by dnshah | Oct 2, 2020 | Health and Wellness Tips
Since so many of us are working from home, it’s important that we are working in spaces that are the right height/elevation for our height and arm measurements so you are minimizing the strain on your body. So who are the experts that decide how high your desk should be, or chair, or even your keyboard placement? The ergonomic team! Here are some suggestions in creating the perfect home/office environment:
CHAIR: find one that is comfortable to sit in first. Ideally, your feet are resting on the floor or a foot rest; your pelvis and lower back are snugly against the back of the chair (This helps minimize undue pressure on your spine). If your back isn’t snugly against the back of the chair, place a pillow behind your back to lean on. Being slightly reclined takes a little pressure off the lower back.
DESK: When sitting at a chair by your desk, observe your arms. They should be bent between 90°-115° when using your keyboard. Your wrists should be in a neutral position (not resting on the keyboard). Your shoulders should be relaxed, and your elbows should be as close to your sides as possible (or on chair armrests).
MONITOR: The top of the monitor should be at eye level so your neck doesn’t have to strain. This also helps with dry eyes, headaches, and blurred vision. Your eyes should be 24 inches away from the computer screen, and it is advised to give your eyes a 20-second break every 20 minutes by looking 20 feet away. I didn’t make that up – it is a real thing. It’s called the 20-20-20 rule. So set your timer’s and give it a try.
LAPTOP: If you are working with a laptop, the ergonomic position is a challenge to achieve because your arm position and your eye position can’t be achieved properly. If possible, get a separate monitor to place on top of books; or get a separate keyboard and raise your laptop monitor on top of books.
BED WORKSTATION: If you are working from bed, you may observe that you are slumping over a laptop. This can lead to neck/back pain, so strive for better. Sit with your back snugly against the headboard with a pillow horizontally cushioning your lower back, and another pillow vertically cushioning your spine. Next use a pillow underneath your thighs to reduce pressure on your lower back. Use a meal tray on top of a pillow for your laptop. Remember your arms should be around 90° angle and your eyes should be looking at the top of the computer screen.
STAND-UP COUNTER: If you find yourself at the kitchen countertop for a standing workstation, good for you! The same rules apply. Elbows should be bent around 90° for typing on keyboard, and the top of the monitor is at eye level. It’s a good strategy to change from sitting to standing workstations often (20 minutes sitting/ 8 minutes standing/ 2 minutes moving around). One advantage to working from home is more flexibility to change your body position regularly and keep moving. This does benefit your muscles and minimize your strain.
by dnshah | Oct 2, 2020 | Health and Wellness Tips, Stress Management, Virus
Maybe one of the best gifts that 2020 brings is the chance to slow down and reconnect with yourself to feel more in control of your life choices. Suddenly we are not in automatic drive mode, but in mindful acknowledgement that things are different… perhaps forever-more.
How do we navigate changes that COVID19 has effected around the country/world? There is no better time than now to ask the introspective questions of life and your value system.
- What’s really important to you – the long-haul perspective? We all are bio-individual in terms of our DNA and how it responds to individual conditions. It’s no surprise then that we all may have different values and different priorities placed on them. Reflecting on our values can mitigate some stress effects as we finalize on what means most to us at this time in our lives. If you want to better understand your values, you can look at these VALUES flashcards, and select the five that are most important to you. These are your core values.
- What’s worked well for you in the past in dealing with stress? We all have different histories, and avenues we’ve already explored with stress busters. Maybe you already have ideas on how to calm the inner fires that create anxiety within. The successful approaches of yesterday may have some positive effects as anti-stress agents, and you won’t know until you try. Self-reflect a bit on any strategy that didn’t work well, and pass it so you can focus on what does work well. A number of ideas come to mind for calming that inner spirit within. These include breathwork, meditation, a fun activity, a brisk walk, a hot tub-soak with fragrant candles around, or indulging in my favorite cup of tea.
- Where are your resources? Spend a minute understanding your resources today – Where you can lean on to get compassion and empathy. Brainstorm on the full gamut of resources at your disposal. Have you socially closed yourself off because of COVID19? Perhaps its time to open those channels in a safe responsible way. We know more about COVID19 today than we did in March; so heed the science, and take some steps to live life socially again, with caution. Don’t sit in the sidelines, afraid and stressed; that can do more harm than good mentally.
- What are your strengths? If you aren’t sure, take a free strengths assessment here, and then dedicate a notebook to journal your thoughts, wisdom, and strategies to alter your future with a mindset that is open to creativity and not encumbered with stress. Knowing you have strengths, resources, and past successes can guide you to tomorrow’s success with stress management.
by dnshah | Sep 1, 2020 | Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips
Fitness enthusiasts are talking about fenugreek after a June, 2020 study found that fenugreek increased strength, lean muscle mass, endurance, body composition, functional threshold power, and sex hormones in 8-weeks. As an East-Indian I can tell you fenugreek is not “new” – in fact it is an ancient spice (with ties to India, Egypt, China, Africa, & Greece) getting a new spotlight.
