December 2013

COLD & FLU SEASON IS HERE

Health-E-LivingYour Wellness Newsletter

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........Article on Cold and Flu Prevention

........What’s Trending; Food for Thought; Cold vs. Flu

........Jumpstart Your Routine; Tips for a Healthier You

........CPR & First Aid Classes; Spotlight on Christina Sava; Free Stuff

........Ask a Trainer; In Next Month’s Issue

There are no known cures for colds and flu, so cold and flu prevention should be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your whole life healthier. The most effective way for preventing the flu is to get the flu shot. It works better than anything else. But there are other strategies you can employ as well. Here are 8 tips you can use to help prevent colds and the flu naturally:

Wash Your HandsMost cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto his or her hand and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If you can’t get to a sink, rub an alcohol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands.

Don’t Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your HandsBecause germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands often results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.

Don’t Touch Your FaceCold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

Do Aerobic Exercise RegularlyAerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body’s natural virus-killing cells.

Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals“Phyto” means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.

Don’t SmokeStatistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones.Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

Cut Alcohol ConsumptionHeavy alcohol use suppresses the immune system in a variety of ways. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it actually causes more fluid loss from your system than it puts in.

Relax If you can teach yourself to relax, you may be able to rev up your immune system. There’s evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals.

Click here for the source of this article.

8 NATURAL TIPS TO HELP PREVENT A COLD OR FLU

WHAT’S INSIDE...

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# What’s Trending

Fitness:

Exercising While Sick?: Click here to learn the best and worst exercises to do when you have a cold.

App of the Month:

Flu Defender: This free app is an interactive launch pad to find anything you need to know about the flu, from symptoms to local flu activity.

Health:

Sleep Tips for Cold or Flu: Got a stuffy nose and hacking cough that are making sleep hard to come by? Click here for 7 tips on how to get some rest despite your illness.

Beauty:

Covering Up Cold and Flu Symptoms: Click here for beauty tips to help you look great despite your cold or flu.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The holidays can be stressful! It is well-known that regular exercise reduces stress, but did you know that exercise also reduces the response to stress? Often, when we perceive mental stress we experience an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. If this response occurs repeatedly, it significantly increases cardiovascular disease risk. Evidence shows that aerobically trained individuals exhibit a lower cardiovascular response (i.e. HR and BP) and faster recovery time (return to resting levels) than those with lowers fitness levels. Resistance (weight) training has the same effects! Therefore, even though and individual make “feel” stressed, the physiological response is far less risky!

As of mid-November 2013, Florida’s cold and flu symptoms have been reported as between mild and

moderate. If you plan on traveling this holiday, make sure to check out the severity of symptoms in that area. For

more localized information, click here.

Cold and Flu Symptoms Across the U.S.

COLOR KEY Mild Moderate Severe

IS IT THE FLU OR A COLD?

SIGNS

High fever

Cough & sore throat

Body ache, headache& tired

Sneezing

Stuffy nose

Breathing problems

COLD FLU

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Dumbbell Step-UpsMuscles worked: quadriceps primarily, hamstrings, glutes, and calves additionally.

Step 1: Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms towards the side of your legs.

Step 2: Step up onto an elevated platform by pressing through your heel to lift your body up. Exhale as you come up, placing your other foot onto the platform.

Step 3: Step down leading with the opposite leg making sure to keep the other foot on the bench aligned (knee over ankle) as you inhale and return to the starting position.

Step 4: Repeat with the opposite leg leading. Be sure to perform the same number of repetitions on each leg.

Note: this is a great exercise for individuals with lower-back problems that are unable to perform stiff-legged deadlifts. Variations: a barbell can be used for resistance. Beginners may omit the weights and start with only their bodyweight.

Click here to watch our YouTube video of this exercise.

JUMPSTART YOUR ROUTINE

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finished product!!

TIPS FOR A HEALTHIERBEEFY CORN AND BLACK BEAN CHILIKeep your family and friends warm this winter with a hot bowl of chili. This dish has the flavor and aroma of a chili that has simmered all day—but it only takes 30 minutes!

Ingredients:1 pound ground round 2 teaspoons salt-free chili powder blend (such as The Spice Hunter)1 (14-ounce) package frozen seasoned corn and black beans (such as Pictsweet)1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth1 (15-ounce) can seasoned tomato sauce for chili (such as Hunt’s Family Favorites)Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)Sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:1. Combine beef and chili powder blend in a large Dutch oven. Cook 6 minutes over medium-high heat or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and return to pan.2. Stir in frozen corn mixture, broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.3. Ladle chili into bowls. Top each serving with sour cream and onions, if desired.

Source & Nutritional Information Here

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We offer basic CPR, AED and First Aid training as well as a more advanced CPR for Health Care Providers. Class dates listed below:

Heartsaver CPR with AED: Friday 12/6 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers: Wednesday 12/4 3:30 – 7:30 p.m.

