Finding Time to Exercise

Many of my YouTube viewers, as well as my blogspot readers, often write me because they are frustrated that they are not exercising enough. Many would like to, but feel they just don't have the time to fit it into their already very busy schedule. Well, I have a great suggestion for you that will help you get the maximum health benefits of exercise in the least amount of time. I hope you will give it a try. It's called interval training and it works! When my children were very small, I did not have a lot of time for exercise, as most new moms will find, so I had to maximize the little bit of time I did have. I still do them when I am pressed for time, as we all often are, and I love them. Because you know they are going to be short and work great, you are more inclined to be psyched to do them. The feeling of getting it over with quickly helps motivate you to do it. Now, interval training can be done with any exercise that you want to do whether it be biking, jogging, walking, treadmill, elliptical machine, or stair master. Here's how it works:

1. Start with a 3 minute warm-up where you keep the level lower and stable.

2. Next, you do ten 60-second intervals (10 minutes) where you alternate 30 seconds of fast pace with 30 seconds of normal pace.

3. Then, you do eight 30-second intervals (4 minutes) where you alternate 15 seconds at and even faster pace (the highest intensity you can safely do) with 15 seconds of normal pace.

4. Finally, you have your 3-minute cool down.

That cardio workout was a total of 20 minutes.

If you have a bit more time to spend or would like to do a 30-minute interval workout for more challenge, you would just add a bit more time to the workout as follows:

1. Start with a 3 minute warm-up where you keep the pace lower and stable.

2. Next, you do seventeen 60-second intervals (17 minutes) where you alternate 30 seconds of fast pace with 30 seconds of normal pace.

3. Then, you do fourteen 30-second intervals (7 minutes) where you alternate 15 seconds at and even faster pace (the highest intensity you can safely do) with 15 seconds of normal pace.

4. Finally, you have your 3-minute cool down at a slower pace.

Interval training is excellent for burning more fat and calories than steady-speed exercising and takes less time.

See you on YouTube!
-YouTips4U

Tips for Coping with Stress, Especially During the Holidays

With the holiday season just around the corner, I think it's a great time to give you some tips for helping you cope with stress which is often exacerbated during the holidays. Remember to keep things in perspective and try not to get too caught up in the hustle and bustle of gift giving and parties that you lose the big picture which is spending time with the ones you love and doing simple things like watching Christmas stories and baking cookies.

When stress lasts too long, it can have an exhausting effect on our bodies, often leading to illness or flu because we let ourselves get run down. So what can we do so that we can handle life's stresses easier? Well, the secret is to play a little offense. Here are some tips to help arm you against stress:

1. Maintain a balanced diet. Many times we are running around trying to make it all work in a day that we forget to eat, or we grab empty calories here and there. Prepare some healthy meals ahead of time and keep them in the fridge so it's available for you to either take along with you, or to whip up quick when you get home by simply reheating it in the microwave.

2. Drink enough fluids. Migraines, urinary tract infections, and various colds can all spring up when we are under stress and dehydrated which often happens while shopping and working late hours. So keep a water bottle with you in the mall and on your desk at work so you can stay hydrated throughout the day.

3. Don't keep your home too warm. Excessive heat dries out your nasal passages and mucus membranes which can lead to coughs and colds. So put on a warm sweater and keep the heat low.

4. Stop what you are doing periodically and just inhale deeply, paying close attention to your breathing and the movement and feel of air in and out of of your nose. Do this little meditation for a few minutes several times a day. It will help calm you and relieve stress. Great when your in traffic too!

5. Exercise! Do not let that fall by the wayside. This is the most important time to exercise. It will help relieve stress and give you more energy to complete all the holiday tasks that seem to pile up out of no where.

6. Go outside each day; even if it's only for 10 minutes. Get outside and walk. Taking in fresh air and getting out of your home or office will help give you perspective and refresh you. Sunshine is also a wonderful mood booster.

