Exercise...'stress reliever' or 'stress causer'?

Life is full of surprises...not all of them good. Life's little events can often cause stress, anxiety and a bad case of the blues. Some of these we expect--the change from Fall to Winter is often a rough transition for many of us and bad weather can make you feel tired and cranky. The holidays are often a rollercoaster of emotions, bringing out our best and, sometimes, our worst. Then there are the unexpected surprises--losing a job, moving to a new city, contracting an illness, fender benders and other events, big and small that test our mental strength.
Unfortunately, we can't predict the future, but we can find ways to relieve stress in healthy ways. One of the best ways to work out the stress and pull yourself out of the dumps is to move your body.

Soothe Yourself with Exercise
When we feel down or depressed, we look for things that make us feel good. Often, we reach for the wrong things--food, alcohol, sleep or drugs...most of which make us feel worse instead of better. It's important to take care of yourself when your feeling blue and there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence...as long as it's healthy and something that will genuinely make you feel better.

Rather than reach for the chocolate when you're stressed, think of something you enjoy doing...something that feels good to you. It might be working in the garden, taking a slow bike ride or taking a walk with a friend. Think of activities you like but rarely allow yourself time to do then commit to doing them as often as you can. Rhythmic activities like walking, raking leaves or even cleaning can be healing exercises--as your body gets into it's own rhythms, you can let your mind go and work out problems, find solutions or just daydream for awhile.

Article Review Reflection: What have you learned or what surprised you about the information in the article? How or in what way does exercise affect you, your family, or society? With all the information and medical technology available, why do you think our society is continuously struggling with cardiovascular disease and obesity? (Minimum of 10 sentences)

Heart Disease & Teens

What's it all about?

Heart disease is America's number one killer of both men and women.
A heart attack occurs when an artery carrying blood to the heart gets blocked-without oxygen-rich blood, the heart muscle is damaged and can die.
Arteries usually get blocked by a blood clot that gets stuck in an artery that is already narrowed by a build-up of plaque.
Often, the first sign of heart trouble is a heart attack.
Why worry now, I'm a teenager?

Good question. Here are several reasons why teens should be concerned about heart disease:

About one-third of young people ages 10 to 19 have blood cholesterol levels that are too high-this is a risk factor for developing heart disease.
When young men who died in the Korean and Vietnam wars were autopsied, their arteries were already beginning to clog.
What causes my risk for heart disease?

High blood pressure.
High blood cholesterol.
Being overweight, especially carrying extra fat around the stomach.
Not getting much physical activity.
Smoking.
Heredity-having other people in your family with heart disease.
What can I do to prevent heart disease?

Let the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines be your key to healthy eating.
Eat more low-fat foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grain breads and cereals like oatmeal.
Switch to skim or 1 percent milk.
Eat lean cuts of meat and take the skin off chicken and turkey.
Get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day, or most days.
Did you notice????

We can control many of the things that cause heart disease,
like what we eat, smoking and getting enough physical activity.

Article Review Reflection: What have you learned or what surprised you about the information in the article? How or in what way does exercise affect you, your family, or society? With all the information and medical technology available, why do you think our society is continuously struggling with cardiovascular disease and obesity? (Minimum of 10 sentences)