Setting simple goal to improve your wellness

Many of us are goal-oriented in our lives, but most of our goal setting related to healthy habits starts January 1st. Why not start working on improving your health right now? The holidays can make this a bit of a challenge, but it's never too late to improve your health. Start simple and work from there.

Think about one simple thing you can do to live a healthier life. Here are some ideas:
-get 1 more hour of sleep per night
-eat 1 more cup of vegetables once a week
-eat 1 more fruit once a week
-leave some food on your plate at one meal
-do 30 more minutes of physical activity once a week
-take time once a week to stop and take 5 deep breaths
-spend 1 hour of quality family time together each week
-spend 1 hour on a hobby of your choice once a week

Your overall goal may be to eat healthier or to do more physical activity, but you have to start somewhere. Once you meet a small goal, then you can work toward a larger or more long-term goal. The idea is to start somewhere with something simple!

Stress management for the holidays

Here is the first youtube video that I've made for our fall wellness activities. You can watch, or even just listen, when you have a chance. If you have other topic ideas that can be covered in about 5 minutes, please let me know. You can either watch it below or if you want the direct link, it's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxrA_wnoXVI.

Fish and fish oil

For our fall wellness activities, I will be doing a series of short (about 5 minute) youtube videos with information about healthy holiday eating, managing stress, etc. Stay tuned for those!

Omega 3s are a type of polyunsaturated oil that helps especially with heart health. Omega 3s help prevent arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat that may cause sudden death). They also help lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and slow the rate that plaque accumulates in arteries.

The American Heart Association recommends for those without coronary heart disease to eat at least 2 servings (3.5 ounces) of fish per week to get omega 3s for health. This be be a variety of fish, including oily fish, either baked or grilled, not fried. Those with coronary heart disease or high triglycerides may also benefit from a supplement, in addition to eating fish. Talk to your physician about this.

Some fish are higher in mercury, so women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or young children should not eat shark, swordfish, tilefish, or king mackerel. They are higher on the food chain and usually live longer, which is why they are high in mercury. Those groups should also limit their intake of fish to no more than 12 ounces of fish weekly, including tuna. The benefits of eating fish for other groups far outweigh any potential risks as long as a variety of different types of fish is being eaten.

For more information on fish from the American Heart Association, click this link.

Take a deep breath

Are you feeling especially stressed lately? Do you have 100 things on your mind at one time? Do you feel like you are fighting to just stay above water?

If so, take a minute to clear your mind. Set a timer for a minimum of 60 seconds, close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Focus on your breathing and if other thoughts come into your head, just push them out and re-focus on your breathing. Breathe and inhale deeply, then slowly exhale.

If you have more time for deep breathing, click on this link for the Mindfulness Practice Center at MU for some guided deep breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness resources.

How do you feel afterward?