exercise lasting less than one hour there’s little evidence of any difference in performance between exercisers who drink beverages containing carbohydrates and electrolytes, and those who drink plain water.

As with many things in life, it all comes down to a matter of personal taste/preference/choice. Regardless of what you choose to drink, make sure you’re getting plenty of fluids when you exercise. It will help you make the most of your workouts and help prevent damage or undue stress to your body.

This week let’s talk about one area where we can all take steps to protect our eyes from excessive damage, at the office. Most of us use a computer at least once during the day; many work solely in front of the computer screen. The number of people reporting eyestrain and vision problems as a result of looking at a computer screen all day has grown so large in recent years that common symptoms are now referred to Computer Vision Syndrome, or CVS. Yes, it sounds a little cheesy, but the effects are anything but.

Computer-related eyestrain is now the number one occupational health complaint. There is good news! We have some ideas that will help you protect your eyes during your 8-hour day at the office…

• Use correct lighting: Contrary to popular belief, most offices are simply flooded with too much light. Our eyes strain and work each time they have to transition from our dimly lit computer screens to a bright workspace. Lower the drapes, use lamps instead of bright overhead lighting that can’t be controlled, and try to match the brightness of the room to the brightness of the screen.
• Minimize the glare: This can be done in a number of ways. The easiest is to use an anti-glare screen cover for your monitor. You can also paint the wall of your office a darker color using a matte finish to prevent reflection off bright white walls. There are even coatings you can have applied to your eyeglasses that reduce glare and reflection. As always, reduce the light in your office.
• Adjust your computer screen brightness: It’s best to match the brightness and intensity of your computer screen with the light in the room. If you the white on the page looks like it is luminous or a source of light, it may be too bright.
• Blink, Blink, Blink: When we’re staring down a big report or finishing a lengthy project, our eyes actually focus more and blink less. This leads to dry eyes that are poorly lubricated. Not good! This may be a hard thing to remember, but take the time to blink, distract your vision from the screen often, and make sure you’re paying attention to your eyes if they are drying out. Drops can help, but don’t rely on them.
• Exercise and stretch your eyes: Stretch your eyes? Is this possible? Yes, in fact it is necessary to maintaining strong, healthy eyes. Take your eyes of the computer screen often and focus on something far off in the distance. If you work in a closed office or small building, open the window and find something. To get a good stretch for your focusing muscles, go from a distant object to a close object repeatedly for a minute or so stopping just long enough to completely focus on each object. Your eyes won’t start sweating, but they’ll appreciate the workout.
• Take your breaks often: Research suggests that workers who work with computers throughout their day need to take about ten minutes each hour to rest their eyes and prevent eyestrain. For those of us who use computers only part of the day still need their breaks, perhaps just a little more infrequent.
• Adjust your office or work area: Certain jobs require looking back and forth from printed pages to the computer screen. This may cause the most eyestrain over time. To ease the burden on your eyes, use a stand or a clip that holds the page right next to the screen, allowing your eyes to travel a shorter distance between the two focus points. Even adjusting the height of your chair to level your eyes with the computer screen can make a big difference.

Whatever it takes, the effort you put into resting your eyes and minimizing the risk of severe eyestrain will pay off down the road as you continue to enjoy a world of bright, beautiful colors and amazing sights. Clinical research is also making huge strides in their efforts to develop treatments for vision disorders. There are already natural supplements available that can greatly increase your chances of preventing the onset of such blinding disorders as Age-Related Macular Degeneration, AMD. Occulence^TM Vision Formula from TL Sciences is one of these new groundbreaking products that when taken regularly can help you keep your precious vision for years to come. Check it out for the good of your eyes.

Find the biggest microwave-safe bowl you have and fill it up with water. Add some sort of pleasing spice or essential oil to the water. For instance, cinnamon or vanilla extract work quite well. Heat the water in the microwave until it boils. However, it is extremely important you leave the bowl in the microwave until the water has time to cool…at least 10 minutes. When you open the door and remove the bowl of water, you’ll experience a pleasing smell free of burned popcorn. As far as the cleaning goes, the moisture from the boiling water coats the walls of the microwave and loosens the dirt and grim making it easy to wipe clean!

If you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about salt and pepper-black and white. They are unequivocally the most popular condiments and can be found in even the most modest of kitchens. However, with popularity often comes indulgence; and with indulgence, the very real “black and white” dangers of too much sodium in your diet becomes apparent and dangerous.

