Projo Fitness Blog

Writing about thoughts and feelings that arise from a traumatic or stressful life experience may help some people cope with the emotional fallout of such events, according to the most recent HealthBeat, an e-newsletter from Harvard Medical School. But writing is not a cure-all, and it won't work for everyone, according to the experts at Harvard. They say, "Expressive writing appears to be more effective for people who are not also struggling with ongoing or severe mental health challenges, such as major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Dr. James W. Pennebaker, currently chair of the psychology department at the University of Texas, Austin, has conducted much of the research on the health benefits of expressive writing," HealthBeat reports. "In one early study, Dr. Pennebaker asked 46 healthy college students to write about either personally traumatic life events or trivial topics for 15 minutes on four consecutive days. For six months following the experiment, students who wrote about traumatic events visited the campus health center less often, and used a pain reliever less frequently, than those who wrote about inconsequential matters."

There are several theories about why writing is beneficial.

"The act of thinking about an experience, as well as expressing emotions, seems to be important," according to HealthBeat. "In this way, writing helps people to organize thoughts and give meaning to a traumatic experience.

"Or the process of writing may enable them to learn to better regulate their emotions. It's also possible that writing about something fosters an intellectual process -- the act of constructing a story about a traumatic event -- that helps someone break free of the endless mental cycling more typical of brooding or rumination.

"Finally, when people open up privately about a traumatic event, they are more likely to talk with others about it -- suggesting that writing leads indirectly to reaching out for social support that can aid healing."

Click here for the rest of the story.

Even with these caveats, however, expressive writing is such an easy, low-cost technique -- much like taking a good brisk walk -- that it may be worth trying.

| More

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month, a time that reminds us to be mindful of our health.

"A vegetarian diet [with fish] presents a lot of advantages because many meat-free foods such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes are high-fiber, and low-fat and free from harmful chemicals," writes nutritionist Tiffany Triner, a member of the Chicago Healers network. "In addition, a vegetarian diet can protect your heart and keep you trim in the process."

Here are some of her suggestions to get started:

"Veg out - 10 plates of salad, an entire head of broccoli, go crazy! Alright maybe that's a bit overboard, but fresh or frozen produce contain phytonutrients that help to prevent and repair cellular damage and as an added bonus they taste delicious. Throw veggies in everything to add flavor and fill you up. Onions, broccoli, beets, artichoke hearts - whatever you like! Lightly steamed vegetables are a tasty, low-calorie way to add bulk to soup, a rice dish, pasta, or even sprinkled on top of pizza dough while packing a punch of antioxidants.

"Trade in your hamburgers for fresh fish. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish like salmon at least twice a week. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish help to lower the risk of heart disease and reduce high triglycerides.

"Replace fodder with fiber - Whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds also throw a heavy punch in the fight against heart disease. These foods are full of fiber, which is important in maintaining or reaching ideal cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber's job is to bind to LDL (bad) cholesterol which is eventually excreted out of our systems."

| More

Saturday, Oct. 29 marks the fifth year for South County Hospital's Women's Wellness Day, held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown.

This year the event features keynote speakers Mary Flynn and Nancy Verde Barr, authors of "The Pink Ribbon Diet: A Revolutionary New Weight Loss Plan to Lower Your Breast Cancer Risk." (The authors were profiled a year ago in the Providence Journal by Food editor Gail Ciampa.)

Martha Murphy, manager of Communications & Marketing for the South County Hospital Healthcare System, says about 100 women come out each year to take part in the event and attend presentations such as "You & Your Bladder -- Who's the Boss?" Hysterectomy -- Is this the only Option?" along with sessions on yoga and meditation, facial aesthetics, knee replacement and vericose veins.

Registration must be made by Oct. 19. Call (401) 788-1647 for more information.

| More

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer
Bryna Poirier-Rene demonstrates King Pidgeon Pose at Body Kneads Yoga in Cranston.

What it is
King Pigeon Pose is not for sissies. Yet, it can be approximated if you can't get into the full expression by kneeling with your back to a wall and placing your big toes or soles of the feet so they touch the wall. Clasp your hands at the back of your head, lean back, and rest the crown of your head on the wall as you press your forearms against it.

What it does
Also known as Kapotasana, this pose stretches the entire front of the body, from the ankles to the neck, and stimulates the abdomenal organs.

How to do it
Start in an upright kneeling position, knees slightly narrower than hip-width apart and head and shoulders stacked above your knees. Take your hands and press down to the back of your pelvis.

Breathe in, tuck in the chin toward and lean your head and shoulders back as far as you can without pushing the hips forward. Gradually release your head back when your chest is as at its maximum thrust.

Place your head and hands on the floor, bring your palms together in prayer pose, and then separate them to reach overhead onto the floor. Place your palms on the floor, fingers pointing toward your feet, then lower your head. (You can place your head on a towel for comfort if the mat is not thick enough.)

Raise your hips, and left your pelvis as much as possible, lengthen and extend your upper spine and walk your hands to your feet. Forearms can rest on the floor. Extend your neck and place your forehead on the floor.

Breathe through the pose through about a half minute. Release the pose by walking your hands away from your feet and pushing up into a back-bend with hands and feet.

| More

"For many stressed-out families, spending more time in the natural world -- a nature stimulus package -- may be just what the doctor and the economist ordered," writes Richard Louv of the Children and Nature Network. He is the author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder"and "The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder."

In his blog, he lists seven tips for an "outdoor stimulus package" of activities for families.

Here are the top three:

"1. With high gas prices, families are rediscovering both the joy and the cost-effectiveness of getaways in nearby nature, including regional, state or national parks. As Outside magazine puts it, "near is the new far."

"2. Unless we're talking about a new bass boat or a high-tech tent, nature toys are free or cheap, and they encourage self-directed creativity. In 2008, the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y., inducted the stick, which it called not only possibly the oldest toy, but "possibly the best."

"3. Green exercise is free. In the United Kingdom, and now in the United States, families are eschewing commercial indoor gyms. Groups of families form " green gyms" and meet once or twice a week to hike, garden or take some other type of exercise in the natural world."

Here's the whole story.

| More

Barrington native Ainsley Judge joined four of her fellow Macalester College 2011 graduates in July and embarked on a 2,500-mile bike tour of the Great Lakes region to document sustainability efforts, learn about ecological awareness, and celebrate Great Lakes communities.

The five young women, from all over the United States, are applying a multi-perspective "liberal arts education" to the "real world" and fundraising for Twin Cities based non-profit Grand Aspirations and their nation-wide summer program Summer of Solutions which sponsor youth-led sustainability and social change projects.

The "Solidago Riders," as they call themselves, are documenting their unusual trip through film, photography and blogging, all of which are available on their website.

| More

Green tea may slow down weight gain and serve as another tool in the fight against obesity, according to Penn State food scientists.

Obese mice that were fed a compound found in green tea along with a high-fat diet gained weight significantly more slowly than a control group of mice that did not receive the green tea supplement, said Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences.

"In this experiment, we see the rate of body weight gain slows down," said Lambert.

The researchers, who released their findings in the current online version of Obesity, fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. Mice that were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) a compound found in most green teas, along with a high-fat diet, gained weight 45 percent more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG.

"Our results suggest that if you supplement with EGCG or green tea you gain weight more slowly," said Lambert.

The green tea did not appear to suppress appetite. Both groups of mice were fed the same amount of high-fat food and could eat at any time.

"There's no difference in the amount of food the mice are eating," said Lambert. "The mice are essentially eating a milkshake, except one group is eating a milkshake with green tea."

A person would need to drink 10 cups of green tea each day to match the amount of EGCG used in the study, according to Lambert. However, he said recent studies indicate that just drinking a few cups of green tea may help control weight. "Human data -- and there's not a lot at this point -- shows that tea drinkers who only consume one or more cups a day will see effects on body weight compared to nonconsumers," he said.

| More