Monday, April 30, 2012

Anatomy of an Effective Facebook Post

Anatomy of an Effective Facebook Post

Below are seven things to think about when crafting that perfect Facebook post.
1. Audience. Of course, your company Facebook page is not your personal page. You may need to post with more restraint or regularity and keep in mind a more general audience. Remember to address your specific audience when you post on your company page.
2. Voice and Tone. The “voice” you use on your company Facebook page should reflect the image you are trying to project. Unlike your personal network, your company Facebook fans may not know you very well. Therefore, decide how you want to come across: Fun? Serious? Quirky? (Remember that the Facebook culture leans toward casual, so make sure you don’t come across as too stiff.)
3. Content. Your posts shouldn’t center on promoting your company or products. Everything you put out should offer engaging value to your fans. News, humor, entertainment and insider insights grab your audience’s attention and motivate them to return for more. Simply pouring out post after post of ad copy will guarantee you lose fans and readership.
Content that leads people to interact on your page is particularly powerful. You can use your posts to drive fans to such things as personality tests, surveys and Facebook sweepstakes. This type of content is a great way to get “Likes” and “Shares.”
4. Context. Post as part of a series, to announce an offline event or in response to customer feedback. The larger context gives people a reason to keep coming back to your page to search for the next piece of information.
5. Timing. The best time to post to Facebook is a matter of much debate. As a general rule, think about who you are trying to reach and when they are most likely to be spending time catching up on their Facebook activity. The best posts go “live” when your fans have time to read and digest them and hopefully react. Chances are this is not when they are hard at work but rather during lunch time, evenings, weekends, etc. Experiment to see what makes the most sense for your page.
6. Interaction. Drive interaction with your Facebook posts by asking for advice, opinions or related stories. And to get things started, it’s fine to have a friend, employee or loyal customer comment first.
7. Responsiveness. Once someone has responded to your initial post, make sure you comment to keep the conversation going. Now that it is possible for an individual to send your company a private message, there is a huge opportunity to engage in real dialog with your prospects.
Make sure that you are not letting your Facebook page go unattended. For better or for worse, in this day and age, most of us have come to expected immediate results in the online world.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Find the right treatment for you for your osteoarthritis knee pain.

If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatment options to reduce your symptoms:
  • Lifestyle changes — including moderate exercise, weight control and reducing stress on your joints
  • Oral pain relievers — such as acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®), NSAIDs (e.g. Aleve® and Motrin®) and COX-2 inhibitors (e.g. Celebrex®)
  • Topical pain-relieving creams — to apply to your skin
  • Physical and occupational therapy — to strengthen muscles and improve mobility
  • Steroid injections — to temporarily relieve pain and reduce any swelling 
  • Viscosupplement injections (also called hyaluronic acid injections) — a knee injection, such as Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20), that replaces damaged joint fluid with a substance similar to healthy joint fluid in order to reduce pain
  • Surgery — often recommended when knee pain is severe and other treatments have not provided relief 

Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20) is a viscosupplement injection. Made from a natural substance that lubricates and cushions your joint, it can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief with just one injection.

What is Synvisc-One?

Illustration of Knee Anatomy with Osteoarthritis  In knees with osteoarthritis, the joint fluid (called synovial fluid) can break down and not provide the cushioning your knee needs.
Illustration of Knee Anatomy with Osteoarthritis Following Synvisc-One Treatment Synvisc-One supplements your knee joint fluid to relieve the pain and improve the knee joint’s natural shock absorbing abilities.
A. Cartilage wears away B. Bone spurs may develop C. Joint fluid breaks down
D. Synvisc-One replaces joint fluid

Who is a candidate for Synvisc-One

Patients with knee osteoarthritis who have tried diet, exercise and over-the-counter pain medication but still have pain, should talk to their doctor to see if Synvisc-One is right for them.

How Synvisc-One is administered

Synvisc-One is a single injection. It’s a simple, in-office procedure that only takes a few minutes.

What you can expect following a Synvisc-One knee injection

Synvisc-One can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief. Everyone responds differently, but in a medical study* patients experienced relief starting one month after the injection.
After the injection, you can resume normal day-to-day activities, but you should avoid any strenuous activities for about 48 hours.


