Health Tip: Waste Not, Want Knot?
|
|
Massage works out the kinks.
Massages don't just make you say "wow!" Research shows that when a practitioner massages soft tissue, electrical signals are transmitted throughout the body, helping heal damaged muscle, stimulate circulation, clear waste products via the lymphatic system, boost the activity of the immune system, reduce pain and tension, and induce a calming effect.  You can increase your energy, clarity, healing, and better your mood, simply by sitting back and getting a radical rubdown. Here's an idea: schedule a massage every time you make a house payment, because your body is the house you can't move out of! Inquire about chair massage at work » |
Birthday Congrats: Jens
|
|
Wishing our newsletter author a happy one!
 If you've enjoyed what you've read in the Recess Newsletter then you have Jens to thank. Jens studied literary journalism at Hampshire College and currently resides in Minneapolis, MN.
Today is his birthday and we just want to give him a tip of the hat as we thank him for his fun, informative work and wish him many more healthy, happy years ahead!
|
|
Inspire: Lecture Series Package
|
|
Navigate the fall and winter in good health
$175 a month for a year
Knowledge is power. Our fitness and wellness experts will give you
and your co-workers or friends the 411 and motivation you need to integrate wellness into your daily
lives at home or the office, including: - 6 hours of custom wellness lectures on a variety of topics
- 8 custom posters program
- Webcast option included (recorded and hosted for an additional fee)
- Online wellness programming survey and report
- Choose your own days and times with simple online booking
- For employers: "Recess Approved Fun Workplace" seal on your recruitment site
Recess classes are consistently rated more fun and effective than other health and wellness offerings:
Choose this program »
|
| The Sweet Tooth Syndrome?
|
|
Are Americans Addicted to Sugar?
A spoonful of sugar goes a long way. It can sweeten a cup of strong coffee, liven up a grapefruit, make vegetables palatable to children, and it can even make the medicine go down.
 So, does it come as a surprise that the Average American consumes almost 160 pounds of refined sugar each year?
That's over 18,000 spoonfuls. With that many spoonfuls, it's safe to say that they're not all going on top of grapefruit and broccoli either.
So, why so much sugar? Are we addicted?
As of yet, there are no conclusive studies to suggest that sugar has addicting properties as per caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and/or narcotics.
However, a recent study from Princeton University found that rats given too much sugar suffered from symptoms of withdrawal, including depression, when their sugar was taken away. During the following weeks of withdrawal they continued to crave sugar.
In humans, these cravings are caused, in part, by the body's desire to take in high amounts of calories in a short period of time.
When the body becomes deprived of nutrients for extended periods of time (say, when skipping breakfast) it shifts into panic mode, needing to store up fats and sugars rapidly. Skipping meals, or eating a meal that doesn't satisfy you, increases the chance of developing a sugar craving. The craving is your body's way of telling you it needs carbs, and it needs them now.
Eating more complex carbohydrates, like whole grains and seeds, has been shown to curb sugar cravings. Also, eating natural sugars from fruits, like dates and raisins, has also been shown to curb the craving while still satisfying your sweet tooth. The body breaks down these foods at a slower and steadier pace than it would with refined starches and sugars.
Refined starches and sugars are broken down very quickly in the body. When the body senses excess sugars in the system, whether from refined sugars or from too many carbs, it shuts down certain metabolic pathways in order to store the sugars as fats. This is why some "hit the wall" after a candy bar or rich dessert; your body slows down and your pancreas, which has to cope by producing insulin en masse, starts to become overactive, allowing your body to store sugars more readily.
Sugar also has a chemical effect on your brain. It alters your brain chemistry in a similar fashion to any stimulant. Like nicotine, or caffeine, sugar raises the serotonin levels in your brain, causing a slight euphoria. Dessert after dinner can offer the same chemically induced "unwinding" that an after dinner cocktail or an evening smoke can offer. However relaxing breathing exercises or an after dinner walk creates the same spike in serotonin levels without the excess calories.
 So this Halloween allow yourself a treat, but also allow yourself a nourishing diet. When you give yourself candy make sure that it's a gift for being so good, not a fix to calm a craving. You might even try handing out kumquats instead of Dum-Dums.
Then again, not all of us have so much will power. If you feel a strong craving for a sweet treat, eat it slowly as you savor the taste. See if you could be satisfied with half a serving rather than gobbling it all down and then feeling bad about yourself afterward.
In addition to portion control, find other ways to unwind with your family, like: playing a silly game, reading or making a crafty fall project that you send to a grandparent or neighbor as a gift. Sugar is sweet, but so too is life!
Find a Recess program that'll get you back on track »
|
|
