| Be In The Know
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Sitting Pretty?
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More like a sitting target.
 Biologist Olivia Judson recently wrote an article the left us pretty bummed out about our bums. Specifically, how much time we spend sitting on them. Judson reports on several studies that show a myriad of increased health risks the longer you spend sitting down.
But if it's unlikely that your company is going to spring for a $2,000 treadmill desk any time soon, don't despair!
A more affordable option comes in the form of occasionally swapping out your desk chair for an exercise ball, which builds balance and core strength as you sit. Dwight from "The Office" beautifully presents the pros (only $25!) and cons of the exercise-ball-as-desk-chair.
And of course, there's the easiest option of all---every so often, STAND UP. Listen to your body when it tells you it wants to move and bust out some of these office-friendly yoga postures.
Won't the real sitting solution please stand up?>>
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Find Benefits Beyond the Obvious.
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Sign up for Recess Health Immersion Today!
Here's a good reminder that we don't need to preach about the benefits of exercise. If you're reading this newsletter, you know what's up! But sometimes, in the midst of the daily solo gym grind, we forget about the camaraderie and lasting friendships that being active with a group can build.
Join us for eight weeks this summer to skip, stretch, cook, crunch, and karate chop your way to better health. Recess Health Immersion is open to anyone and everyone. All athletic abilities embraced!
 Dates:
July 10 - September 4
Mon & Wed, 6:15-7:30 p.m.
Sat 10:00-11:00 a.m.
The program includes:
* Pre and post body composition/fitness assessment
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All of our personalized reports
* Seminars on nutrition, cooking, exercise and integrative arts like yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Budokon, etc.
* A cool group of "campers" and Recess instructors
* Participant-only web portal access
* Goodie bags and prizes worth over $200
Cost:
$250 a month
Discounts?
Oh
yeah! Have you heard about our early bird special? Sign up before
April 1st and we'll take 20% off the cost of the entire program.
That's a $50 savings!
More questions?
Email Kaitlin at kaitlin@recesswellness.com
Sign up today for your best summer yet! >>
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Holy Recall, Batman!
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And boy, does the FDA love acronyms.
Another day, another dollar. And another food recall. At least it seems that way.
The latest salmon ella-related recall comes after the FDA found a contaminated flavor enhancer called HPV, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (mmm! my favorite!), coming out of a company in Las Vegas. HVP is added to lots of dressings and dips to make them more flavorful. No one has gotten sick from this particular strain that the FDA knows of, but you still may want to go easy on the cheese and bacon dip for a while. But questionable sounding snack dips aren't the only food at risk (remember the spinach, tomato, peanut butter, and even waffle recalls of days gone by?). With this outbreak, even your tofu could contain some unsavory bacteria.
The tricky thing is, you can't even look at the ingredient list to see if your snack contains HPV. Take it straight from the FDA website:
Consumers should not rely on the ingredient list to identify products that contain HVP.
But HVP is not the only additive that could be slipped into your food unnoticed. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the database EAFUS. That's FDA-speak for "Everything" Added to Food in the United States.
And we're not talking 50 or even 100 chemicals here. Think more like 3000. Again, from the FDA:
The EAFUS list of substances contains ingredients added directly to
food that FDA has either approved as food additives or listed or
affirmed as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe ). Nevertheless, it contains only a partial list of all
food ingredients that may in fact be lawfully added to food, because
under federal law some ingredients may be added to food under a GRAS
determination made independently from the FDA. The list contains many,
but not all, of the substances subject to independent GRAS
determinations.
Awesome. In the awe-inducing, jaw droppingly
bad kind of way.
Perhaps it's some of these 3,000 plus additives that
someone, somewhere has recognized and generally safe that leads
CBS News to report that "every year 33% of Canadians get sick from what they eat. In the U.S., it's 25%. But in England it's only 2% and in France just 1%."
They credit the lower numbers in Europe to more food that is grown locally and on a smaller scale than in North America.
And battling all of these food-borne illnesses is not cheap. A new report from the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University puts the price tag at $152 billion. Not total, for all food-borne illnesses ever, but for one year. $152 billion.
So, what do you do? Retreat to a completely sterilized environment and sob quietly? It's an option, but not a very fun one. Instead, lower your risk of infection by buying local. Try to seek out food where it's possible to talk to the person who grew it. Farmers' markets are your friends. This spring, think about signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture program. CSA's are springing up around the country, and it's super easy to find one near you.
Most of all, be realistic and go with your gut feeling. We know it's not possible to shop at a farmer's market all t he time. Super markets are not going anywhere anytime soon. If you're buying something that comes pre-packaged, sneak a peak at the ingredient. Five or six items that you can easily name and identify? Go for it. Ten or twelve items that might belong on the EAFUS list? Take a pass.
And if it all gets too overwhelming, take a break and steer your cart over to the beer aisle. A new study reports that women who enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage gain less weight over several years. Finally! Some good news!
Pure, unadulterated Recess, no additives necessary! >> | |
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