Living Well IDEAS
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Living Well IDEASWant to live long, live well, and live happy? We got IDEAS for you!
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Consumers want more information about the food they eat. A new app gives instant access to snack facts.
Snack Facts
(Family Features) Consumers want more information about the food they eat. The new “SmartLabel™ Sponsored by Mondelēz International” app gives instant access to snack facts. Learn more at MondelezInternational.com. Mondelez International
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 If you're still smoking and would like to quit, you're not alone. Nearly seven out of 10 cigarette smokers want to quit for good. Although each person's journey to a tobacco-free life is different, knowing what's worked for others could help you find what works for you. Participants from CDC's Tips From Former Smokers(TM) campaign share what worked best for them in their journeys to quitting smoking. (BPT) - Since the Surgeon General released the first report on smoking in 1964, the smoking rate among adults has decreased from 42 percent to 15 percent. Though great strides have been made, more than 36 million adults in the United States continue to smoke cigarettes, claiming nearly half a million lives a year and leaving 16 million others to live with an illness or disease caused by smoking. There are now more former cigarette smokers than current smokers in the United States, and more than half of all people who have ever smoked have quit, according to the CDC. If you're still smoking and would like to quit, you're not alone. Nearly seven out of 10 cigarette smokers want to quit for good. Although each person's journey to a tobacco-free life is different, knowing what's worked for others could help you find what works for you. Participants from CDC's Tips From Former Smokers(TM) campaign share what worked best for them in their journeys to quitting smoking. Choose a quit date and support team Tiffany Roberson, 35, of Louisiana started smoking when she was just 19, despite having watched her own mother, a smoker, die of lung cancer. Over the years, Roberson tried to quit multiple times but struggled to stay quit for good. When her own daughter turned 16, she was inspired to try again. This time, a combination of tactics helped her succeed. * A nicotine patch helped control her cravings. She chose it because it was discrete and easy to use. * She chose a quit date. To avoid the temptation to smoke, she stayed busy on that day. * She told her daughter and another relative she was quitting so she would be accountable for staying smoke-free. Her relatives supported her with a daily text of encouragement, noting the day of her progress-"Day 2 without smoking" and, eventually, "Day 365 without smoking." * During work breaks, she drank water instead of smoking. Create accountability Beatrice Rosa-Swerbilov, 40, from New York tried her first cigarette at just 7 years old, and became a regular smoker at age 13. Although she had tried many times before, she quit for good after her 11-year-old son wrote her a letter asking her to quit smoking. Here are her success strategies. * Avoiding triggers-things or situations that made her crave a cigarette. For example, going out for drinks with friends was a trigger, so Rosa-Swerbilov gave up doing that for a while. * Creating accountability for herself by telling everyone that she was quitting. Her hope was that if someone did see her smoking, they would say "Oh, I thought you quit," thus holding her accountable for her decision to quit smoking. Manage stress Amanda Brenden, of Wisconsin, began smoking in fifth grade and was a daily smoker by age 13. She would duck outside during the day - even during Wisconsin winters - to smoke. By college, she was smoking a pack a day. When she got engaged and found out she was pregnant, she tried to quit, without success. The stress of being a pregnant college student drove her back to cigarettes. Her daughter was born two months premature and today still struggles with asthma. Breathing problems like asthma are common in premature babies. * Stress was a trigger for Brenden, as it is for many smokers. In a smoking cessation class, she learned stress reduction techniques. She also relied on support from her family. * When Brenden feels frustrated, she exercises to release her negative energy rather than reaching for a cigarette. Substitute positive for negative James Fulton, 40, of New York, began smoking at 14 to emulate his father, a smoker who was well-respected in their community. When decades of smoking began to affect his health, Fulton created a plan for quitting that included replacing negative behaviors with positive ones. When he felt a craving for a cigarette, he used a nicotine patch or chewed sugar-free gum. He's learned to rely on exercise, becoming an avid cyclist and swimmer. Rebecca Cox-MacDonald, 57, of Texas, also found exercise to be helpful in quitting. Surrounded by a family of smokers, she started smoking as a teenager. Multiple events inspired her to try quitting a final time; her father died of a smoking-related illness, she watched the health of other relatives who smoked deteriorate, and she developed severe gum disease-a risk for smokers-that required her to get bone grafts and dental implants. She quit and committed to a healthier lifestyle that included regular exercise like running and getting treatment for the depression that had been a major factor in keeping her smoking. The CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign brings together science-backed health information and quitting tips drawn from the real-life experiences of former smokers. For more information about how you can quit smoking, including tips from successful former smokers, visit the CDC's Quit Guide online.
