COLLECTIVEWIZDOM.COM
10 EASY TIPS TO TURN YOUR
HEALTH AROUND!
By Susan Callahan
1. Lose just 10 pounds of weight.
Often people believe that, to obtain
significant health benefits, you have to
lose a ton of weight. But nothing could
be further from the truth. Losing just
10 pounds can reduce the stress on
your joints and your heart. Walking
exerts 5 pounds of pressure on your
joints for every extra pound you carry
over your ideal weight. So, ease those
aching knees and lighten up your load,
even a little. Your knees and your heart
will thank you.
2. Reduce just one source of
stress from your life. Stress is as
important a factor in elevating blood
pressure as weight gain and smoking.
Common sources of stress which could
be reduced or eliminated entirely
include running late for appointments,
procrastination, reading negative news
just before bedtime, returning e-mails
just before bedtime. Of course some
sources of stress –bad relationships –
cannot be eliminated quite this easily
but, if a relationship is causing you
excessive aggravation, it can have a
devastating impact on your health. Get
out.
3. Keep up contacts with friends.
Studies consistently show that
emotional well-being is tied directly to
the number and quality of our social
contacts. Returning those phone calls
and reciprocating those lunch dates
can indeed lengthen or greatly
enhance the quality of your life. How
many contacts do you need daily to
make a difference. It depends. Some
studies show that as few as 5 distinct
contacts can boost the levels of
serotonin (the feel good hormone) in
your body and decrease the risk of
depression as we age.
4. Monitor your blood pressure.
Many doctors say that, if they could
have the ability to read only one
statistic about a person in order to
know the most about their overall
health, that number would be their
Blood Pressure. Why? Blood travels
thousands of miles of pipes --vessels
and capillaries---within the body, going
through narrower and narrower pipes
until, at the end, just before red blood
cells pass from the blood into the
organs, the pipe openings through
which the individual red blood cells
have to squeeze, are about as tiny as
the cells themselves. If your blood
vessels are too tight, the red blood
cells can get stuck in the hole before
they make it through to the organs. As
a result, the heart needs a huge gush
of pressure to PUSH the red blood cells
through the tiny vessels. The tinier the
last vessels, the harder the heart has
to push. If your pipes are really tight,
your heart has to really HEAVE HO!
Hence, your blood pressure ---the
amount of HEAVE HO—is high. Think
of it. All through your body, the
pressure is sky high, just to get the red
blood cells to the organs like your liver
and kidneys, so they can do their jobs.
Now, which would you rather have --- a
system of normal, smooth functioning
pipes with gentle pushes from the heart
from time to time. Or a full blown, 5
alarm HEAVE HO system always set to
the highest pressure gauge? Get the
picture. Turn down the pressure. Lose
weight. Exercise. Watch the processed,
salty foods.
5. Eat your veggies. Eat colorful
veggies. They’re the ones highest in
nutrients. Go for the deep greens, the
reddest reds, the brilliant yellows and
oranges.
6. Go easy on the white foods.
Almost all white foods (exception, okay,
for cauliflower) are high in starch, which
the body can’t tell from sugar, and low
in nutrients and fiber. Fries, white
bread, potato chips should be treated
like desserts. It will help you stave off
diabetes.
7. Journal. Keeping a journal of
what you eat has been shown to
increase your chances of weight loss
by 50%.
8. Do a crossword Puzzle.
Research has shown that doing
crossword puzzles help to stave off
Alzheimer’s disease. Go figure.
9. Walk. You don’t need to
become a marathoner to improve
health. Walking just half an hour three
times a week can lower your blood
sugar or help to keep it stabilized.
10. Have more sex. Sex is not just
a pleasure. It’s a necessity for great
health. Sex releases the feel good
hormone of serotonin, improves blood
circulation and even can condition the
heart. So save your heart by sharing it.
Susan M. Callahan is a Featured
Contributor to CollectiveWizdom.com.
Susan has been recognized as an
Expert Author by the web's leading
directories of authors and articles.
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