take a moment
 Volume 5 July 2005
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Welcome to TAKE-A-MOMENT!
The Take-A-Moment newsletters strive to provide quick-to-read content to improve and enhance the quality of life at home and in the work place...for when you can "take-a-moment" from your hectic schedule. Take-a-Moment is provided by the Louisville Area Cooperative Extension Agents. When you have "more-than-a-moment" visit our web site for expanded articles, article archives, sign-up and contact information, and links to other web sites of interest. ("Netiquette" statement is at the end of this email, see below.) Email subscribers@take-a-moment.com and request the PLAIN TEXT VERSION of the newsletter. Did You Know...?
C O N T E N T S
STAIN REMOVAL Scrape excess from fabric with a dull knife. Sponge with dry-cleaning solvent such as Energine or a waterless hand cleaner. Rinse with water. Apply detergent to stain. Launder, using hot water and bleach that is safe for fabric.
FINANCIAL FITNESS Why do some people gamble while others choose to keep the money in their pockets? Some answers to this question come from four surveys of 1,000 people about their lottery participation conducted by Douglas Adams at the University of Arkansas. Davis, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, also did field observations and interviews as part of the research. Adams discovered four distinct motives people use to explain participation in the lottery. These motives were material based, physical based, cognitive based, or relationship based. People with a material-based motive simply wanted to win money. They needed and wanted money, usually a substantial amount. Individuals with a physical-based motive were driven by the fun, excitement and arousal of participating in the lottery. Many actually had a positive sensation throughout their body; enjoyed the anticipation of waiting to see if they had won; or had positive and hopeful feelings from gambling. Others with the physical-based motive were driven by avoiding a negative effect. They really didn't think they would win and did not play for fun. Rather, these people played because they had a special set of numbers and would be disappointed if these numbers ever did win and they had not played. People with a cognitive-based motive played the lottery so they could daydream and fantasize about winning. They delayed finding out the winner and fantasized about what they would do with the money until discovering they didn't win. Individuals with relationship-based motives were motivated by social relations of lottery participants and everyday social interaction. They saw their lottery winnings as relieving family and close friends of burdens. These people talked about buying family or friends expensive gifts such as a car or house, or removing financial stress to allow family or friends to pursue other activities such as raising a family. So be sure to keep your gambling tendencies under control and try to understand your own motivations and keep them under control.
FAMILY LIFE When you are calm, you can more easily avoid unhealthy conflict. And inner peace will help you handle growth-producing conflict more skillfully. What helps you feel peaceful? Figure out what works for you. Then build more of those activities into your daily life. Look for these signs of increased inner peace:
NUTRITION & WHAT'S COOKING The food and physical activity choices you make everyday affect how you feel today and impact your health in the future. You can feel better today and stay healthy for tomorrow by eating well and enjoying an active life. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage us to make smart food choices from all food groups, to find the balance between food consumption and physical activity and to get the most nutrition out of our calories. The new guidelines recommend eating at least two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables each day. They advise getting three cups a day of low fat or fat free milk, yogurt or cheese. The guidelines tell consumers to focus on whole grains and lean protein. Eating more dark green vegetables like broccoli, greens and spinach as well as orange ones like carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato will help you get the most nutrition out of your calories. Regular physical activity is important to your overall health and can be the most important way to achieve a healthy weight. About 60 minutes of physical activity is needed each day by most adults to lose weight or maintain weight loss. Most adults should be active at least 30 minutes a day and children and teenagers about 60 minutes. The increased use of cars, televisions and computers has created an environment where it is easy to move too little for good health. You must begin your quest for a more active life by starting where you are now. Try working daily activity into your routine by parking further from the building and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
HOME TIPS For carefree warm weather dining, many consumers are saying good-bye to breakage problems by choosing melamine and acrylic ware. Acrylic ware, which is used primarily for beverage ware and cold-food serving pieces, is durable, inexpensive, shatterproof (although not crack-proof), and less likely to scratch than plastic. Melamine, which is used primarily for dinnerware, platters, bowls and similar serving pieces, doesn't crack, shatter, or scratch. It is six times harder than acrylic, can be used for hot or cold foods, and is refrigerator and freezer safe. All melamine is dishwasher safe. Some acrylics, especially color acrylic, should be hand washed. Check the manufacturer's recommendations to be sure.
HORTICULTURE Fresh vegetables usually abound in July and August. Whether you pick them from your own garden, or buy them from a local farmer's market or roadside stand, be sure to enjoy some fresh Kentucky produce this summer. Here are some tips if you have your own garden and want the freshest produce possible. Once vegetables are picked, they do not increase in quality. One way to maintain quality is to keep the produce cool. The conversion of sugar to starch tends to be favored by warm temperatures. So pick produce in the cool of the morning and refrigerate as soon as possible. If immediate refrigeration is not possible, move produce to the shade or cover with a damp cloth. As water evaporates from the cloth, it will cool the vegetables beneath. The damp cloth will also increase the relative humidity around the vegetables and decrease the chance of wilting.
WAYS TO WELLNESS Count them down. Here are ten good reasons why we all should eat more fruits and vegetables every day:
Many come wrapped in their own natural "to go" packages such as apples and bananas. These are ready to grab and go to work with you as a snack or part of a nutritious meal. Buying many types of produce when you shop will allow you to have plenty of choices on hand. Fruits and vegetables are sold frozen, dried and canned as well as fresh. This makes it easy to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Enjoy fresh produce from your local farmer's market this summer. This is one way you can support local farmers. Try your best to get "5-a-day" for good health. Following is a nutritious, delicious summer time drink to enjoy after a hard day of work. The recipe makes enough to share with a friend or family member.
Peel banana and cut into chunks. Blend the banana and orange juice in a blender. Add the frozen strawberries, blend. Add the ice and sugar, then blend until drink is smooth. This provides a nutritious snack or small meal during the summertime heat. Enjoy two large servings or share this refreshing, cool summer drink with others. Nutrition Facts: 93 Cal, Fat Cal 4, Cholest 0 mg, Sodium 3 mg, Total Carb 23 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugars 19 g, Vit C 56 mg, Vit B6 .34 mg, Potassium 383 mg For variation and additional nutrition, try adding 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt, wheat germ, or milled, cracked flax seed.
IN THE WORK PLACE Would you like to have more free time? Limit your TV watching to seven hours a week. Based on typical American television habits, you will gain at least 700 hours a year. Think about that! Early signs of negative stress include, tension in neck or shoulder muscles, nervousness, fatigue, and insomnia. Recognize your personal signals that unwanted stress is building. Catch stress early so you can manage it easily. If your stress level starts to rise, calm yourself. Use any method that works well for you. Here area few possibilities.
More about stress next month.
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