Friday, November 9, 2012

6 Easy Techniques To Cope With Night Shift Work

People working the night shift poses a huge challenge for their sleeping system, because of the improper light exposure/ activity levels. The exposure to light sets our body temperature rhythm and controls our melatonin levels. If you work a night shift, you're remaining active while your body thinks it's time to sleep.This put a strain on your sleeping system, and it's also difficult on your emotional life as it limits your social activities with friends and family.
And because of the lack of light during work, many night shift workers feels drowsy during work, some night shift workers even doze off when driving home in their cars. Highlighted below are some recommendations for you to get quality sleep and feel less drowsy during work.
1. Routine
Maintaining a "regular sleping schedule during the weekends is important. By sleeping the same way during the weekend that you do during the weekdays, you ensure that your body temperature rhythm becomes adjusted to this setting, you'll get better sleep and higher energy levels in the long run.
2. Short nap
Due the lack of sunlight in your schedule, your body will try to sleep longer than other people. But chances are you still want to interact with your love ones during the day, so if you still feel un-rested and drowsy after your sleep, take a short 10-45 minute nap during the day. The brief period of stage 2 sleep will charge you physically -allowing you to stay more alert during the day.
3. Exercise before work
Exercise will create a rise in your body temperature rhythm, this makes you more awake and alert during work. As you experienced high temperature at work, you will get low temperature after work, that will make you easier to fall asleep and sleep deeply.
4. Bright light during work
Exposing yourself to high intensity light while working the night shift,would let you becomes more energetic as the light raises your body temperature. As you feel more energetic during your work, your would feel tired after work, thus allowing you to have quality sleep after work.
Best way to combat fatigue at work is to have an artificial bright light generator (talk to your boss about it -it is good for productivity) that can generate 5000-10000 luxes of light.
5. Avoid that Morning Sun
Try to avoid light when you leave work by wearing dark sunglasses, this will lower the chance that your body will get confused and think it's time to wake up. Also make sure that you sleep in a dark room after work, and that your sleep isn't interrupted by bright light. Bright morning light is a major cue for your body that it's rise and shine time and this will limit your sleep drastcially.
6. Do not sleep immediately
Do not sleep for the first 3 hours when you reach home (usually 6-7am in the morning) as it is interrupted by morning activity around the house. The first 3 hours of your sleep contains the largest portion of your deep sleep, so you shouldn't go to bed right after your work.But wait until everyone in your house leaves for work and the children have eaten breakfast and are in school -this way you can wind down abit after work and get to sleep.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Partnering for Health

