healthy

A good snooze is key when it comes to preventing colds. In one JAMA Internal Medicine study, researchers gave 153 healthy men and women nasal drops containing rhinovirus and tracked their sleep habits. They found that people who regularly got less than seven hours of sleep were three times more likely to come down with a cold than those who slept eight hours or more each night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends aiming for at least 7 to 9 hours per night. Can’t seem to doze off?

Source: Prevention

6 Tips for Stretching Safely

1. Warm up first. Muscles stretch more easily when warm. Dynamic stretches can act as a warm-up for static stretches, or you can do static stretches after sports, exercise, or even marching in place with arms swinging for five minutes or dancing to a few songs.
2. Feel no pain. Stretch only to the point of mild tension, never to the point of pain.
3. Pay attention to posture and good form. Posture counts whether you’re sitting, standing, or moving. Good form translates to better gains in flexibility and less likelihood of injury when stretching tight muscles.
4. Focus on the muscle being stretched. You’ll notice that one side of your body often is tighter than the other. Work on balancing this over time.
5. Breathe. Breathe comfortably while stretching, or use yoga breathing. Whatever you do, don’t hold your breath while you are holding a stretch.
6. Practice often. You’ll make the best gains if you stretch frequently—daily, or on as many days of the week as possible.

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Cut Back on Sodium

• Look at Nutrition Facts labels and try to choose prepared foods that have less than 5% of the Daily Value of sodium per serving.
• Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned, smoked, or processed.
• Choose fresh or frozen vegetables that have no added salt.
• Rinse canned foods to remove some of the sodium.
• Add less salt—or none—when cooking.
• Use reduced-sodium bouillon, dressings, and sauces like soy sauce.
• Use fresh herbs and buy spices and blends without added salt.
• Cook at home instead of eating out, when possible. But when eating out, ask that no extra salt be added to your food.

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Noticing that your strands are falling out more than usual? . . . Experts say that it’s best to avoid shampoos that contain sodium chloride. While it isn’t a toxic ingredient, it is extremely dangerous to the health of your hair. This ingredient is used to make the consistency of hair thicker, but it’s known to be quite damaging for those with sensitive scalps; it can exacerbate the condition of your scalp and make it drier and itchier, which can lead to hair loss and breakage. . . .Look for shampoos that contain amino acids and other nourishing ingredients to rebuild your hair and prevent further damage and breakage.

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