|
|
Greetings!
The Bradley Wellness Newsletter is a monthly
newsletter that provides practical and up-to-date
health, wellness and lifestyle information that you
can incorporate into your daily life. Each
newsletter provides you with health, wellness and
lifestyle events, programs, workshops, retreats,
articles, exercises, activities, resources, links,
recipes, inspirational quotes, and ideas for fun.
The Bradley Wellness Newsletter is designed to
empower you to take action and live the life you
love. We are faced with daily choices from what to
eat, to exercise or not, to spend time with loved
ones, to buy and eat organic local whole foods, to
spend our dollars on green, environmentally friendly
products and so much more. Each dollar we spend and
action we take represents our values and passions in
life. We have the freedom, ability and power to be
mindful of our actions and choose the life we live.
By making mindful daily choices we can help to heal
not only ourselves but the environment and the
world. Each month the newsletter will provide you
with an abundance of information that will help you
make better choices and take daily action!!!
 |
|
|
Bradley Wellness, LLC Launches New Website!
This month we launched our website, www.bradleywellness.com.
Bradleywellness.com is an informative website that
provides you with everything you need to get healthy
and live well. The more you surround yourself with
healthy habits, people and activities the healthier
and happier you will become. It gives you, your
family and America the tools to live healthy, happy
lives. In addition to the monthly newsletter, you
will receive Bradley Wellness Bulletins. The
e-bulletins are sent out at various times between
each newsletter and provide you with wellness,
nutrition, exercise and lifestyle tips, motivation
and inspiration and updates on wellness events and
activities. Click on Wellness
Resources and you will find an abundance of
wellness resources including websites, books,
movies, magazines and more. The website is updated
regularly and will provide you with all the latest
information in health and wellness.
Website Launched
|
|
|
|
|
Natural Energy
Kick the Caffeine and Sugar Habit!!!!
One of the most common questions I?m asked is, ?How
can I increase my natural energy?. The first thing
you need to do to increase your natural energy is
kick the caffeine and sugar addiction!!!!
Our society is addicted to sugar and caffeine. A
typical breakfast includes a bowl of cereal and a
cup of coffee. By mid-morning fatigue sets in and
you grab a donut and another cup of coffee. You
work through lunch inhaling a sandwich and by 3 pm
you feel like you could collapse. A quick candy bar
from the vending machine holds you over till you get
home where you grab a huge dinner and sit in front
of the TV for the rest of the night. Sound
familiar? It may sound exaggerated but it is
reality for most Americans. Caffeine and sugar
provide artificial energy to get through the day.
It is a roller coaster ride of energy that too many
Americans live and depend on.
Coffee and sugar are socially acceptable drugs that
most Americans are addicted to. Without daily
caffeine and sugar symptoms arise such as headaches
and fogginess. It is sad to think that the average
fairly healthy American can not survive a day
without an artificial energizer.
The vicious caffeine and sugar cycle may be ok
temporarily but over time can cause serious health
problems. The negative effects of over-stimulation
of caffeine include anxiety, interference with sleep
and irritation of urinary, gastrointestinal and
other systems of the body. Not to mention the
withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, shakiness
and fogginess. Refined sugar (sucrose) requires
extra effort from the body to digest because it
lacks vitamins, minerals and fiber. The body
depletes its own store of minerals and enzymes to
absorb sucrose properly. Therefore, instead of
providing the body with nutrition, it results in
deficiency. Sugar enters the bloodstream fast and
wreaks havoc on blood sugar levels. Sugar first
pushes blood sugar sky-high causing excitability,
nervous tension and hyperactivity then drops blood
sugar extremely low causing fatigue, depression,
weariness and exhaustion.
The ups and downs of artificial energy throughout
the day cause an emotional roller coaster ride that
affects all activities and relationships in life.
You may feel happy and energetic for a while and
then suddenly, unexplainably, find yourself arguing
with coworkers, friends, your kids or partner. You
may feel on top of the world and then feel gloomy,
depressed and worthless.
So what is the answer to increasing your natural
energy. The first step is to get rid of caffeine
and sugar. The best way to do this is to begin
?crowding out? the caffeine and sugar. This means
that instead of just stopping caffeine and sugar
cold turkey, add healthier habits to your daily
routine. Begin drinking more water everyday. Carry
water with you everywhere you go and drink it!!! Be
prepared and bring healthy snacks of fruits and
veggies to work to snack on throughout the day.
