small steps for better health: what to do to stay healthy when you just can’t do it all anymore...
TRANSCRIPT
Small Steps for Better Health:
What to do to stay healthy when you just can’t do it all anymore
Sarah S. Wall, M.Ed., MCHES
So much advice, so little time
Health Advice
The 76 Best Things to do for your body- NOW!
45 Best Health Tips Ever
Health Tips for Women
Dr. Oz's 25 Greatest Health Tips for Men
A new approach
SELF-CARE
S is for Sleep
Sleep is often the first place we look to cut corners and squeeze more out of our days.
Most adults need 7-8 hours a night. New research indicates increased health risks if you sleep less than 6 hours a night.
More Super Suggestions:
Slowing down Spirituality Stretching Strength-training Sugar sleuthing-be aware, it’s
everywhere Salmon, sweet potatoes and sweet
red peppers
What about the letter E?
E is for Exercise
Years of solid scientific evidence has shown
that exercise lowers risks for premature death and disability and provides numerous positive physical and psychological benefits.
Some other Excellent ideas:
Educate yourself about any health issues you have
Eat your veggiesEggs are good for you again!
L is for Lighten-up
Lighten up your attitude- worry less about meeting unrealistic expectations of yourself, other people or the culture we live in
Lighten up your diet with fresher, healthier foods and smaller portions
Laugh more, complain less
Listen more, talk less
What else for L?
Low-fat dairy products
Love the body you have!
Lifelong Learning
F is for Friendships
Forgo Facebook –spend your time developing, nurturing and sustaining real face to face friendships.
Research shows that the more close friendships we have, the better our health.
FriendshipsWhat do friendships look like in our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and beyond?
What does it take to sustain these connections?
How can you find time to stay close with good friends?
Other Fabulous Finds
C is for Check-ups
Cancer and Cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of death in the U.S.
Stay current on recommended screenings for cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and skin.
Know your numbers for cholesterol levels, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood glucose
Recommended Guidelines by Age
You can learn what screenings and tests are recommended for each decade of life from any of these sites:http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/resources/preventative_screening.htm
http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/FindCancerEarly/CancerScreeningGuidelines/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer
http://www.womenshealth.gov/screening-tests-and-vaccines/screening-tests-for-women/
Cool Concepts to Consider
Cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts
Caring-about yourself, people you love, what matters in your life
Community-get or stay involved with where you live and work
A is for Action & AdvocacyA is for taking action in your world
by advocating for healthy changes in your lifestyle, your family’s habits, your worksite, your schools, and your community.
How can you advocate for better health?
Personal ChangesChanges at HomeChanges at WorkChanges in SchoolsChanges in your Community
When is the last time you found time to truly relax?
Do you even remember what it means to relax?
Breathe
Let go of your to do list
Put away the phone, the pager, the IPAD
R is for Relaxation
E is for Eating Well
Follow the My Plate guidelines Watch portion sizes
Choose quality over quantity
Take time to enjoy eating
FOR YOUR BODY— NOW!
BY JE N N IFER BR IG H T R E IC H , AD D ITIO N A L R E P O R TIN G BY LO R E N CHIDONI
S ponsored by
We called m ore than 70 top authorities on health and wellness, and asked each of them the sam e question: W hat are the m ost im portant things a woman can do to stay healthy? After weeks of taking notes and poring over research, we’re passing the inform ation on to you: a list of the 76 sm artest tips, from the tried and true to the brand spanking new. Your strategy: Pick five this week. Im plem ent. Next week, five m ore. The week after that— well, you get the idea.
