HealthyLife Articles

Tag: planning

Time Flies When You Are Disorganized

Stress Management

Manage your time. Prioritize.

How many times have you wished there were more hours in a day or looked up at the clock and wondered how the day flew by so fast with little accomplished? By managing your time, you can help manage the stress that comes with unfinished business.

Tips to help manage time:

* Write a “To Do” list. Planning your day can ease your mind of nagging worry that you’ve missed something. Checking off items gives you the feeling of satisfaction.

* Prioritize: Put the most important tasks at the top.

* Give yourself enough time to do the job right the first time. You don’t want to spend more time later correcting mistakes.

* Avoid distractions. Close your door, turn off the phone, and don’t check your email every five minutes.

* Set time limits. Give yourself an allotted amount of time to check and respond to emails, text messages, and phone calls.

* Avoid unproductive meetings. A quick phone call or email will be faster and can save you a lot of time.

* Take breaks. Stand up, stretch and take a walk.

* If the task seems overwhelming, break it into smaller parts. Focus on one task at a time.

* Pass the buck. Is there anything you can pass on to someone else to handle?

* Find your groove. If you get more done in the mornings, block that time to focus on detailed projects.

* Utilize technology. Use your computer and smartphone options and apps to help you track your time, remind you of meetings, and alert you when tasks are due.

* Just say no. Less important tasks can wait.

* Take a day off. You are no good to anybody if you can’t concentrate.

Action Step

Keep a diary of everything you do. You may learn that trying to find things on your cluttered desk, spending too much time on Facebook or watching TV are keeping you from completing what you need to get done.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Traveling

Healthy Travel

The best of travel plans can be ruined if you get sick or aren’t able to deal with health problems on your trip. Discuss your travel plans with your doctor.

Make sure to take enough medicines you need for the whole trip.

Depending on your destination, this may include insect repellant, sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher), hand sanitizer (60% alcohol or higher), and face masks.

Find out if and what your health insurance covers if you need medical care during your trip. You may consider purchasing additional travel health insurance. Find out where to go for care, if needed.

Certain vaccines may be required by some countries before you visit them. Find out if and what vaccines are required for places that you plan to travel from the CDC Travelers’ Health Web site atcdc.gov/travel.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Your Pre-Vacation Checklist

Healthy Travel

You’ll enjoy your trip much more if you don’t have to worry about how things are going back home while you’re away. Use this checklist of tasks before you travel. It can help give you peace of mind while you’re gone.

* Take care of any maintenance problems before you leave to prevent serious damage while you’re gone.

* Leave a house key with a neighbor, family member, or friend. Ask them to check your house both inside and out while you’re gone.

* If you’re going to be away for a month or more, contact your creditors and ask about arranging for your bills to be paid on schedule.

* Leave a copy of your itinerary and the name of your airline and flight numbers with family or friends, so they can locate you in the event of an emergency.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Avoid Holiday Debt

Financial Health

Give yourself a present. Keep holiday spending within your means.

* Set a limit on what you will spend.

* Make a list before you shop.

* Buy from stores that offer layaway plans.

* Avoid impulse buying. Leave your credit cards at home.

* Shop less – in stores, online, and while watching TV.

* At family gatherings, discuss ways you can all spend less on gifts. Make a resolution to start a monthly savings account to use for holiday spending.

* Comparison shop. Check out prices online and in-store ads. Use coupons for items on your list.

* Pay with cash or a debit card.

* Don’t go overboard, even during sales. You’ll save 100 percent on items that you don’t need.

* Don’t charge more than you can pay off when your balance is due.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Home Safe Home

Home Safety

Protect your family from accidents, injuries, and intruders.

You should feel safe, protected, and comfortable in your home, even when things go wrong. Make sure you’re doing everything possible to protect yourself and your family. Lock the doors, even when you are home. Install and maintain smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Plan an escape route in case of a disaster.

Safety Tips:

* Use a peephole at the front door.

* If you live alone, arrange for daily contact with a neighbor or relative.

* Post emergency numbers and teach children how to call 9-1-1.

* Stock first-aid supplies.

* Keep chemicals out of your children’s reach.

* Lock guns in one place and bullets in another.

* Keep a fire extinguisher handy.

* Use grab bars and safety mats or nonskid tape in your tub and shower.

* Keep stair areas well-lit. Keep all walkways clear of clutter.

* Make sure there is a clear path for walking from room to room.

* Never leave young children alone in the bathtub or on a bed or table.

Ways to get through a disaster faster:

Write down a plan. Rehearse it and hope you never need it!

* Create separate plans for different disasters, such as a house fire, flood, tornado, etc. Practice drills for each plan with the family.

* Take a first-aid course.

