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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
October 21, 2016By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Healthy Cold and Flu Remedies

 

With cold and flu season upon us, these natural alternatives to popular treatments and remedies can help you recover in the healthiest way possible. 

 

Spices, Herbs and Plants 

 

Ginger

 

When faced with an upset stomach, a common response is to reach for ginger ale. The carbonation in ginger ale can help comfort your stomach, but the sugar and artificial ingredients that often come with it can be avoided. Try ginger tea (make sure it’s caffeine free) instead, or add fresh ginger while cooking to get its affects. Ginger will help you when you are not feeling well in many ways, the first being that it is an anti-inflammatory so it will help calm you insides when you are feeling nauseous, and it also helps with digestion so you can get relief from what is making your stomach upset. It also helps relax the intestinal tract which will give you even more relief. Ginger also helps you relax overall by easing tension in your muscles that might cause cramps and blockage. 

 

Garlic

 

If you can stomach it, fresh garlic has incredible benefits. You can also use it in cooking and still receive the benefits. It can help prevent sickness before it comes, and boost your immune system when you become ill. It has powerful antibacterial, antiviral and anti fungal properties.

 

Tumeric, cloves and cinnamon are also packed with antioxidants that help boost your immune system. 

 

Tea

 

Any type of tea, as long as it is caffeine free, is great for when we have a chill or are feeling under the weather. Tea flavored with lemon and ginger are most popular. Chamomile is also great, especially in the evening to help calm and bring on sleep. Peppermint is another great option known for helping to ease upset stomachs. Elderberry is a little less common, but is a strong natural remedy. Elderberry is known as an anti-inflammatory, and it is also said that it can help you fight off sickness faster. It has a positive affect on lung health so it is commonly used for people with severe cough and bronchitis. Lastly, it is a body cleanser that will help prevent disease and flush out toxins.

 

Sinus Relief Drink

 

This drink it great for opening up your sinuses and relieving many internal symptoms. The cayenne pepper is also a strong anti-inflammatory, and the spicy kick will clear you up just by smelling it. Apple cider vinegar is an amazing drink with a long list of benefits, one of the best in this situation being that it boosts your immune system to help you recover. Lemon also has a long list of benefits, the most important being that it will help with bloating and queasiness, and because of its high levels of vitamin C it will boost your immune system and it also has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Even just a normal glass of warm lemon water can help immensely with chest congestion, sore throat and cough – but these added ingredients will give you even more benefits. 

 

To make it, mix all ingredients in a mug:

 

1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

 

Soup 

 

Chicken soup is usually the first meal we think of when we are sick. It’s great because the broth helps soothe sore throats and helps us stay hydrated, and the chicken and vegetables give us protein, vitamins and minerals we need to get better. Any low sodium, broth based soup is great for cold and flu season. 

 

 

Remember to always drink plenty of fluids and get the rest and sleep you need when you are under the weather, and visit a doctor when needed. Always make your health a priority, but don’t use a runny nose or minor cough as an excuse to backtrack. Be strong, stay in control as much as you can and take care.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
May 3, 2016By Josephine Fitzpatrick

The Many Benefits of Ginger

 

Ginger is a flowering plant that has been used for centuries as a spice and a natural remedy. Though many of us don’t incorporate ginger into our daily lives, its numerous health benefits should earn it a place in our kitchens. It is so easy to add ginger to our day – add slices of ginger root or ground ginger to a mug of boiling water, or ginger teas are a great alternative and come in many flavors. It can also be added as a dry spice to numerous recipes. Here are just a few reasons to give it a try. 

 

Prevention. When it comes to cancer prevention, ginger is an amazing and relatively unknown source of benefits. Ginger has been shown to help battle certain types of cancer, including ovarian cancer by destroying cancer cells and even causing the cells to then attack and kill each other. It may also prevent the growth of colorectal cancer cells according to recent research. Ginger can also help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by helping to slow down the loss of brain cells. Ginger can also boost your immune system which means you will get sick less often and will help you recover faster when you do get ill. And a strengthened immune system means that when everyone around you is getting sick, you will be more resistant. 

 

Treatment. Ginger has long been used to help treat gastrointestinal issues. It has been known to help alleviate gas and it relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract, which can provide relief for people with IBS. This comes from its antioxidants, which has anti-inflammatory effects. People who suffer from arthritis have found relief with ginger – it can help with inflammation, swelling and pain. It is also a common treatment for nausea, and is even safe for pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. It can also help with motion sickness, vomiting, dizziness and cold sweating. 

 

Overall Health. Ginger is extremely soothing and healing for anyone suffering from a cold or the flu. It can also promote healthy sweating as a way to rid our bodies of toxins. It can also be a natural way to help open up airways for people who suffer asthma and can help alleviate other symptoms. Another great benefit of ginger is improved circulation, which can open your pores and make you feel energized. The list goes on and on – ginger can provide pain relief, clear your sinuses, heal frostbite, block acid heartburn and more. 

