Posts Tagged ‘ health ’

Health Care Network Changes Weaken Wellness

Health Care Network Changes Weaken Wellness

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. Don’t you just hate it when insurance companies make network changes? Oftentimes even when the changes improve ones health benefits they still have a negative affect. For many people, changing their doctor or pharmacist is more than a simply driving to another building. Relationships and trust are a very important aspect of health care and wellness. Being forced to alter ones health care choices based solely on money driven motives is an outrage! One example of this diminishing of wellness is the Walgreens and Express Scripts contract negotiations. For the past year Walgreens has been in negotiations with Express Scripts to continue as part of its pharmacy provider network. Those contract negotiations were unsuccessful, and the contract expired on Dec. 31. Beginning January 2012, Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide...

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Fitness Classes that Aren’t Kickboxing, Spinning or Zumba

When Billy Blanks put Tae Bo on the map in the late 90′s and early 2000′s, every gym realized they had to offer at least 16 kickboxing classes. Then, people started watching Tae Bo for entertainment and we realized the whole thing was stupid. Goodbye, Kickboxing. Then, word got out about spinning – a fancy name for riding a stationary bike along with a bunch of other people riding stationary bikes at varying speeds. It can be a good workout if done correctly, but the fad passed. It was cool for a while. Then it wasn’t. Then, we moved into Zumba. We may still be there. “Why workout when you can dance and flail your arms around,” Zumba supporters argue. People will later find out that mildly dancing for a half hour might not be as great a workout as it’s touted to be. So, what can you do if you’re disenchanted with kickboxing, spinning, Zumba and all the...

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Winter Fitness for Women

Winter isn’t all that great. Between cold weather, reduced exposure to sunlight, involuntarily reconnecting with family members you haven’t exactly missed, spending your hard-earned money on other people’s gifts and being confined to the indoors, we’re almost tempted to meet spring with astounding applause. But one of the worst parts of winter is definitely the feeling that you’re preparing for hibernation. Everywhere you turn, there’s food. Connie at work made a 7-layer peppermint chocolate cake. You don’t want to be rude, so you take a slice. Jeanine made a hearty batch of her meaty chili. You have two bowls because it’s so cold outside. Then there are Christmas cookies, Grandma’s special eggnog, four course ham dinners and sitting down in front of a cozy fire and not moving for hours on end. In spring, we’re rewarded with 15 extra pounds and jeans that don’t fit comfortably. Every year we vow to do better next winter. Guess what. It’s almost...

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Fitness & Style Go Together

Working out is one of those things that we all know will help us but can be tough to get into. Most people just need that push to get started, which, for a lot of people, can be found in great fashion choices. You don’t need designer bags or diamond rings, but you can looking great can help motivate you to exercise to feel even better. Look good feel better: You may be the type of person who puts on a huge sweatshirt and baggy sweat pants to work out in. I’m not knocking that style at all. You should definitely go with what makes you most comfortable. I personally think that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. You can get an outfit designed for athletic use that will turn heads and serve a purpose. It will have a positive effect on your psyche too. While you’re working out, it’s always nice to be able to...

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Looking Good, Seeing Well | The Gift of Sight

Looking Good, Seeing Well | The Gift of Sight

Having poor vision sucks. You see both of my sons wear corrective lenses and my youngest wore glasses since he was 15 months old. Becoming of age, they jumped at the chance to wear contact lenses. I fully understood their excitement, or so I thought. At the time, my vision was perfect. In reality, the closest vision association I could make was a pair of womens sunglasses. Living in Florida, the UV rays deem sunglasses a necessity, especially on those beach and boating days! While I did become accustomed to wearing sunglasses, they were never really was comfortable. Midlife has brought on the “vision blues” if you will. Needing correction with both near and far vision, I chose traditional glasses over contact lenses. The idea of purchasing both contacts and glasses seemed overindulgent and a tad vain to be honest. The eye doctor offered contact lenses with individual prescriptions, one for near sighted and the other far. OMG there...

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Food Cures Book Review | Joy Bauer Inspires a New Years Resolution?

Food Cures Book Review | Joy Bauer Inspires a New Years Resolution?

Food Cures: In her latest book, Today Show contributor Joy Bauer, R.D., explains how making the right diet choices can boost your mood, improve your memory, and even contribute to healthier skin, hair, and teeth not to mention dropping a few pounds! Ms. Bauer gives you her eating prescription in Food Cures, a book that follows her motto “life is hard . . . food should be easy.” Ms. Bauer has and continues to dedicate her life to helping improve the health of others. According to her website, “Her mission is to improve the health of our nation; she believes it’s never too late or too early to reap the benefits of healthy living.” Joy Bauer’s long list of profession affiliations makes her advice easily accessible and highly credible. These are just a few of Ms. Bauer’s affiliations: American Dietetic Association: Registered Dietitian New YorkStateCertified Dietitian–Nutritionist American Dietetic Association: Sports & Cardiovascular Nutritionist Group American Dietetic Association: Pediatric Practice...

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Your Exercise Excuses Are Over!

There’s nothing quite like a good excuse. We start from the time we start pre-school by telling mom we’re too sick to go color and eat graham crackers. Then we get older and find excuses to cover our late homework. Then we get older and find excuses to skip class. Then work. Then working out. The funny thing is, excuses don’t fool anyone. They only come back to haunt us later and then, ultimately lead to more excuses down the road. If you’ve been thinking of working out, but keep making excuses, here’s a clear message: Stop. Whatever you’ve been continuously telling yourself to get out of working out is probably more work than the actual exercising itself. 1)    “I am way too busy/tired/stressed!” Exercise is proven to reduce stress, increase energy, get your heart pumping and keep your brain functioning at optimum performance throughout the day. Even the distress you feel over not working out melts away once...

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