April
2023 Monthly Tips
Embracing a Healthier Lifestyle
▪ Every little be helps!: Studies have found that even 11 minutes of exercise can lower the risk for premature death. Researchers have also found that walking 8000 steps a few days a week can also reduce the risk. And people who walked 7000 steps a day reduced their risk by 50 – 70%.
▪ Gratitude: Practicing gratitude has been shown to positively impact both physical and mental health and well-being. The benefits include better sleep, more motivation for engaging in healthy behaviors, lower blood pressure, increased pain tolerance, reduced inflammation in the body, and a positive impact on stress, depression, and anxiety. It has even been found to be helpful to those with an addiction or PTSD.
▪ Food as Medicine: Thefoodanddrinkwe ingesthasamajorimpactonourhealthand well-being.Althoughthestandarddietin theU.S.(e.g.,lotsofsugarandsaturatedfat, highlyprocessedfoods,lotsofsodium,etc.) unfortunatelycontributestohighratesof manychronicconditionssuchasdiabetes overweight/obesity,hypertension,and heartdisease, food can also be used as “medicine” to reduce our risks ofthese conditionsaswellaspositivelyimpacthow longwelivewithfewerhealthproblems anddegreesofdisabilityandfrailty.
TheMediterraneandiethasbeenfound tohavemajorpositivebenefits,including reducedriskof:
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You can take a gratitude quiz here.
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heartdisease
cancer
dementia
diabetes
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Embracing a Healthier Lifestyle
▪ Stress: A 2023 survey by the American Institute of Stress found if you are stressed, you are not alone:
1. 55% of individuals are stressed everyday.
2. Causes included work (workload, manager), personal debt, the news, mass shootings, cost of healthcare, and discrimination.
3. 63% were ready to quit their jobs to avoid work-related stress.
4. 76% reported a negative impact on personal relationships related to workplace stress.
Let’s face it. Stress is unavoidable. We all experience it at some point, and some actually view it as a positive under certain circumstances. However, once being stressed starts to become your usual state of being and you have not found ways to cope and manage it, it can become chronic and lead to hormonal changes which result in burnout and damaging impacts to your physical and mental health. (Burnout is generally defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion.)
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Symptoms and Signs of Stress
Brain and Nerves
headaches, feelings of despair, lack of energy, sadness, nervousness, anger, irritability, increased or decreased eating, trouble
concentrating, memory problems, trouble
sleeping, mental health problems (e.g., panic attacks, anxiety disorders, depression)
Muscles and Joints
muscle aches and tension (especially in the neck, shoulders, and back), increased risk of reduced bone density
Intestines
diarrhea, constipation and other digestive problems
Reproductive System
• for women - irregular or more painful periods, reduced sexual desire
• for men - impotence, lower sperm production, reduced sexual desire
Skin acne and other skin problems
Heart faster heartbeat, rise in blood pressure, increased risk of high cholesterol and heart attack
Stomach
nausea, stomach pain, heartburn, weight gain
Pancreas
increased risk of diabetes
Immune System
lowered ability to fight or recover from illness
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Chronic Stress and Your Body
increased cortisol
increased fat around the internal organs
hormone secretion
insulin resistance, inflammation, metabolic syndrome
• Risk of Cardiac Disease and Heart Attack
Your Body On Chronic Stress
weakened immune system changes in structure of chromosomes
• Accelerated Aging
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Embracing a Healthier Lifestyle
▪ Ways to Cope with Stress: If you think you’re headed for burnout, it’s a perfect time to explore a variety of ways to address it to find those that work well for you. They include:
1. peer support
2. guided imagery
3. mindfulness
4. gratitude
5. art therapy
6. dance therapy
7. music therapy
8. yoga nidra (does not involve any postures)
9. cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
10. getting enough good quality sleep
11. nature therapy
Call 9-8-8 if you are emotionally distressed (or know someone who is) and need crisis support. You can connect with a trained counselor for free.
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Photo from Unsplash
Embracing a Healthier Lifestyle
Resources
▪ It’snevertoolate!
▪ FoodIsMedicine:AHealioGuidetoDiets
▪ 2023PhysicalActivityGuidelines
▪ Makesureyourfamilyisuptodateonpreventiveservices.
▪ MentalHealthResources
▪ 55MentalHealthResourcesforPeopleofColor
▪ LGBTQ+CommunityHealthcareResources
▪ BeLessStressed
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This newsletter does NOT constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor legal or other professional services. Always seek medical care from your healthcare professional. It is offered with a goal of providing accurate information. However, ensuring all information is entirely accurate and up-to-date at all times is not possible.
Therefore, the author accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, misstatements, inconsistencies, or omissions and specifically disclaims any liability, loss, or risk, personal, professional or otherwise, which may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and/or application of any of the contents of this newsletter.
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