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STEP IT UP: If you are getting fewer than 5,000 steps a day, you are classified as sedentary! What’s a better goal to shoot for to improve your mood, your cholesterol, your heart health, your weight? 12,500, not 10K, say the American College of Sport Medicine..  And you don’t have to meet your goal all in one outing. Split it up and add some non-walking intervals.

DO THE TWIST!!!!!

The act of Twisting is more than a dance move. And more than just a yoga asana, ((although it is an essential part of the yoga curriculum). Twisting is physical movement which done deliberately and intentionally can change the way everything works in your body--from your outer to your inner geography. Twisting  strengthens those  oblique muscles on the side body, exercises the upper back and the waist, and even helps to detoxify your liver, according to the Yoga Institute.  The action of twisting helps to create inter-vertebral space thus lengthening the spine. This decompresses the vertebral space, and protects spinal nerves. The flow of energy is also improved in a gentle non-evasive way leaving you feeling newly rebooted. Twisting actions stimulate  blood circulation and release tension in abdominal muscles, allowing the digestive organs to experience a fresh blood flow rich in oxygen and nutrients.  Twisting can help you de-stress. opening up the shoulders, chest and back to boost oxygen and decrease anxiousness.  You can do a twist while lying in bed, sitting upright in a chair or cross-legged on a yoga mat or even standing.  Twists --however and wherever youo them  and that’s anywhere from the breakfast table in the morning to your desk at noon or your bed at night-- can affect  the upper, middle and lower back helping to  improve the spinal cord’s range of motion (including  the neck) by  engaging the  supportive soft tissue surrounding the spinal cord.  Everything old feels new again.

Maybe best or all, twists can profoundly affect at-risk backs that slouch at a desk or in a car or train/plane for long stretches, a situation that not only weakens the integrity of the spine, (the center of our being), but ultimately affects what happens in our head space, as well. Think of headaches, fatigue and gloomy moods often following prolonged periods in one position.

Do the Twist!

WITHOUT KNIFE OR KICKS

Two ways to get healthier from your feet to your fork?
Eat more raw veggies.  Cooking destroys many nutrients and digestive enzymes while eating your peas and carrots  in their natural state provides ATP, a key molecule for transporting enzergy to cells.
And when you put down the salad fork, try  jumping on a mini trampoline. According to the American Council on Exercise, it's as effective as running six miles an hour. And maybe more giddy fun!

NAILING IT!

Are you poisoning your pinkies with standard issue salon  polish?
All of the toxic ingredients commonly found in polish, removers, and nail adhesives  -- including acetone, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DPB), xylene and parabens-- can cause everything from headaches, dizziness and lung irritation to liver and kidney damage and reproductive harm, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
There are healthier, prettier, and more cost effective ways to nail it these days.
Whole Foods type markets sell a range of safe nail products for DIY care (or take them to your salon).
And what good deed can you do your teeth and bones you're probably not doing now? Invest in a bottle of the vitamin E family supplement,  tocotrienals. The most popular form of vitamin E , alpha tocopherol, doesn't appear to  do the trick. 430 to 860 mg a day helped to improve bone and dental health in recent studies.

HEALTHIER NOT HEAVIER

• Start 2018 with a few clear- conscience snacks -- and a spicy drink to have in front of that  wintry night fireplace!
•  Skip that fatty butter on your morning bagel. Spread with blender whipped yogurt and berries.
• After lunch munch-- Toss spears of English cucumbers  with Maldron (or Himalayan) salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice. Beats chips and salted  nuts 
• Innovative imbibing at Happy Hour?  Have a Sriracha-Lada! Combine 1 ounce of lime juice, 2 tsps of sriracha sauce, and a dash of worchestershire sauce, pour over crushed ice in a salt-rimmed beer glass and top with a good Mexican lager  To cut down on foam, pour in beer over the back of a spoon). Hey, beer is rich in minerals like selenium and magnesium plus B Complex:)

SPRINKLE AND STRETCH

Tightness even a few Spine Stretch Forwards doesn't fix ? Take a hint and knock back some Hintonia Latiflora.  Sometimes called "vegetable insulin" this herb native to Columbia and Mexico contains a neoflavinoid  that lowers blood glucose levels, blood fats and even blood pressure, in addition to relaixing muscles. Beyond Hintonia, two herbs mentioned in the Yoga Sutras that improve flexibility in the muscles and joints are at our fingertips-- turmeric and cinnamon bark. Both make great holiday teas!