Sara's one-hour surgery took three and a half hours. The doctor's promise of "no pain" was a lie. The promise of "only one incision" was, too. The "four-hour easy recovery" actually involved 24 hours in ICU. We are only home now because we have life support equipment.
Sara's mad at us, but she'll get over it. I even expect her to smile again soon. But for now, every time a family member comes to visit her, Sara simply must tell them all about her hospital visit, making full use of her hoarse voice and her cutest pout.
As for the family, we're hoping that the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) surgery proves to be the promised cure for seizures. The VNS is like a pacemaker, stimulating a nerve in the neck, and we've heard that many patients with intractable seizures have benefited from this device.
The previous week. . .
Like many parents waiting for a doctor to come out after surgery, my husband and I became agitated when the doctor didn't appear until hours after the estimated time. When he finally came out, he told us that everything was all right, but that nothing had gone the way it had been planned, which didn't put us in high spirits.
The doctor promised that we could go back and see our daughter in an hour, but after two hours had passed, my fear level had increased, and I grew more hostile. I pestered the young man at the information desk until I finally got to speak to Sara's nurse on the phone. By the time they let me into the recovery room, I was an emotional tornado, spinning black clouds around everyone who came near me.
Sara was more than mad; she was scared and in extreme pain. The doctors couldn't remove the intubation tube because Sara wasn't able to breathe on her own, and she couldn't have pain medication because her blood pressure wasn't stable. She was on the verge of hypothermia with a temperature of 88.
"I don't think she's getting the best care," I said to the nurse. That was a mistake. As soon as I blurted this out, I thought: "Careful, they can kick me out of here anytime they want to."
I guess I should have been a nurse instead of an interior designer.
In Surviving Healthcare: How to Take Charge and Get the Best from Your Doctor, Your Hospital, and Your Health Insurance, Pam Armstrong says, "Remember, you should know about and have a say in everything that happens to your body while you are in a hospital. Your health should always be the focus of your care. Hospital routines should serve your needs, not the staff's or hospital's needs. Don't let yourself be intimidated by hospital staff who seem to feel otherwise. To get the best care, combine assertiveness with a partnering and empathetic approach toward staff, who may have overfull workloads."
When the patient is a child or is otherwise unable to speak for themselves, a family member must work in partnership with the hospital staff to make sure the patient gets the best care. I learned years ago that hysterical outbursts at nurses and other hospital staff do little for my daughter. I've learned to keep my mouth shut, to think first, and then to speak gently. That doesn't mean that what I say doesn't count--I've just learned a few key phrases that will show the hospital staff that I know what type of care my daughter needs.
After mothering Sara (requesting heated blankets, wiping tears, and straightening her legs), I explained my fears to the nurse. Apologizing for my outburst, I told the nurse how scared we were because the surgery had taken longer and had been more involved than had been planned, and because Sara was in pain. Instead of telling me to leave the recovery room, the nurse agreed to let my husband come in, too.
Acknowledging my fears and keeping my mouth closed helped our daughter receive the best care during her hospital stay. Sara, at twenty-five, still needs total care because of disabilities. Instead of placing Sara in an adult intensive care unit with many patients and limited visiting hours, Sara was moved to Pediatric ICU, where the ratio of patients to nurses is only two to one. There was also newer equipment, but best of all, they allowed me to sleep in her private room.
You too can learn to help care for a loved one when they're faced with hospitalization. Just remember to partner with the physicians and hospital staff to ensure that your loved one will get the best care.
(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher
For more information about Surviving Healthcare: How to Take Charge and Get the Best from Your Doctor, Your Hospital, and Your Health Insurance (Chestnut Ridge Books, 2004, ISBN 0-9754560-59, $19.95), see. After nearly 25 years in health care administration, Pamela Armstrong, MPH, MBA, is on a one-woman mission to ensure consumers that they get the quality care they're entitled to.

Friday, October 26, 2012

6 Healthy Eating Tips

Adequate Carbs!
With the latest low carb trend it can become difficult, to say the least, to figure out what you should be eating especially if you are active! The truth is, when you exercise your muscle burns a type of carbohydrate called glycogen for fuel. To keep these important fuel levels optimal for peak performance, we must eat a diet rich in whole grains, beans, potatoes, and other high-carbohydrate foods. You can't produce optimal glycogen stores with a high protein low carbohydrate diet. Go for the whole grains such as 100% whole wheat breads, brown rice, quinoa, or millet. Limit the 'white' refined products.
Protein
Yes it is true, active people need more protein than the average person. It is especially important after our workouts to repair muscle damage. Include lean meats, fish, soy, and eggs. Active people need about 3-4 three-ounce servings a day.
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!
When you exercise, you breathe harder taking in more oxygen. While you need oxygen to support life, it can become unstable in the body. Unstable oxygen can oxidize and damage your muscle cells which can bring on inflammation and soreness. You can protect yourself from oxidation by eating healthful amounts of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. Eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day!
Drink, Drink, Drink
The more you exercise, the more you sweat. Replacing these fluids is vital for peak performance and endurance. During long workouts you may need a sports drink that contains carbohydrates and electrolytes. Drink at least 8-10 servings of fluids/day.
Fueling Before A Workout
This step alone will not only lengthen your workout but it will also increase your performance which is key when training for an event. If you don't eat before exercise you will likely feel light-headedness, fatigue, and nausea. In addition, your body turns to muscle protein for fuel because it doesn't have enough carbohydrate. By starting your workout well-fueled, your body will burn a combination of the carbohydrate stored in your muscles and stored fat. Eat 2-4 hours before a workout or event. Choose a high carbohydrate, low fat, moderate protein meal or snack. Drink at least 10 ounces of water to help offset sweat loss during your workout.
Fueling After A Workout
It is important to consume calories and fluids during the first half hour after you exercise for optimal recovery. If you aren't hungry right away a quick snack will do. Drinking a sports drink or 100% fruit juice will do the trick! Don't forget to eat a meal later with protein to repair muscle damage.

