Get shifting, get outdoors and stay healthy as a spouse and children this calendar year and past
By Barbara Russo
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3. Warm up and interesting down – Will not undervalue the great importance of a good heat up and awesome down together right before and following exercise (like stretching or yoga). Practice controlled respiratory with slow inhalations (and slower exhalations) to calm and energize the human body.
4. Keep hydrated – Drink plenty of drinking water and fluids right before, in the course of and following exercising.
5. Slice down on sugar – Monitor your sugar use. Sports drinks and juices are fantastic, but make certain they are low-sugar. You can also dilute large-sugar drinks with drinking water to cut down sugar content material.
6. Keep it convenient – At times building physical exercise a lot more hassle-free will retain you and your household on observe. Look at location up a household health and fitness center that absolutely everyone can accessibility with straightforward exercising machines these types of as bands, physioballs, weights and mats.
7. Get outside – On delicate or substantial temperature days, get exterior for organic daylight early in the day to set your circadian rhythm to enable you sleep properly.
8 – Discover a new sport for lifestyle – Look at out absolutely free sporting activities plans in your neighborhood, these kinds of as the Metropolis Parks Engage in no cost youth plans in nearby NYC parks. It is a excellent location to commence learning a new, nutritious method for lifetime.
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Our health and fitness technique focuses far far more on treating illness than on protecting against it. Evidently program screening, from blood strain to colonoscopy to mammogram to PSA are critical in-workplace prevention resources, but it is vital to begin prevention extensive before a client ever gets to the doctor’s office environment.
The target of avoidance is to increase psychological and actual physical operate, to lessen inflammation that can lead to sickness. There are 4 significant areas to think about, eating plan, workout, stress and slumber.
Appropriate work out and increasing snooze styles go a lengthy way towards reducing strain. When it will come to exercising, I am a big believer in strolling, cycling and, if you are in any other case in superior physical affliction, jogging.
Suitable training and bettering rest designs go a prolonged way toward decreasing anxiety.(iStock)
A person idea I have for many of my individuals which I abide by myself is to gear my examining or viewing of a exhibit or motion picture to the time I shell out on the bike or elliptical. In other phrases, I affliction myself to physical exercise by coupling it with some enjoyment that is much too usually finished sedentary. I will not allow for myself to enjoy the demonstrate until I am training at the exact same time.
Treatment ABOUT YOUR Heart? Check out Having Much better Sleep, NEW Research Suggests
Snooze is really vital to your wellness, and it is also frequently forgotten. It decreases irritation and entails the crucial optimistic hormone oxytocin. It is not ample to say that a nutritious adult involves 7 or 8 hrs of slumber for every night we need to look at the top quality of rest and how to very best get hold of it.
Right here are five suggestions to assist you increase your slumber.
Slumber is quite critical to your wellbeing, and it is as well regularly ignored. (iStock)
Repetition. Have a dependable and recurrent method to slumber just about every evening as significantly as attainable, that means the similar time, identical position, and with a emotion of protection and protection.
No caffeine or alcoholic beverages near to rest. Caffeine straight interferes with and disturbs snooze and liquor can enable you fall asleep originally but then you might wake up a couple hours afterwards as its consequences on suppressing brain perform dress in off.
Converse to your physician about regardless of whether your rest cycle is disrupted. Do you want to get up routinely to urinate – troubles with bladder, prostate, and so on.? Are you loud night breathing or sometimes gasping for air – slumber apnea? Are you sleepy the next day no subject how considerably snooze you get? Do you have the urge to go your legs – restless legs syndrome? All of these conditions are treatable.
Are you snoring or at times gasping for air – slumber apnea?(iStock)
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Slumber in a dark space with your Television set off and your electronic gadgets on silent or snooze mode. Alarm clocks may possibly be crucial to your job, but if not I would consider to limit their use as much as probable. Also normally we anticipate the alarm and it keeps us awake.
Training and hydration before slumber may well make for a sounder far more restful night time. I am not a big believer in slumber aids although they are important for some persons. Prescribing sedative hypnotic medication these as Ambien or Sonata could enable to crack a cycle of sleeplessness, but they are also habituating and can include sleep disruptions, like partial arousal. Melatonin or Valerian tea are a lot more purely natural dietary supplements that might be beneficial.
