Tuesday, January 22, 2013 – Daily News
3C
Vitality
health
10 flu myths
By Ellen Jean Hirst
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
Myth 1: I waited too long. It isn't worth it anymore
for me to get the flu shot.
Fact: Flu season still has many a week to thrive. It
typically lasts from December through March. Getting
a flu shot now will protect you for the rest of the season.
Myth 2: I already had the flu this season, so I don't
need a flu shot.
Fact: If you've had the flu, you'll be protected from
that strain, but several other strains abound. The flu
shot protects against three.
Myth 3: My kid stayed home sick with the flu today,
so I got a flu shot.
Fact: The flu vaccine doesn't protect you same-day.
It takes two weeks to reach maximum effectiveness for
the season.
Myth 4: I didn't get the flu shot, because it could
give me the flu.
Fact: The flu shot does not give you the flu. The vaccine has a dead — inactive — virus, so it can't make
you sick.
Myth 5: I hate needles. I'm too scared to get the flu
shot.
Fact: Needle-fearing healthy folks ages 2 to 50 can
get a nasal spray vaccine, which has a weakened virus.
The virus is so weak, you can't get sick from it either.
Myth 6: If I wear a scarf or a mask, I probably won't
get the flu.
Fact: This generally will not prevent you from getting the flu. Though it's recommended that you don't
touch your face too much, wearing a mask or scarf usually won't prevent the flu.
Myth 7: I had the flu, but I feel better today. I must
not be contagious anymore.
Fact: You are contagious up to seven days after the
start of your flu illness. You also are contagious 24
hours before you show symptoms.
Myth 8: I got the vaccine, so I won't get the flu.
Fact: You could still get the flu even if you've had
the vaccine. You're a lot less likely to get it though.
Myth 9: I'm pregnant, so I can't get the flu vaccine.
Fact: Pregnant women, especially, should get the flu
shot.
Myth 10: I got the flu vaccine, so I don't need to do
anything else.
Fact: You should still be washing your hands, using
hand sanitizer, coughing into an elbow, drinking plenty
of fluids, getting enough sleep, eating healthfully and
exercising regularly. And even then you might get it.
Source: Chicago Department of Public Health, Medical Director Dr. Julie Morita
&
fitness
Keeping up resolve for new year's resolutions
By Helena Oliviero
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (MCT)
When Elizabeth Dixon
started a blog to help people carry out their new
year's resolutions, she
decided against a Jan. 1
launch date.
Instead, she wanted to
wait until that time when
even the best-intentioned
resolution makers start to
slip up, get frustrated —
even throw in the towel.
That time is about now.
"We have big lofty
dreams, and it might be
attainable, but we have to
do it one step at a time, and
it can take time," said
Dixon, who is the wellness
director at Chick-fil-A but
said her new blog
((www.biteanelephant.co
m ) is a personal
undertaking and open to
the general public. "I want
to help people stay on
track, and right about now
is when people are like,
'Ohhh, I don't know about
this,' and they can get discouraged." Dixon's blog
will offer tips for a range of
goals, including weight
loss, better marriages and
becoming debt-free.
The annual ritual of a
list of goals on a slip of
paper doesn't face strong
odds of success. In fact, 88
percent of all resolutions
end in failure, according to
a 2007 survey of more than
3,000 people conducted by
British
psychologist
Richard Wiseman.
Experts say we often set
ourselves up for failure by
zooming in on big, lofty
goals without a step-bystep plan for achievement.
Can you go from couch
potato to running a halfmarathon in a couple of
weeks? Probably not, but
you can walk a little bit farther than you did the day
before.
At the same time, it may
be hard to overhaul your
entire diet overnight, but
you can take small steps
toward a healthier diet,
such as drinking water
instead of soft drinks, and
incorporating more fruits
and vegetables into your
diet. Dixon suggests reducing portion size as a good
first step toward losing
weight.
Experts say it's important to remember changes,
even good ones like going
to the gym, don't necessarily feel good right away. It
takes time — at least 21
days. That's about how
long experts believe it
takes to change a habit.
In other words, patience
is the key.
"Someone may say on
Jan. 1, I want to lose 20
MCT photo
pounds, and by Jan. 15,
they are down 2 pounds
and it may seem so daunting, but really, they are on
the right track," said
Dixon, who lives in Hampton, Ga.
Wendy
Ellin,
an
Atlanta-based workplace
productivity consultant and
author of the new book
"Enough Is Enough, Get
Control of Your Stuff," recommends people struggling with their new year's
resolutions keep a daily log
to track progress.
Expect slip-ups, she
said, adding that it's
inevitable.
"So what? You slipped
up. You can decide tomorrow is a new day, and you
can make a conscious
effort to have a better day
… I lost 23 pounds. Am I
perfect? No. Do I eat white
sugar and white flour? Yes,
but I don't do it that often,"
Ellin said.
For Isha Edwards, 40,
meeting new year's resolutions is all about getting in
the right mind-set. For her,
that begins with calling
them goals — and not resolutions — and avoiding
the first of the year for getting things started.
She also likes to give
her goals fun names such
as "30 day spend fast" to
describe her money-saving
plan. She took on the
money-saving goal last
September to boost her
savings. For one month,
she fought the temptation
to buy new items for her
wardrobe.
The Atlanta marketing
consultant still made her
weekly trips to clothing
stores, including her
favorite — Loehmann's.
But for one month,
Edwards only looked at
merchandise. She passed
on what seemed like the
perfect shoes and the perfect accessories. By the
end of the month, she
boosted her checking
account by $500.
Edwards feels like she
not only met her goal for
September, but has seen a
lasting impact.
"A lot of times, I live in
the moment," Edwards
said. "And I learned how to
go into a mall and not
spend any money. During
that month, I built up my
willpower."
Edwards
hopes to soon go on a
vacation to Italy, and she
said, she'll have enough
saved up to pay for the
entire trip — before she
goes.
Meanwhile, she's just
started a new goal for the
year: learning Italian.
STEELING
YOUR
RESOLVE
Five tips for getting
your new year's resolutions back on track — and
staying there
1. Think big and start
small. Will you be able to
run a half-marathon next
month? Probably not. But
you can walk a little far-
ther today than you did
yesterday. Take those
small steps, and they will
build on one another.
2. Don't keep your
goals a secret. Start spreading the word to friends,
family and colleagues
about your plans to
improve your life. They
can help keep you accountable and can be sources of
support. Next time you are
beating yourself up over
slipping in your goal, they
can remind you tomorrow
is another day.
3. Keep a daily log.
Getting your goals on
paper is a good exercise.
Track the changes you are
making and analyze
what's working — and
what's not.
4. Remember change
can be uncomfortable.
Even if it's a good change
— going from the couch to
the gym can feel downright weird. Give it time,
and little by little, these
changes will start feeling
right.
5. Don't beat yourself
up. No one ever sticks to a
plan 100 percent. We all
slide back into our old
habits from time to time
— it's human nature and
imperfection at its finest.
So just resolve to get back
on track the next day. (One
bad meal doesn't mean a
10-pound weight gain.
One cigarette doesn't
make you addicted. And
one day of clutter does not
put you back to where you
started.) Sources: Wendy
Ellin, Atlanta-based workplace productivity consultant and author of the book
"Enough Is Enough: Get
Control of Your Stuff,"
and Tom Connellan,
author of "The 1 percent
Solution for Work and
Life: How to Make Your
Next 30 Days the Best
Ever"
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