Increase your intake of green veggies. Below are
more tips to help you kick the habit:
Tips to cut the caffeine:
- Switch to green tea (less caffeine than coffee)
- Drink more water
- Eat whole organic foods that provide you with
natural energy
Tips to cut the refined sugar:
- Snack on fruit
- Use natural sweeteners such as agave nectar
- Eat sweet root veggies such as squash, carrots,
parsnips
?The higher your energy level, the more efficient
your body. The more efficient your body, the better
you feel and the more you will use your talent to
produce outstanding results.?
Anthony Robbins
Natural Energy
|
|
|
|
|
Green Living
What is Green Living?
Green Living is environmental friendly living. Some
examples of ways we support the environmental
movement is by recycling, reducing energy use,
trying to use less water, avoiding environmentally
harmful products and buying environmentally
beneficial products. Our personal daily choices
impact the health of the world and each individual
living in the world. This section will help provide
you with knowledge and information on how to make
informed green lifestyle decisions.
To read more about Green Living check out, ?Green
Living: The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly
on the Earth? by the Editors of E/The Environmental
Magazine.
Green Dry Cleaning
Green dry cleaning is an environmentally friendly
way to care for your clothes and is safer for your
health. Traditional dry cleaners use a cleaning
agent called perchloroethylene (perc). Perc is
considered a probable human carcinogen and has been
found to cause cancer in animals.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency
perc is harmful to dry-cleaning workers causing
headaches, memory loss, dizziness, fatigue and liver
and kidney problems. The average consumer who wears
a garment that was cleaned with perc is not exposed
to dangerous levels however, some people are more
sensitive than others. Perc also has a negative
effect on the environment. It seeps into the water
sources and soil resulting in a toxic effect on the
plants that grow.
If you use a conventional dry cleaner and you want
to minimize the possibility of breathing in chemical
fumes, it is suggested that you remove your clothes
from the bags and air them outside or in a room with
good ventilation.
Find a Green Dry Cleaners near you!!!!
?Green Living? link of the month:
www.greenerchoices.org.
This website was launched by Consumers Union,
the force behind Consumer Reports magazine. This
website rates and evaluates cars, appliances, and
other products based on criteria such as energy,
water, and fuel efficiency.
Green Living
|
|
|
|
|
Aging Well
Natural Prevention of Osteoporosis
Adults begin to lose bone mass in their 30s and 40s.
For women this process is accelerated due to
decreasing levels of estrogen. Bones may begin to
get rid of calcium faster than it?s absorbed,
causing the bones to become brittle and fracture
easily. Osteoporosis is a disease caused by
decreased bone density. 10 million Americans have
osteoporosis with 80% of them being women.
Joints contain a substance called synovial fluid
whose function is to lubricate the joint. Over
time, the synovial fluid dries up causing the
protective cartilage that lines the joint to erode.
This results in aches and pains, stiffness, loss of
flexibility and arthritis. 80% of people over 55
have some form of degenerative joint disease such as
arthritis.
There are many healthy choices you can make to
prevent osteoporosis and degenerative joint
diseases. Eat leafy green veggies, beans and whole
grains to increase your calcium intake. Get out and
enjoy the sun!!! Approximately 20 minutes of daily
sunlight will give you your daily requirement of
Vitamin D which is needed for the body to absorb
calcium. Stay active!!! Perform load bearing
exercises such as walking, hiking and resistance
training. Participate in exercises that decompress
the joints such as pilates, yoga, gyrotonic and
stretching.
Consult your physician regarding supplements.
Unless we eat a perfect diet everyday that consists
of the most nutritious foods we are unable to get
all the vitamins and minerals that we need. Take a
supplement to be sure you are getting what you need
for optimal health. Stand up tall!!! Make
maintaining proper posture a priority. Get your
posture evaluated by a specialist. Learn what your
proper posture is and how to maintain it. Set up
your environment to be ergonomically friendly to
prevent repetitive stress injuries, low back pain
and other injuries. Three spaces to start with
include your work space, computer desk and car seat.
Use proper body mechanics in everything you do.
Have a specialist analyze your body mechanics,
movement patterns and alignment. It can save you
from future injuries and pain.