Each year, millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions to achieve personal or professional goals. One key to jumpstarting a healthy lifestyle is staying hydrated by drinking more water. Here are four tips to help you stay hydrated in 2017 and beyond.It’s Not Too Late to Jumpstart a Healthy Lifestyle for 2017
(Family Features) Each year, millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions to achieve personal or professional goals. For many, that means focusing on improving health and wellness. You tell yourself this is going to be the year you join a gym, eat better or drink more water. Yet that commitment often falls short, as a recent survey suggests less than 10 percent of Americans achieve their resolutions. There are many reasons people fall short of their goals, including setting the bar too high or being overly restrictive, which can lead to small failures and setbacks. However, there are easy ways to get back on track. A Global Water Survey, published by Nestlé Waters and Kantar TNS, revealed 94 percent of American respondents believe drinking water helps maintain a healthy lifestyle. One key to jumpstarting a healthy lifestyle is staying hydrated by drinking more water. With so much focus on food, beverage choices are often overlooked. With no calories or added sugars, water is a smart choice to stay hydrated. Here are four tips from Sarah Ladden, a registered dietitian and Director, Nutrition, Health and Wellness at Nestlé Waters North America, to help you stay hydrated in 2017 and beyond.
To learn more about healthy hydration, visit nestle-watersna.com/en. Photo courtesy of Getty Images SOURCE:Nestlé Waters
 (BPT) - Whether it's battling the rampant germs of cold and flu season or maintaining wellness throughout the year, the immune system is your main line of defense. In order to feel good as often as possible - and recover quickly when you don't - it's important to keep your immune system strong. "The immune system is the part of the body that monitors both internal and external environments," says Dr. Chris Oswald, certified nutrition specialist and chiropractor in Hudson, Wisconsin. "It's important to understand that both too much immune response and too little immune response, including inflammation, is not good, so maintaining that happy medium is the name of the game." To achieve that "happy medium," Dr. Oswald recommends incorporating five simple steps into your daily routine: Support natural sleep cycles "Sleep is the time when our bodies repair and rejuvenate, so it is something to not be taken lightly," Dr. Oswald says. "Generally speaking, the older we are the less sleep we need, but for adults 7-9 hours is usually the sweet spot." He says a good way to know if you are sleeping well is if you fall asleep within 30 minutes of lying down and you are able to wake at approximately the same time every day without an alarm clock. "It is also very important to maintain regular hours as our body's circadian rhythms do not like to be disrupted," he adds. Eat fermented and unprocessed foods Dr. Oswald says the body's microbiome health has a huge impact on the immune system. The microbiome is the collection of microorganisms that inhabit the intestinal tract, creating a mini-ecosystem. "Every bite of food we eat impacts microbiome balance, so it is important to eat foods that promote its health," he says. "I like fermented foods and foods that are minimally processed or as close to their form in nature as possible. When the wrong foods are eaten, certain microbiota are able to 'gain strength' and offset the health promoting benefits of other more beneficial organisms." He adds that dietary fiber is also very important to maintaining the health of the microbiome. Additionally, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA help boost the immune system. Use supplements to support digestive health "The digestive tract is a barrier to the outside world which selectively allows molecules to pass through," says Dr. Oswald. This is why a healthy gut is a big part of overall health - it filters out the bad while keeping in the good. Eating plenty of probiotics in foods like yogurt and kefir helps maintain digestive health, but it can be difficult for the average person to get enough to make an impact. "Supporting digestive health with a comprehensive probiotic supplement such as Nordic Naturals Nordic Flora Probiotic Daily is a great foundational health strategy for everyone," Dr. Oswald says. Move your body "Higher levels of fitness are definitely associated with improved immune function," says Dr. Oswald. He recommends high intensity interval training (HIIT), where you alternate short periods of intense exercise with brief rest periods. "I like people to choose any activity they like and have a nice gentle 5 minute warm-up followed by up to six 100 percent work intervals for 30 seconds with 60 seconds of rest," he says. "Once complete with the circuit, a five minute cool down completes your workout in 19 minutes or less." Embrace mindfulness and meditate Dr. Oswald says both acute and chronic stress have an effect on the immune system, which can potentially decrease your resistance to illness. One easy way to combat stress is to try to meditate every day. "Meditation is a very powerful option and I firmly believe that all should find some way of increasing mindfulness," he says. "It is important to remember that meditation is different for everyone." Meditation can be sitting quietly with eyes closed, staring at a flame, walking in the woods, etc. Try something that feels right to you that allows you to relax and be mindful of the present.
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