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Category: Health & Wellness

No dirty secrets here

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National Spring Cleaning week

Those friendly little scrub brushes pictured on Scrubbing Bubbles® Foaming Bleach Bathroom Cleaner look so cute, don’t they? The comercials are fun and cute too. What isn’t cute is the toxic chlorine bleach this product uses to clean. Bleach is toxic to people, animals, and our environment and it can irritate your nose, eyes, skin, and lungs. That’s why the label on every bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles recommends you use it in a “well-ventilated” area and wear protective gloves!

The hazards of common cleansers aren’t just hearsay. New research shows that toxic cleaning agents, like those found on grocery store shelves, are more damaging to human health than had been previously understood! A new, independent study based on 20 years of research reveals that cleaning with products like Scrubbing Bubbles as little as once per week is as damaging over time to your lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years! In fact, the researchers concluded that toxic, airborne ingredients like the vapors from chlorine bleach used in the cleaning products sold at grocery stores are among the most dangerous culprits.

Of course, none of this surprised me. I’ve been aware of the dangers of grocery store cleaning products for decades because of my asthma and allergies. That’s why I was thrilled to find a manufacturer who has been developing safer, more effective alternatives to accomplish all of my household chores without subjecting me or my family to the toxic chemical agents used in so many of today’s cleaning products.

My bathroom cleaner is the perfect example of a safer, more effective alternative. It delivers superior results without any of the toxic side effects. Soap scum and water spots dissolve harmlessly with the power of citric acid—the kind found in lemons. My health isn’t endangered and my family isn’t put at risk when rinse my tub, sinks, and showers. It smells great and cleans fast leaving shining surfaces.

I don’t know what you use, but in our house it isn’t open for discussion. I’m glad I got the toxic chemicals out of my home…it’s improved the health of my family and my home environment and that’s what matters to me. The toxic ingredients in Scrubbing Bubbles cleaners are harmful to women and every family member—they leave behind a toxic chemical footprint. All my cleaser leaves behind is a fresh fragrance, a sparkling clean bathroom, and incomparable peace of mind.

Spring is here and it’s the perfect time for a 15 minute walk!

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Did you know a 15 minute walk can change your body?

Most people are well aware of the countless benefits from regular exercise, however, most Americans simply choose not to exercise or workout in their spare time. Yet, studies show that exercise can buy you three to seven additional years of life! Exercise in the form of walking becomes an antidepressant; improves cognitive function, and there is now evidence that it may retard the onset of dementia.

1. Exercise can lower the risk of diabetes: A Harvard Nurses’ Health Study showed that women who walked for a half-hour daily experienced a 30% lower risk of diabetes. Walking was also found to be able to shrink dangerous abdominal fat, which can result in diabetes.

2. Walking lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System discovered men aged of 71 – 93, who walked more than a quarter mile daily had half the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in comparison to participants who walked less.

3. Walking reduces high blood pressure: Researchers found that moderate walking lowers the risk of high blood pressure.

4. Walking helps digestion: Cancer Treatment Centers of America maintains that walking can improve your gastric mobility.

5. Walking reduces pain and enhances mobility: The American Heart Association published an article showing walking on a daily basis can improve mobility in people with PAD (peripheral artery disease).

6. Walking enhances bone health: People who exercise or walk on a daily basis have healthier and stronger teeth, boost bone density, strengthen their bones and lower the risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and spine shrinkage.

7. Walking improves cognitive performance: Studies show that regular walks boost cognitive performance in both children and adults.

8. Walking leads to longevity: Numerous studies have proven that regular walking lowers the risk of mortality.

9. Walking improves mood: A 2016 study showed walking at least 20 minutes daily boosts self-confidence and attentiveness, and reduces feelings of anger and hostility.

With benefits like these and warmer weather, there’s no reason not to get out and walk!

Here are some useful walking tips:

  • Pick a suitable pace, in order to burn calories, you need to walk about 3.5 miles an hour.
  • To burn more calories, try an incline walk (walking up Fairways Blvd. to the Clubhouse is an incline and my Fitbits register that walk as walking up six flights of stairs!)
  • Always wear flexible, low-heeled, cushioned, comfortable shoes
  • Walk with the shoulders down, the chin parallel to the ground, and looking straight ahead
  • Swing the arms while walking, bend them at 90 degrees and pump the shoulders.