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We are not flesh and blood computer systems, even though sometimes we might come to feel that way. We will need each day intervals of shutdown and rejuvenation as the brain and human body rests. The brain even deep cleans through snooze and clears out toxins. Dreams assist the brain to heal from traumatic gatherings and strong emotional ordeals.
Sleep is restorative, and also numerous of us refuse to contemplate that.
Simply click Listed here TO Read through Much more FROM DR. MARC SIEGEL
Marc Siegel, M.D. is a professor of medicine and health-related director of Medical professional Radio at NYU Langone Health care Middle. He is a Fox News clinical analyst and writer of “COVID: The Politics of Worry and the Ability of Science.” Comply with him on Twitter @drmarcsiegel.
More time Appears to be like: Appealing Reads You Could Have Missed
Just about every week, KHN finds for a longer time stories for you to delight in. This week’s choices contain stories on college students with disabilities, electronic scribes, metagenomic upcoming-era sequencing, sex, and additional.
Jessica LaVigne was anxious but hopeful on a latest afternoon that the group managing her son’s unique education approach at Roseburg Superior College would notify her a thing she experienced dreamed of for additional than a 10 years: He would be in a position to go to a total working day of college for the initial time since second quality. In the course of her son’s elementary yrs, Ms. LaVigne was named just about every day to choose him up several hours early mainly because he was obtaining “a poor day.” By center faculty, he was only attending an hour a day. By superior college, he was informed he experienced to “earn” back two course periods taken off his timetable by proving he was academically and socially all set. (Eco-friendly, 2/9)
“Your eyesight is very good?” requested the health care provider. “Mm-hm,” replied the affected individual. “And your dentures fit high-quality?” “Yep,” the affected person reported. “No difficulties with them?” the health care provider adopted up. “Mm,” the affected individual explained, indicating every little thing was Alright. The again-and-forth would have made excellent perception to the two people today speaking in the clinic. But to the computerized speech recognition software tasked with transcribing it and turning it into go to notes, the “mm-hms” and mumbles became a garbled mess. (Trang, 2/7)
When a middle-aged gentleman who had experienced a seizure was admitted to the University of California San Francisco Health care Centre in 2021, physicians looking for the induce for his affliction promptly became stumped. Just after pathologists put in two weeks peering by means of microscopes and checking petri dishes, physicians understood one thing really serious was harming the patient’s mind they experienced no idea what it was or how to deal with it. (Winslow, 2/8)
In Paris final thirty day period, at the Chanel couture present, there was a little something about a single model that established her apart from the other individuals on the runway. Strikingly lovely, Jill Kortleve has almond-shaped eyes, dim bushy eyebrows and chiseled cheekbones. … But what helps make her an unconventional star for the high manner marketplace is not the point that she is 29, building her older than quite a few of her peers, or that she is 5-foot-8, creating her shorter than quite a few of them much too. It is the fact that Ms. Kortleve is a U.S. measurement 8 to 10 — or “midsize,” as the middle ground in between petite and in addition size is progressively known. “Straight” dimension, or beneath a U.S. sizing 2, continues to be, overwhelmingly, the trend business norm. (Paton, 2/4)
Grace Sesma operates methodically to set up her household workplace, lighting candles and slicing thorns from 7 stemmed crimson roses for the day’s initial session as her consumer chatters nearby. The male, 47, is talking quickly — about the great perspective of the spot from Sesma’s yard, his connection to the San Diego area, and how he received the materials at the final moment that Sesma told him they would have to have: roses, an egg and tobacco. (Garcia, 2/8)
Actual physical isolation during the coronavirus pandemic led numerous to create “skin hunger” and resulted in an uptick in psychological health troubles. 1 2021 examine surveying pretty much 1,500 individuals claimed that deprivation of personal contact from near family members and partners was affiliated with worse emotions of stress and anxiety and loneliness. Lack of helpful or skilled touch from close friends, acquaintances or get the job done colleagues did not have the exact effects on psychological overall health. (Sima, 2/9)
Vanessa Marin has devoted her profession to discussing the most personal information of other people’s sex lives. But, for a long time, she identified it difficult to chat about her have. In a new e-book, “Sex Talks: The 5 Conversations That Will Renovate Your Really like Everyday living,” the sex therapist, 38, admits that she faked orgasms for 10 many years for the reason that she could not convey herself to convey to companions what she liked. Issues improved when she achieved her husband, Xander Marin, now 37, but when the first exhilaration wore off, the pair discovered themselves in front of an expensive couples counselor, struggling to articulate why their sexual intercourse lifestyle at times felt disappointing. These days, the Marins have parlayed their radical honesty and relatability into a small business centered about sexual education, with a well known podcast, a suite of on-line courses and a lot more than 300,000 followers on Instagram. (Pearson, 2/7)
When a terrifying new virus shut down the place in March 2020, Joe Biden turned to David Kessler for information. A former Food and drug administration main who served under two presidents of distinctive functions, Kessler was an individual who instinctively understood both of those science and politics. He began tutoring Biden frequently on the pandemic during the presidential campaign, presenting blunt warnings about the growing threat to the region — and to Biden himself — as they confronted a the moment-in-a-century crisis. (Cancryn, 2/6)
Outdated Father Chiro was the identify the father of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, gave himself. The Canadian was a profitable beekeeper, spiritualist and practitioner of magnetic medicine, and actually credited the early thoughts of chiropractic to the ghost of a useless medical professional he chatted with on numerous instances.
Chiropractic treatment method isn’t a healthcare therapy, but is as an alternative thought of a kind of complementary and alternate medicine in which a chiropractor utilizes their palms to alleviate difficulties. Though chiropractic is regulated with registered practitioners, it’s a controversial area of different drugs as spinal manipulation can often have critical aspect consequences like stroke, arterial dissection, and paralysis.
The observe today involves the manipulation of the overall body at the arms of a chiropractor, which has descended from Palmer’s comprehension of magnetism. As a healer, he thought he could focus his magnetism to ease an ailing organ by positioning a person hand previously mentioned and just one hand under it, and passing the therapeutic strength from 1 side to the other.
As his school of even though designed, Palmer later on credited his leap of recognition in “the science of the chiropractic” to a channeled spirit: the ghost of a deceased health practitioner.
“My to start with awareness of this previous-new doctrine was received from Dr Jim Atkinson who, about fifty years back, lived in Davenport, Iowa, and who tried throughout his existence-time to promulgate the ideas now recognised as Chiropractic,” Palmer wrote in The Chiropractor’s Adjuster: The Science, Artwork and Philosophy of Chiropractic. “The intellectuality of that time was not ready for this advancement.”
As much as Palmer was involved, Atkinson was an “intelligent spirit being” from the “otherworld” that he conversed with by means of inspiration and spiritual promptings, wrote Wiggins and Engel in a paper printed to the Chiropractic Journal of Australia.
No matter whether Atkinson at any time existed or was a figment of Palmer’s creativeness is not known for sure, but it figures that he would’ve been open to religious intervention as the partner of Abba Lord: a self-declared clairvoyant, psychometrist and psychic healer. However, as the paper carries on, supplied that everyone was into spiritualism at the time, it is perhaps an unfair argument from the choice medicine on its very own.
“If Palmer’s spiritualistic beliefs are justification for the criticisms about chiropractic, it could justifiably be argued that modern society must similarly be encouraged to rethink its assist for germ theory or the use of telephones, as Pasteur and Edison ended up keen proponents of Spiritualism,” they argue. “In a related vein, critics of Osteopathy would be justified in questioning its effectiveness based mostly on AT Still’s beliefs about ‘psychic’ powers and ‘personal communications with deceased spirits.’”
The plan powering modern chiropractic cure has since moved significantly absent from magnetism, and instead facilities close to the manipulation of joints to greater align them when issues have absent incorrect. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to don’t forget that joints all around the head and neck are also surrounded by very important blood vessels, which if mishandled by another person who isn’t sufficiently skilled can have catastrophic repercussions. You’re fewer possible to encounter the exact troubles with a phone.
Nick Mitchell looks awesome at age 50, and by way of his operate as the founder and CEO of Supreme Effectiveness, he’s assisted to improve the life of additional than 25,000 purchasers in U.P. Gyms, throughout the world. Although he relishes the prospect to whip Hollywood royalty into condition, as was a short while ago the situation with Glenn Powell for Prime Gun: Maverick, the ideal-marketing fitness creator is just as passionate about inspiring the standard community as he is about schooling people form tinsel city.
So, with the new yr squarely on our minds, M&F caught up with the guy from Yorkshire, England, now residing in Los Angeles, to obtain out how we can reconnect with training and stay steady with fitness center sessions, no matter our age.
Nick Mitchell
Congratulations on your wonderful celebrity health transformations, which includes your modern work with actor Glen Powell for Major Gun: Maverick! Are you nevertheless as psyched as at any time about sharing your knowledge?
Indeed, I’m extra thrilled than at any time to share my abilities! I’m in a quite fortunate situation. Recognize, that when you training, if it does not obstacle you, it won’t alter you. So, a stroll to the base of your back garden isn’t likely to problem you, it isn’t heading to adjust you, you won’t get much from it.
That is a terrific message not just for famous people, but for us “normal” individuals much too. How can we make greater development in the calendar year ahead?
Even as a health club proprietor, I know that you really do not have to go to the health club to workout. You can physical exercise at residence with bodyweight workout routines, you can go swimming, you can go cycling. The most significant thing is to get your heart amount elevated, to obstacle on your own. Private schooling corporations like mine will usually recommend excess weight instruction, because that is the most successful and most economical work out modality you can do in a restricted device of time. Fat teaching is likely to give you the most bang for your buck, by significantly, in terms of body composition and insulin sensitivity, which is linked to blood sugar management and diabetes. Uncover what you love performing and do it constantly.
As a gym operator, you will have to see that it can at times be scary for new associates to hit the gym flooring. How would you reassure men and women that this must not be the scenario?
The truth of the matter is this: You may perhaps assume men and women are seeking at you and that they are thinking “Look at that fats idiot,” or “They do not know what they’re performing,” but, be reasonable. No-one particular at the gymnasium truly provides a damn about you. They are either concentrating on on their own, or they’re on the lookout at the amazing boy, the impressive woman, the sizzling boy, the hot girl, the individual that is lifting hundreds of bodyweight or undertaking something severe. They’re not hunting at you. I have extra than 35 a long time of expertise of different distinctive fitness centers and I can notify you that they are the most collegiate sites I have at any time been in. The much more major they are, the a lot more people want to help you. This is a place exactly where folks go to increase on their own. So, when they see you battling on a 1 per cent gradient, likely 2 mph on a treadmill, which is really uncomplicated to most individuals, any reasonable particular person would say: “Blimey, that particular person is likely for it. Great for them.”
Is weight training just as important as we age?
Of course. There is a professional medical condition referred to as sarcopenia, which essentially usually means muscle wasting. As we age, our muscles atrophy that means that they shrink, they get weaker. This significantly decreases our high-quality of existence. Think of the septuagenarian who struggles to get out of the bathtub, to use an intense example. Imagine about the older men and women who wrestle to climb up a flight the stairs. As we get older, we seem at that steep hill and imagine: “I never extravagant taking that on.” When you had been in your 20s you would sure and leap up that hill, and you had strength and a zest for life. That is what bodyweight teaching presents you. It increases your high-quality of lifestyle. It also improves other things, these types of as energy and bones.
Pounds schooling won’t do something for the strains or wrinkles on your deal with, but it is going to do an tremendous volume for your posture, the way you hold yourself, the way you have yourself. All you have to do is appear at 60-year-olds and 70-yr-olds who weight educate. Their faces could carry their age, but their bodies really do not. You appear at them from a distance and they glance like they are more youthful, due to the fact they transfer unique, they have far better top quality of lifetime. That’s since the resistance coaching that they’ve finished, which doesn’t have to be lifting weights by the way, it can be bodyweight training, has provided them a spring in their phase. For older people I recommend a whole array of movement, and compound actions, and I would want jobs wherever you are transferring your skeleton from gravity for instance: chin-ups, dips, split squats, people entire selection of movement exercise routines that enable every thing to move, since the bigger the array of movement, the more management you have and the significantly less possible you are to harm you.
Nick Mitchell
Social media influencers go into overdrive as the new year strategies, but can Instagram Reels ever swap personal consultations with a experienced personalized trainer?
Pretty very simple reply! If you are an influencer on social media, your primary occupation is to be an entertainer, not an educator and not a coach. The most followed accounts are enjoyment driven accounts. Social media is a new Television channel, and we should really not confuse that with education and expertise. Settle for it for what it is: they are wonderful entertainers. They must in no way switch capable particular trainers. You have to be extremely cautious of even a skilled trainer or coach dispensing their wisdom on the net. Let’s say anyone asks me, online, how do I fix my sore knee. How on earth am I meant to response that? I never know how you shift, get well, rest, try to eat, or your clinical record etcetera. Anyone, on line, who offers answers on how to help this or that, the pretty to start with two words and phrases to arrive out of their mouth if they are to respected should be: “It depends.” That is the stock solution in coaching, I’m afraid.
What are some of the most widespread issues that people today make that threatens to derail their development?
Sticking to the similar work out, all of the time is a excellent illustration. If it worked for you for a minor even though, it will have to function for you without end, suitable? Mistaken. In truth, in several ways the best exercise is the training you’ve never finished, simply because your physique adapts. On the other hand, and this may perhaps seem to be like a contradictory concept from me, but changing routines as well quickly or too often can also be a mistake. You will need to give your overall body time to adapt to a method, milk that application, and then when your development plateaus, change that program.
A further slip-up men and women make is not pushing themselves really hard sufficient. If you really do not force your entire body to go someplace it does not definitely want to go, it is not likely to positively adapt to that stimulus you’re giving it, so it won’t change, it won’t get more rapidly or more robust, additional explosive, whatever it may be.
What are some of the traits that you see in people who are able to continue to be reliable?
People who remain consistent with the health and fitness center, or any physical exercise modality, are those who find approaches to love it. You will have to modify the mindset of: “I ought to go to the health club.” Likely to the gym is a privilege. We all get an endorphin significant from marginally diverse ways of schooling. You need to experiment. For some, the fitness center is a lifeline. If you make progress in the gym, that gets to be addictive. The final results and the progress can be addictive. “I’ve got much more ache free motion, bigger mobility, greater stamina, I can climb up the stairs, I can perform with my youngsters much better.” All these things are outcomes and constructive results for you. Master to keep track of these good results and you will start off to become addicted to chasing these constructive outcomes.
Some lifestyle choices can make a big difference when it comes to your mental and physical well-being and the quality of your life. Here are the top 10 tips for good health and longevity.
Staying healthy involves making certain choices. And many of those choices are in your hands. Of course, your age, family history, and genetic makeup can influence your health and make you more prone to certain conditions.
There are also many factors that you can control — many of which play a key role in keeping you healthy and helping you live a long, productive life.
Let’s look at 10 science-backed healthy choices you can make to help you thrive throughout your life.
If you want to feel healthier, more energized, or in a better mood, get moving. Regular exercise can benefit both your physical and mental health in a multitude of ways. And, you don’t need to run a half-marathon or sweat it out at the gym for hours every day to reap the rewards.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, if you’re an adult, just 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, can positively impact your health.
That breaks down to around 22 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, dancing, cycling, or even doing yard work or household chores. As long as you’re moving and not sitting still, it counts.
Improve your heart health: Exercise benefits your heart health, and having a stronger heart can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Boost your brain health: Regular exercise may help improve your cognition and reduce the risk of dementia.
Improve your mood: Physical activity has also been shown to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.
Help with weight management: When you move your body, you burn more calories than you would if you were inactive. Burning more calories each day can make it easier to lose weight and keep weight off.