 

Weight Loss. While the numerous health benefits are enough of a reason to start incorporating ginger into our diet, the weight loss aspects make it even better. Ginger is a fat burner, and it ensures that when you are losing weight you are burning fat and not just losing water weight. It also stimulus your appetite and digestive system, so it can be a great way to boost your metabolism before a meal. Some research suggests that ginger can help keep blood glucose levels in check and keep us from crashing during that low energy afternoon time when we look for caffeine and snacks. It even helps with exercise by relieving tired muscles after a workout so you can stay active. One of the best aspects is that it helps your body absorb nutrients. When you are losing weight and making a healthy change, our bodies can really benefit from the maximum absorption.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
December 4, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Don’t Let Exercise Drop in the Cold Weather

Your commitment may be strong right now but it can be hard to find motivation in the cold weather to get active. Leaving the house can feel like a battle and at the end of the day all you want to do is get inside and curl up on the couch. There seems like no right time to fit in a workout or go to the gym, and any time you spend outside you want to keep to a minimum. But hibernating in the winter will just make you feel even more sluggish and lethargic, and when spring comes around you will have to start all over again. Don’t let this time go to waste. There are a variety of ways to stay active inside and outside this fall and winter that can crush any excuse.

 

Think it’s too cold to exercise? According to expert doctors in a paper published in 2006, it is never too cold outside as long as you dress properly and keep moving. As long as you keep moving, you are producing heat. As for your workout attire, be sure to cover all parts of your body from your ears to the tips of your fingers to avoid frostbite, but don’t overdress. This can cause you to overheat and sweat more, which in the end can make you colder. Another myth is that the cold air can damage your lungs or cause asthma symptoms. This is also not true – by the time the air reaches your lungs it is at body temperature. The air may cause irritation, but it is because of the dryness, not the cold. This is related to another important tip: don’t forget to hydrate. You may not want to drink water because you are cold, but the dry environment just means you need it more. So if you like to walk or run, keep it up! And when the snow falls, stay safe but enjoy the opportunity. Build a snowman with your family or try something new like cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

 

And even if you aren’t able to get outside, you can still stay fit. There are so many indoor workouts that you can do from the comforts of your home with little to no equipment. Working out at home is convenient, comfortable, available around the clock and you don’t need a membership. We have a list of easy workouts here: https://innovationweightlossandfitness.com/portfolio/4230/ or you can find a wide variety on our Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/innovationny/.

 

You can search specifically for a workout that fits any criteria: stretches to help you sleep, workouts to tone your inner thighs, ways to strengthen your ankles and avoid injury, different levels of plank poses, office workouts, pool workouts, winter workouts and much more. You can also find workouts that involve objects in your home such as a chair, couch or bed. If you choose to invest in an exercise machine or workout equipment, or already own something, you can find great workout routines to give your exercise direction and a goal.

 

So when you’re looking to warm up this winter, head to the gym, the outdoors or turn to your at home workout, not the couch.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
November 10, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Staying Hydrated in Cold Weather

Now that fall is in full swing there may be things about your daily life and routine have changed since the warmer weather, but one thing that should always stay the same is drinking water consistently throughout the day. In the summertime it is easy to tell when you’re getting dehydrated, and nothing cools you down like a tall glass of ice water. But in the fall and winter months we are less inclined to drink water. It may feel like the last thing you want is something cold to drink, but the effects of dehydration can really take a toll in the colder months. In colder temperatures, your body will focus more on maintaining its core temperature and less on fluid balance. You body won’t alert you when it needs water as often as it should, so you have to take the initiative and stay hydrated.

 

Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and our bodies are constantly losing water from perspiration, exercise and even breathing. Dehydration has a lot of negative side effects, such as thirst and dry mouth, but can also include sleepiness or tiredness, headaches, dizziness or lightheadedness, and dry skin. In this case, dry skin refers to dehydrated skin. The difference is that dry skin lacks oil and dehydrated skin lacks moisture. Dehydrated skin is especially likely because of the cold weather and can be characterized by irritation, inflammation, itchiness and sensitivity; a feeling of tightness or tautness; a look or feel of roughness; slight to severe flaking or scaling; and fine lines, severe redness and cracks. To keep these symptoms at bay, always keep bottled water or your own reusable water bottle on hand.

 

Not all bottle water is created equal. Pay attention to the thickness of the bottle and where it comes from when choosing a bottle water brand. You may have noticed that some bottled water packaging is getting thinner. This thinner, lower grade plastic may be better for the environment but it’s not better for your body. Some bottles are at risk of leaching, meaning that chemicals in the plastic can affect the water after a certain amount of time. This is a big reason why you shouldn’t reuse disposable water bottles. Many brands display where their water comes from on the packaging, but for others you might have to do some research. If a brand says “from a municipal source” or “from a community water system” that means it was derived from tap water. If it is difficult to find information about a bottled water brand then you probably shouldn’t be drinking it. Find a brand with a known protected source and one that makes testing and treatment information that shows high water quality readily available. Our top pick is Smart Water. It fits all this criteria, and it also has the added benefits of electrolytes. Electrolytes, or ionized minerals, are important because they are what the cells in your body use to carry electrical impulses, like nerve impulses and muscles contractions, across themselves and other cells. This means they help your body run at optimal levels, and an electrolyte deficiency can cause cramping. That is why hydration and electrolytes are so important during and after a workout, especially in the winter months. Smart Water contains the electrolytes calcium, magnesium and potassium without any sugar, calories, fluoride or sodium.

 

If you would rather go with a reusable water bottle, there are a couple things to consider. They can be made from a variety of materials such as plastic, stainless steel, aluminum and glass. They each have their pros and cons. For example, plastic is durable, light and inexpensive, but can have a plastic taste and chemical leaching is a possibility. To avoid this, get a bottle that is BPA free. Fill it with filtered water, clean it often and dispose of it when it is no longer usable.

 

It is important to remember all this when performing seemingly simple activities like raking leaves, shoveling snow or holiday shopping on a hectic day because they will quickly dehydrate you. Get in the habit now and ensure you have a healthy winter!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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