Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - North Mississippi - (Page 14)

Here’s Your Script Reality shows are unscripted, but in life, when we don’t think ahead, we are more likely to make unhealthy decisions. Here are a couple of scenarios to help you think about what you might say. Scenario 1: The family is sitting around discussing family gossip. Your Role: When you have a lot of family members together, it’s a good idea to start asking health questions. “ask your mom, dad, aunts and uncles, ‘Who had a heart attack? Who has high blood pressure?’ ” says Edward Hill, M.D., medical director of North Mississippi Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Center. The more you know, the better equipped you are to fight heart disease. Scenario 2: Your boss has offered you the chance to lead an exciting project. Your Role: If you’re already overworked and stress has been mounting, taking on another big project—no matter how highprofile and exciting—might not be the best idea as stress can lead to poor heart health. Tell your boss you’d love to, but ask for help in prioritizing or reassigning other work. RISKY BEHAVIOR: Takes on too much—with stress as the result THE SITUATION: “There are indirect relationships between heart disease and stress,” Sacco says. When you’re stressed, he explains, your pulse and blood pressure increase, and many people ﬁnd themselves nibbling on unhealthy snacks to cope. STEPS YOU CAN TAKE: “The ﬁrst step is to recognize that stress is linked to your health,” Carmona says. “And understand what your stressors are.” Then, you can work toward avoiding major stressors and learning how to cope. If you can’t eliminate the stress in your life, ﬁnd healthy ways of dealing with it, such as exercise, yoga, meditation or talking with a friend. “Sometimes it might also involve talking to a professional,” Carmona says. THE OVERACHIEVER For an appointment with a North Mississippi Medical Center physician or to learn more about NMMC events and services, call 800-THE DESK (800-843-3375). Make a Good Call for Your Health RISKY BEHAVIOR: Feeling invincible THE SITUATION: “When you’re in your 20s and 30s, you think you’re going to live forever,” Ewy says. “The last thing you worry about is your health.” The main problem that needs to be addressed, he explains, is obesity. “The number of extremely obese people is really striking,” he says. And now is the time to take care of it. “When you gain weight in your 20s, it gets harder to take it off in your 40s and 50s,” Sacco says. STEPS YOU CAN TAKE: “It’s never too early to start changing your behavior,” Sacco says. “The things you do in your 20s deﬁnitely have an impact by your 50s and 60s. We want people to start as early as possible.” The sooner you stop smoking, for example, the greater your chance of living longer. Likewise, Sacco says, now is the time to make physical activity a regular part of your day to ensure you maintain a lifelong healthy weight. THE YOUNG GUN 14 Vim & Vigor · SP R I N G 2 012 Call

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - North Mississippi
Opening Thoughts
Building Healthier Hearts
Young at Heart
Caring for the Little Ones
Get Real
How Far We’ve Come
Patient Survival Guide
Perfect Attendance
Jennifer Hudson, Grammy-winning recording artist
Lean on Me
Intimidated by the Gym?
What Is Your Volunteer Style?
A Prescription for Relief
Virtual Health
SPECIAL You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Get Heart Healthy!
Growing Stronger
The Doctor Will See You Now
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - North Mississippi