Dr. Curtis McElroy

Category: Preventative Medicine

  • Living A Balanced Lifestyle

    Living A Balanced Lifestyle

    Living a Balanced Lifestyle Requires A Healthy Balance Between Work and Family

    One of the major issues faced by working parents is that they find it difficult to properly manage

    Women in particular feel that they are not able to spend quality time with their children because their jobs demand so much of their time. They need to fulfill their responsibilities at work before they can focus their attention to their family. Though work is an important part of life, the family should also be on top of the list of priorities.

    Do you think that risking your family’s happiness is worth the rewards you get from a job well done at work? It is very important that you balance these two aspects of your life. If you can’t focus on both of these things, then you may as well watch the people you love most walk away from you.

    So what is the answer to keeping things running smothly on the home front?

    You can achieve balance by setting up time for both. If your family’s basic needs rest solely on your income, you can’t also risk your job.

    In a case like this, the best you can do is set aside your work when you reach home. Leave work in the office and spend some quality time with your loved ones. After all, it is not the length of time you spend with them that counts, it’s how you spend it.

    You must have a well thought-out schedule for your family. You can use your spare time wisely. A picnic at the park or a night spent sitting on the couch to watch movies matter a lot. Your partner and your children are likely to be happy if they see you stick to the plan.

    A mother in particular plays many roles. She needs to be a wife, friend, and confidant to the people in her house. If you need to hire help just for that extra time with your husband and children, then do so.

    You probably go through times when you think you can’t manage everything and still do a good job. Don’t fret and give up. All you need to do is also ask for the help of your family.

    In order for your home to be happy, you must work as a team. Explain your dilemma and seek advice from those involved. That way, everyone can also understand what you are going through.

    Balancing career and family doesn’t have to be viewed as an insurmountable feat, it just requires a bit of juggling. Every woman is capable of balancing her time. What helps a lot is for you to plan out your schedule and see which responsibility can be fulfilled at home.

    Paying the bills and shopping can now be done online. See if this helps. Assign tasks to the other family members as well and make a list of jobs to do around the house. By delegating chores, everyone will also know that their contributions help in making the family happy.

    The demands of work and family put a lot of pressure on everyone. You should know that you are not the only member of the family. Seek their help and let them learn the value of collaboration and unity.

    After all, to attain an ideal family life, each member must work at it.

  • Is Stress Keeping You Up At Night

    What to Do When Stress Keeps You Up at Night

    Do you know what to do when stress keeps you up at night?

    A lack of sleep can have adverse effects on your productivity, health, and relationships. Inadequate sleep has even been found to impair weight loss.

    It’s annoying to think that the loud music your neighbor plays is what keeps you up until the wee hours of the morning. But when it’s you who is sabotaging your own chances to sleep and rest, it is somewhat more frustrating.

    The fact is, stress-induced insomnia runs rampant these days because of hectic social schedules and mind-numbing responsibilities.

    Instead of just going to bed to doze the night away, your mind goes haywire. You end up tense and anxious, thus overriding any ability to go into dreamland. And when you do get to sleep, it’s still a fitful kind of rest. You don’t wake up feeling refreshed, and instead go back to contemplating about what has been bothering you.

    If this didn’t happen so often, it wouldn’t have been such an issue. If, however, it happens regularly or too often, then the whole thing makes sleeplessness s

    Besides waking up cranky and tired, you also risk your health in the long run. A lack of sleep may effect your immune system and may cause you to become forgetful.

    If that isn’t enough, your bodies metabolism will begin to slow resulting in weight gain or inability to lose weight.

    What can you do to avoid this?

    First, you need to get a handle on whatever issues you have.

    Try to make a list of your priorities and tick off what has been done. Seeing that you have accomplished something immensely helps in reducing your stress level.

    Moreover, the list will remind you that you are still in control of your life.

    If you are still bothered by the number of things that you haven’t done yet, take the time to complete them at night. Instead of tossing and turning on your bed and forcing yourself to sleep when you know it is just not going to happen, use this time to do some work.

    This may be your chance to shorten your list even further.

    When you feel that you have finally done something worthwhile, help your body further by doing these time-tested methods:

    1. Warm shower or bath before bed-This helps lower your body temperature, thus preparing you to get into the hibernation mode.

