Healthy Fall Activities

Most of us enjoy doing summer activities that can also promote a good workout. Most of us tend to feel a bit bummed out when summer is about to end. However, just because fall is around the corner doesn't mean you still can’t enjoy outside activities and get some exercise from them. Fall is a great time to get out and enjoy the last season of great weather! The air is crisp and clean; the beautiful scenery of the changing leaves is soothing to the eyes and soul. I love the fall... It is one of my favorite seasons! I've made a list of some of my favorite fall activates that also produce a form of fun exercise. Fall is a great time to get out and enjoy the season before old man winter arrives!

• Fall Festivals: One of my favorite things to do in the fall is going to festivals. This weekend in Sleepy Hollow they are having the Cornucopia festival at the Philipsburg Manor. This fall festival is a fun fill event of corn-centric delicacies, interactive, corn-related activities, from a mini corn maze for children, scarecrow, and husk doll making, food and a tour of the 18th century mill. Festival dates are Labor Day weekend, Saturday through Monday, August 31-September 2, from 10-5 each day. It’s perfect for adults and children. You will you have fun doing all these activities and you will get some exercise as well. There are other great festivals in NYC during the fall, check your local listings of fall festivals in your area.
• The San Gennaro festival in NYC: Held in Little Italy for 11 days from Thursday, September 12, through Sunday, September 22, 2013, on the streets of historic Little Italy, the lower Manhattan neighborhood which served as the first home in America for hundreds of thousands of Italian immigrants. This Feast brings the world to Little Italy and Little Italy to the world! Some of the foods may not be the healthiest but you can find some great Italian salads and fish dishes. You get your exercise walking down the streets of little Italy enjoying the sights, sounds and smells.
• Kayacking: This is my all-time favorite activity of the fall! There’s nothing more beautiful than being on a lake or river during the fall watching the amazing views. They are great kayaking tours by Mountain Valley Guides. They have kayaking tours at their Hastings-on-Hudson location, which is close to the Metro North Station (Hudson Line), just a 30 minute ride to a great kayaking adventure! You get to see wonderful views of the Palisades Cliffs and of the New York City Skyline. Kayaking is so much fun and you get a great workout from it. It’s a win –win activity.
• A day at the Central Park: What a great way to stay healthy in the fall and enjoy the best park NYC has to offer! Central park offers so many activities to enjoy and the bonus is you get a great work-out from them. They offer row boating, bicycle riding through the park, horse-back riding, roller blading, roller skating, hiking or a walk or run.
• Apple, Peach, & Pumpkin Picking: Fall can be a treat for the senses. Taking a day to go apple, peach, or pumpkin picking can be a fun and awesome way to exercise for you and your little ones. There are tons of local farm and orchards close to NYC. For those of you who chose to have less exercise, Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh, NY (GPS address: 311 Frozen Ridge Road) offers horse-drawn carriage rides around the farm. They have a "Little Village" and hay bale maze for children and they have a friendly family atmosphere as well as a diversity of the crops, "show chickens", playful goats, for the whole to enjoy a fantastic fun filled autumn day at the farm. They are opened Monday-Sunday 9 am-4 pm, you can reach them at 845-562-4268.
• Hiking and Cycling: Fall is the perfect season to enjoy doing these. They are both great and fun activities that also offer a fun form of exercise. NY has many wonderful trails for hiking and cycling. Bear Mountain in upstate, NY has beautiful trails for hiking and cycling with amazing views! If you are not an experienced cyclist or hiker I would recommend you go with a buddy. You can get lost in some of these trails. Make sure you go early enough in the day so you don’t get caught on the mountain hiking or cycling in the dark. Remember fall marks the start of the days getting shorter.

Fall offers a gorgeous canopy of fall foliage, from the autumn smell in the air to the crunch of the leaves on the ground. These are the perfect months to enjoy outside activities that offer us a chance to exercise, have fun, and enjoy the cooler temperature. Happy Fall!

