Health & Wellness – November is colon cancer awareness month

7 HOLIDAY HEALTHY HABITS

BY ELISSA MIRSKY

The holiday season can be incredibly challenging for those working to maintain a healthy lifestyle and those wanting to avoid excessive weight gain. From work parties and dinners to family gatherings, is it even possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle? The short answer: Yes!

With seven helpful tips, you’ll be a master at mindful eating during the holiday season. Not only will you feel good, but you’ll also want to be more mindful about your eating year-round.

1. EAT BREAKFAST

Load up on fruit for breakfast. If you don’t want to eat just fruit, have a chia pudding or oatmeal with a side of fruit. Just make sure you do not skip breakfast. By having a satisfying meal, you will avoid overeating.

2. DRINK WATER

Drink water before your meals. Water is an appetite suppressant, so drinking it will make you feel fuller, helping you to avoid eating as much.

3. BYOF (BRING YOUR OWN FOOD)

Being able to bring your own food will allow you to create healthy food alternatives that will keep you on track. It is very possible to have delicious healthy recipes during the holidays. This also allows you to expose others to your lifestyle. 7. CLEANSE YOUR BODY

The day after indulging, be sure to have your lemon or lime water to flush your body, as well as fruit to further detoxify. Load up on your greens, grains, beans, and lots of water. Smoothies and juice are also great options to cleanse as well.

Here are a few cleansing recipes to try during and after your holiday indulgence.

4. EAT SLOWLY

Eating slowly will help you digest food better, as well as help you avoid overeating. When you eat too fast your body will not realize it’s full. As a result, you overeat which causes weight gain. Be sure to take the time to chew your food, eat at the table, distraction-free from the television and your phone, and engage in conversation allowing you to put the fork down more often.

5. AVOID EATING EVERYTHING

We tend to want to try everything. Be mindful of what you are eating. Pick and choose your palate. more healthy options. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

6. REMEMBER YOUR WHY

Remember why you embarked on a healthy lifestyle in the first place. The holidays are just a season, then it’s back to real life. Remember it takes longer to lose the weight than it does to gain it. You can easily gain five or more pounds in a week. Be mindful of the extra work you’ll be putting in after the holidays. G.L.O. Juice

• Granny Smith Apple • Kale • Celery • Ginger

Celery Smoothie

• ½ Granny Smith apple • ½ chopped celery • ½ to 1 cup of water • Small dash of Cayenne Pepper

Colon Flush

• 2 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt • 1 cup of water (warm) • Freshly squeezed lemon

How will you be mindful during the holiday season? Elissa Mirsky is a published author and former magazine editor.

TAKE COURSES IN THE BLACK

HEALTH LEARNING ACADEMY

Health equity work starts with understanding the particular needs of diverse minority groups. Understanding how to better engage and serve these communities is critical to addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes. In the newly developed Black Health Learning Academy you will learn: How health inequities affect Black and Brown populations, causing increased risk for complications and prevalence of chronic conditions; How to improve patient and public involvement to better work with, and serve, minority groups; How to achieve better health outcomes in your community through best practice public health approaches. The courses are self-paced so learning can be done on your own schedule, individually or in a study community. A certificate for the full course or for the units completed will be awarded upon successful completion. For more information, please visit https://academy.nblch.org/. Black Health Learning Academy

MARY J. BLIGE JOINS THE FIRST LADY’S BREAST CANCER INITIATIVE

The Biden Administration’s cancer prevention and treatment initiative just received celebrity support from superstar Mary J. Blige. The singer joined First Lady Jill Biden and the American Cancer Society to announce national meetings on breast and cervical cancer. The cancer society pledged to convene events after the president and first lady resurrected the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative this year. The program provides more money for research to “help us end cancer as we know it. For good,” said Jill Biden. R&B singer Mary J. Blige talked about losing aunts and other family members to breast, cervical, and lung cancer. She has promoted breast cancer screening through the Black Women’s Health Imperative, especially among Black women disproportionately affected. Blige blamed the misconceptions about mammograms among Black women and “the practice of not wanting other people in our business” for the disparities in breast cancer outcomes between Blacks and whites. She notes that had her aunts, godmother, and grandparents been informed about cancer, “they would have a different outcome today.” The singer paused multiple times to remain composed. The first lady reached out to Blige as she sat back down. The two held hands for several minutes before Biden thanked Blige. The Biden family lost their son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015. Story and Photo/Black Health Matters COPE WITH DIABETES DISTRESS

Managing diabetes can be hard. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed. Having diabetes means that you need to check your blood sugar levels often, make healthy food choices, be physically active, remember to take your medicine, and make other good decisions about your health several times a day. In addition, you may also worry about having low or high blood sugar levels, the costs of your medicines, and developing diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease or nerve damage.

Having diabetes can be overwhelming at times. The good news is that there are things you can do to cope with diabetes and manage stress. This November, Diabetes Awareness Month, consider these tips to cope with diabetes stress and feel better. 1. Pay Attention to Your Feelings. Being overwhelmed for more than a week or two may signal that you need help coping with your diabetes. 2. Talk with Your Health Care Providers About Your Feelings.

They can help you problem-solve your concerns about diabetes and offer resources. 3. Talk to Your Health Care Providers About Negative Reactions

Other People May Have About Your Diabetes. It is important not to feel that you have to hide your diabetes from other people. 4. Ask If Help is Available For the Costs of Diabetes Medicines and Supplies. Pharmacists and providers may know about government or other programs that can assist people with costs. 5. Talk with Your Family and Friends. Just telling others how you feel helps to relieve some of the stress. 6. Allow Loved Ones to Help You Take Care of Your Diabetes.

Those closest to you remind you to take your medicines, help monitor your blood sugar levels, join you in being physically active, and prepare healthy meals. 7. Talk to Other People with Diabetes. Ask them how they deal with their diabetes and what works for them. 8. Do One Thing at a Time. Make a list of all of the tasks you have to do to take care of yourself each day and work tasks one at a time. 9. Pace Yourself. As you work on your goals, like increasing physical activity, take it slowly. 10.Take Time to Do Things You Enjoy. Give yourself a break! Set aside time in your day to do something you really love. Find out about activities near you that you can do with a friend.

Remember that it is important to pay attention to your feelings. If you notice that you are feeling frustrated, tired, and unable to make decisions about your diabetes care, take action. Tell your family, friends, and health care providers. They can help you get the support you need. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention