Health

Sticking with an Exercise Program

You know you should be exercising on a regular basis, but it’s hard to get started on a regular exercise regime. One day, you may suddenly decide “ok, it’s time,” then get up and do a half-hour workout. Then, you’ll decide you’re too tired to continue over the next week. You’ll promise yourself you’ll do it again tomorrow, but the tomorrows keep adding up. So how do you get yourself started on a regular exercise routine that you will keep up with week in and week out?

Before you begin the basic steps of beginning a regular routine, you need to identify what’s keeping you from starting a regular workout routine. The typical reasons are it’s too difficult, there are too many goals, and you don’t have enough motivation. First, identify which reason is yours. Once you’ve identified the culprit, you can work on eliminating it.

The first step to setting up your routine is to set one simple goal you can easily achieve. You should make it easy and specific. Once you’ve set this goal for yourself, write it down. Keep it somewhere you can see it every day so you’ll be sure to work on it. Create a trigger you do right before completing your goal. This will train your brain that it’s time to work on the goal, so it gets used to doing it on a regular basis.

Once you start working on your goal, start keeping a daily log for it. Every day, after you complete your goal, write down the date and time you completed it. This allows you to see your progress, and know that you accomplished what you set out to do. Another way to see your progress is to tell other people about it. Go ahead and brag, and talk about your accomplishments.

To keep working on your program, add motivators as needed, and keep going.

Filed Under: Addiction Therapy Tagged With: Goal, Health, Physical exercise

Healthy Snacking Alternatives

One of the most common diet flaws is snacking through the day. Whether you’re dieting to lose weight, or trying to eat a healthier diet, snacking seems to be the one culprit you just can’t get rid of. But not all snacking is bad. If you learn to snack on the right types of foods, snacking can be a good part of a healthy diet.

In order to make snacking healthy, you first have to learn what types of foods are good for you to snack on. Whether you’re looking for something sweet or salty, there are plenty of options that won’t throw your whole diet out the window.

Sweets

When your sugar levels get low, you start to crave it. The first thing you’ll want to reach for is a sugary cookie, snack cake, or candy. But there are plenty of alternatives you can choose from that will give you the same satisfying feeling. Fruit is probably your best choice. The natural sugars will get you over that hump in the middle of the day, and provide you with nutrients that your body needs. If you’re looking for something a little sweeter, try a small bowl of ice cream or sherbert. You can also make a smoothie with yogurt, fresh fruit, and ice. Blend them together for a tasty treat.

Salt

The other major craving you’ll get during the day is for something salty. But there are alternatives to gobbling down a full bag of chips. Lightly salted nuts and chips in small quantities can help satisfy your need to gobble down that bag of chips. Popcorn is a healthy snack packed with nutrients. Add a tiny amount of salt to get rid of your craving. Cheese and crackers can also help satisfy your need for salt without breaking your diet.

There are plenty of alternatives to unhealthy snacks that will satisfy your cravings.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction Tagged With: Diet, Health, Snack food

Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Hearts are on a lot of people’s minds this month, with Valentine’s Day and CHD Awareness Week. Taking care of your heart should be on your mind all year long. You need to eat a proper diet and get regular exercise to keep your heart healthy and working properly throughout your life. If you haven’t given heart health much thought in the past, now is the time to start.

One of the biggest ways to take care of your heart is to eat healthy. This includes cutting back on fat and cholesterol. Both can cause clogged arteries and the possibility of a future heart attack. By cutting back on these foods, you’re ensuring yourself of staying heart healthy.

You also need to watch out for sugar. Too many sugars in your diet can raise your insulin levels, not only causing the possibility of diabetes, but by raising your triglycerides with the excess insulin and causing your arteries to inflame and become more vulnerable to hardening. To help combat this problem before it happens, cut back on sweets in your diet, and eat more fiber. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat no more than six teaspoons of added sugar per day.

In addition to eating properly, you also need to exercise on a regular basis. Most doctors will tell you that you need to exercise a half-hour a day, three times a week. But you don’t have to go overboard on the exercise to stay healthy. A lighter workout for ten minutes at a time on these three days works just as well. As long as you are getting some sort of physical movement, you’ll be in good shape. The movement you choose to do, however, needs to get your heart moving and your breathing a bit heavy to have any affect.

Start working on your diet and exercise today for a better tomorrow.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction Tagged With: exercise, Health, Heart disease

Deciding to Start a Family

DENVER - JULY 29: Estrella Mendez, age 3, cli...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The decision to bring a child into the world should not be taken lightly. Too many times people do not realize the sacrifices that need to be made in their own life to properly take care and raise a child. That being said, making the decision to start a family can be both an exhilarating and frightening prospect.

Once the final decision to have a child has been made it is critical to keep both your mental and physical health in top condition. You may choose to visit your physician and voice the fact you are trying to conceive. This will allow you to alleviate any fears you may have and to see if they have any guidance or advice based on your families or your medical history.

Some of the keys to increasing your odds of conception are proper nutrition and health. This is especially essential if you are past the age of 35. If you are too thin you may have difficulty conceiving. To increase your chances for conception you can choose to calculate the days that you are fertile. There are several ways you can do this either through calendars or electronic monitors and they will greatly improve your chances of conception.

If you start to show signs of pregnancy you should immediately take a home pregnancy test. If the test is positive then you can proceed with a doctor’s visit to confirm the result. Once the happy news has been confirmed by your physician you need to make sure you take even better care of you physical and mental well-being. The proper nutrition cannot be underestimated. Foods high in fiber and proteins are essential for a successful pregnancy. Foods to avoid are all raw meats and raw eggs.

Regardless of the time life you choose to start your family, bringing a child into the world is a life-altering prospect that should be cherished as one of the most significant life experiences.

Filed Under: General Rehab & Addiction Tagged With: Child, Family, Fertilisation, Health, Home

What Is Premature Ejaculation?

With all the talk about erectile dysfunction — the inability to achieve an erection—the fact that it is possible to achieve an erection but ejaculation occurs too soon for either partner to gain satisfaction from the sexual experience is often overlooked. This condition is known as premature ejaculation, and it too affects many men just as erectile dysfunction does.

The inability to control one’s ejaculation or climax can and does happen occasionally. It’s frustrating, but usually it’s no big deal. However, when the problem becomes persistent, even occurring with each sexual episode, then the actual condition of premature ejaculation may exist.

True premature ejaculation — the type that happens so frequently as to be considered a legitimate concern — can affect relations in many ways, none of them good. Both partners may experience frustration, as neither of them is being satisfied. In addition, the male can become distressed as it continues happening, to the point that he may actually start avoiding sexual intimacy. This can sometimes cause a rift in the relationship that may result in separation or divorce.

It is unknown exactly what causes premature ejaculation. Doctors differ in their opinions, but many do believe that one’s first sexual experiences may sometimes play a part, particularly if “negative” feelings or situations (fear of being caught or guilt because it wasn’t the “right time”) were experienced.

There can also be physical causes including hormonal imbalances, urethral inflammation or infection, and others. However, just like erectile dysfunction, there is a medication called Priligy that is available to treat premature ejaculation. At the present time, this is the only medication that has been FDA-approved.

This medication does help diminish the effects of premature ejaculation. It allows for a longer span of time to pass before ejaculation occurs, thus allowing both partners to be satisfied. Priligy is only available by prescription, so talk to your doctor to see if you feel you may suffer from premature ejaculation.

Filed Under: Addiction Therapy Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Dapoxetine, Erection, Health, Men's Health, Premature ejaculation

Staging an Intervention

If you have a loved one with an addiction problem, you’ve probably tried everything you can think of to get her the help she needs. Perhaps you tried talking to her about her addiction, and the help that is available to her. You may have even talked to a counselor about how you can approach her about her addiction. There is plenty of information on the Internet available for you to look at too. Another idea you may want to try is to hold an intervention.

An intervention works by getting a group of her friends and family in the same place, then bringing her to that place, sitting her down, and allowing everyone to have a chance to tell her how they feel about her addiction, and persuade her to get help for it. Everyone must agree before the intervention begins on what type of treatment they feel she needs: professional counseling, out-patient care, to check into a rehabilitation program, or some other form of help to kick her addiction. You should also determine beforehand who’s going to lead the discussion, and start the intervention when the addict shows up.

Your group must understand that the addict is going to try to run away, make jokes, or find some other way to avoid confronting her problem. It’s up to the group to get her to stay and listen to what they have to say. Picking the right time to hold the intervention will help with this. The best time to hold the intervention is at a time you know the addict will be sober. This time may be selected from a variety of possibilities, such as when the addict first wakes up and hasn’t had a chance to get drunk or stoned yet or after they’ve been released from an arrest or overdose.

You may want to seek the help of a counselor when planning the intervention. The counselor can give you advice on what to say to the addict. She may also be able to moderate the intervention and help you get through to the addict.

Filed Under: Drug Addiction Treatments Tagged With: Addiction, Alcoholism, Centers and Counseling Services, Health, Intervention, United States