See below link for a quick winter driving tips video by the National Safety Council.

http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/news-and-resources-winter-your-car-and-you.aspx

Congratulations to Stephanie Enz, Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences! Many thanks for sharing her award winning soup recipe. May this warm your heart and soul on a cold winter’s eve.

Instructions:

Free Event February 3, 2018, 12:15 PM

If you enjoy an opportunity to get up and move to the music, this free event, part of Art and Soul 18, beckons you.  The show begins at 12:15 PM at the Indianapolis Arts Garden, part of Circle Center Mall.    An African drumming procession is followed by a jazz tribute featuring Jared Thompson and Premium Blend.  Then you are treated to a hip hop group, Krash Krew.  Gary Gee’s visual art will be displayed, as well.

Art & Soul: Jared Thompson & Premium Blend

What’s Your Food Personality?

By going to the website:  https://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Eating-Tools/Food-Personality-Quiz you can take a Food Personality Quiz to determine your meal preparation style helping you plan more effectively to save time and give you more pleasure in meal prep.

For the most current cervical cancer screening guidelines made simple visit:

http://www.nccc-online.org/hpvcervical-cancer/cervical-cancer-screening/

If you’ve heard of or read about mindfulness — a form of meditation — you might be curious about how to practice it. Find out how to do mindfulness exercises and how they might benefit you.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment — without interpretation or judgment.

Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises, on the other hand, can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.

• Reduced stress, anxiety and depression
• Less negative thinking and distraction
• Improved mood

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. For example:

• Pay attention. The next time you meet someone, listen closely to his or her words. Think about their meaning and uniqueness. Aim to develop a habit of understanding others and delaying your own judgments and criticisms.
• Make the familiar new again. Find a few small, familiar objects — such as a toothbrush, apple or cellphone — in your home or office. Look at the objects with fresh eyes. Identify one new detail about each object that you didn’t see before. As you become more aware of your world, you might become fonder of the things around you.
• Focus on your breathing. Sit in a quiet place with your back straight, but relaxed. Feel your breath move in and out of your body. Let your awareness of everything else fall away. Pay attention to your nostrils as air passes in and out. Notice the way your abdomen expands and collapses with each breath. When your mind wanders, gently redirect your attention to your breath. Don’t judge yourself. Remember that you’re not trying to become anything — such as a good meditator. You’re simply becoming aware of what’s happening around you, breath by breath.
• Awaken your senses. Get a raisin. Sit in a quiet place with your back straight, but relaxed. Look at the raisin. Smell it, feel it and anticipate eating it. Taste the raisin, and slowly and deliberately chew it. Notice the way the raisin’s taste changes, your impulse to swallow the raisin, your response to that impulse and any thoughts or emotions that arise along the way. Paying close attention to your senses and your body’s reaction to the raisin might reveal insight into your relationship with eating and food.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356

While the eight glasses rule is a good start, it isn’t based on solid, well-researched information. Your body weight is made up of 60 percent water. Every system in your body needs water to function. Your recommended intake is based on factors including your sex, age, activity level, and others, such as if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

Adults

The current IOM recommendation for people ages 19 and older is around 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women. This is your overall fluid intake per day, including anything you eat or drink containing water in it, like fruits or vegetables.

Of this total, men should drink around 13 cups from beverages. For women, it’s 9 cups.

For more information:  https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-water-should-I-drink#recommendations

Bye-Bye, Couch Potato!

If the winter weather prevents you from getting outside, don’t just reach for the remote. Make your time inside count. There are many ways to get physical activity indoors—no gym required. Hand weights or resistance bands are a great addition, but not necessary. You can also wear a heavy backpack to add intensity to your workout.

Try these indoor activities:

• Home workout circuit
• Dancing
• Active housework like vacuuming and sweeping
• Mall walking
• Bowling
• Roller skating
• Yoga or other fun group classes at your local gym, studio, or community center
• Stair climbing

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this advice to consider before you start eating:

• Ask yourself whether you truly are hungry or if you are eating to fulfill another need, such as stress or boredom?
• Don’t look at some foods as off limits. Instead look at what you eat as part of a healthy diet that includes balance and moderation.
• Discuss with your doctor a healthy eating plan and the issues of food and weight loss.
• Use a food and activity journal to monitor your eating habits — including what you eat and when

https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=166426