Turn stressful to successful and get healthy doing it.
Is your life, challenging, complicated and stressful? Is taking care of your own health on the back burner because everything else is demanding your attention?
Conquering barriers to a healthy lifestyle with small daily changes can be one of the best stress
relievers you have ever tried.
Unlike other stress relievers, such as overeating or drinking too much, starting a healthier
lifestyle by substituting healthy activities for potentially harmful activities could help relieve the
emotional stresses of the moment and also the deeper stress of not caring for your health. And
overeating and drinking don’t solve anything, make you gain weight and can create additional
emotional and health problems.
Even if you feel fine, you should know that heart disease often starts in childhood, and because
it has no symptoms that can be felt, people don’t think of it as urgent -- until they have a heart attack.
The following offers some helpful advice that can get you started on a less stressful path…while
not scientifically proven they could make a difference!
No time? Shift gears with prioritization
Lack of time to exercise is one of the top reasons people feel they can’t get in “150 minutes of
moderate physical activity a week.” In fact, they may feel they don’t even have the time to be
concerned about their health.
Tips for “finding” more time to be physically active:
• Spend five minutes and write down all the things you do in one day.
- Place an A next to those that are truly important, such as caring for children or
elders; job responsibilities; etc.
- Place an A next to physical activity because it is essential to your health.
- Label everything else B or C.
• Look hard at the Bs, the non-essentials on your priority list; consider:
- Watching 30 minutes less TV in the evening.
- Going to sleep 30 minutes earlier and waking up 30 minutes earlier.
- Look at your household tasks to see if any can be done less often.
• If at first you don’t succeed – try again.
How you find more time is as unique as you are. But find the time so you can stay healthy for
yourself and those you love.
What, me? Exercise? No spandex, please!
If the thought of exposing your jiggle when you wiggle is unthinkable, and you don’t want to
sweat in front of others, think different – think about physical activity rather than structured exercise.
Tips for starting to get more active
• Walk briskly – fast enough so you can speak but not sing – 150 minutes a week is a no-cost
activity that is available to most people.
• Break your walking into segments of 10-15 minutes at a time.
• Combine walking with activities such as shopping at the mall.
• Make active choices, such as taking the stairs rather than the elevator.
• Walk your dog, if you have one, a little further every day.
• Keep a journal of your walks – get a pedometer to record your mileage and/or write down one thing you observe each day.
• Take a small camera or cell phone camera with you and take one photograph a day.
• Walk with a friend to stay motivated.
• Rent or buy an exercise tape or DVD and keep your exercise private.
• Turn up the volume or use headsets and dance alone to your favorite music.
• Try ballroom dancing – it’s elegant and it is also physical activity.
Eating healthy, but not like a rabbit
When you think of healthy eating, do you think about subsisting on an unappetizing blend of
tasteless iceberg lettuce and sprouts? Although a rabbit might enjoy that menu, most people
wouldn’t. Eating healthy should be a delight for the senses.
• Try adding a fruit or vegetable with every meal and snack.
• Emphasize the positive – eat more fruit and vegetables, more whole grains, more low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
• Eat fish, especially oily fish such as mackerel and salmon, at least twice a week.
• Choose lean meat or skinless poultry – no more than the size of your palm or a deck of cards.
• Focus on food, not fat, protein or carbohydrates.
• Instead of relying solely on vitamin and mineral supplements – eat foods rich in vitamins
and minerals which studies show are associated with a lower rate of heart disease.
• Plan ahead – if you know your workplace is full of junk food, pack healthy snacks so you
won’t be tempted.
• Use smaller plates at home.
Do it for love, do it for you, but lose the excess weight
There is no one reason why America is facing an obesity epidemic – there are dozens. Good-tasting high-calorie food is cheap. Sugary soft drinks are the norm. Ads for food are everywhere. People aren’t as physically active as they were in the past. That’s the environment we live in. We can’t choose our environment, but we can choose how we live in it and what messages we choose to listen to about food.
• Find a weight loss plan that works for you as an individual:
- Count calories;
- Cut portions;
- Substitute lower calorie choices.
• Do not deprive yourself of foods you love, eat them in small amounts once in a while as treats.
• Keep a journal of your progress.
• Don’t give up – weight loss is hard, especially for women.
• Choose carefully and plan ahead.
• Set a healthy example for your family.
Above content provided by the American Heart Association in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For advice about your medical care, consult your doctor.
Posted February 2010