7. Have a little chocolate, or pasta. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants which are very healthy for fighting disease, and it's a wonderful serotonin booster for your brain as is pasta (preferably whole grain). So if you need an instant boost, grab a bit of dark chocolate and a handful of nuts, or have a little bowl of pasta with some garlic, basil and olive oil. It's a great snack and mood booster.

8. Spend some time with your pet. A little extra time playing with your dog will go a long way toward destressing and can boost serotonin levels in the brain. Don't have a pet, ask a neighbor or friend if you can walk their dog or offer to stop by when they are out to visit their kitty. Many studies have shown pets can be very therapeutic and wonderful companions.

9. Be sure to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can pile up leaving you feeling cranky, emotional, short tempered and negative. Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. If you can't get that much, try to catch up on the weekend with an early night to bed or try to get in a few naps. Even just closing your eyes for 20 minutes while you lie on the couch can do wonders.

10. Limit your intake of alcohol. Very often during the holidays, drinking alcohol can get a bit out of hand. One too many parties can leave you feeling bloated and hungover. Slow down your drinking by sipping it slower and having a seltzer or glass of water in between alcoholic drinks. You will stay hydrated and you won't get drunk because you give your body time to process the alcohol. Set a limit on how many drinks you will have and stick to it. You will avoid slowing down your metabolism and gaining weight. Alcohol is a real diet buster!

11. Finally, at the end of each day I want you to write down 3 things that you were happy about that you did for that day. This is a great way to stay positive and in control of your life. Positive affirmation can be a wonderful mood booster and stress minimizer by focusing your attention on something you did right. We always tend to fret and focus on what we didn't accomplish in a day or what went wrong. This little exercise will focus you on something that you did that was positive and made you happy.

Well, there you have it. That's quite a lot of tips, but stress is a big problem so I want you to be armed! Read this list over frequently during the next few months and I have every confidence that you will find things that will help keep you happier, healthier, and dealing with a little less stress :o) I want to help you enjoy the holidays; not dread them,

Keep Smiling,
-YouTips4U

What's the Best Way to Eat Flaxseed?

Dear YouTips4U: I love all your videos about diet and exercise. Thank you for all your great information. Can you tell me what the best way to eat flaxseed is? I want to start adding it to my diet to get more Omega-3s and fiber.


Hi, I'm so glad you are enjoying my videos on YouTube. The best way to eat flaxseed is ground. Either buy it already ground or buy flaxseeds and grind them yourself as you need them. You can grind them in a coffee grinder or mini food processor. It is much easier to digest them when they are ground up, therefore, you absorb more of the nutrients, including Omega 3s. If you eat the whole seeds, they may pass through your body undigested. Be sure to keep your grounds flax meal or your flaxseeds in the refrigerator as they can spoil quickly once the package is opened. They will keep several months in the fridge. You can enjoy your healthy ground flax in your cereal, yogurt, bake it into muffins, brownies, and breads!

Great Moisturizing Tip to Help Prevent and Treat Dry Chapped Hands!

For those of you living in a colder climate, I am sure you are familiar with dry chapped red hands that can occur in the winter months from washing our hands a lot and exposure to the cold dry air. I have a wonderful tip which is especially good for those of you who are always in water with your hands: like doctors, moms of small children, cooks, hairdressers, etc. Keep a bottle of olive oil nearby the sink where you wash your hands. Olive oil is wonderful for preventing as well as treating dry chapped skin. It forms a wonderful nourishing barrier against wetness which is superior to hand cream. It's oily consistency repels water and it is absorbed instantly, so it will continue to protect you during further washings. The best thing about olive oil is that it is all natural. If you are cooking, no problem, you don't have to worry about hand cream getting into your food while you prepare it because olive oil is edible. So as you prepare your meals, go ahead and smooth it on and resume cooking. If it gets on the food or utensils, it's fine because it's all natural. If you are a new mom caring for an infant, washing your hands is extremely important to protect the baby's health, olive oil is a wonderful skin treatment for your hands and you don't have to worry if you get it on your baby's skin or your breasts when you breastfeed. I highly recommend it! I hope you will give it a try. If you would like more information about using olive oil all over your body as a wonderful moisturizer, please click here to go to my video on YouTube: Wonderful Natural Moisturizer Tip and Technique to Soften & Nourish Your Skin to Prevent Dryness

Deodorant Recommendation!

