Living Life in Balance

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Living Life in Balance

• Hospice of Central Iowa
• Quarterly Staff Meeting Spring Fling
• Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa
• April 24, 2008
• Presented by Kerry Juhl

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Living Life in Balance

• What is wellness
• Why its all about balance
• Healthy habits for living long and well
• Change is not immediateor impossible
• Making healthier choices - because you can!

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Wellness Optimal Health
Optimal health is a balance of emotional,
social, spiritual, physical and intellectual
health.
Source American Journal of Health Promotion
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The Wellness Continuum
preventionearly detectionearly
interventionmedical interventionmedical
managementend of life initiatives
OPTIMAL HEALTH
CHRONIC ILLNESS
PRENATAL
DEATH
treatment
prevention
treatment
preventionearly detectionearly
interventionmedical interventionmedical
managementend of life initiatives
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How Healthy Are We?

• Nearly two thirds of US adults are overweight or
  obese.

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Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1990,
1998, 2006
(BMI ?30, or about 30 lbs. overweight for 54
person)
1998
1990
2006
No Data lt10 1014
1519 2024 2529
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Chronic Disease

• About 90 million people in the United States have
  at least one chronic disease
• Related to 70 of all deaths each year.
• One-third of the years of potential life lost
  before age 65 is due to chronic disease.

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Much Illness is Preventable

• True or False As much as 70 of illness and the
  associated costs are preventable.
• The leading causes of death in the U.S. are all
  related to lifestyle, yet little is spent on
  prevention 95 of health expenditures are for
  evident illness.
• 435,000 deaths from smoking annually
• 365,000 deaths from poor nutrition and inactivity
• 85,000 deaths from alcohol related causes

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Finding Balance in a High Stress Society

• Time magazine's June 6, 1983 cover story called
  stress "The Epidemic of the Eighties" and
  referred to it as our leading health problem

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High Stress Society

• 1983 55 said they felt under great stress on a
  weekly basis.
• 1996 almost 75 felt they have "great stress" one
  day a week with one in three indicating they feel
  this way more than twice a week.
• 2007 nearly half of Americans (48) feel their
  stress has increased over the past 5 years

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Work Stress

• Typical workweek is now 47 hours/week.
• Technostress Stress is increasing largely
  BECAUSE of technology e-mail, cell phones,
  computers has produced a nation of
  multi-taskers
• No time to recharge
• Being busy is some type of a status symbol

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How we react to stress

• Fight or Flight- our body's primitive, automatic,
  inborn response that prepares the body to "fight"
  or "flee" from perceived attack, harm or threat
  to our survival.

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Fighting modern day saber tooth tigers

• rush hour traffic
• missing a deadline
• bouncing a check
• having an argument with our boss or spouse

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Surviving or Thriving?

• When we are overwhelmed with excessive stress,
  our life becomes a series of short-term
  emergencies.
• lose the ability to relax and enjoy the moment
• live from crisis to crisis, with no relief in
  sight
• Burnout is inevitable
• Burnout often provides the motivation to change
• We must step back and look at the big picture of
  our livesforcing us to examine our beliefs, our
  values and our goals. FINDING BALANCE.

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Balance Defined

• a state of equilibrium equal distribution of
  weight or amount
• mental steadiness or emotional stability habit
  of calm behavior judgment
• How do we live a balanced life?

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Maintaining Our B.A.L.A.N.C.E.

• B is for beliefs
• A is for activity
• L is for laughter
• A is for attitude
• N is for nutrition
• C is for connection
• E is for energy to enjoy Life!

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B is for beliefs

• Science is documenting the healing values of
  love, intimacy, community, compassion,
  forgiveness, altruism and servicevalues that are
  part of almost all spiritual traditions as well
  as many secular ones.

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Take Action

• What gives your life enduring meaning?
• What is the purpose of life?
• What gets you out of bed on Monday morning?
• What brings you joy?
• What roles do compassion, altruism, and service
  play in your life?

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A is for activity

• Two-thirds of Americans do not get enough daily
  physical activity

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Why Exercise?

• Helps reduce the risk for many conditions and
  chronic diseases including
• heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,
  certain types of cancer, osteoporosis and obesity
  
• It is one of the best ways to improve both
  physical and mental health.

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Recommended Activity

• Guidelines
• moderate aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes
  5 or more days of the week
• strength training 2 days/week
• flexibility training 2 days/week

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Take Action

• Ways to increase activity everyday
• park farther from the door
• take the stairs
• get a pedometer
• walk the dog
• stretch upon waking
• walk after or before dinner
• find an activity buddy
• play more
• choosing an activity you like increases the
  likelihood youll stick with it!!

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L is for laughter

• True or False
• 75-90 of visits to primary care physicians
  are for stress related conditions
• Children vs. adults
• ITS CONTAGIOUS

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Laughter Improves Health

• reduces stress hormones
• strengthens the immune system
• provides an emotional release
• provides an internal workout
• serves as distraction
• helps keep perspective

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The best medicine?

