Fall is a treat!

Fall can be a treat for the senses: the crisp air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, a gorgeous canopy of fall foliage, and the crunch of leaves underfoot. These months are a great time to exercise  outdoors and enjoy cooler temperatures. Walking, hiking and cycling are all awesome in the fall.


Seasonal constants include maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This includes sufficient amounts of water for hydration, sleep to rest and recuperate, physical exercise for strength and agility, and proper nutrition to stave off illness. Fall can be a great time to renew goals, change habits and try something new.


Summer dining generally equates to lighter food fare, like salads, seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbal iced teas, iced fruit infused waters, etc. These were ideal for summer, because they were less taxing on the digestive system, and also kept a person cool. The colder months of fall and winter call for heartier foods like hot cereals, stews, soups, casseroles and the like are ideal for those colder months. These foods are nutritious, but also warming. Try dried fruits and nuts and make your own granola. Consider frozen fruits and vegetables, which are quick frozen right after harvesting, preserving more of the nutrient value; they’re a nice reminder of the fresher seasonal produce during the warming months.


Continue using an SPF product to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays.


Consider gathering up dried twigs, branches, leaves, etc. and creating an arrangement for a seasonal tablescape, or put them in a large basket and display by your entry. 


When winter hits and the colder weather, and shorter days are giving you cabin fever, be sure to keep the spring and summer indoor with live plants and flowers. Don’t forget to open your windows every so often just to let some fresh air inside. Take walks to shake the “blues” away and enjoy the beautiful scenery around you, if necessary, bundle up with a jacket and scarf. Remember to enjoy each season and the change it offers.

Cold and flu season: Keep yourself healthy!

When cold and flu season hit, we are bombarded with advice for getting well, but the best way to be well is to prevent yourself from getting sick.  While there are no known cures for colds and flu, there are some proactive measures you can take to keep yourself healthy.

#1 Wash Your Hands
Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a doorknob. The germs can live for hours -- in some cases weeks -- only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If no sink is available, rub your hands together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs. Or rub an alcohol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands.

#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
Germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.

#3 Don't Touch Your Face
Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents and teachers.

#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids
Water flushes your system, washing out the toxins as it rehydrates you.  How can you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color of your urine runs close to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow, you need more fluids.

#5 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

These are just a few tips to help you avoid catching a cold or the flu this season.