So is there anything you can do (besides getting vaccinated) to prevent the flu(s)?

While there’s no way to be 100% protected against the flu (even with the vaccine, although that certainly helps) there are several things you can do to build your immunity and give your body a fighting chance.

Tips to Stay Healthy During Flu Season

1. Get plenty of sleep. Not getting enough sleep breaks down your immunity and makes your body susceptible to germs, bacteria and viruses, including the flu.

2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Your body’s natural defenses need proper nutrition to function at optimal levels. Cut back on processed foods and replace with whole grains and 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

3. Drink plenty of water. Staying properly hydrated not only maintains your body’s strength and vitality but flushes your system of toxins and germs.

4. Add immune boosting foods to your diet. Yogurt, black or green tea, mushrooms, garlic and fatty fish like salmon or mackerel are all reported to strengthen your body’s natural defenses.

5. Wash your hands, cover your mouth. The oldest advice in the book is some of the best when it comes to protecting yourself from the flu. Wash often.

6. Regularly disinfect your office. Wipe your keyboard, desk and phone down with disinfectant regularly to avoid the millions of germs that lurk there unknowingly.

7. Maintain your distance. Keeping at least 5 feet between yourself and a coughing or sneezing friend or co-worker will help diffuse a germy situation. And now is not the time to be sharing chapsticks, drinks or anything else with anyone.

8. Get your Vitamin D. The easiest way to ensure you’re getting your Vitamin D is to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight on your face and/or body each day. If that’s not a possibility, consider a supplement. Vitamin D is essential to immunity.

9. Get your exercise. Working out is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen and condition your body, mind… and immunity. Try to work out for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week to increase blood and nutrient flow and decrease stress hormones that inhibit immunity.

10. Socialize. Locking yourself away for the winter might decrease your chances of catching a cold or the flu but socializing is important to keep spirits up and emotions balanced – both are things that strengthen immunity.

Know the symptoms of the flu and H1N1 flu – and seek medical attention immediatly if you or someone you know shows signs.

Somewhere along the line running became associated with a breaking down of the body – but according to sports medicine specialists, the opposite is true.

Dr. Ron Noy, a New York City sports medicine specialist and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, says that running not only helps the joints (including the knee joints) stay lubricated and healthy, but it also keeps bones and the heart strong. “If you have a healthy knee, running is not going to damage the knee,” he says in this article on MSNBC. “It’s not going to wear down your knee, and there are benefits to the joint from running.”

That’s not to say you can’t overdo it by training too much and too often and sustain an injury. That happens all the time. If you have arthritis or an old injury, running or other high-impact exercise can definitely aggravate it and cause pain because your joints are already compromised. And if you’re overweight and unconditioned and start a rigorous exercise program before you’re ready, you can damage your knees and other joints.

But if you have healthy knees and train properly, gradually increasing distance and speed and resting at least two rest days a week, you are doing nothing but good things for your body, bones and joints. Bottom line – if you exercise in moderation you will not wear eventually “wear out” your body. You’ll keep it healthy for years to come.

From the article on MSNBC: There’s no reason to think that healthy people doing recommended amounts of physical activity and progressing at a sensible rate are going to eventually wear out their bodies. On the contrary, there is abundant evidence that exercise can go a long way to keep us healthy and strong as we age — and prevent early death.

So get out there and run, hike, ride, walk or take a group fitness class several times a week – your body will thank you.

But along with all that goodness comes a whole lot of fat and calories. Thankfully, there are easy ways to tweak your favorite Thanksgiving recipes to lower the calorie count while keeping all the flavor. That way you can enjoy yourself guilt free and worry about more important things (like Free Black Friday shopping).

10 Recipe Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving

1. The pilgrims didn’t use a lot of refined sugar and you don’t have to either. Sweeten dishes like sweet potatoes with cinnamon and vanilla instead of white sugar and save A LOT of calories.

2. Skip the canned ingredients, which often contain high-fructose corn syrup and high amounts of sodium, and choose fresh ingredients. Make your own cranberry sauce by pureeing fresh, frozen or dried cranberries in orange juice and water.