I have seen health-conscious people in India water-soak it overnight and swallow it raw the next morning boasting a general set of health benefits, which includes strength, endurance, and increased sexual desire. The placebo-controlled, double-blind study followed 138 men over 8-weeks and analyzed that the fenugreek groups improved muscle size & strength while reducing fat. It also showed increase of sexual hormones. Other studies have shown promise for fenugreek to be used by men and women for establishing hormonal balance post-menopause or andropause (male menopause), or effective control of type 2 diabetes.
I use fenugreek seeds and leaves for cooking. It has a sweet, nutty, and slightly bitter flavor, and is very aromatic. My knowledge of fenugreek seeds was piqued after the birth of my daughter, when my elder female relatives told me it would increase breast milk production. In fact a 2005 study and a 2011 study confirm that fenugreek does effect breast milk production, and may improve colic symptoms in nursing babies.
Some ways to incorporate fenugreek seeds or leaves are:
- Lactation herbal tea
- Garam Masala – a powered collection of super spices to add to all your meals
- Methi Dal – an Indian dal stew
- Methi Paneer – Paneer curry with leaves of spinach and fenugreek
- Sprouted fenugreek salad
- Methi Thepla – Gujarati roti (flour tortilla) with both powdered seeds and leaves. I make mine gluten-free.
You can purchase your fenugreek from local Indian stores in your city, or order online.
by dnshah | Sep 1, 2020 | Age Defying, Diet and Weight Loss, Health and Wellness Tips, Obesity
-with sugar! In the United States, 88 million adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes, but more than 84% don’t know they have it (CDC). Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US, and it’s also the #1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness.
Classis symptoms include
- Urinate a lot (often at night)
- Are very thirsty
- Lose weight without trying
- Are very hungry
- Have blurry vision
- Have numb or tingling hands/fee
- Feel very tired
- Have very dry skin
- Have sores that heal slowly
- Have more infections than usual
If you feel like you could be in a high-risk group for pre-diabetes, your health care practitioner can do blood tests to get more information:
- An A1C test measures average blood sugar level over the past few months
- A fasting blood sugar test measures blood sugar after an overnight fast
- An oral glucose screening test measures blood sugar after drinking glucose
People that are higher risk for diabetes (Types 1 & 2, pre-diabetes, & gestational) have multiple risk factors below:
- Overweight
- Older (> 45 years for prediabetes, > 25 years for gestational)
- Family history of diabetes or gestational diabetes
- Are physically not as active (< 3x/week)
- Have birthed a baby weighing more than 9lb
- African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
There are people suffering every day, and the numbers keep rising. Please join me in breaking up with sugar – it doesn’t have to be a radical break-up with significant withdrawals… plan for a gentle reduction and substituting those decadent desserts into less sugar-filled ones. It’s all about progress, and we really have to start somewhere… If you want help with meal planning and satisfying your sugar cravings, give me a call and let’s see how we can co-author your breakup with sugar!
by dnshah | Sep 1, 2020 | Health and Wellness Tips
Based on www.nutritionfacts.org blog
I am not proposing that women stop shaving their armpits. I am throwing the spotlight on armpit shaving AND then using toiletries – like antiperspirants – which have chemicals in them which is directly absorbed into the body. I also want to spotlight antiperspirants that DON’T use harmful chemicals like aluminum in them.
Ladies, when you shave your armpits – sometimes you also create skin scrapes and cuts too. While chemicals are only minutely absorbed through outer skin layers; when chemicals are put on skin with cuts and scrapes, there is an increased absorption through that skin. The FDA and the European safety authorities advise against using aluminum antiperspirant/deodorants on damaged or broken skin.
There is now a theory to explain why most breast cancers occur in the upper outer corners of the breast. The theory is that aluminum-containing anti-perspirants/deodorants are being used after armpit shaving – AND the absorption of aluminum is starting the process of cancer cell growth in the breasts. The theory explains why an unproportionate number of breast cancers are found in the upper outer quadrants (near armpits) AND aligns with US antiperspirant /deodorant sales. It also aligns with observations from mastectomy breast tissue. Aluminum has pro-estrogenic effects on breast cancer cells, so it could be the reason for tumor initiation.
While research and studies learn more and reach final conclusions, it seems a logical choice to switch out your anti-perspirant/deodorant to one that doesn’t contain aluminum. And there are many to choose from (Harper’s Bazaar: Best Aluminum-Free Deodorants).