    2. Try a little warm milk- If most parents have said this, then there must be some semblance of truth to it. Facts have proven that milk contains a certain acid called tryptophan. This is an amino acid that converts itself to serotonin, a chemical that makes you drowsy.

    3. Exercise in the morning- As you work out, you release adrenaline which gives you energy to go through your daily activities. As the day progresses, this subsides, thus making you eventually tired.

    4. Stop looking at the clock- This will only agitate you as you see time tick by.

    Try dwelling on the issues in your life during the day and set them on the shelf during the night.

    Sleep is what makes you function because this is your way of recharging your body with the energy it needs. You may not be aware of it, but you may be lengthening your life when you get into the habit of sleeping right.

    If you plan to live a longer and healthier life, start making adequate sleep a priority in your long list of daily activities.

  • 5 Tips For Beating The Aging Process

    5 Tips For Beating The Aging Process

    Aging is inevitable.

    No matter how hard we try, it will catch up with us eventuality, but that does not mean that you have to sit back and let it prematurely take your youth away.

    No, there are things you can do starting right now to beat the aging process, and maintain your youthful looks and vigor well into an age nobody will be able to guess!

    These tips are extremely simple- there’s no magic pill here.

    Read on to find out the five keys tips you should be doing:

    Sleep More

    Sleeping is one of life’s simple pleasures, and something that should come naturally to everyone.

    However, more than half of the USA’s adult population is chronically sleep deprived, in the sense that they get less than the recommended 8-9 hours nightly, many days running.bettersleephabits

    Sleep is the one thing that everyone has going for them, since it is the hit reset button for your body.

    During sleep, repair ensues, so that proteins in skin are fixed, hormone production is ramped up, and the process of rebuilding in general.

    Chronic sleep deficiency inhibits the ability of the body to fix structural defects, including in DNA, which can accelerate greying of hair, wrinkling of skin and deterioration of organs.

    Eat Your Veggies

    Eat lots of vegetables. It doesn’t really matter which, but include a variety of different ones, as each bring something different to the table.veggies

    Most vegetables are extremely low calories, making them perfect for bulk at mealtimes, as you can eat a lot, and not get a lot of calories.

    In addition, vegetables are full of fiber, which keep intestinal and colon health on point, as well as tons of anti-oxidants, vitamin and minerals, which fend off free radicals and compounds that damage DNA and promote aging.

    Avoid High Risk Habits

    Sure, watching TV late into the night is a bad hobby, and it is damaging, but it is not bad in the sense we are referring to.

    What we are talking about is related to drinking, smoking and eating junk food.smokingman

    Excessive alcohol consumption places undue stress on the liver. The role of the liver is to remove toxins from the body, and routine alcohol consumption can make it difficult to do it’s job effectively.

     

    The accumulation of toxins is bad for health, and accelerates the aging process.

    Smoking, on the other hand is worse in many aspects.

    Smoking has negative effects on the lungs, blood vessels, heart, blood pressure and skin. smoking can age you 25 years in just 5 years.

    Smoking can age you 25 years in just 5 years.

    Nutrient delivery suffers, so skin ages and wrinkles far sooner than it should, and you increase the risk of dying from complications of the lung including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, recurrent infections and lung cancer.

    Stay Happy

    We don’t expect you to be euphoric all day long, but being happy has proven benefits over being sad, or pouty.

    This can be explained by endorphins, feel good chemicals produced in the brain that boost mood, reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce stress levels as well.

    happywoman

    Practicing mindfulness meditation is one of the best ways to develop your appreciation of the little things in life, and improve your happiness and outlook not to mention the fact that frowning just speeds up development of wrinkles and fine lines!

     

    Weight Train

    A little jogging or cycling is good during any point of life, but in order to diminish the effects of aging, weight training is a must.weighttraining

    Not only does muscle help you fill out your clothing, but it can also help prevent skin from sagging, wrinkling, or your posture from stooping.

    Nothing screams old like a hunched back and sagging skin, but luckily, weight lifting can delay this for years to come, not only that, but your overall mobility will be kept in check, and you will look great, so hit the weights!

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy