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So it’s the day after Thanksgiving here in the US and I have a question midlife women–what kind of exercise will you do this weekend? “Why do you ask?” you might ask. Because if you are anything like me it’s helpful to have someone remind me to include this uber beneficial activity in my long weekend with leftovers lurking in every corner of the kitchen. Hey, we have yesterday’s extra calories to get rid of but that’s not all. 

Yes, the holiday season has officially started bringing with it the once-a-year-only delicious morsels, parties, and longer than usual to-do lists. In our already busy lives, these rituals can squeeze out our much needed exercise program. Skipping exercise is never a good thing but when temptation in the form of food and libations beckon ditching that walk or spin class is the surest way to the Holiday 5. Hate to break it to you, if it was a 5 pound weight gain in our 30’s and 40’s it’s an 8 - 10 pound gain in our 50’s.

Rather than fretting let’s do something different this year. Let’s plan some movement into our month rather than trying to squeeze it in as the days progress. Oh, and if you are of the mindset that “it’s already the end of the year, I’ll just party like it’s 1999, eat what I want, and start my new lifestyle habits in the new year” I have a question for you? How has that kind of thinking worked for you in the past?

Starting on Dec. 1st I’m going to give you tips to party smart and avoid the Holiday 5 (10). I am not asking you to starve, forgo treats, or stay home like Cinderella all season. I’m going to give you easy ways to manage it all and not gain the weight. 
Wouldn’t it be a bonus if you woke up on January 1st feeling like a success before you even looked at your new year creation plan?

I can’t wait to hear your success stories.

No matter what time of year you are reading this, cold viruses are lurking. And flu season will have it’s way with you or try to at some point.

There are over 200 viral invaders that can cause colds according to the Real Age site. And the closed buildings we work, shop, and work out in are breeding grounds but that’s not the whole story. The cold virus is prevalent no matter where you spend your days or who you are swapping germs with. The key to fighting it off is a healthy immune system.

Exercise—I know not again with the exercise, but once again moving your body and getting your blood circulating helps keep the immune system in full force.

Add regular sound sleep and I mean regular, every day! Rest and sleep some more if you feel run down or you’ve been traveling. Daily Show reruns be damned, Jon Stewart would understand.

Stress lowers the body’s immune responses period. If you take stress reduction seriously—that means incorporating it into your daily routine as opposed to having a pint of ice cream or 3 glasses of wine after an especially hard day—you have a better chance of avoiding winter bugs or getting through them faster.

There are a couple of products I keep on hand at this time of year: EpiCor is a product discovered by accident when insurance adjusters noticed lower numbers of sick-leave claims among employees who handled fermented baker’s yeast.

www.vrp.com/epicor. It lowers the # of immune suppressor cells.

I’m convinced that one of the best immune support products on the market right now is called GXL. It boost glutathione which is the body’s master antioxidant and helps all the circulating antioxidants do their work in top form. You can learn more at this website.

I take extra Vit. C and keep a bottle of Nature’s Way EchinaGuard on hand—it’s an Echinacea formula and my recommendation is to take this only if you feel sick, not as a season long preventative.

If I’m feeling flu-ish I run, don’t walk and think about, but run to my Oscillocococcinum or Oscillo. It’s a homeopathic made by Boiron and it has never let me down if I get it in soon enough. Nature’s Way Sambucol or Umcka Cold and Flu formulas are based on elderberry which may work by inactivating the flu virus but Andrew Weil says it’s to be taken only for symptoms not for prevention. I’ll go with him on that.

When cold symptoms are bad enough and I’ve got to work and be clear headed I take an over the counter Day time formula or aspirin depending on what’s going on. And I never skimp on rest once I’m down for the count. It’s rare that one can’t shut down a bit early or skip a meeting—people understand, and if not you might want to think about why you are tolerating that.

Don’t underestimate chicken soup. If it’s cooked with garlic you’ll get lots of cold and flu fighing properties from the chicken and it’s pot-mate garlic.

My two, all-time, favorite hot drinks when I’m down for the count? Hot ginger tea with lemon and honey or hot chicken soup with lots of garlic and chopped jalapenos. Science be damned on these home remedies tho there is some. I take these cause they taste good and feel good going down. If you like spicy foods you’re familiar with the endorphin rush a dose of capsaicin can produce. How can something so good be legal? Not to mention therapeutic which they are as well.

Be well and stay well.

Got remedies or products you want to share? Leave them in a comment.

Naltrexone–the generic name for the drugs Vivitrol, Revia and Depade–is a drug that is successfully used in the treatment of heroin and alcohol dependence. Seems it boosts endorphins-the feel good hormones–binding to receptor sites in the brain and blocking the addictive substances from getting in there. What doctors and researchers began to see is that endorphins play a central role in immune function, according to Bernard Bihari, MD of NYC who is known for his work with Low Dose Naltrexone or LDN.

When he tested AIDS patients with LDN, who have low circulating levels of endorphins, the results were incredible. These patients not only felt better, their viral counts went down, they gained weight, and their overall health improved.

Since that time studies have been turning up from all over the world that bring to light that low dose naltrexone can improve the condition of patients with a wide variety of diseases–some considered incurable. 

At UCAL San Francisco patients with MS were treated and improved in all markers and symptoms of the disease.

At Stamford U in CA researchers are working with sufferers of fibromyalgia, including pediatric fibromyalgia patients with such good results coming out of the clinical trials, participants asked to remain on the drug at the conclusion of the study.

Dr. David Gluck, MD, is responsible more than anyone for the advanced use of LDN says, ”LDN may well be the most important therapeutic breakthrough in over fifty years. It provides a new method of medical treatment by mobilizing the natural defenses of one’s own immune system.”

Dr. Julian Whitaker reports in this month’s issue of Health & Healing, that “we’ve just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to the therapeutic potential of this drug. It also helps those with allergies, Parkinson’s, chronic fatigue, leaky gut and other gastrointestinal problems, corneal ulcers, and overall immune support.”

Why don’t more people know about it? Naltrexone’s patent expired years ago so drug companies have no incentive to do research or promote it as there is no profit to be made. And it’s inexpensive, about $30/month for an average dose.

For more information you can look at http://www.ldners.org/. I for one will be keeping an eye on the research and keep you updated with new info. If I was suffering with something I’d be calling my doc up now for a script. I spent an hour reading reports and results and success stories, and they are compelling. Oh and the best part? NO side effects reported. Now that’s my kind of drug!

On Tuesday night I attended–compliments of my good friend Chris Cavanagh–the premier of the film, The Glow Project. Conceived by eWomenNetwork co-founder Saundra Yancey, the movie was created to inspire women to their greatness by featuring a dozen or so already successful and powerful women who tell their stories. Glow, according to Yancey, is found inside every woman. “There is a powerful essence inside of every woman—a critical ingredient that only women possess. When realized, nurtured and expanded, it becomes the key to true happiness and success” she explains.

The Glow Project movie is a part of a movement, one smart women everywhere can get on board with. It’s basic premise is to help another woman along the path, up the ladder, or into the film studio. Women are the backbones of all societies and we know how powerful women are when they have support and are connected.

We need connection it is how we are wired. And if we tap into our “Glow” factor, or inner passion and operate from there we are not only unstoppable but attractive in a way that others want to connect with us. 

There are some remarkable stories in Glow, some I’d love to have seen fleshed out a bit more, heard more of the nitty gritty of getting from A–a bad relationship or no money or no skills, to B–successful, powerful, rich. The wisdom the women share is compelling even not knowing all of the gory details.

I’d suggest getting a group of women together and find a local screening to attend as a group. The best part of the evening was getting to know some of the eWomenNetwork members who were also attending. And the discussions the movie prompted were all positive and motivating. Just what Saundra had in mind I suspect.

You can watch the trailer at the home page, at least do that. See if it resonates, and if so, you can find regional showings for the movie there too.

Has anyone else seen it?