Strengthen your bones and muscles: Being physically active can keep your bones and muscles strong and make it easier to move around easily, even as you age.
Whole foods are foods that haven’t been heavily processed or altered. They don’t contain a lot of added chemicals or artificial ingredients to help them taste good or give them a long shelf-life.
In general, whole foods are healthier for you and provide your body with more vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients than processed foods. Because they are more nutritious, whole foods give you more energy and possibly lower the risk of many types of health issues.
Processed foods are often unhealthier than whole foods because they tend to be higher in certain ingredients such as:
Eating too much processed food and not enough whole foods can be harmful to your health. That’s because you won’t be getting enough of the nutrients your body needs. Instead, you’ll be eating higher amounts of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, or other ingredients that don’t provide much nutritional value.
According to scientific research, poor nutrition can increase your risk of:
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the CDC, tobacco use accounts for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year. In fact, it’s estimated that smokers, on average, die about 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
Smoking can damage nearly every organ in your body and significantly increases your risk of:
Heart disease: According to scientific evidence, tobacco is the leading cause of premature death from cardiovascular disease.
Stroke: Smoking damages your blood vessels, making them stiffer and narrower. This not only increases your risk of a heart attack but can put you at a higher risk of a stroke, too.
Respiratory diseases: The damage caused by smoking to the airways and air sacs in your lungs greatly increases your risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Lung cancer and other cancers: Approximately 80{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of lung cancers can be attributed to tobacco use. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking can also increase your risk of many other types of cancer, including cancer of the bladder, mouth, stomach, pancreas, and colon, among others.
If you smoke, quitting is the most important step you can take to improve your health, no matter your age or how long you’ve smoked. Quitting smoking can add years to your life, and the positive effects of quitting will continue to increase the longer you remain a nonsmoker.
Talk with your doctor about quitting. They can help set you up for success, and prescribe smoking cessation medications, if necessary, to help you quit nicotine for good.
Sleep is vital for every process in your body. Sleep is a time for your body to repair cells and restore energy. Your brain also performs many essential functions while you’re sleeping, like storing information, removing waste, and strengthening nerve cell connections.
How much sleep you need depends on your age, but for most adults, the CDC recommends at least 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Children and older adults typically need more sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will have a harder time working properly. Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of:
So, how can you ensure you get enough sleep? Some things that may help include the following:
Create a quiet, dark, comfortable sleep environment: Use an eye mask or black-out curtains to block light, turn down the thermostat — a temperature between 60°F to 67°F (15.6°C to 9.4°C) — is best for sleeping, and make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable. Use earplugs if you need to block out noise.
Avoid screen time before bed: Many electronic devices emit blue light that can keep your brain alert, making it harder to fall asleep. Turn off these devices at least an hour before you go to bed.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Instead of watching TV or working on a computer, do something to help you relax. Take a warm bath or shower, try gentle stretches, read a book (not an e-reader), or try meditation or breathing techniques.
Limit your caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake: Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking within 4 hours of going to bed as both substances can negatively impact your sleep. Limit your caffeine intake to the morning hours.
Try a natural sleep aid: If you find it difficult to switch your mind off at night, try a natural sleep aid like melatonin, valerian root, or glycine.
Drinking enough water each day is key to good health. Your body needs water for many important functions, like maintaining your body temperature, aiding digestion, keeping your organs working properly, and delivering nutrients to all your cells.
Staying hydrated also keeps your brain working well. When you don’t take in enough fluid, you may feel tired, have trouble concentrating or focusing, and experience headaches and mood changes.
You’ll typically need to increase your water intake if you:
exercise or exert yourself
live in a hot, dry climate
spend time outdoors in the sun, especially in warmer weather
have a fever or lose fluids through vomiting or diarrhea
are pregnant, breastfeeding, or chestfeeding
Make water your go-to beverage. Avoid sodas and energy drinks which typically contain a lot of added sugars and extra calories.
To add some flavor to your water, try squeezing a lemon, lime, or orange and adding the juice to your water. You can also add a few cucumber slices, or try adding mint or basil leaves.
