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Live Wellness Past Posts December 10, 2008 Yesterday, I presented a talk on Stress Management Strategies. This is a timely topic during the holiday season, so I wanted to post some tips here. Strategies for Managing Stress
“Remember, stress does not come from being busy. Stress comes from being busy about things we don’t want to do, or from not being busy about things we want to do.” —Patricia Sprinkle
Apply Amy Tiemann’s test before adding something to your to-do list or for evaluating the things that are currently on it: Is it fun, meaningful or absolutely necessary? Recognize the HALT warning signs that intensify stress (12-Step Programs & Sarah Cameron):
o Hunger § Always keep healthy snacks handy (Clif Bars, Odwalla Bars, Vegan Wellness Bars, Date-Nut Bars, Trail Mix, grapes, bananas, apple and peanut butter. § Pay attention to your body’s signals: growling stomach, headache, light-headedness, lethargy. § Drink plenty of water with your healthy snack. Dehydration may contribute to the problem. o Anger § Exercise! Make sure the intensity level is enough to alleviate the build-up of emotion. · Build it into your schedule and let the people around you know that it is a priority. · Exercise most days of the week, for at least 30 minutes. § Take a break for a short bout of physical activity: Thera-Band®; stress balls, walk. o Loneliness § Notice when you feel lonely. It may not be when you would expect it. § Stay busy with the things you want to do as often as possible. § Build and nurture relationships with supportive others. § Make an effort to help and add value to these supportive others as often as possible. o Tiredness § Prioritize your own sleep. § Make it a treat to go to bed. § Reallocate other activities in order to accomplish the essentials and fit in sleep. § Know your sleep needs and give yourself a bedtime. October 17, 2008 Wednesday of this week marked Latino AIDS Awareness Day. Coincidentally, on that day, I met a new acquaintance, Kirsten, who has designed a product to encourage women to take responsibility for protecting themelves by carrying their own condoms, rather than relying on male partners to have them. Her stylish carrying tins come in four designs and are both discreet and functional. Check them out at www.takecarewear.com. I was reminded by both the Awareness Day and by meeting Kirsten how vital taking responsibility for our own health and wellness is in living the Wellness Lifestyle. Protecting ourselves from infectious diseases by using safer practices is part of this fulfilling this responsibility to care for our precious bodies. If we rely on others to protect us, we are short-changing ourselves. It is up to us to make the choices and live the practices that enhance our wellness. The opportunities to do so come in a variety of settings. I have had people tell me that they thought a certain junk food was healthy--but they never bothered to read the label. Sometimes people assume that because a cleaning product is sold in the grocery store, it must be safe. This can be a dangerously erroneous assumption. There is much that is technically legal that is still far from safe. The same goes with assuming that someone else will do what it takes to provide a safe intimate encounter. Whether it is taking responibility for our own reproductive choices or protecting our health from the many infectious diseases that are out there, to really live the Wellness Lifestyle, we must be our own advocates, and we must assert our rights to safer practices, as well as our right to say no. Do what you need to do to live as healthfully as possible. Read labels, ask questions, check out www.saferforyourhome.com and educate yourself, carry your own wellness supplies. It is up to you. October 8, 2008 Yesterday, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, in which adults are urged to accumulate a minimum of two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise each week, while the recommendation for children is at least one hour a day. According to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, "The evidence is clear--regular physical activity over months and years produces long-term health benefits and reduces the risk of many diseases. The more physically active you are, the more health benefits you gain." Individuals have the opportunity to improve their health and reduce the risk of early death due to a variety of conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer and depression. Quality of life for older adults can be enhanced through exercise by its impact on thinking capacity and the ability to continue to care for oneself. Children and adolescents who achieve the recommended amount of exercise improve their cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, as well as bone density and body composition. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which represent the most comprehensive review of scientific research about health and physical activity in more than 10 years, tailors recommendations to specific groups. See where you fit. Children and Adolescents: One hour or more of moderate or vigorous aerobic physical activity daily, including vigorous physical activity at least three days a week. Moderate activities may include skateboarding, bike riding and brisk walking. Examples of vigorous activities for children and adolescents are cycling, rope jumping, running and team sports like soccer or basketball. This group should incorporate muscle-strengthening activities like calisthenics or tug-of-war, and bone-strengthening exercise, like jumping rope or skipping, at least three times a week. Adults: Two and a half hours a week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, such as brisk walking, water aerobics, ballroom dancing or gardening, or one and a quarter hours a week of vigorous physical activity, like running, lap swimming or cycling. Adults can accumulate the recommended amount of activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes. Adults who exercise moderately at least five hours a week or vigorously at least two and a half hours a week will reap even greater health rewards. Twice a week, adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities like weight training or heavy yard work. Older adults: Same guidelines as for other adults, when physically possible. If chronic conditions limit activities, older adults should get as much exercise as their abilities and conditions allow. To minimize fall risk, they should include exercises for improving balance. Pregnant women: Healthy pregnant women should follow the same guidelines as other adults. Pregnant women who have been vigorously active prior to pregnancy can continue vigorous activity throughout their pregnancies and after delivery, as long as they are healthy, openly discuss their activities with their health care providers and make appropriate adjustments as the pregnancy progresses. Adults with disabilities: Same guidelines as other adults, when possible. When following the guidelines is not possible due to the disabilities, they should do as much physical activity as they can and should avoid inactivity. Adults with chronic medical conditions: Benefit greatly from regular physical activity, guided by a health care provider.
These guidelines make clear that exercise is an important part of wellness and of a high-quality life. There are many ways to meet the guidelines and to enhance our lives. Regular physical activity is a critical component of the Wellness Lifestyle. Get active today! If you don't know where to start, contact me, and I will help you design a program that is right for you. October 6, 2008 Welcome to the first Live Wellness Blog. Below is an article that appears in the October edition of my Choose Wellness! Newsletter. One of the group presentations that I do is titled the same way: Holding on to YOU While You Hold Your Kids. As parents, particularly as home-based parents, we face many challenges to our own wellness. Here, I share some of what I have learned. I'd welcome any feedback or suggestions on this topic or on other topics of interest. Make this a wellness week! Sheri My son Logan turned four years old on October 1. During these past four years, I have realized that the biggest threat to my personal wellness is losing myself in the role of mother. Society expects it, husbands may assume it and many of us have been socialized to do it. However, I have come to recognize self-sacrifice is not the road to high-quality motherhood. After completing my second Master’s degree in the summer of 2003, I was working as a Certified Personal Trainer while looking for a job that would allow me to combine my educational disciplines of sociology and exercise science. It appeared that we might not be able to conceive, but we decided that if we did become parents, I would be a home-based mom. In February 2004, I was offered a job in the Self-Help Network at Wichita State University. It was a great fit in a department where I felt very comfortable. I found out I was pregnant the same week. Given our decision, I reluctantly turned down the job offer that I had worked so hard to secure. When Logan was born, I gravitated toward attachment parenting, with extended nursing, co-sleeping and baby wearing. I was with Logan literally 24 hours a day every day. I carried him in a pack with me on walks. When I rode my bike, if he was not in the bike trailer, Logan and Kenny were nearby in the van, so that Logan could nurse on demand. In retrospect, I still believe that many of these parenting decisions were the right ones for us. However, there are some things that I would do differently and would recommend to any home-based mom or dad who risks losing themselves in their role as parent. 1. Keep your opportunities open. The Self-Help Network still wanted to hire me, although I told them that I was pregnant, and they knew I might leave when the baby was born. Knowing what I know now, I think I should have taken the job and made the decision after birth. 2. Make your wellness—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual—a priority. Your children need a stable, happy parent, not one who is burned out and depressed. From the earliest days of parenting, I should have set guilt aside to go on bike rides by myself, and I should have been more receptive to, and insistent upon, help. I never wanted Logan to cry when I left him, but I paid a price for not having any time alone. 3. Start soon to take advantage of learning and/or growing opportunities. From the very beginning, work on something for yourself, whether that is taking classes, building a business or pursuing continuing education in your field. Remember that you will eventually have more time. I am both comforted and motivated when my Kansas Small Business Development Consultant says, “Today is not forever.” 4. Decide what image projects Who You Really Are, and do what you need to do to create that image. Do you need to lose weight, update your wardrobe, change your hairstyle? Do it. Show the world who you are inside, not who you think you should be as a parent. 5. Find a way to make some money of your own. As someone who never cared much aboutmoney, I was shocked by the power differential created by not having any of my own. I continue to try to change that. I strongly recommend having a means of earning money while you parent, whether that is a home-based business, part-time work or some other solution. Make at least a little of your own money. The feelings of independence and personal power are worth the effort. Remember, this is your life, first and foremost. You are helping your child discover his or her individuality, but you can only be a qualified guide if you have a healthy identity of your own. |
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