Friday, October 19, 2012

4 Simple Steps To Avoid

First of all please notice that some explanations in my article are from a 'viewpoint' of European Times. You will know what I mean when you read my article.
AND I am German and have some misspelled words, grammar and phrases. I am still developing my skills, but just don't look at this, look at the content itself, and you will be happy. ;-)
So go ahead now, I just want you to recognize it. ;-)
1. Adjust your biological clock
The biological clock of the body needs a while after a journey into another time belt, in order to adjust itself to the new rhythm. Physical and mental symptoms can occur here such as headache, listlessness or nausea, but none jet lag must be helplessly delivered.
Daylight helps itself the cells, automatically to program on 'Day'. When you fly in direction to the east, for example to Thailand, it might be harder for you - you lose several hours. In order to prepare some days in advance for the new sleep rhythm, you should spend some time in the daylight in the early evening. During the flight it is advisable to sleep in advance. Then the adjustment goes faster.
When you travel toward the west, approximately to the USA, you'll have it easier. Nevertheless you should try to plan its arrival around noon time to get the brightest light of the day. Important appointments or activities at the arrival place you should plan at the time of day, at which you are most awake: After a flight in direction to the east in the evening, after a flight in direction to the west in the morning.
2. Sleep on board
Many humans have problems to fall asleep on the tiny seat in the airplane. Therefore in such a way some seizes to sleep pills or tranquilizers. This unnatural interference into the bio rhythm of the body affects negatively to your adjustment at recent time conditions.
It is healthier to create yourself in the airplane as good sleep conditions as possible: Take yourself an inflatable neck cushion and an eye mask in the airplane. Some airlines distribute themselves these implements on board, but you shouldn't rely on it however.
Since feet often swell on a flight, it is advisable to take your shoes off and to carry yourself on a warm cosy pair of socks. Even if you feel yourself it's not cold, you should cover yourselves before falling asleep with a light cover (you'll get one by all long distance flights), so that you do not wake up freezing and protect yourself from a cold!
I for myself know what I'm talking about. I have seen many people who underestimated this point and had a cold at their additional days after their flight.
3. Avoid drinking alcohol as your 'falling-asleep-assistance'
Tiny alcohol bottles on board often used as a falling asleep assistance during the flight. In the airplane these affect however - exactly the same as tranquilizers - three times as strongly as down on the earth! If you are suffering from fear of flight you should avoid alcohol here, since psychological symptoms can occur such as aggression or depression (however, this is an extensive subject. I will post an article about this in the future. For now I focus on 'jet lag').
In addition alcohol supports the drainage of the body, which particularly begins fast on long distance flights. As consequence headache and listlessness appear. The air within an airplane is often drier than in the desert! While the air humidity of the Sahara amounts to about 20 per cent, it occurs at long distance flights that it falls below the ten-per cent border. Therefore you should drink much water during, before and after the flight.
Professionals take beverages themselves
In many cases the water on board isn't particularly good-tasting and is served in containers by the size of an egg cup. You won't to constantly trouble a flight attendant with your desires. Therefore take yourself also a large bottle of your preferential mineral water on board.
Last but not least: my most important advice:
4. Sleeping in advance to the trip
To the complete habituation time of your body the following rule of thumb applies:
One day per hour time lag. With a difference of six hours that would be six days, until the biological clock of the body ticks in conformity with the time belt. When you then precautionary go to bed one our earlier/later per day, your body get used to the new daytime.
Enjoy your trip!

Friday, October 5, 2012

The Shocking Truth About What's Preventing Us from Developing Healthy Lifestyle Habits

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and even the foods we eat, contain substances that may be damaging to our cells, according to Public Health scientists who have found new evidence of the threats that our toxic environment pose on our cellular health. Apparently, any tissue that is exposed to the environment, including the skin and gastrointestinal passages, is especially vulnerable.
While government agencies and industry are taking steps to control additional releases into the environment, many toxic substances become concentrated in fatty tissues through a process called bioaccumulation. Animal fats in the diet present health problems in other ways. Dr. Myron Wentz, Ph.D., immunologist and microbiologist, hypothesizes that foods with high peroxide values, especially processed, fatty foods, generate "free radicals" that in turn damage healthy cells. Researchers believe that supplementary antioxidants are necessary for combating these free radicals in addition to the body's normal defense systems.
In addition to the health threats posed by toxic substances today, many nutritional scientists point out that much of our food has been over processed and preservatives have been added for packaging, affecting its vitamin and mineral content. In fact many of us are undernourished because our diet lacks many of the important vitamins and minerals necessary for health.
One recent study found that nearly one-third of the calories in the typical American diet come from nutrient-deficient junk food. In contrast, healthy foods, such as vegetables and fruits, make up only about ten percent of the caloric intake. Furthermore, poor diet, coupled with physical inactivity, is now recognized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the leading causes of death in the U. S. today because without proper nutrition, the cells of the body are less able to prevent and repair cellular damage.
"The human body is made of cells, and those cells work together to sustain your life," says Dr. Wentz. "Taking antioxidants with food may help reduce the formation of oxidized lipids." Other medical professionals concur on the importance of taking supplementation.
* "One way to effectively maintain health is to supplement our diets with a full range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants," so explains Dr. Ladd McNamara, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Atlanta, Georgia.
* Dr. Ray Strand, M.D., a family practitioner in South Dakota, states, "The concerns for my patients' health has led me to recommend a complete nutritional system to my patients."
Remember: When you are maximizing your body's health potential, we everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.
© MMVIII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator.
Permission to Republish: This article may be republished in ezines, magazines, newsletters, and on blogs and websites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box, and live web site link. Use of this article in any media that promotes or utilizes child pornography, fraud, trafficking in obscene material, drug dealing, gambling, harassment, stalking, spamming, spimming, sending of viruses or other harmful files, copyright infringement, patent infringement, or theft of trade secrets, among others is strictly prohibited. Such use will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Foot Pain Relief At Last

"As an arthritis specialist, one area that I see people complain about more often than almost any other, is their feet." So says Dr. Nathan Wei, Clinical Director of The Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. "This is too bad because there are many treatments that can be helpful," Dr. Wei adds.
The foot is made up of 26 bones and 39 muscles...
The foot and ankle are designed to bear weight. The multiple joints in the feet are capable of adjusting to almost any terrain and the padding in the feet are designed to absorb shock.. The ankle joint allows the foot to move up and down, side to side, and inward and outward (inversion and eversion).
Not All Foot Pain Comes From The Foot!
Careful examination of the low back, hip, and knee should be performed because pain from these areas may affect the foot and ankle. In particular, pinched nerves in the low back can cause foot pain and weakness.
Ankle sprains are common- 25,000 people sprain an ankle every day!
The goal of treatment is to relieve pain and prevent instability.
Treatment of an acute sprain consists of rest, ice compression and elevation ("RICE"). Exercises to help stabilize and strengthen the ankle should be started.
Arthritis of the ankle may cause recurrent pain and swelling.
Pain from arthritis typically is made worse by weight-bearing particularly on uneven ground. What this means is you should try to avoid excessive walking or running on uneven ground. Anti-inflammatory medication and proper foot support can do wonders.
Pain in the ball of the foot has many causes...
  • Foot strain occurs when a person "overdoes it." And the treatment is pretty straightforward. Rest.
  • Morton's neuroma (a benign nerve tumor usually located between the 3rd and 4th toes)
  • Tarsal tunnel syndrome (pinched nerve in the ankle)
  • Arthritis.
Other common causes of foot pain include:
  • Stress fractures may occur after excessive walking.
  • Achilles tendonitis causes pain in the back of the heel. Treatment consists of anti-inflammatory medicines, rest, a heel lift, and gentle stretching.
  • Plantar fasciitis causes pain in the bottom of the heel. Treatment includes rest, anti-inflammatory medication, heel cup, orthotics, stretching, and local steroid injection.
  • Flat foot.
Muscle strengthening exercises and orthotics are helpful.
Two other common problems are:
  • Osteoarthritis, particularly common in the big toe. The big toe will point out to the side. When bursitis alongside the great toe joint develops, this condition is referred to as a bunion. Treatment involves proper padding and footwear. In extreme cases, surgery is required.
  • Neuropathy. This painful condition is particularly common in diabetics. This occurs when the small nerves in the feet are damaged. Symptoms include burning, tingling, and pain in the feet - worse at night.
Well fitted orthotics (arch supports) can alleviate not only foot and ankle pain but pain in the knees, hips, low back, and neck!!
We often take the ability to walk for granted. This ability involves the use of two engineering marvels- our feet and ankles. Because of the tremendous amount of force transmitted to the feet with walking, unique problems may develop. Attention to proper preventative care, i.e., comfortable shoes, sox, hygiene, support, along with proper prompt medical care can really put the brakes on foot pain.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Health, Vitality, and Courage

