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Spring is Here
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Spring is here and that means no more excuses for not getting outside and moving around. Here are some ways you can begin moving more and also some considerations before exercising.
1. Begin slowly and increase your movement and exercise routine every few days as you tolerate it. Don’t over due in those first few days of getting outside and moving but rather walk or exercise for short intervals for several days and then increase both time and distance as your endurance improves.
2. Wear proper clothing and especially shoes. Shoes give you support for spine and back health regardless of the types of exercises you choose. Walking , running, Zumba, or strengthening exercises all require that you have a supportive shoes for the process to protect your ankles, spine, and neck. Spring is a great time to pick up a new pair of shoes for the exercise routine you have chosen.
3. Watch your diet. Increase water intake as you increase your exercise routine. Manage your overall diet and nutrition for healthier meals and snacks to support your increase in need for calories. Make those calories more nutritious to make managing your weight a positive result of the increase in exercise.
Spring is a great time to get outside and get moving. Developing an exercise routine and following it through the warmer months makes it a habit by the time winter rolls around again and it can improve your overall health and well being. Remember your health matters.
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April 3, 2013
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Midweek Health Quiz
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It is midweek already, can you believe it. Here is your health quiz for today.
Is it better to exercise fast and furious or slow and gradual to get healthy?
The answer to this is two fold. Fast and furious doesn’t work if you are out of shape and give up after the first 10 minutes. If you have not been exercising it is best to start small and work your way up to a pace that you can tolerate and maintain for 30 minutes. Once you can exercise for 30 minutes, then it is time to challenge yourself and work fast and furious two or three times a week to improve your health.
If you are just getting back into exercising, starting slow and increasing your tolerance slowly will help you to keep at it and be more successful. Once you keep up with a three times a week routine then you can challenge yourself to more fast and furious exercises and routines.
When you have established an exercise routine yet time is still a struggle, you will benefit more from 30 minutes of fast and furious exercise than trying to squeeze in several exercise times during your already busy schedule.
The most important thing to remember is to just do it. Slow or fast, 15 minute intervals or 30 minute intervals, morning or night…. doesn’t really matter. What matters is to keep moving. Keep pushing yourself to do more by increasing the repetition of an exercise or the amount of time you exercise. By doing that you are improving your cardiac health and your overall physical well being.
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April 2, 2013
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Lifestyle Doesn’t Matter to Your Health…April Fools
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April fools… Lifestyle does matter to your health. And for me, I am having a stressful April 1 making me even more aware of what needs to be done to be healthy. Here are my tips for starting small to get healthy.
1. Decrease the caffeine. This is one of the most difficult things next to stopping a smoking habit that women face. Decreasing caffeine will give you more energy and less joint pain but only after you have detoxed from too much. While detoxing you will experience sluggishness and headaches to say the least. To aide in these symptoms, decrease your caffeine slowly taking your intake down a glass or two the first day, more the next day, and so on until you are caffeine free.
2. Drink more water. Hydration is the number one aspect of getting on the right track with your health. Your skin will improve, your overall oral health and physical health will show signs of improving, and your joints should show signs of feeling less stiff and sore. But it does take time.
3. Develop discipline with eating and exercise. These two activities can be the contributing factors to many ailments so it is imperative to include diet and exercise into a plan for better health.
Let’s make April the month for women to take action. The first quarter of the year is past, and time is still left to get on track to feeling better. I challenge you to make small steps every week towards a healthier lifestyle because your health matters.
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March 18, 2013
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What Works for Cramps?
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Women of all ages who have reached child bearing age and beyond who have monthly periods have also experienced cramps. Cramps can occur before the menstrual period, during, and even a day or two after. Cramps are uncomfortable to down-right painful and can make your once a month visit from mother nature absolutely miserable. What works to relieve those cramps can be very different for every woman. Here are some tips.
1. Rest. Many times women over exert and then wonder why they are aching and feeling worse than usual during their period. Rest during the part of the day when cramps are the worse can relieve some of the discomfort. Many women go to bed for an entire day. Don’t be embarrassed to take to the bed for a nap.
2. Heat. Apply a heat pack, heating pad, or warm wet cloth across the pelvis to help relieve cramping. Heat helps to relax smooth muscles and reduce the cramping affects.
3. Avoid foods that increase intestinal cramping during your period. Intestinal cramping is part of the experience so eating things that you know make it worse doesn’t make sense. Avoid spicy foods, dairy or alcoholic beverages that may increase your chances of loose stools and more cramping.
4. Use anti-inflammatory over the counter medications to help relieve the pain. If over the counter medications don’t give any relief, speak with your doctor for more choices that may need to be prescribed by a physician to keep you comfortable during this time.
5. Mild exercise. Mild exercise like walking can actually help relieve cramping for some women. Do what makes you feel your best.
6. Warm showers can relieve pain, but avoid hot tub experiences during this time as it may increase bleeding and make you feel light headed.
Any excessive bleeding, clotting, or pain should be discussed with your physician so a complete diagnosis and treatment plan can help you to cope with the monthly discomfort. It is a matter of your health.
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March 15, 2013
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TGIF…
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Thank God it’s Friday may be your motto today as it is with many others. In our stressful busy world we all can’t wait for the weekends. But do you know that most people do not physically feel any better on the weekends? Here is why. They change their routine. They sleep to little or too much. They eat too much. They exercise more than normal or don’t exercise at all which can make your feel just as sluggish, and they overall miss work and their colleagues.
So how can you make your weekend special as well as make if improve the way you feel?
1. Exercise . If you are used to moving around during the week, continue with a less stressful exercise or activity but don’t become sedentary or you will feel sluggish come Monday morning. Continue moving those muscles and joints but don’t overdue it thinking you can make up for a lack during the week. Every day should be a balance.
2. Continue to eat regular meals and snacks including foods you may not enjoy during the week. Keep portion sizes the same and meal times approximate. Don’t go without eating and don’t over indulge.
3. Rest. Sleep should be similar to the weekdays for the most part. Don’t stay up late both Friday and Saturday and expect to recuperate on Sunday to feel rested on Monday. Again, moderation.
4. Plan to do an activity you enjoy. Hobbies, small day trips, visiting friends or family can all help you to revive for the next week. Enjoy relaxation with those you love to make the weekend work towards your benefit. Avoid trying to do too much, yet a nice change of pace can be physically and mentally rewarding.
Moderation and balance with activity, food, drink, and socialization will help you to feel rested and ready for the new week. Remember, your health matters.
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March 5, 2013
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What Does Exercise Does to Your Heart Rate?
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The purpose of exercise is to increase your circulation, strengthen muscles and tendons including the heart muscle, and to increase your endurance all for the purpose of maintaining or improving your overall health. What does exercise do specifically for your heart rate or your respiratory rate?
Exercise by definition would increase the work load of the heart which increases your heart rate. Your heart rate should increase by half of your normal heart rate. If your normal resting heart rate is 80, then it would be safe to increase your heart rate to 120 during exercise as long as you do not experience chest pain. As you continue to exercise, your doctor may think it is safe to double your heart rate to 160 or so as long as you increase this slowly and you continue to exercise on a regular basis.
When exercising and increasing your heart rate by half or doubled, it is essential that you also slow your heart rate down with a cooling down period after exercise. Say you jog for 1/2 hour and your heart rate goes to 170. You should then take the next few minutes to walk so your heart rate has a chance to adjust and return to a normal state of your resting rate of 80. Abrupt changes in your heart rate without the cooling down period may make you feel light-headed or weak.
If you have not had a physical or if you have not exercised routinely then it is wise to consult with your doctor before exercising and getting your heart rate racing. But don’t avoid exercising because you are worried about what it does to your heart rate. It is much more important to increase your heart rate with exercise because of the increase in circulation and overall improvement to your health. Start slowly, check with your doctor, and find the exercise routine that works for you and you will soon find yourself feeling and looking healthy. Remember, your health matters.
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February 21, 2013
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Visual Imagery and Relaxation
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Stress can be harmful to your health in so many ways. It increases blood pressure. It can lower your immunity and make you susceptible to illness. It can cause weight loss or weight gain. It has been associated with headaches, body aches, and GI issues among other things. So what can be done to relieve your stress when the situation doesn’t have an immediate answer. How about trying visual imagery and relaxation techniques. Clinical studies show that those who practice these stress relieving techniques have lower blood pressure and overall better health.
Visual imagery is a course all on it’s own but for our purposes here it is simply closing your eyes and picturing in your mind another place, a place you love where you can feel yourself relax. You can use soft music, a comfy chair, and aromatherapy to help you to achieve your happy place in your mind. As you visualize this atmosphere, your heart rate lowers, your muscles relax, and you will feel refreshed. It may only be a five minute session but it does wonders for your mental and physical health.
Relaxation techniques can also include a hot bath, dimming the lighting when dining, using scented candles around your home, or music to soothe your soul. There are a variety of exercise techniques such as yoga that also helps to put you into a state of relaxation if only for a short time.
When your situation whether it be a job, family, or personal stresses you out it does help to practice visual imagery and relaxation for even 5 minutes once or twice a day. Coupled with a hot cup of tea, music, quiet time, or a time of devotion practicing visual imagery or relaxation will benefit your health. Remember your health matters.
