Live by Design

Spotted on Roundup Russy’s Blog

Francisca Terrazas could not be left alone.

She burned her foot pouring boiling water over an ant hill in her driveway. She would wander for hours searching for aluminum cans. The effects of Alzheimer’s disease had taken hold.

Minorities such as Terrazas are at greater risk for the degenerative disease, according to an Alzheimer’s Association report released Tuesday. It found that African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

The disease is indiscriminately devastating, robbing memories and personality as brain cells deteriorate.

But Alzheimer’s for minorities presents unique challenges. Socioeconomic disparities can prevent access to health care, early detection or proper management of other conditions linked to the disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes, said Angela Geiger, the chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“African-Americans and Hispanics are less likely to know they have Alzheimer’s and dementia,” she said. “That has significant impact on the quality of life.”

Some families ignore the symptoms, such as behavioral changes and memory loss, because their culture respects the elderly so much that they try to conceal their flaws, said Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Minorities may not get early treatment, when medications are more likely to be effective and when patients are more capable of making plans, according to the report. At doctor’s offices, some can encounter language barriers and difficulties navigating a complicated health care system.

Minority families often feel a filial obligation to take care of their elderly at home, said Gallagher-Thompson, who is also director of the Stanford Geriatric Education Center.

“There are very strong cultural taboos against nursing home placement or assisted living,” she said. “The idea is that the family is everything. You have to keep the person at home, no matter how hard it is to take care of them.”

But the stress of caregiving is enormous, as many family members (often called “the sandwich generation”) work full-time and raise their own children.

20 minutes to a flat stomach. Part 2: The workout.

The following circuit should be completed in the order designated below in three cycles. Complete 12 reps of each exercise for the first cycle, 15 reps for the second cycle, and 20 reps for the third cycle. It should only take 20 minutes to complete all three cycles of this circuit. At that pace you will accomplish muscle toning strength building, as well as fat burning. After completion of 3 cycles, complete three sets of 20 reps of the abdominal exercises depicted on the video. Good Luck!

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We all know that Black History Month was founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson and was originally set aside as “Negro History Week”. Dr. Woodson chose the second week of February to study “Negro life” because it marks the birthdays of two men who had tremendous influence on Black America: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Since that time, Black History month has been expanded and celebrated all over the country and even in some communities outside of America.

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Check out part 1 of the 3 part series on how to effectively flatten your stomach in 90 days. Advice from fitness professional Scott Parker interviewed by our own Billy Ocean.

Part 1: The initial consultation
Part 2: The Workout
Part 3: Q&A
Stay Tuned.

I’m a Jersey kid born and raised, but my family is from a small town in North Carolina called Stokes.

It always felt good turning down my grandparents road where cell phones barely worked, and the conversation were better than any show on TV. Well some years ago i was riding with my grandma and we passed through Robersonville, NC. Growing up I would see the signs for this town and thought how cool it was that my last name was in a town. Until that day i really never thought much about it. That is until my grandma pointed at this big old white house and said “that’s the old Roberson house.”

Right then and there it hit me. This was the grounds where my ancestors were slaves. And a chance for me to collect as much information about my limited family history.
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Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Dwyer Cultural Center Present…

5th Annual Redefining African American Conference
Beyond the Brown Paper Bag Test: De-constructing Black and Brown

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Though the bakery has closed, it’s memory lives on and many people (especially in the DC area) miss the artisanal pastries of the “tiny very merry bakery.” But they do not miss the joy of the bakery as much as me, the baker and former owner. Though waking at 11pm and baking until 6pm every day is not missed at all the creativity and kick I got from coming up with new recipes, naming them, baking them and then seeing my customers smile with pleasure when eating them is a feeling I’ll never be able to replicate again. Always wanting to share and please, I’m sharing a ShoeBox Oven favorite and hope you will enjoy the recipes too.

Description: It must be noted that I equate chocolate with love. I’m not talking about God’s love or family love. I’m talking about sticky, messy, passion-sloppy, shipwrecking, x-rated, heart-breaking, flashing lights kind of love. The kind that burns when you touch it, but you just got to touch it. Thus I came up with a recipe that reflects my kind of chocolate love. I definitely did not come up with the idea of chocolate with chilis. But ShoeBox Oven can be credited for giving the genre a sense of style and depth.

Amor & The Samurai is an unusually extraordinary mexican chocolate steeped in ground japanese chilis. Inspired by Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros and Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro… as well as one of our favorite cartoons… Samurai Jack. Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will ask Congress to improve childhood nutrition by ridding school vending machines of sugary snacks and drinks and giving school lunch and breakfast to more kids.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the administration will seek changes when Congress overhauls the Childhood Nutrition Act.

“Our children deserve better nutrition, and our country’s better and brighter future depends on it,” Vilsack said. “And with the reauthorization of the Childhood Nutrition Act scheduled this year, there won’t be a better time than now to act boldly.”

Child nutrition and obesity have emerged as key issues for the Obama administration. First Lady Michelle Obama plans to launch a campaign against childhood obesity on Tuesday.

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If you’re planning to lose weight, use a plan with three meals and two snacks every day. These are small meals and small snacks, so don’t use the regimen as a way to eat a lot.

Here are tips to make between-meal nibbles work for you:

• TIME SNACKS RIGHT: Snacks work best 21/2 to 41/2 hours after a meal. That’s when blood-sugar levels dip and you start feeling hungry.

• KEEP IT SNACK SIZE: Your snacks should be in the 100- to 200-calorie range. That’s enough to tide you over between meals, but it’s not so much that your snack becomes a meal.

• CHANGE YOUR SNACK: Keep snacks healthful, and you’ll be less likely to lose control and overdo it. Slowly digested protein and fiber — a pear and nuts or whole-grain crackers with hummus — will keep your blood sugar on an even keel and your appetite in check.

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