During the dark years that followed my diving accident, I deviated from my wholesome eating habits. This deviation was partly due to my limited control over my diet, as I lived in a hospital or a group home. It was also due to my reduced health-consciousness. Largely disgusted with life, I was proportionally hedonistic and suicidal. I sought consolation in gustatory pleasure at the risk of undermining my health. To be more precise, I often overindulged my fondness for fatty and savory foods or sweet ones, with the result that I gained weight and lost my edge - that is, part of my vitality. This loss was ominous. It took a wealth of vitality to accept and overcome the difficulty of attaining happiness. The more I was devitalized and consequently weak, the more I was likely to be daunted by this difficulty.
Devitalization was the worst form of impoverishment. In a state of weakness, it was tempting to deny that happiness was possible or worth the effort and choose the easy option: idleness and carelessness or death. I never gave in to this morbid temptation, but my overindulgence in fatty and savory foods or sweet ones caused my vitality to lessen and my depression to worsen, thereby reinforcing my hedonistic and suicidal tendencies. I had entered a vicious circle, or rather a downward spiral that led to hell.
Fortunately, before it was too late, I became disgusted with my way of life, as opposed to life itself. I was less a victim of circumstances than a fool who brought about his own misery, on account of his negative attitude and self-destructive behavior. I began my uphill journey to wisdom and health.
Health is the basis for every human achievement, even when it is poor, in which case it provides a lot less vitality and longevity than when it is good. I pledged to do everything possible to be healthy to maximize my potential to live and love.
In fact, health is not just a matter of vitality and longevity; it is also a matter of sanity. A sound mind is a complement to a sound body. Furthermore, the one is dependent on the other. This dependence had dawned on me with dazzling clarity a few months after I had moved into my apartment and improved my diet. By then I had studied many health books. They had helped me define and meet my nutritional requirements much more wisely.
My body needed a balanced and moderate amount of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to function well. Correlatively, the foods containing these nutrients had to be properly chewed to aid digestion and absorption (this did not apply to fiber: a type of carbohydrate that the body can neither digest nor absorb). Proper chewing reduces foods to mush and proportionally increases the effect of the digestive juices on them or the availability of the nutrients that are ready for absorption. I thoroughly performed this simple chore, at the center of life.
To start with, carbohydrates are simple or complex sugars that I generally obtained from fruit, honey, milk products, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, legumes (beans, lentils, or peas), nuts, seeds, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains. Simple sugars and digestible complex sugars serve as an energy source and participate in the synthesis of DNA and RNA molecules: the genetic information and the genetic messengers that enable the organism to regenerate and reproduce. Indigestible complex sugars, better known as dietary fiber, are capable of promoting the elimination of waste through the intestine. Refined foods are depleted of this fiber, without which constipation is a predictable outcome that bodes ill. Except on festive occasions, I resolutely avoided them.
Lipids include two main subdivisions: saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fats (with a phosphoric component in some of them - i.e., in phospholipids versus triglycerides that are pure fats) and cholesterol, which is a singular fatty compound. Like simple sugars and digestible complex sugars, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats serve as an energy source. In addition, they contribute to the integrity of the body tissues. Polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol also contribute to this integrity and are used for a variety of vital functions involving the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and immune systems.
A distinctive feature of polyunsaturated fats is their instability. When exposed to heat, light, or air, such as in processing, intense cooking, or prolonged everyday use, they can suffer damage and become harmful. In view of this fact, I was careful to eat the foods that contained them - for example, walnuts and seeds, and the oil extracted from either - in their most natural (unprocessed and if possible uncooked) form and fresh (unspoiled) state. When cooking was necessary, as in the case of fish or tofu, which numbered among these foods, I resorted to steaming or baking in preference to frying and proceeded with caution, while avoiding the pitfall of undercooking. I applied the same basic principles to the foods that contained monounsaturated fats, like peanuts, almonds, olives, and avocado, and the oil extracted from any of them, though these fats are less unstable than their polyunsaturated counterparts. As for cholesterol, found exclusively in animal products, and saturated fats, found mostly in land animal products, they have a reputation for causing arterial blockage and organ dysfunction if consumed without restraint. I limited my intake of them by following a largely vegetarian diet where animal flesh was the exception, not the rule. Actually, I exercised restraint in my consumption of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats as well. The opposite, like any lack of moderation, is a health hazard.