I am always in search of deodorants without aluminum to recommend to you that work great. I just tried Degree Natural Effects Deodorant Solid in Honeysuckle and tea tree oil. It's wonderful and I highly recommend it. It's a clear solid and goes on smooth and smells wonderful. It did not irritate me, and I still smelled lovely after a two-hour workout! It's a keeper, and I think you'll love it too. I have been searching for a deodorant (not anti-antiperspirant deodorant)that's made by a name-brand company with a nice fresh smell. This is the first I've come across, and it's terrific. I have noticed that in the past, companies made deodorant-only products for men, but not women. I think they finally listened to our request for an aluminum-free, non-antiperspirant deodorant. I personally have called quite a few of the antiperspirant manufacturers to request this, so kudos to Unilever for listening. If you would like more information on Natural Deodorants or you would like to learn more about what antiperspirants that contain aluminum do to your body and why I don't recommend using them, please click here to go to my video on YouTube: Healthier Underarm Deodorants For Preventing Armpit Odor - Risks of Aluminum Antiperpirants To Body

Condition Your Hair While You Sleep!

A great time to deep condition your hair is while you are sleeping. I highly recommend you give it a try at least once a month. Before you go to bed pour a small amount of olive oil into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together a bit to distribute the oil and smooth it onto your dry hair. After you have applied the oil, I recommend that you loosely braid your hair to keep it from getting everywhere while you are sleeping. Don't worry if it gets onto your face while you're asleep; it's great for your skin too! Remember to apply the olive oil to your long hair only, not your scalp hair. Since our scalps do produce enough oil for that area, it's really the long hair that you can gather into a ponytail that often needs additional conditioning. If you have very dry hair and would like to place a small glazing on the surface of your scalp hair, that's fine.

If you are concerned about getting it on your pillow or bedding, place a soft towel over your pillow to protect it, or, you can do the following:

1. Using an old rag (I like to use old cotton t-shirts), rip off a long strip of it.

2. Next, wrap the strip of fabric around your braid starting at the base of your head and wrapping on down to the bottom. Secure the bottom by cutting the end into two, twisting in opposite directions and tying it in a bow.

The above method will cover the oil treated hair while you sleep and prevent any of the oil from touching your bed linens. If you want to skip the braid, you can just gather your hair like you are going to make a ponytail and twist the rag around your hair and secure. I prefer to braid first, but it's up to you.

When you wake up in the morning, shampoo and condition your hair as you normally would. Then just style as usual. You will be amazed at how beautifully conditioned you hair will look and feel. It will be soft, shiny and full of life. It's wonderfully rejuvenating for your hair. If you have dry or damaged hair this will really help to repair it.

Enjoy!

YouTips4U

Tip on How You Can Give Your Conditioner a Wonderful and Natural Boost to Enhance Your Hair!

Hi Everybody, looking to give your hair a special little conditioning boost? I have a great tip for you. Next time you shampoo your hair try this tip when you apply your conditioner.

1) Squeeze out all water in your hair after you have rinsed out the shampoo.

2) Next, apply your conditioner of choice. Please remember to place conditioner on your hair from the base of the back of your head down; not your scalp hair.

3) Next, pour a small nickle size amount of olive oil into your wet hands and rub them together to distribute the oil in your hands.

4) Gently smooth the olive oil onto your long hair (remember you are placing the olive oil over your conditioner that's already on your hair).

5) Wait about 2 minutes and rinse with warm water as you usually do. Just before you turn off the water, rinse your hair with cold water to close the cuticle and give your hair great shine.

6) Comb and style as usual.

You will love the amazing results. Your hair will be soft and shiny and retain a lot of moisture. This is great for those of you with dry, damaged, or color-treated hair, or anyone who what's soft shiny conditioned hair.

See you soon on YouTube :o)
-YouTips4U