You can start walking more by making some tiny changes into your daily routine:

  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Go for a short walk after lunch or dinner (walking with friends makes it more enjoyable)
  • Get off several bus stops before your destination when taking public transport
  • Always park your car a bit further and walk to the destination
  • Take your dog for a walk (my dog insists on walking three to five miles over the course of a day)
  • Listen to your favorite podcast or music and walk.

It’s recommended to use a pedometer or one of the wearable fitness trackers, to keep track and find out how far you normally walk. At first, you may be surprised to realize just how little you move each day. Tracking your steps can also show you how simple and seemingly minor changes to the way you move around during the day can add up. Plus, it’s motivating to see your steps increase throughout the day.”

We may never avoid becoming completely old, but we may delay the time we become old. We may look younger when we’re 70 and may live into our nineties.

Take a hike!

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Today is officially National Take A Walk In The Park Day.

After a long busy day, a calming and therapeutic way to relax would be a nice, leisurely walk in the park. Taking a walk at a local park is an excellent way to clear one’s mind from the stresses of the day, re-energize and at the same time, to improve your health.

During a walk, you can capture a beautiful photograph, compose an original poem, have an uninterrupted conversation, lose track of time and run into a familiar face. How fun is that? Just think, when you take a walk in the park, all sorts of pleasant surprises can occur.

Go out for a walk in the park, you really don’t need to take a hike to enjoy nature’s beauty and being outside.

#TakeAWalkInTheParkDay

Triglycerides: Why do they matter?

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Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood formed by excess calories. When excess calories are eaten, the body stores them as triglycerides for use at a later time. A normal triglyceride level is considered to be below 150 mg/dL while a level above 200 mg/dL is definitely considered high and can increase your risk for heart disease.

For many, a healthy level can be achieved through lifestyle changes like losing weight, being physically active and limiting refined carbohydrates.

Fat sources in heart healthy eating plans often focus on sources of unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oil, nuts and seeds, avocados and fatty fish. 

Seafood is especially high in omega-3 essential fatty acids which can help reduce triglyceride levels. Just 2 servings of seafood per week (about 8 ounces total) will provide the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids.  High omega-3 fatty acids seafood include salmon, herring, Atlantic and Pacific mackerel, rainbow trout, and sardines. 
Note: Pregnant and nursing women and young children should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish, which contain high levels of mercury.

If you have a history of elevated triglycerides, your doctor may also recommend high doses of supplemental omega-3 fatty acids. This should only be done under the advice and supervision of a doctor.

While extra calories from any source can be stored as triglycerides, excess calories from sugar and alcohol may have a greater effect on raising triglycerides. 

When choosing carbohydrate-rich foods, focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy. Limit refined grains and sources of added sugars, such as desserts, baked goods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcohol.

Mediterranean-style eating plans are similarly associated with improved heart health as they include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seafood while limiting saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars and alcohol. These diets also include healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in oils such as canola and olive oils. 

If your triglyceride level is above 150 mg/dL, discuss lifestyle changes and the potential advantage of supplements with your doctor and registered dietitian nutritionist. An RDN can help develop a healthy eating plan that meets your personal health needs and lifestyle.

It’s National Triglycerides Day

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Today we spotlight one of the key factors to a healthy lifestyle. Do you know about the hidden risks of triglycerides? Most people don’t and don’t know their personal triglyceride levels.

Learn your numbers and take steps to bring them to healthy levels. Include a triglycerides check with your routine physical exam. Visit with your doctor to learn how triglycerides impact a healthy lifestyle.

Clean homes. Clean streams. Clean air. Clean conscience.

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That’s our philosophy on cleaning.

For more than 30 years, my favorite shopping club’s innovative cleaning products have used natural and biodegradable ingredients that clean even more effectively without damaging the environment. None of these cleaners contain chlorine bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde, or other toxic chemicals. As a result, none of them requires a childproof cap.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts they are also the market leader in concentrated formulas. By making their cleaning products as concentrated as possible, they use less plastic packaging, less fuel in shipping, and generate less waste. They believe that adding fillers to cleaning products is a waste of resources and customers’ money.

Larger bottles not only waste plastic, but water is heavy and costly to ship. Packaging and shipping water is an expensive and wasteful endeavor—and completely unnecessary. Almost every household in the developed world has water available at the sink at almost no cost to the customer. These unprecedented, super concentrated formulas are the result of state-of-the-art manufacturing and careful, scientific selection of ingredients.

For years, I’ve been using EcoSense cleaners and I wouldn’t be without them . Each one helps make my house sparkle and smell great.

