SUCCESS OVER STRESS
* Eat healthy and exercise. These help your body deal with stress. Exercise has been proven to relieve stress and improve your health!
* When you feel stress coming on, take slow, deep breaths in and out. Slow breathing can halt your stress response.
* Recognize that stress is a normal reaction. You can’t always avoid it. Stress can make life hard. But there are healthy ways to get through it.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
Home Safety
* Being healthy at each cycle of life includes healthy eating, exercising, getting quality sleep, and avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke. It also includes getting health tests and vaccines that you need.
* Re-use paper bags.
* Buy recycled products and items that come in recycled packaging.
* Donate usable items to others instead of adding them to the trash.
* Rely less on disposable products used for eating, cleaning, and grooming. Use rechargeable batteries.
* Recycle paper, newspapers, junk mail, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic. Follow the recycling rules of your city. If you do not have home recycling, take items to a recycling collection center. To find one near you, call 800.CLEAN.UP (253.2687) or visitearth911.com. Involve the whole family in recycling. Recycle at your place of work. Encourage coworkers to do the same.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
WELL-BEING
If you’re hoping to make a change, these tips may help:
Avoid.If certain places or people make you want to engage in unhealthy habits, try your best to stay away.
Replace.Focus on what you can do instead of the bad habit. For instance, take a walk or drink a glass of water.
Plan.If you know you’ll be tempted with a bad habit, practice what you can do. Picture yourself not giving in. Have a plan for yourself.
Buddy up.Ask a friend or family member to support you. They can cheer you on and encourage you when you need it.
Source: National Institutes of Health
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
Financial Health
Use your money wisely.
You have probably asked or heard the question, “Do you really need that?” It is a good question to ask when you are thinking of making a purchase. Buying on impulse can be a big budget buster. Getting by with less is a budget saver.
Use credit cards wisely:
* Keep cards to a minimum.
* Pay your bill on time to avoid a late payment fee and a higher “penalty” interest rate. Stay below your credit limit.
* Pay the balance in full. If you can’t, make more than the minimum payment.
* Try to avoid getting cash advances, which have very high interest rates.
* Ask for a lower interest rate on credit cards you currently have.
Trim costs for tech services:
* Choose a cellphone plan that avoids hefty fees for extra minutes and texts. Consider dropping your landline phone or just using it for basic services.
* Shop around for best prices and services for Internet, phone, and cable. Bundle services if this saves money. Contact your current provider and ask if it will match a competitor’s lower price.
* Evaluate your use of cable, especially premium channels. Check out cheaper ways to get movies and programs, such as through your local library, Netflix for movies, and Hulu for TV.
Other savings tips:
* Refinance your mortgage if you can lower the interest rate enough to make it worth your while. Use the extra money for other bills or to apply to the principal to pay your mortgage off sooner.
* Shop for items, even cars, online. Compare prices.
* Take advantage of employer sponsored programs and services. Examples are matching your 401(k) contributions and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), which allow you to use pre-tax dollars to pay for medical and child care expenses.
* Clip and download coupons for free, as well as reduced prices on groceries, restaurant meals, retail items, and home improvement services. Send in rebates that come with products you buy.
* Eat out less. Take your lunch to work.
Action Step
Have fun at little or no cost. Attend free community events, such as concerts and picnics. See movies at discount theaters or swap DVDs with family and friends. Go for hikes and bike rides as a family.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
BE FIT
When you’re not exercising, you can still burn extra calories! Use little ways to get more fit every day.
Don’t make things convenient.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away from your destination and walk. Use your bike instead of a car for quick grocery store runs. Put your favorite snack foods in the basement, rather than on the main floor near the TV.
Get up.
Take a short break every hour if you sit at a desk. Get up, move your arms and legs or even do a few jumping jacks. Use a hands-free headset so you can get up and walk or lift weights while you’re on the phone. Have a meeting? See if you can stand during part of it or even have a walking meeting.
Sneaky exercises.
Do some isometric exercises if you sit a lot. Try squeezing your glute muscles and knees together for eight counts, holding for five seconds then release. Do this every couple of hours.
Move whenever you can. Walk in place instead of standing still.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
Medical Care
* Choose healthy foods. Control portion sizes. Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases, which can be very expensive to treat. Persons who are obese may be charged more for life and health insurance.
* Be fit at little or no cost. Walk with a friend. Join a mall walkers program.
* If you smoke, quit! You’ll save money on cigarettes, health care, and insurance. Get free help from 800.QUIT. NOW orsmokefree.gov.
* Take part in health risk assessments and health and wellness offerings at work.
