10 Last Minute Holiday Health Tips

Thanksgiving may be tucked under your belt, but Christmas and New Year’s are still right around the corner. If you’re feeling a bit fatigued, bloated, or otherwise run down, here are some simple holiday health tips to feel better this week:

10. Veggie Cleanse

Do a one-day vegetable cleanse at some point this week. Load up with delicious salad chock full of veggies. Eat steamed veggies with olive oil for dinner. Enjoy sliced tomatoes and avocado for breakfast. Make sure your cleansing day contains a generous selection of greens. Spinach, in particular, is good for clearing your body. And its high B-vitamin load will help reduce stress.

9. Long Showers

It’s not very eco-friendly, so don’t make this a regular habit (but hey, you’re not watering the lawn this time of year). You might not have time for a day at the spa or a massage. But a simple, soothing long shower can feel like a treat if you’re tired and stressed.

Posted By: Worker Bee

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Friday Link Love

Mary over at Cranky Fitness was having feelings of seasonal depression.

Migraineur rants about Brian Wansink’s appointment as head of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

Ruth at Eating Fabulous points out that if you want your kid to eat their veggies you have to start them young.

FitSugar considers the proposal to tax high-fructose corn syrup soft drinks in San Francisco. Take the poll.

Bertalan Mesko at ScienceRoll brings us the global health world clock.

Posted By: Aaron

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Best Winter Skin Tips

I don’t know about you, but I think that tight, itchy winter skin is the absolute worst. It gets brutally dry this time of year in Southern California (and the fires have certainly been too close for comfort). But even in cooler climates where there’s rain and snow, indoor heat will really dry your skin out – even triggering rashes and acne for some folks. Here are some quick tips to keep your skin healthy, supple, and comfortable during the winter:

1. Exfoliate. The first time my wife mentioned that I try this, I raised a skeptical eyebrow. But a good salt scrub with almond oil feels great (I’d recommend avoiding the fragrance- and chemical-loaded store scrubs). The salt sloughs off all that old, scaly stuff, and the oil locks in moisture. I like unscented, of course.

2. Moisturize. Okay, I’m not one to slather on lotion after a shower. Please! That’s why I like using oils instead. In winter, even oily skin can handle walnut, almond, or fruit oils. Plus it’s efficient since you dunk yourself while in the shower. Avoid those mineral oils – they’re petroleum based. Look for vegetable-based oils instead.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Guest Post: The Cafeteria Swap – How to Make Your Kid’s Lunch ‘Untradeable’

Vanessa Van Petten writes a blog for parents and teens. She is also the teen author of the parenting book “You’re Grounded!”

“I’ll give you two Ritz cracker bites for one of your donut holes?”

“Anyone want my Peach cup?…anyone?…I’ll give it away for free?…Please someone just take it so my mom doesn’t yell at me”

We had a lunch monitor at my school that guarded the trashcan at lunch like a rhino guards a watering hole. She would make sure that unopened food and Tupperware filled with leftover brussel sprouts either went in your belly (and you would have to deal with the taste) or went back home in your lunchbox (and you would have to deal with an angry parent). Therefore, if you didn’t like what you had in your lunch, you either had to trade it, give it away or, heaven forbid, eat it.

Posted By: Worker Bee

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7 Tips to Get Out of Bed

You have the best-laid intentions for your weekend. You’re going to wake up at 6, and before the kids are even halfway through their cartoons, the gutters will be cleared, the garage will be cleaned, and the lawn will be mown.

Right. That’s not happening, thanks to the nefarious invention known as the snooze button. Why is waking up early – or even on time, for that matter – so darn difficult? Even when we go to bed at a reasonable hour and avoid the late-night munchies, some of us have a really hard time waking up as early as we’d like. If you’ve made sure you are eating nutritious foods, cut out stress, gotten into a good exercise routine, and have ruled out a health condition, you might find these tips to be helpful in rousing you from your VIMPS (Very Important Morning Pillow Sessions).

Posted By: Worker Bee

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