holistic health

10 risk factors you can control!

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Happy Wednesday! As we come to the end of May and the end of Blood Pressure Awareness Month, it is time to start putting it all together. You can read all the posts on this topic in the archives. There is a ton of helpful information there. This post may contain affiliate links.

So, what are the 10 risk factors you can control?

  1. Everyone hates it when a medical person says this, but controlling your weight, if you are over weight or obese, is the #1 risk factor you can control to prevent High Blood Pressure. Now, for a small population, due to reasons outside of their control, weight loss may not be a risk factor they can control. BMI, and hip to waist ratio are other tools, besides just a number on a scale that can help you determine your risk.
  2. Reduce your stress levels. If you visited this blog at all in April then you know I talked about Stress reduction. Stress is a huge risk factor for High Blood Pressure and learning to control it is vital. Check the archives to learn about managing Stress. A Health Coach can help you. Check out my 30 day coaching plan. One thing I have discussed recently is that pain is a definite stressor and having adequate pain management is vitally important. Talk to your doctor if you have pain! Come back later this week to read about what annoyed me in the news today on the topic of Stress.
  3. Be Active. Exercise has been proven to help prevent and reduce blood pressure. However, be careful if you are new to exercise or have an underlying illness. I have CKD and recently I have started running. I have also noticed that my blood pressure has creeped up in that time when it was very well managed without medication. My doctor OK’d this increase in intensity, but I have gone back to low impact and the fat burning zone to see if it makes a difference in my blood pressure. I check my blood pressure most days of the week using a manual cuff and stethescope. I keep a log for my doctor to review.
  4. Eat a healthy diet. Now I know there is controversy around what is healthy and what is not. Lower sodium, lower fat and less processed foods I think most could agree would be healthy. Adding fruits and veggies is always going to be healthier than eating fast food, or otherwise less healthy food options.
  5. Eat less salt. This kind of goes with #4. Talk to your doctor but most experts on this topic, if you search it, say 1800 mg per day is all you should be getting for most people. Back in the day when I worked on a Cardiac Unit is was 2000 mg per day. So, it has decreased over the years.
  6. Limit your alcohol. I did a whole post on portion distortion alcohol and I think it is plain that most people do not understand the serving size of alcohol. If you are a man you should not drink more than 2 servings a day, and only 1 serving a day if you are a woman.
  7. Stop smoking. I don’t think that really needs explaining.
  8. Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine is found in coffee, some teas, energy drinks, chocolate and possibly other products I am not aware of. Not everyone is sensitive to caffeine raising their blood pressure, but if you consume a lot of it you might want to consider cutting back.
  9. Monitor your blood pressure. This really isn’t a lifestyle change, but more of a habit you should get into. Even if you are young and healthy regular monitoring of your blood pressure is a good idea. Even if you only have it checked every few months. If you are already at a high risk of getting High Blood Pressure, or already have it, monitoring your blood pressure is vitally important. You may not even know it is high, like for me, because you might have no symptoms. Even the smallest increases in blood pressure can have negative effects on the body, especially if the blood pressure goes unnoticed that it is high.
  10. Find a support team. This should include your doctor, family, friends, a Health Coach. Anyone who can help you adjust your risk factors. It is not easy making lifestyle changes, trust me I know, but doing it can prolong your life, prevent diseases, or complications from diseases.

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My top 10 ways to de-stress!

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It is the end of Stress Awareness Month. I hope you have enjoyed and or learned some things from my posts. I did not get to touch on the Brain and Digestive Systems as they relate to Stress. Stress can affect all parts of the body. Today, I would like to share my top 10 ways that I use to de-stress.

