July 2005 Newsletter

This Month’s Contents:

• Have Fun
• Your Summer Reading Recommendations
• Beauty Product Detox
• Cuisine Quick Pick: Summer Food Safety

Have Fun

Recent research affirms that exercise and laughter and are great for physical and mental well-being. That sends two messages to me: Get moving and have fun. What excellent priorities not simply for your health, but also for enjoying your summer.

Our new group fitness schedule, which began June 20, will help you get moving and have fun while you do it. Your favorite classes are back as usual. If you haven’t signed up already, what are you waiting for? Now is the time.

Be Well, Cheryl

Your Summer Reading Recommendations

Thank you to everyone who suggested a favorite book to take along to the beach, vacation, or lounge chair. We even spotted a theme among these selections, although we weren’t looking for one. Pick up any of these titles and you will be transported to another time and place.

And if you have a recommendation you still want to share, e-mail me so that we can publish your suggestion in the August newsletter. Happy reading!

Autobiography

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin

When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

Mystery

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) by Alexander McCall Smith or any other book in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series

Beauty Product Detox

While most of us try to eat healthfully, in general we don’t pay the same degree of attention to the ingredients in our beauty products. Earlier this year, I decided that it was time to become a bit more mindful of the substances in those products. This led me to Skin Deep, a safety assessment of cosmetic and personal care products published by the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The amount of information here is considerable. Perhaps that’s why the EWG provides a searchable product guide where you can quickly identify the Ten Worst and Ten Best products in categories ranging from cosmetics, to eye care, to shaving, to baby care. You can also search for specific product and brand names.

Visit the EWG’s site to find purer choices for your personal care needs: http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep/

Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl

Q. How do I make sure that I’m drinking enough water to make it through a workout in hot weather?

A. Water consumption varies depending on the type of workout, intensity, duration, and temperature where you are working out.

Your particular water needs depend on the amount of energy your body uses. Adults require approximately 1-1.5 milliliters of water per calorie expended. That’s 1-1.5 liters (about 1 quart) for every 1,000 calories burned, or eight 8 ounce glasses daily in a 2,000 calorie a day diet.  Increase water consumption during hot temperatures, strenuous exercise, or physical work. Try to drink 1-3 more cups (8 ounces) per hour as you increase your activity intensity.

The effects of dehydration are progressive as a person loses lose body water and weight:

- 0-1% loss, thirst

- 2-5%, fatigue (dry mouth, flushed skin, headache, impaired physical performance)

- 6%, weakness (increased body temperature, breathing rate, pulse rate)

- 8%, dizziness, increased weakness, labored breathing with exercise)

- 10%, delirium (muscle spasms, swollen tongue, wakefulness)

- 11% or greater loss, (death caused by poor circulation and failing kidney function)

To ensure you don’t lose too much water during strenuous activity, weigh yourself before that activity, then after. Replace any water weight loss with 2 cups per pound lost. Another way to see if you’re drinking enough fluid is to check your urine. A small amount or dark-colored urine indicates that you aren’t consuming enough fluid.

Never leave home without a full water bottle or two.

What’s your fitness question? Send it to: cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com.

Cuisine Quick Pick

Summer Food Safety

Prevent food safety mishaps from interrupting the fun for you and your family this season. Try these quick picks, and steer clear of bothersome tummy trouble or even serious illness.

Refrigerator thermometer. Do you notice that even your refrigerated food spoils faster when the weather gets hot? You may need to lower your fridge’s temperature if so. An inexpensive refrigerator thermometer lets you make sure your refrigerator compartment is staying below 40° F (but above 32°). These thermometers are available almost anywhere kitchenware is sold, including discount and hardware stores. Most cost around $5-$10.

Ask a food safety expert. The USDA’s Ask Karen is an automated response system available 24x7 to answer many food safety questions. Among those we tried: How long can food be at room temperature? (Partial answer: “The Danger Zone is the temperature range between 40° and 140°F in which bacteria can grow rapidly...Never leave food in the Danger Zone over 2 hours; 1 hour if outside temperature is above 90°F.”)

We found that getting an answer sometimes required rephrasing the question. At times we received quicker results by only typing a keyword such as “mayonnaise.” In any case, there is a lot of useful information available simply for the asking. Sample this free service for yourself:

Ask Karen

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/food_safety_education/ask_karen/index.asp#Question

New Session! July 4 Break!

New session started June 20. You can still take advantage of openings in current classes if you have yet to enroll. Review the schedule on our website, then contact us at 978-692-1032. 

4th of July studio is on vacation   Please remember that no group classes will be held from Saturday, July 2 through Sunday, July 10. Our regular schedule resumes Monday, July 11. Private and semiprivate sessions will be available during this week(July 4th-July10). Get a few friends together and give a semiprivate session a try. Call or e-mail to schedule.

Coming in August

• Virtual Visit to Rancho La Puerta
• Find of the Month: Fitness Website
• Quick Pick: Whole-Grain Salads

Terms and Conditions: This newsletter is intended for general information only. Opinions and content offered here are expressed freely; neither we nor our contributors guarantee them. Please remember that nothing here replaces your own judgment or the advice of a qualified medical professional.