HealthyLife Articles

Tag: support

  • A Shoulder To Lean On

    BE FIT

    Image of women and trainer exercising the shoulders.

    Shoulder injuries are common. Why? Because of improper exercise technique, say exercise experts at the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and because people commonly over-train one or two deltoid muscles while neglecting others.

    Strength-training routines are typically dominated by exercises that train only the front of the shoulder, which is actually comprised of three distinct muscles. So ACE looked into the most effective exercises for strengthening the overall shoulder and preventing injury.

    The result? Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse shrugged their shoulders when asked to pick the top exercise. Results showed there is not one best exercise that completely works all muscles of the shoulders.

    Instead, for best results, exercisers should perform the dumbbell shoulder press to target the front, and either the 45-degree incline row or the seated rear lateral raise for the rear. Ask your gym’s expert to show you these techniques.

    69% of people will experience a shoulder injury at some point in their lives, according to the NIH.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • How To Stop Emotional Eating

    HEALTHY EATING

    Image of young women with thumbs up.

    There’s no doubt that food can be comforting. Our favorite foods can make us feel happy and relaxed. Sometimes when people feel sad, lonely, stressed, or even bored, they may turn to food for comfort. This is known as emotional eating, and most people don’t realize they are doing it. As a result, people eat when their body isn’t truly hungry, and this can lead to weight gain and health problems.

    The University of Rochester Medical Center says emotional eating can be harmful. It can cause type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. But, emotional eating can be a hard habit to break. Here are some tips to help you stop:

    Learn to listen to your body.

    Are you truly hungry? If so, your stomach may be grumbling. With emotional eating, people often crave one specific food, such as a cookie. But if you’re really hungry, you’ll be willing to eat something healthier, such as fruits or vegetables.

    Wait a little while.

    If you’re not sure if you’re hungry, tell yourself to wait 15 minutes. In the meantime, do something else. Take a walk, have a glass of water, or call a friend. See if the urge to eat passes.

    Keep unhealthy foods away.

    Stock nutritious foods in your house, and don’t buy the foods you eat when you’re stressed. It’s easier to avoid the temptation if the food isn’t available to you.

    Don’t worry about past mistakes.

    When you’re trying to break a habit, setbacks can happen. Forgive yourself if you end up eating too much or giving in to a craving. Tell yourself you’ll start fresh again tomorrow. Don’t give up.

    Find healthy ways to deal with stress.

    Go for a walk, listen to music, or do deep breathing exercises to help you deal with stress. Then you’re less likely to turn to food for comfort.

    If you have a problem with emotional eating, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk with your doctor about the problem. Ask about support groups and mental health experts who help people with emotional eating.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents

    FAMILY LIFE

    Image of young child.

    How do you manage a child who gets stomachaches every school morning? Or one who refuses to go to after-school activities? Or who is trapped in the bathroom with frequent hand washing?

    One in every 5 kids suffers from a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Experts Reid Wilson, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Lynn Lyons, a social worker and psychotherapist, say anxiety disorders are the number one reason why parents bring a child to a mental health professional.

    “When kids grow and step into new experiences, they should have questions and uncertainties. Worry becomes a problem when a child is consistently avoiding activities or experiences that are a normal part of development,” according to these experts.

    How do you know if your child may have anxiety? Wilson and Lyons, authors of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous & Independent Children, say to look for the following behaviors and see a mental health professional with your concerns (worry, they say, may run in families):

    *  They cling to you.

    *  They refuse to try new activities.

    *  They continually ask you for reassurance of their “what if” questions.

    *  They feel sick and complain of aches, pains, and nausea.

    *  They avoid school or cry or throw tantrums if you force them to go.

    *  They act shy and don’t talk in class or around others.

    *  They worry about future or past events (“I will look stupid reading this book report” or “Did I make my best friend mad?” or “Something bad is going to happen to my family”).

    Children can learn to manage their uncertainty, but sometimes it takes a professional to help.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Is Your Relationship In Trouble?

    SUCCESS OVER STRESS

    Image of couple not getting along.

    Is your relationship stormy? Indifferent? One-sided? According to Pennsylvania psychologist, Dr. Michael S. Broder, these are the three types of troubled relationships. They account for the high divorce rate, as well as the much higher percentage of non-married relationships that end.

    Stormy Relationship:

    This type has plenty of passion, but it may not be the positive kind. Positive passion is a relationship at its best. Too much negative passion results in a great amount of anger and discomfort. At the extreme, these relationships can become abusive and even dangerous. A relationship with a lot of passion and little or no comfort can still be highly charged romantically and sexually. In some cases the most passionate sex actually occurs after the meanest and volatile arguments. The sad part is that the cause of the anger is never dealt with or resolved. Thus, the pattern can continue indefinitely.

    Indifferent Relationship:

    With this type, most-if not all-of the passion is missing. There can be a very comfortable living arrangement, but partners may have little feeling or sexual desire for each other. Sometimes partners simply grow apart without anger, or there can be as much anger as there is in the typical stormy relationship. The main difference is that there’s just not the tendency to argue or do battle with each other. This may be a result of the partners’ personality styles, or the absence of passion-including negative passion. Instead, the relationship merely begins to die a slow and quiet death. In other words, it may be brain alive but heart dead.

    One-Sided Relationships:

    In this type, one person usually puts out much more effort and energy to maintain and nurture the relationship than does the other. One partner can be quite content, having all the passion and comfort he or she needs. Yet the other partner feels somewhat to totally unfulfilled.

    In all types of troubled relationships it is important to ask: “What is the potential for change?” If the answer is none, the next question to ask yourself is, “Is this where I still want to be?”

    Adapted from Can Your Relationship Be Saved? How to Know Whether to Stay or Go by Dr. Michael S. Broder.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine