Library of Wellness Messages - 3 - National Center for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (NCP)

In health care we are concerned about things that are infectious. One infectious thing is...... A SMILE! It makes us feel good, and the good feeling spreads to others! And that is good for our health- an immune system mediated thing, you know..... So ...enjoy some smiles today!

There is strong scientific evidence that exercise helps to reduce and prevent stress and depression! So…when feeling stressed or depressed, go do some physical activity! You will feel better. A regular program of physical activity helps to keep stress and/or depression in check too...

There are just soooooo many things we can do to improve our health and well-being. We can start exercising more regularly or longer, eat more fiber and less fat, sugar, & junk food, reduce the stress in our life, lose some weight, monitor our blood pressure or cholesterol, stop smoking, drink less alcohol, have a more positive attitude, spend more time nurturing our relationships, use sunscreen, engage our free time passions, practice personal safety, and on and on. What are you doing?

One way to reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in one's diet is to replace regular hamburgers with "veggie burger" patties. These products used to be pretty bad, but several products are now on the market which people say really taste good! Perhaps they are worth a try…..?

The holiday season is here! Fun, socializing, stress ….and EATING! Here are tips to avoid overeating: Eat something healthy before going to that holiday party. You won't be so hungry and so likely to gobble up high calorie goodies! Also, when you do eat, do so slowly, savor it and enjoy it. You will eat less overall. And avoid hanging around the food table. Happy holidays!

Prevention almost always adds not only years to your life, but a whole lot of "life" to your years! The fact is that people who practice a healthy lifestyle generally feel pretty darn good! So how about it?

A study on the effects of eating a "Mediterranean" diet for people who had suffered an MI was published in CIRCULATION. Compared to those who had "usual care" the Mediterranean diet group had strikingly fewer heart attacks or other circulatory events. We often think of a Mediterranean diet as fruits and vegetables, bread, fish, and lots of fatty cheese, much of it doused in olive oil. It turns out that the "Mediterranean diet these people ate had only 30% of the calories from fat, with only 8% of the calories from saturated fat! This is extremely similar to the recommendations of the American Heart Association! So, whatever type of diet you want is "heart healthy" if a maximum of 30% of the calories come from fat, with less than 10% (or 8%) for heart patients) of your calories coming from saturated fat. Go for it!!

Saw a big sign in front of a YMCA in North Carolina which said "HUGE WELLNESS!" Nice slogan…….

Warm weather - time to get out and do things. Remember….. Physical activity is good! ....Lots of physical activity is lots of good!! Physical activity is about as close to a natural panacea as there is. Let's get moving…..

Some informal observations: Europeans are more physically active than we seem to be. Everywhere people are walking or riding bicycles. Public transportation is used commonly. Portions of food are smaller than we are used to getting. There also appears to be less obesity. Europeans drive much smaller cars. No SUVs to be seen. They seem to keep their environment cleaner than we- less litter is evident. They also appear to get along perfectly well without everything having to be newer, bigger, fancier, and glitzier. They live more modestly. We might do well to learn a few things from our European neighbors…

In spite of fad diets and other so called quick fixes, the most effective way to long term weight management continues to be moderation, balanced & healthy eating habits, and exercise!!

Studies tell us that pessimistic thinking is associated with depression, poorer health, and impaired performance on the job. Conversely, optimism is associated with improved immune functions, better health, and overall well-being. Don't let "stinking thinking" get you down!

We all know that getting an ample amount of restful sleep each night is good for our physical well-being, our mental and emotional well-being, and for helping us function effectively each day. In addition to practicing good sleep hygiene habits, one thing that will increase the amount of deep restorative (stage 3 & 4) sleep is daily physical activity. Are you doing that?

A recently published article described a study in which patients who had suffered an MI were given cardiac rehabilitation treatment. Half of them were also assigned to watch a humorous video for 30 minutes each day. At the end of 1 year, those who watched funny videos had fewer arrhythmias, lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones, required lower doses of beta-blockers, and needed NTG less often. They also suffered 2 ½ times fewer recurrent heart attacks. Might this suggest that "Chuckle Therapy" could benefit us all? Let's lighten up!

The holiday season is often when all the rules about eating, drinking, smoking, exercising, and so on fly right out the window- as do many of our good health routines… Our stress increases as well. For many, the "break" in good health routines also means the end of them! Don't let that be you! Keep up at least some semblance of your eating and exercise habits during the holidays so you don't get off track. May the New Year bring you great well-being!

When does 80% lean = 70% fat? When you eat ground beef labeled "80% lean", that's when. This is not exactly heart-healthy! Even 90% lean ground beef has 51% of the calories coming from fat. The stuff is just plain not good for us. Ground turkey breast is probably a better alternative.

It seems like every day we read about yet another new study which contradicts what we had thought about our health practices. First, eggs are bad for you, then they're OK, butter is bad, margarine is OK, then no, margarine is worse, and so on…. its all so confusing! Of course, the newspapers make far more of these reports than the scientists do. Until proven otherwise, it is probably best to stick with the tried and true recommendations such as: Eat in moderation, eat a wide variety of fresh (not "prepared") foods that are low in fat and high in fiber, get lots of exercise, keep stress to a minimum, limit alcohol use, and don't smoke. To our good health!

A study published in JAMA found that the risk of stroke in 75,500 women who were followed for 12 years was reduced by about one-third for those women who ate 1-2 servings of whole grains daily, after accounting for other stroke risk factors. It is well known that whole grain foods are good for us in several ways, due most likely to the high fiber content and additional nutrients they have. Let's all strive to eat at least 1 additional serving daily of whole grain foods than we do now, OK? Here's to our health, our most valuable resource!!!

Our big holiday feasts are something we all look forward to. If you take a nice long walk after eating those meals, you will feel even better!! Goes a long way towards helping avoid the weight gain too…..