PLEASE NOTE: Images provided by Tim Peters and Company, Inc. © 2007. All rights reserved. www.timpetersandcompany.com

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Physical Fitness Cuts Heart Risk at Any Weight

In our weight-obsessed culture,  we can lose sight of the fact that health is not all about being thin. In fact, healthy eating and physcial activity alone - and separate from weight -  are critical contributors to wellness and disease prevention.  Think healthy, not skinny!
A new study reaffirmed this understanding with respect to fitness. The study reports that maintaining or improving fitness counteracts much, but not all, of the increased risk associated with weight gain.
The study was published in the Feb. 14 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study took place between 1970 and 2006.  3,148 healthy adults enrolled in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. All received at least three extensive medical exams at the Cooper Clinic, in Dallas.
Three risk factors were assessed: high blood pressure, high cholesterol or metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease. To be diagnosed, someone must have at least three of the five signs: large waist (abdominal obesity), high triglycerides, low "good" cholesterol, elevated blood pressure (but not necessarily high enough to be classified hypertensive) and high fasting blood sugar (although not yet high enough to be classified as diabetic).
Fitness was assessed on a treadmill test.
At the end of the study, 752 participants had high blood pressure, 426 had metabolic syndrome and 597 had high cholesterol.
Those who maintained or improved fitness over time had a lower risk of developing any of the three risk factors.
Those who maintained fitness had a 24 percent lower risk of high blood pressure, 38 percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome and 25 percent lower risk of high cholesterol. Those who gained fitness reduced their risk of each about the same or slightly more.
Being fit and not being fat work independently to reduce risk factors, said the studies lead author, Duck-chul Lee, a research fellow at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. If you can't improve both fitness and fatness, try to at least maintain one, he said.
 "If you are going to be overweight, you have to be fit." says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City . She is also a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Don’t Let Fear Get in Your Way of Your Successful Goals!


Yes—and it comes from a source that you usually think of as your ally: your mind, especially your subconscious mind.
When you have fears or concerns about what you believe it will take to achieve a goal or about what will happen after you achieve that goal, you may subconsciously sabotage yourself to avoid success.
Take Laura, for example. Laura started writing a book with a specific goal for completing it but never seemed to get there. When she considered what she thought would happen after the book was completed, she quickly realized that she had many fears, including the fear that the book would be criticized or that it would raise her visibility and make her a target of attention or that success might pull her away from her family.
When you have underlying thoughts like this, it’s no surprise that you stop pursuing or at least slowdown in taking action toward your goals.
To find out if you have any “goal stoppers,” ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen if I accomplish this goal?” and “What will it cost me to achieve this goal?”
Make a complete list of your concerns about taking action to accomplish your goal and of what might happen if you accomplish it. Take a moment to actually write them down. Some of your concerns may seem a bit far-fetched—even silly—when you put them down on paper, but some will feel very real.
The truth is, however, that those events you fear may or may not come to pass. We often scare ourselves by imagining the negative outcomes of our actions. If you’re stopped from moving toward your goal by fear, you will never know what you could have accomplished. In order to move ahead powerfully, you’ll need to remove those fears.
Now create success behavior
The solution is to create clear and believable mini-goals on the way to the big one. Behavioral change needs to be reinforced at least every 24 hours. That means you have to accomplish a mini-goal every day.
Here are the essential steps to success behaviors:
  1. Have a deep desire and commitment to acquire the behavior.
  2. Clearly define your specific big goal (i.e., become more assertive).
  3. Outline the daily, believable mini-goals that you're willing and able to do (no mini-goal is too small; if your goal is to lose 30 pounds, an eighth of a pound is not too small a daily goal to begin with).
  4. Achieve your mini-goals every day for 21 days.
After 21 days you do not have a habit, but rather the right to continue. It takes 60-90 days of repetition to create an excellent success behavior. It isn't until you've practiced the behavior daily for about 120-180 days that you become a master. Get extraordinarily clear about your goals, spend time creating a mini-goal list that is achievable on a daily basis, and then actually do them; you'll be more successful than most of the people you know, 24 hours at a time.
When Goal Success Planning, Money Is Time
“The greatest predictive indicator of money is the current use of time. It was on my morning commute that marketing genius Dan Kennedy dropped this bomb through my car’s speakers. I had been listening to and reading Dan’s work for days, almost non-stop since I had received it. But it wasn’t until that moment that I truly “got” it.
The old “time is money” platitude sounds good but has lost a bit of its punch since you first heard it. But, like it or not, the amount of value you can add is severely limited by the amount of uninterrupted, focused, productive time you are able to invest in your endeavors. Because added value is the only thing than can create financial equity, then it behooves you to get serious about how you invest every minute of your time.
Before I lose you to some sort of resistance thinking (“Who wants to watch every minute that closely?”) consider this: Love takes time, friendship takes time, and recovery takes time. Everything is a function of how we spend our time. Money just happens to be easier to quantify.
When we have no detailed plan for our time, stuff will just happen to us rather than the other way around. Apply this to your planning, and you’ve added an entirely new dimension to what’s possible and necessary to derive the most beneficial outcome. Give a lottery winner $10 million, and he’ll go bankrupt in a few years. But give the right punk kid with a dream $5,000 and he’ll create magic and change all our lives. All he needs is a little time.

