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Tidy Up Your Stress! A clean house or a neat office can eliminate that out-of-control feeling. Psychologists have found that for many men and women, the actual act of tidying up can reduce stress and anxiety. Take some time this week to organize your desk. Make a prioritized list of things to do. Record all numbers/ messages and get rid of the numerous sticky notes. Throw away anything that can be trashed off your desk and make things like pens and paper clips easily accessible. Spend some time at home this weekend get the house clean and organized. This will eliminate those extra morning stresses of looking for keys, kids’ schoolwork, etc. Having your surroundings neat and organized can result in a much calmer and clearer head.
How High is High?
For years, experts defined hypertension, or high blood pressure, as 140 over 90 or higher, even though the risk of heart disease and stroke starts to climb at lower levels, which were mistakenly called “normal.” So what is normal and how high is high?
“Normal blood pressure is less than 120 over less than 80, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Systolic pressure of 120 to 139 or diastolic pressure of 80 to 89 is now called “prehypertension.”
Don’t assume that your blood pressure is normal is just because it used to be. Get it checked, and do what you can to lower it. That means lose excess weight, exercise for at least three hours a week, and consume no more than 2,400 mg of sodium per day, limit alcoholic drinks to one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men, and eat a diet that’s low in saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables (eight to ten servings a day) and low-fat dairy foods (two or three servings a day).
-Journal of American Medical Association 289: 2560, 2003, 2131, 2003.
Try these Twenty Tips to Help You Reach Your Goals:
- Increase your daily activity and exercise.
- Eat regularly schedules, low fat meals.
- Eat healthy snacks between meals and avoid snacks with high sugar or high fat.
- Cut down on sugary, processed, or refined foods.
- Eat a nutritious low fat breakfast every day.
- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Eat your meals leisurely, sitting at a table, with few distractions, and no TV.
- Control serving sizes, eating too much of anything will cause weight gain.
- Just day NO to second helping of high fat or high sugar foods.
- Eat low calorie desserts, or none at all (save rich desserts only for special or rare occasions.)
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.
- Avoid alcohol, or at least use it in moderation.
- Build your self-confidence, speak well about yourself and avoid negative self-talk.
- Visualize yourself the way you plan to be, now and at age 85.
- Journal or track your progress.
- Be persistent and keep your long term goal in focus.
- If you get off track, pick yourself up and get right back on track again.
- Take time to relax and reduce your stress level.
- Develop a support system, find a support buddy, or join a support group.
- Smile, laugh, and enjoy life!
Preventing Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is no longer a worry just for women. Older men are at risk for developing this bone disease as well. And studies show that most of us lack the calcium, vitamin D and other bone builders we need to ward off the condition or to slow its progress. Those of us anxious to drop a few pounds also face an additional complication: Losing weight – particularly in the absence of exercise – can lessen bone density. Make sure you are getting enough of the following bone builders and avoiding those bone destroyers!
5 Best Bone Builders
1. Calcium
Function: Builds and maintains bone.
Daily Needs: 1,000 milligrams if under the age of 50, 1,500 if over 50.
Food sources: Dairy foods, canned sardines and calcium-fortified soy foods and orange juice.
2. Vitamin D
Function: Absorbs and deposits calcium into bones.
Daily needs: 800 to 1,000 IUs.
Food sources: Vitamin D-fortified milk and dairy foods.
3. Vitamin K
Function: Activates a protein necessary for bone strength.
Daily needs: 65-80 micrograms.
Food sources: Dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
4. Magnesium
Function: Stimulates bone production.
Daily needs: 100 to 400 milligrams.
Food sources: Almonds, avocados, bananas, dried beans, lentils, nuts, peanut butter, soy, spinach, tofu, wheat germ, and whole wheat bread.
5. Activity
Function: Helps the flow of calcium into the bone.
Weekly needs: Strength train two to three days a week.
Source: Weight-bearing exercise, such as running or walking, most days of the week.
5 Worst Bone Destroyers
1. Alcohol
Why? Decreases activity of cells that function to rebuild bones.
What can you do? Reduce intake to one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men.
2. Caffeine
Why? Excessive consumption triggers calcium excretion.
What can you do? Limit daily intake to three cups of tea, coffee, soft drinks, and other caffeinated beverages.
3. Sodium
Why? Excessive consumption triggers calcium excretion
What can you do? Reduce sodium (salt) intake.
4. Inactivity
Why? Restricts flow of calcium into the bones.
What can you do? Exercise daily.
5. Smoking
Why? Disrupts the body’s use of calcium.
What can you do? Stop smoking.
Source: LifeScript Healthy Advantage Newsletter, March 2007
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