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February 20, 2013
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Everyone at Work is Dieting….Uggggggg
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Maybe you are in the same boat as I feel, everyone around me is dieting and I feel convicted every time I put a high calorie bite of anything in my mouth. If I haven’t weighed it, measured it, read the label on it, determined the calorie content in it, or deciphered the protein, fat content, and carbohydrates in it I feel like a slug.
The fact is I sure could loose 10-15 pounds and probably feel better. The fact is I am over 50 so it probably won’t happen. BUT and here is the most important part. I eat healthy most of the time and I snack in moderation. I walk. I work nights two nights a week, and I stay busy, physically active, and I have no current health issues. I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. I am not on any prescription drugs. And I have longevity in my gene pool.
If you feel like everyone around you is dieting and you feel guilty for eating stop. Ask yourself these questions:
What is your current state of health?
Are there risk factors you could change that might have more impact than loosing a few pounds?
Do you honestly need to loose weight or are you close to your ideal weight?
How do you physically feel every day?
Do you take prescribed medications for a current health condition that inhibits you from exercising or being more active?
Are any of the drugs you take known to add weight?
Before you feel guilty because you are not dieting with all the rest this New Year, analyze your personal health and your personal goals for improving your health. Only then will it inspire you to make the changes you need to make because of your own health and not out of guilt. Praise your friends for dieting and encourage them to reach their goals but don’t let what they do make you feel bad about what you do. Only you can make the steps needed to improve your health and for some women dieting is not the answer. Remember your health matters.
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February 18, 2013
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Challenges
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Challenges come in all forms for women. The media is asking you to challenge yourself to loose weight, buy new styles, get a face lift, buy a new car, and a hundred different things a day that promise you that you will feel better, look better, catch the right man, and have the whitest smile. Then there is the challenge managing a full time job and family, finding time to clean, cook, do laundry, travel, and make life the best it can be for those you love. But how about a challenge that actually helps your health and well being? I have been challenged and I am stepping up to the plate.
Angela Atkinson at Project Blissful is challenging women to 60 days of loving yourself. I am jumping at it. Not because I don’t love myself, but because concentrating on the things that I need will hopefully bring more health, wellness, and positive abundance to my work. What would a 60 day challenge mean to you if I ask you to love yourself for 60 days.
Now I am not promoting selfish behaviors. I am promoting putting your health and wellness first so you feel and look your best. This in turn will make you more productive, more helpful to your family, and hopefully full of more creative energy. Here are some ideas I am working on for my 60 day challenge. They are things I need to work on so your list will be different.
1. Decrease the sugar in my diet. Loving myself means that loving my pancreas and ensuring that I am doing all I can to prevent diabetes.
2. Decreasing the amount of soda I drink. I waste so much time buying soda, opening the can, drinking it, and worrying if I have enough to last. Think what I can accomplish by relying more on the water in the faucet.
3. Increasing exercise…. consciously increasing exercise. I need to loose a few pounds as most women do and moving more will help me. NO more excuses.
4. Spending more time reading the Bible. I know I feel better when I do some Bible reading every day. Time gets in my way and I neglect the spiritual part of my being sometimes. I will benefit from this time spent and it can only improve my overall health.
5. Designating writing time. I am not a happy camper when I don’t have time to write.
This is my list of things I do to love myself. I will probably discover more, like spending creative time doing artsy projects or designing fabric but for now this is it. What is on your list of things to do to love yourself? Are you up for the 60 day challenge to do what it takes to love and accept who you are as a woman? It matters to your health.
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February 13, 2013
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Cholesterol… Is it the bad guy?
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Cholesterol has been named the big bad guy in heart disease and stroke for several years making cholesterol fighting drugs, diets, and treatments the center of media campaigns and at a huge cost to Americans. But is Cholesterol the bad guy or could it be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your health?
New studies are coming out to suggest that cholesterol is just a small part of the causes of heart disease and stroke and that there is an underlying inflammation within the body causing the development of plaque which leads to obstruction of the vessel. Authorities suggest that stress, smoking, and alcohol are serious culprits along with a high fat high cholesterol diet.
There are other contributing factors to those at high risk for heart disease and stroke. Genetic and family history, age, ethnicity, and gender may also be increase your risk for these common diseases and you are unable to alter any of those.
The important thing to remember is that while cholesterol has been named as one cause for heart disease and stroke there are some things you can do to prevent these diseases or at least lessen your risk. Increasing your exercise, watching what foods you eat, increasing fresh fruits and veggies and decreasing red meats in your diet, and managing your stress all help you to decrease your risks for heart disease and stroke. Think about it as you look at ways that your health matters.
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