CTMC Hill Country Health - Fall 2012 - (Page 6)

Zen Solution #1 Walk It Off Zen Y 6 Central Texas Medical Center • www.ctmc.org Find Your Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed—and your heart seems as if it’s going to beat out of your chest—step away from the stress, literally, with a walk outside. The burst of physical activity will help relieve your anxiety and strengthen your heart muscle. “The heart beneﬁts from aerobic exercise, which includes walking, swimming, running and dancing,” Goldberg says. Although a short stroll can calm you down instantly, logging 30 to 60 minutes of regular exercise a day provides longer-lasting stress-busting beneﬁts. Added bonus: “There are some newer studies that suggest regular aerobic exercise may improve memory,” Goldberg says. Zen Solution #2 Stress can take a toll on your ticker. Here’s how to stay calm, cool and collected ou can avoid stress about as easily as you can avoid Monday morning meetings, puppies that like to chew on your shoes and last-minute pleas to help with the school fundraiser. In other words, you probably can’t. Although a certain amount of stress can be good, pushing you to work toward your goals, too much of it can put your body at risk for real health dangers, including an increased heart rate and high blood pressure, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., a cardiologist and spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “When released, certain stress hormones not only cause increases in blood pressure but also increased glucose levels.” This is an especially dangerous side effect for people who have diabetes. Give your heart a break by following these tensiontaming tips. Unhealthy actions such as drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes or overdoing it on caffeine-laden beverages actually might increase your stress level—not to mention they’re bad for your heart. In addition, people who are stressed out tend to overeat, Goldberg says, and obesity puts additional strain on your heart. Work with your primary care physician to ﬁnd solutions for your bad habits, whether it’s enrolling in a smoking cessation program or creating a nutrition plan. Keep Bad Habits at Bay Zen Solution #3 Spend Time with Happy People Stress can be contagious. But the opposite is true as well, so set up a dinner date with an upbeat friend— someone who can help you laugh at life’s less-than-stellar moments. “Laughter and hugs relax us and relax our blood vessels as well as lower our blood pressure,” Goldberg says. “I am all for laughter.” 1 IS YOUR CHILD STRESSED? Stress isn’t just for adults. Encourage your child to take the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s kid-friendly Stress-O-Meter Quiz at bam.gov/sub_yourlife. Look for the link on the left side. http://www.bam.gov/sub_yourlife http://www.ctmc.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CTMC Hill Country Health - Fall 2012

CTMC Hill Country Health - Fall 2012