Foods to increase your calcium intake
include:
Whole grains- amaranth, quinoa, brown rice
Greens- turnip greens, watercress, parsley, kale,
collard
Veggies- spinach, broccoli
Beans- garbanzo, pinto, lentils, kidney, navy
Nuts- almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, walnuts
Seeds- sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin
Soy- tofu
Sea veggies- wakame, kelp, kombu, nori (seaweed in
sushi)
Foods that inhibit calcium absorption
include:
Coffee, soda, diuretics
Excess protein
Refined sugar
Alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes
Too little exercise
Excess salt
Solanine is a calcium inhibitor and it is in the
following foods:
Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers
For more information on natural ways to prevent
osteoporosis read, ?The Natural Way to Prevent
Osteoporosis: Food and Our Bones? by Annemarie Colbin.
Aging Well
|
|
|
|
|
Moving Well
Neutral Spine and Proper Posture
?If exercise could be packaged into a pill, it
would be the single most prescribed and beneficial
medicine in the nation.?
Robert Butler,
M.D., Mount Sinai Medical Center
Neutral Spine
Your body needs a strong foundation to provide it
with strength, energy and power. This foundation is
our ?Core? or ?Center?. Our strength, energy and
power initiate from the core and radiates to the
extremities. If the vertebrae of the spine are not
aligned properly abnormal forces are put on our
joints, bones and muscles causing degeneration and
imbalances. A neutral spine position allows the
spine to achieve its natural curves, not rounding or
arching excessively. In this position the muscles
of the torso are balanced, allowing the core muscles
along the spine to engage properly, avoiding any
strain on the back.
How do you find your neutral spine position? Start
by laying on your back with your knees bent and feet
flat on the floor, approximately hip distance apart.
First do a posterior pelvic tilt (flattening the
back against the surface). Next move into an
anterior pelvic tilt (arch your back). These are
the two extremes of the spine and pelvis. To
achieve the neutral spine position, find the
position midway between an anterior and posterior
pelvic tilt that maintains your bodies natural arch.
This is considered pelvic neutral or neutral spine
position. You will notice a small space between
your back and the surface at the lower part of your
back. You should feel the tailbone or lower part of
your sacrum on the surface. You should feel the
posterior part of the ribs on the surface. Neutral
spine is the position you should attempt to maintain
throughout the day when sitting and standing. Watch
yourself in the mirror and try to recreate this
position in sitting and standing.
To maintain the spine in this position, draw your
navel in towards your spine without changing the
position of the pelvis or spine. Aim to maintain
the pulled in navel throughout the day in all of
your activities.
Proper Posture
The next step is to work on your posture or
alignment from head to toe by finding your plumb
line. Your plumb line is the vertical line that
runs from the crown of your head down to your feet.
When you learn to align your bones, the surrounding
muscles and connective tissue can relax instead of
gripping or overworking. This will result in the
maintenance of proper posture feeling effortless and
energy efficient.
Begin by looking in a mirror at your side view.
Notice if your head is in front of the body,
shoulders are slouched forward, pelvis is tilted
forward, knees are bent or hyper-extended or if your
whole body is slanted forward. Try to align the
body so everything is stacked on top of each
another; head on top of the neck, neck on top of the
shoulders, shoulders over the pelvis and everything
over the ankle joint.
Next face the mirror. Notice if the head is tilted
to one side, if you are leaning to one side, one
shoulder or hip is higher than the other or if you
are bearing more weight on one foot compared to the
other. Attempt to realign the body by bearing equal
weight on both feet and working your way up.
Don?t worry if you feel completely crooked after all
the adjustments- your body has been out of alignment
for a while, so you will need to relearn what it
feels like to be in alignment and balanced. Have a
teacher or friend observe whether you are in
alignment. Throughout your day become mindful of
your alignment and take the time to adjust if
needed. Don?t be afraid to glance in mirrors to
check if you are standing tall!!!
Moving Well
|
|
Who is Bradley Wellness?
The purpose of the Bradley Wellness Newsletter is to
provide people with the knowledge and motivation
they need to take action steps to living a healthy
lifestyle. The goal is to provide people with the
support they need to make healthy choices and to
continue to build a community interested in living
well. Please forward this newsletter to anyone who
can benefit from learning solutions to live well.
You may also email us their email address and we can
put them on the e-mail list for newsletters and
bulletins. Thank you for your support!!!!
Kelly Bradley is the founder and executive director
of Bradley Wellness, LLC based in Washington, DC.
To learn more about her, visit BradleyWellness.com
(click the link below) or, contact Kelly by emailing
her from the link below.
(kelly@bradleywellness.com)
Thank You!!!!
|
|