Sodium and salt are terms that are often mistakenly interchanged. Very little of our daily sodium intake actually comes from table salt, which is only 40 percent sodium. The overwhelming majority comes from processed foods (basically all the food we know isn’t good for us but which we regularly consume anyway). The easiest way to avoid over-consuming sodium is to eat as much fresh food as possible. The fresher the food is the less preservatives (sodium) it likely has.

The one ironic aspect is that many of our body’s functions rely on a certain amount of sodium. Basic physiological functions such as nutrient transport, nerve impulse transmission, and even muscle contractions require sodium. The biggest health risk comes when too much sodium triggers the kidneys to release more water into the bloodstream leading to higher blood volume, which puts added strain on the circulatory system. The heart already exerts a large amount of energy under normal conditions. When more blood travels in and out, the heart must work that much harder to circulate blood throughout the body.

The morale of the sodium story is to watch what you eat. Read food labels and eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Avoid fast foods, processed foods, preserved and frozen foods. Even frozen or processed vegetables may surprise you with how much sodium they contain. A good piece of advice: trade one taste for another, in other words instead of salty or sweet choose spicy. Be proactive, it might end up saving your heart a lot of extra work.

If that’s not bad enough, researchers speculate that contaminated phones might be the main culprits in nasty cold and flu infections. Viruses can survive on certain surfaces for hours, or even days, depending on the room’s humidity and temperature. And once you touch a contaminated surface with your hands, it’s increasingly likely that the virus will be transferred to your nose or mouth meaning that the bug is now in your body. So clean your phone, and don’t forget to wash your hands afterward.

Recently, scientists and researchers have revisited 40 years worth of medical research to look for commonalities in relation to increased rates of overweight and obesity. Each of these studies was evaluated for relevance and rigorous scientific testing methods in order to ensure accuracy. They found a significant relationship between an individual’s increased consumption of sugary drinks (soda pop) and his/her specific weight gain. The researchers theorize that of all possible cause factors for obesity or increased weight, which there are many, drinking even an extra can of soda a day is likely the leading cause for such dramatic rises in obesity rates.

Take a moment to think about how many sugary drinks you consume in one day. Now, take a look at the numbers on the scale and compare them with what they were even a few years ago. If you notice a substantial rise in your weight over the years and you consume more than your fair share of soda pop, you may have pinpointed why the scale keeps on tipping.

Beverage corporations have called into question these findings, saying that it is irresponsible to claim there is just one main cause to weight gain. However, Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital in Boston and a longtime advocate of curbs on soda, said blaming other factors misses the point. “Could you imagine somebody saying we should ignore the contribution of hypertension to heart attack because there are many causes? It’s ludicrous. Yet this argument resurfaces with regard to obesity,” Ludwig said.

A single 12-ounce can of soda provides the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar, making each extra can you drink very costly to your health. Schools across the nation are beginning to implement restrictions of what types of drinks they offer to children. Adults need to realize the importance of such limitations as well. So, watch what you drink…otherwise you’ll be watching your pants shrink and the scales swell.

As gas prices continue to rise without an apparent end, think about how much money you could save by walking or riding a bike to work. Consider choosing one of these modes of transportation at least a couple times a week. Not only will it leave a few extra bucks (or much more) in your wallet, it will also leave you a few pounds lighter! Lose a couple pounds, save a few dollars…sounds pretty good.

What if you live too far to realistically walk or ride your bike? Well, find a bus route that goes between you and your workplace. Find a stop that is about halfway, then walk or ride to that point. You’ll sill get the needed exercise each day without having to fit it in to your schedule, and you will still save your hard-earned money.

I’m also interested in hearing what you guys do to get some easy exercise while also maybe saving some money. Share you tips with the rest of us!

• Close your drapes or window coverings
• Unplug your electrical devices when not in use
• Turn off your Air Conditioning when you go to sleep
• Clean the coils behind your refrigerator - this dust insulates the coils which are meant to take the heat out of the inside of the fridge; the more dust the less efficient this process becomes
• Keep doors shut when it’s hot outside and open them when the temperature lowers -also, keeping doors to unused rooms closed and the vents inside those rooms closed will direct more of the cooling air to rooms you use
• Do you laundry or dishes during the night or morning when less energy is in demand and the heat the devices put off won’t linger
• Insulate your home - especially the attic where the most significant energy losses take place
• Consider updating your old Air Conditioning unit - place it in the shade
• Use a programmable thermostat to keep cool only when necessary