Category Archives: Health Maintenance

Early Morning Wake-up Routine

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How to Establish a Wake-up Routine for a Good Morning Every Morning

Good sleep habits and an effective morning routine can help you wake up feeling energized and prepared for the day ahead. Try these tips and techniques to start your day right.

A New Day Dawns

We’ve all had one of those days: groggy all morning, lethargic through lunch, and cranky all afternoon. You know one reason for your muddled brain and foul mood: sleep — not enough of it, and not the right kind. It would be nice if bedtimes and wake-up routines were only important in our childhood years, but adults can also benefit from a bit of early-hour planning.

If you haven’t been hopping out of bed each morning, ready to crush your to-do list, these handy techniques might help.

Ready!

Quantity Counts: The foundation to a good morning starts with getting the right amount of sleep. Even adults need a solid 7-9 hours (yes, really!), so make sure you hit the sack at the right time the night before.

Feel the Rhythm: Quantity is important, but timing also matters. Your body and brain work best with a set wake-up time to keep your biological rhythms synced.1 Don’t vary your wake-up time too much — it can throw off your system from its natural routine.

Nightly Recharge: If you think you can skimp on sleep for a few nights and make up for it with a lazy day later on, think again. Make sure you’re getting a full charge of sleep every night to so you’re ready for the next day.

Set!

Snoozing Sucks: Turning your car on and off isn’t the best way to get it warmed up in the morning, and it’s no good for your brain, either. Hitting snooze to nod off for another restless 5 minutes may only leave you groggier when you wake up for a second (or third) time.2

Good Morning, Sunshine: If you can, wake up to bright, natural sunlight streaming through your window. If you can’t, at least get indoor lights going (and no, the glare of your cell phone screen isn’t enough). Research suggests that morning light can help you wake up more naturally and quickly.3

Get Moving: And not just to check your email — in fact, skip the tech if you can. Instead, get in a morning walk to start the day off right. Good sleep and exercise go hand in hand: moving your body will help you wake up in the morning and sleep better later that night.

Go!

Break Your Fast: You’ve gone all night without eating, and some of the latest research still shows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for staying fit and healthy.4 Prepare your breakfast the night before so it’s ready to go.

Pep Talks: If the day seems daunting, set aside a few minutes to get pumped. Maybe it’s meditation or prayer, or a bit of yoga — you do you! Focusing on your mental wellbeing for ten minutes can help with stress and anxiety over the next ten hours.5

Jump In: Once you’re ready to dive into the day, it’s a good habit to tackle the hardest tasks first. Research shows that your brain is at peak power at mid-morning, so that’s the best time for difficult tasks.6 Moreover, if you get the big stuff out of the way, the rest of the day feels like a breeze.

Ready for a better night’s sleep?

Start now with a “go to bed” alarm. It only takes a few seconds to start your new bedtime routine.

  • Just take out your phone and set a “go to bed” alarm. This will tell you when it’s time to turn off the TV, log off social media and wind down for the night.
  • Make sure the alarm repeats every day, so you’ll get the 7-9 hours of rest your body needs.

Tomorrow morning, wake up right, so you can be Healthy For Good!

http://view.heartemail.org/?qs=c951655750781fbeed2bf182f08907679d0c948623469b591e7f7ddfa83d79c6eefdcde61d85de7bd2a80e4103f81ec481999153b24922402f55fa395b8295abc3ac7c40322052fcea629b6e0f9379d1

Avoid/Treat Heat Exhaustion

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As beautiful weather is upon us and temperatures are climbing, take care to avoid the unexpected symptoms of heat exhaustion.

Image result for heat exhaustion

Overview

Heat exhaustion is a condition whose symptoms may include heavy sweating and a rapid pulse, a result of your body overheating. It’s one of three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heatstroke being the most severe.

Causes of heat exhaustion include exposure to high temperatures, particularly when combined with high humidity, and strenuous physical activity. Without prompt treatment, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a life-threatening condition. Fortunately, heat exhaustion is preventable.

 Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion may develop suddenly or over time, especially with prolonged periods of exercise. Possible heat exhaustion signs and symptoms include:

  • Cool, moist skin with goose bumps when in the heat
  • Heavy sweating
  • Faintness
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Weak, rapid pulse
  • Low blood pressure upon standing
  • Muscle cramps
  • Nausea
  • Headache

When to see a doctor

If you think you’re experiencing heat exhaustion:

  • Stop all activity and rest
  • Move to a cooler place
  • Drink cool water or sports drinks

Contact your doctor if your signs or symptoms worsen or if they don’t improve within one hour. If you are with someone showing signs of heat exhaustion, seek immediate medical attention if he or she becomes confused or agitated, loses consciousness, or is unable to drink. You will need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention if your core body temperature (measured by a rectal thermometer) reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-exhaustion/symptoms-causes/syc-20373250

How to Build a Summer First Aid Kit

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How to Build an Essential Summer First Aid Kit

By: Kathleen Berchelmann, MD, FAAP

Every year the summer arrives with full force in my ER: cuts, ticks, poison ivy, infected bug bites, sunburns, eye injuries, broken bones, and all other kinds of summer fun gone wrong. Luckily, you can easily treat or prevent much of the summer craziness if you are prepared.

Being prepared means you need a “Dr. Mom” first aid kit and know how to use it. Although pre-made store-bought first aid kits are a good start, these kits typically lack many items you’ll need for your family.

Shopping List for Your Summer First Aid Kit

So to help you get ready, I have prepared a shopping list below for your summer first aid kit. Get it built now, so that you spend your summer having fun, not in the ER.

For more the suggested list and more information check:  https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/First-Aid-Supplies-for-your-Car.aspx

What is Intense Aerobic Activity?

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Here are are some ways to understand and measure the intensity of aerobic activity: relative intensity and absolute intensity.

Relative Intensity

The level of effort required by a person to do an activity. When using relative intensity, people pay attention to how physical activity affects their heart rate and breathing.

The talk test is a simple way to measure relative intensity. In general, if you’re doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you’re doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Absolute Intensity

The amount of energy used by the body per minute of activity. The table below lists examples of activities classified as moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity based upon the amount of energy used by the body while doing the activity.

Moderate Intensity

  • Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or faster, but not race-walking)
  • Water aerobics
  • Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour
  • Tennis (doubles)
  • Ballroom dancing
  • General gardening

Vigorous Intensity

  • Race walking, jogging, or running
  • Swimming laps
  • Tennis (singles)
  • Aerobic dancing
  • Bicycling 10 miles per hour or faster
  • Jumping rope
  • Heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing)
  • Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html

Get walking with this 12-week walking schedule

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By Mayo Clinic Staff
 Are you looking to ease into getting in shape? This 12-week walking schedule from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute can start you on the path to better health. But before starting this walking plan, talk with your doctor if you have serious health issues, or if you’re older than age 40 and you’ve been inactive recently.
 Aim to walk at least five days a week. Start out warming up with a five-minute, slower paced walk. Slow your pace to cool down during the last five minutes of your walk.

Start at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Then gradually pick up speed until you’re walking briskly — generally about 3 to 4 miles an hour. You should be breathing hard, but you should still be able to carry on a conversation. Each week, add about two minutes to your walking time.

In addition to walking, add strength training exercises — such as pushups and lunges — to your routine. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults include aerobic exercise and strength training in their fitness plans, specifically:

  • At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity a week
  • Strength training exercises of all the major muscle groups at least twice a week
Week Warm-up Brisk walking Cool-down
1 5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes
2 5 minutes 7 minutes 5 minutes
3 5 minutes 9 minutes 5 minutes
4 5 minutes 11 minutes 5 minutes
5 5 minutes 13 minutes 5 minutes
6 5 minutes 15 minutes 5 minutes
7 5 minutes 18 minutes 5 minutes
8 5 minutes 20 minutes 5 minutes
9 5 minutes 23 minutes 5 minutes
10 5 minutes 26 minutes 5 minutes
11 5 minutes 28 minutes 5 minutes
12 5 minutes 30 minutes 5 minutes

Based on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20050972

Spring Outdoor Play: Making the Most of the Season

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What outdoor play activities would you recommend in the springtime?

Springtime is ideal for outdoor play. After a cold, gray winter, the blue skies, new leaves, and warm breezes beckon everyone to come out and play for a while. In the excitement of a new season of growth, here are some activities to make the most of all that spring has to offer.

Rainy days:

April showers bring May flowers, but what kinds of play do April showers bring? Wet days are a challenge, but they are also an opportunity for special kinds of creative outdoor play. When it’s not thundering and unsafe, try some of these outdoor activities:

  • Puddle play – splashing, floating, seeking for creatures, comparing reflections.
  • Mud play – make the most of the wet mud while it’s there! It helps to have a backup set of clothes to get muddy in, and then just hose off at the end.
  • Rain walks – waterproof gear and boots, or some umbrellas keep everyone (mostly) dry while exploring.

When it’s too cold or too thundery to be outside, try these rain-related indoor activities:

  • Learn about and pretend to be wildlife who benefit from the rain, such as ducks, turtles, frogs, and salamanders
  • Create watercolor paintings with the rain – experiment with putting papers out in the rain for a minute and then painting on them, or put them out after painting and see what textures the rain adds.
  • Create garden collage artwork of pictures of plants that will grow in the spring and summer (with cutouts from plant catalogs and gardening magazines).

Warm, sunny spring days:

The best days of spring come with blue skies, warm breezes, and bright flowers and leaves. Try out some of these activities to maximize the pretty days of spring:

  • Measure leaf growth, record when the buds open and compare different plants’ growth.
  • Create art with flowers.
  • Pick flowers to bring inside the classroom.
  • Observe bugs and other creepy-crawlies.
  • Watch for birds and learn about what kinds migrate through your region in the spring.
  • Learn about baby animals (who are frequently born in the spring), with visiting bunnies, baby chicks, or ducklings.
  • Take photographs – let the children take photos of their observations of spring with disposable cameras or kid-friendly digital cameras.
  • Have a picnic day where all the day’s normal indoor activities happen outdoors.

Cool and windy spring days:

The changing seasons bring changing weather patterns and often, breezy spring days. Weather forecasts usually include a prediction for winds, which can be helpful when planning some of these activities.

  • Play with the wind – bring fabric, ribbons, and wind catchers to play with outdoors.
  • Make and fly kites – kites fly best with wind speeds between 5 and 15 mph.
  • Measure wind direction and speed with the “wet” finger technique.
  • Read some windy day stories outdoors.
  • Make and install wind chimes and windsocks.

Gardening:

Spring is high season for gardening as the soil warms up and the days grow longer. Here are some ideas to get your imagination started on the many possibilities for spring gardening with children. These activities can happen in almost any weather – weeding a garden bed can be a lot easier right after a rain, for instance. For more thorough information and guides, the NLI Green Desk has multiple posts on children’s gardening, here. 

  • Prepare the garden for the season’s plantings, see the Early Spring in the Garden post for more.
  • Start sugar snap pea seeds
  • Build a mini green bean teepee
  • Create newspaper pots and start seeds
  • Plant strawberries
  • Sow wildflower seeds
  • Plant sprouts in the window to eat
  • Serve spring seasonal snacks (sprouts, radishes, sugar snap peas, etc.)

 

Prioritizing Stress Reduction and Self-Care

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Thank you to the Health and Recreation Center Staff for today’s submission!

Meeting deadlines, taking the kids to school, going to the grocery, cleaning the house, exercising, laundry…the list seems to go on and on. Does this sound familiar? Prioritizing your health and time for self-care is crucial when it comes to keeping your stress levels down and energy levels up. When it seems like there is too much on your plate, your brain can sense your stress levels. Stress causes your heart rate and blood pressure rise, and your muscles to tighten. Feelings of stress that continue for long periods can have a detrimental effect on the body.

One proven way to reduce stress, calm your mind and relax is massage therapy. The Butler HRC has 5 licensed massage therapists onsite who offer 60 and 90-minute sessions. Massage techniques offered include deep tissue, thai yoga, sports, Swedish and trigger point. Schedule an appointment before work, during lunch or after work to help relax your mind, increase circulation, and decrease muscle tension. You will feel rejuvenated and ready to take on your to-do list! For more information regarding pricing, scheduling and our massage therapists, please visit https://www.butler.edu/massage.

 

Mammogram Screening Dates for May 2018

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Hello!  Healthy Horizons is excited to announce that we have secured more dates for the St. Vincent Mobile Mammography visits.  We will be having the Spring visit this coming May on the 17th and 18th (Thursday and Friday).  The additional dates will allow  faculty, staff and spouses to use the services.  We have had great demand in the past for these services and are so pleased to be able to offer you extended dates.  Further information including registration will follow shortly.