How to Destress ~

Did you know stress is the most common cause of ill health in our society, probably underlying as many as 70% of all visits to family doctors. According to David B. Posen, MD,
The Canadian Journal of Continuing Medical Education,  it is also the one problem that every doctor shares with every patient. This presents physicians with two advantages:

• It is an issue we can relate to experimentally so we can use ourselves as a reference point.
• In studying and better understanding stress, we can derive personal as well as professional benefits.

As my mentor use to say to me, if you want to help others deal with their stress, you're going to have to learn to handle your own."

  There are several causes of stress which are multiple and varied, but they can be classified in two general groups: external and internal. External stressors can include relatives getting sick or dying, jobs being lost or people criticizing or becoming angry. However, most of the stress that most of us have is self-generated (internal). We create the majority of our upsets, indicating that because we cause most of our own stress, we can do something about it. This gives us a measure of choice and control that we do not always have when outside forces act on us.

With this knowledge, let me lead you to the basic foundation about stress reduction: to master stress, you must change. You have to figure out what you are doing that is contributing to your problem and change it. These changes fall into four categories: change your behavior, change your thinking, change your lifestyle choices and/or change the situations you are in. Currently we (county employees) are in a “stressful” time, but by getting to the root causes of your stress, you can not only relieve current problems and symptoms but you can also prevent recurrences. For example, if you keep becoming frustrated over arguments with your children, you might discover that the cause of your upset is not their behavior but your unrealistic expectations. By modifying your standards, you might find the children's actions no longer bother you.

There are many ways to relieve stress, from going for a walk to quitting your job. What follows is a list of 10 practical and down-to-earth strategies which I have found helpful over the years for both myself and my patients. Some are simple and can be implemented quickly; others are a bit more involved. All are feasible and beneficial. 

1.      Decrease or Discontinue Caffeine

2.      Regular Exercise

3.      Relaxation/Meditation

4.      Sleep

5.      Time-outs and Leisure

6.      Realistic Expectations

7.      Reframing

8.      Belief Systems

9.      Ventilation/Support System

10.  Humor

Please feel free to contact me at my.health@comcast.com

Need motivation?

 Let`s Get Started

Do you wish someone could just tell you what kind of exercise to do? Do it for yourself!!

Choose an activity that you enjoy and that you can start slowly and increase gradually as you become used to it. Walking is very popular and does not require special equipment. Other good exercises include swimming, biking, jogging and dancing. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking instead of driving may also be a good way to start being more active.

How long should you exercise?

Start off exercising 3 times a week (maybe start by walking your dog or walk with a friend) for 20 minutes or more, and work up to at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week. Exercising with a friend or a family member can help make it fun, and having a partner to encourage you can help you stick to it and maybe do more!

How hard should you exercise?

As you become more used to exercising, try to keep your heart rate at about 60% to 85% of your "maximum heart rate."

To keep things simple use three zones or training intensities:

1. Easy/Recovery = 60 – 70%
2. Endurance/Strength = 71 – 80%
3. Strength/Long hills = 81 – 85%

To calculate your HRR take your Maximum Heart Rate as determined by a test or Estimated Maximum Heart Rate determined by (220-age) and subtract your Resting Heart Rate.  In terms of a formula, HRR=MHR - RHR.  Now that you have your HRR we can calculate your THR or training zones.  

Example: Subtract resting heart rate from maximum heart rate to get heart rate reserve (HRR)

MHR (220-49) – RHR (71) = HRR (101)

171 – 71 = 101

101 x .60 + 71= 131

101 x .70 + 71= 141

101 x .80 + 71 = 151

101 x .90 + 71 = 161

HRR X % + RHR = Intensity of workout

 Multiply HRR by 60 – 80% of your maximum heart rate which will set your upper and lower range limits:

Table 1: THR Zones Using Karvonen Method

ZONE	Formula	Calculated HRs
1	Lower limit = HRR x .6 + RHR Upper limit = HRR x .7 + RHR	Lower = _______ bpm Upper = _______ bpm
2	Lower limit = HRR x .71 + RHR Upper limit = HRR x .8 + RHR	Lower = _______ bpm Upper = _______ bpm
3	Lower limit = HRR x .81 + RHR Upper limit = HRR x .85 + RHR	Lower = _______ bpm Upper = _______ bpm
4	Lower limit = HRR x .86 + RHR Upper limit = HRR x .9 + RHR	Lower = _______ bpm Upper = _______ bpm
5	Lower limit = HRR x .91 + RHR Upper limit = HRR x 1.0 + RHR	Lower = _______ bpm Upper = _______ bpm

Feel free to contact me (Nancy @ nlarson@co.delaware.in.us  or my.healthiswelth@comcast.net,) if you need help getting started!!

”It’s your Choice”

 Know the nutritional value in what you eat; and once you learn how much energy and sweat it will take to burn off that treat, you'll have a much harder time eating it. After making lasagna this weekend for the family, I had to choose not to have seconds!  It is all about choices: input vs. output!
Do you ever wonder how much you’d need to exercise to burn off that dessert? Think about it; a workout that requires half an hour of your time to burn the 200 to 300 calories that took less than a few minutes to eat!
Take a look at a few examples from Montgomerydiet.com site that will surprise:
To burn off common, seemingly small treats, such as one chocolate chip cookie, one serving of potato chips, one candy bar, one soda, a bowl of ice cream or a couple of mozzarella sticks, you would have to do aerobics for thirty minutes. That's considered a good, average workout to burn off treats such as medium movie popcorn, the typical regular sized smoothie, most regular sized frozen chocolate drinks, a small Dairy Queen Blizzard, a small McDonald's McFlurry, or a medium order of fries or onion rings, (each of these items average up to 800 calories) you would need up to an hour and a half on the elliptical! Yikes! Think about it before you put it in your mouth…how much will this cost me in the gym?
“Knowledge is everything!” If you're interested in an appetizer such as a blooming onion, an order of cheesy fries, and cheesy bread from your favorite pizza place, or a southwest eggrolls, plan to walk briskly for 6 hours!!  
Do you know that the Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad is 520 calories? Just because it has the word “salad” you would assume it is healthy…

Remember, the choice is yours!

To find out how many calories you are burning, go to the following link and simply enter your bodyweight and the average time you spend doing one of the exercises/activities and click on Compute Calories Burned.

http://www.internetfitness.com/calculators/calburncalc.htm

Nancy @ healthiswealth.1@netzero.com or nlarson@co.delaware.in.us

How to make exercise easy!

    Here’s the simple way

We all know that exercise is essential for wellness and especially helpful for losing weight or managing it.  The U.S., Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all healthy adults get the following:

At least 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobics activity (e.g. brisk walking) every week. (You can break up your exercise into smaller chunks of time as long as you do your moderate or vigorous activity for at least 10 minutes a t a time). OR - at least 1 hours and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (e.g. jogging or running) every week.

You also need muscle-strengthening activities (e.g. push-up or weight lifting) on two or more days a week that work all major muscles groups (legs, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Now, here’s the simple way to do all of them:

                -If you drive to work, park a distance from your office and walk the rest of the way.

                -Whenever you take the bus, get off a stop or two before your destination and walk.

                -Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

                -Plan family activities such as bike rides, hikes, and outdoor games.

                -Walk or ride a bicycle whenever you trip is a mile or less.

                -When out shopping, park at the far end of the lot.

                -After dinner, bypass the TV and walk around the block instead.

                -Stretch, skip rope, lift weights, or ride an exercise bike while watching television.

                -Take a walk doing your lunch hour.

We really do not have an excuse to not do something for our selves in a healthy way everyday.

 

See you on the Cardinal Greenway soon!