  1. Walking in Nature. This is number 1 for a reason, because I truly believe in it. Yesterday, I talked about Earthing. I will be incorporating walking barefoot into my daily nature walk. It doesn’t have to be done anywhere special, I do it right in my own yard. If you live in the city there has to be a park or nature trail somewhere close by. Make your walk even better by not having any distractions and using your five senses to be more Mindful. Stressed at work? Walk on your lunch break. Fresh air will help clear your mind and refresh your thoughts.
  2. Exercise. This can go right along with #1. Aim for at least 30 minutes for 5 days a week. 60 minutes is even better. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to reap the benefits. A nice walk, Yoga, or Swimming are gentler kinder exercises. I personally love to put on the Disco music from the video below when I need to burn off some steam or get some good house cleaning done. If you are angry a more upbeat, intense workout may be very helpful. Well I can’t share the video it is blocked. But, if you search for Workout Music Source Disco Hits you will find it.
  3. Meditate. I try to Meditate every day. Just sitting and being still and not thinking about anything. Maybe some soft drum beat music in the background, nice candles, etc.
  4. Mindfulness. Mindfulness is different than meditating in the sense that you want to be in the moment noticing your surroundings and how you are reacting to them. It is a great way to be more grounded, have self control, know your limits, etc.
  5. Clean the pool. Yes, you read that write. I clean the pool to relax. I generally vacuum it every time I use the pool. I am in the sun, and the cool water allows me to think and reflect. I truly love it.
  6. Gardening. Another top favorite for me. I love planting, nurturing, and then reaping the rewards. I am really good with flowers. This year I am giving it a go at a vegetable garden. There is so much to learn. I also enjoy making garden decorations and tiny fairy gardens.
  7. Art. There are so many forms of Art to try and so many that I enjoy. I love to paint, etch glass, crochet, make jewelry, and others too. I have some Arthritis in my hands so it makes some of these more difficult now. I have not been doing a lot of Art lately, other than my Photography, which I also love.
  8. Reiki. Reiki is a Healing Energy of which there are many. I do self Reiki on myself at least a few times a week, and the dogs are great guinea pigs, lol. They actually love it. I offer Distance Reiki as part of my coaching plans. If you would like to learn more about Distance Reiki for Stress relief, use the contact form at the end of this post to message me. I would love to help you de-stress with Reiki.
  9. Guided Imagery. When I took my final exam for my Guided Imagery certificate I decided to do one for Better Sleep. I got an A and I still use it for myself to this day if I have a hard time falling asleep. Guided Imagery is where you use your imagination to guide you through a pre-made script to help with Sleep, Stress, Anxiety, Anger, Weight Loss and so much more. Guided Imagery is included in my coaching plans. Contact me for more information.
  10. Venting. There is nothing like a good vent, or rant, without judgement. Having someone you can vent to is a great stress reliever. Sometimes just getting something off of your chest can find relief from Stress. If you need someone you can vent to without judgement or hurt feelings use the contact form to message me.

These work for me. There may be other ways to relieve Stress and may work better for you. Some people like a massage or bubble bath. I did a post on Essential Oils, which can also be helpful. We also volunteer at a dog rescue and that too is a great stress reliever. Well most days, lol. I can not stress enough the totality of a good diet and good sleep for Stress relief on the body.

My May freebie will be about Hypertension, and will be available to my mailing list only. So, if you have High Blood Pressure, want to avoid having it, or love someone who does sign up for my mailing list below to take advantage of some free coaching. I will also have a 3 day special for just Moms. You have to be on the mailing list to be eligible.

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Also in May will be my new Health Challenge. In April it was Triceps for some good tank top arms. May will be Calves, because they are important for running, and I have started running. I will post the challenge soon. It will be posted to this blog. Anyone can join in.

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Wellness Wednesday: Reiki for Stress Relief or Anxiety

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Stress and Anxiety are kind of similar, but different.  They can both be acute and quick, or chronic and long-lasting.  Chronic Stress and Chronic Anxiety can be debilitating and cause illness.  Learning to deal and cope with these issues is very beneficial.

Nursing is a very stressful job, especially bedside nursing.  If you are doing bedside nursing then you know what I am talking about.  But, any job can be stressful, as well as just everyday situations.  We all deal with stress, and anxiety in different ways, but some people deal with it by not dealing with it.  This can be incredibly unhealthy.

I am a level 2 Reiki Practitioner.  I offer 15 minute Distance Reiki sessions to help heal negative energy caused by Stress and Anxiety.  If you would like to purchase a session, you can visit my Etsy shopor use the contact form below to message me.  Anyone who purchases a Reiki session will have a meet and greet prior to their session.

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Foodie Friday: Superbowl Meatballs

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In case you haven’t heard there is a big football game this Sunday.  I have to work and it figures because it is a really good game this year.  If you have Diabetes, CKD or any chronic illness, then you know how hard going to parties can be.  If you are having a party or attending one, modify the meatball recipe below provided by Davita to suit your needs.  I personally would not use Canola Oil, but Olive Oil instead.  And I would make my own Chili Sauce as bottled versions are generally more filled with salt and other additives that someone with CKD may not want.  I have provided a link to a homemade chili sauce recipe too.  It is super easy to make.  If you have Diabetes choose sugar-free jelly.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe

Homemade Chili Sauce

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Thinking on Thursday: What is Pettifoggery?

