Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 5-25-18

Health
Check Your Computer Position
Having your computer in the right position can prevent neck and back problems. The top of the monitor should be at or just below eye level. For the right distance, hold your
arm straight in front at shoulder height and make a fist. Your knuckles should touch the monitor.
Exercise Outdoors
Getting out of the gym and taking your exercise routine outdoors can enhance the ef- fects. "It's a different environ- ment for your lungs and makes you work harder," says Lacey
Stone, a Los Angeles-based celebrity trainer. The change can improve fitness results by adding vari- ety, which can also be motivating.
Use Aromatherapy For Summer
Pack essential oils in checked baggage, sealed tightly in plastic food storage bags to avoid spills. Include several empty one-ounce plastic spray bottles that you can fill with bottled water
and essential oils for blending on the fly. Make your own travel-friendly face mist: Before you take off, create a facial mist for easy access that incorporates balancing geranium, uplifting grapefruit, and calm- ing lavender-key essential oils that will protect skin from airborne germs and stale airplane air. Grape- fruit will also help lessen puffiness from dehydra- tion caused by air conditioning. Mist your face regularly to soothe dry, taut skin.
PART IV
Would you like to have more energy, sleep better, feel less stressed, eliminate annoying aches, pains, and other discomforts, and get on top of your game? Try harnessing the power of nature.
Here are some practical tips that can help you get started. Whether you're struggling with a soda habit, need to improve your diet, or could just use an energy boost, these are ways to overhaul your diet, health, beauty rou- tine, and home environment!
Get Plants
Plants don't just look pretty. Indoor air pollution in offices and homes can em- anate from particle board, fur- niture, window coverings, carpeting, and paper products. Formaldehyde is a major cul- prit, but indoor plants can ab-
1) 2)
Having a full bladder can add 10 to 15 points to a blood pres- sure reading. Always try to use the bathroom before getting a reading.
Poor support for your feet or back while seated can raise your blood pressure reading by 6 to 10 points. You should sit in a chair with your back supported and feet flat on the floor or a
sorb and neutralize significant amounts. Korean scientists tested 86 different plants and found that ferns are most effective, the top one being a Japanese royal fern (Osmunda japonica).
3) 4)
Crossing your legs can add 2 to 8 points to your reading.
If your arm hangs by your side or you must hold it up while getting a reading, your blood pressure numbers may be 10 points higher than the actual figure. Your arm should be on a chair or counter so that the blood pressure cuff is level
with your heart.
5) Having the cuff placed over clothing can add 5 to 50 points to your reading.
The cuff should be on a bare arm.
Travel
Knowing how
to measure
blood pressure
accurately at
home, and recog-
nizing mistakes
in the physician's
office, can help
you manage your
pressure and
avoid unnecessary medication changes.
The heart association outlines 7 common culprits that can alter your blood pressure reading.
footstool.
6) 7)
A too-small cuff can add 2 to 10 points to a reading.
Talking can add 10 points to your reading. Remain still and silent
while your blood pressure is taken.
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018