The summer is almost over and the fall is starting to come in but wait there is also what is called an Indian summer to come yet and the weather is just beautiful so get out and enjoy because before we know it the snow will be here! What is Indian summer exactly? According to Wikipedia “an Indian summer is a heat wave that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost. Depending on latitude and elevation, it can occur in the Northern Hemisphere between late September and mid November.” This time of year is great for taking walks and working in the yard and also getting apples at your favorite orchard a fresh picked apple can’t be beat!
School is back! Eating a good breakfast can start your day off with energy and keep you going and children need something in their stomachs too but children can be very fussy I know I was a fussy eater when I was a kid and I didn’t like vegetables either but as I got older I learned to eat my vegetables and I really enjoy my vegetables now. Think about a nutritional shake for your kids in the morning to get them started or maybe a smoothie for breakfast. I am often stumped by what to have for breakfast and get quite inventive at times so experiment and see what works. Lunches were always a challenge for me too because I’m not a sandwich eater so my lunches were different than the other kids even today I like to experiment with my lunches.
You are what you eat. Fast foods have very little nutrition in them if any at all and they are not healthy for you but when I’m on the go I’m as guilty as anyone in buying fast foods so consider getting something that is nutritious at the fast food place like a salad you’re still going to have a lot of calories but at least you are eating healthier. My rule of thumb is that if it tastes good than it probably is not good for you but we all need to splurge every now and then to keep our sanity. Usually, when I splurge I tend to cut back for a few days during the week that way I don’t feel so guilty about when I eat the wrong foods. Am I what I eat – probably but that’s ok because I’m working on changing my eating habits a little at a time.
Metabolic Syndrome. According to the American Heart Association, 47 million Americans now have Metabolic Syndrome. What is Metabolic Syndrome? It is excess weight, particularly around the waistline. Metabolic syndrome typically includes three or more of these symptoms:
- waistline of 40+ inches for men or 35+ inches for women
- high blood pressure, or on blood pressure medication
- high triglycerides
- high blood sugar or type 2 diabetes
- low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
The solution is to balance blood sugar, lose weight and improve cholesterol. In the past few years I have cut back on sugar quite a bit and I do feel a lot better. I truly believe that sugar is addictive. Check out the labels on food that you purchase you will be surprised at how much sugar is in what we eat.
High Blood Pressure. Millions of Americans have high blood pressure despite treatment for it. I recently developed high blood pressure and am taking medication for it and the medication has brought down my blood pressure to a normal reading. In my opinion stress brings on high blood pressure it did for me. It’s good to measure you blood pressure at home or at a pharmacy on a regular basis. Blood pressure can be lowered by lowering your salt intake, losing weight and exercising daily. Whatever you eat see if you can check the salt content you might be very surprised at how much salt is in the food that we eat.
September is National Preparedness month so would you be ready if there is an emergency? I know that I am not ready but would like to be so here is what we all need to do. Assemble an emergency supply kit with water (one gallon), non-perishable food, flashlight, battery powered radio or hand crank one, extra batteries, first aid kit, medications, multipurpose tool, sanitation and personal hygiene items, copies of personal documents, cell phone with chargers, family and emergency contact information, extra cash, emergency blanket and a map of the area. You can find out more information at http://www.cdc.gov/features/beready/ there is a whole list of things that you can add to the emergency supply kit depending on what your family needs are.
September is also World Alzheimer’s Month. Wear purple on September 21st to show your support for Alzheimer’s or you can wear purple anytime after September 21st. Alzheimer’s is such a terrible disease and affects one in eight older Americans if you would like know more on this disease check out this website: http://www.alz.org/.
September is also National Sewing Month so pull out those old sewing machines and begin a project or finish an old one or just take a beginner class who knows you might really enjoy learning how to sew! National Sewing Month was started in 1982 by President Ronald Regan “In recognition of the importance of home sewing to our nation.” You can start with a small project and see where it takes you. I find it very satisfying to make something myself and it also makes me appreciate how much work can go into making something. Also, it is great when people complement the work that you have done.
Fall foliage drives in New England. September is a great time to see the fall foliage in New England and here are some great places to take a ride to: Acadia Byway in Maine, Three Rivers Scenic Drive in New Hampshire, Mohawk Trail Drive in Massachusetts, Rhode Island 77 in Rhode Island and Route 100 in Vermont just to name a few. I’m sure every one of you has a favorite place to go and see the foliage in New England!
I cannot leave out Apple picking because to me the apples are best in September and I look forward to picking apples every year. There are many fall festivals this time of year too. My favorite apple is a Courtland apple what is your favorite apple? Did you know that the flavor of the apples comes from the soil and that the seed is the same no matter where it is planted? I go to Parlee Farms in Tyngsboro Mass. to get my apples and they have many activities for the kids too. Also, do you remember the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” So eat more apples!
Pumpkins are also available this time of year and are quite fun to cut out or draw faces on them. Check out this website for a number of ideas to cut up your pumpkins: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm.
Red wine for better health. Did you know that moderate alcohol consumption has been proven to reduce coronary heart disease risk? Yes, it is true but in moderate amounts. Red wine is the most beneficial to your heart health. The best wines to reduce coronary heart disease are Cabernet Sauvignon, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir. Both Merlots and red zinfandels have fewer flavonoids than their more potent predecessors. White wine had significantly smaller amounts of flavonoids than the red wine varieties. The bottom line is the sweeter the wine, the fewer the flavonoids. Dryer red wines are your best bet for a flavonoid boost. So have a four ounce glass of red wine every now and then and drink to your health!
Eye Health at any age. Have you had your eyes checked lately? Are you having trouble reading or seeing things then it is time to have your eyes checked. For me it is better to see an ophthalmologist because I have a history of Macular Degeneration in my family but there are many optometrists out there too. My mother struggled with Macular Degeneration and was very blind and I can still her say “I wish I could see”. Women are more affected by eye disease and other eye conditions than men and two thirds of blind people are women but this doesn’t mean that men don’t get eye problems they do. Cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and even dry eyes are all more common in women than in men. Hormonal fluctuations and fertility treatments can cause dry and puffy eyes, leading to increased eye sensitivity. Breast cancer treatments can cause bleeding in the eyes, dry eyes, and cataracts. Diabetes and autoimmune diseases–both of which women are more susceptible to than men–can cause light sensitivity, vision loss, and dry eyes.
Your eyesight is such a precious thing so don’t forget to protect your eyes and get a checkup. A friend of mine just got a checkup and a Macular hole was found and now he needs surgery which will prevent him from going blind so remember to get your eyes checked.
Colds and Remedies. Colds this time of year sometimes happen because we get cool weather and then warm weather and I just got a head cold and was able to fight it off with Reliv Innergerize (a sports drink that opens up your cells) chicken noodle soup (my favorite when I have a cold) and orange juice and of course as much rest as I possibly can get and my cold only lasted a few days and I’m feeling great again. Cold and flu season will be starting soon so think about what you can do to help prevent getting a cold or the flu maybe get more rest or bring a extra sweater or jacket or maybe just carry some hand sanitizer with you. You could also eat more apples!
Pretty soon it will be time to rake leaves and the air will be colder and the wind will blow more often and snow will come but until then take time to go and play in the leaves with the kids, be with family and friends and relish the moment because this autumn time won’t last forever. I’m off to enjoy this beautiful weather and go pick some apples!
Annette Presseau Reliv Distributor http://annettepresseau.Reliv.com
