Wellness Center Health Tips

Synchronize Your Sleep

Manage the more demanding fall schedules by synchronizing your internal sleep-wake clock to the outside environment. In the morning, get outside within 5 minutes of getting up and expose yourself to bright light for 30 minutes. At night, avoid bright light within two to three hours of bedtime because it might delay your sleep onset. This will keep you alert in the morning and make you sleepy at bedtime. -Web MD

Water is your Body

Water is your body's preferred form of fluid. It is thirst-quenching and naturally delicious without one single calorie. You need some 6-8 glasses of water or fluids each day. Recent studies suggest that we should let thirst determine how much we drink each day. Foods that are high in water (soups, Jell-O, produce) also count toward our fluid requirements. Many dieters find drinking water helps keep them from overeating. -WebMD

Move More

Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. -Health and Fitness Tips

S-T-R-E-T-C-H

Fifteen seconds is better than five, though five is still better than nothing when it comes to improving flexibility. A new study out of the United Kingdom suggests a significant benefit from holding each stretch at least 15 seconds as opposed to five seconds or not stretching at all.

Twenty-four college students (average age 20) participated in the five-week training study.  Those in the five-second group performed each stretch nine times, while those in the 15-second group did each stretch three times. While both groups improved their passive range of motion, those who held their stretches longer showed greater improvements in active range of motion as well. -American Council on Exercise