<![CDATA[Touch for Life Massage - Blog]]>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:39:37 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Heart Disease Facts]]>Mon, 19 Feb 2018 03:06:41 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/heart-disease-factsHeart disease is a lot more common than most of us believe. As many of you know, I became much more focused on heart disease after my husband recently suffered a serious heart attack. In my research, I learned that heart disease kills more people every year than all other forms of cancer combined! I didn’t know that. Here are a few other Heart Facts and links that you might find interesting.
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Did you know?
  • The heart beats about 2.5 billion times over the average lifetime, pushing millions of gallons of blood to every part of the body. 
  • Approximately 1 out of every 3 people who have heart attacks do not feel any chest pain. To learn more about heart attack symptoms, including some that will surprise you, take a look at this short but informative Heart Foundation article. 
  • Walking can improve your heart health, but not if you walk around car exhaust fumes and other pollutants. This short Harvard Medical School article, Walking for Fitness? Avoid Traffic-clogged Streets might surprise you. 
  • Since 1984, more women die of heart disease every year than men! This blog post Information on Women and Heart Disease provides information and links to several other related articles. 

One other troubling fact – a recent study showed that in the US, if a person has a heart attack outside of the hospital and is treated by EMTs, only about 11% of the people survived! But if the heart attack was witnessed by bystanders who began CPR, over 31% survived! Knowing this, I am even more thankful that my husband was saved by the EMTs who came to our home in the country. But this statistic also makes me realize how important it is to know how to perform CPR. If you haven’t done so already, take a CPR class. You just might become somebody’s hero!

Check back next week for one more post on heart health.

To your good health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[Let's Get Heart Healthy!]]>Mon, 12 Feb 2018 19:14:05 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/lets-get-healthy-heartPicture
February is the American Heart Month and also the month when we promote the Go Red for Women initiative.  During the month of February we are challenged to focus on making healthy lifestyle choices that can improve our health. Towards that goal, for the next three weeks I will share information that can help us improve our heart health.

The two articles below are from the Go Red for Women website. Both of these articles share important information that can help anyone who is interested in improving their heart and overall health.

Good Fat Tips

Good Fat Versus Bad Fat

For other articles in the series, check out the link below. 

How to Prevent Heart Disease 

Article like these always challenge me to take a closer look at what I am doing that may either help or hinder my health. I hope you enjoy them!

To your good health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[The No Junk Food Challenge!]]>Mon, 08 Jan 2018 19:24:53 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/the-no-junk-food-challengeHappy New Year! 
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A friend sent me the No Junk Food Challenge this past week and I thought it was worth sharing. We often make New Year’s resolutions that involve things like eating healthier and losing weight. Limiting these foods (and fake foods!) will result in a healthier and leaner you! 
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Make this the best year ever by really caring for your entire body and omitting these foods that tear it apart, and eventually can cause dis ease. Take the No Junk Food Challenge for 30 days and I will bet that you will feel better and most likely have a few less pounds to carry around too!   
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To your good health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[The Amazing Benefits of Fennel]]>Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:15:30 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/the-amazing-benefits-of-fennelA recent conversation with a friend reminded me of the often-overlooked health benefits of fennel, an herb which is most commonly found in Mediterranean and Italian recipes. Many use fennel seeds in cooking, but the entire plant including the bulb root, leaves and seeds can be used. For many years people have used fennel to ease digestion and to treat the symptoms of constipation, diarrhea and even colic in babies (although be careful with babies because too much of the chemicals found in fennel can be harmful to the little ones!)  According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, there is evidence that fennel may help reduce cholesterol and could also reduce inflammation and may help prevent colon cancer.  Check out the quick-reference graphic below and then click on the links below it for more great information on this super herb.
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For more information on the benefits of fennel:

15 Impressive Fennel Benefits (Source of the above graphic)
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What Is Fennel Good For? (By Dr. Joseph Marcola)

Fennel (from the non-profit World’s Healthiest Foods website)

To your good health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[Eating Clean - The Healthy Choice!]]>Wed, 27 Sep 2017 19:22:41 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/eating-clean-the-healthy-choiceWe are moving from summer and the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables to the autumn and  winter where it is easy to slip back into eating a little less healthy. This is the time of year when I always try to remind myself to make a conscious effort to eat clean – which is just a fancy way of saying to eat natural foods and avoid those that pack on the pounds!

