 |
FHA Home |
|
|
 |
|
|
Balanced Living
Get Heart Healthy: Why Fitness Really MattersFebruary is American Heart Month
What does that mean in simple terms? Leading an inactive life increases your risk of heart disease as much as if you smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Way too busyAlthough most people agree activity is good for them, many have a difficult time working it into their daily lives. A lot of people get confused about the distinction between moderate physical activity and exercise. Many normal daily activities qualify as being moderately physical. Also, most people make the mistake of trying too hard. Whatever you choose to do should be pleasurable, and you should feel calm, happy and relaxed afterward. Have a Heart-Healthy Snack! Rainbow Fruit SaladYou can’t go wrong with this salad-it’s juicy, fresh, naturally low in fat and sodium, and cholesterol free. Fruit Salad Honey Orange Sauce 1. Prepare the fruit. Yield: 12 servings, Serving Size: 4-oz cup It’s not necessary to make time each day for continuous, intense exertion. Rather, you can accumulate this activity in short sessions throughout the day and still receive health benefits. While some experts may disagree about how vigorous activity should be, there’s no disagreement about the health benefits of any activity. Activity is criticalIncorporating activity into your daily routine can prevent or alleviate many chronic conditions besides heart disease—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, some types of cancer and osteoporosis, to name a few. Consistent activity is a potent anti-aging strategy, too. While some people accept a decreased ability to move easily as a natural consequence of aging, ‘use it or lose it’ applies here. Regular physical activity is the best way to maintain optimal function throughout your life and improve your mobility, flexibility, strength, balance, walking speed and reaction time. Being active also helps you stay mentally fit. It provides a chance to sort out problems and relieve stress. In turn, stress reduction can help reduce your risk of a wide variety of other illnesses, from arthritis to the common cold. The time is nowThe best news is that it is never too late to adopt a more active lifestyle. Most people who have difficulty sticking with health-promoting measures probably make them too complex to follow. Along with activities that promote cardiovascular fitness, such as walking or cycling, you can add all sorts of leisure activities (dancing, bowling), indoor work activities (vacuuming and sweeping the floor), outdoor work activities (gardening, washing the car) and recreational sports (golf, volleyball). You have hundreds of choices for healthful activities. Get Heart Healthy: Understanding Chest PainUnderstanding chest pain could save your life. Feelings of pain or pressure in the chest area could signal a problem as simple as indigestion or as serious as a heart attack. Pay attention to those signals. Learn the signs of a heart attack, and call 911 if you have them! Some of the causes of chest pain include:
Did you know that women’s heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States? One out of every three women will die of heart disease. That’s the bad news…but, the good news is that women’s heart disease is often preventable. February 17th, 2006 is National Women’s Heart Day, for more information visit www.sistertosister.org. Self-Care Steps if You Think You Are Having a Heart AttackKnow the signs of a heart attack. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 and chew an aspirin, if you are not allergic to aspirin or to other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. To ease a muscle strain in the chest, take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen. Apply heat and get rest. Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
For more information: Alcoholism and Your KidsNational Children of Alcoholics Week is February 12th though 18th 2006Alcoholism in the home has long lasting effects. Children of alcoholics often learn to cope with unhappy childhoods in ways that cause problems for them later in life. Learning about how alcoholism affected your past can help you build a better future. Childhood Characteristics, Beliefs and PatternsChildren of alcoholics often act in one of the following ways:
Children of alcoholics often believe that they’re all alone, that no other families have these problems or that it’s up to them to cure the parent. A child may take the blame for a parent’s alcoholism—or the parent may blame the child. As a result, many children of alcoholics not only feel unloved, but unlovable. Some of them suffer physical or sexual abuse, which reinforces this feeling. And because life at home is full of disappointments, broken promises and lies, the child learns not to trust, not to get too close to anyone and not to communicate in healthy ways. Problems in Adult LifeAdult children of alcoholics often retain their childhood patterns. The super-responsible child may grow into an adult who demands perfectionism. The child who was the family’s scapegoat may have legal or financial troubles throughout life. The child who used to adjust to anything may be passive and withdrawn as an adult. And the family clown may grow up to be entertaining, but irresponsible. An adult child of an alcoholic may be anxious, may try to control events and relationships, may have trouble being intimate, may be chronically depressed or have stress-related health problems. Tragically, many children of alcoholics either become chemically dependent themselves or marry alcoholics. How to Help or Get HelpIf you know a child living in an alcoholic home, try doing these things:
If you grew up with an alcoholic parent:
For more information: Understanding Eating DisordersFebruary 26th through March 4th is National Eating Disorders Awareness WeekEating disorders, in which food becomes not a source of nutrition but an enemy to be fought or an object of obsession, are most common among middle-class and upper-middle-class women. Approximately 1 in 10 people with eating disorders will die as a result of the condition, either by suicide or a heart attack due to starvation. Anorexia NervosaPeople who have anorexia nervosa try to starve themselves thin. This condition usually begins in puberty, and tends to strike young people with perfectionist, obedient personalities. Some psychologists believe that people with anorexia nervosa are attempting to control their food intake and weight because they feel unable to control other aspects of their lives. People with anorexia may also exercise obsessively; make themselves vomit, and use laxatives to purge themselves further. They may also go through phases of bulimia nervosa. If the disease progresses far enough, all the symptoms of starvation show up: irregular heartbeat; brittle hair and nails; dry, yellowish skin; and symptoms of depression. Even though someone with anorexia may be extremely thin, the person will still feel too fat. People with this condition can literally starve themselves to death. Bulimia NervosaPeople who have bulimia nervosa will binge on food and then make themselves vomit, use a laxative, or take a diuretic. Bulimics may binge and purge several times a week or even several times a day. Unlike people with anorexia, people with bulimia are often at or near a normal weight. Symptoms of bulimia include a sore throat, tooth decay (due to the teeth being exposed to stomach acid), swollen salivary glands in the neck and cheeks, and a puffy face. Serious cases of bulimia can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance (a proper balance of electrolytes is essential for the heart to function normally.) Binge Eating DisorderPeople with binge eating disorder eat large amounts of food without being hungry, and are often obese. This condition is similar to bulimia, except the person does not purge after bingeing. In men, this disorder is more common than either anorexia or bulimia. People with this condition may abuse alcohol and other drugs, and may also have a history of losing and regaining weight. Binge eating disorder is also associated with depression. What to DoPeople with these conditions usually have underlying emotional problems such as low self-esteem, depression, and a distorted body image, and must be treated by a therapist. Treatment must often be provided in a hospital for severe cases of these illnesses. People must be taught to eat normally again, which often requires careful supervision. Treatment includes individual therapy and, sometimes, family counseling. Antidepressant medications are sometimes prescribed as well. Treatment of these conditions is difficult, but people with eating disorders have a good chance at recovery, especially if the illness is caught early. For more information: Save Those Papers!Keeping Tax DocumentsAs tax season approaches you may wonder what papers you should be holding onto from last year. Here are some basic rules to follow: Keep anything related to your tax return, such as W-2 and 1099 forms, and receipts and canceled checks for deductible items, for at least three years after you file. In general, the IRS has up to three years after you file your tax return to complete an audit of you. That is why you want to keep records substantiating your tax return data a minimum of three years. For example, if you filed on April 15, 1998 for 1997, keep those records until at least April 16, 2001. To be completely safe, you’ll want to keep your records for six years. The IRS can audit you for up to six years after you filed a return if it suspects that you underreported your income by 25% or more. Keep records showing purchases of real estate, stocks and other investments for at least three years after you sell the asset. If you are audited, you must be able to show your taxable gain or loss. If you have rolled-over gains from the sale of a residence, which was allowed under the previous tax law, keep records of every purchase and sale made, until you sell your current home. For more information: Working Well TogetherCommunicating in a Diverse WorkforceA diverse workforce provides opportunities to communicate with people of different backgrounds. The more points of view you have to work with, the more abundant is your supply of new ideas, new ways of looking at things and creative solutions to problems. Meetings may end more quickly when everyone agrees, but the ideas generated by diversity are often well worth the time it takes to communicate them. Here are some ground rules for communicating in a diverse workforce and for setting an example for others.
Download pdf version of this month’s Balanced Living (272kb)
|
Chances are you’ve heard about the benefits of exercise. You have may even promised yourself to become more active as soon as you find the time. Perhaps you aren’t aware, however, of just how crucial an active lifestyle is to your health and well-being.
|
To reach us, you can call our toll-free number anytime day or night or email us. |