3. Seasonal vegetable soup (think butternut squash soup) is a healthy, light and filling way to start a Thanksgiving meal. Just use low-fat cream or half and half instead of full-fat cream or choose a chicken or vegetable broth based soup to start.

4. Instead of smothering cauliflower butter and cheddar cheese, try slicing it and roasting it with parmesan cheese for a delicious low-cal version of the popular vegetable dish. If you’re making a casserole, choose skim milk cheese and low-fat ingredients.

5. Serve up green beans a different way this year – in a tasty pesto sauce instead of fried with bacon or smothered with cheese.

6. Make your own healthy stuffing with whole grain bread and substitute fruit and nuts for meat (or use turkey sausage) to save loads of fat and calories. Or stuff your turkey with a cornucopia of hot peppers for a spicy take on Thanksgiving that will really rev your metabolism.

7. For a juicier turkey, butterfly it (remove the backbone and flatten it before cooking) to reduce cooking time (and subsequent drying out of the meat). This way you’ll need less oil and gravy.

8. Go light on the desserts. Substitute calorie-laden pies with sorbets or fruit tarts or a healthy apple cranberry crisp. If you simply can’t skip the pumpkin pie, use fat free condensed milk and egg substitute to lighten the load.

9. Scalloped potatoes made with olive oil and fat-free milk are a healthy alternative to mashed potatoes (which tend to get covered in gravy, butter, sour cream and cheese at the table even if you keep the recipe lean).

10. Serve fresh vegetables or fruit as appetizers and skip the fatty chips and dip spread.

p.s. Any traditional recipe can be lightened by choosing low- or fat-free versions of milk, cheese, cream, half & half, egg substitute and sour cream or even using yogurt in some cases.

Have any light and delicious Thanksgiving recipes to share? We’d love to read them – please leave a comment below!

Fitness instructors and health professionals are touting short-burst interval training as the “new frontier” in the fitness field. In today’s busy world, people are looking to save time anywhere they can. If you can save time on your workout and still gain the same – or better – results, it’s a no-brainer.

“Despite the low time commitment, we’re showing many of the benefits that people associate with traditional endurance exercise,” says Martin Gibala, chair of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who studies short-burst training. (Gibala found in a study last year that people who did short-burst training for 1.5 hours each week saw the same results as people who did steady, traditional training for 4.5 hours a week.)

But interval training isn’t easy. Adding short bursts of intense activity to your normal workout is challenging and can be uncomfortable. The old “no pain, no gain” saying definitely applies to short-burst interval training.

“It feels aggressive, it looks aggressive, it can produce results and maybe even reduce stress more than traditional, steady-state exercise does,” says msnbc.com fitness contributor Jay Blahnik, a personal trainer in Laguna Beach, Calif.

To incorporate short-burst intervals, simply sprint, hike, ride, run or walk as fast as you can for a set amount of time (between 30 and 90 seconds usually) followed by a period of rest (slowing to a jog or fast walk, for example). Then do it again. Instead of working out at a steady pace for an hour or an hour and a half, adding intervals can cut your workout time to 30 or 40 minutes while yielding the same results.

If you’re new to exercise, interval training may not be for you just yet. Check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program and be careful not to push your body too far too fast. Starting slow, by walking for example, and adding periods of brisk walking will also yield benefits and condition your body to push itself more and more each time you head out.

Bodyweight training (using only your body weight as resistance) can be every bit as effective as strength training with weights… if you know what you’re doing.

Follow these 5 Laws of Bodyweight Training and you’ll gain the advantage of a more efficient muscle-building workout.

1. Get Long to Get Lean. While working out, stretch your body as far as you can in opposite directions to get the most out of your workout. The longer your body, the weaker you become and the more you’re forced to used stabilizing muscles. Example: raise your hands straight above your head during squats, lunges and sit-ups. When doing push ups, extend your feet and toes as far back as possible.