* Choose a check-in person who is unlikely to be involved in the same event.

* Plan two places to meet. Choose one at or near your home. Choose another one at a location farther away, in case you can’t get home.

* If you have kids in school, find out about the school’s crisis plan. Make sure the school has current phone numbers for you and other caregivers. Sign forms that allow the release of your kids to family members or friends.

* If you have pets, plan for their safety.

Action Step

Set up plans to be ready for weather disasters. Contact your cell phone carrier to see if you can get free Wireless Emergency Alerts.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Thinking About Getting Pregnant?

WELL-BEING

A healthy pregnancy starts with these steps, according to the CDC:

* Take a vitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) folic acid every day. Read the label.

* Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and street drugs.

* Keep hands clean by washing them often with soap and water to prevent infections.

* See a health care professional regularly. Talk about any medical problems (such as obesity, diabetes, seizures) and medicine use (both prescription and over-the-counter).

* Ask about avoiding any substances at work or at home that might be harmful to a developing baby.

* Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

* Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk and foods made from it.

* Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat.

* While pregnant, get early prenatal care and go to every appointment.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Four Ingredients For A Happy Retirement

Mature Health: Over Age 50

Retirement involves major changes in your income, lifestyle, social life, and self-image. Not surprisingly, retirement can be very stressful-or blissful. Advance planning is a key ingredient for a happy retirement. A survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that 75 percent of those who had planned for retirement enjoyed it. Here are some specific ways you can make retirement less stressful and more satisfying.

Get a part-time job.

For some people, gradual retirement is easier to handle than being employed one day and unemployed the next. To smooth the transition, you may want to either work part-time at your present job for a few months or get a part-time job at another firm when you leave.

Practice living on a retirement budget before you retire.

And start saving for retirement as far ahead of time as possible. Don’t expect Social Security to cover all your expenses.

Take care of yourself while you’re young.

You can help to preserve your health by eating a low-fat diet, not smoking, drinking moderately (if at all), learning to manage stress, getting regular checkups, and being physically active.

Cultivate hobbies and other outside interests.

Fitness activities, community work, or academic studies can fill the void left by not having to report to work every day. To prevent boredom, consider a variety of activities-indoor and outdoor, mental and physical, group and individually oriented. And start thinking about projects you’d like to work on well before retirement, so you don’t stall out when the time comes.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Want To Eat Healthier?

HEALTHY EATING

Then cook meals at home

People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.

“When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all-even if they are not trying to lose weight,” according to a study in Public Health Nutrition.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Getting Ready For Childbirth

Pregnancy & Prenatal Care

What to Do First

* Choose where you want to have your baby.

* Choose a health care provider.

How to Get Ready

* Read books on pregnancy and childbirth.

* Take a childbirth class, if you can.

* Get regular prenatal care from your health care provider.

Childbirth Classes Do These Things

* Tell you what happens when you give birth

* Show you and your partner (or other “coach”) what to do during labor and delivery

* Help lessen the fear of giving birth

* Help explain what happens with a Cesarean section (C-section). Knowing what to expect is helpful when a C-section is planned. It is helpful, too, if it is not planned, but needs to be done for the safety of you and your baby.

* Teach you how to work with the natural birthing process. You can do this through:

– Exercises that make the muscles used in childbirth stronger

– Massage

– Focusing the mind

– Relaxing and breathing methods

You can find out about childbirth classes from:

* Your health care provider

* The maternity department of local hospitals

* Local education programs

* Local March of Dimes

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
You Can Survive A Family Vacation With The In-Laws

FAMILY LIFE

Instead of calling it “the 7 worst days of your life,” change the mantra to “this will be fun and interesting,” advises Wake Forest University Professor of Counseling Samuel T. Gladding, when describing a family vacation that includes your in-laws.

Time spent together on the beach or at another vacation place can help children bond with grandparents, Gladding said. “If you don’t have some exposure to extended family, you will never truly get to know them. It takes time, effort and expense to be in the same place with them. The dividend is that you get to know them and then you can build a relationship. That’s how people grow.”

Connecting with extended families is important because family members have skills, contacts, and abilities beyond those found in nuclear families, he said. Tapping into that family power is a good idea.

Plan the right activities. Arrange constructive activities that involve interaction, such as cooking or playing board games. A Gladding family favorite is charades because it is silly and makes people laugh. When people laugh together, they create good memories that help build relationships.

But don’t plan to spend every minute with the group. Set aside time to go out to eat or do some other favorite activity with your own immediate family. It’s okay to say, “For this block of time, we want to have just our small family together.”

If you set expectations in advance, no one will be surprised when you take a break on Tuesday night to go play miniature golf. It also gives the grandparents some space they might appreciate just as much as you do.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026