1 INSPIRE TO MOVE 2 NOURISHING YOU 3 HEALTH HARMONY 4 GOOD DECISIONS

INSPIRE TO MOVEYou Can Take It With YouIf you are on the road and don’t want to miss your scheduled workout, you may have a dilemma. In a perfect world your hotel will have afirst rate fitness center. However, if there is one, it may come with extra fees, be too small and sometimes much of the equipment isunusable. Consider an exercise travel kit to provide all the equipment you need to give your body a complete workout.

A FEW PORTABLE FITNESS EQUIPMENT OPTIONS THAT YOU CAN EASILY PACK AND TAKE WITH YOU ARE:• Jump ropes won’t take up a lot of space in your suitcase. Jumping rope is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout. • Resistance bands can provide a good upper and lower body strength training workout in your hotel room. • Suspension trainer with a door attachment is only 2-3 pounds and is a versatile piece of exercise equipment.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING RATHER THAN FLYING, YOUR OPTIONS ARE EVEN GREATER.CONSIDER TAKING SLIGHTLY LARGER EQUIPMENT LIKE:

• A portable stair stepper. Small travel size steppers with two pedals can easily fit in the trunk of your car or under your desk at work. • Exercise balls are excellent portable fitness tools. You can deflate the ball to pack and inflate when you get to your destination.

There are hundreds of exercises you can do to target your muscles.• Portable exercise bikes can be as inexpensive as $20. Shape and tone your legs while sitting in a regular chair.

So wherever you are, there’s no need to skip your daily exercise routine. Within the privacy of your hotel room, you can easily get in 30minutes of exercise with any of these packable workout tools.

JUNE 2013 DIGEST

“One’s destination is never aplace, but a new way of

seeing things.” - Henry Miller

Visit www.startwalkingnow.org:81/res_exercisetv.jsp

for great walking at home videos fromAmerican Heart Association.

HHEEAALLTTHHYY ouY !“Your Source For A Happy and Healthy Lifestyle”

Mix the almond extract into the ricotta in a small bowl. Heat cherries in themicrowave 1 to 2 minutes until warm, top the ricotta with the cherries and sliveredalmonds and enjoy.

When it comes to adopting an all foods inmoderation approach to eating, forget labelingfoods as good or bad. Foods such as cakes,cookies, hot dogs and pizza that contain solid fatsand added sugars are scorned from diets as emptycalories. These types of foods may taste good, butare high in calories and have few or no nutrients.These foods aren’t going to benefit our bodies,however, restricting ourselves from them can leadto feelings of deprivation when we don’t get whatwe want. A small amount of empty calories isokay. What’s important is to develop an overallapproach to eating that includes healthy, goodtasting foods. It also means to practice balanceand moderation.

Healthy diets can be enjoyable and they don’thave to include giving up all the foods you love.Focus on making overall healthy choices, byrealizing that every single meal is not going tostrictly meet those guidelines.

Adopting a total diet approach such as MyPlateor the DASH Diet and paying attention tonutrition labeling can allow you to fit in yourfavorite foods without putting on the extrapounds. For an overall healthy diet, try:

• Not to be too restricting of specific foods.

• Filling up on fruits and vegetables.

• Choosing lean protein.

• Making at least half your grains whole.

• Adding calcium-rich foods.

“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished.If you’re alive, it isn’t.” - Richard Bach

Visit www.choosemyplate.org to learnabout the five food groups that arethe building blocks for better health.

The foods that you consume can impactmore than your weight. Eating certainfoods can make and keep your body

healthy and your skin wrinkle-free,boost your energy, and increase longevity.

Eat To Live Longer

NOURISHING YOU

No Bad Foods

Cherries with Ricotta and Toasted Almonds3/4 cup frozen pitted cherries

2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONSTHAT CAN HELP YOU KEEP THAT YOUTHFUL GLOW:

• Fill your plate with antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances foundin many foods that can protect your cells from damage, staving offcancer, heart disease, macular degeneration, and wrinkles.Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E; beta-carotene; lutein;lycopene; and selenium. To maximize your antioxidant intake, coloryour plate with fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens, tomatoes,blueberries, and carrots are chock-full of them. The American DieteticAssociation recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetableseach day.

• Get your Omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids offer protection fromheart disease and stroke by helping to control high blood pressureand high cholesterol. They can also lower your risk of Alzheimer’sdisease. The best fish sources are salmon, trout, and albacore tuna,which should be eaten at least twice a week. If you’re not a fan offish, try fish oil supplements. Other Omega-3 sources are nuts, whichare also rich in unsaturated fats and all you need is 1/4 of an ounce aday to benefit.

