May 2002 Wellness Tips

Brought to you by MACUHO's Personal & Professional Development (PPD) Committee

Did you know May is...

National Bike Month

If you normally drive to work or across campus, try taking your bike. You will feel energized after the ride and will be ready for the rest of the day! Haven't been on a bike for a while? Try setting small goals for yourself each week and increasing your endurance. Bad weather? You can buy a special kit at most bike shops to make your bike a stationary bike and ride indoors (in the air conditioning...) www.biketowork.com

Better Sleep Month

Now that those students are almost gone, you can sleep soundly hopefully (without pagers going off at 3 in the morning or knocks on the door). Here are some simple tips for a better night's sleep from www.bettersleep.org:

1. Give yourself "permission" to go to bed. As hard as it may be to put away your "to do" list, make sleep a "priority." You'll thank yourself in the morning.
   
2. Unwind early in the evening. Try to deal with worries and distractions several hours before bedtime.
   
3. Develop a sleep ritual. Doing the same things each night just before bed signals your body to settle down for the night.
   
4. Keep regular hours. Keep your biological clock in check by going to bed around the same time each night and waking up close to the same time each morning - even on weekends.
   
5. Create a restful place to sleep. Sleep in a cool, dark room that is free from noises that may disturb your sleep.
   
6. Sleep on a comfortable, supportive mattress and foundation. It's difficult to sleep on a bed that's too small, too soft, too hard, or too old.
   
7. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can help relieve daily tension and stress - but don't exercise too close to bedtime or you may have trouble falling asleep.
   
8. Cut down on stimulants. Consuming stimulants, such as caffeine, in the evening can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
   
9. Don't smoke. Smokers take longer to fall asleep and wake up more often during
10. Reduce alcohol intake. Drinking alcohol shortly before bedtime interrupts and fragments sleep.
    

National Correct Posture Month

As tempting as it may be to sit crossed legged or with your legs tucked up under you as you're typing away, you should sit with both feet flat on the floor. Here are tips to how to keep your back healthy while doing yard work, housework, traveling, and more!
www.amerchiro.org/media/tips

World No Tobacco Day (May 31)

Take a break from smoking on May 31. Not sure how? Here are some methods to help you ease out of the habit:

• Choose a quit date.
  
• Don't try to taper off. Abstain from tobacco completely from the quit date on.
  
• Get rid of all tobacco-related equipment, and clean all clothes and your car just before the quit date.
  
• Stop smoking at home and in the car.
  
• Don't go to places where you are likely to be tempted to smoke.
  
• Don't worry about dieting until you have safely stopped smoking.
  
• Tell your friends, family and co-workers that you are quitting, and ask them to help you.
  
• Learn how to avoid or cope with situations and behaviors that make you want to smoke. (Examples: drinking caffeine or alcohol, talking on the telephone, etc.)
  
• Be prepared to experience withdrawal symptoms for a brief period, including irritability, impatience.
  

Just think...

Today, 4 million people die globally a year from tobacco-related illnesses. This is the equivalent of twenty-seven 747 airplanes full of passengers crashing everyday.

If current trends continue, tobacco use will kill about 500 million people alive in the world today. This figure includes more than 250 million of today's children and teenagers.

Between now and 2030, tobacco is expected to kill more people than AIDS, automobile accidents, maternal mortality, homicide and suicide combined.

Since October 25, 1999, tobacco has killed 5,914,066 people around the world.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of tobacco, and tobacco taxes make up an average of 8 to 10 percent of the national budget. The World Health Organization has estimated that China's smoking population equals the entire population of the United States combined.

Additional information is available if you would like to read more. This information came from:

http://www.aawhworldhealth.org/NoTobacco2001.pdf

Recipe of the Month:

Looking to cool off after the halls close? Try this 'easy as pie' recipe for a cool dessert!

Frozen Strawberry Pie

2 cups of strawberries, chopped into small pieces, (optional: 4 halves of strawberries to garnish the top of pie)
(1) 8 oz container of vanilla yogurt
(1) 8 oz container of strawberry yogurt
(1) container of Cool Whip
(1) graham cracker crust (pre-made or homemade!)

Note: To make this pie "diet friendly", just substitute fat free and/or sugar free yogurt and Cool Whip!

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl with a spoon. Spread onto graham cracker crust. Freeze pie, but thaw slightly before slicing. Enjoy!

About MACUHO’s Personal and Professional Development Committee:

PPD welcomes and supports new delegates and new professionals in the MACUHO region through social and professional activities, including networking opportunities at the annual conference. PPD challenges all MACUHO members to grow in all areas of personal and professional development, and encourage programming efforts that encompass wellness issues.