FORMALDEHYDE IN THE FLAME?

What's more sensual than a scented candle?  But nothing may be more dangerous at the same time. Heavily perfumed candles emit the chemical limonene that can react with ozone in the atmosphere to create the carcinogen formaldehyde. 100% beeswax candles may be pricer, but they are also safer to sniff!

THE SAD DIET GETS SADDER

The Standard American Diet (SAD) isn't called that for nothing. Fewer than half of all Americans say they cook at an intermediate level and 16% of men between the ages of 20 and 39 admit they eat pizza every day! Our top sources of calories (besides pizza) s are baked goods, sugary drinks, chicken and alcohol, says the USDA. Go from sad to glad with a plate of steamed kale, dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little crushed garlic. Kale has more calcium than 6 ounces of milk and more fiber than 3 slices of whole wheat bread. Tasty tomorrow  as a leftover stirred into cooked rice.

HALF A PLANTAIN FOR LOWER LDL

Besides that daily clove of garlic (delicious roasted with some heart healthy olive oil) , there are 5 more daily eats that can ease your high LDL cholesterol numbers down:

* Two or three apples (try a different variety every day. Had a Pink Lady or an Autumn Gold?)
* Three medium carrots (puree for a smoothie with kale and kefir, or lightly steam  carrot sticks and dip in fresh pesto)
*Half a whole green plantain (these tropical non-dessert fruits look like plus-size bananas  and need to be pan-fried or oven-roasted. Drizzle a little agave syrup on top),
*two cups of yogurt (dairy or nondairy) Tasty with that plantain above.

HERBAL ALTERNATIVES TO STATINS

Heal with herbs. Did you know you  can lower your LDL cholesterol non-toxically with both lavender oil  and olive leaf extract ? Take the latter orally via tincture , and apply the former  (combining a few delightfully scented drops with a quarter cup of coconut oil) )  massaging into hands, arms and legs and feet where it also helps normalize blood pressure and circulation. No fear of liver damage or overdosing.

BREWSKY WITH A BITE

Sip your way into fall  with an ice-cold but spicy hot beer cocktail! Combine  1 oz fresh lime juice with 2 tsp Sriracha and 1/4. tsp Worcestershire sauce in a salt-rimmed mug filled with crushed ice.  Top with (to keep the theme) a Mexican lager such as Pacifico or a low or no alcohol brew like Sharp's or Bitburger Drive. Rather than beer nuts,  munch with  a bunch of garlic roasted walnuts. A handful give you protein,vitamin E, omega-3, folate, even melatonin which helps prevent premature aging, migraines and diabetes.

NOT SO SAME OLD SAME OLD SALAD

Update those sliced cucumbers and slivered radishes in your tossed greens.
Try rhubarb. Yes, really!  For a 4-person salad, slice 3 ribs of fresh rhubarb into half-inch chunks, then flash-roast at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool , toss with your favorite greens (Try frisee or radicchio for a change), dress with oil and vinegar. Instead of the same-old slivered, almonds or shredded cheese on top,  try lightly toasted hemp seeds for protein and omega-3's. Rhubarb is rich in Vitamins A, B and K for strong bones with fewer calories than almost any veg this side of celery.

HEALTH IN HAND

Good for the environment but not so good for your inner ecology--Did  you know those hot air hand dryers spread 27 times more bacteria than paper towels? Rx? Shake your wet hands twelve times then use just one folded towel and you're good, recommend preventative health experts. Then get those germ-free hands on some naturally sweetened  cherry juice instead of soda. Tart cherries are rich in inflammation fighting antioxidants, great for treating RA and a natural source of stress-reducing melatonin.  20 ounces of soda a day, on the other hand, can shorten your life by almost 5 years, say anti-aging nutritionists.

