Best Ways to Exercise Your Mind and Body for Today's Challenges

The old adage, you are what you read, still rings true. When your reading materials are success-oriented and optimistic, your achievement level will be high. 

If your reading materials are pessimistic or depicts people as victims of circumstance, your achievement level will be low. 

It seems that achievement oriented literature will help you to think in terms of goals and success. It can be most supportive of you in your pursuit of inner strength and self-reliance. 
 
1. Keep the book you never get to read either in your car, your briefcase, or your purse. If you are waiting in a long line some where, or if you are caught waiting for a tardy child, it will become an opportunity to read.

And, finally, think about a book that you absolutely loved when you were in college and reread it. Great literature is every bit as great the second time around.

2. For the body consider this. Nearly six out of ten people experience no daily exercise. However, like any other activity, it takes both choice and commitment. Walking, jogging, biking, or working out regularly on a home exercise machine such as a stationary bike can have a positive impact on your physical and emotional health. But you have to choose and commit to doing it. 

Do it even if you think you don't have time for it. It's good for the mind, good for the soul, and it doesn't have to cost you a cent. Also consider walking with a friend. It's a perfect way to do two things at once: exercise and create an opportunity for good conversation. In addition to a regular exercise routine, get extra exercise by walking up a flight of stairs rather than using an elevator.

Back to the simple home exercise machine. It works fine. Forget the fancy looking exercise machines you see advertised on television and forget joining the local health club. You don't need either before you start exercising.\

In reality, the foundation of any good exercise program needs to be no more complicated than taking a walk or a jog for free and adding a few other activities such as sit-ups, push-ups, or jumping on an exercise bike if you just want to work on certain parts of the body and to give yourself some variety. This is all that is required for you to have a positive effect on your health.

To get the maximum enjoyment from life, you need to pursue the care and feeding of both your mind and your body. Think about health as a broad goal for both your mind and your body.

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7 Ways to Stop High Blood Pressure from Killing You

High blood pressure is called the "silent killer." Most people who have it do not feel sick and don't know that they have it. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure.

If you've ever tried to run water through a garden hose that's been hardened by age or gunked up with hard-water deposits, you know how hard it is to get a good water flow. Blood flow through your arteries works the same way. 

Stiff or blocked arteries can make your heart strain to push blood through all your blood vessels. The result is high blood pressure, which damages both your heart and your blood vessels. You can control high blood pressure through healthy lifestyle habits and taking medicines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost 67 million Americans have high blood pressure and more than half do not have it under control. Almost 1 in 4 Americans with uncontrolled high blood pressure do not take their medication regularly.

A blood pressure reading can tell you whether you have high blood pressure. The reading uses two numbers, the systolic and dias­tolic pressures, written one above or before the other. A reading of:

• 120/80 or lower is normal· 
• 140/90 or higher is high blood pressure.
• 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number, is pre-hypertension.

If you have high blood pressure (consistently higher than 140/90) and see a conventional doctor, chances are pretty good that the doctor will tell you that you'll have to take drugs, probably for the rest of your life.

If you frequently feel stressed, angry or sad, you may be at higher risk of having a heart attack. Have your blood pressure checked each time you go to the doctor. And, talk to him or her if you cannot get your blood pressure under control.

Here are the 7 ways to stop high blood pressure from killing you:

1.   If your blood pressure is not where it should be, work in close partnership with your doctor to control it. Get your blood pressure checked regularly.

2.  Take all blood pressure medications as prescribed by your doctor.

3.  Request 90-day prescriptions for your blood pressure medication.

4.  Let your doctor know if you experience unwanted side effects from your blood pressure medication.

5.  Eat a healthy, low-salt diet and consume alcohol in moderation. Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.

6.  Smoking can increase your blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about a smoking cessation plan for you.

7.   Identify causes of stress, then work to minimize or eliminate those things that cause stress for you.


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Is There a Difference Between Counseling or Therapy?

Counseling zeros in on real world, everyday problems which include such concerns as "I'm facing foreclosure. What should I do?" "My son is hanging out with the wrong crowd. What should I do?" "My boss is too demanding. What should I do?" "I think my husband is having an affair. What should I do?

Therapy is another option. It has the goal of helping you to develop competencies to deal with the world in which you live. It is not about telling you how to live. But, it will offer options to you that extend beyond your worldview and will result in a disruption of your usual, rigid, thinking patterns. 

These patterns are those which have created the stress you are experiencing and have limited your spontaneity and creativity.

The types of questions therapy tend to deal with are associated with thoughts, moods, and actions. When you have such concerns as: You feel as if you can't go it alone. You feel boxed in and as if there is nowhere else to turn. You are constantly worrying and never seem to find a solution. 
Moreover, it is affecting your sleep, eating, employment, and relationships. And, you have tried to change, but you are just not experiencing any improvement.

Effective therapy will engage you in an active educational process. It will go far beyond conversational therapy and actively guide, coach, model, and teach you how to solve problems, feel better, relate better, and achieve goals. Problems are solved when you make a determined effort to solve them. 

If you continue to feel, act, and think in a certain way, chances are you are choosing that way when you could actually find out how to change and, with help, make the special effort to change. 

I hope that this clarifies what I believe is a real distinction that has to be made. Let me know what you think. Need immediate help? Call (773) 614-3201. 

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