Holiday Stress? 3 Tips to Keep You Sane During the Holidays

The holiday season is now in full gear and special family time is always appreciated. The presents you’ve carefully wrapped are ready to be torn open.  Then, you receive that phone call from distant relatives announcing… “Surprise, surprise we’re visiting for the holidays!” Anxiety kicks in, and panic-riddent thoughts immediately start running through our minds. We have all been there with surprise guests – you’re trying to tie the Super Cape back on for last minute holiday shopping combined with overcrowded stores that can make anyone’s head explode. As hard as it is to stay calm during these surprises, leave Stress Avenue and take a detour to The True Meaning of the Season Drive.

Holiday Stressor: Last Minute Shopping

De-stressor: Do you have a long last minute gift list that you can’t seem to trim down? Do you dread going to the crowded mall? Make gift-giving simpler by remembering that the season is about being with your loved ones and not material things. Perhaps purchasing gifts that are more focused on people, such as tickets to that game or concert they have been dying to go to but have not been able to get tickets themselves, gift certificates to their favorite restaurant or a certificate for a day at the spa. When all else fails make it even simpler for you – online shopping! If ordered before the store’s cut-off date, the gifts will make it on time.  Even better, they will wrap them for you!

Holiday Stressor: Entertaining

De-stressor: So the whole family has designated your house as the gathering place, and you will be the host for all holiday events. Great! Now you are worried about doing all the cooking and making sure the house is squeaky-clean and ‘flawless’ for each event.  You may become preoccupied with whether you have enough room for guests to mingle or sit, and playing hostess. Relax and give yourself a break!  Try a different approach to entertaining. Have everyone bring a holiday favorite while you supply the beverages, hot cocoa and holiday desserts. Entertain one another; take turns sharing family stories about way back when; and later on sing along concert of holiday songs.  Make it all about family time and not so much about the ‘perfect’ party.

Holiday Stressor: Following Traditions

De-stressor: We understand that every family has its own traditions. These often mean doing specific things in a certain way all in the name of tradition. Perhaps you want to please elders and carry on with the traditions they know, or maybe you want to follow the same traditions you did when you were younger in order for your children to learn them and carry them on as well. As adorable as it sounds to have these traditions happen, making sure they occur in the ‘perfect’ way often creates more stress. You can choose to make it a team effort and ask your loved ones which part of the traditions they really like. Keep the winners down to a few and go all out on just those. This way the traditions will not only be more relaxed, but they will also be easier to keep for future holidays. If you are a spontaneous person, another option is to make ‘winging it’, a tradition in itself. Why not do whatever feels festive in the moment? It will keep it mysterious and fun for holidays to come.

This holiday season don’t let holiday stress put a damper on your health. Remember that the season is about spending time with the ones you love and enjoying each other. Take Control of Your Health® and stay stress free this holiday season with ANY LAB TEST NOW®.

Smoking + Quitting = Healthier Lifestyle

We all have guilty pleasures that we enjoy. Many times we give in to these pleasures because it relaxes us and makes us feel better. But sometimes the same guilty pleasures that we enjoy become hazardous to our health. Smoking is a vice that not only affects your health but it also affects the health of those around you.

It has been reported that tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. According to the CDC not only does smoking cause heart and lung disease, stroke as well as cancer; but it also shortens the smoker’s life on average by 13 to 14 years. Making the choice to quit is never easy, but sometimes quitting doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

You must be wondering when should I quit smoking? How do I even start? You can start by listing your reasons to quit, putting your health at the top of your list. Choose your quitting date, make a plan, cut back on usage and monitor your progress. Having a support system of course always helps. Recruit a family member or a trusted friend to become your quit coach.

ANY LAB TEST NOW® can be part of the support system you need. Establish a baseline as your starting point with a nicotine/cotinine test that will help you check the levels of nicotine/cotinine in your system and can help you monitor your progress during the various stages of the quitting process. Start living a healthier lifestyle by knowing what is going on inside your body.

Visit an ANY LAB TEST NOW® near you for more information on how we can help you Take Control of Your Health®.

Bless Your Heart Health, Ladies!

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined.  That is pretty amazing, given our rightful attention to causes such as breast cancer awareness.  More interesting is how women support and take care of each other through these causes – women are natural caregivers, even with strangers.

However, we have an obligation to take care of our own health – for ourselves, our family and friends.  That’s not as natural for us!  So, let’s start with some heart health basics since February is Heart Health Awareness Month:

  • Get your cholesterol checked if you haven’t in the past year.  Consider a VAP Test or PLAC Test, which offer more comprehensive information.
  • Exercise!  Practice for and join your community health walks.  This is an excellent way to move and socialize at the same time!
  • Eat right  The holidays are over! It is time to get serious about what you are putting into your body.  Try your local farmer’s market, stores that carry organic and fresh produce, or if you are on the run, try Meals To Live frozen meals, which are diabetic-friendly.
  • Monitor your glucose and take action right away if you’ve been diagnosed as a pre-diabetic or diabetic.
  • Stop smoking.  Enough said.
  • Recognize symptoms of a possible heart attack  Women’s heart attack symptoms can be different than those of men.  Be on alert for:
    • Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in your chest
    • Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
    • Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
    • Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
    • Women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Ladies, Bless Your Hearts and learn more by visiting the American Heart Association and get tested at your local ANY LAB TEST NOW.

Cholesterol? What Cholesterol? My Internal Battle

Every time I turn around, there are news blurbs and health blogs about high cholesterol.  Heck, is there anything that won’t make us susceptible?  Well I know a few things that will!

  • My fave – French fries
  • Age (I really don’t want to hear that word right now…)
  • My parents and their parents – an easy excuse – genes
  • Back to my bad eating habits of fast food
  • Alcohol
  • Smoking (not my habit, just one of those things I know about)

I’m at that “give and take” part of my life. I’m going to have to give up some of the “good stuff” like Twinkies, Little Debbie Swiss Rolls and Coconut Fudge ice cream to save myself from the “bad stuff”, heart disease.

I fear pain.  I am a bit of a wimp.  I cannot even imagine what a heart attack feels like.  I will give my bags of chips up any day and will even climb on the dusty elliptical trainer sitting in the corner of my living room rather than having to deal with that issue.  That is, if I really need to…  That’s the problem – willpower, and knowing!  You can’t see or feel those waxy globs of fat in your system, so I’m taking a risk with the occasional late-night snack while reasoning with myself why I deserve it.

So, I finally got smart.  I got my cholesterol tested.  It gave me something real to look at.   Sorry snack cakes, you are going to have to go on vacation.  The numbers are reality, and reality reminds me of my biggest fear.  Knowing my cholesterol level is more motivating than hiding in the closet and hoping the grim reaper of blood gunk will pass me by.   So, I encourage all my readers to get your cholesterol tested and know your reality today.