NUTRITIONAL MATH

Is your good diet wanting? It is if you're tossing back a few pharmaceuticals with your morning joe and Downward  Facing Dog. .So what’s the take-away about putting back? At a minimum, you need at a respectable multivitamin --preferably one formulated for your sex and age that carries the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) crest.  Plus some additional ascorbic acid (vitamin C),  preferably in the optimally absorbed Ester-C form which will help keep your immune system humming along. One or two grams daily taken in spaced doses couldn’t hurt (and if you don’t need it, it’s water soluble and will simply be voided). A bone-support supplement that contains calcium, vitamin D, and perhaps helper- bone health trace minerals such as boron, silica and vitamin are good add-ons for women.   Wash it all down with a cup of green tea and you’re good to flow! Go to www.invitehealth/drug-induced-nutrient-depletion.html for more details. 

Your Feet, Your Face, Your Gut

Get off your high horse and out of those high heels, ladies. High heels cause 200% more stress to your knees than sneakers. Ballet flats are no better.  And you are three times less stable in flip flops than in low heels. Further up the body, you can  reduce the appearance of wrinkles by using a bedside humidifier that provides 70% relative humidity. And a fruity way to protect your GI tract? Couple that wine or beer with a few vitaminwberries, say new studies from the University of Bar C Barcelona.

PS: Check Your pH Levels!

1. A key measure of your overall health is your acid-alkaline balance, expressed as a number on the pH scale: 1 is most acid and 14 is most alkaline. You can check your numbers (excellent is between 6.6 and 6.8) with a litmus paper test kit available from medical supply companies or some  pharmacies. Best way to alkalinize your body? Drink less (acid) coffee, eat  more (alkaline) green vegetables. Even better,  switch that brewed coffee for freshly made juices.

Leafy Green Bones

Got greens? You don't need milk for calcium. 50% of the skeleton-boosting calcium in green leafy vegetables is absorbed  (even higher  for Brussels Sprouts) by your body -which is twice that of milk with no fat or cholesterol, says the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).  Best bone-building greens? Collards. Next best--turnip, dandelion and mustard greens followed by kale. For a calcium add-on --dish up those steamed greens with stir-fried tofu and toasted sesame seeds.

In the Black with Green Tea

Unlike caffeinated teas, herbal teas support the adrenals rather than depleting them, promote blood purification and stimulate the body's natural defenses to fight infection.  If your health is in the red for any reason, pour a cup of green tea. Daily doses of green tea help to prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, fight gum disease and spur weight loss. Green tea also enhances the  body's ability to assimilate vitamin C.  Brew it gently and  serve  without  milk or sugar to preserve its nuanced  flavors. Read more about the miracles of tea in my book SUPER IMMUNITY FOODS!

Lemon Love

If you're smart, you'll put the squeeze on a lemon! It's more than just a flavor enhancer.  The juice of half a lemon in warm water taken morning,noon and night helps release toxins, and eases the aches of the flu. You can substitute fresh lemon juice to set your curls or applied directly, lemon juice will help shrink corns. Out of aloe? A slice of lemon rubbed on a fresh burn will prevent blistering. For a fast and healthy "Lemon Nuts" snack,. saute whole unsalted raw almonds in melted butter or coconut oil, splash with lemon juice, stir until juice is absorbed, and sprinkle with a little fresh grated lemon peel and a pinch of sea salt. Munch a bunch!

Bad Food, Bad Breath

Oral B.O.? Check what's on your menu. Food is  the culprit in 90% of all cases of halitosis.  Besides garlic and onion and fatty food like butter, all refined carbohydrates (specially sticky ones) , especially sugar, increase odor-causing bacteria in your mouth. Switch to protein rich snacks which increase saliva, especially foods high in vitamins C ad A and the bioflavonoids to strengthen gum tissue.  Have cubes of aged cheese for dessert rather than cake and cookies.