Now for proteins. They are various macromolecules that comprise a large number of amino acids (nitrogenous molecules that occur in twenty-two different forms). In the course of digestion, these macromolecules are broken down into these molecular components, which act thereafter as raw material or building blocks to produce new molecules or new macromolecules (polypeptides, smaller than proteins, or proteins) that suit our physiological needs in many areas: the metabolism, the blood, the mucous membranes, the skin and the tendons, the muscles, plus the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. These molecular components act so if the body has enough carbohydrates and fats to satisfy its energy requirements. Otherwise, they are stripped of their nitrogenous part and mobilized into satisfying these requirements. This constitutes a waste of precious amino acids and a burden to the kidneys, in charge of eliminating the free nitrogenous part after the liver has transformed it into urea. As it happened, my main sources of protein - namely, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains, together with milk products and eggs - were also rich in carbohydrates or fats. Here the fats that mattered were saturated or monounsaturated, whereas the polyunsaturated ones were not a favorable means of satisfying my energy requirements, given the many other important roles they played.
Lastly, minerals and vitamins are a group of some thirty substances that complement carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. A deficiency in one of them can hamper a bodily function and jeopardize in so doing the health of an individual. Collectively, as precursors or components of useful agents, or as useful agents themselves, they assist in numerous processes: vision, nerve impulses and neurotransmission, muscle contraction, digestion and absorption, regulation of blood sugar and of the metabolic rate, respiration, energy production, regeneration and reproduction, formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, coagulation, protection against free radicals (noxious atoms or molecules), and immunity. My usual sources of carbohydrates, lipids, and protein already supplied me with minerals and vitamins, all the more since they were unrefined. Refining is a terrible refinement that depletes fibers and nutrients in foods. Nevertheless, to make sure I got enough minerals and vitamins, I rounded off these usual sources with additional vegetables: carrots, radishes, cauliflower, red cabbage, green vegetables, leafy or non-leafy, garlic, and onions. I drank plenty of water to boot, though not during or immediately after meals lest I interfere with my digestion by flooding my stomach. Drinking water typically contains a minute quantity of minerals. Much more importantly, it has the ability to replenish the bodily fluids and cleanse the system of undesirable substances.
The best thing about my improved diet was that in a few months my state of mind had taken a turn for the better in a big way. Never before had I thought so clearly and felt so enterprising. I was brimming with vitality and soon became immersed in the writing of my book on "vital efficiency." It appeared I was a lot more capable of rationalizing and embracing the challenge of leading a fulfilling life, because I was a lot more alive. My energy level had risen dramatically. I could sleep three hours, rest another two hours, and go about my business for the remaining nineteen hours. In conjunction with this rise, my morale was unusually high. Circumstances alone could not account for this boost. My relationship with my girlfriend (the extremely kind and gentle, and rather pretty nurse) was in the doldrums and on the brink of termination. My new apartment, on the other hand, was a significant improvement; but what changed for the better during the few months in question was primarily the condition of my body, which impacted my state of mind. I was vibrant with health, notwithstanding I still experienced bladder problems that somewhat weakened me on occasion. This health was both physical and mental. I had a vigorous and joyous sense of purpose that kept me going and especially writing.
In the effort to be healthy, a reasonable diet is not everything. Fresh air and regular exercise ought to form part of this effort. There are two types of exercise; both require stretching, before and after, plus warmup and cooldown periods, to avoid injuries.
The first type of exercise is anaerobic, not dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of anaerobic exercise is weightlifting. Done frequently, in vigorous workouts, it strengthens muscles and bones. The second and most beneficial type of exercise is aerobic, dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of aerobic exercise is jogging. Done every day or a few times a week, for at least fifteen minutes (enough to markedly and sustainedly increase the activity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, responsible for delivering oxygen to the body tissues), it yields numerous health benefits. Besides strengthening muscles and bones, it raises endurance, improves the handling of stress, promotes good mood, boosts the immune function, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and helps to prevent obesity together with disorders like diabetes and hypertension that often accompany this condition. In a nutshell, fresh air and regular exercise are important aspects of a wholesome lifestyle. They result in someone being stronger, feeling better, and probably living longer.