Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Gwinnett Medical Center - 17

CHOICE NO. 1:
YOUR WAKE-UP TIME
The ﬁrst step to a good morning starts
the night before, when you decide to
go to bed. Crash late, and you cheat
yourself out of the many health beneﬁts
of sleep.
"We now know that sleep has an
impact on not only functionality but also
coronary artery disease," Graham says.
Not getting enough sleep appears to
aﬀect glucose metabolism, blood pressure and inﬂammation, which increases
risk for conditions such as diabetes and
heart disease. And one study even found
that people who sleep less than six
hours a night are about twice as likely
to have a stroke or heart attack as those
who sleep six to eight hours a night.
So make sure you go to bed early
enough to get about eight hours of
sleep. Also important: If you ﬁnd yourself getting eight hours of sleep at night
and still not feeling rested, talk to your
doctor. People with sleep apnea, which
causes frequent night waking, often
have heart problems.

CHOICE NO. 2:
YOUR BREAKFAST
"For any lifestyle choice to be impactful, it has to be sustainable," Graham
says. So, he advises, strive to ﬁnd foods
that ﬁt your palate. Try to limit the salt,
sugar and saturated fat in your breakfast
while increasing vegetables, fruits and
whole grains. Skip the high-sugar cereals, doughnuts and pastries.
Egg whites are a great protein, says
George Bakris, MD, an author for the
medical reference The Merck Manual. An
egg white scramble with a handful of
veggies and a side of fruit is a healthful
way to start the day.
And be mindful of those morning
staples bacon and sausage, which are
fatty and salty.
"For people who are eating a lot of
breakfast meats," Bakris adds, "you can
substitute those with salmon, which is
very nutritious."

WEBSITE

If You Do One Thing
The No. 1 heart healthy habit? Don't smoke. Quitting isn't easy, but there are
resources available to help you. To get started on your path to a healthier,
smoke-free future, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/smokingcessation.

CHOICE NO. 3:
YOUR ACTIVITY
If you're able to squeeze in a workout-
even just 30 minutes of brisk walking or
a quick interval training routine-into
your morning, you'll start things oﬀ
knowing you've already done your recommended exercise for the day.
"Making it part of the morning routine is great because it helps
give you energy throughout the day,"
Graham says.
If joint pain or other issues are keeping you from the treadmill or a bike,
Bakris oﬀers a solution: "I'm a huge
advocate of swimming ... especially for
people with arthritis."
Swimming is a full-body exercise that
is easy on joints and great for people
who are overweight, too, he says.
But if morning workouts aren't your
style, you can still build some activity
into your morning by looking for small
ways to get more steps. Walk to work
or the bus stop, or take the oﬃce stairs
instead of the elevator.

CHOICE NO. 4:
YOUR ATTITUDE
Stress may feel inevitable, even though
you know it has a negative eﬀect on
your heart health. But you can choose to
be positive and mindful in an eﬀort to
tackle stress head-on.
Long-term psychological stress leads
to increased levels of the stress hormone
cortisol, which can result in higher
blood sugar levels (a marker for diabetes), digestive issues, sleep problems,
memory issues and weight gain.

3 STEPS
TO LESS
MORNING
STRESS
Are mornings torture in your house?
Gwinnett Medical Center's women's
health navigator, Sheila Warren,
RN, provides simple tips to conquer
the chaos:
1. Make a plan, and prep. For
an easier morning, devise a plan the
night before and do as much preparation as possible. Pack lunches,
lay out clothes and even bathe in
the evening.
2. Follow a routine. If the family
members know the routine-and
their morning responsibilities-
rather than having a diﬀerent ﬂow
every day, it will be easier to stay
on track.
3. Pause for quiet time or
meditation. Give yourself time to
ease into the day. Take ﬁve or 10
minutes for quiet time, prayer or
meditation, or even some gentle
yoga. Don't think you have time to
do this? Try using your commute
to work as time to plan your day.

Managing stress takes practice. A
few steps you can take in the morning
include meditating and deep-breathing
exercises to help you set the stage for
a calmer day. You can also try aﬃrmations; telling yourself you're going to
have a great day can be a positive tool. ■
WINTE R 2017

17
http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/smokingcessation
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