Food Of The Month: Pumpkins

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• Wellness

Yes. It is the season again where we start to see our favorite orange food; the pumpkin. These wonderful fruits are a favorite this time of year. Pumpkins pack many health benefits that go unnoticed. Pumpkins are a great source of fiber, vitamins C,E, and A, and potassium.

Can Help Treat Depression
They contain L-tryptophan, which has been effective in treating depression.

Osteoporosis Prevention
Because they are high in zinc, pumpkin seeds are a natural protector against osteoporosis. Low intake of zinc is linked to higher rates of osteoporosis.

Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Pumpkin seeds effectively reduce inflammation without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Prevention of Kidney Stones
Research shows that pumpkins prevent calcium oxalate kidney stone formation.

Treatment of Parasites
They are used in many cultures as a natural treatment for tapeworms and other parasites. Studies also show them to be effective against acute schistosomiasis, a parasite contracted from snails.

Great Source of Magnesium
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds contains over 90% of your daily value of magnesium.

Lower Cholesterol
Pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, compounds that that have been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol.

Cancer Prevention
The same phytosterols that lower cholesterol also protect against many cancers.

Yoga To Keep Colds At Bay

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• Wellness

Yoga is such an amazing way to exercise your body, rejuvenate you soul, and nourish your spirit. It also can assist you even when you are feeling under the weather. All these wonderful poses from YogaJournal.com can help you when you get sick.

1. Head Wrap
Before you begin, wrap your forehead to relieve tension in the head. Take a wide ace bandage (about 4 inches) and wrap it snugly around the head, tucking the free end in. You can also wrap it over the eyes, taking care not to wrap the eyes too tightly. The bandage will comfort your congested sinuses while you do the poses that follow.

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
Brings energy to the head and respiratory area; helps clear the sinuses.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and rest your forearms on a chair seat. You can also place a blanket on the chair seat for extra padding. Hold two to five minutes.

3. Supported Bridge Pose (Salamba Setu Bandhasana)
Opens up the chest and increases circulation to the upper torso.

Align two bolsters or two to four blankets on the floor running the entire length of your body (the height of the support can vary from 6 to 12 inches). Sit on the middle of the support and lie back. Slide towards your head until your shoulders lightly touch the floor. Open your arms out to the sides, palms turned up. Rest with your legs stretched out on the bolster or with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Relax for a minimum of five minutes.

4. Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
Brings energy to the groin and opens the chest area to facilitate breathing.

With the back of the pelvis on a bolster placed 4 to 6 inches from the wall, swing the legs up the wall. Drop your sitting bones into the space between the blanket and the wall and open your arms out to the sides. If your hamstrings feel tight, try turning the legs slightly in, or move the bolster further away from the wall. Hold for a minimum of five minutes.

5. Supported Bound Angle Pose (Salamba Baddha Konasana)
Opens the chest, abdomen, and groins; relaxes the nervous system.

Sit on the floor, knees bent towards the chest. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees open towards the floor. Support the outer thighs with folded blankets at a comfortable height. You can also place sandbags on each inner thigh to deepen relaxation. Release the arms out to the sides and let go of any tension. Relax in the pose for a minimum of five minutes.

To read more go to YogaJournal.Com

A Walk A Day Keeps The Doctors Away

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• Wellness

We have all heard the time old saying, ” An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, what about walking? Walking has a huge benefit on your health.

Managing your weight. Combined with healthy eating, physical activity like walking is key to any plan for long-lasting weight control. Keeping your weight within healthy limits can lower your risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis.

Decreasing your risk of heart attack. Exercise such as brisk walking for three hours a week — or just half an hour a day — is associated with a 30% to 40% lower risk of heart disease in women. (Based on the 20-year Nurses’ Health Study of 72,000 female nurses.)

Sleep better. Walking can improve sleep, increase energy, and improve the overall quality of your life. Research shows that walking in the morning can help set the bodies internal sleep rhythm.

Better support for you immune system. Research has shown that a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day for at least 5 days can dramatically decrease your chances of getting sick. Exercise gets the body circulating blood through the body, which also moves antibodies through the body faster than normal.

97 Years Young

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• Inspire

I have read about Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara for awhile and am just amazed about his spirit and his devotion. There are not very many people that you read about who have lived this long a life, esspecially still working. He is a incredible man who give wonderful advice.

At the age of 97 years and 4 months Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world’s longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara’s magic touch is legendary. Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke’s College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation’s top medical facility and nursing school.  Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one “Living Long, Living Good” that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.

Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

All people who live long — regardless of nationality, race or gender — share one thing in common: None are overweight. For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.

Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I’ll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!

To read more please go here.

Source: The Japan Times

Dick and Rick Hoyt

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• Beautiful Soul

Dick Hoyt, and his son, Rick Hoyt, also called Team Hoyt, compete together in marathons and triathlons across the country. Together this duo strives to help those who are physically disabled become active members of the community.