Here’s a closer look at each one:

Tough & Tender® 12x Super-Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner

  • Safe for cleaning nearly all surfaces—granite, marble, even natural stone
  • No caustic chemicals, no safety caps required
  • Wipe material is biodegradable—a rarity in the marketplace
  • Replaces other all-purpose cleaners and wipes like Formula 409® and Clorox® Green Works®

Tub & Tile™ 12x Super-Concentrated Bathroom Cleaner

  • No chlorine bleach, toxic chemicals, or harsh fumes
  • Spray on, let sit a few minutes, then scrub and rinse off
  • Replaces Tilex®, Comet®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Soft Scrub®, and Clorox® Bleach Foamer

No Work® 12x Super-Concentrated Daily Shower Cleaner

  • Simply spray on wet surfaces after every use
  • Keeps showers and tubs clean
  • Replaces Tilex® Daily Shower Cleaner® and Arm & Hammer® Clean Shower®

Clear Power® 12x Super-Concentrated Glass Cleaner

  • Dramatically improved cleaning power with naturally derived, ammonia-free cleaning agents
  • New, fresher fragrance is preferred 4-to-1 over the previous scent
  • Works best with our lint-free Microfiber Glass Cleaning Cloths

Each of these great products offers all the cleaning power I love in a small, more condensed size not found anywhere else. For safer formulas, better value, and unmatched innovation, nothing’s better for my home and family than EcoSense.

The labels make it easy to understand how to use the products, what’s in them, and what makes them the best on the market. All the information I need to know is clearly visible, making it easier than ever to keep my home safe and clean. I just can’t help share this information,especially since it’s National Cleaning week.

Are you as passionate about your cleaning products?

National American Diabetes Association Alert Day

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Alert Day logo no date

One in three Americans is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a serious disease that can lead to complications such as kidney disease, blindness, and amputations. But type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be permanent–it can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle modifications.

Held the last Tuesday of March each year, American Diabetes Association Alert Day® encourages everyone to take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test and participate in workplace-friendly activities that will teach them about reversing the risk for diabetes.

Celebrate your doctor

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It’s National Physicians Week – March 25-31

National Spring cleaning week

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It’s National Spring Cleaning week

After a new, independent study concluded that cleaning your home as little as once a week with national brand cleaners was as dangerous for your lungs as smoking a pack a day for twenty years, some parents are seriously wondering if cleaning the house is worth it at all—and who would blame them?

If adult lungs suffer when we breathe in the dangerous chemicals of national brand cleaning products, what about the developing lungs of children?

Yes, it’s just what you suspected: toxic chemicals are extremely dangerous for your children.

Here is what you need to know about hazardous chemicals and your child’s lungs:

• While toxins threaten everyone’s health, infants and children are especially sensitive to toxins and are very susceptible to air pollution

• Children are more vulnerable to chemicals (pound-by-pound because of their smaller body weight)

• Children’s bodies are less able to detoxify because their organs are not fully developed

If the hazardous chemicals in national brand cleaners are affecting adult respiratory health, imagine what they are doing to children who live in the same home, eat in the same kitchen, bathe in the same bathrooms, walk on the same floors, and breathe the same air! Their little lungs—so pure and clean—should be breathing air that is equally as pure and clean.

Giving up on cleaning all together (as tempting as that may sound some days) is not the answer. Living in filth comes with its own frightening threats to children’s health.

The good news is, it’s possible to provide your little ones with the home environment they deserve—freshly scrubbed, tidy and clean (even disinfected)—without harsh, toxic, organ-damaging chemicals.

EcoSense products are scientifically formulated to get your house sparkling clean without ammonia, chlorine bleach, quaternary disinfectants, or other dangerous chemicals. In fact, these cleaning products are so safe that no child safety caps are required.

These products are so good, they are all I’ve used for the past 15 years! During that time asthma and allergy attacks have been reduced to almost non-existent and this is with reduced medication. I’m healthier and saving money. You too can have a clean home that is also toxin-free! You only need to switch stores and get EcoSense the safer, more effective alternative.

Better Health Starts at Home

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We are partnered with a company committed to providing the products our customers need for the ultimate in healthy living. We pride ourselves on being part of the Wellness Company. From supplements to foods to home cleaning products, the products you bring into your home do make a difference.

We are pleased to see the scientific community draw unequivocal conclusions about topics we have been using for years. We are confident that as the facts about competitors’ products become more widely known, more consumers than ever will seek out the products that only our partner company can provide.

Full Study: Cleaning at home and at work in relation to lung function decline and airway obstruction