Healthy for Life
By Julie Asbach
HTF Columnist
Hey Everybody! I hope summer is being good to you, and that you’re taking time to be in the moment and appreciate every breath our bodies have been blessed with. Upon waking up it’s always good to do some nice deep breaths and to do a little stretching. Do it lying in bed, or upon rising, or take it outside in some fresh air. Getting oxygen into your bloodstream helps those muscles and organs function happily and healthily. Besides making your muscles feel more flexible when stretching, it also allows you to be more flexible in your thinking. Whatever the day may bring, it should allow you to be more resilient, relaxed, and make life a little more manageable. Taking time throughout the day to breathe and stretch will definitely help to cease the moment. Especially if you’re sitting at a desk all day, behind the computer, constantly standing, laboring strenuously, chasing kids, or just having a downright stressful day! How you begin your day will set the pace, and to keep flowing smoothly it only requires a few minutes to breathe and stretch. Remember, where the mind goes, the body follows and where the body goes, the mind follows. Keep it real and keep it fine-tuned!
Try this while lying in bed: Take a deep breath in and bring one knee towards your chest clasping your hands together below your knee, then exhaling releasing leg back down. Repeat with other leg. Keep alternating legs while continuing breathing. Repeat up to 10 times. This can be performed on the floor as well.
Upon rising: Stand up, feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, stomach held in, bring arms and hands over your head while taking a deep breath in, clasp hands together, stretch arms out, then flex legs to feel the stretch, exhale and release arms. Relax shoulders, rolling them back and forth while shaking out your legs. This is a great one to do throughout the day! If you have any health topics, health success stories or a family recipe for a health cure, please email me at juls11@ peoplepc.com or drop it off at Hometown Focus. Thanks for your support!
Cucumber (Cucumis Sativas)
This is the best time of season to be eating this fruit which is commonly mistaken as a vegetable and is generally prepared like one. This cultivated plant comes from the gourd family (cucurbitaceae), the same family as squash and pumpkin, and same genus as muskmelon.
The cucumber originated in India and has been cultivated in Western Asia for over 3,000 years. In the 1500’s, European trappers, traders, bison hunters and explorers bartered for products of American Indian agriculture. Tribes of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains learned from the Spanish how to grow European crops, cucumbers being one of them.
Cucumbers have a light melon taste and the organic compound phenylthiocabamide is what gives the cuke its slightly bitter taste. They contain over 90% water, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), caffeic acid, are rich in fiber, and the minerals silica, potassium, and magnesium. So the cucumber makes an excellent choice for hydrating our bodies, soothing skin irritations, reducing swelling such as puffy eyes, and is great for the complexion. Also, the phrase “cool as a cucumber” applies because they help keep that high blood pressure down with an all around good balanced meal.
How to purchase cucumbers:
They are sensitive to heat so try to choose those displayed in the refrigerator section. They should be firm, rounded at the edges, and bright medium to dark green in color. Avoid those that have yellow, puffy, sunken areas or are wrinkled at the tip. Thinner cucumbers have fewer seeds than the thicker ones. Choose cukes that are not waxed; the wax contain chemicals. They should be eaten within a couple of days. Cucumbers eaten fresh are called “slicers.” Those that are used for pickling are called “picklers.” They are great when used in garden fresh salads, or shrimp, tuna or potato salads. Sources: wikipedia.org.wiki.cucumber, www.whfoods.com
Try this favorite of mine - Cukes & Onion
Use one thinly sliced cucumber and half of a sliced Vidalia onion. Add in balsamic or apple cider vinegar and a little olive or sesame seed oil with a dash of sea salt, pepper and a few drips of honey or maple syrup to your liking. Stir it up and you have yourself a tasty side salad. Tip: Sprinkle cucumbers with sea salt first and let sit for several minutes, and shake them up before adding other ingredients; this makes the cucumber juicier! Another fabulously refreshing use of cucumbers to try is this Cucumber Fruit Tonic: slice a few cukes up and put them in a pitcher with ice water, mix with other sliced fruit such as lemons, limes, oranges and grapes to liven up that drinking water; it’s a soothing tonic for your belly.
