health for your
Managing work with L.O.V.E.
By Gabriela Cora
DO YOU WORK eight hours,
enjoy recreational activities
eight hours and sleep eight
hours every day? Probably
not. Life-work balance is a
myth. Instead, busy employ-
ees, business owners and
executives ought to focus on managing work
in life with L.O.V.E.
Lifestyle strategies. Too busy to exercise? Many people cut down on exercise when
they experience increased work demands.
Others fast through long hours at the job, while
their companions binge on any junk they can
get their hands on. Many sleep less to work
more. Let’s rethink a formula that works: To
keep a healthy lifestyle, eat nutritious food at
regular intervals, exercise at least 30 minutes
daily, find ways to relax and make sure your
sleep refreshes your busy mind.
Organize your day. Like to be spontaneous? That’s wonderful, but keep the surprises
for special occasions. For everyday responsibilities, the busiest folks succeed by planning,
prioritizing and organizing their hectic schedules. Many struggle with overlapping responsibilities. When this happens, healthy lifestyles
and important activities with the family are
pushed to the bottom of the list. Keep your priorities in check: Plan ahead so you will be efficient within your time constraints.
Values. Do you say you cherish your significant relationships, but in reality spend
dwindling time with loved ones? What you
think and say doesn’t match your actions. You
are not in alignment if you say you value
excellence but submit sloppy work or if you
say you love spending time with your kids but
never make the time. Sometimes people get
so busy they forget to revisit their true motivation to work to create better lives for the
people they love. Take the time to find out
what’s truly important to you.
Enjoy. Do you wake up thinking you will
have an amazing day or do you make a list of
the bad things that will probably happen?
Your outlook on life may be predisposing you
to win or lose. Perhaps you are working like
two or three people at work, you just lost your
main account and your family talks to you
only when they need something. How about
making a list of what you enjoy from work, of
the people who love your products or ser-
vices, and the cherished times when you and
your family laugh together? Have the inten-
tion to enjoy each and every day. C
Healthy Heart
Month
UNDENIABLY, A HEALTHY lifestyle is the
best defense against heart disease.
Lifestyle choices in your control can
keep you on a heart-healthy path.
The Mayo Clinic (
www.mayoclinic.
com) offers a concise set of strategies for
implementing a heart-healthy lifestyle.
1. Quit smoking
When you give up smoking, your
risk of heart disease drops dramatically
within just one year. No matter how long
or how much you smoked, you’ll start
reaping rewards as soon as you quit.
2. Stay active
Guidelines recommend that you get
at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderately
intense physical activity most days of
the week. Gardening, housekeeping,
taking the stairs and walking the dog
count toward your total time. You don’t
have to exercise strenuously to achieve
benefits.
Gabriela Cora works with people who want
to be healthy while they become wealthy.
She is the author of Leading Under Pressure
(Career Press, 2010).
Delivering hope
THE U.S. POSTAL Service is known for
delivering mail and packages throughout
America, but did you know it is the largest
contributor to the National Marrow Donor
Program’s (NMDP) Be The Match Registry?
Thousands of people with leukemia,
lymphoma and other life-threatening
blood diseases need donor
matches for bone marrow or
blood cell transplants, yet
there is only a 30 percent
chance of patients finding
matches within their own
families. The Postal Service
leverages the country’s second-largest civilian workforce by
delivering hope that a lifesaving
match can be found.
Postal Service employees and
their spouses and dependents, ages
18 and older, are eligible to participate through the Delivering the Gift
of Life campaign at no cost for type-testing of tissue.
Any person of any race or
ethnicity who is 18 to 60 years old
and meets donation health guidelines can
become a potential volunteer donor. Inter-
ested postal employees who are not cur-
rently part of the registry can send an e-mail
to
marrowcampaign@usps.gov. Others who
want to help or become a part of the Be The
The Postal Service receives no
tax dollars for operating expenses,
and relies on the sale of postage,
products and services to fund its
operations.
Match Registry can go to
www.bethematch.
org for more information.
3. Eat for your heart
Heart-healthy eating isn’t all about
cutting back; it’s about watching what
you eat. Most people need to add more
fruits and vegetables to their diet, with a
goal of five to 10 servings a day.
Limiting certain fats is also important. Of the types of fat, saturated fat
and trans fat increase the risk of coronary artery disease by raising blood
cholesterol levels.
A heart-healthy diet also means
drinking alcohol only in moderation—no
more than two drinks a day for men,
one a day for women.
4. Watch your weight
Reducing your weight by just 10
percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level
and reduce your risk of diabetes.
5. Regular health monitoring
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and
blood vessels. Screening can tell you
what your numbers are and whether
you need to take action. (Note: Costco
Pharmacies offer screening clinics;
check with your local warehouse for
schedules.)
See MayoClinic.com for the full article, “ 5 medication-free strategies to help
prevent heart disease.”—David Wight