[StBernard] Life Tune-Up Tips

[Westley Annis]

Life Tune-Up Tips 

My name is Tim Burns, and I serve in the Louisiana Legislature representing
the North Shore of Louisiana and periodically send out a political
newsletter entitled "Politics from the Inside" to provide updates on
governmental issues of state and local interest. The response to my
political newsletter has generally been positive with people interested in
the impact of government on their daily lives, particularly in the aftermath
of the hurricanes, where vital information and government assistance was so
important. After the storms, I spent months helping impacted constituents
deal with the destruction on nearly a full time basis and still spend
considerable time today addressing LRA, Road Home and other storm related
issues. 

My experience with the hurricanes gave me the idea of starting an another
newsletter entitled "Life Tune-Up Tips" to assist us in the day to day
challenges that we all face during this difficult recovery period from the
hurricanes. Irregardless of the extent of our personal losses, the disaster
has taken a large toll on our collective psyches and scarcely a day goes by
that we are not inundated with bad news and negativity as we struggle to put
our own lives back to order. For some, the day to day battles are much more
difficult and the need for any positive assistance is even greater. 

Mental health professionals report a serious increase in mental health
problems in the area as well as a marked rise in substance abuse. 

That is why it is so important to develop a personal strategy of handling
the additional stress and adversity that the hurricanes have dumped in our
lives. Psychologists suggest that the best way to manage stress is use
control oriented coping strategies to address situations positively and
proactively instead of escape oriented strategies, such as substance abuse.
Those who use positive coping strategies have a much better chance of
managing stressful situations than those who use the negative strategies. 

It is my hope that this newsletter can suggest some positive strategies for
living during these challenging times and I certainly welcome comments and
inputs from readers and will be setting up a blog shortly on my site
www.midlifetuneup.com , which I invite you to visit. 

That being said, the first positive tune-up strategy I recommend is a
physical tuneup. There is nothing will make you feel better, both
emotionally and physically, as committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle.
Many of us, including myself, have fallen into unhealthy lifestyles after
the hurricanes as we have become too preoccupied to eat properly, exercise
and take care of ourselves. 

According to the American Health Foundation, the 10 Golden Rules for Good
Health include the following:


1. Have a checkup every year.
2. Be a non-smoker.
3. Drink in moderation.
4. Count each Calorie
5. Watch your cholesterol.
6. Learn nutritional values.
7. Find time for leisure and vacations.
8. Adjust to life's daily pressures.
9. Develop an exercise program.
10. Understand your physical assets and limitations.

Some further thoughts on proper nutrition, exercise and rest.


Proper Nutrition

Simply put, proper nutrition favors those items located around the perimeter
of your grocery store and avoiding or limiting many of the foods in the
middle. In other words, consume more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats,
fish, grains and poultry, and lean dairy products and less processed foods,
beef, sweets, candy, cookies and frozen pizza. Also avoid excess caffeine or
alcohol and refrain from tobacco use. 

Exercise

Regular exercise includes both aerobic and strength conditioning activities.
A forty-five minute exercise routine three to five times of week can produce
significant health benefits. Since the benefits of exercise tend to taper
off, you can obtain significant health benefits from a moderate exercise
regimen. 
An important tip with exercise is to get into a routine. Find an exercise
activity that appeals to you, whether it be cycling, running, aerobic
classes and work it into your routine. There is nothing more satisfying than
finishing a workout and being empowered by that energy pep. 

Rest

The final ingredient to a physical tune up is rest. We all need a certain
amount of rest to function at our best. Determine the amount of rest that
you need which is usually eight to nine hours a night and then resolve to
get it.

Please visit www.midlifetuneup.com for other life enhancing tips and please
send any comments to me at tim at TimBurns.us.