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Welcome to Thinking on Thursday.  These posts will be aimed at Brain Health and ways to improve it.

I know for me, in my 50’s, Brain Health becomes even more important than in my 20’s.  I have been following some of the impeachment trials, mostly because we use it for History in our Homeschool classes, but the other night a term I had never heard of before came up.  Pettifoggery.  Do you know what pettifoggery means?  You might be able to figure it out if you look at the two words separately.  Pettifoggery means, to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters.  To think that people running an Impeachment Trial were accused of this is funny.

Learning new words and their meanings is a great way to improve Brain Health.  I  used to do a post on Mondays, called Learn a New Word a Week.  Learn a new word each day is even better.  Write them down somewhere and study them to remember them.

If you would like to learn more about my Health Coaching Services, use the contact form at the end of this post to message me. Read about my giveaway here.

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Happy New Year from Health Buddy Melissa: 2020 Goals

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Happy New Year to all of my readers!  Before I start I have been getting comments about where to find the link to join my newsletter.  I do not currently use a service that provides a newsletter.  I am handling it all myself, saves money.  So, to receive my weekly newsletter just use the communication form at the bottom of every single post and put newsletter in the comment area.  This is currently the only way to do it.

I have created some goals for me personally, this blog and my Health Coaching business.  This blog is a conduit to my Health Coaching.  This is where you will contact me to have a free meet and greet to learn more about my services and complete a free Holistic Health Evaluation.  The process is similar to joining the newsletter, use the contact form at the bottom of every post to message me.

Here are my goals for 2020:

Personal:  Continue with my own personal growth and development.  Lose weight but only if it is healthy for my kidney to do so and if not move beyond body size to fully accept myself as I am.  Continue to gain strength and energy through exercise and healthy eating and living.  Practice my Reiki every day and get Distance Reiki clients.  Learn to have fun.  I am a goal-oriented person so even things that are fun are goal-oriented.  In 2020 I want to let go of some of that and just have some fun for the fun of it.  This will probably be my biggest challenge.  Last but not least maintain my kidney status at stage 3 or improve to stage 2 via good diet choices, exercise, etc.

Blog and Coaching:  I completed my Business Plan I just need to put it on paper.  I have a goal of making 600 dollars in profit in 2020 from my coaching business.  That does not sound like a lot, but with a limited advertising budget, I have to start somewhere.  Expand my advertising reach.  I have been doing a lot of research in this area and I think I have made a plan that will work.  Continue to create new Guided Imagery scripts, and increase Distance Reiki clients.  Create new Aromatherapy jewelry.  Create new graphics to advertise with, plus for my Kidney Coach classes.  Promote Kidney Coach classes.  Help bring a larger awareness of Kidney Disease.

I am sure I will come up with others, but those are the basics.  You may have noticed be skinny, make a million dollars, or be happy were not goals.  That is because those goals, though lofty goals, are not feasible without first accomplishing smaller more realistic goals.  I don’t actually want to be a millionaire, so that will never show up on my goal list. When I became a nurse, way back in 1987, I did so because I wanted to help people.  The same is true for when I took the Certified Health Coach Class and the Holistic Health Coach class.  That is the best goal I could ever achieve, helping people.

Happy New Year!

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Wellness on Wednesday: Cold and Flu Prevention Part 5

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There are only two more parts to this series, so it will end next Wednesday.  I will then move on to other topics.  I hope you are finding this series useful.

The 5th link in the Chain of Infection is the Portal of Entry.  A portal of entry can be broken skin, incisions, inhaled through the respiratory tract.  There are a few others, but since we are discussing cold and flu these are the ones we will discuss.

You may have noticed a pattern by now that good handwashing is included in almost every chain in the link.  Good handwashing is the number one way to prevent cold and flu.  Barriers such as gloves and respiratory masks are two other ways to break this link.  BTW gloves and respiratory masks do not just protect you from getting a cold or flu, but protects others from you should you be the person with the illness.   I think sometimes people forget this.  Also getting a flu shot if you have been advised to do so can break this link.  Basic First Aid and personal hygiene are the last two ways to break this link.  If you have overly chapped hands, or small cuts on your hands,  that can allow germs to enter be sure and use a hand lotion to help heal the skin.   Chapped, dry lips and nose can also allow germs to enter.  Use chapstick, and a humidifier at night to add moisture and barrier to protect against germs entering the body.  Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep and maintain a healthy diet will also help keep you and your Immune System in good working order.

You can read the other posts in the series in the archives.

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Join my Walk 2020 call to action. 

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