2. Don’t Bounce. When you lift weights, be sure to pause at the bottom of each repetition so you can resist the urge to bounce the weight back up. You’ll use more muscle fiber and energy if each motion is smooth and controlled and doesn’t rely on elastic energy.

3. Maximize Range of Motion. By increasing your range of motion, you’ll increase the benefits you see after lifting. If you’re doing push ups, for example, place your feet or hands on a stair or a stepper. For squats or lunges, place your front foot on a chair or riser. If you’re using a weight machine, increase the range.

4. Add a Twist. By twisting your torso to the right and left during any exercise from squats to lunges to push ups, you activate your transverse plane and strengthen your core.

5. Be Unstable. Challenge your body by doing one-handed push-ups, pull-ups or one-legged calf raises. By throwing yourself off balance, your body has to work harder to stabilize itself and your muscles will respond by getting stronger.

Via Active Insider

The “Vitality Project,” created by adventure and travel writer Dan Buettner and organized with help from the AARP and United Health Foundation, aims to change the lifestyle habits of the 18,000 residents of Albert Lea.

In addition to building walking and bike trails, restaurants in town started offering healthier meals, grocery stores showcased healthy options and residents committed to eating less fast and junk food and more fruits and vegetables. Schools stopped offering sugary treats and started offering “walking buses” where parents walk a group of kids to school in lieu of the bus. Employers in town even gave employees time to exercise during the day.

“A lot of health professionals are buying into the idea that this is a problem we’re going to have to tackle in a lot of different ways,” Nelson said. “This idea of a community approach is something a lot of people are really getting excited about.”

The official organized portion of the “Vitality Project” ended this week but many residents have adopted permanent healthy lifestyle changes. “It’s funny, once you cut out the bad stuff, you go back to it and it doesn’t taste as good anymore,” said Furland, 46, who lost about 15 pounds and added three years to his life expectancy, according to his survey.

I think it’s great that Americans are starting to take health and wellness seriously. A community approach is a great way to tackle the problem of obesity in our country. We’re doing it here at Sierra Trading Post – and you can do it at home. Get together with your family and devise your own health and wellness plan. Add years to your life simply by cutting out junk food, eating more lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and getting plenty of exercise.

Check out six hot ways to burn off those holiday calories and ward off the winter blues while enjoying the winter season, the snow and the cooler temperatures it brings. Stay fit this season and you’ll be feeling good all year long.

Six Ways to Stay in Shape This Winter

1. Cross-country skiing can burn an average of 544 calories per hour! With poles, you can expect a full-body workout!

2. Snowboarding at a moderate pace can burn an average of 414 calories per hour and helps sculpt legs and improve flexibility!

3. Downhill skiing can burn an average of 374 calories per hour, plus it works your abs, thighs and gluts!

4. Snowshoeing at a moderate pace burns up to 544 calories per hour and it works your abs, thighs and calves. Add poles to give your upper body a workout, too!

5. Ice skating burns up to 425 calories per hour and shapes your thighs and calves. Skate backwards to challenge your leg muscles even more!

Fact: Cold weather forces your body to exert more energy to stay warm, so you’ll burn extra calories while exercising outdoors!

6. But if you’d rather not brave the cold temps, you can always head to the gym for a great indoor workout. Take a group class or hop on the treadmill or the stationary bike for a run, walk or ride. Sierra Trading Post has all the fitness apparel you need at 35-70% off regular retail prices!

Calorie information via Prevention magazine.

“Exercise is as close to a magic bullet as brain fitness gets,” says John Medina, PhD, director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning at Seattle Pacific University.

Exercise gets blood pumping to the brain and increases the production of chemicals that improve memory, attention and problem solving. But some workouts are better than others when it comes to training your brain. Prevention magazine outlines 7 tips and tricks to help your mind get the most out of your workout.

The Ultimate Brainpower Workout

1. Head for the hills (or a local park). Walking or running in a nature area is 20% more beneficial for memory and attention than exercising in the city.

2. Practice tai chi. Researchers found that older adults who practice tai chi have better sensation in their fingers and toes, thanks to strengthened nerve pathways that develop from controlled movements inherent to this workout.

3. Add speed. By incorporating speed into your workout through sprinting or interval training you can improve your memory and attention by 20%.

4. Work on balance. Adding balance and coordination moves to your strength training program can increase your ability to make decisions by 13% in only 6 weeks. Lifting weights while sitting on a balance ball is a great way to do this.

5. Toss a ball. If you toss a ball back and forth in your hands while walking you can improve your attention and concentration by training the area of your brain responsible for focus.

6. Bring a friend. Working out with a partner and strengthening social ties has been found to decrease your chance of dementia by 26%.

7. Lift weights with your eyes closed. Closing your eyes forces your brain to to use circuits that aren’t normally engaged, which strengthens them and improves your brain’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances, a skill that fades with age.

Sierra Trading Post HR representative Tara Rood (at right) outlines the details in the 2009 Flu Season Guideline for employees. STP offers the flu shot for free to all employees who want it. While we can’t offer the swine flu vaccine, (there are limited doses) Tara explains symptoms you should watch out for and ways to prevent the transmission of H1N1 below.

What are the signs and symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu in people?

The symptoms of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever or chills and cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting. Like seasonal flu, 2009 H1N1 flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Washing your hands regularly, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning surfaces that have frequent hand contact (like desks, doorknobs, telephones, etc.) with disinfecting wipes will help prevent transmission of H1N1 or swine flu. Sierra Trading Post is asking employees to stay home if they are sick for 24 hours after their fever has broken. That’s good advice for everyone!

Photos:
#1 Tara Rood, Administrative Assistant, HR
#2 Bob Koehler, Director of HR
#3 Dakota Waide, Web Merchandising Supervisor
#4 Valerie Cruz, Retail, and Naomi Berg, Social Networking Specialist

“Making sure your kids enjoy being active is the key to keeping them healthy for life,” says FitSchools adviser Jim Liston, C.S.C.S. in this article on MSNBC. “But you may have to do the opposite of your first instinct.”

So how do you help encourage your children to be active? Here are 10 easy ways to help your kids get (and stay) fit:

10 Ways to Help Kids Get Fit

1. Make fitness fun. Just like adults, if children aren’t having fun while exercising, they won’t stick with it. Playing tag, jumping rope, playing soccer… all are great ways to exercise and have fun at the same time. Don’t be too rigid with the rules or make things too competitive – just let them have a good time.

2. Be a good role model. Actions really do speak louder than words, so make sure you’re playing with them. Get involved in the game or sport and show them, by example, how much fun exercise can be.

3. Encouragement and praise go a long way. Know when to encourage your child with a sincere compliment. Don’t just praise them when they do something perfectly. If they’re struggling, praise what they’re doing right and how proud you are of them for trying.

4. Don’t make food a reward. By rewarding children with junk food and candy, we’re basically setting the stage for childhood obesity. Food shouldn’t be thought of as a reward – that delivers the wrong message and can lead to comfort and emotional eating.

5. Don’t compare your child to others. Kids develop coordination and athletic skills at different rates, just like anything else. Comparing them negatively to others will only give them self-confidence issues. Remember, your child is a unique individual – encourage him or her to be their personal best.

6. Schedule play time. Just like we need to pencil workouts into our busy lives, children need a set time to play. Right after school is a perfect time to let kids blow off steam and get some exercise.

7. Keep it up year round. Don’t let your child’s fitness fall by the way side in the winter time. Find sports or activities you can do inside or bundle up and enjoy the snow. Skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, ice skating are all fun ways to stay fit.

8. Expose them to many sports. Just because you’re a world class cyclist or basketball player, it doesn’t mean your child will be. If they don’t take to the sport or activity you try first, introduce them to many things until they find one they truly love and can excel at.

9. Take them to sporting events. If your child really likes baseball, hockey or football, take them to games. If he or she is a skier, take them to a race. Seeing professional athletes in action will keep their interest and excitement up.

10. Teach them about proper nutrition. Your kids learn their eating habits from you. Making sure they eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein now will ensure healthy eating habits for life.