Eating clean is really just about avoiding processed and refined foods and instead basing your diet on natural whole foods.  Two of the big things to avoid are foods high in sugar or that convert to sugar and junk food that turns into unhealthy fatty acids. The graphic below provides a visual reminder of which kinds of foods to eat and which ones to avoid.
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Eating clean is a healthy choice that can aid nutrition, help manage or avoid diseases, reduce and remove toxins and can often lead to healthy weight loss. No matter what, eating clean will make you feel better.
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To your good health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[A Little More Summer!]]>Fri, 22 Sep 2017 19:38:03 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/a-little-more-summerSince this is the first day of Fall I thought I would do a post that tries to hang onto summer just a little longer! Up here in Northwest Indiana we can still usually get a pretty decent watermelon until that first frost. So I thought I would remind us of all the great benefits of watermelon while we enjoy our last few of the season. Check out this information from Dr. Axe.

To your good health!
Gail Grieger
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]]><![CDATA[Are You Getting Enough Magnesium]]>Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:42:19 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/are-you-getting-enough-magnesiumPicture
Magnesium is mineral that is essential to your good health. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) magnesium “helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system, keeps the heart beat steady, and helps bones remain strong. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels and aid in the production of energy and protein.” There is also some evidence that magnesium might play a role in preventing or treating high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Unfortunately, many of us are not getting enough of this essential mineral in our daily diets.

In my practice I often see people who have muscle pain, leg cramps or headaches which sometimes are the result of a magnesium deficiency. One of the best ways to avoid the pitfalls of magnesium deficiency is to pay close attention to your diet. Adding green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains will pump up the magnesium. Magnesium supplements could also be helpful for some people, but can sometimes cause gastric distress, so it’s a good idea to check with a healthcare professional before adding a supplement.

Some Common Magnesium-rich Foods
  • Apples
  • Artichokes
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Broccoli
  • Chicken breast
  • Lima beans
  • Oatmeal
  • Okra
  • Peas
  • Pork Tenderloin
  • Potatoes
  • Quinoa
  • Salmon
  • Spinach

Want a quick magnesium snack? Try sunflower seeds, almonds or cashews. Or enjoy a piece of dark chocolate and get 24% of your daily magnesium quota!

For more information on magnesium, check out the links below.

To your good health!
Gail Grieger
 
A few articles that you might find interesting:

Dr. Axe’s list of Top 10 Magnesium Rich Foods
Top 10 High Magnesium Foods You Can’t Miss
Magnesium in Diet (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Symptoms of Low Magnesium

]]><![CDATA[Halloween Candy Recovery Plan!]]>Sat, 29 Oct 2016 20:28:34 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/halloween-candy-recovery-planI posted a couple of days ago about all of the bad things in that Halloween candy. I don't want to be a total spoil sport so here is a positive take on all of that candy. If you eat the candy (and I know I most likely will!) it helps to think about what you can do to eliminate those extra calories. Here is a quick reference graphic to help get you started.
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Happy Halloween!

To Your Health!
​Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[Scary Candy Facts!]]>Sat, 29 Oct 2016 20:16:09 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/scary-candy-factsHalloween is here and so is all that delicious candy! Not to put a damper on the fun, but I thought you might like a quick reminder about what too much of the stuff might do to you. 
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Ok, that's a lot of bad stuff! But Halloween only comes once a year, so scare yourself with these facts and then just enjoy your candy  - in moderation.

To Your Health!
Gail Grieger
]]><![CDATA[Health Benefits of Carrots]]>Thu, 25 Aug 2016 15:33:58 GMThttp://www.touchforlifemassage.com/blog/health-benefits-of-carrotsI saw this illustration on Facebook and it reminded me of all of the reasons that I like to keep carrots in my diet. Most of the benefits of carrots come from the beta-carotene and fiber that it has in abundance. Plus carrots are also a great source of antioxidants and they have a sweet and pleasant taste.
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You can enjoy carrots all year, but they won't be any fresher and sweeter than they are right now! Enjoy!

To your health!
Gail Grieger
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