Health Behaviors and Stress Management

Staying active is key to a healthy and long life. It can make you feel better in so many ways - it can improve your mood, sharpen your thinking, help you sleep soundly, reduce your risk of illness, and decrease your stress levels.

Many people think that being active requires doing exercises that they find painful, exhausting, or that they simply don't enjoy. This simply IS NOT the case!

Making your day active, by walking around more, stretching, and purposefully getting in more steps into your daily routine are all simple ways to increase your activity levels. As always we recommend you talk with your primary care physician before starting any type of new physical activity.

Healthy eating is about eating foods that are delicious, satisfying, and supply you with all of the nutrients that you need to fight off stress and keep your mind sharp! Our food choices can impact the way we feel, our risk for diseases such as diabetes, and our energy levels.

Fuel your body with good nutrient rich foods that boost your energy, improve your mood, and give you that extra little something to handle anything that comes your way!

Good sleep is important to having a relaxed state of mind and a healthy body. It is also very important for your overall health. Even if you have a busy schedule that requires long days, there are small strategies you can do to make sure you get a restful night of sleep.

1. Keep a sleep schedule - Try to be in bed by a certain hour every night.
2. Try not to drink caffeine, alcohol, or use tobacco before bed - These are considered stimulants (keep you up) and can prevent you from getting restful sleep.
3. Set aside your devices - Cell phones and TV have certain 'blue' light that can make you more alert. Make it a habit to set aside screen time at least 1-2 hours before bed.
4. Create a comfy zone- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and relaxing.