• Research done by the University of Maryland
  Medical Center shows that laughter may be the
  best medicine when it comes to protecting your
  heart.
• People with heart disease were 40 percent less
  likely to laugh in a variety of situations
  compared to people of the same age without heart
  disease.

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Dont take yourself too seriously

• Most significant study finding was that "people
  with heart disease responded less humorously to
  everyday life situations." They generally laughed
  less, even in positive situations, and they
  displayed more anger and hostility.
• Exercise regularly, eat well and laugh (multiple
  times) daily!

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Take Action

• Getting more laughter into your life
• TV and movies
• spending time with friends
• look for humor in your life
• fake it till you make it
• best way tickling!

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A is for attitude

• Life is 10 what happens to us and 90 how we
  react to it. We are in charge of our attitudes.
• Maintaining a positive attitude can help overcome
  effects of stress, fight disease and ultimately
  delay death.
• Just like laughter attitudes are contagious
  make yours worth catching!

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Take Action

• Coping skills believe you have some control
  over life events.
• Develop an attitude of optimism.
• Focus on your strengths instead of your
  weaknesses.
• Break down activities into small tasks that you
  can manage.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• Balance rest with activity.
• If you think you can, or you think you cant
  youre probably right.

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... What happens in the mind of man is always
reflected in the disease of his body ... René
Dubos-
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N is for Nutrition

• Your mother was right EAT YOUR VEGGIES
• Healthy eating may reduce risk of cancer and
  other chronic diseases as well as help maintain a
  health weight
• Maintaining a healthy weight could add 11 years
  to your life (Aldana)

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Not so Nutritious

• Soft Drinks
• 1998 - 56.1 gallons per person
• 2007 52.2 gallons - total decline in caloric
  soft drinks was 12.
• Eating out
• 1978- 16 percent of meals were eaten away from
  home
• 2006 gt30 percent. (40 percent of the food budget)
  

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10 Great Foods (MayoClinic.com)

• Almonds nutrients and protein
• Apples- fiber and Vitamin C
• Blueberries phytonutrients, fiber and vitamin C
• Broccoli phytonutrients, Vitamin A, C, calcium
  Potassium, folate and fiber!
• Red Beans iron, protein, fiber

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More Great Foods

• Salmon omega 3 fatty acids, protein
• Spinach vitamin A and C and folate
• Sweet potatoes beta carotene, fiber, B6, C, E
• Vegetable juice lycopene, an antioxidant
• Wheat Germ B vitamins, E, magnesium, iron,
  protein, fiber and some fat

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C is for connecting

• More friends help individuals deal better with
  the stresses and anxieties of life, which may
  offer some protection to illness
• Connections with other people affect not only the
  quality of our lives but also our survival

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Get Connected!

• Study after study find that people who feel
  lonely are many times more likely to get
  cardiovascular disease than those who have a
  strong sense of connection and community.
• Importance of connecting family, friends,
  community (like Penguins)

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Take Action

• spend more time with friends and family
• join something
• volunteer
• adopt a pet
• continue to learn school, hobbies
• touch a hug a day (at least one)

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E is for energy and enjoyment!

• A balanced lifestyle
• can give you the energy to balance the buckets of
  our life
• gives you the strength to try again, when you
  stumble
• helps you enjoy life not just the big things,
  but the little things too, because life is made
  of moments not years.

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Take Action

• Secure your own mask before assisting others.
• Don't worry about things you can't control, such
  as the weather.
• Prepare to the best of your ability for events
  you know may be stressful, such as a job
  interview or a graduation party.
• Try to look at change as a positive challenge,
  not as a threat.

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Take Action

• Work to resolve conflicts with other people.
• Set realistic goals at home and at work.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Eat well-balanced meals and get enough sleep-at
  least 8 hours/night.
• Meditate.
• Participate in something you don't find
  stressful, such as sports, social events or
  hobbies.

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Change is not immediate or impossible

• Change is a linear and sequential process
• Intellectual Awareness
• Emotional Education
• Visceral Intervention
• Cellular Lifestyle

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Are we ready?

• We know we need to change, but are we willing?
• Stages of Behavior Change
• Pre-contemplation (Never)
• Contemplation (Someday)
• Preparation (Soon)
• Action (Today)
• Maintenance (Forever)

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8 Commandments for Living Long and Well (Dr.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.)

• Form stable, long term relationships
• Maintain ideal body weight
• Eat a plant based diet
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Dont smoke smoking doesnt allow for longevity
• Use alcohol in moderation if at all
• Foster a sense of spirituality
• Find meaning and purpose in life.

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Be Healthy, Live LongerSteven Aldana, PH.D.
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BINGO!
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We even heard it in kindergarten.

• Live a balanced life--learn some and think some
  and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
  every day some.

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B.A.L.A.N.C.E.

• Live Well Today and Everyday!