The above classes have limited space and are available for online registration. You must pay at time of registration. If you wish to cancel, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance. No refunds will be given for cancellation within 24 hours.

CPR AND FIRST AID

Meditation Classes

There is more to fitness than cardio and weightlifting. Take advantage of a free meditation class to work on your overall mental health. Registration for this class is required. Contact the Sales Office for details (305-284-5433) or register online.

FREE STUFF!!

FACULTY SENATE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

The cell phones can be in working condition or not, and include any functional accessories (charger/

headphones) as well. Please drop them off during a Senate meeting or at the Faculty Senate Office during

office hours (325 Ashe Building, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). Every donation is greatly appreciated!

Christina teaches Yoga for Strength and Slow Flow yoga at the Wellness Center. These two classes offer a nice balance of strong, yang flow and a slower, yin style stretch class. Balance is exactly what yoga has helped Christina find in her life as a UM Grad, and now UM Law student. Christina’s journey with yoga began at the UM Wellness Center in 2006, when she moved to Miami from Richmond, Virginia to start college. She was instantly hooked on the well-rounded mind and body workout that yoga offered, and before long she found herself on a team of people helping to open the Green Monkey yoga studio in South Miami. Yoga on the Green was born out of her student ambassadorship with Green Monkey. She continued to practice with some of Miami’s best teachers, and in 2010 she completed a vinyasa yoga teacher training certification at Green Monkey. A strong personal yoga practice gave Christina the confidence to apply to law school, and has been a necessary companion in times of stress and uncertainty. Yoga helped Christina find direction in her life, and an enthusiasm for service. Today, she is happy to be sharing yoga with fellow UM students at the Wellness Center, where it all started for her. She looks forward to continuing to teach during Spring 2014.

SPOTLIGHT: Christina Sava

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A person can spread the influenza virus beginning 1 day before having symptoms

and up to 7 days after getting sick.

Cold and flu viruses can live up to 24 hours on hard surfaces like desks

and tables.

The best way to prevent the flu is toget a flu vaccine each season.

DECEMBERDECEMBER

ASK A TRAINER

I got my flu shot a too late because I ended up catching the flu. I’m a little tired not anything too serious. I know I feel more energized when I work out but I don’t want to overdo it. What should I do? This time of year is the best of times and the worst of times. We get to spend time with our families and enjoy our time with them over delicious food. It is also the time of year when the flu season is in full swing. Getting the sniffles will definitely knock you down for a few days if not weeks. Getting back into your workout routine won’t be an easy task. You’ll probably feel better mentally than you do physically. One of the most common things that will happen is you won’t have the endurance you used to. Don’t worry it will return eventually. So here are some helpful hints to get you back on your feet after a cold knocks you down. 1. Drink a lot of water. Water helps to flush the toxins out of your body as well as keep you hydrated to replenish whatever was lost while you were sick. 2. Eat! Your body needs fuel, especially if you’re running a fever. Your body will be using more calories and if you don’t have enough energy, it will wear you down quickly. Make sure you’re eating foods high in Vitamins C and B. 3. Sleep. I probably don’t need to tell you this since you will do this involuntarily when the cold/flu is at its worse. It’s probably the only thing you’ll want to do. Sleeping helpsyour body recover and dedicate its time to fighting the infection. 4. Don’t compare. If your roommate or sibling got the flu and was back at it in a week and you’re still down and

? ?out at two weeks, don’t push yourself. You are a unique individual and not every virus is the same. What works for some or how someone is affected will differ from person to person. If you need more time, take more time. 5. Be the tortoise not the hare. Once you’re ready to start working out again, start back slow. You won’t be able to pick up right where you left off. Make sure you’re getting enough rest in between your workouts and make sure your workouts aren’t long ones. Give yourself some time to get your endurance back up. 6. Listen up! We as a culture tend to overdo it on all accounts: food, drink, weekend workouts, etc. So listen to your body and if it’s telling you it’s too exhausted to finish the rest of the exercises on your workout routine, then don’t do them. If you can’t finish your kickboxing class and have to leave halfway through it, fine. IT’S OKAY! Your ego will be the only thing struggling at this point in time but if you can get over that, the recovery process really isn’t that bad. 7. Little details. If you’re doing all the things I’ve listed above, you’ll be in pretty good shape (no pun intended). Don’t forget to increase your intake of water during your workouts and always wipe down your equipment at the Wellness Center after you’re finished using it. I know you do this anyway but this is not the gift we want to keep giving this holiday season. Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the Fitness Room and Wellness Center so take advantage of them. Let’s all try to do our part to stay healthy this holiday season!

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IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE• New Year’s Resolutions• New Fitness Trends for the New Year• What to Expect from the Wellness Center in 2014