• Have your fiber. Three servings of whole grains can keep your bloodvessels in good condition. Whole grains, including oats, wheat, andbrown rice, can lower your bad cholesterol levels and prevent type 2diabetes. Beans are another fiber-rich source. They can also be usedto replace meats, as they contain loads of plant-based protein.

• Don’t forget the calcium. Calcium and Vitamin D in dairy foods helpto keep bones strong and ward off osteoporosis. The dailyrecommendation is 3 cups of low-fat milk, yogurt, or other dairyproducts.

HEALTH HARMONY

SleepTo A Healthier Size

There are numerous reasons to get goodquality sleep, like memory and learning. Onethat may surprise you is sleep for weightcontrol. Healthy eating and physical activityare still recommended for weight loss, butadequate sleep can be added to the mix too.

LACK OF SLEEP AFFECTS:

Behavior. If you feel tired, you are more likelyto skip a workout and indulge in somethingunhealthy for a quick pick-me-up, like sugarycoffee drinks or high carb foods.

Appetite. When you get a good night’s sleepof at least 8 hours, your body produces thehormone leptin, which regulates your appetite.You need leptin to feel full and satisfied aftera meal.

Hormones. Eight hours of sleep at night helpslower the cortisol levels in your blood. Higherlevels lead to a lower metabolism.

Sleep is not just for the brain, but also for thewhole body. It may sound like a dream cometrue, but sleeping more, could be just whatyou need to get to a healthier weight.

“The amount of sleep required by theaverage person is five minutes more.”

- Wilson Mizener

Meditation, Inner Peaceand Stress Reduction

Exercise in themorning or afternoonto aid good sleep.Avoid exercising up tothree hours before bed.

It’s not important to understand why or how meditation works to reducestress, but to realize that it does work. The mind/body connection issomething we don’t understand, but is it very real. If stress has you anxious,tense and worried, meditation is a simple and inexpensive practice thatanyone can do for a tranquil mind.

Stress is the response to the demands and overload that build up everyday.Meditation is about finding an inner stillness and peace within some of life’smost difficult situations. The mind with all its jumbled thoughts and chaoticfeelings can cause stress. Meditation can help give you a sense of calmnessthrough your day and improve your physical and emotional well-being.

There are many ways to practice meditation to calm the mind when itconstantly chatters with thoughts, daydreams, worry or fantasy.Some techniques include:

• Focus on the present. Being in the now, rather than focusing on the pastor the future involves experiencing each moment and then letting it go.

• Pick a word or phrase that has meaning to you, such as peace,love or one.

• Find a quiet and comfortable place with few distractions.

• Close your eyes and notice your breath as you inhale and exhale.As you exhale, repeat your word or phrase.

• When you notice your mind wandering, gently return to your focus word.

Don’t worry if you are doing it right or wrong. As you practice you will find it easier to quiet themind and distracting thoughts will come less andless. Meditation practice will help you relievestress in the moment and create changes todeal with stress more effectively in the future.

Visit www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-benefits-10/slideshow-sleep-tips

for a slideshow of 20 tips to better sleep.

GOOD DECISION$

The Payoffs of Paying it Forward

1. Which of the following statements is most true?

A. If you are on the road it is impossible to exercise.

B. All hotels have first rate fitness centers.

C. Portable fitness equipment is an option to take with you for healthy travel.

2. According to the article on page 2, which is the best way to adoptan all foods in moderation approach?

A. Scorn all cakes, cookies, hot dogs and pizza from your diet.

B. Allow yourself small amounts of foods that may taste goodbut are high in calories and have few or no nutrients.

C. Give up all the foods you love.

3. If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, which of the following is a simple and inexpensive practice that anyone cando to calm the mind?

A. Meditation

B. Chatter

C. Scratching

TAKE OUR QUIZ!

THE ANSWERS ARE:

1. C. Portable fitness equipment is an option to take with you for healthy travel.2.B. Allow yourself small amounts of foods that may taste good but are high in caloriesand have few or no nutrients. 3. A. Meditation

Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The information in this publication is meant to complement the advice of your health-care providers, not replace it.

Before making any major changes in your medications, diet or exercise, talk to your doctor.

Money may in fact buy happiness. There is evidence that spending money onothers, leads to a larger improvement in personal happiness than spendingmoney on yourself. Recall the last time you spent $5 or $10 on someoneelse and how it made you feel, versus $5 or $10 you spent on yourself.Chances are the money you spent on someone else was more satisfying. Itdoesn’t really matter how much you spend, it’s the fact that you are givingto someone else. So you can give small gifts and still reap the benefits.

“No matter how hard you hug your money, it never hugs back.” - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Visit www.givingwhatwecan.org/why-give/giving-and-happinessto watch a video on giving and happiness.