HealthLink Littauer’s

WELLNESS WORDS

Submitted by Wendy Chirieleison, MS Ed

Community Health Educator

This Healthy Day Is Brought To You By Littauer

It is summertime in the Adirondacks, the “Land of 44 Lakes.”  Looking around, you see people enjoying activities like tubing, hiking, biking, sailing, swimming, kayaking, fishing, miniature golfing, enjoying all this region has to offer.  They are laughing, faces jovial, frolicking in the sunshine, taking in the picturesque mountains and bright golden sunsets.  Wishing you felt up to partaking in all of the fun?  Well you can, and we at Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home would like to provide you with some ideas on how you can get there!

• It all starts with taking good care of yourself!  Be sure you schedule regular preventive health visits with your primary care provider.  Don’t forget those annual screenings for both men and women that are so important to our health.  Some people avoid them because they feel the screenings are too invasive, but the truth is these procedures could save our lives.

• Plenty of exercise is important and that can be easier when the weather is nicer.  Take a hike, join a walking club, swim, play a game of tennis, or take the kids in your life for regular walks to the library and get books to read at the beach.

• Making healthier choices at the market in addition to encouraging physical activity are two ways we can model and encourage healthy lifestyles for those children in our lives.  Take advantage of the local fruits and vegetables at farm stands, co-ops, and farmers markets.  Avoid sugary drinks and have plenty of water on hand, especially during these hot summer days!

• Slow down!  We can get so involved with social media (like Facebook and Twitter) or other computer games and devices, that sometimes we are not fully “present.”  We are often times so caught up thinking about the past (or the future) that we forget there is something happening right now, at this very moment.  So how do we put down those devices and stay connected to reality rather than the internet?  How do we put those pesky thoughts at bay and focus on the present?  Here are a few ideas – take a “time  out,” lay down on a beach towel either at the beach or right on your lawn and just watch the clouds roll by, take quiet nature walks, plan a fun day trip with loved ones, or spend the day with your family at the beach.  You could even make a rule to Turn ‘Em Off or Tune ‘Em Out … the devices, that is!

• Take advantage of HealthLink, Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home’s Community Health and WellnessCenter, located inside the Fulton County YMCA.  We have free information on health and wellness topics from A-Z, and offer a variety of other free or low cost services to help you achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Stop in to see us Monday through Friday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., call us at 736-1120 or e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org with a question, or visit www.nlh.org to see our monthly calendar of events.

So in the end, this healthy day really can be yours.  We mean it when we say … “it’s your life, live it well!”