While an occasional alcoholic drink likely won’t affect your health, drinking too much alcohol can take a heavy toll on many of your organs.
Overconsumption of alcohol can damage your liver, brain, and heart, and also increase the risk of several types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, and liver cancer. Heavy drinking can also negatively impact your mental health.
So, at what point does drinking become harmful to your health? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, moderate drinking is classified as:
up to 1 standard drink per day for women
up to 2 standard drinks per day for men
Preventive care is the care you get from your doctor to stay healthy. While you may typically think of your doctor as the person you see when you’re ill, your doctor also plays a key role in keeping you healthy and preventing you from getting sick or developing a chronic disease in the first place.
By being proactive and focusing on preventive care, you and your doctor are more likely to catch early warning signs of certain diseases before they become more serious. You can then take steps to address these issues when they’re easier to treat and the outcomes are more likely to be positive.
When you make an appointment to visit your doctor for an annual checkup, it may include:
Depending on your age, family history, and other factors, your doctor may also order specific screenings, such as:
One of the advantages of preventive care is that your doctor will screen you for several key measurements, including your:
If any of these numbers are outside the recommended range, you and your doctor can discuss what needs to be done to address this issue. Your doctor can put together a treatment plan that’s right for you and will monitor you to ensure your numbers are moving in the right direction.
Being aware of issues related to these key metrics early on, before they cause other problems, can help you make the right lifestyle changes to improve important aspects of your health. In many cases, health conditions like hypertension or high cholesterol may not cause any symptoms until later on, when more serious — possibly life threatening issues — start to arise.
If lifestyle changes don’t help enough, your doctor may decide to prescribe medications to help reduce the risk of potential complications.
Stress is a normal part of everyday life and, when it’s short-lived, it can be useful. But, chronic stress can affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Research has shown that high levels of ongoing stress have been associated with an increased risk of:
high blood pressure
heart disease and stroke
depression
a weakened immune system
Although stress is often unavoidable, you do have a choice in how you handle it. Just as your body has a stress response, it also has a relaxation response, which is characterized by lower blood pressure, slower breathing, and a reduced heart rate.
Some types of activities that may help bring about a relaxation response involve:
Breathing exercises: A technique called diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to help lower stress hormones, reduce blood pressure, and regulate other bodily processes.
Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique where you tighten and then relax each muscle group in your body, one at a time, in a specific pattern.
Exercising: Physical activity releases endorphins in your brain, one of the feel-good hormones. These chemicals can help relieve pain and also reduce stress and boost your mood.
Being creative: According to research, creative arts like drawing, painting, coloring, writing, dancing, and listening to or playing music have the ability to boost your mood and ease stress and anxiety.
Yoga or tai chi: The slow, mindful movements and stretches that are part of yoga and tai chi help relieve muscle tension while encouraging mental and physical relaxation.
Meditation: Mindfulness meditation may help reduce the inflammatory response caused by the stress hormone, cortisol.
If you’re sexually active or have been in the past, it’s important that you’re proactive about getting screened for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Some sexually transmitted diseases don’t cause noticeable symptoms until weeks, months, or possibly even years later. By then, you may have passed it on to someone else. And, it may also be harder to treat the disease when it’s not caught early. That’s why it’s important to get tested often.
Communication is key when it comes to safe sex. Talk openly with your partner about your sexual past and any STI diagnosis you’ve had. Before having sex with a new partner, consider getting tested for STIs, along with your partner, and discuss your barrier method preferences.
To reduce the risk of contracting HIV, you may want to consider:
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), available as the brand name pills Truvada and Descovy, this antiretroviral medication is taken before possible HIV exposure
post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication that can be taken after possible HIV exposure
You can also reduce your risk of some other STIs by getting vaccinated against:
Your health plays a crucial role in how you feel and live each day. If you’re stressed, tired, or not feeling well, it’s not easy to be the best version of yourself and to give those around you the time and attention they need.
In order to thrive and lower your risk of chronic disease and illness, there are many choices you can make today and every day to give yourself the best shot at living a long, active, and healthful life.