7 Simple ways to Overcome Anxiety Naturally

Millions of people deal with anxiety every day due to different stressors in our lives.  Roughly 40 million U.S. adults suffer from anxiety, making it the most common mental illness in the country. Even if you haven't been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder you are still open to experiencing stress, tension and anxiety of everyday life.  Some of the anxiety causing stressors can come from a demanding job with tons of stress, school projects, too much traffic, and lack of finances and everyday life issues that can cause anxiety.   As we struggle to balance work and the demands of home and family life.  We become overwhelmed and may start experiencing high levels of anxiety.  This combined with other factors like poor diet, environmental toxins, our mindset and beliefs, and increasingly sedentary lifestyle are all a recipe for creating high levels of anxiety disorders.  

American culture has taught us to take medications to fix our problems. However, taking a pill will not resolve the issue.  It’s like putting a band-aide on a cut.  It will only cover up the problem but once you stop the medication the issue will resurface and lots of those medications are addictive, and have bad side effects. When possible it is always best and healthier to look for natural remedies to resolve the issue.  I have created a list of 7 natural ways to deal with anxiety.

1.       Mindful Meditation:  Studies have shown that regular meditation reduces the effects of stress in the body.  Mindfulness meditation is unique. It helps us become aware of what is already true moment by moment. It’s the act of consciously focusing on the here and now.  With practice, those who meditate regularly are able to block out the worries of our everyday life, the negative voices in our head, and completely relax and focus only on the present moment.  Full and present awareness is free of emotion and mental noise, resulting in inner peace and tranquility that is anxiety free!

2.       Change your thoughts:  Some of our anxiety is caused by the way we look at an issue or situation.  I’ve had clients who have planned vacations and then created a thought that caused them massive anxiety, where they had to can cancel their vacation.  I’ve found that most people can get a grip on things if they take a few minutes to develop a different relationship with their thoughts and feelings. Take back your power and replace those negative self- defeating thoughts to positive self- empowering thoughts that kick anxiety out of your life!

3.       Self- Hypnosis:  Another practice that can help us reach Alpha brain wave states is self-hypnosis.  There are many programs available to help fight stress, build confidence, and even heal ourselves emotionally and spiritually and of ourselves of anxiety.

4.       Diet:  A diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, lean protein, and complex carbs is excellent for those who suffer from anxiety.  Try to avoid processed foods, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and refined grains. These foods lack nutrient density and cause the blood sugar to spikes and crashes which can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.

5.       Get support:  Find a support group in your community or on-line to help give you the support you need.  When you have support and someone to talk to it really helps boost your spirits and keep anxiety at bay.

6.       Yoga:  Practicing yoga every day can help you relax from anxiety disorder, help tone your body and makes you feel great when you look in the mirror! By transferring focus and attention to the body and breath, yoga can help to reduce anxiety while also releasing physical tension. Yoga helps our entire system slow down and the deep breathing has a calming effect.  Yoga is effective at helping you feel peaceful, and it helps dissolve the stressors for the time during practice and usually the effects last for hours after to help ease anxiety.

7.       Herbal Therapies:   There are several herbal therapies you can use to help ease your anxiety.  I would recommend if you are on medication to first consult your medical practitioner to be sure they don’t interact with your medications.  Some of the herbs are Kava (The king of natural anxiety herbs), St. Johns Wart, Lemon balm, Valerian root, and passion fruit. Of course there are many more but these are my favorite five.

·         Kava has an active ingredient known as kavalactones which helps improve GABA levels and prevent epinephrine from overwhelming the body while leaving serotonin and other important neurotransmitters untouched.

·         St. Johns Wart is also known to help treat mild anxiety.  The ingredient in St. Johns Wart is Hypericin which helps promote positive moods, calm nerves and overall outlook.

·         Lemon balm is another good herb for anxiety.  It is relaxing and soothing for the nerves, and acts as a mild sedative and relaxant. 

·         Valerian root is considered more of a sleep aid, but the effects of this relaxing herb is ideal for anxiety. Valerian root provides a level of relaxation helping people with anxiety feel clam.

·         Passion fruit is another herb that works for anxiety.  It is the lighter version of kava.  Passion fruit has a mild anxiolytic and sedative effect. Passion fruit is good for mild forms of anxiety. If you have high levels of anxiety you may want to step it up to Kava. 

Before taking medication with bad side effects, consider using natural alternatives, especially if you have mild anxiety.  Anxiety is a multifaceted issue that may require more than one technique of managing it.  These natural remedies can make a real difference, as well as forming healthy habits like the ones above, that will help you manage your anxiety better.  It’s time to take a stand for yourself and take your control of your life back.