®
¢ W W W .W O M EN SH EALTH M AG .C O M
¢ KN OW TH YSELF Know your body composition. A s tudy pub lished in the International Journa l o f O bes ity found that 25 to 30 percen t o f young wom en with a normal B M I (1 9 to 25) still carry excess ive body fat. The easiest way to check your body com position is with b ioe lectric im ped- ance ana lys is , ava ilab le in m an y gyms and doctors ’ offices. Know your family’s health history. Q uiz the he ll ou t o f re la tives, then dow n- load everyth ing you learn to your M.D. N eed he lp com ing up with a list of ques- tions? The U .S . S urgeon G enera l’s Fam ily H ealth Portra it (w w w.fam ilyh is to ry.hhs. gov) o ffe rs easy instructions. Know your cancer risk. The Am eri- can C ancer S ocie ty’s G reat American H ealth C heck (w w w.cancer.o rg/ grea tam ericans) asks a few questions about your pe rsona l and fam ily hea lth h is tory and then genera tes a list of recom m ended screen ing tests , p lus tips on how to reduce your hea lth risks. (We w ere to ld to n ix the second m argarita a t happy hour and cut out the Cadburys.) Know your cholesterol levels. A survey by the S oc ie ty fo r Women’s H ealth R esearch revea led tha t less than a th ird o f Am erican wom en know the ir num bers. G et your cho leste ro l checked
every five years, s ta rting at age 20. You’re in the clear if your to ta l num ber is unde r 200 m g/dL , with an L D L (that’s the bad k ind) o f less than 100 m g/dL and an H D L (that’s the good kind) o f 50 m g /D L or more. Know your resting heart rate. The lower the num be r, the less your heart has to work (and that’s a good th ing). Take your pu lse in the m orn ing , when you ’re m ost re laxed. M easure the num - ber o f bea ts in 10 seconds, then m ultip ly by s ix. You r num ber shou ld be between 60 and 80--even lowe r if you ’re athletic. Know your waist-to-hip ratio. The best test for p red ic ting heart a ttacks m ay be the proportion o f your wa ist to your h ips . M easu re your wa is t at the sm allest point, then m easure your hips at the w idest po in t. D iv ide the firs t num ber by the second num ber: an ideal ra tio is 0.8 or lower. ¢ E AT TH E SE FO O D S. E V E RY. S IN G LE. D AY. Broccoli sprouts. Turns ou t broc- co li sprouts con ta in up to 50 tim es the am ount o f cancer-fighting com pounds found in m a ture brocco li heads. Canola and olive oil. Stop sidling up to the ba r: R ep lace the bu tter and m a rgarine in your stir-fries with veg-
etab le o ils . The om ega-3 fa tty ac ids and unsa tu ra ted fats m ay he lp slash cho leste ro l leve ls as we ll as your risk for heart disease. Low-fat m ilk and cheese. Your body absorbs ca lcium m ost effectively from food, not from chocola te-flavored supplem ent chew s. A long with vitamin D , absorb ing 1 ,500 to 2 ,000 milligrams of the m oo m inera l da ily (a cup o f milk has about 300 m illig ram s) w ill s ign ifi- can tly reduce your risk o f jo in ing the osteoporosis club. Ferm ented foods like sauerkraut, m iso, and yogurt. Stud ies show they m ay reduce breast cancer risk, protect aga inst yeast in fections, and boost im m un ity. Cinnam on. Becom e a spice g irl: Th is antiox idan t-rich seasoning slows down the ra te at w hich your stom ach un loads that ench ilada lunch, w h ich p revents b lood suga r sp ikes and crashes. In fact, s tud ies show that a ha lf-teaspoon a day low ers b lo od sugar and cho les te ro l in peop le with type 2 diabetes. OJ. A six-ounce g lass of 100 percent ju ice (that m eans no added sugar) every day reduces your risk o f stroke by up to 20 pe rcen t. B onus po in ts for gu lp ing the k ind with fibe r-rich pulp. Nuts. Popp ing a hand fu l da ily has been
show n to lowe r heart d isease risk by 35 percent. Tea. G reen, b lack, and w hite are all teem ing with antiox idan ts . However, g reen tea is un ique ly h igh in a chemical ca lled EG C G , one of the m ost po tent an- ticancer com pounds ever found. S teep any co lo r for at least three m inutes and squeeze the bag at the end fo r an extra antioxidant punch. Hot cocoa. You can im prove your ticker ’s hea lth with an eight-ounce cup o f hot choco la te as m uch as you can with a g lass o f m erlo t--m inus the hangover. G o hea lthy with 100 percent unsweetened and non -a lka lized cocoa pow der (like H ershey’s Cocoa) and fa t- free milk. B erries. S cientists in F in land found that ea ting five ounces a day offe rs a hea lthy-heart trip le p lay b y reducing the risk fo r ca rd iovascu la r d isease , im - proving leve ls o f good cho lestero l, and lowering b lood pressure. ¢ D ON ’T TH IN K TW IC E ABO U T… Ditching Facebook. In one o f many stud ies link ing soc ia l t ies to bette r hea lth , an O hio S ta te U nivers ity survey found that partic ipants w ho ID ’d them- se lves as lone ly had h igher leve ls of cortiso l, a stress horm one tha t inc reas- ¢ W W W .W O MEN SH EALTHM AG .CO M
Read the remaining tips here
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/besttips/pdf/76TipsForBody.pdf
Thank you
Sarah S. Wall, M.Ed., MCHES
Project Associate
Translational Obesity Research Program
Virginia Tech
1 Riverside Circle, SW, Suite 104
Roanoke, VA 24016
(540) 857-6668
The direction of your life is more important than its speed