Goal, setting, time management require a successful platform to manage your plans. Look at the LINK to check out this comprehensive site.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Shopping For a New Doc?



Finding a new doctor ranks right up there with hunting down a new mechanic, plumber and hairdresser –the toughest finds in a new neighborhood. So what can you do if you’re in the market for a new MD? Following these tips will help lead you to the right doctor…If you have moved, your doctor has retired or you are trying to scout out a specialist, you face one of the most challenging dilemmas in today’s healthcare system. How do you find a new doctor who is both medically excellent and a good fit for your needs? A referral from a trusted source is an obvious route, but not always as reliable as you may think.


1. Use the Doctor Network to Your AdvantageConsider a referral from one of your doctors. Accept it, and you have entered the intricate world of physician-referral networks, which often work like this: If your doctor refers you to another doctor, the arrangement is usually reciprocal. Either that or the doctor at least gives the referring doctor excellent service and attention (in terms of reports, follow-up, professional recognition). If a referring physician breaks the pattern, then he might find himself outside of the self-reinforcing referral loop. This can mean fewer patients, behind-the-back whispers and some icy stares in the doctor’s lounge.
Such a system has its drawbacks. It’s rare for physicians to share Information on performance and outcomes. In fact, most of this information is confidential. Most physicians know very little about the practices of their fellow physicians. So, as long as the patients they send are not complaining, doctors assume the referrals worked out. And unless something truly goes wrong, most patients are reluctant to complain, and some even feel responsible for a poor interaction. The result is an ongoing, unmonitored referral cycle.

2. Beware the Bedside BiasAnother type of referral is one by a friend, relative or neighbor. While these are usually good sources of information, they are subject to another kind of bias: that of the “bedside manner.” Some doctors have a wonderful bedside manner and are well-liked by most of their patients, which drives referrals. But bedside manner does not ensure clinical excellence. In fact, in some cases, it can be a substitute.

Who is to know? Most problems that generalists encounter with patients in the healthcare system tend to go away on their own, given enough time. With little information about medical outcomes within individual practices and the reluctance of people to criticize their doctor, recognizing who is the best doctor based on personal referrals is nearly impossible.
3. Pursue the Elusive Primary Care PhysicianThe most difficult physicians to find are usually primary care physicians (PCPs). These are internists, family practitioners, general practitioners, pediatricians, and obstetrician-gynecologists. The good ones tend to be very busy, and many have closed their practices to new patients. They are also getting pickier about which insurance they will accept. Many also tend to be unevenly distributed across communities, which can limit your access to them.

If you want to find a great PCP, social networking is the name of the game. Social clubs, volunteer groups, PTA, religious organizations, sports facilities, community centers, and neighbors can be the richest sources of referral information. For closed practices, social networking may be one of the few ways to break through administrative barriers, since you’re more likely to connect personally with doctors, their families or their friends.

4. Secure a SpecialistCertain specialists, such as plastic and cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists, and cosmetic dentists often have the most visible practices in a community because of promotions and advertising. However, their expertise can be hard to judge. Again, social networks can be helpful in finding the right match for you. Speak with someone who has actually had a procedure you are considering, not someone who is simply a social connection. Only a former patient can educate you about the details of bedside manner, follow-up, responsiveness to problems, and of course, outcomes.
Other specialists – including, but not limited to cardiologists, general surgeons, oncologists, rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and gastroenterologists – are much less visible to the public. For these, primary care physicians can be the best source of information. Moreover, if you face a considerable delay before you can see a specialist, your PCP is in the best position to expedite the appointment. Referrals to specialists by other specialists, on the other hand, may be subject to the rules of the referral game.

It’s not unusual to wait a month or more to see certain busy specialists. If you feel you need to be seen sooner (and who doesn’t?), call the referring doctor immediately and notify them of the problem. Referring physicians can be very effective at moving you up the list because they are a primary source of patients to the specialist. But if the referring physician is unable to help, and you still need to be seen sooner, ask for a referral to an alternate specialist. Most referring doctors have a selection of specialists with whom they work.

5. Hone in on HospitalsEmergency room doctors and nurses in a local hospital are also great hidden sources of information about doctors. They tend to know who the best doctors are and those who are most difficult to deal with. They interact regularly with most of the medical staff and see doctors under both routine and stressful conditions. Ask them who they think are the top docs.
Another good starting point for finding physicians is your local hospitals’ web site. Nearly all offer information about physicians (organized by specialty) on their medical staff, including training, board certification, the languages they speak, and the insurance they accept. Physicians are also licensed by each state. Most states provide information on state licensing web sites about the status of a physician’s license, pending actions against him and board certification. Fee-based Internet sites offer doctor profiles, some with consumer evaluations. Still, even these sources do not tell everything that can pinpoint a good doctor. Your best bet is to gather as much information as you can from all sources – friends, web sites and health-care professionals.
The information contained on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for advice from your doctor or healthcare professional. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Information and statements provided by the site about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Wellness Source does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, third-party products, procedures, opinions, or other information mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by Wellness Source is solely at your own risk.

What is a Family Practitioner and when to use

Recently I was asked by a client about when to use a Family Practioner or a specialist.  Here is some useful hints when to use the family doctor first.

What is family practice?

A family practitioner is a primary care doctor who provides health services to adults, children and adolescents. Family practitioners have a very broad scope of practice, but are usually the patient’s first consultation before being referred to other specialists, if necessary. The family practitioner performs annual physical examinations; ensures up-to-date immunization status; counsels patients on healthy lifestyles; monitors patients’ blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels; and ensures other baseline tests are within normal levels for the patient’s age and gender.

When do I see a family practitioner?

In the United States, about one in four visits to a doctor are to a family practice doctor. Family care physicians care for the poor, indigent and undeserved in the community more than any other physician specialty.

When a patient is an infant or child, he or she might see a family practitioner specializing in pediatric care. When the young patient transitions from childhood to adulthood during adolescence, he or she can see a family practice doctor specializing in adolescent medicine or a regular family practitioner, also known as adult-care physician. Around the ages 18-21, patients typically transition to an adult-care physician who is better suited to their health-care needs.

What should I expect when I visit a family practitioner?

A family practitioner’s scope of practice varies, but these specialists typically provide basic diagnoses and non-surgical treatment of common medical conditions and illnesses.

To arrive at a diagnosis, family doctors will interview and examine the patient. This requires discussing the history of the present illness, including a review of the patient’s body systems, medication history, allergies, family history, surgical history and social history. Then the physician will perform a physical examination and possibly order basic medical tests, such as blood tests, electrocardiograms or X-rays. Ultimately, all this information is combined to arrive at a diagnosis and possible treatment. Tests of a more complex and lengthy nature may be referred to a specialist

Together with the patient, the family practitioner forms a plan of care that can include additional testing if needed, a referral to see a specialist, medication prescriptions, therapies, changes to diet or lifestyle, additional patient education, or follow-up treatment. Patients also may receive advice or education on improving health behaviors, self-care and treatment, screening tests and immunizations.

What are the most common conditions family practitioners treat?

  • Anemia

  • Asthma

  • Common cold

  • Dementia

  • Diabetes

  • Gastrointestinal complaint

  • Gynecological complaint

  • Headaches

  • High blood pressure

  • Infectious diseases

  • Musculoskeletal complaint

  • Pregnancy

  • Psychiatric disease

  • Sexually transmitted disease

  • Skin complaint

  • Urinary tract complaint

The information contained on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for advice from your doctor or healthcare professional. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Information and statements provided by the site about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Wellness Source does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, third-party products, procedures, opinions, or other information mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by Wellness Source is solely at your own risk.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Keep Building Your Brand, No Matter What

Keep Building Your Brand, No Matter What


It’s tempting, in a yo-yo economic climate, to slash costs and investment across the board. But don’t! Instead, get selective, get lean. Discretionary spending is negotiable. Brand building, innovation and product development are not.
That’s what business advisor and speaker Ram Charan says in his Fortune magazine article Managing Your Business in a Downturn.” Charan tells us that we must keep buildingeven during financial downturns
“When the top line looks shaky and the bottom line worse, the temptation is to go after discretionary spending. Fine—but do not consider product development, innovation and brand building optional. Sacrificing your future for a slightly more comfortable present is not worth it. If you keep building, you can come back strong,” he explains.
Invest in innovation. Charan’s article appeared four years ago. So, what has changed? Not that much, really. The economy is still suspect. The market continues its ups and downs, only now we have the added concerns over the situation in Greece and an Iran that threatens to become a nuclear power.
Recently, I spoke with a friend that recently returned from an amazing trip to Chile and Easter Island. (People are finally discovering this remarkable sliver of a country.) Innovation can be found everywhere. he brought me back a copy of I Love Chile News, which had a special feature entitled “Innovators of 2012.” The issue featured the myriad ways that innovators are transforming that country.
Even in the worst of times, innovation is possible. In fact, it’s often the pressure of hard times that forces people to find new ways of doing things. Don’t let your present situation obscure your view of the future. Keep preparing for it—it’s right around the corner.

Create a 'branding one sheet' to acquire more referrals

A one page brand overview is an incredibly helpful marketing piece that will guide those who could refer you to effectively describe what you do. And, it will help those within your firm describe the company consistently and concisely as well. Include these five sections in your "branding one sheet":
  1. What makes us different? Describe what you do that is truly unique (it may just be you and your team that truly make you stand out).
  2. One sentence description or tagline. We're in business to... (a simple sentence that your referrer will remember).
  3. Our ideal client. "Our best clients are those who..."
  4. Our key areas of expertise. Describe these as needs that your ideal clients have.
  5. Our firm in depth. To find out more about our company, our services, and our people, check out our website at ... (list your web address and other social media sites).
Creating a branding one sheet can be done quickly and easily. It is not meant to be a brochure or something with lots of words and detailed design. Just a simple, to the point, easily digestible, and memorable one-page marketing piece. We have seen this become the main printed collateral of some firms to direct people to their online presence and acquire more referrals. And I think we all could use a few more referrals these days!

Check out www.health31.com for more tips

Friday, April 6, 2012

Today This is the Sales Cycle


When it comes to selecting products and services, buyers today are much better informed than they were 10 years ago. Social networks, peer groups, company websites and industry analysts arm prospects with more than enough data to help them through the research and evaluation phase of the buying cycle, or the “hidden” phase. As they enter the formal phase of the buying cycle, buyers usually know which problems they are trying to solve, are acquainted with an available solution and have a good idea of the solution’s cost.
This means that a qualified prospect may be well into the hidden phase of the cycle by the time they reach you. As a result, you must find ways to engage with the prospect earlier in the buying cycle and out-educate your competition during the hidden phase. Best-in-class companies are investing in content-based marketing to ensure they are engaging with buyers during the hidden part of the cycle.
Have you ever felt that a buyer was just not that into you? In businesses where the relationship between the buyer and seller is important, it is smarter to focus on that relationship than on the product.
Here are three ways to go from repelling prospects to attracting them and making them want to buy:
Research diligently before meeting a prospect; Research potential prospects even if you don’t know when you’ll meet them. The more you know, the better the conversation will go. Today, no matter who your prospect is, it is easy to conduct research online. If a prospect has put information online, it is there for you to find. It’s not violating personal space when you research people online; it’s smart.
Ask big questions. If you have researched, you will be prepared to ask good, insightful questions that will engage prospects. The key to engagement is interaction and that happens most successfully when they are talking, not you. Most people are focused on themselves and are more than ready to talk about themselves and their products.
Ask big questions such as, “I know your business has received a lot of awards. What was the most meaningful one to you?” Or, “What’s your biggest challenge?” Or, “What is the one thing you wished your current provider/firm/advisor would do?” The key is to ask an open-ended question that can really get the prospect talking.
Listen curiously to more than 50 percent of each conversation. If the interaction is focused on asking big questions and listening, you will immediately stand out. If you can get the prospect talking, you actually make yourself unique, someone who is interested in them. 17 seconds. That is the attention span of an average person. These days, the ability to listen intently to another person is rare. Do this and you will tell your prospect more about who you are than if you monopolize the conversation.
With this approach, you can get others to pay attention to you the way you pay attention to them and turn a disinterested party into celebrated friend.
In a recent Aberdeen Group report, 58 percent of marketing executives indicated they were investing in content creation, while only 6 percent indicated that content creation was not on their agenda. Developing meaningful content is time consuming, and many companies fail to produce the right materials because they don’t make an adequate commitment of time and money.
Consider implementing a content-based marketing program so you are not already at a disadvantage by the time buyers enter the formal phase of the buying cycle.
Wellness Source: www.health31.com
Personal Site: http://leighschaffer.net

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Fuel Your Body for Exercise


Fuel Your Body for Exercise


Don’t think that, just because you’re not an elite athlete, you don’t need to fuel your body for exercise. Eating the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and, yes, even some fat helps you exercise longer, more comfortably and even at a more challenging level than you would if you weren’t paying attention to your diet.Proper nutrition pays off in other ways too: it helps your body adapt to exercise, improves body composition (which is one of the reasons you exercise in the first place, right?) and reduces the risk of stomach upset during exercise.
Start With Your Tank on Full
The results of more than four decades’ worth of research are unequivocal: Eating breakfast is the healthy way to start the day. After going eight hours — or more — without food, your body needs to refuel, ideally within an hour or two of awakening. “If you skip breakfast, your brain and muscles don’t get the energy they need to sustain activity for the whole day,” says Tara Gidus, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Skipping breakfast not only makes it hard to rev up for what’s ahead, it also increases the risk of overeating later in the day. According to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), eating breakfast is one way to help maintain a healthy weight. Nearly 80 percent of the people involved with the NWCR, who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off for one year, regularly eat breakfast.
Healthy Eating on the Go
When it comes to fueling up for exercise, low-fat foods rule. “You’ll feel more energized if you avoid simple sugars and anything greasy,” says Gidus. 
Gidus has some go-to power foods, which she recommends not only for their nutritional content, but also because they taste good and are easy on the stomach. The last thing you want during a tennis match or a kickboxing class is an upset stomach. If you like to exercise during your lunch hour but find you don’t have time to eat and work out, consider keeping some of these grab-and-go foods on hand. That way you can eat something nutritious before you head to the gym.

  • Juicy fruits, such as grapes, strawberries, blackberries, oranges, blueberries and raspberries. All of these are full of nutrients, are easy to digest and their natural sugars give you a quick boost.
  • Trail mix with dried fruit. Nuts are a great source of protein (and essential nutrients) and will give you sustained energy. Dried fruits offer quick sugar for an immediate pick-me-up. Dried fruits are also easier to travel with than fresh fruits, but go easy: Eating more than a handful can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
  • Nut butter and fruit spread. Most grocery stores carry single-serving packets of peanut butter that don’t need to be refrigerated and are easy to keep in your gym bag. You can slather nut butter (make sure there are no added sugars or hydrogenated oils) on an apple, crackers, or a slice of whole-grain bread. If you don’t like peanut butter, try almond or soy butter. Try a fruit spread instead of a sugar-packed jelly or jam.
  • Cereal. Choose varieties that are easy to eat dry and contain whole grains. The complex carbohydrates give you more staying power than the simple sugars.  Skip the sugar-coated stuff and anything with sugar early in the ingredient list. Look for at least six grams of fiber per serving.  
  • Crackers. 100% whole-grain varieties have complex carbohydrates and won’t make you feel full and heavy. Combine with a stick of low-fat cheese for a more sustained boost.
  • Low-fat string cheese. Single servings of mozzarella or cheddar are filling and easy on the stomach.
  • Granola bars or fruit bars. They’re more palatable than most energy bars. Coat a granola bar with a nut butter for a sustained boost if you’re taking, say, a 90-minute hike or going on an extended bike ride.  
Go Bananas!
Bananas are an excellent choice for on-the-go eating — they even come with their own biodegradable packaging! And with their combination of glucose, fructose and sucrose (for easily accessible energy) and soluble fiber (which helps your body absorb that energy steadily), it’s no surprise that bananas are the snack of choice at such events as 5K walks and triathlons. Some other reasons to go bananas:
  • Bananas are fat-free fuel.
  • One banana contains about 30 grams of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles and central nervous system.
  • The potassium in bananas helps your body maintain fluid balance needed in blood and tissue.
  • A banana contains 20 percent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin B6, which, among other things, helps your central nervous system function normally.
After a Tough Workout, Refuel
On the days that you exercise for more than 90 minutes, your body is in what’s called an “accelerated metabolic state.” If you don’t want to feel like you drove into a brick wall the next day, try to eat within about 30 minutes of finishing your workout, advises Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, the director of sports nutrition and performance at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Program in Florida. A mix of carbohydrates and protein will do the trick. “The carbs replace muscle glycogen, and the protein helps prevent muscle breakdown,” she explains. A good recovery snack option, from the American Dietetic Association: graham crackers with peanut butter, low-fat chocolate milk and a banana.
Hydrate for Health
Advertising for sports drinks — a multibillion-dollar business — is so pervasive and convincing that you might think you’re risking your health if you don’t consume one on every jog or bike ride. But actually, for moderate exercise, all you really need is water — which, ideally, you’re drinking throughout the day, including while you exercise. The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two hours before exercise and then another seven to 10 ounces of “fluid” (water or a sports drink, depending on how vigorously you’re exercising) every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise. During a high-intensity, one-hour workout, you can lose more than a quart of water, so be sure to replace it!   
During intense workouts that last 60 minutes or more, you might want to switch to a drink that replaces calories, sodium and potassium — either a flavored water or a sports beverage. (The reason to replace sodium and potassium — those infamous electrolytes — during intense exercise is to offset the salt you lose in sweat and maintain fluid balance, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.) Just be sure to keep an eye on how many calories you’re consuming: Some sports drinks contain as many as a soda! 

Heart Attack what to do Right Away

Dr.. Virend  Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, who is lead author of the report in the July  29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the  American College of Cardiology.

Most  heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6  A.M. and noon.  Having one during the night,  when the heart  should be most at rest, means that  something unusual happened. Somers and his  colleagues have been  working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is         to blame.

1. If  you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a  day, take it at  night. The reason:  Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore,  if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours  of the morning, the Aspirin would be  strongest in your system.

2. FYI,

Aspirin lasts a really long time in your  medicine chest for years, (when it gets old,  it smells like vinegar).

Please read on.

Something that we can do to help  ourselves - nice to know. Bayer is  making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on  the tongue. They work much faster than the  tablets. Why  keep Aspirin by your bedside? It's about Heart  Attacks -

There are other symptoms of a  heart attack, besides the pain on the left  arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots  of sweating;
however, these symptoms may  also occur less frequently.

Note: There  may be NO pain in the chest during a heart  attack.

The majority of people (about  60%) who had a heart attack during their  sleep did not wake up. However, if  it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens,  immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth  and swallow  them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:
- Call 911.
- Phone a neighbor or a  family member who lives very close by.
- Say  "heart attack!"
- Say that you have taken 2  Aspirins.
- Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the  front door, and wait for their arrival and

...DO  NOT LIE DOWN!