Toward a better bod

Hope your body stays strong all year long? Then follow these five suggestions, courtesy of Sara Bernstein, a dietitian and personal trainer at Ways to Wellness, a program at Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury.

• Exercise. Work out 30 minutes or more most days of the week to maintain a healthy weight, improve cardiovascular health and reduce stress.

• Destress. Stress leads to abdominal weight gain, heart disease, some cancers and other chronic health problems. Incorporate regular relaxation, such as yoga, which is a mood-booster that also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.

• Eat good fats. Stop eating saturated and hydrogenated trans fats, which cause inflammation. Instead, eat the mono- and polyunsaturated fats found in fish, avocados, flax and walnuts.

• Add antioxidants. Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, which prevent harmful free radicals from damaging cells and causing cancer and heart disease.

• Fiber up. Instead of eating processed snacks and white bread, eat oats, peas, beans, barley and flax to prevent absorption of bad cholesterol and to control blood sugar.

 
Boost your brain

Boosting your brainpower can be as simple and fun as having dinner with an old friend or learning to play piano. Susan McPherson, a neuropsychologist and associate professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, shares her suggestions for staying sharp.

• Physical exercise. A fit body makes a fit brain, so get regular exercise.

• Mental exercise. Play games that make you think, problem-solve and remember, including Trivial Pursuit, bridge, crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles.

• Socialize. Friends help your brain stay young, so shoot for socializing a few times a week. Face-to-face is best, but calling an old friend works, too.

• Learn something new. Take guitar lessons, start knitting or learn a new dance. Learning keeps you sharp by increasing the connections between brain cells and helping brain cells communicate more effectively.

• Eat well. Stay away from junk food and fast food and focus on eating lots of vegetables and fish or other lean meats. Anything that helps your body helps your brain.

A sense of place

We’re pretty much stuck indoors, so improving our home spaces is all about a place for everything and everything in its place, says Heidi Preslicka  of In the Right Place Organizing (www.intherightplaceorganizing
.com ):

Place names: If everything has a home and a label, finding things — and putting them away — will be easier.

Looped in: A child who is given input on organization will be more inclined to maintain the system.