* Wash your hands often to lessen the chance of picking up germs.
* Brush and floss your teeth daily. Get a dental checkup once or twice a year. Doing these help prevent periodontal (gum) disease. Not only is it expensive to treat, it is associated with heart disease and pneumonia.
* Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Manage stress.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
SELF-CARE CORNER
Your habits during the day have a significant influence on how well you sleep. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the choices you make determine whether your body will be ready to rest at bedtime.
Creating a sleep-minded daily routine will set the stage for a good night’s rest. If you’re struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, it’s time to reset your daily rhythm so you wake up refreshed and ready to go.
Get up at the same time each day
A consistent sleep schedule lets your body know when to be alert and when to settle down for bed. Getting up at the same time each day is essential to establish a sleep rhythm.
Think of getting up in the morning as step one of your sleep schedule. If step one is consistent, then all the other steps can fall into place. If you’re tired, it’s better to go to bed early than sleep in late.
Spend time outside
Natural light is a signal to the body that it’s time to be awake and alert. Being outdoors stimulates hormones related to your circadian rhythm. These hormones help determine how energetic you feel during the day and how well you sleep at night.
Exposure to early morning sunlight is ideal for regulating your sleep/wake pattern. If you are unable to get outside, use bright lights early in the day to simulate sunlight.
Exercise in the morning
Being physically active first thing in the morning can give you a boost of energy. The more active and energetic you feel during the day, the more likely you will wind down at night.
If exercising first thing isn’t possible, make sure to get your exercise in as early in the day as you can. Avoid exercising within a few hours of bedtime as it may make you too energized to fall asleep.
Eat consistent meals
The timing of your meals is an important part of your sleep cycle. When you eat, you are communicating the time of day to your body. Consistent meals also provide energy so you can be alert and productive during your waking hours.
Avoid skipping meals or snacking late at night. Eating or drinking close to bedtime sends the wrong signal. At night, you want your energy levels to drop and your body to focus on repair and rest.
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
Personal Safety
* Eat nutritious foods.
* Get to and maintain a healthy weight.
* Be physically active.
* Get enough sleep and rest.
* See that you and all family members age 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. It is the single best way to prevent getting seasonal flu.
Dos
* Balance work and play.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol.
* Avoid secondhand smoke.
Don’ts
* Don’t be a workaholic.
* Don’t be around people who have the flu.
* Don’t use tobacco in any form.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
FAMILY LIFE
Children may often want every new toy and thing they see. But you can help teach them gratitude with these tips:
1.Make getting things a surprise.This helps kids see something as a gift, not an entitlement. For instance, “surprise” them with a trip to the park or their favorite dessert on special occasions.
2.Be careful with choices.Allowing children to choose something big, such as a vacation destination, will make them think they can get whatever they want. Instead, the adults can choose the vacation plans and present it as a surprise.
3.Talk about what made them happy each day.This teaches kids to be thankful for good things. It can be as simple as playing at recess, seeing a friend or enjoying what they ate for lunch.
4.Serve others as a family.Community charity programs such as working at a food bank are a great way for kids to see how much they have. Also, do smaller things like bring meals to neighbors who are going through a hard time.
5.Show them how to be positive.Being demanding, whiny or jealous quickly turns into being ungrateful for what they have. You can point out positives in nearly any situation to teach them how to find it themselves. “It’s really hot today, but I’m so glad we have cold water to drink” is a great example.
6.Insist on saying “please” and “thank you.”Give them positive reinforcement every time they use these words. This helps to teach them the importance of showing gratitude and respect for other people.
7.Give them chores to do.Yes, kids are busy, but simple things like putting away their clothes, helping with dishes and picking up their toys are valuable lessons. Chores teach kids that it takes work to keep up a household and that they should contribute. Even five to 10 minutes of chores a day is helpful.
8.Consider gifts of “experiences” instead of “things.”Not sure what to get them because they already have so much? How about tickets to a movie or show? Or a trip to a water park for a day? Chances are, they will remember those fun experiences far longer than any toy or gadget.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
Sleep Well
1. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
2. Do aerobic exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week.
3. Avoid caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime.
4. Dim the lights 1 hour before bedtime. Get bright light exposure early in the day.
5. Use your bed for 2 things−sleep and intimacy.
6. At least 30 minutes before bedtime, turn off electronics (TV, cell phone, laptop, etc.). The type of light that emits from these devices makes it hard for you to fall asleep.
7. Keep your bedroom comfortable, quiet, and dark. Turn the clock face away from you.
8. Follow the same bedtime routine every night.
Take Action: Get Enough Sleep
The National Sleep Foundation advises:
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine