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• heathy women
• women health tips

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Women of all ages need to make sure to stay healthy and most experts break down women’s health routines by their age.  Here are some different checks and measures that should be met as women age, through their 60s.

In your 20s…

1. Kick your unhealthy habits.  Sure, we all drank too much, ate too much, and maybe smoked too much during our college days, but those days should be left at college. Many habits that you form in your 20s stick with you throughout your life, so let go of the bad ones!
2. Plan for an annual physical.  Schedule an annual check-up into your life and stick to it.  You will thank yourself and will be assured that you are doing as well as you feel.
3. Get your fill of calcium and vitamin D.

In your 30s…

1. Keep an eye on the scale as many women begin to deal with weight struggles in their 30s.
2. Get your sleep – all eight hours – if you can!

In your 40s…

1. Get a mammogram.
2. Have a diabetes screening done, as your chances of having Type II diabetes is more common in your 40s.
3. Try to get at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise in per day.

In your 50s…

1. Pay attention to your heart and your risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure.
2. Schedule a colonoscopy.
3. Get the flu vaccine every year.

In your 60s…

1. Have a bone density test done.
2. Make sure to increase your intake of vitamin B12, which helps to produce healthy red blood cells.
3. Inquire about getting a shingles vaccine and be careful of your risk factors for catching pneumonia.

• diet and exercise
• healthy workplace

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

You are there at least 8 hours a day (if not longer) so why not try and do everything you can to change your diet and fitness routine while you are there? Here are some simple ways to lose weight at work.

• Don’t miss breakfast.  We have heard it all before, but to lose weight make sure you are packing a powerful protein for that first meal of the day.
• Pack your lunch.  When you pack your lunch, you are in complete control of portion sizes, if you go out to lunch you are more than likely to overeat and have unnecessary calories.
• Walk on your lunch break – or at least half of it.  Instead of taking your entire lunch hour eating, take a half an hour to eat and a half an hour to get out and exercise.  Try a brisk walk to help you lose weight and burn stress, too.
• Keep a food journal.  That way you are determining how many calories you are taking in during the day.  Many people fail to realize how many calories they are ingesting in a single day until they start writing it down and logging it.
• If possible, leave your car at home.  People who walk or bike to work have a lower risk of being obese.  If you take a bus to work, get off a few stops before your stop and walk the rest of the way.  If you must take a car, park at a parking lot away from your building and get some extra cardio in before your workday even starts.
• Wear a pedometer.  During the day, shoot for 10,000 steps or approximately 5 miles.  Use the stairs instead of the elevator a few days a week or walk to a coworker’s desk instead of sending them an email.
• Walk around during the day.  While your boss may frown on you doing this many times during the day, if you get up a few extra times a day you will burn more calories than staying sedentary for your full eight-hour shift.
• Get a headset and pace in your office when you are on the phone.  Many people who work in an office don’t realize how many hours they spend on the phone… utilize this time by burning some calories while on the phone.

• Mangoes Benefits
• Healthy Mangoes
• Benefits of Mangoes
• Mango recipe
• Healthy mango recipes

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

• Mangoes are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and they are also an excellent way to replenish potassium lost through exercise or for those who are constantly “on the go.”
• An average-sized mango can even contain up to 40 percent of your daily fiber requirement, thereby being a great way to curb constipation and irregularity.

Recipe: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad 

• ½ cup prepared or purchased honey mustard dressing
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 4 chicken breast halves without skin, boneless
• 1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk seasoning
• 2 large fresh mangoes
• 10 to 12 cups mixed greens 
• Stir together honey mustard dressing and lime zest.  Cover and chill dressing while preparing chicken.

Rinse chicken and pat dry; sprinkle with Jerk seasoning.  In a large skillet cook the seasoned chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 6 minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink.  Thinly slice each chicken breast.

Arrange warm chicken and mango atop greens on four plates. Drizzle with the honey mustard dressing.

Recipe: Mango Pork

• 2 medium ripe mangoes
• 1 pork tenderloin, about ¾ pound
• Cooking spray or olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Hot pepper sauce
• Put pulp of one mango in food processor or blender.

Cut the other mango into small cubes.  Trim pork tenderloin and slice into 1-inch-thick medallions.  Flatten slices lightly with hand.  Spray a skillet or medium saucepan with cooking spray or add a small amount of olive oil and heat on medium-high.  Brown pork for one minute on each side. Season each side with salt and pepper to taste. 

Reduce heat and cook pork another five minutes to cook through.  Remove to plate and add mango to skillet or saucepan. Cook puree about, scraping up brown bits of pork, for about 30 seconds.  Add several drops of hot sauce and the mango cubes.  Toss cubes in puree while heating through.  Spoon sauce over pork and serve with pasta or hot cooked rice.

• childhood obesity
• health diet for children

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Childhood obesity is constantly on the rise, so as parents you need to be sure that you are always monitoring your children’s fat intake.  In order to help your child, maintain a healthy lifestyle, be sure to establish good eating habits like the following:

• Children with a family history of cholesterol and heart disease should drink 2 percent milk.
• After their 2^nd birthday, all kids should drink 1 percent milk.
• Serve your child lean meats and fish.
• Limit your child’s cheese intake.
• Limit fruit juice intake to 4 to 6 ounces per day.
• Offer low-fat snacks like yogurt, pretzels or fresh fruit.
• Prepare foods using low-fat methods like broiling, steaming or roasting.

• Brain injury prevention

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

(Continued from Part I…)

An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an “injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. Essentially, this type of brain injury is one that has occurred after birth. The injury results in a change to the brain’s neuronal activity, which affects the physical integrity, metabolic activity, or functional ability of nerve cells in the brain.” 

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as an “alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force. Traumatic impact injuries can be defined as closed (or non-penetrating) or open (penetrating).”

Often referred to as an acquired brain injury, a non-traumatic brain injury causes” damage to the brain by internal factors, such as a lack of oxygen, exposure to toxins, pressure from a tumor, etc.” falls, assaults, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, abusive head trauma, gunshot wounds, workplace injuries, child or domestic abuse, and military actions. 

Non-traumatic brain injuries include stroke, hemorrhage, blood clot, infectious disease, meningitis, seizure, electric shock, tumors, neurotoxic poisoning, lack of oxygen, drug overdose, and aneurysm. 

Just as no two people are exactly alike, no two brain injuries are exactly alike. For some, brain injury is the start of a lifelong disease process. Brain injury requires access to a full continuum of treatment and community-based supports provided by appropriately educated clinicians serving on an interdisciplinary treatment team.

The individual who sustains a brain injury and his or her family are the most important members of the treatment team. Their choices, goals, and backgrounds will be taken into consideration when it comes to the appropriate treatment.